A Series of Rune Factory 4 One-shots

To Love (Arthur x Frey)

Arthur wondered when he first fell for Frey. He knew he'd always thought she was cute from the moment they first met. He had sensed her capabilities before they'd even shared a full conversation. He had trusted her; he wouldn't have let her take his position otherwise, right? From the first moment he laid eyes on her, surely there had been some kind of connection.

Perhaps it had been love at first sight then. 

"Arthur?" 

He smiled down at her. She was practically hanging over the edge of the observatory's railing, her small hands draped over the telescope in front of her.

"Yes?"

"You seemed deep in thought," she said.

"I was thinking about you." 

He combed his fingers through one of her long mint green ponytails as her face flushed slightly red. Her lips curved into a small smile that lifted his spirits.

They'd only started dating recently, but they'd gone on so many dates since she had first confessed to him that it felt like they'd been together forever. He loved spending time with her. He loved her. 

"What were you thinking about?" he asked, and she turned her gaze towards the horizon.

"Traveling," she replied after a bit of thought. "I was wondering what it would be like to see all these places in person. After all, I've never left this area... Well, as far as I can remember." 

She laughed a little, but she was still looking longingly out into the distance. Arthur took her hand in his.

"Why don't we travel then? We could take the airship and just see the world..."

Frey shook her head.

"I can't leave Selphia. There are so many things to do here... Somebody has to watch over everything."

"But we could just delegate to someone. We'd only have to be gone for a short while--"

"I have to be responsible and do my job," Frey said firmly. 

She pulled Arthur's hands over her heart and smiled softly.

"It's the responsibility you gave me," she said, "and I want to live up to it. Besides, what would someone like me possibly do out there?"

"Someone like you?"

Frey dropped Arthur's hands and turned back to the railing, running her hand back and forth across the top of the telescope. She leaned on the railing and closed her eyes.

"I don't know what the world is like outside Selphia. Out there, the old me might have been some kind of criminal."

"I sincerely doubt--"

"Or maybe there's someone I was with in the past that wasn't you. That wouldn't be good for anyone, right?"

Arthur pressed his lips into a firm line. Frey was purposely keeping her voice light, forcing a small smile so that he wouldn't worry. Of course, he knew by now whenever she was faking her usual cheerfulness; after so many days of observing and admiring her, he had grown accustomed to the subtle changes in her mood. He recognized the way her tone seemed a little forced, and he could see that her smile didnt quite reach her eyes.

But he didn't know what to say to fix it.

He loved her, yes. He knew that. But he still wasn't sure what the best way to act upon that love was yet.

"Anyway," Frey continued, "these places are like paintings! You don't jump into a painting; you admire it from afar. Right?"

"...Right."