#frey x dolce

[coderedblood]

Rune Factory English Voice Actors/Actresses:

I’m a huge fan of Rune Factory. It seems sort of niche bc when I ask other gamers (I’m a casual gamer, don’t ask me to be on any teams 😂) about it they don’t really know what it is. One of the things I love about is is how they get these huge voice actors for the games, which seem so small (but I know it isn’t, it’s sold hundreds of thousands of copies)

WARNING: ONLY ENGLISH VOICES ARE COUNTED HERE. I’M DOING THIS FOR MYSELF AND WHAT I KNOW. I MAY DO A JAPANESE VERSION.

Raguna (Rune Factory and Rune Factory: Frontier) is Vash the Stampede, Ichigo from Bleach, Sabo from One Piece, and Nero from Devil May Cry

Mist (Rune Factory and Rune Factory: Frontier) is Haru from Persona 5

Bianca (Rune Factory and Rune Factory: Frontier) is Saya from Blood+ (I didn’t see that one coming)

Tabatha (Rune Factory and Rune Factory: Frontier) is Mima from Perfect Blue and Rem from Trigun

Iris (both of them, RFF) is Rukia from Bleach and Yuki from Haruhi Suzumiya

Anette (RFF) is Starfire (and Blackfire!) from Teen Titans and Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time

Raven (RF3) is Amy Rose from Sonic Boom

Electra (Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny) is Annie from Attack on Titan (didn’t see this one coming either)

Bacchus (RFTOD) is Vampire Hunter D (and D’s left hand!) (loved this one)

Vishnal (Rune Factory 4) is Leonardo from the 2003 Ninja Turtles cartoon and Kappa Mikey

Clorica (RF4) is Shiki from The World Ends With You

Xiao Pai (RF4) is Jenny from My Life As A Teenage Robot

Doug (RF4) is Sasuke from Naruto

Margaret (RF4) is Hinata from Naruto, Kyrie from Devil May Cry and Orihime from Bleach

Forte (RF4) is Abbey Bominable from the first Monster High cartoon

Amber (RF4) is Morgana from Persona 5

Dolce (RF4) is Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist (this one actually makes sense), Maka Albarn from Soul Eater and the female protagonist of Persona 3

Frey (RF4) is Gaz from Invader ZIM

Ares (Rune Factory 5) is SwaySway from The Breadwinners

Scarlett (RF5) is Retsuko from Aggretsuko, Akko from Little Witch Academia and Ryuko from Kill La Kill

Lucy (RF5) is Loona from Helluva Boss and Emira Blight from The Owl House

Martin (RF5) is Louis from Beastars

Cecil (RF5) is Hunter from The Owl House and Remy from Big City Greens

Ryker (RF5) is Trebol from One Piece (also, also did not see this coming)

Livia (RF5) is Rebecca from One Piece

Misasagi (RF5) is Tatsuki from Bleach

Rudolph (RF5) is Mugman from The Cuphead Show!

Yuki (RF5) is Beauty from Bobobo-Bo Bo-bobo

Darroch (RF5) is Jelly Jiggler from Bobobo-Bo Bo-bobo (which brings back memories and makes actually a lot of sense)

Radea (RF5) is Reiju from One Piece (also makes sense)

Gideon (RF5) is Griffon from Devil May Cry and Scratchmen Apoo from One Piece

SHARED VOICE ACTORS/ACTRESSES

Lara (RF1 and Rune Factory: Frontier), Eunice (RFF) and Maerwen (from Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny) have the same voice actress (and are Kitana and Mileena from Mortal Kombats 9 and X)

Melody (RF and RFF) and Sonja (Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny) have the same voice actress

Carmen and Shara (both Rune Factory 3) have the same voice actress and is Triela from Gunslinger Girl

Rosetta (RF and RFF) and Beatrice (Rune Factory 5) have the same voice actress

Nancy (from RF4) and Hina (from RF5) have the same voice actress who’s also Kikimora from The Owl House

Ventuswill and Lin Fa (both RF4) and Selphy (RFF) have the same voice actress who’s also Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop

Micah (Rune Factory 3) and Bismarck (RFTOD) have the same voice actor who is also Ling Yao from Fullmetal Alchemist and Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail

Violet (RFTOD) and Priscilla (RF5) have the same voice actress

Lily and Sierra (both RFTOD) have the same voice actress

Pandora and Quinn (both RFTOD) have the same voice actress

James (RFTOD) and Leon (RF4) have the same voice actor who’s also Law from One Piece and Levi from Attack on Titan

Dylas and Bado (both RF4) have the same voice actor

Arthur and Jones (both RF4) have the same voice actor who is also Donatello from the 2003 Ninja Turtles cartoon

Father Gerard (RFF) and Heinz (RF5) have the same voice actor who’s also adult Gohan from Dragon Ball Z and Kiba from Naruto

Cinnamon (RFF) and Fuuka (RF5) have the same voice actress who is also Marinette from Miraculous Ladybug and Verosika Mayday from Helluva Boss

Simone and Julian (both RF5) have the same voice actress who’s also Ash from Pokémon and April from the 2003 Ninja Turtles cartoon

[mermaidsbiann]

I haven’t seen anyone draw Dolce’s outfit from her newly wed event so I did it myself

[guccisystem]

Hey @drawingthelines !! I’m your secret santa for this year’s rune factory secret santa!! I hope you like this Frey x Dolce! May you have a wonderful festive season! ^^

[el-ahrahrah]

happy pride month to the gorls, especially the gorls who really wanted to kiss dolce from rf4

[imadeablogforart]

Second entry to @rfweeks UNLEASH THE GAYS event.

Sunday, February 21st, 2021: Surprise! / White

They say to always expect the unexpected, but even so, you’re thrown off every time...

You can’t expect to date an entire town without consequences.

[randomstarmuffin]

Hi @ilverna !!! I'm your @runefactorysecretsanta secret Santa this year!! I'm slightly late to wish you a merry christmas specifically but I forced myself to make a real actual background for you and it turned out pretty good if I may say so myself! Also I blame you for your impeccable taste in characters and ships but I just honestly couldnt decide who to draw sooo... hope you enjoy!! They're all enjoying some kind of intertown holiday party together or something :) Happy holidays!!!!!

(added some close ups since the whole picture ended up a tad bit busy :P)

[darkgreiga]

Wishes, Dreams, and Memories Chapter 31

Fandom: Rune Factory 4 Rating: T (to be safe) Genre(s): Adventure, Hurt/Comfort Characters: Lest, Dolce, Pico, Amber, Dylas, Leon, Frey, Arthur, Margaret, Forte Summary:  She had a wish to see him again. He had a dream of her last moments. They had their memories of having only each other. The amnesiac Earthmate never knew that by bringing his best friend back wouldn’t make his daily life go back to normal. Nor did he know she was the key to his and his ancestors’ past. Chapters: list Navigation: <<prev   |   next>> Author’s notes: The first chapter of the last arc is here!

Chapter 31 – Calm after the Storm

-Lest’s POV-

After the battle, Kane managed to find us in the castle after he had gone to the cave to escort the Guardians out safely. Frey explained everything to us, about how the Guardian’s corruption could affect even Venti, and we also told everyone about our relation to Ethelberd and Halwell. The news was a surprise to them as much as it was a surprise to me. After all, we don’t even look like the Sechs emperors by the outside and inside.

