Fall leaves were beginning to drop rapidly from the branches of trees that lined the edges of the city, signalling to all the changing of the seasons without question. As the last few months of Autumn counted down, all of the townspeople knew better than to pester Frey as she was their resident farmer and Princess. With the disappearance of Lady Ventuswill and Arthur's preoccupation with matters of trade and inter-kingdom relations the majority of work in town fell on to the shoulders of the young woman despite her personal responsibilities to her crop. As the end of season approached Frey could only be found on one of her fields tending the crops for harvest or sifting through documents in the main room of the castle.

Vishnal admired her hardworking can-do attitude and envied the sense of ease that she seemed to radiate even when she was stressed. He missed having the opportunity to speak with her at any hour of the day, but he understood as a butler that her duties must come before her leisure. . . that didn't mean he didn't miss her though. She was always running about in the last few days of the month, and while he knew he need only give her a few days time he found it difficult to leave her alone. Instead, he vowed that he would do everything in his power to make her life easier.

The young Princess was sort of a perfectionist in the first place, and would not even think to ask for help in the second, so Vishnal began to wrack his brain to think of ways he could help. Perhaps he could cook her a hearty meal and bring it to her so she didn't have to leave her work? Scratch that. That was definitely not something he could do by himself and he worried about presenting the hardworking young woman with something disgusting and causing her more trouble than he would help. He didn't think she would appreciate him doing her laundry, though he briefly entertained the thought of her flushed face as she stammered about the invasion of privacy before dismissing it. For the life of him, he simply could not come up with anything he could do for the capable young woman without causing the dear girl more work to do through his actions.

"What do you think?" he asked Clorica one morning. They were waiting for Volkanon to come back from tending to some business in his office. Vishnal had just finished explaining his predicament after returning from waking the princess up at her strict 6AM deadline. She had thanked him, kissed his cheek, and launched right out the door to get her morning chores out of the way. He was feeling even more helplessly desperate than before to help her.

"Mm," the sleepy girl hummed pensively, for once her brow furrowed in concentration. "Have you tried asking her what would be helpful?"

"No!" Vishnal replied quickly. "I want to surprise her. I don't want her to have to ask, I just want to be there for her. . ." Clorica sighed but smiled knowingly. She, as well as everyone else in town aside from the young woman herself, was painfully aware of Vishnal's schoolboy crush on the amnesiac princess and it was plain to see that he would do just about anything to please her so long as he didn't actually have to confess.

In the end, she proved not to be terribly helpful to Vishnal's endeavours. Despite his protests she simply continued insisting that he ask Frey what he could do to ease her workload and that his gesture didn't lose any profound meaning simply because he had asked. But a butler wasn't supposed to have to ask, not one that was any good anyways. Volkanon came and went, but Vishnal found that he'd missed half the meeting anyways with his mind so focused on Frey anyways.

Altogether it was a rather uneventful day. Vishnal busied himself by cleaning Lady Ventuswill's chambers, despite the fact that they were presently unoccupied, though he'd never admit that it was because he could get a good view of Frey in her fields from the large window that surrounded the entrance. A few times he stepped outside, offering her lemonade or sandwiches or something similar, but she always declined with a smile and shooed him off.

"Are you sure? Just because it's getting colder doesn't mean you don't have to stay hydrated!" he insisted. She shook her head, long pigtails swirling around her.

"Really, I'm okay," she chirped back, "I've just got to finish this one last thing and then I think I'm finished for today anyways." She stood straight and propped herself up on the handle of her tool to grin toothily at the other. "I'll be inside in a while to eat something, I promise. You go on." He couldn't really argue with that, he supposed. So he left her be and stopped hovering for the time being. He had neglected quite a few duties that morning and would have to tend to them presently.

"Frey!"

The false princess turned around at the sound of her name and grinned when Doug waved an arm over his head enthusiastically at her. She greeted him in kind and ran to open the far gate for him to enter the fields.

"You'll have to walk while we talk," said Frey, "I've just promised I'd be finished soon so I definitely can't stop."

Doug looked pleased. "You're almost done, that's great! I was just talking to Leon and he mentioned that he was pretty bored today. I am too, you know. It's my day off so Granny shooed me out of the shop, something about hovering too much over her lately, I don't know, whatever," Frey chuckled as the dwarf began to ramble, and pressed a palm against his back to make his walk with her as he did so. "Anyways! I thought if you were almost done then we could all go check out across that bridge that Volkanon just repaired for you, get some adventuring in before the day is through!"

Craving some adventure herself, Frey replied with enthusiasm tenfold. "You bet! I just have to water the far field here and grab a bite to eat. Then we can definitely head out!" Doug grinned back.

