#farmer x balor

[legendsgalore]

Danger in the Deep

The farmer gets injured and collapses in the mine, who rescues them...? 6k words.

“Ah fuck fuck fuck.” You called out, too breathless to even shout, just a stream of consciousness falling from your lips at this point.

You twist in midair, trying to aim so you could come down with a sword stab on the attacking monsters, but you over judged the distance when you jumped and now are too far away. Instead you let yourself land on your feet, close to the edge of one of the water pools around you.

As you catch your balance, waving your arms a little to do so, you feel something hard *cRaCk* into your back and you gasp out in pain. It startles you enough that you topple forward and fall into the water.

“Fuc-” Splash! In you go. Instincts kick in and you fight for the surface, spluttering water as you push above.

But as you’re inhaling air, another *cRaCk* and you cry out in pain.

“Ahh! I swear, to whatever deity out there, Caldarus, or that ghost priestess lady, I will make you regret, ever, being, born!” A little breathy, but you hoped that the trio of iron ore covered rocks currently spitting more rocks at you got the idea.

They just spat more rocks at you and you dove to the side to avoid them, and hurriedly pulled yourself over the bank on the other side of the pool. You’re unsteady on your feet, barely any health left, and stumble once and nearly fall back into the water. On your feet now, you twist to dodge another rock barrage, and then turn back to look at the water, and eye the distance between the two banks.

With one nod to yourself, more for self reassurance, you hold your iron sword out to the side, run and leap over the distance. In midair you twist your shoulder to bring your sword over your head, and your other hand finds a grip on the weapon’s handle.

Just before you land in the middle of the three rocks, you release a battle cry and twist once more so that all your body weight and momentum is behind the sword, who’s point is facing downwards.

You land with an audible crunching noise into the ground, and the shockwave of force knocks all three iron rock monsters back, stunning them. Taking advantage of their momentary distraction you yank your sword out of the ground and start going to town on the nearest one.

It doesn’t even get a chance to recover from being stunned before its existence is forcibly removed by you, and you get to work on the second just as it finishes recovering.

You continue swiping your sword, even as the monster shoots another trio of rocks at you in defense, *cRaCk*, and your stubbornness wins out and it too, perishes.

Just as you catch your breath, something hard slams into your back *cRaCk* and your vision goes black for a moment in pain.

“Gah!” You can’t help but cry out, that hurt so bad.

Whirling around, you see the third monster you had somehow forgotten about. It was already gearing up to launch another barrage of rocks, those three pronged attacks that always hit you no matter how you dodged, thanks to your unfamiliarity with the pattern.

Forcing your feet to move, even when they feel so heavy like your boots were made of pure iron, you push forward and start attacking the last enemy. Once again you ignore dodging attacks in favor of just, killing it already!

You hack and swipe and stab your sword, ignoring the *cRaCk* *cRaCk* *cRaCk* as two attacks graze you, and on the third, you stab the rock into oblivion, but its last attack still nails you in the chest, causing you to stumble and fall. Your head hits the ground, and the rocks, hard.

“Ahgh!” You cry out in pain, again. You swore you might have heard something crack in you that time. Head injuries are no joke you know, but your head is so fuzzy that you can barely even think that.

You lie there for who knows how long, nausea washing up and away like the beach tide, as you breathe into the silence, wavering between holding back your whimpers and being unable to.

The Upper Mines were nothing compared to this. You were so unprepared, no armor, nothing. Three of those rock enemies who all take so many hits and just, keep, attacking.

Finally, your thoughts collect themselves enough that you realize you should probably sit up. The realization that you were so out of it that it didn’t even occur to you before scares you. You sway a lot, but you stay sitting up so you count it as a victory.

Tenderly you reach and push against your sternum where the last attack hit, and the pain is so intense it almost makes you black out.

It’s all you can do to remain sitting up for another stretch of time, but eventually your awareness comes back to you and you feel in control again. Even though you’re not pushing on your likely cracked sternum, your vision wavers and is fuzzy on the edges.

Looking around you, you note that the cavern you’re in is now empty, but the elevator is on the other side of that pool you crossed earlier.

You breathe out deeply, and wince at the fresh wave of pain that causes. Your whimper echoes in the cavern, and you shut your eyes tightly for a moment.

Gathering your willpower, you move your leaden feet again, feeling your leg muscles tremble as you stand up. Giving yourself a moment to adjust to the wave of black spots that rush your vision from the action, you eventually move to the edge of the water pool.

At the edge of the water, you debate internally whether to jump or swim, and you decide that you don’t want to risk being unable to climb back up the bank, so it’s jumping for you.

Pushing down your whimpers, you would shake your head if it didn’t hurt so much, and just force your body to move.

Taking a few steps back, you forcefully push your muscles into action, feeling strength course through your limps and pump out a few powerful steps before leaping over the water. You can’t help but smile in pride for yourself being able to do that much, and that all you need to do is head back down that hallway and then you’ll be right next to the elevator and will just be able to ride it up and out of the mines - until your vision just outright blacks out midair and your jump turns into a crashing leap.

You can’t even twist to try to land on your back, and your legs throb as you land badly, and then they go out from underneath you and you collapse in an awkward pile of limps and, again, your head hits the ground, hard.

____________________________________________________________________________

Balor is very casually leaned against the entrance of the Mines, holding a Snowdrop Anemone in his hand. He turns it over, examining the rare flora.

You had passed by him early this morning and had just simply handed him this very desirable flower. He didn’t understand you. You hadn’t put it in the shipping bin, you had apparently just found it and gave it to him because, he was there?

Your words had been “Just because you deserve it!” And that didn’t make things any clearer.

So here he was, back where he saw you that morning, pondering the meaning behind your actions. He was hoping to catch you as you came out of the Mines, no one in town had seen you since you went in and it was nearing dark, so you were bound to come out any moment.

All of a sudden, despite the summer weather, Balor felt a chill reach up his spine, as if something was permeating his body. It reached his head and before Balor could panic about the feeling he heard something on the breeze.

‘Help….mines….deepest…’

There was no way. But Balor felt that earlier chill seize his muscles and spurn him into action and before he knew it he was by the elevator inside the Mines.

“Hello! Are you there!!” Balor called out your name but there was no response.

Logic told him you should be fine, you had gone into the Mines literally everyday this past week, but that chill lingered in his bones and Balor couldn’t ignore it.

But he didn’t have a weapon and if you really were hurt, him being unarmed wouldn’t help the situation so he turned and ran out of the Mines. He needed to get a weapon.

His chest was heaving by the time he ran up to the Blacksmith’s, where he could see Olric helping March cool down the anvil and forge for the night, it was that late. They turned to look at him, and he watched as their curious but mild expressions immediately morphed into concern when they saw how hurried he was.

“Balor what’s-” Olric began but Balor spoke over him.

“Sell me a weapon now.”

March crossed his arms and frowned, stepping forward. “What for and why do you need it so desperately?”

Balor tolerated March’s prickliness because everyone knew how much he cared but the merchant felt frustration bubble up anyways, he had no time for that right now.

“The farmer is hurt in the mines and I need to go down and help her.”

The brothers’ eyes widened and they looked at each other. For a second no one said anything before they burst into action, Olric running inside shouting over his shoulder; “Gonna fetch the kit!” And March reached into the pile next to the still-cooling anvil and pulled out two swords.

His frown turns into a scowl and he thrusts the weapon at Balor, who takes it and turns to make his way to the Mines.

“Wait the fuck up, Olric is getting the first aid kit.” March calls out, his voice rough.

“Are you..coming?” Balor asks.

March scoffs, “Yeah of course we are. Olric literally worked down there he knows how to deal with all manners of problems. And I’m not just giving that to you, I want it back.”

The blacksmith nods at the weapon in Balor’s hands and he nods in return. Fair enough. But then…

“Why are you coming?”

March scowls even further somehow and holds up the sword in his hands. “Better two than one. Besides, I need to see what she’s gotten herself into this time and if she’s…”

The blacksmith’s face reddens and he makes a “tch” sound and looks to the door of the building. Balor narrows his eyes appraisingly at the redhead. Does he…?

Before the merchant can follow that train of thought Olric bursts out of the Blacksmith’s with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Sorry! It wasn’t where it was supposed to be!” The retired Mines worker calls out.

“It’s fine let’s just go!” March falls in step with his brother as they, without pause, begin running to the Mines and Balor startles and has to catch up to the two.

It’s dark out, enough that fireflies scatter away from the trio as they run to the Mines. Balor is now convinced something is wrong because you’re usually out of the Mines by this point and you always first stop by the Blacksmith’s to make some bars out of the ore you find.

Looking at March and Olric’s faces, Balor knows the same thoughts are racing through their heads.

Heading into the ground floor of the Mines, the men stop by the elevator, and the brothers turn to look at Balor.

“What floor is she on?” March demands.

Realizing that he didn’t know for sure, Balor pauses, before remembering the chill from earlier and that message he heard. “Help…mines…deepest…”

He grips his sword harder and tells them, “She’s on the lowest floor this goes.”

March nods, and turns to his brother, “You know how to work this right? Get us down there.”

Olric hefts his backpack onto his back and says, “All right! Let’s go then!” And is the first to step onto the elevator.

Balor and March join him, and Olric remembers how to lower them so they begin heading into the darkness.

Balor hasn’t been into the Mines before, was content to just let you go and get those precious gems and such for him, and the rickety, old, wooden elevator doesn’t make him feel any better about this trip.

He catches glimpses of floors every so often, every five according to the number counter on the elevator, and they look dreary and dusty, and there are definitely plenty of monsters on them. Balor swears internally.

He on some level knew the danger the Mines posed to you, but to be confronted with it like this almost makes him feel bad for just letting you go by yourself with nothing but a “Good luck!” call.

He would try to deny caring for you as he always does, but by this point he doesn't think he can really do that. You’re his…precious business partner after all. A valued supplier.

March doesn’t swear internally though, his voice isn’t loud enough to echo but it’s still a startling departure from the silence that had only been broken by the creaking of the elevator.

“Fuck. I didn’t realize there were this many monsters down here. Olric, is this typical?” The blacksmith looks to his brother, who shakes his head.

“No, they stayed away from us, ‘cause I think there were so many of us. And we all got given weapons by Errol so even if one did show up we could handle it as a group.”

March swears again, “So that means the monsters are worse thanks to the Mines getting shut down, and she’s been by herself, against multiple enemies. Fucking-I should have said something!”

The blacksmith’s hand is white-knuckled around his sword and he shakes it once, as if he wanted to hit a table to let out his frustration but hitting the rickety elevator is not an option.

The intensity of March’s upset takes Balor aback. Of course anyone would be worried about the new farmer that has captured the heart of the town, but March has also been quite standoffish to them. The merchant’s instincts fire up inside him, something is up here.

And once more, before Balor can follow that train of thought, Olric calls out to them.

“We’re here!” Just before the elevator jerks to a halt.

The stop is sudden enough that Balor has to catch his footing before he stumbles off the shaking platform. Olric is fine, used to it, and surprisingly, March is fine too, glaring into the blueish-toned darkness as if it personally offended him.

Before the elevator stops swaying, March has leapt off the platform and stomped into the darkness. Olric joins after waiting for the platform to stabilize more, and Balor takes a glance at the floor number before following suit.

Floor 35…

From the elevator it’s a long and narrow hallway, where March takes the lead, with Olric close behind him. Balor realizes that at some point, the charge for this rescue mission was taken from him by the blacksmith, and that further piques his instincts that something is up. But this isn’t the time to wonder.

The two brothers are at ease in the caverns, Olric of course being familiar with the Mines, though perhaps not this deep, and somehow March has a confident grip on his weapon. Though he could be masking his uncertainty. Not that Balor could say anything about being out of his depth here.

He’s used a sword of course, but he hasn’t faced any real danger in a long time, not since before the earthquake when he was doing more traveling. But, he thinks back to the Snowdrop Anemone in his pocket, he would do a lot to make sure that you were safe.

The thought scares him, it crept up on him. You did in fact, somehow, despite his efforts to keep people at an arm’s length away, you had wiggled into the small group of people he cared about (aka the town of Mistria).

Perhaps that was what March was thinking through right now too. Balor peers at the blacksmith’s expression, but it’s too dark and he’s too far ahead to get a good read on him. He turns instead to Olric, who looks determined and mildly perplexed?

“Did you ever go this deep?” He asks curiously.

Olric shakes his head. “No, I didn't even, uh, know the Mines went this deep. We only mined copper ore on the upper floors, but uh, I thought the Mines ended at floor 20? I remember there being a sealed door or something…”

He trails off and Balor and his brother turn to stare at him with a weirded-out expression.

“What do you mean they didn’t go this deep? The elevator goes this far at the least and she’s down here.” March demands.

Olric furrows his eyebrows, “Yeah but the elevator stopped on the floor with the door, it was broken and didn’t go further..”

He pauses, opens his mouth, and closes it, and they all turn to stare down the hallway at where the elevator was hidden in the darkness.

“You mean she’s the one who fixed the elevator?! How would she know how, how would she know how to do it safely?! Did Errol and Eiland not consider this?!” March’s voice gets louder as the sentence goes on.

