Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was just another normal assignment.

Alice had woken up early, like she normally does and went to tend the field outside the Silo. She liked working on the farm in the morning. Especially during the fall, the cool crisp air was pleasant to work in and the sun had yet to peek over the mountains surrounding Rigbarth. The smell of Autumn was also very appealing to Alice, she often found herself just sitting outside in her free time breathing it all in both literally and figuratively.

As she finished harvesting the crops for the day she stopped for a second, leaning against her hoe by the shipping crate and looked out over her field. Yes it had come a long way since she first took it over all those months ago, heck so had she. Her body and magic had gotten significantly stronger than she had been when she first arrived at Rigbarth and while she still didn't have any memories of her past, she had come to build a new life here in Rigbarth. She had made many close friends and even considered some members of the little town to be family. Then there was...

Alice shook her head, now wasn't the time. She had more work to do. Monsters to take care of, more crops to tend, then she had to go on her daily patrol of the town. She sighed, "The life of a SEED Ranger is certainly a busy one" she remarked to no one in particular before getting on with her duties.

Before she even knew it time had flown by and it was 8:00 already. "Grow big and strong okay?" Alice spoke to the last crop she had watered, stretching her arms up high into the air and rolling her shoulders. "Okay! Let's tackle today head on!" she exclaimed, earning a cheer from the herd of Wooly she had out on the Earth Farm Dragon who had parked itself outside the SEED Silo. Heading back down to Rigbarth Alice began her patrol, starting a Terry's Detective Agency and working her way around. It was a familiar routine, one that had taken her months to get into yet once she had she could barely remember not doing it. She crossed the bridge of hope coming around towards Serendipity, the general store when she ran into one of her favorite faces in Rigbarth.

"Alice! Good morning!" Hina shouted full of her usual energy, while waving excitedly. "Good morning" Alice responded with a slight bow. "Where are you off too this early?" Hina grabbed Alice's hand in an attempt to drag her along as she explained "It's my turn to play the ranger in Rangers and Monsters" Hina explained, "I wanted to be up early like you since you're the best ranger in Rigbarth'' The child was glowing with excitement and admiration. Alice smiled a tad awkwardly "I'm flattered you think so but honestly I'm no better than any of the other rangers at SEED. In fact Scarlett is a much better ranger than I am." Hina frowned and shook her head, her little ears flicking backwards "No way, Scarlett is mean and bossy and doesn't like to have any fun. She would never play with me and Julian like you do. Besides Mommy and Uncle Kumo both agree that you are one of the best things to come to Rigbarth." Alice's heart skipped a beat and she could feel her face turning red. It was one thing to hear praise from Hina, she was a child and everything seemed wonderful in her eyes, but to hear that Misasagi would give her such praise, and Murakumo to?

Alice shook her head to clear her thoughts, not even realizing Hina had dragged her into the general store, still holding her hand tightly. "Alice can we play today?" she asked, looking up at the Earthmate with big pleading eyes. Alice was never one to turn down anyone wanting to coming along with her for the day. "Sure Hina, you can come with me on patrol. You can be an honorary SEED ranger for the day." Alice replied, bending down to pat Hina on the head. Hina cheered and spun in excitement "Yay! I get to be a ranger with Alice! I'm gonna go grab my ranger hat, wait for me okay?''With that, Hina bolted up the stairs to the living space above the shop. Alice heard a soft giggle before a calming voice spoke up "You certainly know how to make my little Hina's day don't you Alice?" Alice looked up at the were-animal shop owner with a smile and a bow. "Good morning Misasagi, I didn't do much, just agreed to let her come along with me for a bit." Misasagi gave a knowing smile, "She adores you Alice, you're almost like family to her you know." Alice rubbed her neck "I'm honored she sees me that way, I do love to spend time with her." After all, if it wasn't for Hina, Alice might never have come to Rigbarth and made the wonderful friends that she had.

Hina came back down the stairs with a pink handmade hat that resembled Alice's. She stopped in front of Alice giving a salute, "SEED ranger Hina, ready to go on patrol." Alice giggled and took Hina's hand, waving at Misasagi as they left "I'll look after her Misasagi." "I know you will." She responded with a smile. "Hina, you listen to Alice and don't stay out too late." "Yes Mommy!" Hina replied as they stepped out the door and continued to patrol. Alice continued her usual route, albeit a little slower than usual with Hina stopping every now and then to pick up a cool rock or to talk to passerby's. Alice didn't mind though, she loved Hina's enthusiasm, it reminded her a lot of Hina's uncle. While Hina was talking to Granny Yuki and Randolph in the bakery while simultaneously snacking on any pastries they gave her, Alice allowed her mind a moment to wander to said uncle.

Murakumo was one of the first people in Rigbarth to welcome Alice when she first arrived, and ever since he had been an amazing friend. He would go out adventuring with her when she had tougher SEED assignments from time to time and they had bonded over some of their near death experiences. Murakumo had even helped her with training when she first started using a battle hammer. Alice would often bring him his favorite food whenever she had the supplies to make it and she always loved seeing the way his eyes lit up and his tail started to slightly wag whenever she gave it to him. Alice once thought that... well that she was developing feelings for him. But she had dismissed those thoughts, even if she did feel that way towards Murakumo, there was no way he would have accepted her feelings. He was a friend and nothing more, they weren't even the same species for gods sake. Besides she and fallen for someone else anyway...

A tap on her shoulder made Alice snap back to reality. "Sorry?" she looked to her side, where Priscilla now stood. "Oh I'm sorry Alice, I hope I didn't startle you." Priscilla spoke softly like she was worried Alice would snap at her. "You just seemed....kind of out of it?" Alice smiled at her friend. Priscilla was the second person she had met when she came to Rigbarth, her and Hina had practically carried her to the SEED Silo when Alice had fallen unconscious at the gate. "I'm okay, thanks Priscilla, just lost in thought." Priscilla smiled at that "That's good." She paused for a second "So, who were you thinking about?" Alice froze, her mind racing to come up with an answer. Should she be honest and just say what she was thinking? "I was um....thinking about....Murakumo." Alice said, awkwardly tugging a strand of hair. Hina's ears perked up at the mention of her uncle's name. "Oh right! We still have to go to Uncle Kumo's Inn!" She clapped her hands excitedly tugging on Alice's arm and she waved goodbye to Yuki and Randolph who merely chuckled at her energy. Alice waved goodbye and followed Hina out the door.

In truth, Alice had sort of been avoiding the inn lately. She had made it the last stop on her route by accident, but she found she was always a little nervous going in now. She couldn’t explain why, she didn’t have any reason to avoid Murakumo, yet every time she had to talk to him her heart pounded in her ears. Even when she was exhausted and just needed the bath she found herself hesitating by the door. Not Hina though as she burst through the door to the inn. "Uncle Kumo!" She shouted as she entered running towards the front desk where the were-animal in question was standing. "Yo Hina!" Murakumo exclaimed, stepping around the desk and picking Hina up with a spin. Hina laughed as he did so, raising her arms out to the side like she was flying. When Murakumo had stilled she continued talking "Look Uncle Kumo! I'm an honorary ranger today with Alice '' she pointed excitedly to her hat. Murakumo chuckled "Well I'll be. I always knew you'd make a great ranger one day." He looked over at Alice who was still standing closer to the door and grinned his big toothy grin "Thanks for looking after Hina today Alice!" Alice smiled and tugged at her hair, "It's nothing really. Glad to have the extra help on patrol." Murakumo's eyes softened before he looked back at Hina and set her down. "Hey how about you two rangers take a quick dip in the baths to relax for a bit? As thanks for all of your hard work today?" Hina cheered "Can we Alice? Please?" Alice rubbed her neck "I mean at least let me pay you Kumo. I'd feel bad just using the baths free of charge." Murakumo shook his head, his tail slightly wagging at the use of his nickname. "Nonsense, I insist. Consider it a thank you for keeping the town safe." Alice sighed, she knew Murakumo enough to know he wasn't gonna let up, so reluctantly she agreed. He smiled as Hina tugged Alice up the stairs to the baths.