"Hey, let me help you out then," he insisted, plucking the watering can from her grip and plunging it into the cold water to fill it. "I'll take care of the last of this, you go grab a bite, and I'll run get Leon when I'm finished here."

Reluctant but brimming with the anticipation of their spontaneous trip, Frey relented. Thanking him profusely she took off at a run towards the castle, barrelling into the far room of her half of the castle and digging through the fridge for something simple.

Vishnal, who the princess had bolted past in her dash for the refrigerator, followed behind her by a few steps. "My my, so you were hungry after all, hm?" he teased. Frey glanced up at him from her knife that easily slid through the skin of a tomato on the counter.

"Not really, but I promised you didn't I?" she said, toothy grin in place once again. "I always keep my promises. Doug was just helping me finish up in the field and then we're going to head out for a bit of adventuring!" Vishnal froze at that. "It's been so long since I've had an extra minute to leave town, this will be so great. It was very nice of Doug to offer," Frey concluded, pressing two slices of bread around the ingredients she had prepared and taking a bite.

"O-Oh, Doug is here? When did he arrive?" Vishnal asked.

The princess answered around a mouthful of sandwich. "Just after you left, actually. Hey, grab some of this, I bet you haven't eaten yet either."

So Doug had arrived just after he did and asked if Frey needed a hand with anything, just like that? She must have been so grateful. What an idiot he was, wanting to surprise her. It was selfish of his, he realized with a sense of dread. She wouldn't have cared if he'd helped her to her face or not, she wouldn't have thought any less of his actions for asking what she needed done. What did it matter what she thought of him, anyways? He was a butler, he was supposed to serve her because that's just what butlers did. He just wanted to be a hero, and it came at the cost of sure not creating more work for her to do, but not even helping her and leaving that same workload for her anyways.

"No," he stammered back finally after a pregnant pause. "No, I've eaten. I couldn't. You should have let me fix that for you anyways." Frey looked at him strangely.

"I can put together a sandwich myself, Vishnal."

"Of course," he replied, "but you shouldn't have to. That's my job, after all."

She laughed at that, a lovely little sound, and he berated himself for enjoying the musical lilt in it so much. "Your job isn't to wait on me hand-and-foot, Vishnal. It's okay, I can handle it."

His brows furrowed at that. "So Doug can help you but I can't?"

"What? No, I didn't say that at all, Vishnal. Don't be stupid, what's the matter? What's Doug got to do with anything anyways?" She seemed to be getting frustrated. Her wide eyes regarded him in confusion and as Vishnal opened his mouth to apologize for being so foolish, because he knew he certainly was picking a fight about nothing, he found that no sound came out.

"It's my job," he stammered stupidly.

"It's no one's job to take care of me. Not Doug's, not yours, not anyone's," she snapped at that. She picked up the remaining half of her sandwich, the piece she had offered to him, and wrapped it in a translucent wax paper before tucking it into her satchel. Doug and Leon appeared in the kitchen doorway just then, looking jazzed as ever to be heading out. "I'll be back later," Frey murmured to him as she walked by, her troubled expression morphing into a pleasant smile as she approached her companions. "Don't wait up."

Vishnal stepped aside and allowed her to pass him, watching her as she glanced back at him before turning the corner and heading out the front door of her room. Her two party members hovered close on her heels, choosing not to question heavy atmosphere. Vishnal couldn't remember feeling more envious of anyone than he had at that moment.

She had told him not to wait for her return, but naturally he couldn't help himself. He tried to keep busy so it didn't look like he was waiting for her return, but it was utterly apparent to anyone who tried to speak with him that his mind was elsewhere. Clorica asked him to water the potted plants in the main room of the castle and he dumped the entire pitcher in one. Volkanon asked him to run to the store and pick up some rice for dinner, and he came back with three bags of flour and four apples in tow. He was very apologetic of course, but they had both overheard the disagreement between the two young people and so they cut him some slack and didn't say anything.

The castle was quiet as he waited for Frey to return. Eerily quiet, he decided, and so he moved out into the courtyard to sweep some of the falling leaves from the paths and rake them into neat little piles so he wouldn't have quite so much to do in the morning.

Eventually he thought to glance at the pocket watch tucked in his waistcoat. The hours had begun to stack, and he noticed with dread that the sun was beginning to set. Where were they? She had suggested that she would be late, obviously, but she was usually back for dinner every night even when she intended to be out late.

Vishnal swallowed hard. She would be furious if he went to get her, so what could he do but wait? If she was still upset with him it made sense that she'd stay out later anyways.

