I DO NOT OWN THIS STORY!!
This is a story written by Voltage and was on the Lovestruck app that was shut down due to lack of funding.
I am simply writing the stories from the app out as I prefer to read them this way and nobody has yet to do so.
I have typed this out word for word from the app except for a few bits to help identify people sense there are no pictures to see who is talking.
If you have any suggestions on how to make this flow better, please let me know!

Love & Legends - Saerys Route

Season 1: Chapter 3

I'm finally woken up by the slightly-too-loud knocking...of someone who's knocked on a lot of doors for one morning and wants very much to stop.

"Ryland, no doubt."

There's a shifting of blankets, the padding of bare feet on wood, and the door pulled open.

"Good morning, Master Saerys."

"And to you, Ryland. Was there something you needed?"

"Not at all, Master Sawyers."

"Lord Reiner merely wished me to inform you that the festivities will be beginning in short order."

"In his words, 'your presence at the celebration would be greatly appreciated.'"

Saerys sighs, drumming his fingers on the door.

"Yes, I imagine it would be."

"He then added, 'that should convince him to come, yes? It should be all of us.'"

"Besides, I scarcely see him nowadays."

"I am uncertain as to whether Lord Reiner intended for me to convey this second portion to you, but as he did not specify I thought it best to include his words in full."

"Mhm..."

Finally, I sit up and toss the covers aside.

(Come to think of it, I'm curious.)

"So this is for the anniversary of the Witch Queen's defeat, right?"

"What kind of party do you have for something like that?"

"Various domains have concocted their own traditions to commemorate the event, but here in our city, we favor-!"

He seems to realize, a bit belatedly, who he's talking to.

Ryland looks positively scandalized, mouth agape and eyes flicking back and forth between me, climbing out of bed, and a very shirtless Saerys.

"Master Saerys, what, may I ask, is the meaning of this?"

"What...?"

"Surely you and this... young lady did not sleep together?"

"I could hardly make her sleep on the floor, Ryland."

"Certainly not, but there are a great many guest rooms!"

Saerys shrugs and gives me a sidelong glance.

"I offered as much. MC insisted that would be remiss in my role as her guardian."

"Even so-!"

He sighs and takes a moment to collect himself.

"Lord Reiner, Masters August and Isuel, and Lady Altea will be gathering at the castle gates."

"As milord said, your presence there would be greatly appreciated."

With that he walks away, more than a bit stiffly.

"That went well."

"Clearly."

I climb out of bed and start getting dressed.

(Time for another visit to the laces emporium.)

"We are going, right? He obviously wants you there."

"Yes, we are going."

"For good or for ill."

Finally, Saerys fetches a fresh shirt from the closet and dons it.

(Well, I guess no good thing lasts forever.)

"Seriously though, can we get some food? I'd kill for a nice hot cup of coffee right now."

"Do people kill for food often in Chicago, or is that another figure of speech I'm not privy to?"

"Wha-yeah no, it's the second one. Definitely the second one."

He seems briefly puzzled, but then simply waves.

(Wait a second... if I'm dreaming, and I just woke up...)

(Well, whatever. Dreams are weird, right?)

With Ryland apparently scared off, we make our way down to the kitchens.

(It's a good thing Saerys seems to know this place like the back of his hand, because I'm totally lost.)

(How does one house have so many hallways?)

Just when I'm about ready to ask if Saerys isn't giving me the-literal-runaround, the aroma of fresh-baked bread reaches me.

"Hello and good morning!"

Solaire is busying about the castle's expansive kitchens, humming to herself as she prepares what looks to be a half-dozen dishes at once.

"Morning, Solaire."

She glances between me and Saerys, and gives me a sly look.

"Ryland came through just a moment ago."

"He seemed rather distraught, and was mumbling some positively scandalous things to himself."

"You would not happen to know anything about that, would you milady?"

(Oh lord. A look like that has precisely one meaning.)

I can feel heat rising in my cheeks, and make a valiant effort to keep the embarrassment out of my voice.

"Uh, yeah, no, I uh..."

Saerys, on the other hand, doesn't so much as blink.

"Ryland could read intrigue into the pattern on a rug."