Olric looks stricken, and Balor shakes his head and puts a hand on the blacksmith’s shoulder.

“We can ask these questions later, for now I see some light up ahead.” He points down the hallway and indeed, there is a faint blue glow illuminating a turn in the path.

Breathing out deeply, March turns to continue down the path, and Balor and Olric follow. As they get to the bend, March pauses, and then cries out.

“Fuck!”

And starts running, disappearing from sight.

Balor goes to call after the blacksmith, but then he sees what caused the redhead to run. You’re on the ground, unmoving, and there is a puddle of slime around you, caused by a slime monster that is currently on top of your unconscious body.

March is already there, swinging with the sword, knocking the slime monster off. It lands a few feet away, near the edge of the water and gurgles out some sort of cry. From the water, two more monsters come up.

“Balor!” March calls out, but Balor is already in action, stabbing forward with his sword at one of the creatures.

He trusts that Olric will protect you and focuses on getting rid of these creatures.

One of them jumps a surprisingly large distance and he twists minimally to the side enough to dodge it and slashes down with his blade as it lands, the extra force causing it to bounce on the ground.

As it lays stunned, Balor stabs it a number of times until its slime form melts into the surrounding puddles.

He turns to see March do a well-executed wide slash that hits both remaining slime monsters, one of them melting like Balor’s, and the other bouncing near him. Repeating his bait-and-attack strategy from earlier, the creature is dead within no time.

Looking back at you, your head and shoulders are now rested on Olric’s knees, the man having kneeled down on the cavern floor, and he is digging in his backpack for something. March is already by your side, holding his hand out to your wrist.

“She’s got a heart rate.” March breathes out, his shoulders releasing some of their tension.

Olric nods, “Yeah! That’s good, but, look at her ankle.” He has taken off one of your boots.

Balor gasps as he sees the swollen ankle. It’s nearly twice the size it should be, red splotches littering the skin, though, nothing seems to be poking out that shouldn’t be at the least.

“So you’re going to stabilize the ankle before we move her?” He asks Olric, who for all his general goofiness, is competent in field (mines) first aid.

Olric nods, but March cuts in, “Why isn’t she waking up if that’s the worst of it?” His eyebrows are furrowed and he looks like a mixture of about-to-cry and pissed-beyond-hell.

Olric frowns, his mouth tugging to one side as he laces back up your boots, but tighter, so that they help stabilize your ankle. “Well, we don’t know if that’s the worst of it.”

March pauses where he’s holding your wrist. “What do you mean.”

“What Olric isn’t saying is that she could be bleeding internally, or even that she hit her head when falling, plus who knows how long that slime was leeching off of her.” Balor supplies, folding his arms and holding his chin in his hands.

Olric nods “Yeah! So that’s why we need to move her as soon as I can be sure it won’t make her worse! We were always told to be careful of head injuries and anything puncturing the lungs on the inside!”

March blanches, and immediately sets his head on your sternum, with his ear pressed against it, between your breasts. Balor’s eyes widened at the blacksmith’s actions, but he sees Olric’s lack of reaction, and considers his instincts earlier. He comes to the conclusion that he is probably missing some information and also that in this situation someone was probably going to have to listen to your breathing anyways.

“It’s raspy, and almost bubbling, is that normal?” March’s voice is level, too level, and shaking.

Olric frowns, and Balor feels that chill from earlier return and settle on his shoulders, as if someone else was watching.

No one says anything for a second. March swears.

“Fuck okay we’re going.” He doesn’t say anything else and slides his hands under your unconscious form. He lifts you bridal-style, your head flopping into the nook between his shoulder and neck.

“Ah wait Olric said we shouldn’t move her until we’re sure-” Balor starts, but March cuts him off.

“I don’t care, her breathing shouldn’t sound like that and I’m not going to wait any longer to get her to Valen.”

He heads back down the hallway to the elevator, and Balor looks at Olric, who’s already started after his brother.

“You’re good with this?”

Olric shrugs as they follow March and you. “I only know basic first aid. I can’t tell anything else wrong with her, so I’m gonna follow March here.”

They are moving faster than when they came down the hallway, and make it to the elevator in no time. Wordlessly they pile on and Olric starts it up again. The ricketyness of the elevator feels worse now, feeling that every shake makes your condition worse.

March cradles your body close to his, head leaned down close to your face. He’s murmuring something Balor can’t make out. Despite carrying you for several minutes straight, March isn’t struggling in the slightest with the weight. His legs are bent so that his muscles take the brunt of the shaking, and he’s still holding you with ease.

Despite being muscled and curved from hard labor all day, you look so small curled up in the blacksmith’s arms, and Balor feels some ugly emotion curl up in his chest. He raises a hand to push on his chest with his knuckles where he feels it.

Your presence is such an enigma. You go about your day doing your own thing, but you always stop to do small talk, and often have gifts perfect for everyone out and about. Bees for Luc, handmade Lattes for Nora, an endless supply of Tulips for Adeline despite it being summer, and, gemstones for him of course.

Balor looks at the blacksmith, and wonders what you give him.

Olric is also looking at his brother, an indescribable emotion painting his face. He raises one hand and puts it on his brother’s shoulder.

“She’ll be fine March.”

“You can’t know that, her breathing…”

Olric’s hand is unmoving.

“She’s going to be fine.”

March looks up at his brother, his eyes shining. His eyes flick briefly to meet Balor’s, and then his face flushes and he looks down and to the side.

“...okay. I trust you.”

Swallowing hard, Balor looks to Olric, who is now looking at him. The older man smiles.

“I mean it, Balor. She’s going to be fine. She’s tough and Valen is a good doctor with good medicine!”

Balor feels his own face light up with heat and now it’s his turn to be looking anywhere besides Olric’s warm and confident gaze.

“Yeah, she will.” He agrees.

The rest of the ride is silent. And after reaching the ground floor, the trio head to the Clinic swiftly and wordlessly. It’s late at night, no one is out to see them and your injured state. Balor thinks you probably would want it that way.

Considering how you didn’t tell anyone the dangers of the Mines, just took them as they came, you probably wouldn’t want them to know.

He doesn’t know how he feels about that, but, looking at the two brothers, the merchant realizes that they had at least some idea of the dangers, but were like him and left mainly out of the loop. That ugly feeling seems to root itself further into his chest. He massages the area again.

Valen is, of course, not in the clinic when they walk in. No one locks their doors at night, which Balor thinks is so painfully Mistria.

March yells out when they come in, “VALEN! WE NEED YOU, IT’S AN EMERGENCY!”

There’s a thud and a yelp from upstairs, and after a minute where the only thing Balor can hear is the sound of his elevated heart-rate, Valen appears from up the stairs, clad in a tank top and comfortable pants.

“March did you burn yoursel-Oh no.” Valen’s demeanor transforms once she sees the state of you in March’s arms, going from annoyed into Doctor Mode.

“Lay her down here please.” She instructs March, gesturing to a bed in the corner.

He seems to hesitate, unwilling to let you out of his arms, but after a moment he concedes, setting you down with an amount of tenderness that, before tonight, Balor would never expect to see from the blacksmith.

Valen immediately sets to work, bringing out tools to examine your state.

“Anything I should know about?”

Olric helpfully supplies, “She’s been unconscious for as long as we have found her, her ankle is messed up, I used her boot to try to secure it, and March said her breathing was raspy and bubbling when he listened!”

Valen pauses, “Her breathing? And in the position you found her, do you think it’s likely she hit her head?”

March nods leaning against the window, in what would be a casual pose if every line of his body wasn’t screaming with tension.

“Yes.”

Valen listens to your chest with her stethoscope. She looks up quickly at Olric and Balor feels the chill weigh heavier at the steel in her expression.

“Go get Juniper, Olric.”

Without question Olric runs out of the clinic. Valen continues examining you, carefully undoing the tight laces on the boot.

“Why Juniper?” Balor asks.

“She makes a lot of my tonics.” Is all Valen gives him, and the clinic falls back into silence.

Olric comes back, not quite slamming the door open, and an irate Juniper is right behind him.

“This better be important Valen beca-Oh my!” She stops in the middle of the room once she sees you, unconscious on the bed. She looks at Balor, then at March, and at Valen.

Her demeanor hardens. “What do you need?”

Valen nods “I’ll need some of that potion you tested last week, and a strong Restorative Syrup.”

Juniper frowns, “The syrup is fine, but the potion is barely tested.”

“If it works it’ll be the best thing we can give her, as all of her injuries are internal and I can’t fix those easily. She also has a bad concussion.”

Juniper wrinkles her nose but turns and heads out the clinic without argument, she calls out, “Olric come help me!” And off they go.

A beat of silence and March asks, “What are those going to do?”

Valen looks at him, as if she is mildly piqued they are still here, but tells him, “The Restorative Syrup will stimulate her natural healing to work faster, which is good in case there are any broken bones.”

Balor asks “Why not a full Healing Syrup then?”

“Because it works so fast it may heal the bones wrong.” Valen rebukes patiently.

Balor blanches, and feels the chill from earlier curl tighter around his spine.

“What about that other potion, Juniper didn’t seem confident about it.” March quizzes Valen.

But the doctor doesn’t look bothered by his tone, and just responds, “Juniper is just a perfectionist. The potion is fine, and it’s one that should boost our farmer’s natural healing factor. The Restorative Syrup only makes her healing work faster, what would take a week will take two hours, but this new potion will boost it, so that it will take only an hour.”

That’s…kind of incredible said out loud. Why has he not realized Juniper was sitting on a landmine of cash with those products here?

“But I still need to set the splint so that her ankle heals properly, and she’ll be quite unstable for a few days. No farming for sure, and definitely no wandering around for her. She’s going to need to stay in bed.”

Valen stops talking there, and Balor tilts his head, waiting for her to say more, before he realizes she’s looking between him and March. March looks like he’s in the same boat, his frown small and quirked to the side, eyebrows raised.

Valen raises her own eyebrow, and drawls out the question, “Well? Which one of you two boys is going to make sure she stays in bed? She has animals to feed and crops to tend, someone is going to have to do it for her.”

Balor meets March’s dark-colored eyes, and as he opens his mouth March is faster, saying,

“I’ll do it.”

“You have the forge, and orders to do.” The ugly feeling from earlier nestles next to the chill.

“Olric can handle them for a few days, and it’s not like I’ll be down there all day. You have to go to the neighboring city for a supply trip tomorrow, remember?”

Frowning, Balor realizes March is right. He does need to go get more supplies. Looking to Valen, who, if he didn’t know any better, would say has an amused smirk on her face, the merchant sighs.

“You’re right. March will watch her.” The last part was directed to the doctor, who merely “hmms” in response, focused on wrapping your foot.

The silence feels heavier somehow, March is looking at him strangely. Balor can feel the younger man’s inquisitive stare, but just continues looking at your unconscious face. You look so peaceful. Maybe he can leave some books on your doorstep so you’re not bored while you recover.

Juniper and Olric come back through into the clinic just then. The bathkeeper strides across the room and hands Valen two bottles. She has a self-satisfied expression on her face.

“These are good.”

Valen looks into her purple eyes and holds them for a second. Then nods.

“I know, thank you. I’ll pay you later for them, at a more reasonable hour.”

Juniper seems taken aback, and even though she is standing over Valen it’s like the doctor’s presence is looming over the younger woman.

“W-well, that is..you don’t need to. Just keeping our local farmer alive after all. No payment needed, the…renown is good enough.” She’s visibly flustered, and Balor can see faint traces of amusement in the doctor’s stoney expression.

“I’m going back to bed if that’s all you need?” Juniper looks back at Valen, and given a nod, does so.

The three men watch as Valen examines the tonics, then shifts you so you’re sitting upright with one of her steady hands behind your head. She first administers a purple one, and then a familiar green one down your throat.

Everyone stares at you for a few minutes.

Balor startles as Valen calmly reaches for her stethoscope and listens to your breathing once more. March’s eyes follow her every movement.

The doctor nods once, her expression smoothing out.

“She’ll be fine. Her breathing is clearing up.”

Balor breathed out heavily, feeling the ever-present chill finally fade away. Olric and March similarly look relieved, the former smiling, and the latter’s eyebrows having unfurrowed.

“Thanks doctor! That’s a relief!” Olric says, giving Valen a pat on the back.

She raises an eyebrow at him, but is also smiling. “You did a good job with the laces on the boot. Smarter than trying to do a splint.”

Olric looks bashful, “Ahh well, you know! It’s Errol’s doing with his first aid stuff he used to teach us!”

He looks at his younger brother, who’s still staring at you. Olric’s expression melts slightly, and Balor can almost see the cogs turning in his head as he then says,

“March I’m heading back first. I’ll set something out for you so you eat, okay?”

“..’kay.”

“Thanks doc, thanks Balor! Good night!” Balor blinks at being addressed, still in a daze of relief, mutters a goodbye, and Olric heads out, the door swinging shut behind him.

Valen addresses him and March at the same time as she says, “I will also be heading back to bed. If you remain in the clinic, be quiet, please.”

