Melty swung her Keyblade, firing a bolt of compressed water at Motoyasu. She barely missed, clipping his cape and almost tearing through his flesh. Either way, it forced him away from Filo.

Malty cast magic at Aris and the others. "Zweit Hellfire! Zweit Fire Arrow!"

Sora cast Reflega and Aris threw up an Air Strike Shield, both of which blocked Malty's magic.

"Are you crazy!?" Ren shouted at her. "You could kill the second princess!"

"We need her alive!" Malty shouted. "I know! I'm trying to aim for the Devil of Hyrule here!"

A decently small horde of Heartless suddenly surrounded Aris, Melty, and the others. The knights were ordered to make no effort to fight the creatures.

Raphtalia suddenly disappeared, casting Hide Mirage.

Motoyasu had gotten back up and was approaching Filo once again, his lips salivating.

Filo whimpered, worried he would try to violate her.

Archers fired at Aris, who was defended by Sora casting a powerful fire spell. "Firaza!"

Raphtalia reappeared behind Malty. "Hello there."

She drew her mana sword, driving its incorporeal blade through Malty's chest. The sudden attack hindered the red princess's magic.

Tired of watching Filo about to be violated by Motoyasu, Melty leaped into action, sending the Spear Hero flying with her new Keyblade.

A commanding knight pointed his sword at Aris. "Annihilate the Devil of Hyrule and all who follow him!"

The soldiers charged toward Aris, failing to be stopped by Itsuki and Ren.

The Swordsman Shield Hero and his party all made a break for it with Melty in tow. Aris took another strange plant - this one being a Bomb Flower - out of his pocket and chucked it behind him, blowing up the natural rock bridge and preventing the knights from giving chase. Some even tumbled over the edge into the forest below.

"Ren!" Aris beckoned to the Sword Hero once the dust had settled. "I believe you can uncover the truth of what is happening here."

Before Ren could demand an explanation, Aris chucked the rosary across the chasm, landing it right at Ren's feet.

He and his party left in a hurry.

Equipped Weapon (Melty): Waters of Justice

Weapon Type: Keyblade

Acquisition: Chosen by the Keyblade during battle

ATK: 25

Equip Bonus: Water Boost (increases damage done using Water spells)

Shotlock: Bubble Blaster

Formchanges: Tidal Bow, Royal Trident

DESC: "May your heart be your guiding key."

Using the combined power of their Keyblades, Sora and Melty were able to unlock the shackle binding Filo's ankle.

Filo cheered. "Yay! Thanks, guys!"

"No worries." Melty dismissed her Keyblade, Waters of Justice. "Did...Did Sir Motoyasu try to..."

Filo looked down. "I...I think he almost did. But you guys all saved me!"

"You're our friend, Filo." Ness smiled at her. "How could we not save you?"

Suddenly, someone appeared from the undergrowth. Loretta almost pulled out her blasters.

"Wait, don't take out your weapons!" Ness suddenly interrupted. He pointed to the stranger, who wore a familiar-looking outfit - a black cloak and a mask. "She's with the Shadows. They're spies who work for Melty's mother."

"Right," Melty affirmed. "She can help us."

The Shadow lady looked at Aris. "Swordsman Shield Hero," she said. "I daresay this is not the first time we have met, though this is the first you have seen me in this form."

I daresay... Aris racked his brain, trying to remember where he had heard that phrase before.

Suddenly, he gasped. "It's you!" he exclaimed. "You were the noblewoman in the castle. You gave me the rosary."

The Shadow nodded. "Allow me to...get to the point," said the Shadow. "You have been requested to meet with her highness - Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc. In other words...the mother of Princess Melty, I daresay."

"But...why does her highness wish to meet with me?" asked Aris.

"To be frank," replied the Shadow, "I daresay the roots of this commotion are much deeper than they seem. Your help would be greatly appreciated by her highness. This alleged abduction of Princess Melty is, as you likely know, a setup by both those who are intimidated by your anomalous power as well as those who seek to use Melty for...dark deeds, I daresay. Most notably, the witch - Maleficent."