"He can be very... perceptive, I agree."

"Don't suppose you've got anything ready for breakfast?"

"Certainly! What would you like, milady?"

"There is nothing in the world I would like right now more than a cup of coffee."

Solaire and Saerys share a look, and Saerys shrugs.

"I have no idea."

(No.)

"No."

"I... am afraid I am unfamiliar with... coffee, you said?"

"I was wrong. This isn't a dream at all. This is a nightmare."

"I do have a fresh batch of buns coming out of the oven. One moment, I will fetch them out."

She tugs on a pair of thick oven mitts and lifts a tray from the huge oven on the wall.

"Now do be careful, they are extremely-!"

My stomach gets the better of me before she can finish. I snatch a bin of the tray, and-

"HOT!"

I fumble the scalding bread.

Saerys snatches it out of the air, his hand darting out too fast to follow, and he takes a huge bite.

(Oh, now he's done it. That thing was hot enough to...)

"Delicious as ever, Solaire."

Steam rises from Searys's lips as he eats, the intense heat evaporating any moisture in his mouth, and yet he seems totally unfazed.

(...Demon. Right.)

(Alright I'm not gonna lie, that's kinda hit. And not just because of the bread.)

He grabs another bun from the tray, carefully blowing on it with a teasing glint in his eye before handing it to me.

"You showoff."

"...Oh wow, this is tasty."

"Ryland also mentioned that the res of Lord Reiner's party had gathered by the gates and we awaiting your-!"

"Our presence, yes. He mentioned as much."

Saerys straightens from where he'd been leaning on a counter.

"We should not make them wait any longer."

As we leave the kitchens and cross the castle grounds, I can't help but be a little excited, and a little apprehensive too.

(After all, they're celebrating the defeat of someone who looks exactly like me.)

Sure enough, the others are all gathered at the gates by the time Saerys and I arrive.

(Judging by the looks we're getting, it looks like Ryland stopped by here too. Wonderful!)

"I guess we won't need to explain out sleeping arrangements. How convenient."

Isuel is grinning ear to ear, and looks so eager to comment I'm worried he'll burst at the seams.

"Saerys! It seems you are just as fleet-footed as August insists after each of your matches!"

August looks unamused, and folds his arms across his chest with a huff.

"I cannot help but wonder what might be if you turned your wiles my way, my friend."

"The domain trembles at the thought."

(Wow. 'Unamused' is a generous word for August's mood right now, it seems.)

Altea only gives him a dismissive wave.

"Now, August, there is not need to be nasty-tempered."

She leans on her staff with her hip cocked, and winks at Saerys.

Lord Reiner simply sighs with a shake of his head.

"Whatever... else may have happened, we are all assembled."

"Saerys, I am glad you chose to join us."

"Speaking on the victory we shared without all who shared in it present would have been...hollow."

Saerys's expression flickers a moment - whether an almost-smile or an almost-fidget, I can't tell.

(With everyone gathered around and all the attention on him, I'm surprised he seems as comfortable as he does.)

(I guess this bunch is different, for him.)

"I have to be in town anyway, so long as I am tasked with watching MC."

"And doubtless Ryland would see that you had not a moment of peace if you attempted to hole up in your room."

"I have always cherished his initiative, yes."

(Maybe it's a lord thing, but Reiner is absolutely the dad friend of this bunch.)

"The formalities will commence at the fountain in the center of town at noon."

"Until then, enjoy yourselves; this is a celebration, after all!"

The town is completely transformed from last night.

The streets are lined with festival games, and the market booths have all been draped in decorations and wares fit for a celebration.

"We'd better stick close together, it's gonna be super crowded."

"I trust your ability to walk in broad daylight."

(Woosh.)

"I mean we should hold hands, to keep from getting separated."

"Is this going to be one of those... how did you put it, 'damn well gonna find out' things?"

I take his hand. It's warm, almost hot to the touch, but he doesn't try to pull away.

"...I thought as much."

We walk a while around the outskirts of town, watching the festivities.

It's still crowded, though the crowds steer carefully around some of the games.

(A lot of these look fun, but also a bit... well, physical. I don't know how good I'd be at archery or hammer throwing.)