Two weeks have passed since that day. I can’t tell whether the corruption is completely gone or not, but all I can tell is that Venti is doing a lot better than when the corruption was still at large. Frey isn’t staying in the castle with us anymore, but she still visits us at least once every two days. She still has duties to attend back in the capital, so she can’t stay longer than a few hours.

I’m starting to feel that she is a close sister to me, but on the other side I can still tell that she’s not telling us everything. None of the Guardians or Kane actually paid attention to Frey’s wound back then, expect for Dolly and Pico. She looked like she was aware of something about Frey, but for some reason, she’s keeping it from me. I can’t actually force her to talk about it, but the fact that she’s hiding something from me is bothering me somehow. Why can’t you just talk to me about it if it’s actually bothering you?

-Third Person POV-

“Sweetie, will you stop staring at me?” the sound of his wife snapped Lest out of his trains of thought, realizing that Dolce was standing in front of him.

“Oh, sorry,” Lest shook his head to make sure that he was completely awake before putting his hoe over his shoulder, “Well, I’ll be working in the fields for the time being so let Frey know when she drops by to visit.”

“I will,” Dolce nodded before giving him a peck on the cheek, “Work hard, okay?”

Dolce watched as Lest left for the fields before Pico popped in front of her, “Are you sure about this, Dolly? Shouldn’t you say something about it to him?”

“No,” Pico followed Dolce closely as the two of them headed for the kitchen, “I need to be certain about the facts first. What we’re thinking now is just the conclusion we come into after we looked at her wound.”

“You’re scared, aren’t you milady?” Pico’s words made the Guardian stop her activity, “You know how it feels to lose a family… well, both of us do.”

Dolce let out a sigh as she turned to Pico with a frown, “He’ll know the truth sooner or later. I don’t want him to think that I’m hiding everything from him.”

Pico let out a sigh and smiled, “I think you’re worrying too much, Dolly. A bit more than usual, I guess,” Pico watched her friend working in the kitchen, “I guess I can see how much your love for Lest had changed my Dolly!”

A blush appeared on the Guardian’s face as she continued cooking, “S-Shut up!”

Lest let out a tired sigh before he admired his handiwork on the field, which was completely clean of garbage from the storm two weeks earlier. Crop seeds were planted on the tilled field and they had already been watered. His job on the field was finished and it was time for him to do his work in town.

Just as Lest was putting down his tools at the edge of the field, a scroll fell out from his pocket. He picked up the fallen scroll and the emblem of the Sechs Empire was visible on the scroll’s paper. A frown came to his face as he remembered the scroll’s contents when it was first given to him.

-Flashback-

“So…” Lest spoke up to Arthur and Kane as the three of them were in Arthur’s office, “The empire is requesting me to be the acting emperor?”

“Yes,” Kane nodded as he rolled the scroll he was holding and handed it over to Lest, “Lord Halwell still hasn’t awakened after a week of recovery even after getting help from the best doctors.”

Arthur turned to Lest, “It would be sad to see you go, but I will not force you to go if you wish to stay.”

Lest turned back to Kane, but stared at him for a moment before speaking up, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“No, I understand,” Kane responded with a smile, “The higher ups only requested for you because of your relation to Lord Ethelberd, but they never forced me to take you back.”

“Speaking of which,” Arthur interrupted, getting Kane’s attention, “How is the empire doing currently?”

“Much better than when everyone was corrupted, that’s for sure,” Kane replied with a shrug, “Everyone remembers what happened, but they don’t really know why it happened. Other than that, the corruption in the empire seems to have disappeared without a trace.”

“I see,” Arthur nodded in understanding, “If there is anything else we can do to help, please let us know.”

“Of course,” Kane nodded, “My main purpose for coming here is to deliver the scroll, but I’ll tell the higher ups that you can’t take Lord Halwell’s place.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” Lest waved the soldier goodbye as he left the office.

-End of Flashback-

“The acting emperor?” Ventuswill asked as Lest showed her the scroll in the dragon room, “Hey, I guess I’m right about you being royalty after all!”

Lest let out a laugh, “Don’t be too proud on it, Venti. You need to remember who my father was.”

“I know,” Ventuswill paused for a moment as she stared at the wall, “Speaking of Ethelberd, I think I recall hearing something when I was still in the forest. I know that I recognize that voice, now I remember that it was him.”

“Wait,” Lest looked at the dragon god in surprise, “You met him in the Forest of Beginnings?”

“Not exactly meeting in person, though,” Ventuswill put her claw under her jaw as she tried recalling the encounter, “I can only hear his voice saying that he won’t surrender until all Earthmates perish.”

“Can he still be alive in there? And corrupting people into doing things they shouldn’t do?” Lest asked.

“No,  that won’t be possible,” Ventuswill shook her head, “Humans can’t stay and live in there for a long period of time. If a person stays there for longer than they should have, their body will soon break into runes. Even so, the soul would still remain in there forever unless there’s a special case that they’re resurrected.”

“Just like what happened to you,” Lest added, “But if his soul is still there, can he do any harm to the world?”

“Hm…” Ventuswill went back to her thoughts, but nothing came into her mind, “I’m not sure, but I think it’s very unlikely.”

“I hope so…” Lest let out a sigh, “This corruption thing just happens to come and go without a reason and a trace. I just wish that there’s a clue somewhere so that we can prevent it in the future…”

“And then, he ran around the house in panic while yelling that there was a deadly scorpion in the house!” Frey and Pico broke out into laughter while Dolce simply chuckled as she sipped on her tea.

The three girls were hanging around at the castle’s balcony with Frey telling stories about the siblings’ daily lives in the past. Two plates of flan were sitting on the table untouched as the three were busy talking. Pico was completely taken into the conversation, but Dolce had noticed that her guest hadn’t touched either her tea or her flan.

There was a single question she had been meaning to ask Frey and her observation prompted her to pop the question right away, “Before we hear more of those stories, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Sure, we can talk while you have your flan,” Frey responded as she simply looked at her share of flan.

“Okay,” Dolce took her share of flan, but the scent of her favorite meal suddenly made her feel weird in the stomach, “Ugh…”

“Are you okay Dolly?” Pico saw as Dolce put a hand on her mouth before shaking her head.

“I’m fine…” Dolce uncovered her mouth before taking a spoonful of flan, only have the weird feeling on her stomach come back, “Not again…”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Frey asked worriedly as she took the flan from Dolce’s hands, “You look kind of pale.”

“I’m… okay… ugh…” Dolce quickly rose from her seat and ran inside, heading straight towards the bathroom.

“Is she sick or something?” Frey turned to Pico.

“That would be my best guess…” Pico turned to the barely touched desserts, “Dolly really loves sweets like flan and cakes, but she’s been avoiding them for the past week for some reason.”

“Hm…” Frey tapped her chin as she was thinking, “I don’t think she’s suddenly become bored of eating her favorite dishes…”

“That’s impossible. There’s no way she’s going to give up on her all-you-can-eat cake routine every-” Pico was silenced with a single talisman landing over her mouth.

“You’re saying too much,” Dolce had just returned from the bathroom, but her face told the other two that she wasn’t feeling that much different than before, “Sorry for that interruption.”

“I don’t mind, but I don’t think you look well at all,” Frey replied worriedly, “I’ll tell Lest about your condition when I see him, so why don’t you two just stay home until he gets back?”

Dolce let out a defeated sigh, “That… might be the best…”

Lest let out a tired sigh as he pushed the castle door open while carrying an extra paper bag with him. With Dolce taking her temporary leave from her evening shift, he decided that it might be best for them to eat dinner at home to let her rest at home. With the ingredients in the paper bag put in the kitchen, Lest left for his room to check on Dolce.