She turns to head back upstairs but March calls out, looking panicked at the thought of the doctor leaving, “Wait! Are you just going to leave her here? It’s only been a few minutes since the potions were administered!”

The older woman meets March’s heated expression. “She’ll be fine, March, I guarantee it.”

They stare at each other, before March nods. Valen smiles at him reassuringly, and the blacksmith blushes and looks down at you.

Valen turns and heads back up the stairs. Balor stares after her, licks his dry lips, and looks back at March. The blacksmith has already taken Valen’s place in the chair next to you, and the most tender-yet-conflicted expression Balor has seen is painted on his face.

His fist finds its way to his sternum again, Balor frowns at the feeling. The panic is over, can this feeling in his chest just go away please?

March reaches out, and pushes one of the locks of your hair off your face, curling it around your ear. Okay.

“I’m going to get going too, March.”

Balor waits for a response, and then turns to leave after a beat of silence. Just as he touches the door handle he hears behind him.

“Thanks, Balor.”

He meets March’s eyes. “For what.”

Something flickers over the blacksmith’s face, but he responds, “For getting someone, us, to help. For helping.”

Balor felt like he was more of an observer than anything this whole time, but he just accepts the thanks.

“It’s nothing March, just…gotta take care of one of my key suppliers, right?”

It sounds weak to him, and he doesn’t meet the blacksmith’s prying gaze.

“I’m heading out early in the morning, so I will be gone before she wakes. Take care of her for me, okay?”

Balor forces himself to smile and wink at March, who just stares at him with a neutral frown.

The night air is cool, and calming after the events. It’s different from the chill that had gripped him all night.

As Balor heads down to the inn, he ponders setting some Tesserae on the counter and just grabbing one of the beers to help him go to sleep.

[lily-alphonse]

"The Raincheck" (Balor x Farmer)

Fandom: Fields of Mistria

Content: F/M

Rating: Mature (Mild sexual content and lewd jokes)

Words: 2,887

“How would you like to visit inside my wagon?” “Inside?” Ben asked, eyes widening. “That seems like quite the privilege.” “Yes, well,” he looked down, tracing the grain of his counter with his finger. “I'm finding there isn't much I want to keep from you, in truth.”

@aug-kissed Aug-Kissed Week 3: Using Tongue. Things are heating up between farmer Bené and Balor...

>> Read on AO3<<

This is the sequel to last week's Balor fic! You can check out part 1 HERE

Im obsessed with these pixels, help

[minthe-drawings]

This is how I imagined they crossed the bridge✨

[atlasvoidx]

✨️ Every Bachelor / Bachelorette's Shooting Star Festival Event! ✨️

I made a video with everyone's cut scenes + additional dialogue for the new event in the latest Fields of Mistria update! Timestamps included :3

_

Included in the video:

Asking them out to the Festival

Full Festival Cutscene

Dialogue the day after

Dialogue the day after if you stand them up/skip out

If you go to the festival alone

Rejection dialogue (At the VERY end of the video)

I plan to make a new updated video should they release a future update which changes the Festival in anyway. It's in early access to some things are bound to be changed before official launch.

[marchofmistria]

Hi, I saw that your requests were open and I was wondering if you could make HC for when the farmer comes home all wrecked after a day at the mines (both bachelors and bachelorettes, if thats ok)

Hi there, thank you for sending :) Super fun to write for the bachelorettes as well as the bachelors <3 I'm writing these as established relationship HCs!

March

March can't help but worry about you each time you go to the times, no matter how nonchalant he tries to act or how many times he tells himself that you've been fine each time before.

Before you go, he'll always lecture you a bit and tell you to be careful (even though, he feels, this lecture goes ignored every time).

Without you asking, he'll spend time forging armor and swords that are strong and can provide a great deal of protection. You're clearly grateful for it, and it gives him peace of mind that you're wearing something he made so he's sure the quality is as good as possible.

If you're not back by a certain time, he'll go looking for you himself (even when, most of the time you're just fine).

The anxiety isn't totally unwarranted. There was a time once where he found you passed out in the mines, badly injured and attracting attention from monsters even in your unconscious state. He carried you all the way to Valen and had trouble sleeping for a day or two afterwards, even though Valen revived you no problem.

Sometimes March will insist on accompanying you from the start, claiming that he doesn't trust you to protect himself. You know not to take this as a blow to your defensive skills, but rather as proof of his deep love and care for you.

On the days you come home tired, he'll order you to go rest in bed and will wordlessly take care of you, whether that means cooking you dinner or washing off your sore body in the bath. He'll act annoyed, but you know that he doesn't mind at all taking care of you.

Ryis

Ryis worries about you when you spend late nights in the mines, but is also completely confident in your defensive skills. He knows that you're very strong, perhaps stronger than he would be down there.

He'd insist, however, that you pack food with you in case you grow exhausted down there.

He'd also make sure that you're wearing the best protection you could be. He'd probably call in a favor or two from March to give you the best equipment money could buy, just as an extra precaution.

He's always very excited and grateful when you bring home a trove of material or fascinating objects from your time down in the mines. He'd be interested to learn about all the materials that occur naturally down below, as well as the animal (monster) life living down there. Especially as Ryis would probably have little interest in going down there himself.

Ryis is less of a worrier than some others may be, but he'd definitely insist you be home by a certain time just so he could have total peace of mind and so that you two could spend the night together.

He'd definitely pamper you when you've had an exhausting day, whether that be from your time in the mines or from any other tasks you've had to complete throughout the day.

His care for you would definitely include nightly massages of your sore muscles. His idea of a perfect night is spent together in the bath with you, and then hanging out late into the night working on something relaxing like birdhouses, or even watching a movie together before falling asleep.

Hayden

One of the things Hayden loves and respects about you is your strength. He has plenty of it too, but is always deeply impressed by your ability to balance your work on the farm with your exploration of the mines.

He encourages your interests, and wants to give you as much time as possible to explore if that's what you feel like doing that day. He shows this encouragement by offering to take care of things on the farm on days when you want to go mining.

He hopes that'll take away some of your exhaustion, and he's more than happy to take care of you in that way. Any extra time spent with your animals is a happy day for him!

Hayden would care to make sure you're eating well before you go expending all that energy. He'll make lots of delicious food straight from the produce you've grown from the farm, and from the products donated by your animals.

Hayden wouldn't worry too much about your exploration in the mines, seeing how strong you are and how well you can handle yourself. He's just ready to get you home by the end of the night.

Hayden helps you recover by making sure you're well fed and well rested each day, without exception. If that means letting you sleep in a bit longer the next day and taking some of the load off your shoulders, he does it without a second thought.

Seeing his smiling face when you get home from a long day is enough to replenish some of your energy instantly. All Hayden cares about is that you're enjoying your days to the fullest in Mistria.

Balor

At first, Balor is more than supportive of your journeys down to the mines. After all, that's where you can find the rarest and most lucrative things for him to pawn off in the Capital!

It's also where you found a majority of the gifts that won his heart in the first place. It seemed like you were the only other person who appreciated these rare items to the same level he did, and he got so excited talking about it with you.

But once your relationship gets serious and progresses farther than just a business partnership, he starts to hate the days when you go down to the mines.

You always come back all scratched up and often injured, although usually not severely. Even so, he can't help but worry himself silly.

Yes, he's still excited when you come and happily show him all the wonderful things you've uncovered there that day. But he sure does wish there was another way to go about it.

He tries to persuade you to stop going down there, much to your surprise at first. You thought that he lived for these incredible finds. But he tells you that seeing you hurt isn't worth any amount of money.

He pays March a hefty sum to make you the best equipment and stocks you up with food each time you go. He can never get to sleep until he knows you're back home safe and have had your injuries healed.

He'll spend the rest of the night checking you to make sure you're really okay, and pampering you in every way possible. He wants you to know how grateful he is that you put yourself in danger on behalf of your mutual financial wellbeing. And he'll always have a special gift for you as an extra thank you.

Eiland

One thing that Eiland loves about you is your shared interest in all things archeological. The idea that there was someone as excited as him to explore the mysteries of the minds makes him deeply happy.

In fact, he's so excited and eager to find out what's down there that he doesn't really think of the extent of the danger. To be fair, he doesn't know that the mines are infected with a slew of monsters until you tell him.

When you first start returning to him after a day in the mines, you can spend hours discussing what you saw down there and going through all the evidence and artifacts you came across. Because you're equally excited as he is, he doesn't notice at first that you've injured yourself.

It's only after he sees you wincing in pain that he questions what happened, and then he feels terrible that he didn't notice it at first! When you confess to him all that's living down there, he instantly says that the mines must be closed off again.

Yes, he is deeply interested in what can be found down there. But the safety of the residents of Mistria are paramount. And you, as the person he cares about most in the world, take priority above all of that.

He feels a bit more reassured when you tell him that closing the mines is out of the question, that your injuries are not severe at all, and that on the contrary you absolutely love going down there. He's excited too, but just much more weary about your adventures now.

He'll stay late at the museum on nights when you decide to go into the mines, ready to meet you first thing once you exit. He has bottles of tonic to help you heal ready, as well as scores of delicious desserts to eat while talking over what you found that day. He's super eager, but will always prioritize your health over all else.

Valen

Valen doesn't stop being your doctor when she becomes your partner, and your health and safety are always her first priority. She knows she's not supposed to have any biases towards certain patients, but how could she not when she loves you so much?

Because of this, she really attempts to insist you stop going down to the mines. She knows that you find it fun and interesting, but she still doesn't fully understand. You make very decent money between the two of you, so it's not because of that.

She truly finds it difficult to understand why you don't prioritize your own health, especially with someone who worries so much about you waiting for you. But after discussing it, she concedes that she must let you enjoy your own interests and be there to support however she can.

You do agree to compromise on not staying out too late, as she cannot sleep at all until you're back home safe and your injuries are all tended to. Before you go, she prepares strong concoctions with her panacea to heal up most of your injuries instantly as soon as you're home.

On one occasion, when your injuries weren't mild and you had to stay overnight in the doctor's office, she didn't sleep a wink with worry for you. Even though she rationally understood that you'd be just fine in a few days, and of course trusted her own skills in taking care of you, her concern for you is overwhelming.

Most times, however, you're just fine and she's at home lovingly waiting for your return. She'll feed you a healthy dinner and run you a bath with salts to help soothe your aching muscles.

She'll always pack tonics to take with you as well, free of charge of course. You're incredibly grateful to have such a caring partner.

Juniper

Juniper tries really hard to act like she doesn't care what you're doing all day. She's still getting used to the idea of having a partner and showing vulnerability and care towards them.

She does care, really. It hurts her ego a tiny bit when she concedes to the fact that she does care. But at the same time, she can't do well at hiding her worry when you come home injured.

When you come back from the minds and show her everything you found, her interest is piqued. You consider it an enormous accomplishment the first time you gift her a crystal rose you found on one of the lower floors, telling her that she was the first thing you thought of when you saw the flower for the first time, and see her actually blush.

She can't even pretend to act proud at your "tribute." She's genuinely happy and flustered, and you consider that a win.

When you do come home hurt, she'll silently bring you into the bath house. Undressing you and then herself, she'll climb into the bath with you for a long soak.

That may include a massage as well, if you've caught her in a good mood or won her over that day with your gestures of affection via gifts from the mines. You can really get her if you tell her that you put yourself in harms way for her. She loves to feel like you put a lot of thought into her happiness.

She's not unaccustomed to flattery or worship, sure. But the real love, devotion, and attention she feels from you is new. And she's going to take steps to make sure the feeling is mutual.

Reina

Reina admires how strong you are, and how self-sufficient. But at the end of the day, she's still a big sister and being caring is her defining quality. She can't help but worry when you put yourself in danger.

She doesn't try to talk you out of it. She knows that there's no use in that. But she will do whatever she can to make your endeavors as safe as possible.

She insists of filling your bag with as much delicious food as you can carry without becoming over-encumbered. She'll cook all your favorites so you'll be more inclined to eat them as soon as your energy starts to wane in the mines.

You can always expect the same when you get back to her as well. She doesn't take no for an answer when it comes to you eating properly, even when you tell her that you've already eaten all the delicious things she packed for you during your excursion.

After you're well-fed and warmed up, you two like to relax the rest of the evening by the warm fire of the Inn, talking into the night and even sharing a warm Hot Toddy if you really need to wind down.

She's always interested to hear about everything you do each day, especially including what you do in the mines. She finds it fascinating, especially as that sort of stuff doesn't usually appeal to her. She's more than happy to listen to your tales rather than go do those things herself.

She'll often share your stories and brag of your strength and bravery to everyone who will listen when patronizing the Inn. She's proud to have such a strong and fearless partner.

Adeline

Adeline is a worrier by nature. She needs to have things under control as much as possible, and the fact that her partner is so fearless can be a difficult adjustment for her.

She knows that she needs to let you have your own hobbies. She also knows that she invited you to Mistria as an adventurer, so she can't go back on her word now.

Even so, she wishes you'd do just a little less adventuring now that you've found a home in the village. She doesn't tell you this directly, but also can't hide how stressed she gets when you're down there and she doesn't know how you're faring.

