Cool Summer Memories

Fjorm chewed nervously on her lower lip, hesitant to take a step forward. By this point, she was unsure whether the sweat upon her brow was from the oppressive summer sun shining above her, or the apprehension brewing within her.

With the onset of the summer season, the Order of Heroes had decided to take another excursion to the coast as a sort of team-building exercise. Of course, this was all just an elaborate excuse to take an impromptu vacation, something Commander Anna and many of the participating Heroes were unashamedly blatant about. While she originally intended to stay behind, Fjorm was convinced to join the group of Heroes making the journey by her siblings, specifically Guunthra and Ylgr, who had visited the beachside for the first time not long ago. Even Hrid had encouraged Fjorm to take advantage of the opportunity, assuring her a short break won't harm her. Ultimately, Fjorm relented and made the trip to the coast alongside her sisters and various other Heroes.

While she wouldn't openly admit it, Fjorm was actually quite nervous when she was selecting her outfit for the beach, eventually opting for a modest strapless one-piece swimsuit colored an eye-catching turquoise that matched her eyes and accentuated her legs and hips. The suit was also decorated with short, white frills across the chest area and along the leg openings and was accompanied by a pair of white sandals. The Nifl princess honestly felt…intimidated by the bolder styles of swimwear that many of the female Heroes were wearing, which influenced her decision on an outfit that wouldn't make her stand out.

Yet, at the same time, a part of Fjorm hoped she would stand out amongst all of the other beachgoers. At least, in the eyes of a certain someone.

Which led Fjorm to her current position, hiding in the shade of a tropical tree watching various members of the Order engaging in various activities on the beach, including a certain summoner relaxing in the shade of a parasol alongside Alfonse and Sharena. Kiran, to everyone's collective confusion, had insisted upon wearing his trademark hooded cloak to the beach alongside a pair of navy-blue swim shorts, although to his credit this cloak was made of a much lighter material and, instead of being completely open in the front, bore a deep v-cut that showed off some of the summoner's chest.

Fjorm attempted to swallow the nervous lump in her throat. Would Kiran like her outfit? Should she have gone with something more daring? So caught up was she in her thoughts, the Nifl princess didn't notice the presence of another individual looming behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah!" Fjorm yelped in surprise at the cold voice behind her, flushing at the thought of being accused of spying on the relaxing summoner. Turning to see who had snuck up on her, Fjorm was immediately met with the scowling face of Nifl. "Oh, Lady Nifl! You surprised me."

"Answer my question, girl." The woman frostily replied, her no-nonsense tone contrasting comically with the chalice of flavored ice she held in one hand. Under her gaze, Fjorm nervously attempted to formulate a proper response.

"W-well, you see…" She began, any self-confidence she might have initially possessed slowly melting away under Nifl's impatient stare. "I was…just…" The Nifl princess exhaled heavily, deciding that honesty was probably the best policy in this scenario. "I was wondering how I might approach Kiran. I…am unused to so many things here, but I did not want to impose upon him."

Nifl clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Foolish girl. You mortals fret over the pettiest of things." Striding past Fjorm to the edge of the tree's shade, the guardian of the realm of ice gazed toward where the summoner was casually lounging alongside the Askr siblings. "You wish to commune with the summoner, do you not? Then go."

Fjorm balked at Nifl's bluntness as she nervously made her way to the woman's side. She knew what she was feeling was ridiculous; Kiran wasn't so shallow as to judge her on her appearance. Not to mention that this would be no different from whenever she would spend time with the summoner and the Askr royals. Yet despite all these assurances, Fjorm couldn't find the will to move. "I…erm…"

"How absurd." Nifl sighed, causing Fjorm to turn her head to meet the woman's gaze once more. "When I honored your request to spare your life, I did not think you would be so stupid as to squander it on such feeble hesitations." Fjorm cringed as a feeling of shame washed over her, but Nifl wasn't finished. "Did you not express to me your desire to keep your life for the sake of your beloved? Was that all lies?"

"No!" Fjorm immediately shouted, before catching herself. "Er, I mean, of course not." Taking a deep breath, Fjorm summoned her resolve. "You're right, Lady Nifl. I apologize for my foolishness. This is a special moment, and I won't let my emotions rob me of it." With a grateful smile, Fjorm nodded her head towards Nifl. "Thank you, Lady Nifl."

"Quiet." Nifl responded icily. "I don't need your thanks. Now leave."

Fjorm nodded, unperturbed by Nifl's cold dismissal as she stepped out into the sunlight and towards Kiran's location.

"Wait."

"Hm?" Before she even made it a few steps, Fjorm turned back at Nifl's call. To her surprise, she found the woman holding out the chalice of flavored ice to her, a pair of spoons buried into the frozen treat. "Lady Nifl…?"

"Take it, girl." Nifl stated curtly, prompting Fjorm to immediately grab the offered treat. "…your beloved summoner's taste in treats is…commendable." Without further elaboration, Nifl turned her back and returned to the cool shade of the trees, leaving Fjorm standing stunned in the wake of the woman's words and actions.

"H-hello, everyone."

Kiran turned his head, the greeting on his tongue falling flat as he beheld a swimsuit clad Fjorm approaching with a nervous smile and holding a chalice of flavored ice.