Lest had expected the female Guardian to be asleep with Pico watching over her, the scene he saw was Dolce knitting on the bed with a terrified Pico at the edge of the bed, “I’m… home…?”

“Oh, welcome back Sweetie,” Dolce put her knitting aside and greeted Lest with a smile as she approached her, “How was work today?”

“More or less the usual, I guess…” Lest’s attention was focused on Pico as he let Dolce took his backpack off him, “More importantly, what happened to Pico?”

“Just a simple argument between us,” Dolce replied, completely ignoring the fact that Pico was still in the room, “Are you going to prepare dinner tonight?”

“Yeah,” Lest nodded, “I was planning to make your favorite cake today, so-”

“I want… something else, if that’s okay…” the attention of the other two in the room shifted to her, “I want… some fried veggies…”

The room became completely silent with Pico hovering in front of her with the look of disbelief, “Did I hear that right? Dolly, you never liked eating any kind of vegetables!”

“I’m kind of surprised too,” Lest added, “But if that’s what you want, I guess I need to head out to buy the missing ingredients…”

“Alright,” Dolce nodded, “Sorry for the trouble.”

The two watched as Lest left before Pico turned back to Dolce, “Are you sure you’re fine milady? Do you need Jones to check your condition?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Dolce let out a sigh before she went back to her knitting, “You’re being a lot more stubborn today. Do you want to be wrapped in talismans again?”

“N-No, please don’t do that again to me!”

[heaven-asunder]

Seeing you active really made my day :) I really hope you're doing well!!! I missed you so much!

i missed you too!! sorry this is so late!

Rune Factory Ficlet

Vishnal/Dolce/Frey: Established Relationship

SFW

Dolce stood at the front of Selphia castle, head held high as Volkanon inspected her craft. The Handicraft Festival had only just begun, and the cool wind of fall did nothing to quiet the energy of her two lovers.

“You’ve got this Dolce!” Frey shouted from the crowd.

“We believe in you!” Vishnal concurred. Volkanon shot them a look and put a finger to his lips.

“Right, sorry,” Vishnal said, looking at the ground. Volkanon continued to roll the accessory over in his hands, staring at it intently.

“Very fine work,” he said to Dolce.

“You’re damn right she is! It is! The accessory I mean,” Frey stuttered. A chuckle waved though the crowd, and Frey turned bright pink. 

“Princess, do I need to remind you to keep your voice down during the judging?” 

“No, I’m sorry,” she said. Volkanon nodded. He placed the trinket down, and moved on to the next candidate. Frey and Vishnal caught Dolce’s eye and threw her a thumbs up. Dolce rolled her eyes, shaking her head, but not quite hiding the smile that played on her lips. 

“Alright!” Volkanon boomed. “It’s time to announce the winner!” Frey crossed her fingers, grabbing Vishnal’s hand as he did the same. 

“The winner of this year’s Handicraft Festival is...Dolce!” 

Frey and Vishnal whooped, running from the crowd to tackle Dolce into a congratulatory hug.

“You two are ridiculous,” Dolce scolded, but was barely heard over her lovers’ cheers of excitement. She wrapped her arms around them, hiding her pleased blush.

“I hope you both realized that this means you’re buying me dinner,” she said. Vishnal laughed.

“And desert?”

“And desert.”

[tklpilled]

characters i will write for!!

italics: my favs <3

bungou stray dogs: atsushi, dazai, kenji, junichirou, yosano, ranpo, lucy, poe, akutagawa, chuuya, tachihara, gin, higuchi, fyodor, mushitarou, nikolai, sigma, jouno, tecchou

hunter x hunter: gon, killua, kurapika, leorio, alluka

fullmetal alchemist: ed, al, winry, ling, lan fan, roy, riza

cowboy bebop: spike, jet, faye, ed

saiki k: saiki, kaidou, teruhashi, kuboyasu, hairo

spy x family: loid, yor

ouran host club: haruhi, tamaki, hikaru, kaoru, kyoya, honey, mori

fruits basket: tohru, kyo, yuki, momiji, ayame, hatori, shigure, haru, machi, kakeru, hanajima, uotani

my hero academia: izuku, todoroki, uraraka, mina, asui, iida, kaminari, kirishima, jirou, momo, shinsou, bakugou, mei, monoma, aizawa, mic, hawks, dabi, toga, shigaraki

sk8: reki, langa, joe, cherry

the case study of vanitas: noe, vanitas, domi, jeanne, louis

banana fish: ash, eiji

moriarty the patriot: william, sherlock

trigun: vash, wolfwood, meryl, milly

mob psycho 100: mob, reigen, serizawa, teru, ritsu, shou, tome

death note: l, light, misa

jujutsu kaisen: yuji, megumi, nobara, gojo, geto, nanami, yuuta, maki, mai, toge

chainsaw man: denji, aki, power, angel, kobeni, asa, yoshida

buddy daddies: kazuki, rei

bloom into you: yuu, touko, sayaka

heaven official’s blessing: xie lian, hua cheng, feng xin, mu qing, qi rong, shi qingxuan, he xuan, quan yizhen, yin yu

south park: stan, kyle, tweek, craig, kenny, butters

the umbrella academy: luther, diego, allison, klaus, five, ben (including sparrow!ben), viktor, lila

it: richie, eddie, ben, bev, bill, mike, stan

spiderverse: miles, gwen, pavitr, hobie

six of crows: kaz, inej, jesper, wylan, nina, matthias

the raven cycle: blue, gansey, noah, ronan, adam, henry

percy jackson: percy, annabeth, nico, piper, jason, leo, hazel, frank, will

pokemon: n, cheren, bianca, hugh, ingo

breath of the wild: link, zelda, sidon, revali, tulin, riju, mipha

rune factory 4: lest/frey, arthur, dylas, doug, vishnal, leon, kiel, clorica, forte, xiao pai, amber, dolce, margaret

stardew valley: sebastian, maru, penny, sam, abigail, emily, haley, elliot, shane, alex, leah, harvey

deltarune: kris, susie, ralsei, noelle, lancer

genshin impact: aether/lumine, kaeya, albedo, kaveh, alhaitham, amber, lisa, venti, xiao, zhongli, childe, thoma, ayaka, diluc, hu tao, kazuha, heizou, scaramouche, cyno, tighnari, lyney, lynette, freminet, sethos

ace attorney: phoenix, edgeworth, franziska, gumshoe, maya, apollo, klavier, athena, simon, nahyuta, trucy

the magnus archives: jon, martin, tim, sasha, georgie, melanie, michael, helen

[rinamohn]

You can now make sprite AND text mods of Rune Factory 4!

Looks at my old Witch's Heart x Rune Factory 4 AU...

Even if it is too much work it is something fun to dream about. Kinda want to look at the dialog and rewrite some of it to fit Claire!Frey, Wilardo!Dylas, Ashe!Leon, Rouge!Dolce etc.