After slipping into the bath Alice had to admit, she needed this. While she still felt really bad for not paying Murakumo, the warm water helped to ease her sore muscles and restored her strength from all the walking and farming she had already done. After a good long soak she stepped out of the bath and began to dry off. Hina on the other hand wanted to spend a little longer in the warm water. "Alright, I'll wait outside for you okay Hina?" Alice asked as she dried the tips of her hair that had gotten in the water. "Okay!" Hina said and she sunk back into the water. As Alice stepped out of the women's bath she bumped right into a wall of armor. "Ouch" she mumbled, rubbing her forehead. "Are you alright Alice?" A familiar voice asked. Alice looked up at Reinhard, her face flushing slightly pink in embarassment. "Oh! Reinhard! I'm sorry I didn't see you there" Alice stumbled over her words in a hurry to apologize to the knight, who merely smiled at her. "No need to apologize, I was just about to relax in the baths after a long morning training." Alice nodded and clasped her hands behind her back "Me and Hina were just doing the same, she's an honorary ranger today." Reinhard smiled "She must be having a great time with you. She adores you." Alice felt her face heat up again, she smiled and looked down to hide her face.

"You guys enjoy the bath?" A voice came from behind them. Alice looked up to see Murakumo coming behind Reinhard, his smile looked unusually forced. Reinhard nodded to him "I was about to enter the men's bath and just happened to run into Alice here." Reinhard bowed to Alice "Have a wonderful day Alice." Alice's heart was beating so hard she thought that everyone in the inn could hear it. "You too Reinhard." Murakumo smiled at Reinhard before looking down at Alice. "Yo Alice, Scarlett just came by looking for you, she said Captain Livia wanted to speak with you." Alice nodded, forgetting about his strange smile for the moment "Thanks Murakumo. I'll head over there right away." She paused, "Um, would you tell Hina that I had to run really quick, but I promise I'll be right back?" Murakumo nodded and grinned, "I gotcha Alice don't worry." She smiled and rushed off to the Silo.
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"And that's the gist of it" Captain Livia finished. Alice nodded, taking in all the information she had been given. Rumors had been circulating that a mysterious person had been seen going in and out of the old bandits hideout that Alice had cleared out months ago.That on its own wouldn't be too bad, if it weren't for the weird influx of monsters that had been seen in and around the hideout. That's where it became a bigger issue. Alice was assigned to clear out the hideout again and capture the stranger to determine if they were a threat to the people of Rigbarth.

Captain Livia looked at Alice with her usual nonchalant expression, "This shouldn't be a problem for you to handle. Compared to storming the SEED fortress, the hideout should be a breeze." Alice nodded with a smile, "You can leave it to me Captain Livia." She did a quick bow before turning to head out, before she could leave however she was stopped by the Captain "One more thing Alice, Radea and I have been feeling an odd increase in magic coming from the hideout. I'm sure you'll feel it once you get there." Livia looked at Alice with a serious look, "I advise you to be extra careful while clearing the hideout." Alice nodded and left the Captain's office, heading upstairs to her room.

She started digging into her storage trunk grabbing potions, para-gones, roundoffs and antidotes in case she dealt with any monsters that had status attacks. She then went into her fridge and grabbed some food just in case she needed extra health. Alice also grabbed some toast for Reinhard, she figured she would probably need some help to clear out the hideout and Reinhard had become one of her go to companions when it came to more dangerous missions and she tried to bring him some of his favorite foods as thanks for risking his life. The toast also served as a way to get closer to him in an attempt to tell him the truth about her newfound feelings towards him. As Alice was about to close her fridge she noticed a plate of dumplings, one of Murakumo's favorite foods. She thought for a moment before grabbing them too. It was the least she could do to thank him for the free bath. As she left she grabbed her hammer, the Fatal Crush and stepped outside. "Okay, now to go find Reinhard." Alice walked with a purpose back to the inn, being the last place she had seen Reinhard. Plus she had to give Murakumo his stew.

As she stepped into the inn she was instantly met with Hina who excitedly ran to her. "Do we have a mission?" she asked excitedly. Alice nodded "Yes we do, but I'm afraid it's a bit to dangerous for you to come with me." Hina's ears dropped and she pouted. "But I want to help. Can't I come to?" Alice looked up at Murakumo in a silent plea for help. He nodded and knelt down next to Hina "Hey honorary ranger, if Alice is out on a mission, wouldn't we need another ranger to help watch over the town?" Hina thought for a minute before her eyes lit up and a look of determination appeared on her face. "You're right Uncle Kumo! It's up to me to continue the patrol and keep Rigbarth safe! I can ask Julian if he wants to help too!" And off she went outside the inn with a wave, not waiting for another word. Alice breathed a sigh of relief "Thanks Murakumo, I have such a hard time telling her no." Murakumo chuckled "It's no problem Alice, y'know I got your back." Alice smiled "Oh before I forget" she reached into her bag and pulled out the dumplings. "This is for you, as thanks for the bath." Murakumo's tail started wagging "Seriously? Thanks Alice, and homemade too. You're the best." Alice felt a warm feeling in her stomach, a happiness that she hadn't felt in a minute. 'Focus Alice' she thought 'you have a mission.' "Hey Murakumo have you seen Reinhard? I was gonna ask him for his help on the mission." Murakumo stilled for a moment before his smile returned. "Yeah. I think he was heading to the Lackadaisy." Alice nodded "Thanks I'll head over there." As Alice turned to leave the inn Murakumo suddenly spoke up. "Hey Alice?" She stopped turning back to Murakumo “What's up Kumo?" Murakumo shifted where he stood, almost looking nervous. "If it's alright with you, would ya mind if I came with ya?" Alice blinked, her mind needing a minute to process the request. It had been a while since Murakumo had asked to go on a mission with her, it had been a while since she had asked him for that matter. For some reason she had avoided asking him whenever she had Reinhard around. But she never could turn down anyone asking to come along. So with a smile she nodded "Of course. The more the merrier." Murakumo's face lit up and he smiled wide "Alright! Let me grab my ax, I'll meet you at the Lackadaisy." He ran off into his room to get ready and Alice turned to leave the inn, her heart pounding in her chest. Why was she worried? She could use Murakumo's strength anyway, it would help the mission. So why was there a deep sinking feeling in her chest? She shook her head and focused on the task at hand, she needed to find Reinhard.

