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1- Korra
Korra knew the kid for a long time after... After the Queen left the kingdom. She may have been "happy" on certain occasions, but in the end, she was still a lonely child, often putting up a certain facade, which she rarely dropped because of her father, the king's, expectations.
She may not have shown it, but ever since Simon came into her life, she felt quite glad she found company in her rather isolated life. In fact, she tends to notice that the Princess, Celeste, often drops her facade around him.
It was only after a certain mission where they dealt with a strong, invasive monster that she finally noticed the signs.
The Princess was fine, but during the mission, she nearly got injured. Luckily, there were no casualties. Simon told her to be more careful, clearly worried, while the Princess tried to assure him in any way possible that she wouldn't be reckless like that again. Which, so far, in the past weeks, she hasn't done ANYTHING reckless.
But recalling how those two often "looked" at each other gave off a sense of nostalgia for her; it was filled with familiarity.
And that's when it clicked in.
The Princess was in love with her best friend, no less, somehow not surprising, seeing how close they were. And observing Simon's behavior, he too felt the same.
This changed the way Korra saw their relationship, often noticing the two monsties pushing them sometimes, almost as if they were trying to let them admit their feelings.
For now, Korra wouldn't say anything; she would wait to see how the two would deal with their own feelings.
2- Gaul
Honestly, the Princess could be confusing on several occasions. Not many were close to her, for obvious reasons. On some occasions, she puts up a serious face; on other occasions, mostly when nobles, members of the council, her father, well, ANYONE who's important are not around, she acts slightly more energetic.
But on a specific occasion, she'd often act a bit differently around fellow Ranger Simon, who was also her best friend.
Well, "best friend" in whatever truth it was, Gaul doubted she even saw him as a friend because of her "lovey-dovey eyes". He doesn't know how long ago it was, but she had fallen for her best friend at one point.
And when he asked her about her feelings for him...
"What...?" That was all Princess Celeste had said. And she was clearly confused.
And that's when things clicked in. The Princess did not only HAVE feelings for him, but she was completely unaware of her own feelings! Simon clearly also liked her, but she appeared to be blind to that as well.
From that day on, Gaul would often groan every time the two danced around their feelings, unaware of the other's feelings.
It was really annoying and enduring to witness.
3- Ogden
Ogden has been a Ranger for a long while; he was even there when the Princess first became a Rider, especially after her very first mission.
She was always a strange one to him. Often, she was quiet around the nobles or her father, but was always fascinated whenever she saw an egg quartz.
So when he first saw her and Simon's first mission, they got to do together, she seemed more excited. Even happier than usual. Of course, he knew the two were best friends for a long while, but he often wondered why she opened up more to him than they were friends.
It was only after he wondered out loud while the two were away during a mission that Korra and Gaul told him.
"Oh, you don't know? Those two have liked each other for quite a long time." Korra reveals.
"Yeah," Gaul confirms as well. "It's almost annoying how oblivious those two are..."
This was the most surprising thing the old guy had learned that day. Still, did those seriously not know their feelings?
...
A few days later, he realized what Gaul meant. They seriously don't know of the other's feelings. Somehow...
No matter how much he tried to get them to admit it, they always somehow denied it or did not notice it.
This old grampa was a bit tired of trying to help them admit it. He'd hope the two would realize one day...
4- Thea
Thea always admired the Rangers, especially the Princess, the sole Rathalos Rider. So you can imagine how surprised she was when she found out she and her best friend were not a thing because they clearly LIKED each other, so how did they not know that?!
"You and Mr. Simon aren't together?" Thea innocently asks.
"Huh? No, we're just friends." The Princess tries to explain.
This was how she found out they never got together...
"Do you like the Princess?" She tries asking Simon about it, too.
"H-huh? No! Of course not!"
So she found out that the two never even knew about each other's feelings. What was this? A slow-burn romance!?
"Welcome to the party..." Gaul says sarcastically.
5- Eleanor
Eleanor just joined the group, but the signs were as clear as day. She knew the princess hardly dropped her serious facade; she did something similar too. So she knew the Princess had a crush on her best friend Simon, obviously.
She often teased the Princess nonstop whenever Simon wasn't around.
"No, it's not like that!"
"You blushing around him says otherwise."
She never found the time to interact with Simon and tease him, but she'd hope she'd get to admit her feelings to him soon. But she understood why she couldn't act her feelings. Royalty and nobles usually never got to choose who to love...
"Just letting you know though..."
"Huh?"
"If you admit your feelings too late, sometimes, you likely regret it later in the future,"
A warning not only applied to the Princess, but to anyone as well...
6- Rudy
He was the last to find out. How did he feel? Conflicted.
On one hand, he was glad the Princess was able to find someone in her life, but on the other hand, Simon was a commoner and an orphan. Not a noble. Would her father, the king, even approve of it?
She always denied it, denied her own feelings, but it was there, clear as day. He could tell Simon liked her, too.
So he often wondered why those two couldn't even act on her feelings... For the first time, the Royal feline assigned for the princess was conflicted. Should... Should she follow what she wants? Or should she follow through with her royal duties?
Was there even... a right answer in this situation? What should he do? Should he tell the king or not?
What if it ended up like the Princess's parents?
But in the end, Rudy couldn't bring himself to tell the king about it, so in the end, he would watch the two oblivious of the other's feelings...
...
+ 7, Simon and Celeste
Simon immediately knew something had happened when Celeste came to report back to the king. He was obviously worried about her and came to check on her.
He followed her back to the stables, clearly worried and concerned for Ratha. He immediately knew it had something to do with Ratha...
"I wish I could tell you it was going to be ok..."
Celeste didn't blame Simon for saying that; he didn't know what was going on (to her knowledge), but she appreciated him not making any empty promises that everything was going to be okay...
"Ratha's not some... tool of war!" Simon knew she was frustrated. He had gotten his answer. They were preparing Celeste and Ratha in case of war. He knew how much she hated that idea, but he couldn't say anything to comfort her. No, he didn't have anything to say to comfort her...
"Years ago," The princess says, with a heavy heart. "Mother returned home carrying a crystallized egg. And inside that egg were two living Rathalos. I remember how happy I was when I heard two newborn cries- so small, yet so full of life." A memory flashed in her mind. It was the day when she was still innocent and naive of the cruel reality awaiting the twin Rathalos... Back when she was still a chipper child... "Mother took one of them with her and fled the kingdom. As long as I live, I'll never forget that day."
She didn't know why, but something made her finally tell him the full story about what had happened years ago... It was a private memory, a personal memory. Something not just anyone but her father knew about...
Simon had gotten a good grasp of Celeste's life before she met him... Despite getting the privilege to ride a special Rathalos, despite appearing fine on many occasions, she clearly wasn't. She was likely trying to distract herself from what had happened to her mom, whom she had been so close to before.
He didn't understand why he was the first to learn something so... private and... personal, from the princess, no less, who was his best friend... He did see her as a best friend, right? So why did it make him feel all strange and tingly that he appreciated her for opening up to him and trusting him?
Celeste couldn't properly grasp why she had always trusted Simon. Sure, they were friends, and their meeting years ago helped her feel less lonely and helped her feel happier again. But why did it always feel right to open up to him and talk about her personal struggles to him?
In that moment, they finally understood it. Their companions were right all along.
They wouldn't admit it now, not yet, now was not yet the time, considering the stakes, but...
Once they properly processed their feelings, they could tell each other how much they cared and loved the other...
The End...?