[runeys-and-radishes-archive]

I JUST GOT AN IDEA FOR AN ANGST!! Frey got knocked out during an adventure, and when she got back to town she was greeted by a worried Dolce and Vishnal who she doesn't remember anymore. ((Also I'm really glad you like the picture!! I was giggling the entire time we were making it)) - excited poly anon

it was hilarious omg im so happy u guys took the time to do that lol

Rune Factory Ficlet

Leon/Dolce/Frey: Established Relationship

SFW

Frey woke up, dazed and in pain. She put a hand to her head as she sat up, looking at the expanse of trees around her. She didn’t remember getting here. Last thing she remembered was being in the airship, being attacked by those soldiers, and then everything else was simply blank. Tentatively, she stood, finding no serious injuries. She dusted herself off. It slowly came back to her, being threatened, then pushed off the airship. This must be where she fell, she thought. Strange, it didn’t really hurt all that bad. We must not have been as high up as I’d thought, Frey thought. She gave the forest one last look over before taking the path up into what she hoped was a town.

She stumbled up to the walls of Selphia sometime later, tired and sore. People waved at her as she entered, and she marveled at how friendly a town it seemed to be.

“Frey!” came a man’s voice off to her left. She turned to see a man, dressed like a butler running toward her, a woman close behind. Frey braced herself. She wasn’t sure how these people knew her name, or what they wanted but after her experience on the airship, she wasn’t taking any chances of being caught off guard. 

“We were so worried about you!” exclaimed the man, going in for a hug. Frey stepped back, and the man looked like he’d been slapped.

“Frey?”

“How do you know my name?” Frey asked. She wished she still had her sword.

“Princess, it’s me, Vishnal? And Dolce?” he said, as though she should recognize them.

“I’ve never met you before in my life,” Frey said. “I just fell here from an airship, so I’ll ask again: how do you know my name?” The woman, apparently named Dolce, took a step forward.

“Frey, you fell from the airship two years ago,” she said. Frey took a step back. 

“What?” 

“You came here two years ago after falling from the sky. You’ve been serving as our princess for two years. Don’t you remember that? Remember us?” Vishnal said. Frey shook her head.

“Two years...” she whispered. 

“Lets--let’s get you to Jones,” Vishnal said. “Maybe he can help you out.” Frey looked at them lamely, but followed when they beckoned. Her mind swirled with questions. As she walked, Dolce and Vishnal exchanged worried looks. She didn’t remember them. Two years of friendship and love just gone. They took each others’ hands. Frey needed them now, more than ever, and they would be by her side. No matter what.

[mermaidsbiann]

I’m replaying RF4S as Lest then immediately changing to Frey to marry Dolce (and Clorica and Xiao) so back on my Frey x Dolce brainrot

[selphiahaven]

Of course you guys can have those ships!! But since it’s the end of the villager week and I’m bringing back the regular ol’ request list, these will go after the previous requests that didn’t fit with the theme! ^w^

Request List So Far:

1) Raven x Frey/Lest

2) Dolce x Lest

3) Arthur x Kiel x Leon

4) Dolce x Doug

[avenger-concerto]

Operation Knight Song (RFSS2018)

Heya @invaderpig I’m your Secret Santa for 2018. I want to extend my deepest apologies for posting this so late. The Holidays got hectic as hell for me back in December along with other priorities coupled with post-Holiday slump. I managed to finish this ficlet though. I had a blast working on this one. I’ve never done Doug x Frey in any fan RF4 work so I hope I captured their dynamic finely.

Wishing you a late Happy Holidays and a Happy new Year! Once more, I would like to thank @runefactorysecretsanta for hosting this event. This is my third time in a row participating and I love how it brings the RF community together. 

Title: Operation Knight Song

Genre(s): Slice of life, romance, fluff, comedy, some drama

Pairings / ships: Doug x Frey and Margaret / Meg x Forte

Rating: T (13 and up) - mild profanity, some innuendos / suggestive jokes but nothing extreme.

Summary: During the Night of Holies in Selphia, Doug and Frey help Forte confess to the love of her life in a group outing.

Word count: 3813 words.

It was the snowy and star-lit evening of Winter the 24th in the independent town of Selphia. More specifically, it was the eve which preceded Christmas day: the Night of Holies.

Usually, it was tradition for the natives of Norad and by extension Selphia to celebrate the evening in peaceful solace and tranquility. In addition, it was known as a night perfect for romantic rendezvous and evening dates. It was all the more true for the Night of Holies this particular year.

Within the grand halls of Selphia Castle, the princess and her first man hurriedly prepared for what the former codenamed as “Operation Knight Song”.

“Doug, we’re going to be late. C’mon you’re taking too long! They might have arrived at the plaza already…”

“Hold on, dear. Ngh, this jacket’s too huge! I have no idea what size Volkanon picked out but it’s taking me longer than usual to…”

“Ok, less complaining, more moving or we’re gonna be late. We don’t want to keep them waiting, right?”

“Wait dear, I’m finished!!”

In a frenzied but enthusiastic rush, Princess Frey’s husband: Doug, descended from the 2nd floor of their living area with a pair of black pants, brown snowboots and a crimson colored jacket. Despite his previous complaints, it turns out the jacket was just about the right size as shown through his satisfied grin.

“Well, how do I look?” the red-head dwarf asked between gasping breaths.

“You look fantastic!” Frey chirped with a smiled as she clapped her hands together. “What do you think of mine now? Dolce and Clorica helped pick this out for me the other day. We had it custom tailored and ordered from Norad’s capital.”

Doug took another look at his wife’s snow-friendly attire which consisted of a beautiful black coat accompanied by an emerald coloured Wooly fur snow cap with both pieces complimented by an illustrious snow white scarf. For the evening, Frey had also undid her twin-tails, letting her long and beautiful emerald hair down.

“Stunning, I dunno what else to say.” Doug widened his eyes while his lips formed what could easily be described as a dreamy yet flustered smile.

“Hoooooh? Flirting this early on in the Night of Holies?” Frey snickered as she motion towards her husband, clinging onto his arm playfully. “I guess you are desperate for a spot within Santa’s Naughty List.”

“Gahhh, cut it out!” Doug yelped, his objections contradicting his now reddened cheeks. “N-not that I mind but not this early either, h-haha…”

“This blockhead,” Frey whimsically thought, “Wonder how we’re gonna have kids at this rate?”

Doug spoke, “So uh, what about Ventuswill?”

“She’s fast asleep.” she informed her husband, “I had Clorica and Vishnal prepare her a cup of hot milk and a serving of pancakes. Venti wanted to go to bed early so she wouldn’t wake up late and miss the Christmas festivities.”

“Alright! Now that’s all settled…Let’s head out then, shall we?” Doug smiled coolly, extending his hand out.

Frey giggled slightly as she took her husband by the hand. “Of course. As the high princess of Selphia, Operation Knight Song will not fail!”

For the sake of some yuletide context in this given Night of Holies and by extension “Operation Knight Song”, it is commonly well known in Selphia that there were two individuals who helped push the princess together with the hotheaded dwarf shopkeep of the general store. The honour went to none other than Margaret or by her nickname: Meg, the gentle elf musician of Porcoline’s Kitchen and Forte, the dashing and valiant head knight of the town.

Meg acted as a wingwoman of sorts to her close friend Frey and it was Forte who was always there to convince Doug to get his act together when it mattered the most. They’ve both remained strong family friends to Selphia’s royal couple ever since.

Of course, there is much more to this story and Frey herself knew it very well. Throughout this all Meg and Forte remained close friends. Relegating the overall feeling to “friendship” was a massive underestimation, so to speak. In reality…

“Forte, Meg! We’re here!” Frey excitingly called out as she and her husband approached the two figures waiting outside on the snowy centre of Selphia plaza.

“Good evening you two!” Margaret waved her hand and approached the couple, giving Frey an affectionate hug afterwards. “Ohmigosh, you both look so adorable!”