Alice did find him inside the Lackadaisy, and after offering him the toast and explaining the mission she was on, he readily agreed. Alice stepped out of the Lackadaisy and, true to his word Murakumo was waiting for them outside. "You guys ready?" Murakumo asked, his ax resting against the wall next to him. Alice nodded "Let's get to the hideout." Alice led the way walking toward the Rigbarth gates, taking a deep breath to focus her mind on the mission at hand. She had a job to do and she was going to make sure it got done.
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Alice brought her hammer down on the head of a Little Wyvern sending it back to the Forest of Beginning. She stopped, resting against her hammer taking in a few deep breaths. The monsters in the cave weren't the strongest she had ever had to deal with but the amount of them was overwhelming. Alice had made a mental note earlier in the hideout that she hadn't seen any gates. Usually there were gates to the Forest of Beginnings all over the place, but she hadn't seen a single one so far. So...where did all these monsters come from? She looked over at Reinhard who was currently dealing with two Palmcats that didn't seem to stay still long enough for him to get a hit in, and then at Murakumo who had found a Buffaloo and was dodging charges before swinging his ax. Alice took another deep breath and picked up her hammer again moving to help take care of the Palmcats.

Reinhard swung his Zwiehander striking one of the Palmcats, knocking it to the ground giving Alice an opportunity to bring her hammer down on it, its body teleporting away in a glowing orb. "You okay?" she asked Reinhard, handing him a recovery potion before turning to the remaining Palmcat. Reinhard nodded as he chugged the potion real fast "Indeed. This is hardly an issue for a knight of my stature." He stepped forward to attack the last Palmcat knocking it into the wall. Alice nodded and checked on Murakumo. He brought his axe down with one final swing, ending the Buffaloo, he released a breath and looked up at Alice, his ears perking up at her, one of his silent ways of asking if she was okay. Alice nodded and tossed him a recovery potion which he gladly chugged. Reinhard met up with the two of them in the center of the room, the last Palmcat having been dealt with. "This is proving to be quite the training session" Murakumo said with a grin. "Indeed" Reinhard nodded. "We're nearing the last room now correct?" They looked to Alice who checked her map. She nodded "The next room is right through there, let's hope our stranger is in there. I want to know where they got all these monsters from." True to what Captain Livia had said, there was a pressure that she hadn't felt since the spell circle that Gideon used in the SEED fortress, it was coming from the room up ahead. Alice felt on edge, every instinct telling her that this wasn’t right, that something wasn’t adding up. Regardless, she had a mission and she was going to see it through.

Alice carefully stepped into the room, checking for gates out of habit before her eyes landed on a hooded figure at the end of the room. "Hold it right there." She ordered, readying her hammer, she could see in her peripherals Reinhard and Murakumo readying themselves beside her. The figure in the room didn't say anything, merely turned and took a step forward. "So, you're the Earthmate then? I expected more." Alice stilled, how did they know she was an Earthmate? As far as she had known the only ones who knew she was an Earthmate was Livia and Radea. She hadn't told anyone else, not even her companions.

"Earthmate?" Reinhard questioned looking at Alice, Murakumo took a quick glance at her before refocusing his attention on the stranger. The stranger laughed "You didn't know? Here I thought it would've been obvious. I mean, haven't you noticed the very earth around us responding to her presence?" Reinhard gripped his long sword "She can farm well. That proves nothing." The stranger tilted their head, "No? How about her physical traits? Is she not stronger than you? Strangely faster than you? Can she not take more punishment on the battlefield than either of you?" Murakumo shook his head with a growl, "It doesn't matter what she is, we came here for you." Alice silently thanked Murakumo for trying to take the eyes off her but she knew the damage had been done. She could feel Reinhard's eyes looking at her, trying to judge if this stranger was telling the truth. She was going to have a lot of questions to answer when they returned to Rigbarth.

"It matters not," the stranger continued, "I have a plan in mind, and you have played your part perfectly." Alice gripped her hammer tighter. "What is that supposed to mean?" "Just stand right there and you'll find out." The stranger said with a wave of their hand. The ground around Alice suddenly began to glow a bright blue light. Before Alice could respond, the circle lit up a pillar of light, the force of the magic lifted Alice off of the ground, leaving her floating in mid-air. "Alice!" Murakumo shouted trying to reach out to her. When his hand touched the pillar of light, sparks flew and he pulled his hand back with a hiss, shaking his hand as if there was something undesirable on it. Alice attempted to use a fire spell to break the pillar, but her magic wasn't responding. "The circle acts as a seal, your magic will be useless." the stranger remarked "It's pointless to try, you're trapped, and now I will be rid of you." The ground beneath Alice opened up, her eyes widened as she felt gravity take hold again as she fell into the portal. Time seemed to slow for a moment as she looked at Murakumo who, with wide eyes, reached out again to try and grab her, but he couldn't. Alice fell into the portal and felt darkness over take her.
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Murakumo couldn't wrap his head around what he was hearing. He didn't think there were anymore Earthmates left, now this stranger was claiming that Alice might be one? She wasn't denying what the stranger was saying but she wasn't confirming it either. The stranger used the brief pause to spring their trap. The spell circle was activated, trapping Alice inside. "Alice!" Murakumo found himself instinctively reaching out to try and grab her, to pull her out of the circle, but touching the pillar of light caused sparks to erupt from it, burning his hand. He shook it with a hiss to relieve the pain a bit. He looked up at Reinhard, who hadn't moved since the circle activated, trying to gauge the proper approach. The stranger had them in a corner, Murakumo knew that. Alice reached out with her hand, then looked at it with confusion. Murakumo barely acknowledged that the stranger was speaking, everything in his body was screaming at him to get Alice, to protect her, to help her but he had no clue how to do it.

Then the portal opened, Alice locked eyes with him as she fell with a yelp. "Alice!" Murakumo tried again to try and reach her, receiving the same shock as before, only he didn't let it deter him this time, instead putting his whole body into the pillar, ignoring the burning pain it caused, trying in vain to get through. But he couldn't get through and before he knew it. Alice fell into the portal and disappeared.

The stranger sighed "And that takes care of that." Murakumo's head shot up and glared at the stranger, before standing. In two strides he reached the stranger and grabbed them by the front of their cloak lifting them up off the ground. He didn’t care about his current burns, didn't care that his body was practically screaming in pain, Simone could patch him up later. Right now he needed Alice. And this stranger was going to give her back. "Murakumo wait!" Reinhard shouted, stepping forward and grabbing Murakumo's arm to stop him, but Murakumo shook him off with a growl "Where did you send her?" The stranger laughed "Even I don't know where the portal leads. That was an ancient spell, the scroll I learned it from did not mention its effects, only that it led to somewhere distant. The Earthmate is gone, for good." Murakumo growled, his pupils narrowing to slits, ready to rip the stranger's throat out when a bright light from behind him caught his attention. The stranger took the moment's distraction and with a wave of their hand, disappeared from his grasp.

Murakumo growled again before turning fully towards the portal, praying that Alice was about to appear from it. Instead of Alice another figure shot out of the portal landing hard on the cave floor. Reinhard and Murakumo rushed to the mysterious figure, Murakumo kneeling next to them. It was a woman, the impact seeming to have knocked her unconscious. She was wearing a blue dress and had two long green ponytails. "Who is this?" Reinhard wondered, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. Murakumo shook his head. "I'm not sure." His eyes carefully scanned the woman looking for any sign of injury, outside of the bump on the noggin before he noticed her abdomen. His stomach dropped "But she needs to see Simone now." He quickly lifted the woman into his arms, being as gentle as he knew how. “Is something wrong with her?” Reinhard asked, confused by the were-animal’s sudden gentleness and concerned by the quickness of his movements. Murakumo didn’t respond. He had been with his sister long enough to know one thing for certain about this mystery woman.