Sora gasped. "You know about Maleficent?"

The Shadow nodded. "We have been performing extensive reconnaissance in regards to Maleficent's machinations, I daresay. She seeks to abduct the seven Princesses of Heart and use them to rule this world...and perhaps the others beyond it. From there, I daresay, we reasoned that her desire to abduct Princess Melty is because Princess Melty is one of the seven Princesses of Heart."

"Then...that settles it," said Sora. "Melty's a Princess of Heart. And a Keyblade Wielder now."

"Indeed," said the Shadow. "I watched the battle you all valiantly fought."

"In any case," said Aris, "we'll prepare to meet with the queen."

The Shadow showed a very brief fraction of a smile. "Thank you, Swordsman Shield Hero. Now, I daresay I shall leave you to prepare."

The cloaked spy disappeared into the night.

Raphtalia sniffed the air. "Hey, does anyone else smell smoke?"

The party looked off into the distance. Sure enough, the entire forest had been suddenly lit ablaze not far from where they were.

Ness sighed. "So much for camping here tonight."

Aris nodded. "I concur. We should break camp as fast as possible and get out of here."

"The checkpoint's been closed, which means it's gonna be a while before anyone can get to Siltvelt," the merchant told Aris, who wore his hood to hide his face. "Seems the Devil of Hyrule kidnapped little Princess Melty and is holed up somewhere not far from here."

Aris huffed. "So he is." He took a sizable amount of coin out of his pouch and handed them to the merchant. "Is this enough for my purchase?"

The merchant nodded. "Yes. Here, let me get your change..."

Aris, however, was already gone.

He left the village and returned to his party, lowering his hood now that he was out of view from everyone else. "I have good news," he said, "and I have bad news."

"What's the good news?" asked Sora.

"We'll be able to visit Melty's mother."

Melty pumped a victorious fist.

"And...the bad news?" said Raphtalia.

"We won't be able to travel to Siltvelt for quite a while," Aris explained. "According to a merchant with whom I spoke, the border checkpoints are closed, and will be for quite some time."

"Which means visiting Mother is our only option," said Melty. "But...I'm not really complaining."

"There's a lot of Demi-Humans around here," Sora pointed out. "And...none of them really look like slaves."

"Then...wait, I know this area!" said Melty. "We're in a protected district safe for Demi-Humans. I know the nobleman in charge of this area. He should be able to help us out."

"So Melromarc has areas in which Demi-Humans can live without worrying about oppression?" asked Aris.

Melty nodded. "Yes. These districts were established not long ago, by a very kind nobleman. He was the leader of the Sayette province. But..." Melty's face fell, "...he died during the first Wave. All the nobles who supported him were sent off to remote regions under the orders of my father."

"I don't think I've seen anyone hate a group more than your father hates Demi-Humans," Aris sighed.

Raphtalia looked crestfallen. Aris tapped her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"Sayette..." Raphtalia shuddered, "...the village where I lived, before the first Wave...it was there."

Melty's eyes widened. "I...I heard Sayette was ambushed by rioters after the first Wave," she said.

"Yeah," said Raphtalia. "It...It was."

She stared off into the distance, letting the memories flood her mind. "My village was attacked by a mob of Melromarc's soldiers."

Aris gritted his teeth and clenched a shaking fist. "The more I hear about the deeds of those heathens...the more thinking about them absolutely sickens me."

"We...experienced something similar, my brother and I," said Loretta. "It...It was how Hyrule fell."

"Hyrule...fell?" asked Raphtalia.

"A story for some other time," replied Aris.

In reality, though...he wanted to tell her, he really did. But he wasn't sure if he could handle the pain of remembering it all again. The destruction, the death...the suffering...all of it.

"Raphtalia..." Melty said, her voice breaking a little, "...I'm so sorry."

Raphtalia patted Melty on the shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

"I know, but as royalty," said Melty, "There must have been something we could've done to stop all of it from happening. Yet...we did nothing." She clenched a hand over the skirt of her dress. "Raphtalia. As soon as we have shelter for the night, tell me everything you can remember about those soldiers. Once I'm able to return home safely, I want to personally see to it that they're brought to justice - every last one of them."