“Awwwww, thank you!” Frey squeed in delight. “You’re looking stylish too Meg. Same goes to you, Forte!”

“N-no, I’m not in need for any compliment whatsoever…” the blonde and tall knight mumbled. “I just put on a new cape that Kiel bought me. If anything, Meg looks so much better.”

Margaret wore her usual outfit but this time adorned with an azure mantle cloak, a kind of fashion that was common in the Nation of Elves as well as a checkered scarf which Forte had given her as a birthday present earlier in the year.

Forte had her usual armour equipped with additional protection from the winter evening including the aforementioned new cape which her younger brother had given her as a present. Outing or not, a knight had to remain prepared for anything. Whether it would be against monsters, immediate threats…or confessing to the love of her life.

“Great, then we’re all gearing to go.” Frey raised her fist into the air. “Onward to the observatory!”

“Hey, be careful or you’re going to trip!” Doug called out as his energetic spouse went on ahead. “Honestly, some things never change…”

“You seem rather excited yourself.” Forte commented with a half-smile on her face. “Not as enthusiastic as Frey but still.”

“Yeah, yeah yeah…So, you’re ready for this?” the dwarf gazed at the knight whose cheeks became flushed with pink not soon after. “I mean, you can do it any other time of the year but if you want to leave a lasting impression, it’s now or never.”

“Um, I know that!” Forte answered with a determined voice.

“What do you know exactly, Forte?” Meg curiously tapped her on the shoulders, resulting in a brief but alarmed shriek.

“M-MEG?! UHHH NOTHING!! WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Just about how we should enjoy the Night of Holies b-because it only comes once a year. Yeah, it’s like that.”

“Well, best we get a move on. The snow might stop at any moment and I want to bask in this blissful scenery as much as possible. I saw Frey rush past your house already.” Meg stated while pointing to the western-most exit of the plaza.

“R-right…” Forte nodded as she followed Margaret down the steps leading to the town’s western residential district.

Doug was left alone in his thoughts for the time being. “Man, I know Frey wants to thank them for everything they’ve done for both of us but…this is something out of a romcom novel that Granny Blossom keeps inside her old shelves.”

Frey’s eccentrically named plan, “Operation Knight Song” had one and only one singular goal: successfully get Forte to ask Meg out. This wasn’t anything platonic or familial either.

Another piece of information that was common to most of the town’s inner circle was that Forte being madly in love for Selphia’s star musician, Margaret.

As a knight, romance or intimacy was not within her scope of immediate prioritization. Those never crossed her mind as much as it did for the other girls in town especially during their seasonal sleep over gatherings.

Yet Margaret came into Forte’s life and ever since then her existence alone did just about everything to question the knight’s supposed heterosexuality.

There are numerous reasons as to how the elven musician had stolen the knight’s heart but even then she couldn’t list all of them properly without breaking down into an awkward, stuttering and anxious mess. Meg was resourceful, hardworking, beautiful, compassionate, charismatic, somewhat of a dorky odd-ball, both shared some latent fear of phantoms (Pico was the prime exception) and Forte’s mental list could go on and on.

Forte was content simply just remaining close friends with the musician but as the months and years went by it became clear that she couldn’t deny her own feelings any further.

It started out with simpler things such as her regular compliments towards Meg becoming more frequent in nature. It was followed with other small instances such as their hands brushing against each other by accident on several occasions or noticing the aromatic scent of her hair on a more regular basis. Afterwards, it all escalated to much greater physical contact such as sitting awkwardly as Meg fell asleep next to her on the bench during one late afternoon after work.

It reached an apex when the musician casually kiss the knight on the cheek during her birthday. All Frey and Doug could recall was that Forte was reduced to a stuttering, flustered mess that same day.

A few weeks later, the knight confided with the royal couple that she could no longer deny the feelings she’s harboured for Meg and declared her resolved intention to confess.

Needless to say, Frey 100% supported the proposition alongside her husband, even if the latter wasn’t too enthusiastic about lowkey stalking their Night of Holies date in the guise of a group outing.

Doug sighed and hurried to catch up with the rest of the group. Even if he wanted to, it was too late to turn back now.

Within the top floor of the windmill observatory’s interior, Doug had finally caught up as his wife handed out the hot beverages and snacks she had prepared for them all prior to leaving.

“I brought along some hot cocoa and choco cookies.” Frey pulled out four heated thermos containers and a plate of chocolate chip-cookies from her picnic basket. “I have a few bottles of Prelude to Love in here too that I brewed up during these past few days if you’d like some later tonight Meg.”

“That would be lovely, thanks!” Meg cheerfully replied.

“Doug and I are gonna go head down now.” Frey announced suddenly, “Oops, you see…uhhh…turns out I forgot a few extra cloaks and blankets, incase for when it gets colder tonight…Y-yeah.”

“Wait, we just got up here!” Doug stuttered in an alarmed fashion. “Also, I brought us some blankets and cloaks in my bag…AGH.”

Frey interrupted her husband’s objections by playfully pinching him on his bottom. He played along as a result. “Uhhh, I mean yeah. I totally forgot them. H-haha, oops.”

“We’ll be right back in a jiffy, ok? I left the hot drinks and cookies near the benches next to the outer entry. Help yourselves!” Frey playfully declared as she and Doug descended down the stairs.

Forte sighed. She knew very well that the entire thing was a copout ruse to make sure she and Meg were alone. She appreciated the sentiment but wished as well that the couple didn’t have to sacrifice a part of their romantic evening to help her confess the feelings she’s held for so long towards the beautiful elven musician who stood nearby.

“Ahem. Ummm, mind if we step outside? I want to take a good look at view right now.” Forte somewhat nervously proposed.

“Hmm? Sure thing. The snowy evening view probably goes great with the hot cocoa.”

“So easily. What about your fear of heights, Meg?”

Meg giggled lightly and responded, “Why would I be worried about that? Especially when I have you by my side?”

Forte couldn’t help but melt internally and smile at the sentiment. She extended her arm out towards Meg, offering her hand. “Well then, shall we?”

“Wowwww!!” Meg gasped in delight. As they walked into the exterior viewing balcony of the observatory, the sight of a tranquil snowy evening glittered with the night sky’s stars awaited them both. “I’ve been to this observatory countless of times but the view’s always amazing…”

“And to think you were afraid of coming here, let alone of setting foot into the observatory’s top floor because of your fear of heights…” Forte teased slightly and continued. “…I’m glad you’re enjoying the view these days.”

“Uh huh…” Meg nodded enthusiastically while she opened up her drink. Taking a light sip, she sighed happily. “Ahhh, this is heaven. I’m not big of a chocolate lover as much as Dolce but this alongside he winter evening is pure utter bliss…”

“Indeed,” Forte agreed, taking small sips of her hot cocoa while her gaze was transfixed between both the view and at Meg herself. “This reminds me of my childhood…Our parents always used to make us hot cocoa on winter evenings. My mother was practically a master at the craft and it was one of the many things that warmed our father up after his snowy evening patrols…”

“Forte…”

“They’re both gone now. However, what isn’t are the memories they left behind for Kiel and I. For that reason…I want to keep living on, protecting those I hold dear and…well, continue to make even happier memories with the people I care for.” Forte uttered the last part out with a faint blush.

“Awwwww, that’s so sweet…” Margaret softly said, hugging the knight from the side. The surprise was almost enough to let her drop the hot cocoa she had been handling finely.