She makes you promise to be back by a certain time each night, and is upset if you ever miss that curfew. She knows that she can't boss you around like that, but you're willing to oblige her knowing how much stress she's already balancing and how much she cares about your well-being.

She does know what it's like to have someone deeply interesting in exploring, and is happy that her brother has a friend to discuss these things with now. She engages in the conversation and does find it interesting, especially if you're the one telling about it rather than Eiland. You just have a much more... engaging way of talking on the subject.

One thing that she will agree with you on is that the items you're able to find in the mines can be helpful to some of the townsfolk around Mistria. Whenever someone needs an item that may be hard to obtain, she admires the fact that you're quick to jump in and help (even if that means putting yourself in harms way). She loves that about you.

As soon as you're back home, she's making sure that you're well-rested in the most comfortable home, with the most comfortable pajamas and all the luxuries she can afford. If you're injured, she's happy to go to any lengths to make sure you get everything you need. It's the least she can do to prove how much she cares for you.

Celine

Celine is always terrified whenever you tell her you're going down to the mines. She can't imagine facing all those scary monsters and risking getting hurt! The worry is apparent on her face every time.

She knows that you're strong and more than capable, but she's scared for you nonetheless. One of the few times you see her act sternly is when she makes you promise that you'll avoid trouble there as much as possible and be home at a reasonable time.

It doesn't help that Dell encourages you completely. Opposite of what would usually be expected, Celine is worried that Dell is a bad influence on you and spurs you on into danger.

Celine tries to be supportive, but is always ready to take care of you whenever you come home from a long day in the mines. Her cottage is stock piled with medicines from Valen, delicious food cooked either by herself or by Reina, and a warm bed for you to rest in.

She cannot lie, though. Whenever you bring her a new rare plant or flower from the mines, she is so excited that she nearly forgets her reservations.

She'll spend hours reading about the fauna in her Codex Mistria, taking precious care of this wonderful gift you've given her. Her appreciation is apparent, and this incredible gift is almost worth letting you go down to the mines.

In any case, she's always excited to have you back home and will go above and beyond in taking care of you when youi're exhausted or even hurt.

[tatatasoma]

[inc0gnitoo]

GUYS..

fields of mistria.

…

post requests rn. i love this man so much.

[shiny-kaibernyte]

I have wanted to write for Fields of Mistria since i first spoke to this colourful characters. It honestly has become my comfort game and i have fallen for this blue haired Merchant. March is my number one, but Balor deserves love to people! Also i refer to Juniper as Plum and Eiland as Peach once in this story as irl i kept forgetting they're names so i just called them that because of their hair colour.

No warnings unless you think cheesy flirting is one

An Apple Heart | Balor x Reader

“My my, this is a surprise, Good morning!” Balor’s calm voice called out from the town stairs, making you practically jump out of his skin as you back away from the merchant's cart. His eager smile and soft wave met your startled gaze from atop the stairs. After waking up earlier than normal this morning, you decided to go walk around the town before everyone else awoke for the day. Although you never actually made it to those stone steps, something on Balor’s cart had caught your eye. 

“Balor! Good morning! I wasn't going to steal anything! I was only looking, I swear!” Your mild panic and hands waving in front of you only caused the merchant to chuckle, walking to your side.

“Well that's such a shame… And here I thought you came to steal my heart.” Balor’s voice flirted, taking your hand into his as he gently kissed it. “Although… you already have my dear.” “KYAAHHHH” A loud scream erupted from your chest as you pulled your hand away like a kid touching something gross. Balor’s chuckle turned into an eruption of laughter at how surprised you were. 

“That was not the reaction I was going for but I will take it. That was so cute!” Laughter only continues to increase through his quick paced words. Your own face only grew redder and redder the more he laughed, to be honest it was hard to tell if he was laughing at what just happened or the fact he started tripping on his feet that was making him laugh. 

“Balor! What was that for? Since when did you openly flirt with people?” A questioning suspicion laced your voice as you managed to gain your composure.

“Oh I'm sorry, that is unlike me.” He is still lightly laughing as he’s coming down from whatever laughing fit just erupted from him. Taking a deep breath to relax, the merchant straightened up and dusted off the side of his poncho before usual smile returned. “I apologise for startling you, Juniper and Eiland decided to give flirting tips at the Inn last night. I was unfortunate enough to get caught in the middle, they uh… this is embarrassing… They won’t let me back into the Inn until I give them a report on which of they’re flirting styles works better.”

“Wait wait wait… So they are actually keeping you out of the Inn just because of this flirt battle they’re having?” The curious cat in you is only poking him for more details.

“They actually got Reina and her whole family to stop me from entering the Inn until I give them my ‘findings’. Which is both a blessing and a curse it would seem.” A finger pressed against his chin as he leans against his cart, pondering his next few words.

You only raised an eyebrow to him, tilting your head like a puppy. “Blessing and a curse?”

“As much as i really don’t want to get back to those Dragons and Drama’s. My late night drink is something I would prefer to keep on a Friday.” A mild scoff escapes his lips as he thinks about the D&D game Eiland dragged him into. In Fact that same game is how this whole flirting debacle happened. Juniper may not be in the game but she can hear everything that goes on from her seat at the bar. And it was during their last game that Eiland decided to have the group roll for a persuasion check on a group of women to ‘flirt’ they’re way through a city’s borders. Or something to that effect Balor wasn’t exactly paying attention. Wasn't until Juniper was suddenly pulling him into her side with her arm on his shoulder whilst Eiland tried to move her away that he was suddenly aware of what was happening.

Now it’s your turn to laugh and Balor’s face to turn a perfect ruby red. “So! You mean to tell me, "You… got caught in a flirting battle between Peach and Plum Because of Dragon’s and Drama!?”

“Yes…” Balor only looked away rubbing the back of his neck before chuckling himself. “Eiland thinks the more honest approach works… That was my attempt at Juniper’s style. And from your reaction I'm going to agree with Eiland.”

“Well I'm not a very good observer, Balor. You would need to use almost everyone in town to get a valid result.” Pondering for a moment you began thinking how everyone else would react to what he did. Sure it was sweet and forward, but it’s also very unlike him, hence why you were startled.

“What if I don't want to do that with others?” Your thinking stopped like a deer in headlights, blinking confused at him, an almost comedic heh escaping your lips as you stared at him. “I was on my way to my cart to retrieve something… for you actually and well here you are.”

“For me…? Balor, what are you getting at?” Question after question ran through your head as he continued on

“When this whole situation happened I honestly dreaded it. I’m not one to openly flirt with someone unless I have genuine appreciation and trust for them. Then I realised… this dumb pickle I've gotten myself in gave me the perfect excuse to give you this…” He moved around his cart and reached inside, shuffling through his wares for a moment before pulling something out. It was shiny from what you could tell. “I had Hayden grow this for me… Celine and I worked together to preserve this so it would rot away before I had a chance to give it to you. Here.”

Turning around in one swift motion, he showed you what he had hidden to his chest, An Apple? In the shape of a heart, it was shiny from being encased in a crystal resin-like substance, making it almost look like a crystal apple. That was what you spotted earlier that lured you here. Was Mistria pulling her thread to lead the both of you here? 

Reaching out for your hand, he gently pulled you towards him, the back of your hand laying in the palm of his as he placed the gift gently in your hand. Never once letting go of your hand as he made eye-contact with you. All you saw was love. “I may not be able to grow flowers, crops or anything really… but I can sell them in a heartbeat. Sometimes I wish for something I can allow my heart to keep… What I'm asking is. Will you accept this gift as a sign of my love and admiration for you?”

“Balor…” The warmest smile painted your face as you gratefully accepted this gift, holding it tightly to his chest with one hand as you moved your free hand to his shoulder. Placing a soft kiss to his cheek before smiling again, “Maybe use this as your report to Juniper.”

Not far away from you watching from the stone steps was none other than Eiland and Juniper, standing side by side with smug grins. Juniper’s hand on her hip, a victorious smile on her face, Eiland leaning on the wall to watch the new couple. High-fiving quietly as they walked away from the scene, going unseen the entire time. Mission successful.

[summer-nights19]

Good for business part 1 - A New Farmer in Town

Balor x fem reader (Fields of Mistria)

Blurb: It was only supposed to be a business partnership with a few benefits. After all, you were both ambitious and seeking to make names for yourselves ... so how did you get here ? You didn't know, and part of you refused to care.

Genre: slowburn

This fanfic will mostly follow the plot of the game and include some lines from it

Part 2

You sighed as you stumbled your way through the woods. According to your map, you were almost there. Honestly, it had been a gamble - after finishing your studies, you hadn't found any work opportunities in your hometown, so, after reading that a little town called Mistria was looking for a farmer and offering free land after being hit by a pretty bad earthquake, you'd quickly written to Adeline to make your interest known. However, it had meant leaving everything you knew behind, a realisation that was dawning closer on you as you neared what used to be a stone bridge but was now floating rubble.

You were so deep in own your own thoughts that you didn't realise when you walked straight into something hard and solid. A wall ? No. You took a few steps back and looked up, slowly coming back down to earth. Before you stood the most attractive man you'd ever seen. He was tall and well built without being too buff; his hair was blue and reached his shoulders. You inhaled and looked up into his eyes, which were a dark, rich brown. Before you could apologise for walking into him, he spoke up, the hint of a smirk creeping on his face.

"Hey ! Didn't expect to find anyone else here. The roads have been a mess since the earthquake. I'm Balor, a travelling merchant. Pleased to meet you. You're here at Lady Adeline's request ? She mentioned someone had taken her up on her offer," he winked at you, and you felt the heat rise to your face

"Yeah, there was something about free land and a house... gotta put food on the table somehow," you were being honest, but you suddenly worried your answer might sound selfish. Balor kept smiling at you, seemingly unfazed.

"It's a lovely spot. Quite close to town. I'll walk with you if you don't mind the company,"

You gave him a smile of your own.

"Great, let's go !"

Balor jumped across the broken bridge and you tried to follow suit, slipping and landing on some rubble in the process. He extended his hand, and, after a bit of hesitation, you took it. It was warm and considerably larger than yours, with a few scars on the knuckles. You wondered where they came from and felt your stomach tighten into knots. He pulled you up letting go of your hand after you found your footing again. You mourned the loss of contact more than you were willing to admit.

"We should be able to make it before it gets dark. Come on, we'll head straight to your new farmstead," Balor started walking down the path after shooting you another grin. You followed him, still slightly flustered.

***

A couple of hours had passed since Balor had left you with Eiland at your farm. After he and Adeline had shown you how everything worked, they'd left too, leaving you alone to unpack your stuff. Not that there was much to unpack - you'd only brought some clothes and a few of your favourite books from home, which you'd packed up in the chest. The smart thing to do would have been starting on the farm work - the land was overgrown and unkempt, so it needed a little maintenance- but after 12 hours of travel, you could only bring yourself to light the fireplace and lie down on your worn mattress. Before falling asleep, you thought back to flowing blue locks, confident smirks, shining brown eyes and scarred knuckles. A sleepy smile started forming on your face.

Maybe you'd be just fine here.

Masterlist

[fieldsofwriting]

Hi hi!! I was scrolling through and found your stuff really cute, and this game has literally taken over my mind since EA launch. If you haven't already, could you please write for Valen, Eiland, and Balor? With the prompt of, say, they see you pretty beaten up from a day down at the mines, and they try to care for you? OR if you're feeling down, they take notice and try to give you a comfort food? Take your pick, I'm sorry this is a pretty long ask 😅 -🍓🧋

You’re all good!! I decided to go with the farmer being beaten up in the mines! But once requests open back up, let me know if you want the other one!

But HC’s under the cut!

Valen:

- Given the fact that she is the doctor? She gives you a look every time you come in with a scrape or a bruise.

- “Y/N. I thought we agreed for you to get better armor if you insist on going through the mines.”

- She still patches you up though, and if you’re dating she gives you a kiss durning the ones that especially sting before going, “That’s what you get for being reckless.”

- She’d also walk you home and make you some food before getting you tucked into bed.

- In the morning you have a health tonic next to you with a little note telling you to take a sip if you feel achy.

- No matter how many times you go down in the mines and get scrapped up, she’s always there to take care you. <3

Eiland:

- If he sees you all scrapped up? He feels AWFUL. He’s the one who pushed for the mines to be opened and now you’re hurt!

- He’d fuss over you so much. Like a little mother hen. He doesn’t let you lift a finger after you get home from seeing Valen- because yes. He makes you go to Valen.

- He would also debate on closing the mines, but after you assure him that it dramatic and you will be fine once you get an armor upgrade and a sword upgrade.

- Conveniently. The next time you go to the blacksmith, March is shoving a full suit of armor in your arms and a new sword.

- Eiland hears none of your protests and just asks you to be safe.

- …and begrudgingly it’s really nice armor so you take it.

Balor:

- He sees you covered in bruises and scrapes as you run past his cart at midnight to get home on time.

- At first he doesn’t do anything because it’s your prerogative…but damn it he really likes you so he needs to make sure you’re alive.

