Frey

When Vienna turned six, a gem from the 'parade of the obtuse' appeared.

Frey Rhodon.

He was the sweetest cinnamon roll Vienna had ever met.

The sweet side of his personality she saw during the time he tutored her.

He was humble but not self-deprecating, and he was eager to learn. He encouraged her to talk about things she'd learned before. He would watch with a smile as she shared everything she'd learned. They would have discussions of the things she read about in the library in the Stronghold.

It was a little less than two months after Frey had arrived, Vienna found Frey closing their books with a long sigh.

He turned to her with a wilting grin, like a flower that turned itself up towards the sun but ended up with its petals inward.

"It seems there is no more I can teach you."

"Sure there is..." Vienna searched his features. Her stomach tightened, and she clenched her small hands in her lap. "We could have educational discussions. Education isn't just about reading books and writing assignments."

Frey shook his head, a small breath of air escaping him as he let out a small huff of laughter. His peach-colored hair sparkled as a small fragment of sunlight came from the library window.

"Well then, Miss Vienna, what would you like to talk about?"

They went on a walk beside the fields of the hamlet when Vienna asked for something that had been on her mind for some time.

"When I visited the Stronghold, I met Prime Minister Roark."

Vienna walked along the pathway that many farmers had trodden, walking back and forth between their fields.

"I sensed he had lived a long life, but he seemed..." She let out a breath as she remembered the bright azure eyes of Tarin Roark, so wise and sad.

Frey paused beneath one of the trees that dotted the borders of the farmland. His gaze upon the cool terra.

"It is no surprise that such a great Ôkren like Roark is so private with his feelings. He must be very lonely away from his tribe, from the stories I've heard. It no longer exists."

Vienna gazed up into Frey's eyes, which seemed to be far off. He glanced down, meeting her gaze, his face that was usually so bright and cheery solemn for the moment. He knelt on the terra and held a clump of it in his hand, letting the dark grains sift through his fingers.

"The Ôkren have always been a social race. We do not like being on our own. Our communities, and our families, are tight-knit. Each with their own traditions that they pass down on through the generations."

Vienna knelt upon the damp earth, her hands sinking into it. She glanced to the side at Frey and wondered what he felt. She closed her eyes and smiled. There was something so peaceful about sitting still amongst nature. She'd feel the most beautiful sense of serenity when she would sit with her father beneath their trees.

As if all her worries were for naught.

Frey's voice spoke up once more, no more than a whisper, "We feel close to the components of Terra. Some of us, like myself, can feel a kinship even to the core of this place."

"What's it like?" Vienna opened her brown eyes and gazed across the fields.

"The Ôkren have said it feels different for each individual. I've always felt..."

Vienna could feel her tutor glancing her way, and she could see his gentle smile even before she turned her head.

"It's always felt like home to me. No matter where I go, I can always feel at home if there is terra beneath my feet."

Those walks were some of Vienna's happiest moments as Frey told her of his travels.

****

On one such day, when the noon warmth soaked into their bones, Frey and Vienna had a picnic outside. Vienna made a couple of small discoveries.

Ezzie had set the table with biscuits and tea, her hand moving her long braid over her shoulder.

Frey's eyes were wide and dazed as if enraptured by every movement Ezzie made as she set out the mid-day snacks.

"Thank you, Mi'l.." He stuttered as Ezzie hummed in return before turning her back to walk back to the house.

Vienna watched over the rim of her teacup as Frey's eyes didn't stray from Ezzie's back even as she walked back up the pathway to the manor.

As the front door shut, the sound seemed to wake Frey from his stupor and he cleared his throat.

"Where were we?" Frey's tan cheeks darkened at the apples of them as he heard the giggle of Vienna muffled by her teacup, "Ah, I know the debut."

"Isn't it a coming-of-age ball for any heirs in the provinces?" Vienna looked into her teacup.

Her lips tilted downwards as she gazed into the tea's reflection of herself. Her mind drifted to the inciting incident in the 'game'. The debut ball was where the story began, where Adeena Nesrin first caught sight of her targets.

A soft slurping sound came from Frey.

Vienna placed her handmade teacup back in its saucer with a gentle clack.

Frey spoke up, "The debut happens every year. It includes a week of activities for the people who have traveled from around the province. It's the chance the people have to showcase their ideas for the current ruling pair. It is their chance to inform the public of their ideas that could benefit all."

Vienna looked up at her friend. Her dainty brows furrowed as she looked into his peach blossom eyes that were the same color as his hair that day.

"It's not a debut for the youth, then?"

Pop's voice came from behind them. His quiet steps sounded as he walked up to the small natural platform that held their eating area.

"When the prince reaches twenty-two, the debut ball will have another meaning. Sev has decided to give him time to go to the Academy and learn a trade. He will then decide to whether he wishes to be a candidate for king and begin his search for his future queen."

Vienna glanced over at Frey to find his lips twitching. He never seemed to get used to the nicknames her father, and she had for the king and queen.

Her father sat down in one of the spare chairs around the round wood table. His gaze drifted up. The bows of the four trees that encircled the space created a natural canopy above their heads.

His russet fingers caressed a nearby leaf that stuck out stubbornly from the rest on its own tiny branch. "I imagine many will gather from all over the province when the time comes."

"I have heard that other provinces have had their own debut balls as well. In fact, the Cheria province has already elected a new queen due to their event this last year."

Frey took a sip of his own tea, the corner of his lips tilted up. He hummed into his cup. He looked over at the house, his features grew dazed. His mind was upon the tall lady with a serious gaze and long, dark locks.

Pop and Vienna shared a knowing look.

Vienna picked up a small biscuit from her plate and then spread a thin veil of honeyberry jam.

The 'game', she had known from her other life, was an otome dating sim. It had all three capture targets introduced at the kingdom's grand debut ball. The player, who always played a customizable Adeena, had to draw the attention of one of the varied personalities. The prince, the assassin, and the mage; each route had its own good ending and bad ending.

As Vienna took a bite of her biscuit, she closed her eyes. The biscuit just melted in her mouth and was perfectly paired with the sweet tanginess of the jam. Her eyes opened, and she found herself gazing into her teacup once more. Her lips trembled as she thought of Vienna Thorne's ending in each route of the 'game'.

She shook her head and forced herself to think about the topic at hand. Unlike the 'game', the debut was far more important in the world she was living in. It could foretell the outcome of a whole province's new ruling party.

"... with your daughter's intelligence and kindness. I have no doubt she would make a brilliant queen for our province."

The commentary brought Vienna out of her haze. She glanced toward Frey.

She whipped her head toward her father when he spoke in a sudden, gruff voice.

"No Thorne will ever sit on a throne."

A wave of fear like nothing she'd ever felt before ran through her being. Vienna looked up to find her father rigid, his eyes wild and clouded. With a well-known look in his eyes, he was far away from his past.

Frey reached across her to touch her father's shoulder, but she pushed it aside and shook her head.

Light rose eyes peered back at her, matching eyebrows furrowed against his tan forehead.

Vienna leaned toward Frey, her voice soft, "He'll come back soon."

Her father would be back once the fear and the memories that haunted him faded away again.