Fortunately for the summoner, Sharena was gracious enough to speak for him. "Hi, Fjorm! Wow, your swimsuit is so cute! Don't you think so, you two?"

Alfonse nodded with a pleasant smile. "Yes, it's a fine outfit. Practical design as well."

Sharena shook her head in exasperation. "Typical Alfonse. That's not the kind of response a lady wants to hear!" Alfonse squawked in protest, causing both Kiran and Fjorm to chuckle at the prince's expense. However, Kiran's mirth came to an end when he realized all eyes were now on him. "Well, Kiran?" Sharena asked with an expectant grin. "What do YOU think of Fjorm's swimsuit?"

"Umm…" Kiran hummed awkwardly, turning to look at Fjorm, the Nifl princess gazing nervously at him with a similarly expectant expression. "I…really like it, Fjorm. It..suits you." He said after some consideration. "Turquoise is my favorite color. It also brings out your eyes."

Fjorm inhaled sharply as she felt her face heat up at Kiran's appraisal, while Sharena giggled in the background. "So, whatcha got there, Fjorm?" Sharena asked, satisfied with her teasing.

"O-oh! This?" Fjorm started, grateful for the change of subject. "It's…flavored ice. I had heard Anna was selling them to all of the Heroes."

"Oooh, sounds yummy! And refreshing!" Sharena cooed. She then noticed the two spoons and a knowing grin crossed her face. "You know what? I feel like trying one of those frozen desserts on sticks that Claude was carrying around! C'mon, Alfonse!"

"Huh? Why do I – whoa?!" Not waiting for her brother to finish his response, Sharena yanked Alfonse to his feet and began dragging the protesting prince out into the sun.

"Be right back, you two! But don't feel like you have to wait up for us!" Sharena announced as she dragged a protesting Alfonse along. As she did, she managed to throw a subtle wink and thumbs up to Fjorm before walking off. It immediately dawned on Fjorm as to what Sharena's intentions were as she realized that it was just her and Kiran now.

"Um, so Kiran…" Fjorm began awkwardly, gaining the summoner's attention. "Would you…like to share this with me?"

The Nifl princess thought her heart would melt at the eagerness that shone on Kiran's face. "Sure! I actually wanted to try one of these earlier, but somebody has been buying all of them up." Patting the now vacant spot next to him in invitation, Kiran motioned for Fjorm to take a seat, which she wasted little time in obliging. Handing the summoner one of the spoons, Fjorm took the other for herself as the pair dug into the frozen dessert.

Kiran and Fjorm remained side by side in a comfortable silence, the only sounds being the clinking of the metal spoons against the cup between them and the ambient sounds of the beach around them. Feeling the gentle tropic breeze blowing around her, Fjorm could only think how fortunate she was to enjoy this moment, a soft smile gracing her lips.

The silence was broken by a deep sigh from Kiran, prompting the Nifl princess to turn her head. "Kiran? Is there something wrong?" She asked in concern, to which Kiran shook his head.

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong. In fact, I'm really happy." Kiran's mouth formed into a wistful grin as he gazed out at the sparkling ocean. "Seeing everyone have such a good time, feeling the wind and sun on my skin, away from all of the fighting. Just being here in the moment, with you, and with everyone else…it almost feels like I'm back home."

Setting down his spoon, the summoner turned to Fjorm, showing a rare, heartfelt smile that, in Fjorm's eyes, shone brighter than the summer sun. "Thanks, Fjorm. For sharing this moment with me. Oh, and for sharing the dessert too!" Once again, Fjorm felt her cheeks flush with heat at the sincerity of Kiran's words, only managing a nod in response while inwardly berating her tongue from being able to form words.

Fortunately, Kiran didn't seem to mind as he moved on from the topic. "Hey, I was going to go check out this tide pool Robin introduced me to the last time we were here. You can find a bunch of marine animals hanging out there. Wanna come?"

Finally, Fjorm recovered her ability to speak even as her head was already nodding in agreement. "Y-yes! I'd love to join you, Kiran." Kiran grinned in response as he stood up, offering his hand to the Nifl princess as he did so, which Fjorm showed no hesitation in taking.

As the pair left the comfortable shade of the parasol and onto the sunbaked sand, Fjorm's heart raced as she focused on the hand holding her own, all earlier anxiety from before now a faded memory. She smiled in elation as she spared a passing glance at the grove of trees behind where the pair were sitting, only to do a double take upon noticing an out of place stark white amidst the greenery. There, to the princess' shock, was Lady Nifl sitting within the darkened glade of trees, daintily snacking on her own frozen treat as she intently watched Fjorm and Kiran make their way further down the beach with a scrutinizing expression. Fjorm looked away with a blush, hoping Kiran wouldn't notice.

How…long had she been there watching them?

Author's Note: Well. Since IntSys didn't give us our Summer Fjorm, I guess I'll just have to take matters into my own hands.

While I know that Fjorm has had the spotlight on her for comparatively longer than most of the other FEH OC's, it still feels odd that IntSys didn't go with an all OC summer banner like they had done previously, especially when Nifl was included on this banner. But that's just my opinion.

I hope you all enjoy this entry, and I hope you all are making great summer memories of your own!