Ahead of us, a vendor has set up a horseshoe pit and is offering woven leather bracelets as prizes.

"Ooh! How about that one?"

"I used to be pretty good at this, you know."

"Is that so?"

"They always had it set up at the county fair where I grew up, and it was my favorite for like, three years."

"Such dedication. I am awed."

"You're as snarky as Iseul is what you are."

He grins at that.

I guess he doesn't entirely dislike the comparison.

The vendor seems to recognize Saerys: after a look between the two of us he tells me it's on the house.

Setting the thought aside, I line up on the pitch.

I take a few moments to practice, thinking back to my extensive experience between the ages of six and nine, and let fly-!

... And overshoot by six feet.

Behind me, I can hear the soft huffing of Saerys doing his best not to laugh.

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little stronger now than I was in second grade."

"One more, just you watch!"

"I wait with baited breath."

"Ha, ha. Yeah, I'll give you something to bate about."

This time, I make sure not to think back to when I was half my height and thought saying 'damn' meant you had to go to jail.

And like a victory bell, the clang of the horseshoe neatly hooking the post rings out loud and clear.

"Yes! Be awed by that!"

I give my hair the sassiest flip I can, and shoot a grin at Saerys.

"Very Impressive, MC. And they will not even need a forge to undo it."

Looking past him, I start to notice the crowds moving a bit differently, slowing to examine the two of us with the occasional whisper.

(... Uh oh. Somehow I don't think they're all just impressed by my triumph.)

(It might be time for us to relocate so we don't have a repeat of last night.)

"So Saerys, uh... what festival games do you like?"

"Me? Well..."

While he thinks, I take his hand again and head for an area with denser crowds and covered booths.

(He's not the only one who can be subtle.)

"I was very young then, but there was a festival game I enjoyed that involved using a sort of...small, thin paper net to scoop up goldfish."

I glance around the crowded street, peering over the crowd to see if I can spot the game he's talking about.

"There! Why not give it a couple rounds?"

This time, he's the one leading me by the hand.

Saerys walks like water through the crowd, with me close behind.

"We have a little time before we need to be at the fountain..."

"A couple rounds should be fine."

He tosses a coin to the shopkeeper, who hands him a few small nets in return.

As it turns out, Saerys' lightning-bolt reflexes and supernatural speed mean...

Absolutely nothing, when it comes to catching goldfish in a flimsy little net.

They always seem to be one step ahead of him, already turning by the time he moves to catch them.

"..."

(Oh, oh my god. He's got the most adorable pout these eyes have ever seen.)

"Here, let me show you how it's done."

I take the remaining nets and give the game a go myself, and...

As it turns out, those nets are really fragile.

(Can these things even hold a goldfish?)

"We are...terrible at this."

"Totally hopeless, yup."

We share a somber moment, staring at our pitiful torn nets, not a fish between us.

"...Heh."

The giggles bubble up in us both, building from tiny snickers into full-on laughter.

Saerys laughs in full, the rich sound a far cry from the breathy little chuckling I'd heard from him before.

(Happy is a really, really good look on him.)

When the giggles subside, Saerys takes a moment to look over the shadows nearby.

"It is almost noon."

He holds out his hand for me to take, a hint of a smile still playing about his lips.

"We'd better not keep the others waiting, huh?"

I take his hand, and we swim through the crowds together.

Reiner's speech is even more stirring than I'd imagined, the heroes arrayed with the fountain as their backdrop.

Everything seems to be going great, until...

"...Will not stand for this!"

Over the buzz of the crowd, a voice rings out.

The crowds part and a tall, almost unsettlingly handsome man in armor steps through, the townspeople forming up at this back.

"See for yourself the truth of my words, dear populace!"

He levels a finger at me and Saerys, and his face twists into a sneer.

"This foul demon, at the side of the Witch Queen herself!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

Authors Note:
I plan to try and add a chapter once a week but I hold no promises.
I also plan to do all the routes for Love & Legends as well as the other stories that were on the app.
If you would like to watch the scenes that this story is typed from simply search the story name in YouTube and you are sure to find it.
If anybody has any questions please do not be afraid to ask.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did!
Again I DO NOT OWN THIS STORY!