- The next morning he wakes up early to get over to you. He’s got bandages and some disinfectant to make sure you stay unharmed.

- He doesn’t let you get a word in, just telling you to show him the wounds so he can help.

- He would make it his mission to get some more ore from his contacts and commission March to make you a better sword.

A/N: Sorry thier kinda short! I didn’t know what else to add really! But like I said once requests open back up let me know if you want me expand!

[spiderfriend]

strictly business

[legendsgalore]

Danger in the Deep rewrite

You collapse in the Mines, how do you get back to your farm...? Who is the one to come grab you, to come rescue you from the foul beasts who felled you??? March and Balor centric, March x Reader, Balor x Reader, just under 10k words

The Tide Caverns are an untouched, gleaming secret to the rest of the world, and you can't help but to occasionally pause and just take in the atmosphere as you mine deeper into them. Compared to the earthy tones of the upper floors, the subtle cool-toned glows that wash the stone felt surreal, and the light reflecting off of the pools of water and the general dampness that covered the entire caverns make you feel like you are in a different world altogether.

This is all very true, but in this moment you are not thinking about the ethereal beauty of the biome you were in. Instead you are ruining the tranquility by shouting.

“Ah, fuckfuckfuck-” Your words are barely discernible from one another, a stream of consciousness falling from your lips at this point.

As your legs push hard and send you into the air, you twist through your hips slightly, so that you are angled just right to fall with your sword point going down first. The attack didn’t do much against your foe, an Ore Clod, the iron ore glistening at the top of its rocky, lumpy form.

Your sword jump did what it needed to though, and knocked the rocky enemy back, giving you some much needed space.

But, as you land, you end up too close to one of the pools, and gasp as gravity asserts itself on you, the glimmering water staring in your face. Your arms come out and frantically flap to keep your balance, and you sigh in relief as you don’t fall into the water, but your relief is short lived when you hear a small spitting sound and feel a projectile crack into your back.

“Gah-!” You cry out, and fall into the icy water.

The temperature difference is painfully sharp, and you have to fight off your shock as you resurface, desperately inhaling air. But again, you can’t even catch your breath as another spitting sound preludes the *CracK!* of another projectile bit of iron hitting your head, causing you to cry out in pain.

Blinking away the dark spots, you start swimming for the nearest bit of land, for if you get hit in the head again while in the water…

Water streams off your body as you drag yourself from the tide pool to flop on the rock floor, and immediately have to roll to avoid another projectile spat your way. You breathlessly glare at the perpetrator, and groan frustratedly.

“Great, there’s now three of you?” Gritting your teeth, you pull yourself to your feet and ready your Iron Sword.

The first sucker was still across the pool, though you were still in its range. Two new ones, an Iron Clod and a regular Rock Clod, were hopping close, the latter being the one to have attacked you just now. Feeling your legs tremble with adrenaline, you steel yourself, and instead of attacking outright, wait for them to attack you. There was a pattern to how they attacked, the Rock Clod going for rapid fire strikes, and the Ore Clods going for a spread shot. What you needed to do, was space yourself so that the attacks lined up and you could strike back all of them at once…except…

A dizziness washes over you so suddenly you stumbled, and in that moment, the three attacks you had put yourself in the way of all hit you at once and you couldn’t help the cry that wrenched itself from your throat.

Black spots filled more of your vision, and you stumbled, falling to one knee. Another barrage flew harmlessly over you in that moment, and you shook your head, intending for the action to clear your vision, but only succeeding in making it worse.

Despite the pain throbbing in your head, you force yourself to your feet and make a lopsided dash to the side, anticipating another barrage of attacks.

You’re not fast enough, and something cracks into your chest, winding you. You try to gasp and your chest aches, but you can’t pause to see the damage as one of the projectiles from the barrage continues your way and you instinctively swing your sword up to your chest, deflecting it to the Rock Clod. The sucker flinches back, and quickly retaliates, which works in your favor as you are able to finish it off with another reflected rock.

That left two Ore Clods, and as you try to survey the situation through your unfocused vision, you drop to the ground hard enough to jolt your head as their spread shots fly above you.

“Ahh,” You sob out, feeling tears well up unwittingly as your head is jostled more.

Your body feels so heavy, as you try to lift yourself up but flop to the ground. Knowing the Iron Clods would attack again, you slide your arms beneath you and push up. First your torso, and then your legs find their standing, though your head flops onto your shoulder, with you barely having the mind to lift it.

You stand there in the cavern, and focus on breathing, and maintaining a focus so that when the two Iron Clods attack again you can respond. And when you hear that telltale spitting sound you first swipe your sword in the direction of the one closest to you and then whirl around to do the same for the sucker across the pool, and are rewarded with the sound of it falling to pieces.

You spin to glare at the last enemy left, and though it valiantly tries to go for one more barrage of attacks, you fell it with one last deflected attack, and with that the caverns fall silent, save for your ragged breathing.

Immediately you feel your knees buckle and unwillingly you collapse to the floor, barely avoiding twisting your knee as you go.

“Ah, hnnggg,,” Your hands slide on the slick floor as you fail to lift yourself again, barely managing to get much beyond your shoulders off the cave floor. You try to look about you, to see if there was a rock, a piece of wood, anything to brace yourself on, but nothing is surrounding you except for your dropped sword, and though you stretch for her, she is too far out of your reach

“No…I can’t…stop here!” You say to yourself, but your vision is fuzzy, everything is just bleeding colors at this point.

You had hit your head earlier in the water, jostled it multiple times, your chest…something…hit it…right…?

Ah, you need to get up, but…it’s all so…

And with that your awareness is gone.

Balor is very casually leaned against the arch of the entrance to the Mines, idly examining a flower in his hands.

It was a Fog Orchid, the type of flower those in the Capitol would pay a pretty penny for, but one could find in Mistria, with some difficulties.

You had passed by him on his way back from the Archaeology Site early this morning, not intending to meet up with him, and after giving him a polite greeting, tilted your head, and simply handed this flower to him. This rare flower, which you could have made a pretty buck by simply passing it to him through the shipping bin, or even gained some social benefit in Mistria as a gift to someone, or hell, Balor was sure you could have utilized it for a crafting recipe of some sort.

You were the type of person who always used everything that passed your way, and yet had just, given this flower to him?

When Balor inquired as to why you had wasted this flower on a gift for him, you had given him a sweet smile and some parting words, “Just ‘cause I wanted to!” And had continued on your way. As if that cleared anything up.

So here he was, at the entrance of the Mines waiting for you. Sure, Balor can admit that he could be doing other things, but his excuse was that he wanted to know where you sourced this flora so he may take advantage of that as well. And Balor could admit to himself that it was an excuse, though not a bad one. No one would question it.

The blue-haired merchant lifts his eyes from the Fog Orchid to scan the scenery, and is shocked to realize it’s later than he thought. The sky is lit up in brilliant warm shades, signifying dusk, and he can even spot some fireflies out.

Being summer, it doesn’t get dark out until pretty late, which means you’re in the Mines past your usual time. Balor frowns at the realization, and despite the mugginess, feels a shiver travel his body.

But the shiver doesn’t leave, and as it runs down him, a chill lingers, as if something had curled around him and was radiating coldness. Balor feels a heavy sensation permeate his nerves, freezing the merchant where he stands, his fingers numbing-Balor fumbles to put the Fog Orchid in his pocket-and his breathing sharpening at the foreign sensation.

The feeling ensnares him within a second, but before Balor can think too much, he hears something from the Mines behind him.

‘Help…mines…deepest…’

That sounded like a voice, an unknown one, calling from the mines. There was no way. But…Balor notes the chill is gone and lets the knowledge of the alien sensation he just experienced hang over him.

His eyebrows furrow and before he can think his muscles are spurning into action and he was at the elevator into the Mines.

“HEY!” Balor calls your name, but there was no response.

Logic told him you should be fine, you go down here nearly on the daily, but that chill…it seemed to curl around Balor once more, as if it too, was peering into the depth beyond the elevator right over Balor's shoulder.

Despite every sense telling him to go now, Balor knows he isn’t equipped for a Mines trip himself. He turns on his heel and makes his way for the exit, his cape fluttering behind him, and despite no one being there, he calls over his shoulder,

“I’ll be back!”

It’s slightly darker now, and Balor feels the time intensely. You definitely are always out of the Mines by this point, he has noticed how you need to take the time to forge your ore, and always include time to chat with March. The blacksmith, despite his apparent dislike of you, always seems to coincidentally be working the forge at this time.

And that is where Balor runs to, where he could get a weapon. His chest is heaving from sprinting the whole way, and he can see Olric and March cooling down the anvil and forge for the night.

They turn to look at him, and he watches their mild expressions morph into concern at his harried state.

“Balor what’s-” Olric begins, but Balor speaks over him.

“Sell me a weapon now.”

March crosses his arms and frowns, stepping forward. “What for and why do you need a weapon now”?

Balor tolerates March’s prickliness because the whole town knows how much he cares, but the merchant still feels irritation at the question, there is no time.

Still, he explains, “The farmer is hurt in the mines and I need to go help her.”

The brothers’ eyes widen, and they look at each other. For a second, no one says anything before they burst into action. Olric sprints inside, shouting over his shoulder,

“Gonna fetch the kit!”

And March reaches into the pile next to the still-cooling anvil and pulls out two swords.

The red-head’s frown deepens into a scowl and he thrusts the weapon at Balor, who sheathes it into the empty scabbard on his person, turning around in the direction back out of town.

“Wait the fuck up, Olric is getting the first aid kit.” March calls out, his voice rough.

Balor turns to look at the blacksmith, who is still in his sweaty tank top and apron, holding the other sword out to the side. He is meeting Balor’s gaze, giving nothing away in his scowling expression.

“Are you…coming?” Balor asks.

March scoffs, “Yeah of course we are. Olric literally worked down there, he knows how to deal with the place. And I’m not giving that to you, I want it back.”

The blacksmith nods at the sword in Balor’s sheath, and he nods his assent. Fair enough. But then..

“Why are you coming?”

March’s scowl somehow deepens further, and he cocks his head and holds the sword in his hands higher. “Better two than one, and I know how to use one of these besides just ‘poke with the sharp end.’”

Balor opens his mouth to rebuke that he too, is more than he seems, especially when it comes to fights, but he holds his tongue and watches as March looks to his anvil and mutters to himself.

“..besides, I need to see if she’s…”

Hearing that, Balor hums inquisitively before he can stop himself, causing March’s face to redden and the blacksmith lets out a "tch", turning his gaze to the door of the building. Balor narrows his eyes appraisingly at the redhead. Does he…?

Before the merchant can follow that train of thought, Olric bursts out of the building with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Sorry! It wasn’t where it was supposed to be!” The older brother calls out.

“It’s fine let’s just go already!” March falls in step with his brother as they, without missing a beat, begin running to the Mines, and Balor startles and has to catch up to the two.

It’s now dark out, fireflies scattering from the trio as they run. Olric being fast is no surprise, Balor is always traveling so he can keep up a good pace for a while, but March is keeping up without breaking a sweat. Regardless, the merchant is convinced something is up with their farmer as you’re usually at your farm by this hour, even if you stop to say hi at the inn after the forge visit.

Looking at March and Olric’s faces, Balor can see the same thoughts are racing through their heads.

Heading into the ground floor of the Mines, the men stop at the elevator and the brothers turn in tandem to look at Balor.

“What floor is she on?” March demands.

Balor pauses, realizing he didn’t know, until he remembers the ethereal chill from earlier, and that message he heard; ‘Help…mines…deepest…’

Balor brings his hand to the hilt of his sheathed sword and tells them, “She’s on the lowest floor this goes.”

March nods, thankfully not questioning how Balor knew, and turns to his brother. “Can you work this? Get us down there.”

Olric hefts the backpack up and nods, “All right! Let’s go then!” And he is the first to step on the wooden elevator, the platform creaking under his weight slightly.

Balor and March join him, and Olric fiddles with some lever on the side before the platform begins heading into the darkness.

Balor hasn’t been to the Mines before, was really just content letting you go and return with precious gems and such for him, but the rickety old elevator, creaking under the men’s combined weight creates a sense of guilt that increases as they continue down.

Occasionally he can glimpse a sight of a floor, every five or so according to the number counter next to the lever Olric pulled and...they look dreary and dusty, and evidently are filled with monsters. Balor swears internally.

On some level he knew the danger the Mines posed to you, but to be confronted with it makes his guilt intensify. He could have offered you healing potions, even if only for sale, but he let you go here without anything beyond a ‘Good luck.’

Balor could try deny caring for you, as he would if anyone ask. But he can’t lie to himself as well as he does to others. You’re his precious business partner, but-Balor thinks to the Fog Orchid in his pocket-you’re quite perplexing and he is somehow drawn to you.

While musing on his attraction towards their new farmer, Balor notes the passing of a large room, lit with torches, ending with a large open archway almost opposite from their descending elevator. There wasn’t much time to look, but there seemed to be a lot of carvings on the walls, which is all the merchant could pay attention to before the elevator was back in the darkness.