“EEEEEK!! M-meg…please.” Forte staggered, “I could have spilled something hot on either of us… be more careful…”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” she laughed gingerly, breaking the hug. “I really am happy though…to be here. Happy to be with you all…that’s all.”

“Hmmm? Is something the matter?”

“Well, just that…When I first came to Selphia, truth to be told: I was afraid. Porcoline had recently taken me under his wing at the time…I knew nobody in town. I wasn’t sure if I could open my heart up so easily. Especially somewhere so far away from home…Then I met you, Lumie, Venti, Dylas, Arthur, Frey and everyone…I fell in love with this town soon afterwards. It’s far from my birthplace but…Selphia’s my home. I wouldn’t have it any other way and…I’m just so thankful to be here with you all.”

“Meg…”

Meg sighed trying to shake away what was a bittersweet smile on her lips just moments ago, “…Sorry, I got over sentimental again. Winter evenings like this remind me of my homeland a bit, I couldn’t help it. Anyways, why don’t I play us a song?”

Now was the time, Forte realized.

“Uhhh Meg…look…I…there’s something I need to…uh, well…”

“Huh? You want me to play a Christmas song? Ok, I’ll think…Silent Night or Jingle Bells…I want to see how it works on my harp…”

“No, that’s not it, I wanted to say that…um…”

“Wait, neither of those songs? Well, I’ll just play us Joy to the World and…”

Forte bit her lip in frustration. Her thoughts raced insanely as her heartbeat rose sharply. “Forte, it’s now or never.”

“I got it! I’ll go play us Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, that was a classic my old teacher taught me…”

“Meg, please listen to me: I love you.”

“...Huh?”

As the knight uttered those very words from her lips, it’s almost as if time itself had stopped in its tracks that winter-clad evening. Meg’s expression went from that of her usually cheerful eccentric one to that of pure speechlessness.

“I don’t mean as a friend or as a sister. Meg…look, I love you as a woman. Romantically. You’re caring, knowledgable, talented, compassionate, empowering, warm and just pleasant to be around everyday. My chest has been racing as of lately just being next to you…I don’t know what else to say…”

“Forte…is this true?” Meg blinked while a tint of red began slowly surfacing from her own cheeks.

“Yes, it’s all true. I was scared prior to this…We’re both girls and I have no idea how your culture does it…hell, I’m not even sure how my parents would react if they could see this but I don’t care! As a knight of Ventuswill and all of Selphia, I’m not going to hold my feelings back in front of the woman I love, damn it!”

Once more, Forte was met with a silent and blank response from the musician. Fearing it amounted to nothing but a potential awkward rejection, she steeled herself for what was next. She walked into this knowing that heartbreak might be a viable outcome but she would rather have professed her feelings than hold her silence forever.

“I’m sorry…who was I kidding. Just pretend I said nothing, please…Regardless, I want us to remain friends and…”

“You idiot…” Meg gritted her teeth, glaring with tears in her eyes.

Forte wasn’t given much room to react as Meg tightly embraced her as if it would be their last.

“M-meg…?!”

“Honestly…you blockhead…” she sniffled, keeping her arms wrapped around the knight tightly. “Took you long enough���! I’m so happy…I’m so glad you feel the same way…”

“Feel the same way…y-you…you mean…?”

“Yes…but…I’m afraid too. Not because we’re both girls. I don’t care about that at all…it’s because I’m an elf. You’re human.”

“What if you are an elf? I care nothing about that. I know there are places in Norad that ostracize your people but I’m not…”

“It’s not that!” Meg cried out as she continued to cling onto Forte. She blinked through her tears and continued, “It’s much more complicated. You know that elves live longer than humans do. What if you go before me…? You’re a knight…You’ve already pledged your life to the sword. Your line of work makes it so that you’re ready for death at any given moment. If you die before me and I have to live out the remainder of my existence in this world without you…I…”

“Meg…” Forte whispered, “You’re not wrong. I’ve devoted my life to the path of the sword. The sword is nothing more than an extension to my real devotion: those who I care for. You included most of all. You’re right…maybe I could fall in battle or I might succumb to illness, who knows what the future has in store but…I’d rather face those dangers while protecting and loving you…”

“Forte…”

“I know we have to go slow of course…I-if you say yes, that is!” Forte stammered but regained her verbal composure right after. “Going moderately is the key but my feelings for you are genuine…Meg…I want to be your knight and dedicate my sword to you. B-by that…I want to be your girlfriend. W-well…?”

It wasn’t too long after that the musician’s anxious tears were immediately replaced with tearful giggles as she broke her embrace. “Honestly, do all knights have to confess like this? I don’t even want to know what the marriage proposal would be like…!”

“H-hey, I was being serious…”

“I know, Forte. I know very well…Therefore, my answer is: I accept!” Meg spoke out the last part with a cheerful grin as she wiped the last of her tears away.

“Huh?! Meg, are you sure about this?”

“More sure than I’ve ever been in my entire life. Not going to lie: I’m still anxious…I have no idea what awaits us but…with my brave and dashing girlfriend by my side, I have nothing to fear.”

“Meg…ugh…I…” Forte attempted to choke back a sob as tears welled up her own eyes. She stepped forward and gave her beloved a firm embrace. She sobbed softly between sniffles and hiccups, “Ngh…I’m so happy…I was afraid that…ugh…Meg…I love you! I love you so much!”

Reciprocating the embrace, Meg giggled softly as she comforted the sobbing knight. “You big dork…I love you too…don’t panic. Even if I said no, I wasn’t going to leave you behind either…You’re precious to me no matter what…”

“Sorry…I shouldn’t have lost my composure like that. It was unknightly of me, so to speak.” Forte calmed down as Meg wiped her tears away.

“I dunno, I have absolutely no problems seeing this side of you either.” Meg playfully teased.

“Hey!! Ugh…you’ve always been unpredictable at times, you know that?”

“Maybe. Maybe not…I wanna do something else unpredictable, of course.”

Forte swallowed a lump as her heart raced once more. “Well, what would that be?”

Kiss.

Eyes still widened, Forte stared blankly as Meg’s lips parted from hers in a quick but blissful instant. “Merry Christmas Forte. I love you.”

“Ah.” Forte said aloud and continued. “Ah. Ah. Ahhhhh.”

Thud.

“Oh my gosh, Forte!!” Meg cried out in horror as she witnessed her newly confessed girlfriend dropping to her knees. She immediately knelt down herself cradled the flustered knight around her arms. “Are you okay?! Do you have a fever?! Are you tired?!”

Meg was all the more puzzled as she witnessed Forte’s unconscious but dreamy eyed and flustered expression. It was as if she had gone to heaven and ascended into a higher plane of goddesshood.

“Honestly…I need to get us both inside ASAP. Can’t have my girlfriend fainting outside here.”

Unbeknownst to either of them, the royal couple stood quietly in wait within the observatory’s interior in a floor below.

“Fufufufu…looks like Operation Knight Song was a grand success.” Frey sheepishly giggled. “Mission accomplished!”

“Uhhhhh…We did absolutely nothing besides eavesdrop.” Doug informed in a deadpan tone.

“C’mon, dear. We promised to be backup for Forte incase she froze up but looks like she didn’t need our help. That’s my Forte, haha…”

“Well, I’m happy for them both. That much I’ll say. I think we need to go up there before Forte freaks out any further.” Doug proposed but his intentions were interrupted by the mischievous princess holding up a mistletoe over both their heads.

