From the Heart

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Lene gushed in barely restrained glee. "I've performed for nobility before, but never WITH nobility! I can't wait!" Beside her, Dorothea nodded in agreement. "I completely agree, Lene. It certainly isn't everyday you get to perform alongside not one, but two gorgeous princesses!" Turning her head to address their two companions, Dorothea flashed a dazzling smile. "Thank you so much for inviting us out to practice with you, Princess Azura. And you as well, Princess Leanne."

Leanne nodded eagerly with a bright smile of her own. "You…welcome!" Azura chuckled as she replied, "Yes, you're both quite welcome, although there is no need for formality. Just Azura and Leanne is fine." The four women were currently making their way through a forested area located a short distance from Askr's castle, the descending sun painting the sky a warm shade of orange. Earlier, Azura and Leanne were planning to practice their crafts at a nearby lake located within the forest. As they were departing, they ran into Lene and Dorothea, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries the blue-haired songstress extended an invitation to Lene and Dorothea to join her and Leanne for their practice, which the two young women eagerly accepted.

"How much farther until the lake, Azura?" Lene piped up. "Not much farther." Azura responded with a serene smile. "I'm sure you all will love it; I find this area adds a certain atmosphere that enriches my performances, even if they are just for practice." "I understand," Dorothea chimed in. "From my experience, having just the right atmosphere really helps me put my all into my performances."

However, while they were speaking Leanne suddenly came to a stop, allowing the others to walk a few steps ahead of her. Noticing the absence of the heron princess after a moment, Azura turned around to see Leanne curiously cocking her head to the side, as if listening for something. "Hmm? Is something wrong, Leanne?" The songstress asked in concern, causing Lene and Dorothea to stop in their tracks.

Leanne paused before smiling faintly. "Hear…music. Pretty voice…singing!" The three young women regarded each other curiously at Leanne's words. "Singing? I don't hear anything." Dorothea stated, Lene and Azura nodding in agreement. Pointing excitedly, Leanne began walking off apart from the group. "This way. Pretty voice…this way." Azura watched as the heron princess slowly walked off before beckoning the other two Heroes to follow with her. "Let's follow her. She's heading toward the lake anyhow." Nodding, Lene and Dorothea followed after the two princesses, all of them wondering who else could be out here?

"You will find me by your side~"

Fjorm let out a breath, a serene smile on her face as she concluded her song. Despite the cool evening air flowing through the trees and skimming the pristine lake before her, the princess of Nifl was filled with a comforting warmth. It had been a stroke of luck that she had found such a lovely location to relax and just…express herself and her feelings. Out here, with only the trees and occasional forest creatures to hear her, Fjorm was safe to bear her all without fear of being disturbed or eavesdropped on...

"Pretty…very pretty!"

Fjorm yelped, the silence broken by the innocent words of praise and a quiet round of applause behind her. Whipping her head around, Fjorm felt her cheeks burn at the sight of a small audience of Heroes watching her. "Um...h-hello." Fjorm managed to stutter. "My, that was a lovely performance! Well, the parts we managed to hear anyway." Dorothea complimented in awe. "I had no idea you were such a songstress, Princess Fjorm!"

"Th-thank you, um, Dorothea." The Nifl princess responded bashfully. "But, really, it's nothing special." Azura shook her head. "Pardon me, but I must disagree. You have a lovely voice, Princess Fjorm."

"Yeah!" Lene agreed. "How come I haven't heard you singing before?" The other young women nodded in curiosity.

Fjorm turned her gaze toward the lake as she responded. "Well, I suppose it's because…I never had the motivation to sing until recently." A wistful expression crossed her features as a gentle breeze disturbed the still waters of the lake. "My mother and I…we used to sing quite often with each other. She was the one who taught me to sing." Azura and Lene smiled nostalgically, recalling fondly faint memories of their own mothers, while Dorothea and Leanne listened intently.

"However, when Muspell invaded…and Mother was…" Fjorm took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, "I…couldn't bring myself to sing again. I felt like…there was no reason to anymore." Despite the weight of her words, a small smile began tugging at the princess' lips. "However, that all changed when I was welcomed into the Order of Heroes. It…wasn't immediate, but I eventually found a reason to sing again."

All four female Heroes were touched by Fjorm's heartfelt words. "Oh my," Dorothea whispered while Azura smiled encouragingly. "Well, I for one am glad that you were able to regain that part of yourself, Fjorm." Gesturing to herself and the others, the songstress continued, "If you would like, we would be happy to have you join us for our practices." Lene grinned as she nodded. "Oh please, Fjorm? I'd love to hear the rest of that song of yours!"

Fjorm's eyes widened, taken aback by the sudden invitation, before smiling graciously. "Well, if it's alright with you all, I would be happy to join you. Although, I'm not sure how I'll sound amongst such talented voices."

"Nonsense!" Lene stated. "We'd be more than happy to have you with us. Right, Dorothea? Leanne?" Leanne nodded happily. "Yes! Very happy!" Fjorm giggled before replying, "Thank you, everyone."