By the time the sun was down and dark had settled and the princess was still absent he was beginning to really worry. She was an early-sleeper-early-riser, and he would know. It was long after when she would retire now, and neither her nor her party had come back. He threw on his coat and headed outside to peer around the gates. Perhaps they were just returning? His efforts proved fruitless, the adventurers were no where in sight. Well, maybe he'd missed them? He strolled as casually as he could manage towards the General Store and asked Blossom if she had seen the young dwarf. She smiled kindly and said he had gone off for the afternoon. Vishnal was shocked to find that she didn't seem overly concerned and tried to mimic her calmness.

"So he didn't mention what time he'd be back then?" asked Vishnal one more time, closing his coat and approaching the door. Blossom confirmed. "Well alright. Thank you anyways. Have a pleasant evening, then."

Failing to find them in the store, Vishnal supposed perhaps they had gone to the bath house to relax after all of their hard work. He momentarily bristled at the thought before charging to the other side of town, less calm but trying to maintain a brisk smile as he moved through the evening crowds. Lin Fa greeted him cheerfully but denied ever seeing the small group come through the doors. For good measure he peered into the men's bath and saw no one but Porcoline, so he moved on.

Returning to the empty castle, he waited.

"Perhaps you should go to bed," Volkanon said gruffly from behind him. He jumped.

"I-I-I am sorry, no, I was just –"

"She'll be back by morning, I'm sure," he insisted, "and you'll have to be up early to get her ready to get to work. You need to rest." He patted his shoulder and continued to the door of the butler's chambers. Vishnal reluctantly drew away from his perch against the window and followed.

Even after having returned to his own bedroom, Vishnal did not sleep.

After hours of watching the clock, 3AM finally clocked in. He could hear the sound of the grandfather clock in the hallway chiming off the time and forced his legs to stay flat against the bed instead of launching off to check Frey's room again. Naturally, he failed. He padded across the castle carefully so as not to wake the other residents and found her room still vacant. Disappointment filled his gut along with guilt. She had been so upset with him earlier, perhaps it was his own fault that she wasn't coming home?

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as he heard the commotion. He grabbed the candle and matches from Frey's bedside table, the wax of the candle nearly worn down to the wick with use, and moved carefully out her bedroom door.

A wave of relief washed over him. Leon and Doug were coming up the castle courtyard path. The knots in his stomach began to unfurl until he realized that the blonde was not following them. Looking more closely, he noticed Doug clutching his side which was wrapped in a striped purple scarf that Vishnal recognized as the yarn Frey had invested in when she was trying to take up knitting with Dolly. Leon had Doug propped up on his shoulder as they moved slowly inside the town walls and turned left, he assumed towards the clinic.

"Where's Frey?" Vishnal shouted. Doug started at the sound of his voice, but Leon merely turned a steely gaze towards him.

"She sent us back," Leon explained, "this idiot here got in the warpath of a Golem. She said she would be along shortly, she just wanted to pick up a few more things."

"You just left her?!" gasped Vishnal, flinching at the sound of horror in his own voice. "You go out as a party in numbers for a reason, I can't believe you two!"

"She's stronger than the two of us combined," Leon retorted, gesturing between the wounded dwarf and himself. "Besides, she insisted. I would have liked to bring her with us and go again tomorrow but she said she had plans tomorrow instead. You know how she gets when she gets something in her head."

"You should have insisted, she –"

"Look, I don't have time for you right now, Vishnal. She'll be fine. She's great with a sword and she can definitely look after herself. Doug here will not be fine if we don't see Jones soon."

"Frey promised," Doug spoke up, "that she'd be back in an hour. If that makes you feel better."

The two of them left him standing there, feeling worse than ever. The two of them seemed to feel that Frey didn't need the help of people around her, but as her butler Vishnal couldn't help but feel as though it was his job to take care of her. Though he remembered, with a pang in his chest, that that was what got him in trouble in the first place.

Vishnal can't remember a time when an hour felt so long.

He can see the barest stretch of sunlight beginning to yawn into the clouds overhead, barely streaming through and illuminating the damp sprinkle of rain that started maybe forty minutes prior by his watch. Leaning against the steps to the entrance of the castle, he tucks his face into his palms and breathes in deeply. The sound of crunching gravel, however, causes him to snap to alert and sit up straight. He's met with a wave of relief when the princess, looking haggard and worn out with damp messy hair and a shirt that tore at her arm to reveal a bloody gash, comes stumbling down the walkway. She sees him and her lips quiver.

He wonders if she's in pain and opens his mouth to ask her but snaps it closed just as quickly. For a moment he fears that she's going to slip right by him and just head inside without a word, but as she approaches she drapes herself against his chest and wraps her arms around him.

"What on earth are you still doing up?" she asked. Her voice is muted by the fabric of his coat.

"You weren't home."