March doesn’t swear internally like Balor though, the sudden sound of his voice startles Balor, causing him to stifle a flinch.

***

March hears his voice echo as he swears out loud, the sound a startling departure from the silence of the creaking elevator, and he can see Balor flinch in response to the sudden noise.

“Fuck, I didn’t realize there were this many monsters down here!”

A swirl of emotions is twisting in March’s chest as he imagines you down here, in the dark, surrounded by monsters.

He looks to his brother and asks, “Olric, is this typical?” But the faint flicker of hope that maybe this amount of monsters would be considered mundane and manageable by the miners is doused the small shake of Olric’s head.

“No, they stayed away from us, ‘cause I think there were so many of us? And we all got weapons from Errol anyways, so even if one did sneak up we could handle it as a group.”

Olric’s regretful and understanding gaze causes the tangle of emotions in March’s chest to tighten to an uncomfortable level and he looks away, up to the deepening blackness of where they had just descended.

He swears again, his voice echoing above them. “So that means the monsters are worse after the Mines were shut down, and then she’s been down here by herself?” Fuck I should have--why didn’t she say anything!?”

March can feel Balor’s piercing, inquisitive gaze, but steadfastly ignores it and settles for glaring at the moving darkness in front of him.

You were always so cheerful when you emerged from the Mines in the evening, laden with your discoveries of artifacts, gems, and ores. March would deny to anyone that he had slightly altered his hours so that he would be able to finish his work just as you would want to use the forge to turn your ores into bars so conveniently he would be out there to talk to...but he definitely wasn't as subtle as he thought. Elsie's teasing comments were a clear indicator of that.

But the blacksmith told himself that he needed to make sure you didn’t destroy his livelihood by mucking up the anvil with your poor craftsmanship (your blacksmithing skills were actually impressive and the rate you improved was laudable by anyone, especially March), and that he had to make sure you didn’t fall asleep at the forge (you stayed up later than him nearly every night, it's a reasonable concern), or that you showed up at all (he did pay attention to what days you went to the Mines so he could know to wait up).

Somewhere along the lines, March reluctantly letting someone who lived in Mistria use his prized forge turned into him obliquely looking forward to seeing you. You, with your improbable outfits that somehow were functional to you (and highlighted your best features), your attitude that never faltered when he had no response to your words or gift (he didn’t understand why you brought him so many), and that smile, that shone brighter than the oozing beauty of a freshly poured blade into the mold, brighter than the sunrise in the early morning, before most had awoken. (And March didn’t understand how it seemed to be reserved for him. He never saw you smile like that at the others.)

March felt his teeth grind painfully. You were down here somewhere, and he couldn’t handle that. The blacksmith knew you are capable of handling yourself, but--he can’t stop himself from thinking--he could have done something to prevent this.

But the fact is that when something did happen, he was a blithering, unaware fool. If that merchant hadn’t known you were down here….

Hold on.

March frowns, realizing the hole in Balor’s plea for help. He looks up at the merchant, who is staring at the sheathed blade at his side, a pensive expression on his face.

How did Balor know the farmer is down here? Balor doesn’t go down here, and even makes a joke out of you bringing him so many gems from your forays into the depths, saying that he is your unofficial contractor, mocking you when you bring him a new selection of jewels in the inn in front of everyone;

“Ah dear farmer, I see you have brought me the goods I have requested! All astoundingly stunning as always, and here, your payment as well!” Punctuating his sentence with either a fresh glass of wine, or on one occasion, outright pushing his glass to you, having sipped only an amount. Outright insulting to you, in March’s opinion, to have to share a glass with the man, though you usually weather the merchant’s actions with an amicable smile.

Back to the moment though, March is just realizing Balor had never explained how he knew you were down here when the elevator suddenly jolts to a stop.

***

Balor stumbles from the sudden halt of the elevator, and hears Olric call out quite timely, “We’re here!”

The blue-haired man reaches out to the side of the wooden elevator to stabilize himself, though his two companions appear to fare just fine. Olric clearly having used it in his days of mining, steps off the platform simply, and March basically leaps off in a rush. Balor stands up and gingerly steps off the swaying platform, taking a glance at the number on the elevator before doing so.

Floor 35…

From the elevator, there is a long, gloomy hallway, faintly visible due to a blue glow that shines from further down. March immediately starts down the hallway at a brisk pace, not quite a run, sword drawn. Balor meets the gaze of Olric before the elder man follows his brother, and Balor follows suit.

As the three men walk in silence, Balor realizes that at some point, the charge for this rescue mission had been stolen from him by March. Not that it mattered who got to you first, but--Balor eyes the determined look on March's face--he does wonder just a bit about your relationship with the blacksmith. March did make it apparent his distaste for Mistria’s newest neighbor, and yet he seemed so distraught over your potential injury.

The two brothers are not at ease, but are confident in the caverns. Olric obviously has experience being in cavernous environments, but March holds his sword with a practiced grip that pushes Balor’s questioning thoughts even further. Though, that could just be the blacksmith masking his uncertainty, not like Balor could criticize anyone going for the “fake it ‘til you make it’ route.

Not that Balor was out of his depth wielding a sword, though it has been some time since he’s had to legitimately defend himself. Not since…well before he’s taken charge of Mistria's trading connections. But--the blue-haired merchant’s hand finds it’s way into the hidden pocket in his white shirt, where a Snowdrop Anemone was safely tucked away--he wouldn’t hesitate using a sword here. Not now, not when you were at stake.

The depth of protectiveness that surged through Balor nearly staggers him with the pumping feeling to start sprinting down the hallway, but it does not surprise him. He purses his lips as he thinks about how the new farmer somehow snuck her way into his head.

Balor’s wagon is almost always stocked with chocolate now, one of your favorite treats. And the merchant went out of his way to secure a consistent supply of both soy sauce and curry powder, after you had bought, from him, literally 60 bottles from him of the former. As for curry powder, you had asked him personally to bring more, because you wanted to make curries for him.

It’s only thanks to his tight control on his facial reactions that Balor keeps from blushing at the memory. What was up with you…? He shakes his head. This isn’t the time to be thinking about those sort of thoughts.

The three were still in the hallway, it was weirdly long, and Balor turns to Olric and asks him, "Did you ever venture this deep while working?”

The muscular man shakes his head, “No, I uh, didn’t even know the Mines went this deep actually. We only mined copper ore on the upper floors, but uh, I thought I remembered the Mines ended at floor 20? I remember there being a door or something…?”

He trails off, scratching his head with a confused expression, and both Balor and March stop to stare at him.

A moment passes, before March slowly asks, “What do you mean the Mines didn’t go this deep? The elevator clearly goes down this far??”

Olric furrows his eyebrows and folds his arm, tilting his head like a confused dog, “Well yeah it did, but before the elevator would stop on the floor with that door, which we passed, it was broken and wouldn’t go further…”

The eldest blacksmith brother pauses, opens his mouth again, and closes it, and they all turn to stare down the hallway where they left the elevator behind in the darkness.

“You mean she’s the one who fixed the elevator!? I thought that was Errol’s doing! How would she know how to repair it right?! Did he and Eiland even consider how deep she could go-why is she going deeper than you guys went?!” March’s voice increases in volume as he goes on, echoing in the gloomy cavernous hallway.

Olric looks stricken, and though Balor shares the blacksmith’s sentiments, he shakes his head and puts a hand on March’s shoulder.

“We can ask these questions later, for now I think it gets brighter ahead, we should just continue.” Balor points, and indeed, the faint blue tinge to the walls appears to intensify, illuminating a turn in the path.

Heaving out a deep breath, March wordlessly marches onwards, and Balor and Olric follow. As they get to the bend, March is the first one to turn the corner and immediately cries out, “Fuck!” taking off at a run, disappearing from sight. Olric calls after his brother, but starts running too once he gets to the bend, Balor following quickly and soon sees why the blacksmith reacted so.

Your body is on the ground, unmoving, and there is an oozing puddle of slime on and around you, actively being secreted by a pair of slime monsters that are on top of you.

March is there before Balor, but he is yelling with all the fury Balor feels, slashing with his sword to throw the creatures off of you, and skidding to a stop over your body. Illuminated by the cool toned light reflecting from the pool behind him, March is a heroic figure--determined, undaunted, standing ready to defend you.

Balor comes in after him, following up on one of the slime monsters, stabbing its gelatinous form, piercing it and throwing the monster into the air. It lands near the edge of the water, and gurgles out some sort of cry. From the tide pool, two more monsters come up.

“Balor!” March calls, looking like he wants to come help him, but obviously hesitant to leave you helpless. But then Olric slides in, at your side, swinging his sack off his shoulder, and he shouts at his brother, “I got her!”

March looks his brother in the eyes, and nods, trusting Olric to watch you. He comes up to Balor’s side, who is pursuing the slime that had called for backup.

Balor looks at the redhead, and stabs forward once more, finishing off the creature. Three more to go. Behind the puddle of slime that was just his foe, the two extra slimes ooze forward, and March dashes to slice at them again. He spins counterclockwise, his momentum adding to his powerful swing coming from his dominant hand, the force completely popping one of the slimes, the flecks flying in every direction, some splattering March’s fierce expression.

Assured the blacksmith was fine, Balor approaches the other slime, his sword held in front of him. He waits and watches as the blue creature wriggles, then launches itself forward in an attempt to attack him. Balor catches the blob in the air, and using its momentum against it, swats it into the wall, where it slides down into the ground. He quickly runs and makes a clean slice, watching as the slime first neatly falls into two pieces, then just melts into one puddle on the floor.

The merchant turns around to watch March perform another quick feat to fell the last slime, and literally spin on his feet to rush to your side. The blacksmith’s knees slam into the cavern floor next to you, uncaring about the dampness, and he looks into his brother’s face.

“How is she?!”

Olric nods, face pinched. “She’s breathing.”

Balor feels some of the chilly pressure that had permeated his bones lessen, but not completely. He asked the obvious, “She’s breathing, but…?”

Olric’s expression furrowed further, the seriousness looking out of place on the usually aloof man. “Well, the farmer is unconscious, and I definitely don’t know why, and also, well look.” The elder man gestures to your ankle, which now that Balor is looking, is definitely twisted the wrong direction.

March hisses through his teeth and leans forward to look closer, being positioned near your head. He sneers at the injury, worry bleeding through his expression. But then his face falls and he looks down at you, and after a beat drops his head to your chest, placing his ear between your breasts.

Balor stiffens, but knows this isn’t the time to worry about propriety. This proves correct when March’s face colors with panic and he shoots up and says, “Her breathing is uneven and getting worse! It sounds like, maybe something is wrong in her chest?”

“Let me see.” Balor says and kneels by your side, copying March’s actions from a moment ago. The blacksmith’s hands twitch, but he says nothing. Like March noted, your breathing is crackling, stuttering and halting, like you are having to fight for each breath. The merchant leans back and looks into the faces of the two brothers, his own worry mirrored back to him.

“We should get her to Valen, now, something is wrong with her chest, and I think possible internal bleeding is a risk here!”

Balor feels the chilling pressure that had lessened, return, heavier, hanging over his shoulders, as if it too, was peering at your lifeless looking form.

March and Olric’s faces both blanch, and then they nod, and the latter reaches out to your ankle, “First let me tie her boot tighter! It’s not much, but it should help stabilize her ankle at least a bit!” Once that is down, Balor expects Olric to lift you up, clearly being the biggest guy here, but is taken aback when March swoops down, his arms going under your knees and behind your shoulders, and gingerly lifts you.

Your head flops onto the blacksmith’s shoulder, and he carefully heaves you so that you are more curled up. March looks at Balor and says, “Let’s go.” The group head back down the hallway, leaving the glowing room behind them.

No words break the hurried silence, they all felt the same anyways. They make it to the elevator in no time, and Olric quickly starts it up. The creaking and rocking of the platform seem so much worse now that you’re on it.

Balor watches as March cradles your small body close to him, your head flopping onto his shoulder, face at peace in your sleep. The blacksmith leans his face down and whispers to you, his hair flopping forward to shield his expression from Balor, but he doesn’t think he really needs to see to know what is painted all over March’s face. The raw display of emotion is shocking to see on the normally closed off blacksmith. March isn’t even struggling with your weight, standing steady, legs bent so his muscles take the brunt of the shaking from the elevator.

You yourself aren’t a petite thing, you’re muscled and curved from your hard labor, and yet you look so small curled up in March’s arms and Balor finally feels the emotions he keeps locked away burst out and bang on his chest. Ugly and uncomfortable, Balor feels his face twitch as he watches the blacksmith tenderly hold you and has to look away. He raises one fist and pushes with his knuckles on his sternum.

You’re such a force of good, bringing out the best in everyone, inadvertently acting as a planet with your own gravitational pull that one can’t help but orbit around with the vain hope of getting close to. You are like the sun, bringing life and warmth to all those who circle you, and Balor can’t even fault March for getting caught in you. He’d be a hypocrite, and critical of the whole town.

