Heroine

Amongst the polished shelves of a neatly carved bookcase, nestled discreetly between how to guides and several histories of Selphia, was a large collection of romance novels, their spines covered with cloth. Every once and a while they were pulled from the shelf by hands that had little time to be idle, and were sighed over.

Vishnal lay on his bed, the day's work over and a spare hour left for rare indulgence. A candle half-way through its wick cast an orange glow on the pages of his novel as he searched for the dog-eared page. There was something simple and sweet about getting lost in a fantasy novel – adventure and romance, things that he wanted in his life that didn't seem possible. Becoming a butler left little time for either, but he refused to give up.

What a silly pastime he had – reading these romance novels. Even Kiel would laugh at him for enjoying such childish fantasies, while his nose would be buried in a history or magic text.

His hand hovered above the yellowed page, dropping his fingers down to trace over the name of the heroine every time it showed up in the text. There were times when he could identify with them – their longing, their determination and feebleness. But he also wanted to be the hero, to protect and love the lost heroines. He smiled and beat a fist against his chest. He could be a hero to a beautiful lady, he knew he could.

There was a snap as the door to Venti's anti-chamber was thrust open, and he flung the book to the floor in surprise.

Vishnal slid the book under his bed with his foot before stumbling out of his room and towards the noise, disregarding the fact that he was only in his pajamas.

On the threshold, staring wistfully at the empty pedestal where Venti once loomed over them, was Frey, fatigued and wet from a day spent out in the forests and mountains.

"Oh my, Princess! Are you alright?" He winced in sympathy, holding the sides of his head as if he were the one hurt. "You're soaked!"

Frey had an arm over the large shoulders of her pet silver wolf, using the creature as a crutch. "I fell in Keeno Lake, ha." She flipped her wrist, inadvertently flinging water about. "I'll be okay. It was warm." Her boots were tied together and slung over her shoulder like a knapsack. Frey wiggled her toes against the cold stone floor and shivered. "I should rest."

"Yes! Yes you should! Let me help you!" Vishnal reached for her soggy boots, but her silver wolf snarled and he stepped back. "Let me know if you need any-anything!" he stammered.

Frey gently touched the wolf's muzzle and they all relaxed. "Thank you," she said with a tired sigh. "Please don't worry about me. Can you apologize to Volkanon for me? I ripped this dress again, and I'm afraid it's beyond redemption this time."

Vishnal stood straight. "Of course, Princess! I'll deliver your message right away!"

"Eh?!" She held out a hand to stop him. "No! Wait until morning!"

"Oh, right, of course. I got carried away again." He smiled and waved her towards her room. "Please hurry and rest."

He watched her move stiffly to her room. She had a long, pink cut that started from the back of her knee down to her ankle.

Vishnal made a note to prepare some healing salve for her in the morning and went back to bed, forgetting his book.

The last few days of spring were hot and cloudy. Everyone was worried that it might affect the beach festival, because they knew no better way to bring in summer than splashing each other with salty lake water.

On the first day of summer, Vishnal hurried about his morning tasks, pulling at his collar to try and cool his neck in the stuffy, humid air. His suit felt two sizes too small, extra wooly and confining than usual. "Ohhh! I just want to swim already!"

"Then why don't you?"

Vishnal jumped, dropping his broom with a squeal. "My goodness, Princess! Don't sneak up on people!"

Frey laughed at him and bent to pick up his broom. She wore a simple pink swimsuit, modest and cute.

It was enough to make Vishnal's face feel much warmer than before.

"Why don't you go swimming? A lot of people are already at the lake, you know." She handed him back the broom pressing the wooden handle into his shaking fingers. Her silver wolf pressed its head to the back of her knees, making an intimating face between the gap of her calves. "You could join me and Silver for a swim."

"Silver?"

Frey ran her naked fingers through the thick hair that covered the silver wolf's hips. "Yeah, Silver. Clorica helped me name him. He's a big baby, I promise you."

Vishnal gave an uncomfortable laugh. "I believe you, Princess." He glanced at the snarling wolf. "I do, but I have to finish sweeping and wiping the windows. I'll be as quick as possible! I promise I won't disappoint!"

"Oh, you could never disappoint me," she said, combing her fingers through one of her pigtails as her bare toes scrunched on the dusty pavement. "Well, maybe when you give me food. . ." she muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing! I'll see you there!" She skipped off with Silver padding behind her.

Vishnal held the broom close to his chest, propping his chin on the rounded tip. The Princess, Frey, she reminded him of the heroine in the novel he had been reading recently. A young, wild girl and her beastly guardian out in the world to try and save her friend – only to have the hero save her in the end. Of course they'll have to be entangled in a dramatic romance first, the heroine torn between submitting to fate and fighting for her original goal.

In the end Vishnal always thought how ridiculous it was for the hero to sweep in and accomplish everything that the heroine couldn't without so much as stopping to catch his breath. Could not a hero support the heroine in her adventure? Could he not step into the net trap or pitfall for the heroine so she may continue on as he wrestled his way out?

"That's why I'll be the best butler in the world!" he exclaimed, yanking the broom from under his chin to cradle it in his arms like a damsel. "I'll support you until the end, Frey," he told the broom, stroking his fingers through the air as if it were Frey's long hair. Goodness, how he had always adored her hair.