She snorts and squeezes her arms tighter, hissing softly as the movement stretches the wound on her arm. Vishnal pulls away and laces her fingers with hers to lead her into the back room. It's still far too early to visit the bath house to get her cleaned up, so this will have to do.

Frey sees the sink and watches him begin pumping water into a clean basin that sits nearby on the shelf. The silence between them is comfortable on her part, but as his ears flush bright red she wonders if he's still upset about the little fit she had had earlier. Without his asking her to she strips off the mutilated shirt and sits on a bucket in nothing but the cotton bra and the remainder pants portion of her armour. She smiles absently when the warmth in his ears spreads visibly to the rest of his face when he turns to her.

Her smile is sleepy. The single candle he struck in the corner gives the room a warm glow. He dips a rag in the water and it feels similarly warm against his skin.

"Were you worried?" she murmurs. Vishnal sits in front of her and drags the soft cloth against the blood, clearing it away to assess the actual damage. It looks superficial, but he still takes great care as he treats it. The princess leans forward as he works so that her head rests against the shoulder just in front of her; he can't see what he's doing anymore but he is still careful not to jostle her.

"I am sorry –"

"Shoosh," he responds, tentatively reaching up to pet her hair, "I'm sorry. I know you can do things all by yourself. And you're good at them. But you work so hard all the time, I just– I wanted– I know it drives you mad, but I really just wanted to help you for once. I know I'm no good at cooking and I'm still learning to be a master butler but I still wanted to help." He pauses and heaves a breath.

"I know."

"And I'm sorry I snapped at you about Doug. That was foolish and unrelated, and I really didn't mean anything by it."

"I know."

He nods and continues to apologize, sitting her up straight so he can tear another clean cloth and wrap it around the clotting tear in her shoulder as a temporary bandage. Frey responds at every pause with a simple 'I know', and a hand that strokes up his arm or along his jawline.

"I didn't mean to keep you up all night," she tells him and he smiles gently. "Don't apologize anymore, please. I know. I'm sorry, too. You're so sweet all the time. . . and how do I repay you? I yell and I make you worried."

Before long they're all smiles. He apologizes once more, and she returns the sentiment in kind before closing her arms around him again, both only vaguely aware that her shirt is still dangling from the back of her pants. Before long they're in the foyer again. She glances down the dark hallways to where her room is and then turns back to Vishnal who smiles back at her expectantly. She had explained how she had been trapped in a dungeon that had monsters much stronger than she had expected, and he listened wide eyed and marvelled at her bravery once again. Doug had been injured and she was worried about him keeping up, so she sent her two partners back and set onwards anyways since she had come so far anyways and was sure an exit must be up ahead rather to looping back and having the travel just as far next time.

". . . Well, I guess I'm going to go. . . to sleep, I mean," she stammers. Reluctantly he steps away from her and lets her move similarly.

"Good night, princess," he says. He's comforted by the sight of her moving towards her own bedroom and the knowledge that she'll be in her room instead of who-knows-where. He turns to go to his own bedroom, finally allowing himself to feel weary despite the fact that he will have to wave up in less than a few hours by this point.

"I love you."

He freezes. Frey stands in the dimly lit hallway and twists the shirt in her fist. Please, he thinks, oh god please don't let him be dreaming. It seems like a matter of seconds before he's launched himself across the room again in long strides and he enters the circle of her arms for perhaps the hundredth time that night. In milliseconds their mouths were connecting, hands roaming, eyes closed, tongues tangled. His palms pressed against the small of her back and drew her as close as he could manage, and she made soft little noises in the back of her throat against his ministrations.

"Please," she whispered, "please come back to my room. If you want to help me, maybe you could help me with this little problem I have. . ."

Vishnal's mouth went dry. "What about everyone else?" he croaked. Her shrug is nonchalant and her lips are suddenly at his throat in a flurry of teeth and tongue that teases and tastes the skin there. He lets her pull him forwards against against her, teasing him as she shimmies away and it forces him to follow if he wants to maintain contact.

When they get eventually get to her room she spins them and presses him against the bed frame, situating herself on his hips and continuing to kiss him softly. Soon his expressive mouth goes slack against hers, so she leans back and looks at him with bright, aroused eyes.

Pressed against her pillow and tangled in her sheets, Vishnal fell asleep almost instantly. Frey stifles a laugh and presses another kiss to the corner of his lips before gently nudging the young man over and curling into his side. His arms curl around her unconsciously and her name drifts from his lips against her ear in a gust of breath. In moments she's asleep against him, warm and comfortable. And looking forward to being helped by him again in the future.

A/N: I know it feels a little rushed, but I'm actually pretty okay with how it turned out. Might do a lengthy (M Rated) chapter 2, if I can muster up the motivation.