Bees for Luc, peaches for Adeline, cake for Eiland, lattes for Nora, moss for Holt, teas for josephine, the list goes on and somehow you even figured out that Balor likes Alda artifacts, gifting him an Alda Gem Bracelet he treasures too much to wear.

Balor looks at March and wonders what you get him.

Olric is also looking at his brother cradling you, once more an unusually pensive expression on his face. The older man raises a hand and places it on March’s shoulder, he doesn’t even look up.

“She’s going to be fine March.”

“You don’t know that.”

“She is strong, and Valen is good at what she does!”

“We could have been too late.” “This isn’t your fault.”

“...”

Olric says intently, “March.” And that causes March to finally look up, eyes flickering to Balor briefly before meeting his brother’s gaze. They stare at each other in silence, and Balor wonders what they would be saying if he wasn’t here. Something is communicated between them still, and March inhales deeply, closing his eyes, holds the breath and then exhales it all out at once, his mouth frowning and quirking to the side.

“Okay, I’ll trust you on this Olric.”

Olric beams at March, and March flushes and looks to the side. Then Olric turns his smile to Balor and says, “I mean it Balor. She’s gonna be fine, Valen will fix her up.”

Balor feels his own face heat up and mirrors March’s action, looking anywhere except Olric’s disturbingly aware, warm, and confident gaze. But thinking about your sunshine-like warmth, Balor can’t help but agree, “Yeah she will.”

****

The night air is cool, and the ambience of crickets feels at odds with the urgency of the situation as Balor and the brothers hurry from the Mines to Valen’s clinic. The town is silent with everyone in bed, and Balor can’t help but feel you would have rather it been this way. The merchant wonders if you had made this sort of late night clinic-visit before, with him--and everyone else--none the wiser.

The trio walk into the clinic, the door unlocked like every other door in Mistria, the innocence of which still hurts Balor’s heart. Valen, of course, is not at the clinic when they walk in, in bed like everyone else.

March belts out the moment they walk in, “VALEN WE NEED YOU IT’S AN EMERGENCY!”

A thud and a yelp sound out from upstairs, and after a poignant pause Valen comes down the stairs, still clad in a tank top and loose pants, an unamused expression adorning her face.

“March if you have just burnt yourself I will--oh dear.” Once Valen’s eyes see your crumpled form in the blacksmith’s arms, her demeanor transforms. She gestures to her cot, “Please set her down there.”

March seems to hesitate, and Valen sighs. “March if you don’t put her down I can’t treat her and did you not establish this is an emergency?” The redhead flushes and follows her instructions, lying you down on the cot, his hand around your shoulders gingerly lingering before sliding out, leaving your head on the pillow. Valen nods, and addresses the room, “Okay, tell me what has happened.”

March opens his mouth, but before he can say anything Balor steps forward, “She was unconscious and collapsed in the Mines when we found her, there were two slime monsters leeching off of her, Olric identified an ankle injury, and we think something is also injured in her chest, causing her breathing to be upset, which is probably the more pressing issue.”

March’s mouth snaps shut and he doesn’t outright glare at Balor, but the merchant can feel the spiky defensiveness radiating from the blacksmith. Or would that be protectiveness in this case…

Valen frowns, “Monsters on her? And you said she was unconscious when you found her?” Balor nods. “Do you think she could have hit her head where she was downed?”

Balor shrugs, frowning, “The ground was relatively flat, I’m unsure if she hit it head first or not, but she probably struck it at some point if she collapsed.”

Valen nodded, as if she expected this, “Alright, tell me more about her ankle.”

Balor tilts his head, “Not the breathing?”

Holding up a stethoscope Valen states, “I can listen myself.”

Humming his assent, Balor gestures to Olric, “He identified the ankle injury.”

Olric nods, “It looks like it’s broken, Errol always said if the bone is mishappen it’s probably broken, else just a sprain. I couldn’t do much so I just used her boot to secure the bone in place.” He frowns, looking upset at the minimal statement, but Valen nods approvingly.

“Good assessment, I will have to pass on my appreciation to Errol for teaching you all proper first aid. Using her boot instead of trying to do a splint without experience was the best thing you could have done in this situation.”

Then Valen frowns, her stethoscope over your chest. Balor stiffens, and sees March do the same, he’s watching Valen like a hawk.

“Olric,” Valen starts, “Go wake up Juniper, and tell her to get some of her new potion.”

Balor frowns, but Olric immediately follows instructions, running out of the clinic. As the door slams shut March demands, “Why do we need to involve Juniper?”

Valen meets his fiery stare with stony calmness, “Because she makes all of my health tonics I sell.”

This isn’t enough, and March presses, “Why not just use one of those then, why get her?”

“Because her newest potion is stronger, and we need it.” The clinic falls silent at that, and Balor feels a shiver run up his back. Valen was calm, but likely that’s her typical behavior as she wouldn’t want to aggravate her patient…or the men who brought the patient in and wouldn’t leave until they knew she was alright. Just because Valen was calm did not mean the situation wasn’t dire.

The door to the clinic slams open, Olric stepping in first and an irate Juniper following, a few bottles grasped in her hands.

“Valen! You better have a good reason for ruining my beauty sleep or--”

“Juniper.” Valen interrupts and the bathmaster stops her tirade, and then actually looks at the room, looking from Olric, to Balor, and then to March. She nods, seeming to understand something unspoken, and goes to hand one of the bottles to Valen, before hesitating.

“This isn’t tested fully!” Juniper protests, but Valen just holds out her hand to the witch.

“It’s good, we have tested it already, pass me that and a simple Restorative Syrup as well.”

Juniper scowls at the doctor, but does as she asks, still saying “It’s not tested up to my standards, I despise using it in this state!”

Valen just takes the words and medicines and uncorks the bottles, “It’s fine to test things out before use, but you know your work is superb, you just don’t want to risk anything being your responsibility here, and it won’t be.”

Juniper falls silent, stunned at the compliment-callout duo, and they all watch as Valen opens your mouth and feeds you the two syrups, she then pulls off your boot and pulls out some supplies to properly set your ankle at the right angle.l

March breaks the silence, calling out to Valen from his post by the counter, leaned with his arms folded, “What are those going to do?”

Valen looks to him, an expression on her face that oddly mirrored the one Olric wore in the elevator, and Balor once again feels that ugly feeling well up. The town doctor says in a soothing manner, as if speaking to an aggressive animal, “The Restorative Syrup stimulates the farmer’s natural healing, causing it to work faster, which means her broken ankle will heal faster.

Balor cuts in, “Why not a full Healing Syrup then?”

“Because it works so fast it may heal the bones before they can properly set in place.” Valen rebuke patiently.

Balor blanches, hearing the unspoken concern that an improperly healed broken bone would cripple you, and feels the pressure of the chill curl tighter around him. It would feel like a hug if Balor’s bones didn’t ache from the presence.

“What about that other potion, Juniper didn’t seem confident about it.” March quizzes Valen.

“That potion is fine, it was created from a culmination of our efforts and should work as an anti-inflammatory.” Noting the confusion on every man’s face in the room, Valen elaborates, “That should help with most importantly, any potential concussion she has, and will also reduce the healing time because her body won’t have to fight down the inflammation before focusing on healing. But it won’t act as a catalyst to her healing factor, rushing the job and risking permanent injury, just as an agent to the Syrup.”

That’s…incredible stated out loud. Why has Balor not realized Valen and Juniper were simply sitting on a landmine of cash with these products? Why haven’t they?

“But, despite everything I can do for her, the farmer will still be out of play for at least a week, two if I had my way. No regular farming chores for her, and absolutely no wandering around. She needs to stay in bed, and that needs to be enforced, else she risks further or permanent injury.”

Valen stops talking abruptly, and Balor tilts his head, waiting for her to say more, before he realizies she is waiting for someone else to say something. The elder woman looks between March and Balor, an unreadable expression on her face.

Juniper cuts into the silence, announcing, “Well I think I have done my work here, you can thank me later by letting me know how she heals--how my potion works I mean.” Balor watches her hair swish as she closes the door, and then meets the gaze of March.

The blacksmith’s expression is nonplussed, eyebrows arched together and mouth quirked to the side.

Valen raises one eyebrow and folds her arms, “Well? Which one of you two is going to make sure our dear farmer stays in bed? She has animals to feed and crops to tend and someone is going to have to do it for her, cook for her, and fend her off as she undeniably tries to deny her prescribed bed rest.”

Looking into March’s dark-colored eyes, Balor sees a fiery emotion flash in them, and opens his mouth but March is faster, saying “I’ll do it.”

“You have the forge to tend to, those nails won’t make themselves.” “Olric will be fine for a week, nails don’t demand that high of a skill level. Besides, you were just talking at the inn earlier about having to go to the city for a supply trip tomorrow, remember?”

Olric nods, “Yup! I have learned enough to definitely handle most orders this week, any the rest are luckily all ones that can wait!”

Frowning, Balor knows March is right. He does need to get more supplies, including some asked for curry powder. If he didn’t know any better, Balor would say Valen is wearing an amused smirk on her face, clearly knowing his answer.

The merchant restrains himself from sighing and just admits, “You’re right March, you should watch her.” It feels like he lost a battle, but March just huffs and looks over to you, sleeping peacefully.

You’re absolutely unaware, and Balor’s chest pulls at how soft your expression is. Your lips, which are normally pulled into your sunny smile, look so soft and pillowy, and your eyelashes flutter with your abnormal breathing.

Valen leans over you again, and uses her stethoscope to listen to your breathing. After a minute, she nods, satisfied, and looks at the room. “Her breathing is better, she’s safe.”

Balor finally lets himself sigh in relief, the hanging chill giving him one last hug, before fading away, leaving him feeling unnaturally washed out. Olric and March similarly look relieved, the former outright smiling, the latter’s eyebrows finally unfurrowing.

Olric laughs, clapping Valen on the back, “Thanks so much doc! That’s good to hear!”

She cocks a smile at him in return, “Merely doing my job, and it’s thanks to you three I was able to.”

Olric bashfully scratches his head, “Aww well you know! When someone is in trouble you just help them out!”

Valen nods, and looks at you and says, “I want to keep her here overnight just in case, but I’ll call you in the morning March to come help her to her farm.”

She turns and starts putting away the extra bottles Juniper brought and her stethoscope, and March seems to panic, startling from his leaning post. “Hold on, are you going to bed? Aren’t you going to watch her?”

“That’s why she is here overnight, March, I can’t do anything for her right now, the potion is either going to work or not, I can’t give her more without risking something backfiring, all she needs is time.” Valen replies.

“Now, you all can hang around our farmer if you want, but I am going to try to get some more rest, I recommend you all do the same.”

Olric nods assentingly, and says jovially, “Okay Doc! Thanks for all your help!” He looks at Balor and continues, “You too Balor, glad you fetched us bro!”

Balor tilts his head and responds lightly, “Same to you Olric, glad you both worked fast in fetching our dear farmer from the Mines.”

Olric’s eyes scrunch up with his smile, and he turns his gaze onto his brother, who has moved to your bedside. March is intently staring at you, and Balor can see the softness enter Olric’s expression as he looks at his brother. The older man calls out in a soft tone to March, “I’m heading home March, I’ll set some food out for you, ‘k?”

March barely stirs from his vigil over you, but he seems to muster up a response of sorts after a delay, “..kay Olric.”

And with another goodbye to Valen, Olric leaves the clinic, and after excusing herself, Valen heads upstairs to her room, presumably to head back to sleep. The clinic falls silent, both Balor and March are just staring at you. Balor watches as your chest moves up and down with your breathing, and can’t deny the overwhelming relief to see the motion.

After the evening’s events, Balor can’t deny to himself the breadth of his emotions for you. He isn’t sure how deep they went yet--he can’t face the answer to that right now--but he knew he felt more emotions for you than he typically does for business partners. He cared for you, but not just your continued living. He wanted your life to be good, to be full of fun and the adventure you craved, he wanted you to find things each day that made you smile, and Balor wanted to be one of the key catalysts for your smile.

Balor wanted to be privy to your actions and thoughts and plans and, irrationally enough, wanted you to know his. He didn’t just want you to be another part of his supply chain, he wanted you…to what? Balor frowns, unsure where to conclude his thoughts.

Shaking his head lightly, Balor switches his gaze from your slumbering form to March, who was watching you just as intently if not more. Now this is something Balor can piece apart; the blacksmith’s actions and feelings. Obviously there is more going on beyond March reacting to help any resident of Mistria, the sheer force of the blacksmith’s emotions were the driving force behind their foray into the Mines. The way he lashed out with such intensity in your defense, also the skill the redhead had displayed? All signs pointed to March’s feelings being deeper than the blacksmith seemed to purposefully show, though in this moment, the raw concern dripping from March really told Balor what the other man felt for you.

March reaches out with one hand, slow and delicate, and tucks one of the locks of hair from your face around your ear.

Balor’s chest aches, and he raises a closed fist to push against his sternum with his knuckles, trying to massage away the uncomfortable, and ugly feeling. He won’t be that. The blue-haired man shakes his head, letting his bangs fall over his face as he wretches his view away from March’s loyal vigil over your peaceful slumber.

“I’m heading out too, March.”