“Oh hell no. Dear, please. Not now…w-wait until home at least!!” the fiery red-head dwarf took a step back, panicking.

“Awwwww, don’t be like that.” Frey licked her lips. “It’s almost midnight. Besides, I want to give Forte and Meg some time to themselves while I have my own little fun…”

Doug swallowed hard, laughing nervously. He had no intention of denying his playful wife’s advances but he braced himself for what came next. This of course consisted of Frey pouncing on her husband and showering him with cuddles and a flurry of kisses over his face and neck.

Overall, it was just another snowy, heated, chaotic but romantic Night of Holies in Selphia.

[fandomfanficsgalore]

Hi! I'm so happy RF4 is coming to switch, if you're still taking requests, could I ask for a short fanfic of my rare pair Dolce x Dylas? It's okay if you don't feel like tho haha. Thanks for your time! :)

Me too!!!

This is based on a head canon someone sent me a while ago and I’ve adopted it bc it’s great

“You’re staring again.”

Frey’s eyes flickered up to Dolce’s and her cheeks flushed pink. She turned, placing the herbs Jones had requested on the table beside Dolce.

“Ah... sorry, Dolce.”

Dolce bit back a sigh and tugged down her sleeves, once again hiding the stitch marks around both her wrists. They were all over her body in the parts her limbs folded--the hook of her knee, the crook of her elbow, he ankles. They were faint enough around her knuckles that most people didn’t notice them, but the rest were dark, nearly black and blue. Most of the time Dolce didn’t mind them, but she hated when people stared.

Frey left with another apologetic smile and Dolce went back to work, eying the clock as each minute ticked by. Finally 5 o’clock his and Dolce washed her hands and left, leaving Pico to trail after her out of sight.

It had become a ritual, now, and Dolce knew right where to find him.

The sun glittered off the water, lapping gently around the bauble at the end of Dylas’s fishing pole. He’d abandoned his boots to the side, his bare feet stretched out ahead of him as he leaned back on the cooler.

He glanced up as Dolce settled down next to him and smiled. She liked it when he smiled. He always looked right into her eyes, his face soft. There was no prying curiosity, no pity. Just... admiration. Gentle interest. Interest in who she was and not what she was. It warmed Dolce from the inside out and she turned away as her cool cheeks tinted pink.

They sat in comfortable silence and Dolce eventually kicked off her shoes, revealing her feet. They were the worst--black lines rung around each toe, stitches burned into her ankles.

Her gaze darted to Dylas, who glanced down at the movement. His eyes skimmed over her feet before returning the water.

His serene expression didn’t change. Not to pity, not to horror.

Dolce’s shoulders relaxed and she leaned back, gladly scooping up the extra tuna sandwich he’d brought for her, and together they sat.

[darkgreiga]

Wishes, Dreams, and Memories Chapter 13

Fandom: Rune Factory 4 Rating: T (to be safe) Genre(s): Adventure, Hurt/Comfort Characters: Lest, Dolce, Amber, Dylas, Leon, Frey, Arthur Summary:  She had a wish to see him again. He had a dream of her last moments. They had their memories of having only each other. The amnesiac Earthmate never knew that by bringing his best friend back wouldn’t make his daily life go back to normal. Nor did he know she was the key to his and his ancestors’ past. Chapters: list Navigation: <<prev   |   next>> Author’s notes: Lest’s past is slowly being uncovered and the chapter has a few mentions for the Tales fandom.

Chapter 13 – Our Past

Some rustling sounds were heard coming from the guest bathroom before the hazel-haired Earthmate came out. Dolce, who had started unpacking the extra clothes for their stay had noticed that her husband had emerged from the bathroom and put away the clothes she was holding before turning to the direction where Lest had come from.

Lest was wearing a black tailcoat suit with white patterns on the chest. The suit’s long sleeves were folded at end to reveal the red and white stripes underneath, along with two white lines on each sleeve. Small parts of the white Lest was wearing were hidden by the suit’s long sleeves. A thin red cloth held an empty sword sheath across his back and was secured by the black belt around his waist. A pair of black boots reaching up to his knees covered the white pants he was wearing.

“This set is surprisingly my size,” Lest took a few steps forward and tried moving his arms around, “But the boots aren’t flexible enough for me to run in and the suit is a little too thick for me to move my arms freely.”

“Of course they aren’t. It’s not like it’s made for running and exercising, genius,” Dolce commented flatly.

Pico let out a laugh, “But Dolly thinks it looks good on you.”

A slight blush appeared on both of their faces before Lest gave his wife a smile, “Thanks Dolly.”

“You’re… welcome…” Dolce replied nervously, “Aren’t you going to change back now? I need to try mine too.”

“Oh, right,” Lest took off his gloves and put them in the empty box on the bed, “I’ll be right back-”

A knock on the door was heard before a familiar feminine voice was heard from the other side, “Hey, can I come in?”

“Sure, come on in Frey,” The door opened to reveal the green-haired young woman.

Frey looked at his brother and gave him a smile, “Hey, that looks great on you! You look like a nobleman already!”

Lest let out a laugh before rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, “Come on, we’re not actually nobles, are we?”

The smile on Frey’s face faded for a moment, but Lest noticed the slight changes on the green-haired woman, “What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s okay,” The frown slowly lifted into a smile, “So, shall we start the tour of this castle?”

“Let me change back to my regular clothes first,” Lest let out a laugh, “I’m not used to wearing this kind of stuff.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you two outside,” Frey gave Lest a slight bow, “Your majesty.”

Lest let out an annoyed sigh as he saw Frey running and laughing towards the door, “Geez…”

“It’s hard to believe that Frey is actually Lest’s older twin,” Pico commented, getting Lest’s attention back.

“True,” Dolce nodded in agreement and smiled before turning to Lest, “Sweetie, you should go with her. Pico and I will stay here.”

“Wait, you’re not coming?” Lest questioned his wife’s sudden decision.

“You and Frey have a lot of catching up, don’t you?” Dolce asked with a smile, “Maybe this will help you recover part of your memory.”

“I see,” Lest gave a slight nod and smiled, “Okay, I’ll get changed and go with her.”

Dolce saw as Lest left to the bathroom once more, but was aware of the grinning ghost hovering beside her, “What?”

“You can say it, Dolly,” Pico turned to Dolce with a sly grin, “You just can’t stand watching him being friendly to other girls, correct? Even if that someone is his own sister, you know that you wanted to come along just to make sure there’s nothing between them, correct?”

A shocked look accompanied with a slight blush came to her face before she took out one of her talisman, “That’s enough.”

A few rooms away from the pained ghost and her friend, the young blond prince was still in the audience room with the king and his butler. The king was reading the scroll he was holding before he rolled it back and handed it over to the butler standing next to him. Arthur looked at his father as his butler took the scroll and left the audience room.

“The royal research team will do what they can to decipher that text,” The king spoke up, breaking the silence in the room, “Has there been any reports of oddities in Selphia?”

“No, Father,” Arthur replied firmly, “I shall send a report if there is something unusual once I return to Selphia tomorrow.”

“Very well,” The king rose from his throne and walked down the set of stairs, stopping in front of Arthur to give him a pat on his shoulder, “I shall be relying on you, my son.”

There was silence in the room for a moment as the king walked away before Arthur nodded slightly and whispered, “Yes, Father…”

At the halls outside the room, the twins were taking a walk while Lest learned more about the past he had forgotten. Little did he notice, his sister was telling him more about her life with him rather than the life he had forgotten or their other family members. On the other hand, Lest also told Frey what had happened since he lost his memories, meeting Ventuswill, and eventually got married and invited to the party.