She was very pregnant.

Chapter Text

Frey woke up early, like she normally did, but rather than getting up and starting her day like she normally would, she opted to lay in bed a little longer enjoying the cool early morning air. Turning onto her side, she looked at her still sleeping husband lying next to her.

Dylas normally would wake up at the same time or before Frey would, but ever since they found out Frey was expecting their first child, he would end up staying up late watching over her as she slept. He was worried about something happening to her during the night he would tell her.

Frey smiled and brushed a small strand of his silvery hair out of his face which was slightly wet with sweat, his ear twitching in reaction to her touch and his tail moving a little underneath the blanket. She loved his small unintentional reactions, the little ticks he couldn’t control. Dylas tended to keep his emotions under wraps, for the most part. Anything that would give Frey even a glimpse into what he was feeling she reveled in.

Dylas shifted, his eyes slowly opening. He reached up to grab Frey’s hand which was still resting on his face. “Morning Honey.” He mumbled, stretching his arms and sitting up, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Morning” Frey responded, slowly sitting up with Dylas’ help. “How do you feel?” He asked as he got out of bed and moved to the wardrobe to get dressed in his normal attire. “I feel fine. Just heavy.” She carefully managed to slide to the edge of the bed and stood up. Dylas’ ears flicked towards her as she stood, a way for him to keep watch over her while he had his back turned. As he zipped up his jacket, he moved to the kitchen to start on breakfast. This was their normal routine at this point, ever since they had gotten married Dylas made it a point to make her breakfast and lunch for the day, especially with their little one on the way he wanted to ensure she was getting all the nutrients she needed.

“What’s the plan for today?” Frey asked, slipping into the house shoes that Granny Blossom gifted to her not long after she got pregnant and fixing her long hair into the two long ponytails she usually kept them in. She stepped into the side room where the cooking tables were, Dylas looked up at her from over the counter he was cooking at, “Nothing much, Jone’s wants you to come in for a quick check up, I figured we could go once I finished my shift today.” Frey nodded “Sounds great.” she said sitting down at the table to eat whatever it was that Dylas made today.

Dylas handed her a bowl of milk porridge and a bag with food for her to have at lunch time. “Take it easy today okay? No farm work remember, doctors orders” he reminded her kissing the top of her head, running a hand through her hair. Frey gave an over exaggerated sigh, smiling up at him “I know darling. I promise I won’t do anything strenuous.” Dylas smiled and kissed her hand before giving her a proper kiss on her lips. “I love you. I’ll see you when I get home.” “I love you too. Have a good day.”

Frey sighed as Dylas left, watching his shadow cross the window before she finally stood. She hated sitting still for too long and recently all she’d been doing was sitting down and taking it easy. She understood that she had to, to make sure the baby was healthy and she didn’t do anything that would put it in jeopardy. As she paced back and forth taking bites out of the milk porridge Dylas made, she could feel their little one moving. She smiled “You like milk porridge too huh? Just like your Daddy.” Frey gently rubbed her stomach, just a few more months and the little one would be here. She couldn’t wait to meet them.

Finishing up the milk porridge, she put the bowl away and washed the remaining dishes Dylas didn’t get to before he left. Not her favorite thing to be doing but it was better than sitting around all day. It didn’t take her long to finish the task and she found herself longing to go outside, after debating with herself for a moment she did, stepping out the back door to her field.

A typhoon had come through not too long ago, trashing her field with large rocks and tree stumps. Weeds and grass had started to sprout up and choke out some of the weaker crops. Some of her crops were still growing strong though, the monsters she had befriended had been keeping them watered and harvesting them when they were ready. Really if it hadn’t been for them, nothing would’ve survived this long. Speaking of her monsters, they were already outside, watering the fields when she came out, and they rushed over to greet her. Right now a Wooly, Cluckadoodle and a Buffamoo were doing field chores. Frey made a mental note that she would need to swap them out soon and give them a break.

Frey looked over her field, longing to clean it up and work it. To feel her farm tools in her hands and put her farming skills to use. She could feel the earth calling to her, tempting her to grab a hoe and get to work. She placed a hand gingerly on her stomach, a reminder as to why she couldn’t and with a sigh she said goodbye to her monsters and went back inside. As she did she heard someone calling out her name from the main hall.

“Frey! Frey, come here for a second!” the voice shouted from the main hall of the palace. Frey smiled and quickly moved to the hall, her friend Ventuswill sat waiting in her usual spot in the center of the room. The large dragon was her closest friend, having quite literally fallen onto her when she first arrived in Selphia. Venti had saved Frey plenty of times and Frey had done the same in return. They were about as close as close could be, and Frey was always happy to talk to her. “Venti, what’s going on?” Frey asked, looking up at her friend. Venti lowered her head so she was at eye level with Frey “I saw you outside. Just what were you doing out there? You know you’re supposed to be taking it easy.” Frey groaned “I wasn’t doing anything, I promise. Just needed some air and I figured I would check on my monsters while I was there. That’s all.” Venti frowned. “As an Earthmate you especially need to be careful, the call to work the field could overtake you and put your health at risk” she said matter of factly, as if she hadn't told Frey the same thing several times in the last month.

Frey rolled her eyes “I know that Venti I just…” she crossed her arms hugging herself. “I’m just bored. I hate just sitting around doing nothing, but no one will let me do anything!” The dragon’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden outburst, causing Frey to feel guilt bubbling in her stomach. She pinched the bridge of her nose “I’m sorry Venti I didn’t mean to snap at you I…I don’t even know where that came from.” Venti shrugged “I get it. I mean you’re pregnant and you’ve been cooped up in here for months now, I’m sure you’d like to just get out and do anything at this point. You’re an Earthmate after all, being outside is almost a must for you.” Suddenly Ventuswill’s face lit up “Oh I know! Volkanon mentioned having Clorica run some errands today, maybe you should accompany her. Then you can at least walk around for a bit, socialize and you’ll have someone mostly trustworthy with you in case anything happens!” Venti beamed as if she had solved the world's most difficult puzzle, Frey couldn’t help but smile at her friend. “That sounds like a great idea Venti. I’ll ask Clorica if she minds me accompanying her today.” Venti nodded “Sounds great! Just…take it easy you know, we all can’t wait to meet the new addition to our little town.”
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Frey had found Clorica asleep in the servant quarters, and after shaking her awake she agreed to let Frey come with her today. Frey draped a shawl over her shoulders just to feel a bit more covered as she didn’t want to change out of her comfortable nightdress and followed Clorica out of the main hall, waving goodbye to Venti as she did.

Going outside felt amazing, Frey had gone outside of course, walked around a bit when the weather was nice but she had recently been spending her days resting in her room or being sick from her pregnancy. It couldn’t be helped yet she found herself feeling restless. It probably had something to do with being an Earthmate, being idle just didn’t suit her.