Sighing, Vishnal stood up and began to sweep the doorway of the Castle once again. "Of course I'm just being silly. Frey would never feel that way about someone like me." He sighed again. "I don't have my butler's license yet. I have nothing to offer as a hero."

Within a few minutes his melancholy left him in a wave of determinism to get his license to prove to Frey that he could be that supportive hero she needed. He finished his chores in what he considered to be record time and peeled himself out of his sweaty suit. He made sure to grab the two watermelons he'd left out for today (he wasn't going to mess up watermelon smashing again this year), his swimsuit tied loosely around his waist.

The breeze was cool and moist as the wind blew across the lake and onto his flushed face. Most of the women were already in the water attempting to teach Forte to swim, while the guys had been lining up watermelons in the sand.

Vishnal laid his watermelons next to the rest, taking a step back to admire his accomplishment.

"Hey, I thought for sure you'd bring more turnips this year." Doug stood next to him, his hands on his hips and a smug grin on his face. "I'm kinda proud of you right now."

"Thanks! . . . I think." He stretched his hands above his head, attempting to limber up his arms and enjoy the fresh breeze. "Are we going to ask the ladies if they want to try?"

"I already asked them," Doug said with a shrug of indifference, "but the only one who wanted to was Forte, although she wanted to use her sword, which is totally against the rules."

Vishnal laughed uneasily. "Oh! But what about the Princess? I'm sure she'd be very good at it if she were to try."

"Frey?" Doug glanced over his shoulder. "I'm sure she'd destroy these watermelons. You can ask her to join us – she's sleeping in the shade over there and none of us wanted to wake her, but I guess she's already used to you giving her wake up calls."

"I guess she is." He took a deep breath to hype himself up. "Alright! I'll go ask her right away!" Vishnal trotted off towards the tree grove, his hands curled into fists with determination.

Frey lay in the shade of a broad-leafed tree her upper body nuzzled into Silver's fur. She looked peaceful, her limbs limp and lower lip protruding just slightly as she breathed out softly. The skirt of her swimsuit rode up her thigh, exposing the swell of her bottom.

Not that Vishnal looked.

"Good morning, Princess!" he stuttered loudly. "It's time to wake up and smash watermelons! It's too wonderful of a day for sleep."

Frey stretched out on the cool grass and yawned just as she did every morning at wakeup call.

Silver stirred awake as well, the wolf's blue eyes narrowing at Vishnal's looming figure.

"I don't want to wake up," she complained, her voice pitched high.

Vishnal felt guilty. "But we're. . . we are smashing watermelons, and I know you mentioned last year that you'd like to participate before we had to cancel. . ."

Frey sat up with a jerk. "Oh! I remember that!" She stretched, leaning against Silver as she arched her back.

Frey was lean and calloused from hard fights and rest that she refused to take when she knew there was someone in trouble. She grinned and held out her hand to him. "Help me up! Let's go smash watermelons."

Vishnal grasped Frey's hand, watching as Silver's muzzle twitched as if to snarl. Her fingers were cold in his warm palm and he held her hand tighter. "I know you're strong," he blurted, staring at her hand. "I know you are and that you're going to do everything you can to bring back Venti. I know that you'll succeed, too, but I just want to let you know that if you ever need help you can ask me. I'll support you no matter what."

"Support me?" she repeated, also staring at their clasped hands.

"Yes! I know I'm not a full-fledged butler yet, but I'll do everything in my power to help you! You're our heroine, Frey, so I'll do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you – and that you're okay." His face felt as if he were staring directly into the sun. "I'm sorry if that sounds strange!"

Frey chortled, as if everything he had just spewed out was completely ridiculous. Her free hand moved to stroke Silver between the eyes. "It's not strange," she said, keeping a firm grip on his hand. "It's very sweet of you Vishnal. And you know what? You've always been supporting me – since the beginning, and I don't think I've thanked you properly for that."

She craned her head back, the speckles of sunlight that filtered through the waving leaves of the tree danced across her face. "You never yelled at me for coming home late, cut up and bruised. I know it's been you that leaves medicine on my desk in the morning. You never say anything to stop me, you help me train, and so many other things. I guess in a way you're my hero."

Vishnal choked on his own breath. The words that he had always wanted to hear, coming from the Princess – the one girl he had admired since he first met her. . . He hoped he wasn't blushing.

"Hey! Are you two done flirting yet?" Doug yelled from across the lot. "Are you gunna smash watermelons or not?"

"Yes! We're coming!" Frey shouted back. She jogged forward, tugging Vishnal along by the hand, refusing to let go.

Frey crept into Vishnal's room on a sweaty summer night, her bare feet barely making noise against the stone floor.

She found him in his bed, snoring into a novel that had fallen onto his face when he happened to doze off. Carefully she lifted it off of his face, pulling his fingers away from the binding to return it to its proper place on the polished shelves of his bookcase.

"Goodnight," she whispered, leaning over Vishnal to swipe her nose against his with affection. Although she may be the heroine, she would be there for him as he was for her.

- End -

A/N: I really like this game and felt the absolute need to write disgusting fluff for these two before I could continue playing.