Author's Note: Alright, I think I've decided on a pattern for my writing. Things are still a little busy in my life, but hopefully things will change soon.

That being said, how about we take a look at a different side to our dear Princess of Ice? Thank you all again for your support and patience, and I hope you enjoy!

Half-beastdragonsoul2013: :)

Shadow: Well~...

Klaw117: Thank you so much! You're very welcome!

Appreciation and Affection

"Greetings, Princess Fjorm! Lovely day today, isn't it?"

Fjorm smiled and nodded in agreement at the cheerful gatekeeper. "Hello there. Yes, it most certainly is." Her smile turning slightly timid, the princess then asked, "Um, by any chance, have you seen Kiran recently?"

"The summoner? Hmm, let me think…" The gatekeeper pondered silently with a focused expression before snapping his fingers in realization. "Ah, yes! I remember now! He left for town right before lunch."

"Oh, I see." Fjorm replied with veiled disappointment. She had been busy with her training at that time; she was hoping that, upon finishing, she might catch the summoner as he was heading for lunch so the two could share a meal together. Alas, it appeared she missed her chance today. "Has he returned yet?"

The gatekeeper shook his head. "No, ma'am! I haven't seen him come by so far. He mentioned he would be out for a while, though. Said he would be busy with errands."

"Errands?" Fjorm repeated, a look of concern on her face. Was Kiran seriously sneaking off to run errands on his own again? "Did he head to town on his own?" The Nifl princess asked, already preparing a speech with which to berate Kiran with upon his return.

To Fjorm's surprise, the gatekeeper shook his head. "No, he didn't leave alone. Commander Anna has been pretty strict about not letting the summoner wander off alone these days. He was accompanied by one of the Heroes." Suddenly, the young man's countenance brightened as he noticed something behind Fjorm. "Oh! There they are now!"

Her heart nearly skipping a beat, Fjorm quickly spun on her heel to greet the approaching summoner. Sure enough, there was Kiran, a concerning number of bags nestled securely in one of his arms...

And one Hilda Valentine Goneril clinging onto the other arm.

"Greetings, summoner! And you as well, Miss Goneril! Seems like your errand run was quite the success." The gatekeeper greeted cheerfully while Fjorm stared in stunned silence.

Hilda grinned as she nodded, releasing her grip on Kiran at the same time. "Hi there! Yep, everything went well; though, I think I may have gone a bit overboard with some of our supplies." The pinkette giggled despite herself. "But I just couldn't help myself, you know? I'm sure the commander will understand!"

With that said, the pinkette turned toward the summoner behind her with a big smile. "Thank you so much for joining me, Kiran! I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there to help me with the shopping. I'll have to think of an extra special reward for you!"

The gatekeeper shivered as a sudden chill wind blew through the area.

Kiran chuckled as he adjusted his weary arms to better hold the bags. "No p-problem, Hilda. Um, is there s-someplace you want me to put these?"

"Oh, yes!" Hilda responded. "Could you please bring them to my room for me? You can just leave them outside the door. Thanks, you are such a sweetheart!"

With that mattered settled, Hilda left the summoner to his task. As she made her exit, she gave a cheerful smile and wave to the still silent Fjorm. "Oh, hiya Princess Fjorm!"

Not wanting to be rude, Fjorm mustered a small smile in return. "Hello, Hilda." As the pink-haired girl departed, Fjorm turned her concerned gaze toward the hampered summoner. "Hello, Kiran. That's…quite the large amount of items you have there. Do you need any assistance?"

Kiran gave a shaky smile as he shook his head. "Hey, Fjorm. Thanks, but I g-got this! I'll see you after I set these down for Hilda." With a nod to the gatekeeper, the summoner made his way to fulfill Hilda's request.

"Boy, the summoner's quite the reliable guy, isn't he?" The gatekeeper commented in admiration, to which Fjorm felt her head automatically nod in response. "Must be why Miss Goneril has been hanging around him so often lately."

"What." Fjorm found herself saying aloud, shock evident on her face.

"Yep!" The gatekeeper affirmed. "I've seen those two head to the town together on more than one occasion. Sometimes its for supply runs for the Order, other times Hilda seems to drag the summoner along for some down time. Honestly, I think he needs it!"

A moment of silence passed before Fjorm slowly nodded. "I see. Thank you for your time. If you will please excuse me, I must be going."

"Happy to help!" The gatekeeper said cheerfully as Fjorm quickly departed. As she left, the gatekeeper felt himself shiver once more. "Boy, sure is chilly all of a sudden."

"Hilda, may I have a word with you?"

The Goneril heiress turned her head to see Fjorm approaching her table in the dining hall. "Oh, hi Princess Fjorm! Didn't expect to see you again so soon. Sure, have a seat!"

Fjorm took the seat opposite of Hilda before she began speaking. "So, I heard that you and Kiran went into town today for supplies?"

Hilda nodded with a carefree smile. "That's right! Kiran is such a sweetie; he almost always says yes whenever I ask for his help. I don't even need to butter him up like with most guys, though sometimes I do it anyways just to see his reactions!"

Fjorm felt an eye twitch at that statement but decided not to comment on it. "Right. Hilda, I must ask…" The Nifl princess chose her next words as carefully as she could. "Don't you think you are relying on Kiran too much?"

"Huh?" Hilda replied in surprise. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"It's just," Fjorm continued with a serious expression. "Kiran is quite busy as it is. I understand that there are some duties that might require help from another person, but surely you can request aid from someone other than Kiran?"

"Hey, now." Hilda interjected defensively. "It's not like I'm forcing him to help me. I simply ask if he could help me run an errand or two and he says yes. Besides, it's not like I'm always looking for him to ask for his help." She shrugs. "It just so happens I run into him a lot when I do need help."