Dorothea nodded, before sidling up next to Fjorm with a conspiratorial grin. "Sooo, who's the lucky guy?"

Startled by both the young songstress's sudden proximity and her question, Fjorm fumbled with her words. "Wh-what?! Where is this coming from, Dorothea?" The other three women watched with rapt interest as Dorothea giggled. "Come on, no need to be shy! You had someone special on your mind when you were singing, didn't you~?"

"I…I'm not sure what you mean…" Fjorm murmured unconvincingly. "I was just singing…it wasn't anything special." But Dorothea was not so easily deterred. "Mmm, I'm not so sure." She hummed playfully. "Call it a diva's intuition, but I've played in enough performances to know when someone is putting their entire being into a performance."

Azura, to Fjorm's dismay, nodded in agreement. "Forgive me, Fjorm, but I must agree with Dorothea. I may not have heard all of your performance, but I heard enough to know it was from the heart."

"So, come on! Tell us! Is it someone from the Order of Heroes? A Hero from another world, maybe?" Lene bounded over to Fjorm's opposite side, her expression matching Dorothea's. "Yeah, tell us! We could help you. Ooh, how exciting!"

"I-uh…" Fjorm could hardly get a word in as the two women badgered her, her face nearly glowing from the sudden interest in her personal life. Leanne, oblivious to the mood, simply giggled happily as she watched the scene unfold alongside Azura, who also wore a small smile, albeit apologetically. After a few more moments, the blue-haired songstress cleared her throat.

"That's enough, you two." She gently chided as she regained everyone's attention. "We came here to practice, not to gossip. We don't have that much time left before it gets dark." Groaning, Dorothea and Lene reluctantly ceased their teasing, Fjorm shooting Azura a relieved smile. That smile, however, wavered ever so slightly with Azura's next words.

"Fjorm, would you care to share your song with us?"

"Welcome back, everyone. Oh, hey Fjorm!"

Kiran greeted casually, turning away from the notice board as he noticed the group of young women entering the main hall of Askr's castle. "I didn't know you were joining these four for their practice." Fjorm shrugged with a gentle smile. "Oh, no. We just happened to run into each other and Azura invited me to join them for the evening. It was quite enjoyable."

"You should listen to her singing, Kiran!" Lene remarked innocently, a flash of alarm sparking in Fjorm's eyes. "She's really talented!" Leanne nodded in agreement. "Fjorm sings…very pretty!"

Kiran blinked in surprise before turning to a self-conscious Fjorm. "Really? Well, I'd love to hear for myself. You know, if that's ok with you, Fjorm." Fjorm found herself nodding, unable to meet Kiran's gaze. "Y-yes, perhaps sometime…" Desperate to not give her thoughts away, Fjorm attempted to casually cast her gaze elsewhere, an action she immediately regretted as her eyes connected with Dorothea's. The Nifl princess nearly felt her heart stop as Dorothea caught her gaze, realization flashing in the young diva's emerald irises and a knowing smirk crossing her lips.

"Oh, I'm sure you won't be disappointed, Kiran~!" Dorothea commented as she casually made her way to Fjorm's side, who was inwardly pleading for Dorothea not to say anything. "However, I'm afraid you'll have to wait. After all, Fjorm wants her performance to be for a special someone. Isn't that right, Fjorm?" She winked playfully at Fjorm out of the corner of her eye, causing the princess to nod along mutely least her voice betray her like her eyes had.

"Oh, ok. Well, I'll definitely be looking forward to it when you're ready to share it with everyone. In any case, I better get going." With a parting wave and smile, Kiran began to walk off towards his quarters, the group of female Heroes wishing him a good evening as everyone began heading their separate ways.

Well, almost everyone.

"Kiran!"

"Hm?" The summoner turned to see Fjorm catching up to him, a faint dusting of pink remaining on her cheeks. "What's up, Fjorm?" The Nifl princess took a moment as she tentatively met Kiran's partially obscured gaze before answering. "When…when I'm ready, I…" She took another breath before saying, "I would like it if you would be the first to hear my performance."

Kiran wasn't expecting that, a fact that could be clearly discerned from the look of surprise on his face. "Huh? But didn't Dorothea say you wanted it to be for a…special someone?" Fjorm nodded as she quickly interjected, "E-even so, it would…mean a lot to me if you could give me your thoughts first."

Despite the whorl of emotions swirling in his head at Fjorm's words, Kiran nonetheless smiled brightly as he responded, "Sure! I'd be happy to be your first audience, Fjorm. Just let me know when you are ready, and I'll be there to listen to you!" Fjorm released a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she returned Kiran's smile. "Thank you, Kiran."

With that agreed upon, the two bid each other good night as they went their separate ways. As she made her way to her room, Fjorm found the warmth from earlier that evening had returned full force, expressing itself outwardly in the form of a warm smile brimming with anticipation.

She couldn't wait to practice again with Azura and the others. After all, her audience was waiting.