Raphtalia smiled wistfully. "Thank you."

"Anyway," said Sora, "back to that nobleman you mentioned. You said he lives around here, right?"

Melty nodded. "Yes. He does."

"But can we trust him?" asked Aris.

A foreign voice answered his question for him. "I assure you that you certainly can."

Everyone startled and turned to find a kind-looking man with dark blue hair and round glasses wearing a white cloak.

"Dude, where'd you come from!?" Ness shouted.

Melty stepped forward. "Reichnott. It's been far too long. How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you." Reichnott bowed his head. "It is great to see you again, Princess Melty." He turned to Aris and the party. "Ah, I see the princess has brought some friends with her. A pleasure to meet you all. I am Van Reichnott, the nobleman who governs this province."

"Nice to meet you," said Ness.

"Ah, you must be the young lad Princess Melty told me so much about in her letters," Reichnott mused. "Ness, is it?"

Ness nodded. "That's me, yeah."

Reichnott laughed. "A pleasure, young man. It is great to see her highness making friends. But...all pleasantries aside, this isn't exactly a suitable place for a conversation. Why don't you all follow me back to my home? I will have my cooks prepare you some lunch."

Everyone sat in the dining hall of Reichnott Manor, waiting for their meal to be served.

"I see," said Reichnott. "So, you've been accused of a crime you never committed and are trying to escape and keep Princess Melty protected from this...Maleficent?"

Aris nodded his head.

"I was told by the local knights that the Devil of Hyrule - which I assume to be their moniker for Aris - started a forest fire not far from here in order to cover his tracks," said Reichnott. "I highly doubt it was you, though."

"You would be correct in your doubt, because it wasn't," Aris confirmed. "Malty fed everyone that lie."

"Just as I thought," Reichnott mused. "In any case, I too have been concerned for the safety of our princess, so I was patrolling the area myself when I found you lot."

"Good thing you did," Sora remarked. "I got the feeling it was only a matter of time before someone found us. And I didn't think it was gonna be anyone good."

"Then I'm glad it was I who found you first," said Reichnott. Two maids entered the room with platters of food. "You must be hungry, yes? Feel free to rest here as long as you need to before heading on your way."

Everyone started eating before long. Aris hesitated, however. Raphtalia eyed him. "Are you not hungry?"

"I'm starving," said Aris, "but I have a feeling the food might be poisoned."

"Oh?" Reichnott stepped over and took a bite from Aris's food. "See? No poison here."

"Oh, alright then." Aris started eating.

"We probably shouldn't stay here for too long, sadly," said Loretta after swallowing a bite. "The longer we stay in one place, the more likely it is that we'll be sussed out."

"Agreed," Aris concurred. "We can stay for the night and then leave tomorrow morning."

"I think so too," said Melty, "but I really wish we could stay longer."

"So do I," said Raphtalia.

"And I as well," said Aris, "but I'd rather be safe and uncomfortable than be comfortable and at risk."

Reichnott smiled at Melty. "You've changed quite a bit, princess," he said. "You used to force yourself to behave more maturely, but it seems your time with the Swordsman Shield Hero - and perhaps your time with Ness, as well - have helped you grow."

"I...think so too," Melty remarked. "I feel more confident that I can be myself."

"Woooow!" Filo sang. "These beds are so comfy!"

Aris gazed out of the window.

"Are you going to sleep soon, Aris?" asked Melty.

"I'm afraid not," replied Aris. "I'm going to keep watch overnight. This place could be attacked, and we wouldn't know until it was too late if we all were to go to bed."

"I have an idea," Raphtalia put in. "Your Spirit Summons, Aris. Why not use one of them?"

"That's a great idea." Aris held out his hand, summoning the avatar of a bird-like boy with a bow.

Spirit Summon

Tulin

Summon Type: Companion/Scout

DESC: "The spiritual avatar of a young Rito Warrior who lived in a time long ago. With the help of a legendary hero, he saved the Rito from a blizzard and became the Sage of Wind after claiming a sacred relic that amplified his ability to control the wind itself."