Fjorm shook her head. "Even so, you really should be mindful of Kiran and his responsibilities." At this point, the words seemed to pour out of the Nifl princess's mouth. "The amount of energy he expends while helping you, or anyone else for that matter, may impact his focus and performance when it comes to his actual duties. Additionally, your impromptu requests for assistance may disrupt his schedule and interfere with certain plans he may have had beforehand with others."

Taking a deep breath to reign herself in, Fjorm made an effort to soften her initially stern expression. "I don't mean to be confrontational with you, Hilda. I simply ask that you keep these things in mind before you go to Kiran for help."

Hilda was silent for a moment after Fjorm finished speaking, her gaze never leaving Fjorm's. Finally, the pinkette nodded in understanding. "I see. I understand."

Fjorm's body relaxed as she smiled, relieved that she had gotten through to the girl. "Thank you, Hilda. I'm glad we could come to an understanding-"

"You're jealous!"

"…huh?"

Hilda nodded enthusiastically with a large grin. "Ohmigosh, you ARE jealous! That is just too cute!"

"Wh-what are you saying?!" Fjorm exclaimed, her mind reeling from the girl's sudden outburst. Out of all the reactions she was expecting from Hilda as a result of this conversation, THIS was not one of them.

"C'mon, no need to hide it!" Hilda continued, still grinning. "I mean, it's just so obvious! The way you're defending Kiran right now, its adorable!" She giggled teasingly. "Honestly, I'm a bit surprised to see this kind of behavior from a princess, but its also refreshing in a way."

"H-hold on a moment!" Fjorm attempted to take hold of the original conversation again, but Hilda was relentless.

"Are you two courting each other? Ooh, or are you already betrothed?! I need details!"

"Hilda, please!" By this point, Fjorm's face was as pink as Hilda's hair. The Nifl princess was grateful that the dining hall was largely empty at this time of the day. "There's…nothing happening between Kiran and I."

"Ohhh, I get it." Hilda said with a nod. "You haven't told him yet!" She gave the flustered princess a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I also apologize for accidentally stealing your man!"

Hilda's expression then turned serious. "Listen," she began, the previous cheery tone now slightly tempered, catching Fjorm off-guard. "I know you probably think I'm just some lazy girl who uses her charms to get what she wants from others. Which isn't entirely wrong, I'll admit." Hilda then leaned forward slightly from where she was sitting. "But with Kiran, it's different. I can't really explain it, but I just get this weird urge to be useful around him and to lend him a hand, even though he's the one who seems to help me in the end. You get what I'm trying to say, right, Princess Fjorm?"

Fjorm blinked in mild shock from the conversation's sudden tone shift, but nonetheless nods in understanding. "Y-yes, I believe so," she manages to reply. "Kiran…just seems to have a way of inspiring those around him, even if he himself doesn't realize it. It's…" Fjorm felt her cheeks warm as she continues. "It's one of the reasons I admire him so much."

"Phew, good." Hilda said with a relieved smile. "Glad I'm making sense. Anyway…" The pink-haired girl gave Fjorm a resolute nod. "I completely understand your request, Princess Fjorm, and I'll respect your wishes. It'll be a pain, but I'll do my best not to take up too much of Kiran's time from now on."

Hearing that, Fjorm couldn't help but release an audible sigh of relief. "You have my sincere thanks, Hilda."

"However!" Hilda suddenly declared, her previous impish grin once again on her face. "In exchange for all the trouble I'll have to go through to find other people to help me from now on, YOU have to promise me that you and Kiran will get together!"

"Wh-what are you saying?!" Fjorm squeaked in surprise, much to Hilda's amusement. "That's…I mean…I don't know…"

"Nope! No backing out of this one!" Hilda retorted, before her eyes suddenly brightened. "Ooh, I know what might help!" Reaching into the satchel she wore around her waist, Hilda retrieved what appeared to be a handmade bracelet decorated with shiny beads and carefully carved stones. "Here, it's a special, one-of-a-kind friendship bracelet made by yours truly!"

Fjorm carefully accepted the trinket, marveling at the craftsmanship. "Hilda, this is lovely! You made this yourself?"

"Yep!" Hilda said proudly. "I got the supplies for it while I was out shopping with Kiran some time ago. I wanted to make something special for him as a way of showing my appreciation for all his help." She smiled slyly at Fjorm. "Buuut, I think he'd love it even more if YOU were the one to give it to him!"

"M-me?" Fjorm stuttered, as she gazed from Hilda to the bracelet and back. "But you made this for Kiran, Hilda. I couldn't-"

"It's fine!" Hilda interrupted. "Just tell him that it's a gift for him that just so happens to be made by me. Heck, just tell him that it's a special gift for him, period!"

Without giving Fjorm time to respond, Hilda abruptly stood up from her seat. "Well, I'm off! Give my regards to Kiran, and don't worry!" With a teasing wink, Hilda added, "I won't get in your way. I'm rooting for you two!"

With a wave, Hilda skipped off, leaving Fjorm to gaze dumbfounded after the girl before returning her attention to the trinket left in her hand. This definitely wasn't how she expected this meeting to end, and yet…

"Hey, Fjorm. What have you got there?"

"Ah!" The Nifl princess yelped in surprise, turning around to see Kiran standing there with a grin. "Kiran! You surprised me!"

"Heh heh, sorry." The summoner apologized. "I tend to do that. But seriously, what is that? It looks like a neat bracelet."

"Um, well…" Fjorm trailed off, apprehension beginning to creep upon her before she quashed those feelings. Gathering her courage, she presented the bracelet to Kiran. "This is...I mean, I'd like for you to have…"

From afar, Hilda watched with enamored interest at the scene unfolding before her.

"Boy, Marianne and Claude aren't going to believe this!"