“I see…” Frey nodded in understanding, “It’s been rough without me, hasn’t it?”

“At first, yes…” Lest replied with a nod, “But the people in Selphia all helped me without even knowing who I am or where I’m from.”

“Selphia seems like a nice place,” Frey commented with a smile, “I’ve heard about it from Arthur on his rare visits, but I’ve never been there.”

“You can come and visit any time,” Lest responded with a smile before the smile slowly turned into a frown, “Say… you did mention that our mother had passed on when we were kids, right?” Lest turned to Frey with a sad look on his face, “What happened to her? And what about our father? Where is he now?”

Frey stopped in her tracks with a frown on her face, which made Lest stop walking as well. Frey took a deep breath and turned to Lest with a frown on her face, “I really wish that you wouldn’t ask about him, but I know that you deserve to know,” Frey put her hands on Lest’s shoulder, slightly gripping them, while looking at him with a serious look, “Especially because you have actually met him in person.”

“I’ve met him…?” Lest looked at Frey questioningly, “But who is he?”

Frey closed her eyes as her hands slipped away from Lest’s shoulder before turning away from her brother. The female Earthmate reopened her eyes as she distracted herself by looking at the garden plants, but the anger on her eyes was something that Lest couldn’t simply ignore. She felt a pat on her shoulder and took a deep breath to calm herself down, “That man… the man who bore a great grudge against us Earthmates… he was the cause of her death…”

Lest didn’t need to hear the name of his father, especially if what Frey had said just then was true, “Stop… I… I don’t want to hear it…”

“Sadly it’s true, Lest…” Frey took Lest’s hand off from her shoulder and held it with both of her hands as she turned towards his brother with teary eyes, “I can’t forget it… I can never forget that nightmare!”

-Flashback-

Clanging sounds of metal armor was heard throughout the halls made of pure gold and silver, heading towards the huge red metal doors at the end of the halls. A light blue-haired man slammed his fists to his throne’s arm rests, surprising the guards standing at each side of the throne. Through the strands of his long hair, the soldiers could see the glaring eyes looking at them.

“Kill them all! All servants, mistresses, soldiers alike must be clean from those accursed Earthmates!” Another slam on the arm rests had surprised the soldiers in the throne room, “Find that brown-haired Earthmate alive and kill the rest! This is our vengeance against those who foil my plans!”

“Yes sir!” The soldiers marched out of the room with their weapons swinging in the air.

A few meters away, a woman with long green hair was running while holding the hands of two five-year old children whose hair color was similar to the woman. The three would occasionally stop at the forks with the older woman looking around before taking one of the paths which would be safe for them to pass. Another fork came into view and the three stopped behind one of the walls, looking around for any signs of danger.

“Mom, I’m scared…” One of the children, a boy, pulled on the woman’s clothes while sniffling.

“It’s okay, Lest,” The woman knelt down and gave the boy a comforting hug while rubbing his back, “Everything is going to be okay…”

“Mommy!” The other child, a girl pulled the woman’s clothes in panic, “Metal people are coming!”

The woman noticed the clanging sounds which had got louder and louder, “We have to hurry,” The woman got back to her feet and picked the boy up before offering a hand to the girl, “Hold my hand, Frey.”

The girl did as told as the three of them ran into one of the pathways, only to be stopped by a group of soldiers with their spears pointed forward. The woman turned to the side, protecting the boy from the possible assault from the soldiers as the girl hugged her mother’s leg in fear. One of the soldiers stepped closer with his spear, making the woman step back.

“Lady Sara! Your and your children’s escape ends here!” The soldier extended his hand and let his spear point at the woman’s neck.

“I shall not surrender my children!” The woman, Sara, put the boy down and stood in front of the two children with her arms spread, “They are our future and I shall never hand their lives to the likes of you or Ethelberd!”

The soldier in front saw the unwavering resolve of a mother protecting her children and put his spear back to his side, “Soldiers, ready your weapons!”

The woman, Sara, quickly took the hands of her children and ran to the opposite side of the soldiers, with the soldiers chasing them while carrying swords and spears. The three of them ran through the maze of hallways with the sounds of clanging metal tailing behind them, pushing through the servants who had blocked their way of escape.

“Lady Sara, this way!” A female servant waved her hands while standing in front of a big black door, getting the attention of the running triplet.

Panting, the three came into a stop in front of the servant before Sara let out a tired smile, “Thank you…”

“I will never forget your kindness towards my family, milady,” The servant smiled back before she pushed the door open, “I have broken the window for you and the children to escape. My sister will be waiting for you outside.”

“Yes, please be-AH!” An arrow landed on her left shoulder before she turned around and saw that the marching soldiers had almost reached them.

“Mommy! Mommy, are you okay?” The boy cried out, seeing the red liquid had stained his mother’s pure white clothes.

“Please be okay, Mommy!” The girl was looking at the pained mother in worry.

“Lady Sara, please hold on!” The servant looked at the end of the arrow and gasped in surprise as she saw black liquid dripping from the end, “P-Poison?!”

“Please… take the children…” Sara whispered weakly, “This… is deadly poison… I… cannot survive… for long…”

“Y-Yes… milady…” The servant saw as the woman slowly dropped to her knees weakly and saw the approaching soldiers before she pushed the children into the room.

The two children fell onto the carpet-covered floor and saw their mother’s weak smile as she was lying on the floor while the door was being forced shut from the outside. The boy was about to reach for the door in tears, only to be pulled by the girl.

“No Lest! The metal people will take us too!” The girl pulled her brother’s arm as he struggled before forcing him into a hug.

“But Frey… Mommy is out there! Mommy is hurt!” The boy kept on whining as he struggled to break free from his sister’s hug, although the boy knew himself that his hope of seeing his mother was a waste.

-End of Flashback-

The two Earthmates stood in silence before tears started falling from Frey’s face. Lest looked at Frey sadly before giving her a comforting hug. The male Earthmate patted his crying sister, although the sadness he felt wasn’t the same as his sister felt. He never remembered how sad it was to remember how their mother had died as he was only told the feeling instead of feeling it himself.

Frey slowly pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears, “Hey, Lest?”

“What is it?” Lest asked calmly.

“There’s one more thing that I want to return to you,” Frey spoke up in a whisper before taking out a small black fish-like figure from her pocket, “Here’s our family heirloom from our mother’s side.”

Lest took the figure, which had a thin string hanging on it, “What is this?”

“Mom said it’s a charm to protect relations of the bearers,” Frey took out a similar charm, but it was white in color, “This is a koi fish, a type of fish that’s native to our grandmother’s homeland at the East.”

“A koi fish…” Lest put the charm on his palm and ran a finger on it.

Frey slowly nodded, “It’s supposed to connect families, siblings… and even couples…”

“I… see…” Lest took his charm and put it in his pocket before looking at the charm Frey was wearing, “So the charm is to protect us as siblings?”

“Yeah,” Frey nodded and smiled sadly, “Although you don’t have the charm with you, I think they’re uniting us back together.”

“I guess they did,” Lest returned the smile, “Should we resume the tour?”

“Okay, let me show you the audience room and the dining hall next!” Frey replied with a nod before they continued with their walk.

Back in Dolce’s and Lest’s guestroom, Dolce had just finished changing and came out of the bathroom. Her slow walking had brought a laugh to her ghost friend, who was hovering above the bed.

“This… this too revealing…”