Clorica’s first errand was at the general store, so off they went. Clorica looped her arm through Frey’s as a way to both keep herself awake and to help support Frey if she needed it. Frey was grateful to Clorica, she talked mostly about what had been going on in Selphia recently and about the last few festivals she hadn’t gone to. Apparently Luminata had won the last harvest festival and Doug had won the bean toss. Frey usually competed in the contest’s and festivals and had quickly found that she could win most of them fairly easily, almost unfairly easily, so she did like that being pregnant gave her an excuse to not compete. She normally just watched now but had felt unwell when the last two festivals came around and couldn't bring herself to get out of bed to even watch.

Stepping into the general store, Frey was instantly hit with the smell of fresh produce. It was a smell she greatly missed and she took a second just to breathe it in. “Oh my goodness, is that Frey?” said a voice from behind the counter. Frey smiled and waved at the voice’s owner, “Hello Granny Blossom. How are you?” Granny Blossom smiled and stepped out from behind the counter giving Frey a warm and gentle hug. “I’m doing well my dear, and look at you, you look about ready to pop.” Frey smiled awkwardly, “Yeah, I should be due in just another month or so.”

Frey heard the sound of rushed footsteps and someone tripping over themselves as Doug appeared from the upstairs living space. “Frey?” He called looking at her from across the room before rushing over to tackle her in a big hug. Clorica had to help keep her from falling over “Careful Doug, she’s not as stable as she usually is.” Doug stepped away sheepishly “Sorry, I guess I got so excited to see you I kinda forgot” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s good to see you Doug” Frey said once she had caught her breath again. “I’m just out with Clorica. I need to stretch my legs a bit.” “I’m sure you do Dear.” Blossom said taking Frey’s hand in hers “No one has seen much of you the last few weeks, Dylas must be seriously fussing over you if you haven’t even left the castle much recently.” Frey smiled “He has been worrying over me, but really it was Jones who suggested I stay at home and rest as much as possible.” Doug crossed his arms behind his head “I wish your baby would go ahead and come out already. That way we can all meet them and you can go back to your usual self again.” Granny Blossom tsked “The baby will come when it’s ready, not before not after. It’ll do us no good to try and rush it.” Frey giggled, she had missed Doug’s mannerism and Granny Blossom chastising him. It was a normalcy that she didn’t realize she had gotten used to.

As Clorica finished up her errand, Frey and Doug got to talking. He had brought down a chair for Frey to sit in as they talked “So, how’s the nag been treating the whole pregnancy thing?” Frey smiled “He’s nervous, he stays up most of the night watching over me, I doubt he’s been sleeping much. He doesn’t show it much but he’s excited to be a father.” Her smile softened as she thought about her husband, about his reaction when he learned about the pregnancy and his worries about if he would make a good father or not. “He never thought he would get the chance to start a family. Now he has one and he’s worried about losing it, you know?” Doug just nodded “I get it. He may be a nag in every sense of the word, but he cares about you. He’s gonna be a great dad.” Doug paused and quickly waved his hands in front of him “Wait I mean sure he’ll be an okay dad but, like he’s still a nag and a royal pain. In fact he doesn’t even need to know we had this conversation okay? Can’t have Dylas thinking I actually care about him.”

“Doug cares about Dylas? Look out Frey you might have some competition.” Frey looked behind her, Leon at some point had come into the general store and found his way over to them, a sly smirk on his face and he unfurled his fan in front of his face. Doug stammered as he pointed a finger at Leon “I do not! And don’t even think about spreading that rumor around!” Leon rolled his eyes “Me? Spread a rumor? Why I wouldn’t even dream of doing such a thing.” He glanced down at Frey and gave a quick polite bow “Why if it isn’t Frey. It’s good to see you out and about. It’s been a while.” “It has. I’m just accompanying Clorica on her errands so I can be out for a bit.” Frey responded with a smile. Leon was one of the few people who would come to her room to visit her, usually only because he would already visit the palace to see Ventuswill so he usually made it a point to pop in for a second to say hello, which Frey appreciated.

Clorica returned to Frey’s side with a bag in one arm. “Okay, next we need to go see Bato, he apparently has an order for Mr.Volkanon that he asked us to pick up.” Frey nodded and started to get up before both Doug and Leon insisted on helping her. They carefully lifted Frey out of the chair and onto her feet. Frey thanked them and, arm in arm with Clorica they set out to Bato’s.
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Frey was rather tired by the time Clorica had finished her errand at Bato’s. Frey had originally opted to wait outside on the bench, the forge was way too hot for her and she really didn’t want to overheat. While she was waiting she had a chat with Forte who just happened to be walking by. They had chatted for a bit before Forte remarked that Clorica was taking a long time.

Frey and Forte poked their heads inside to find that Clorica had fallen asleep with the order for Volkanon in her arms. With a sigh, Forte woke her up so Frey didn’t have to go inside and it wasn’t long after that they started back home.

“Sorry Frey, I promise I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Clorica apologized for the fifth time. Frey patted her arm “It’s okay Clorica I promise. It was nice just getting to sit outside for a bit anyway.” Clorica smiled and walked Frey to her door, waving goodbye and she went inside through the main door. Just as Frey turned to go inside she noticed Dylas heading her way. “Honey? What are you doing out here?” He asked slightly worried that something was wrong. She smiled “Clorica let me accompany her while she ran a few errands. Nothing strenuous I promise. Just some walking and socializing for a little bit.” Dylas breathed a sigh of relief “Okay, I’m glad you’re okay.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, taking her hands in his. “Now let’s go see Jones. He just wants to make sure everything is okay with you and the baby.” Frey nodded and let him lead her towards the clinic. Dylas held her hand tightly like he usually did, Frey took comfort in his tight grip. It helped her feel protected, like nothing could hurt her, not that she wasn’t fully capable of protecting herself. She had the sneaking suspicion that Dylas took a special pride in protecting her and she was happy to let him do so.

The walk to the clinic wasn’t a long one and Frey was silently thankful for it. While going out had been just what she needed to cure her restlessness, her feet were definitely paying the price for it. Dylas held the door to the clinic open for her and they were met by Nancy. “Hello you two. here for a checkup?” “Yup” Frey answered, following Nancy to the beds “How have you been Nancy?” The older woman smiled “Can’t complain, Dolce has taken an interest in making medicines recently and Jones was delighted to assist her in the learning process. They’ve been bonding quite a lot recently, and it brings me much joy to see two people I love get along.” Frey smiled as she sat down, Dylas remained standing taking his usual spot next to her crossing his arms. His tail was flicking back and forth, while most people took it as a sign of annoyance Frey had learned that it was actually a nervous tick. She had learned this fairly recently as she noticed he would do it whenever she had any checkups with Jones or whenever she felt particularly unwell. She never told Dylas she knew his ticks, she worried that if she told him he would make a conscious effort to unlearn the behavior, so she kept that knowledge to herself. She reached out and took his hand, giving it a small squeeze signaling that she would be okay. He seemed to relax just a little.

Jones appeared from around the corner and smiled at the couple. “How are you two doing?” he asked before sitting down across from Frey. “We’re doing great, Dr. Jones.” Frey smiled “But to be honest I’m ready for this baby to be out of me.” Jones chuckled “I’m sure you are. Well lucky for you, you appear to be just about two months out. Assuming there are no complications, we should be meeting your little ball of sunshine soon.” Frey glanced up at Dylas who had a smile on his face “They’ll be here soon, we’ll have to start getting the room ready for them.” Frey nodded, smiling at her husband. She loved how excited he was to meet his kid, she couldn’t wait to see him with them, to see him hold their child for the first time and to see the start of their little family.