The Summon flew out of an open window and perched presumably on the roof of Reichnott Manor, his eyes on the lookout for incoming threats.

Filo, Melty, and Ness left the room to explore Reichnott Manor while Aris removed his armor and cloak before laying down on one of the beds.

Raphtalia pulled a blanket over him. "Thanks for listening to me," she said.

"Well, you had a good idea," said Aris.

"Not just that," said Raphtalia. "I'm...I'm worried about you, Aris. I want you to be able to take care of yourself."

"When did you become so concerned for my well-being?"

"I always have been," Raphtalia replied. "It's my job as your friend to make sure you don't work yourself to the bone. Now...try to get some sleep for me, okay?"

Aris reluctantly turned over onto his side and attempted to fall asleep. Raphtalia took the bed next to him and did the same.

Filo frolicked in the evening sun within the front yard of Reichnott Manor while Ness and Melty had a heart-to-heart

Melty sighed. "I don't know, Ness. I...All of this is a lot to take in. I'm some kind of Princess of Heart, a witch wants me for some reason, and now I'm a Keyblade Wielder, too?"

"I know it's a lot of pressure," said Ness, "but I know you can handle it. I mean, look at you. You and I are both, what...eleven years old? And you're already way more mature than I am!"

"But maturity doesn't necessarily mean I can shoulder all of this," Melty pointed out. "I mean, you saved your world at ten years old."

"And if I can handle that pressure, I know you can handle this pressure."

Melty sighed. "Y-You're right, Ness. I...shouldn't be getting down on myself. I have a role to play, and it's time I started playing it."

"That's the spirit!" Ness grasped her hand, giving it a little squeeze. "And you don't have to do it all alone, either. I'm with you, Filo's with you...and so are all the others."

Melty smiled, looking off into the distance, admiring the beautiful sunset.

"Ness?" she said, breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

"I...I want you to promise me something," said Melty. "If...If I ever go missing, or if I'm taken from you...promise you'll come and save me...right?"

Ness squeezed her hand again, smiling at her. "I promise. I may not have armor or a sword, but I'll be your personal knight."

Melty smiled along with him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

BGM: A Quiet Moment - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Aris awoke in bed that night. Another dream about that...

He sat up in bed to see Melty sitting by the window. "Why are you not asleep?" he asked her.

"I'm just not tired," replied Melty. "And to be honest, I could ask the same of you."

"I had something of a bad dream."

"Oh..." Melty looked worried. "If...If you don't mind...what was it about?"

"Something I don't like remembering."

"Ah...sorry, I won't push any further."

"Thank you."

Aris sat on the windowsill across from Melty, staring out into the night.

"Aris?" Melty broke the silence. "Do...Do you really think I should be fleeing like this? I mean, as crown princess, there are so many other things I could be doing, and yet here I am, running away like a coward. Because of what's happening to us, I haven't been able to do anything I should be doing."

"Your safety should come before all other things, Melty," said Aris. "You can return to your duties as crown princess once we're sure you're safe."

"But...I just feel so...pathetic," said Melty.

Aris placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I understand that. But fighting to survive isn't pathetic. Now, go get some rest."

Melty nodded, thanking him before returning to bed.

With Melty silent, Aris heard a new sound fill his ears.

Raphtalia was whimpering. She tossed and turned in bed, meekly begging for something or someone to "stop hurting her".

Aris walked over and gently held her hand. She was having that nightmare again...remembering the death of her parents.

Aris badly wanted to hug her, rock her back and forth, tell her everything was going to be okay.

But...why? he asked himself. She's just my best friend...why am I so worried about her?

It dawned on him then. Everything he felt around her.

He recalled feeling butterflies in his stomach at the sight of her smile, at the sound of her melodious voice gracing his ears.

He recalled always feeling a strong desire to protect her with his life, defending both Raphtalia and her honor at any cost...even if it meant death.

He knew it all now.

Aris Atreides had fallen in love.