Balor waits for a response, and after a beat of silence, turns to leave. Just as he touches the clinic’s door handle, he hears from behind him, a sullen “Thanks, Balor.”

Hand still grasping the door handle, Balor looks over his shoulder to meet March’s gaze. The other man is leaned over you, looking intently at the merchant. Balor tries dancing around that intent, responding noncommittally, “What ever for, March?”

With his usual blunt demeanor, the blacksmith cuts right through that and responds, “For getting someone, us, me to help her. For caring enough to do that.”

Honestly Balor felt he was more of an observer than anything for most of it, so he just gave an easygoing shrug, as if he didn’t care, and replied, “It was nothing, March. Just…taking care of one of my key suppliers, you know?” It sounded weak even to him.

March doesn’t buy it, and his stare intensifies, almost a glare at this point, his dark eyes seeing through Balor, “No, listen up because I will only say this once. You may play at not caring, but you did enough to not only go get help, but to then stand aside and let them rescue her. You must see that, don’t you?”

Balor sighs, and looks down at you once more. March has stood up straighter, his hand is on the cot, next to your head, some of his fingers splayed over your hair, and in your sleep you seem to respond to his presence, shifting slightly towards him. The merchant finally looks forward again, to his hand on the clinic door.

Balor calls out behind him, “I’m heading out early in the morning, so I will be gone before she wakes. Take care of her, March.”

Unspoken was the fact that Balor didn’t need to leave that early, this was a routine trip, not something pressing. The merchant didn’t want to see the blacksmith’s scrutinizing gaze, so he finally opened the door and left the clinic, hearing March mutter “Was already going to, merchant.” behind him, the door shutting with a clunk, the light from the clinic gone.

March watches Balor disappear into the night, the clinic falling into silence once more as the door shuts behind the merchant. His eyes flicker to your sleeping form, face ironically peaceful. His gaze roams from your flowing hair, usually up in some functional updo or tucked into your hat, the color reflecting like a gem in the warm light of the room. He looks at your eyelashes, surprisingly long, still over your eyes. His gaze travels to your lips, so often pulled into a perplexing smile, at rest here, displaying how plush they were, even despite being dry in the moment.

March’s gaze lingers there, before heading further south, to your chest. He watches the slow rise and fall of it, in time with your breathing. He’s glad you are breathing. March’s hands clench into fists as he thinks about how close he could have gotten to losing you. If Balor hadn’t come to get him, if they were any later…and March would have been asleep like an ignorant fool.

March can feel his face morph into a foul expression at the thought. He’s genuinely upset that not only were you down there where it was more dangerous than anyone knew, that it was further down than most have likely gone, and that you were alone. The blacksmith has to admit to himself he probably would have declined venturing with you, citing his backlog of orders, which further piques his curdling frustration. He would have let you go on your own, not caring beyond if you stopped to forge your ore into bars in the evening where he could converse with you. March wouldn’t admit to anyone, but those conversations were quickly becoming something the man looked forward to.

And he had almost lost that. March knows he won’t stand for it. He won’t stand for just waiting for you anymore. He has to tell himself he is going to take action, or else he doesn’t know if he can live with himself. You’re either going to let him come with you whenever you go into the Mines, or…March unclenches his fist and looks back to your sleeping face. You have turned in your sleep, and your head is rested against his hand, and as he uncurls his fist your face ends up held by him. His calluses seem almost inappropriate on your soft face, but he knows firsthand how many you have yourself and that it would be a disservice to call you soft, weak, or in need of constant protection.

No, you’re either going to let March come, or he will become someone you want to bring with you.

The night air is cool, the sound of crickets is a dampening ambience as Balor makes his way to the inn. It seems to blanket his emotions, making them feel like they are leagues away. He is alone in the town, everyone is absolutely asleep by this point

His footsteps echo in the night, and the silence and anonymity of the darkness give Balor the impression of welcoming him. It’s where he really belongs, the mysterious merchant that is on his own in the world, making it a better place just for himself.

The inn is warm, the pot of soup is still bubbling in the hearth, but Balor isn’t hungry. He ponders setting some Tesserae on the counter and reaching over to grab a beer, but just turns and goes up the steps to his room.

[lily-alphonse]

"Treasured" (Balor x F Farmer)

Fandom: Fields of Mistria

Content: F/M

Rating: Explicit (Graphic sexual content)

Words: 8,748

Balor was avoiding Ben. The man had the gall to give her one of his rings. To kiss her and call her beautiful and hold her like she mattered, and then avoid her like she didn’t.

Ben is going to get to the bottom of whatever the hell is happening with Balor.

>>Read on AO3<<

There's arguing, there's hurt/comfort, and hot hot smut. Please reblog if you enjoy! :)

[minthe-drawings]

Guess who's at green heart💚

[rare-peach]

The Right Decision

fluff / gender neutral / Balor x farmer

(Spoilers for the Shooting Star festival with him & his 6 heart event below!)

It was 2 AM. Hemlock had already gone into his room for the night, but Balor wasn’t tired in the slightest. Tomorrow, or rather, later today, was his meeting with Wheedle. He swirled his red wine around in his glass, sighing. It made him so angry, remembering how Wheedle had interrupted his date with a certain farmer. And taken their wine to boot. He wondered if you had known it was supposed to be a date. He had been a bit shy at the beginning, going on about business as usual. But Balor had invited you out for more than that on that evening. Ever since you two had become business partners, Balor had developed a huge crush. He had never acted on it, though. He had been unsure of how you felt, and didn’t want to risk losing you as a business partner and friend. But recently, you had invited Balor to the Shooting Star festival. He blushed, remembering your kiss. He thought about how soft your lips were, and longed to hold you again.

He had planned to confess that night at the inn.

But then Wheedle had shown up.

Offering him everything he had ever wanted on a silver platter.

Except.

“If you take this shitty deal, Balor, then I’m out, too. You can find yourself a new business partner.”

That had been your words.

God damnit.

He thought back to the Shooting Star festival again. You had sat side by side, shoulders touching. Balor had admittedly been shy. It hurt his pride, as a man who could usually flirt with ease. However, with you, it was different. You made his heart race and his words tumble over each other.

Then you had turned to him, the biggest grin on your face, your eyes practically sparkling. “They’re so beautiful, don’t you think, Balor?”

He had to smile at how adorable you looked. When you were happy, it made his heart soar. “They are.” He agreed. “I’ve seen them before, but this has got to be the best view in Aldaria.”

You beamed. “That’s so cool that you can see them everywhere in Aldaria.”

Balor smiled. “It is, isn’t it?” He blushed, looking back up at the stars. “If you think about it…wherever our paths take us in the next year…we can watch them together, as long as we both look up.”  

But he didn’t want that. Not really. He wanted to be by your side, wherever that was. He had started to think of you as his home. And he had planned on telling you that the other day, until that sleazeball had showed up and changed everything.

The amount of money was substantial. Enough for Balor and the farmer to retire, honestly. Enough to guarantee a good and easy life for both of you. You wouldn’t have to risk hurting yourself in the mines anymore, and Balor wouldn’t have to spend time away from you on his long business trips. You could retire together in paradise.

Except that you wouldn’t. You had said it. Mistria’s wellbeing was more important to you than money.

He knew you were right, not to trust Wheedle. His gut also told him that the deal wouldn’t be good for Mistria and its residents, which had come to cherish.

But there had to be some way, he thought desperately. His whole life, he had hoped for a deal like this. It was all he had worked towards. How could he turn it down? It was like betraying himself.

But then his thoughts drifted back to that night of the festival, up on the summit peak.

You both had been flushed at his heartfelt words. “Balor.” The way you had breathed his name gave him goosebumps again just thinking about it – so soft and somehow needy, too. It had been all he had needed to hear to finally reach out his arm, cup your chin and press his lips to yours.

“Balor?” You asked suddenly, jerking Balor back into reality. He was such a flushed mess, he hadn’t even heard you come in.

“W-What are you doing here?” He stuttered, but then he saw. The dirt and cuts on your body, the bulging backpack with loot practically falling out of it. You were just now coming back from the mines.

“I’ve had a long day. Buy me a beer?” You smiled, throwing your backpack to the floor with a heavy clank. Balor obliged, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and making a mental note to add it to his tab with Hemlock. You took it thankfully and clinked it to his wine glass once before taking a long drink. “So, tomorrow’s the big day, huh?” You nudged his arm playfully.

Balor looked at you, slightly surprised. Last time it had come up, you had seemed so cold and angry with him for even considering it. Now you seemed…unbothered? “It is.” He said hesitantly.

You smiled and took another swig of your beer. Balor just stared at you, as if in a trance. Even with dirt smudged across your face, you were adorable. He felt himself grow weak as you met his gaze again, a fiery look in your eyes. “I know you’ll do the right thing.” You said cheerfully.

Balor felt his eyes grow wide, caught off guard, before chuckling softly to himself.

Deep down, he had known his decision the whole time. But seeing you melted away any doubt. You would never know how much you healed him.

Of course he was going to do the right thing. Because nothing could be right without you.

[marchofmistria]

Hey I saw your requests were open and wanted to ask you if you could a do how would the bachelor's react to reader's/farmer's fuck ass haircut? I just cut my own bangs and it's all crooked and need some comfort 🥺

Hey I'm so sorry this has been in my inbox for so long!! Thank you very much for sending, this was so funny to think about. Hope your bangs have grown out since :') 

March

You already know March would be brutal. He's not good at expressing himself and, especially before you're an actual couple and he starts to put effort into not hurting your feelings, he wouldn't think twice about insulting your haircut.

If you came up to him after ruining your hair, he wouldn't be able to hide his confused scowl and ask "what did you do to your hair?" 

If you find it funny and laugh, he'll probably laugh as well and continue teasing you. He'd probably say something like, you shouldn't be allowed to smelt hot metal if you can't even cut your bangs correctly. 

He would laugh if you met him where he was and teased him back, especially about how he can't dye his own hair so he shouldn't be talking. 

If you had a different reaction, however, and got upset or embarrassed and walked away, he'd probably reflect on how you were likely feeling pretty self-conscious and realize that was a low blow.

He'd apologize next time he saw you, rolling his eyes and attempting to fix his comment a bit by saying "at least hair grows back." 

Ryis

Ryis would probably notice it right away. He pays close attention to you, and he can likely tell you're feeling self-conscious. 

He'd try to preserve your feelings the best he could. He'd ask about it lightly and casually. "Hey Y/N, did you get a new haircut? I like it."

You'd definitely blush and get super embarrassed, saying that you know the haircut sucks. Even though Ryis might secretly agree that it's not exactly the best look, he definitely would not agree to you putting yourself down like that. 

"What are you talking about, it's fine! You always look nice, so your haircut doesn't really matter, anyways."

If you're truly upset about it, he'd continue to reassure you and tell you that you look beautiful regardless. But thankfully hair does grow back if you truly don't like it!

He'll continue to compliment you as it grows back so you don't doubt whether he still finds you attractive. 

Eiland

Eiland is a sweetheart and would try to calm you down if you were upset about the haircut you gave yourself. A lot of reassurance about your beauty and his love for you regardless. 

He'd probably start telling you some interesting facts about historical hairstyles of Aldaria or something, as a way to distract you. You may or may not find it annoying in the moment. 

If you're still feeling unhappy, he'd offer to pay to get your hair fixed by Vera or some other expensive hairstylist in the Capital. 

He'd continue to attempt to reassure you that you look very pretty regardless and this sort of thing happened to everyone! In fact, he read on an Alda-period stone tablet that a woman once cut her own hair and....

Balor

It's rare that Balor loses his cool charm, but you see it waver in his face for a moment when you first see each other after the haircut. 

He'd try to deny it and turn the charm all the way up to compensate, telling you that you look absolutely radiant today (even though you look beautiful every day!). You'd see through it right away and call him out on it. 

He may try to deny it at first, but eventually agrees that it's not the best haircut. He does emphasize, however, that even something like a bad haircut couldn't detract from your beauty at all and you do still look lovely.

He'd hold back a bit of a laugh when you give him a blank stare from behind your crooked bangs, though. 

He just happens to generously gift you a set of beautiful gold hairpins from the Capital. Perfect timing. He'll tell you the hairpins compliment your eyes very well once he's no longer distracted by the funny-looking fringe. 

Hayden

Hayden wouldn't even notice honestly. He always thinks you look beautiful and wouldn't sweat small details like that. 

If you came to him and showed him how you messed up your hair, he'd probably laugh and tell you not to think anything of it!

"I cut my own hair all the time, Y/N. It's probably a mess but that's just fine by me!" He likes you however you are, with whatever you decide to do with your appearance.

If you were to tell him that you thought you looked unattractive or that you were embarrassed and didn't want anyone to look at you, he'd get genuinely upset. He truly doesn't understand how you don't see yourself as beautiful, and especially over such a small thing!

He'd continue to tell you not to pay it any mind, that hair grows back, and that no one would even notice. He genuinely thinks the latter because he wouldn't have noticed it had you not pointed it out. 

He'd lend you one of his big hats to cover your hair with while you wait for it to grow out, if you wanted.