The checkup with Jones was a quick one. Everything looked normal and Frey and the baby seemed very healthy. Nancy gave Frey some potions for nausea in case she started to feel unwell and after exchanging a few words Frey and Dylas left the clinic. "Just two more months. Two more months and we’ll be parents.” Dylas looked at Frey, his eyes lighting up in excitement. He kissed her, holding her tightly in his arms. “I never thought I’d get to experience this. And now that I am…I’m glad that I get to with you.” Frey smiled and returned his kiss, taking his hands in hers. “I feel the same Darling. We’re starting a family, I never imagined that when I fell on top of Venti all those months ago, that I’d end up settling down and starting a family here in Selphia.” She gripped his hand tighter and smiled. “I’m glad you’re here Dylas.” He returned her smile and turned to head home. “Come on, I know you’re probably exhausted by now.” Frey nodded and as she turned to walk with him she stopped. Something felt off.

“Honey? What’s wrong?” Dylas asked, obvious concern laced in his voice. “Do you feel that? It’s like a weird pressure, I can’t quite describe it.” Frey said, looking around to see where the feeling was coming from. Before Dylas could answer a bright glowing circle appeared under their feet. “The hell…?” Was all Dylas could say before a bright pillar of light shot into the sky, knocking him away with a loud crackle-zap and onto the ground, his hand being ripped away from Frey’s. “Dylas!” she shouted reaching out towards him as the magic lifted her off of the ground. When her hand touched the beam of light sparks flew and she pulled her hand back with a pained yelp. Glancing at her hand she could see some burns, nothing too serious though.

Dolce appeared from inside the clinic, she stared with wide eyes at the scene in front of her before calling for Pico, yelling at her to get Ventuswill quickly. She could faintly hear several people calling her name as a portal opened up underneath her. “Frey!” She looked up at her husband, he had several rather severe burns on his body from the contact from the beam, he was trying to make his way to her but he was being held back by Doug. Frey reached out to him again as she felt gravity take hold again. Frey looked down at the portal as she suddenly fell into it, hearing Dylas scream out her name as she fell.

The last thing Frey felt was the cold hard ground as she landed hard on the other side of the portal, she barely managed to notice the large purple and white figure rushing towards her before she fell unconscious.
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Dylas fought hard against Doug’s grip on him. Normally Doug wouldn’t be able to keep him back, but that beam had sapped most of his strength away, and the pain from the burns was excruciating. “Dude stop! You’re hurt badly there’s no way you can get to her” Doug shouted at him. He didn’t care, that wasn’t just Frey in there, but his unborn child as well and he’d be damned if he let anything happen to either of them.

But it didn’t matter, he watched with wide eyes as his beloved wife fell into the portal beneath her. “Frey!” He screamed as he finally managed to shake Doug off of him. Rushing to the portal, reaching it just a moment too late as Frey fell into the void beneath her. Dylas stood there dumbfounded, the world around him becoming a blur as his mind struggled to wrap around what just happened.

He felt someone touch his arm, snapping him back to the world around him. Dolce was standing next to him, concern filling her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak as the portal opened again. They both turned to the portal, was Frey coming back? Was she okay?

Instead of his wife though, another woman popped out. She had golden hair and a pink hat which fell from her head as she landed on the ground unconscious. Her white and pink uniform was stained with dirt and blood, from where he knew not. Dylas stared at the woman on the ground, as Dolce rushed over to check on her. He felt a burst of wind as Ventiswill landed next to him in her human form, a form she rarely took unless she needed to leave her palace. “What happened?” She asked Dylas, looking at the woman on the ground, “Who is she?” Dylas shook his head, his hands clenched into fists as he struggled to keep his temper in check. “I don’t know. but whoever she is…” He glared at the woman, seeing red “She took Frey from me.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Selphia

The first thing Alice noticed when she slowly regained consciousness was the sound of voices nearby. They weren’t voices that she recognized, and she could barely hear what was being said, just catching bits and pieces. “.....took Frey. I want answers.” “She isn’t…. Ventiswill has said…” “I can’t… she wouldn’t if I…” Alice strained to try and hear more, but as she shifted to sit up she couldn’t stop the pained groan that escaped her. Her heartbeat was pounding in her skull like a Viking Orc with a war drum. She heard the voices stop before a woman's voice told the other to leave.

Alice sat up just as a woman appeared from around the corner smiling at her. “Oh good you’re awake. You were out for a day, we were starting to worry about you.” Alice blinked at the woman, she didn’t know her. The woman had blonde hair pulled into a ponytail with a nurse's cap atop her head and was wearing a long dress with a waist apron. She was clearly a nurse but the clinic in Rigbarth only had Simone and her family working in it, which led Alice to believe she must be in a different town. “My name is Nancy, do you remember your name, or where you’re from?” the woman asked Alice, picking up a nearby clipboard and a pen. “Um,” Alice shifted in the bed and tugged on her hair. “My name is Alice, I live in Rigbarth. I’m a SEED Ranger” Nancy nodded and muttered as she wrote down what Alice told her. “Good, we can cross out any memory loss. Now I must ask, do you know where you are now?” Alice shook her head “No ma’am, last I remember I was on a mission and got caught in a spell circle. Next thing I know I woke up here” Nancy nodded with a smile “Alright, I suppose I should tell you where you are then. You are in the town of Selphia. You appeared here out of a spell circle yesterday evening. You were brought here with a few scrapes and bruises but no burns of any kind.” Alice took in the information with a nod “I see, if I may ask, why specifically burns?” Nancy hesitated as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know if she should, but before she could come to a decision someone new appeared. A little girl with purple hair set in two low hanging ponytails, a pink and purple hat with a little cat face on it. Her outfit was like a little marionette with pink and purple stripes.

The girl looked at Alice then at Nancy. “Venti wants to know if the new patient is okay to move?” Nancy looked at Alice “Do you feel alright? Can you move?” Alice nodded and carefully moved her legs over the side of the bed. Her body felt stiff but other than that she could move fine. She stood from the bed, wobbling a bit as she stood, Nancy stood next to her holding her arm to help keep her stable. Alice took a moment to take in her clothes, she was wearing a pink dress with a lace up front, a small bow tying the ribbon in the front together. She briefly wondered who changed her clothes but shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Nancy smiled and looked at the little girl. “I think she’ll be okay, Pico. Does Ventiswill wish to see her?” Pico nodded with a smile, “If she’s okay then yes. Venti would like a word with her. The other guardians are waiting too.” Alice suddenly felt nervous, she didn’t know who this Ventiswill, or the guardians were but they must have been important.

Nancy looked at Alice, finally acknowledging the younger woman in the room. “Do you think you are okay to meet with them?” Alice nodded “Yes um, I just need a pair of shoes.” Nancy nodded and turned, grabbing Alice’s shoes from a chair in the corner of the room. Alice smiled, “Thanks.” She sat down and pulled on her pink socks and her boots. She was glad for something that was hers, even if it was just a pair of shoes, they were her shoes and that meant a lot in this weird situation she now found herself in.

Once her shoes were on, arm in arm with Nancy, who insisted on making sure Alice could make it to the palace alright, they left the clinic with Pico rushing on ahead, Alice could’ve sworn she was floating with how quickly she was moving. The walk was quiet as Alice took in her surroundings, judging by the leaves and the warm weather it was early spring, odd since it was about mid fall in Rigbarth. It wasn’t too strange though since she knew some caves could be entirely different seasons. The stones around her were off white and gray; there were two different rivers on either side of the bridge they were on as they moved towards the center of the town, towards a large palace in the center of the town. Selphia. Alice thought the name sounded familiar and as she looked around she found that it all rang a bell, like a faint echo in the back of her mind that she had seen or heard of this place before but she couldn’t remember from where.

Nancy stopped outside of the large palace. She smiled at Alice and patted her arm “Just head inside, Ventiswill just wants to talk to you. No need to be nervous, okay?” Alice nodded but the woman’s words did little to settle her nerves. Judging by the conversation she overheard, she doubted her appearance from the spell circle was a welcomed surprise. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. When her eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light they widened in surprise and she gasped softly.

In the center of the room sitting underneath an open skylight was a large dragon. Her scales were a gorgeous shiny green, her wings were covered in orange colored feathers and she had gray feathers around her face and large horns. The dragon looked down at Alice, drawing the attention of the four people standing in front of her. Alice hadn’t noticed them right away, but now that she did she couldn’t help but think ‘What an interesting group.’

One was a were-animal with light blue hair that hung down his back and seemed to blend with the large round headdress he was wearing. he had blue fox ears and a tail that was slowly swaying side to side, he was wearing an open vest revealing his chest and showing off his tan skin, with baggy green pants, a leather belt hanging loosely around his middle. He was holding a peacock feather fan in front of his face which drew attention to his blue face markings and his blue eyes which were watching Alice with interest.

Next to him was a tall elf woman with long pink hair in twin ponytails, a black top hat with an orange ribbon and a bat in the middle on her head. Her dress seemed to be from a different era, it was a few different shades of red with a cream colored piece in the center, with four brass buttons in the center of her torso and on the ends of her sleeves. The skirt of her dress ended just above her ankles leaving enough space to see her tall boots underneath. Alice noticed Pico peeking out from behind the woman's skirt smiling with her tongue out at Alice.

The smallest of the four was a little girl with short green hair with a little purple tie in the front and pink antennae. She was wearing a pink and green dress with a belt that had a large white flower with three little bells in the center and green boots with purple laces. She had a pair of pink and yellow wings that fluttered behind her as she smiled at Alice, seemingly excited at her appearance.

The last man in the group was the tallest of the four, his long silvery hair hung over his shoulders and down his back, his dark ears flicked back and his long tail swishing sharply back and forth almost like a whip. His bushy eyebrows were knitted together, his dark eyes watching Alice with a look that she could only describe as anger. His black shirt had pink and blue accents with a matching pair of pants that had pink belts on his thighs. Alice noticed that he had a scar running across his cheek, her gaze didn’t linger long as his glare made her shift from foot to foot but she did notice he had some bandages underneath his clothes down by his neck and covering his hand. Whoever the man was he clearly found Alice distasteful, a stark contrast to the bubbly little girl next to him.

After what felt like an eternity the dragon spoke, her voice booming through the room “I am Ventiswill, the divine dragon and protector of the town of Selphia. Who are you, and where do you come from?” Alice gulped to steel her nerves and gave a brief bow, a habit she picked up at some point during her patrols of Rigbarth. “My name is Alice, I’m from the little town of Rigbarth. I… I don’t know how I got here.”She took a breath and looked up at the dragon in front of her. She was way bigger than Umbradea or Lumenivia, a fact that made Alice even more nervous than she already was, she had no idea what this dragon was capable of and had no way of knowing if she was kind or more vengeful. Ventiswill lowered her head to inspect Alice. “Rigbarth? I have never heard of such a place, where is it located?” Alice opened her mouth to answer before she stopped, blinking for a moment. “Um…I’m not entirely sure?” Ventiswill tilted her head “You do not know where your hometown is? How can you not know something that simple?” Alice tugged at her hair “I kinda lost my memories from before I wound up at Rigbarth.”

“That can’t be a coincidence” The fox were-animal spoke from behind his fan. “Indeed, it cannot. I wonder…” Ventiswill agreed, raising her head back up, closing her eyes in thought. “What can’t be a coincidence?” Alice asked, hoping that whatever they were talking about wasn’t going to get her into any more trouble than she felt she was already in. “When you appeared here in Selphia, you took someone from here.” The taller man explained his tail flicking up and down as if annoyed by the question. “She also had lost her memory from before she arrived here.” Alice nodded, she remembered Simone saying that conditions like hers were rare but not unheard of, still even she couldn’t deny it was odd that she just happened to swap places with someone else who had amnesia. Alice wondered if that was why they seemed so suspicious of her, the odds of that kind of a switch did seem impossible. Ventiswill seeming to notice Alice’s silence, opened her eyes looked Alice at, almost as if searching her very soul for an answer to a question not yet spoken. Alice felt a soft pressure around her body, a sort of magical tug as if something was probing around her aura. “If I may, do you happen to be an Earthmate?” Alice blinked, the look of surprise being enough of an answer for Ventiswill. “The odds of that happening are so miniscule they should be impossible,” she muttered. “Bordering on impossible” the fox were-animal agreed, a look of intrigue in his as he looked Alice up and down.” Alice hugged her body “I promise I had no idea that I got swapped with anyone when I got here.”

The taller man tsked and looked at Alice “So how did you show up here? Are we expected to just believe that you just happened to appear and replace Frey from the spell circle by accident?” Alice shook her head taking a second to take a mental note of the name the man mentioned “I wish I could explain it better, all I know is that I was sent to investigate some strange going ons in an old bandit hideout and got caught in a spell that brought me here.” Alice hugged her arms tighter “It was my fault, I should’ve paid more attention, it was such an obvious trap and I fell right into it.” Ventiswill tilted her head “And you know not what spell it was, or where it may have taken our friend?” Alice shook her head, the tall man’s tail flicked violently to one side “If you don’t know where it sent her then what good are you?” He stormed past Alice not even bothering to look at her. Alice flinched at his words and his cold attitude as he passed by.

“Please don’t mind him, he lost someone very dear to him when you appeared” The elf woman spoke, her voice was soft and calm yet held no emotion in it. “I imagine he thought you would be able to bring her back. If you cannot, then I suppose there is nothing to be done.” The woman also left with a curt nod to Ventiswill walking past Alice with Pico close behind. “My my, they certainly know how to roll out the welcome mat, now don’t they.” The fox man spoke, closing his fan, a sly smirk on his face. “Didn’t even bother with introductions.” He moved to stand directly in front of Alice, one hand crossed in front of his chest the other arm held his fan to the side. “I am Leon, the Dragon Priest to Ventiswill, the divine dragon of the wind.” Alice blinked at the sudden introduction “It’s nice to meet you Leon” she said, forcing a smile onto her face. Despite the strange circumstance she found herself in, she would do her best to make a good impression. Leon smirked and stepped aside as the little girl suddenly appeared behind him, her wings fluttering so fast they were barely visible. “My name is Amber! It’s nice to meet you!” Amber grabbed Alice’s hand and smiled “I’m so excited to show you around Selphia!” Ventiswill lowered her head next to Alice and Amber. “Amber has graciously agreed to show you around Selphia and help you get settled. Until we can figure out where you are from and how to get Frey back, it is best if you stay here.”

Alice nodded, something had been nagging at the back of her mind during this whole conversation “Um… if I may, who is Frey?” The divine dragon smiled “Frey is the town’s princess, she is also an Earthmate and like you also suffers from amnesia.” Alice couldn’t help but be sort of shocked for multiple reasons, first among them being the existence of another Earthmate, she had been told repeatedly that she was the last Earthmate, only now she learned that there was another one here in Selphia. She also understood now why they might find Alice suspicious.What were the odds of two different Earthmates having amnesia. She wondered if maybe it was a more common trend among Earthmates than previously thought. Amber tugged on Alice’s hand “Come on! I’m gonna show you all over Selphia!”
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Alice appreciated Amber’s enthusiasm, it reminded her of Hina in a way. But it also made the other town folks reactions to Alice’s presence that much more obvious. Most were at the very least cordial, introducing themselves to Alice and showing her around their little shops, but she could tell they found her odd. She supposed she couldn’t really blame them, if they believed her to be the one who took their princess she could understand why they would be erring on the side of caution. She could only hope that she wouldn’t be here too long and they could get their princess back soon.

Amber, true to her word, showed her all over Selphia. She started with the general store, where she was introduced to Granny Blossom, a nice old lady to be sure, but Alice noticed her smile didn't reach her eyes and outside of a brief introduction she didn’t really speak much to her. Alice chose to not even attempt to bother the red haired boy on the opposite side of the store, he had kept his back to her the entire time she was in the store, the message was loud and clear. Amber then moved onto the flower shop where she lived with another elf named Illuminata. Illuminata was an interesting woman to say the least. She was very interested in Alice, trying to deduce where she came from and why she showed up here. She reminded Alice of Cecil, who was also obsessed with solving mysteries.

Amber then showed her the blacksmith where she met Bato the dwarf who, she believed, was supposed to run the place, though he didn’t seem to have much interest in running a business, and the clinic where she was properly introduced to Nancy’s husband Jones, the doctor who had treated Alice’s injuries. She also was properly introduced to Dolce and Pico, the elf woman who had briefly spoken to Alice in the main hall. Apparently Pico was a ghost who was connected to Dolce somehow, the details of the connection were lost on Alice. Dolce’s mannerisms were the same as in the palace, she was quiet and if she felt anything towards Alice, she kept it to herself. Alice didn’t know if she found that relieving or more worrisome. While leaving the clinic Alice was stopped by Nancy who handed her a small basket. “Here, your clothes were dirty when you arrived so I washed them for you. I figured you might like them back.” Alie smiled at the older woman “Thank you!”

Amber walked Alice towards the town’s inn which was run by a mother- daughter duo, Lin Fa and Xiao Pai. Lin fa smiled when they entered “Hello Amber, and who might you be?” Alice bowed briefly “My name is Alice.” “She came out of the spell circle the other day “ Amber chirped her wings buzzing in excitement. Lin Fa frowned “Oh you poor thing, I can’t imagine what it must be like for you, suddenly appearing in a town you don’t know. It must be awfully frightening.” Alice was slightly taken aback by the comment. While not unfriendly most of the people in Slephia so far seemed to believe she had some hand in orchestrating her arrival here, so to have someone show some concern was a nice change. She smiled at the woman “It’s a bit strange, but I think I’ll adjust to Selphia alright. Hopefully we can find out how I got here and figure out how to send me back home.” Xiao Pai looked at Alice curiously “Where are you living till then?” Alice blinked “Um, I’m not sure, I don’t suppose you happen to have a spare room I can rent out for a minute?” Lin Fa nodded “Oh yes we have one upstairs. Please stay as long as you need to.” Alice let out a sigh of relief “Thank you very much. I don’t have much on me, but maybe I can help out at the inn to help cover my stay?” Lin Fa held up a hand and shook her head “We can always discuss the matter of any payment later, I’m sure you’re hungry. Amber and Xiao Pai can show you to Procoline’s. I’ll bet he has a five star meal already prepared for you.”

Alice was about to argue when her stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly, her face flushed in embarrassment as Amber giggled. “Come on! We can go eat together at the restaurant!” “Allow me to coming with you,” Xiao Pai said, grabbing Alice by the arm. “Xiao Pai, it’s “Allow me to come with you” Amber corrected with a proud smil, Alice wondered if Xiao Pai’s slightly broken grammar was a normal occurrence or not.

With a tug, Xiao Pai led Alice towards the restaurant, Amber following on the other side. Xiao Pai briefly explained that she and her mom were from the east and that learning the language around Selphia had proven difficult for her, hence why her sentences could be slightly off. Alice briefly made a note of that, she would have to remember to help her out if she spoke to Xiao Pai often. Alice was thankfully to Amber and Xiao Pai, at the very least they seemed to be more interested in Alice rather than the strange circumstances that brought her here. Amber hummed excitedly as they stopped outside of the restaurant “The food here is really really yummy Alice!” She fluttered in excitement “You’ll really like it, the honey and the fruits all come from Frey’s farm, so they’re always nice and fresh and super duper yummy!” “Frey has a farm huh?” Alice thought aloud. She wondered if she would be allowed to see it. If Frey truly was an Earthmate like Alice then she wondered if she could take notes from her, if Frey farmed differently or used any techniques that might have been unknown to Alice. Alice found herself hoping that she could meet Frey one day, it was nice knowing she wasn’t the last Earthmate after all.

Inside the restaurant Alice was immediately met with a bombardment of different smells, all of them making her mouth water. There was soft music coming from a piano in the middle of the room, a beautiful melody and made Alice feel welcomed and at home. As Xiao Pai and Amber made their way to a long table in the middle of the room Alice began to recognize the melody being played, though it was off, she had definitely heard it before. As she started to follow amber and Xiao Pai towards the table she looked over at the piano to see if she could spot who was playing.

A beautiful elf was playing the piano, her long blonde hair hanging past her shoulders, blue flowers adorning the front and sides, her outfit was mostly blue with long white boots up to her thighs and brown under clothes. As she finished her song she smiled and stood up from the piano. Alice couldn’t believe her eyes as she hurried towards the elf she recognized, she would often visit Rigbarth and stay at the inn, she had even gone with Alice on a few adventures and sang her songs in the great tree plaza. “Margaret?” Alice called, grabbing the attention of the elf woman, who turned to look at her. “Yes that’s me” she spoke to Alice with a smile. Alice felt relief wash over her, if Margaret was her, then she could show her how to get home, and this whole strange situation would be over. “Margaret, you have no idea how happy I am to see you! I really could use your help.” Alice said, clasping her hands in front of her as she smiled. The elf woman returned her smile, “I’m flattered but, who are you?”

Alice felt her stomach drop “It’s me Alice. Remember we met in Rigbarth? We’ve been on at least two different adventures together.” Margaret put a finger to her chin as she thought for a moment. “I’m truly sorry, but I don’t remember a place called Rigbarth, I haven’t left Selphia in many years. I’m afraid you must have confused me for someone else.”

Alice felt as though her whole world just came crashing down around her, as she looked to the woman in front of her, all she could say in response was “What?”