Disclaimer: Dragon Quest is the property of Armor Project and Square Enix.

It was the day after the grand wedding ceremony and Debora couldn't help but ask the question that had been plaguing her thoughts ever since she had been chosen by him. Debora would readily admit that when she had came out of her room and asked him to pick her as his bride two days ago, it was in the spur of the moment and purely out of her own selfishness. She had attempted to hide her insecurities about what would happen even if she did come forth and admit that she wanted to be picked as the bride. She had acted haughty and arrogant when arriving downstairs as a way of protecting herself… like always. She had been so certain that he would pick one of the other two.

Debora had been sure that any young man being given the opportunity to wed from either Nera or herself would readily pick Nera since her sister was seen as the gentlest soul throughout Mostroferrato while Debora by contrast was seen as a rude and spoiled brat. Debora had almost not even bothered leaving her room since the other choice that he had, a childhood friend of his, would surely have meant more to him than meeting a perceived rich snob like her for a few brief chats. After all, he had brought his friend along to the manor after obtaining the water ring. If he had just wanted to get into the family fortune, he could've just married Nera as she was a doormat in most respects and constantly got pushed around by others. Debora hated to admit that aspect about the sister she loved dearly but it was true. Nera allowed love or kindness to cloud her better judgment and didn't allow herself any freedom to choose her own way of doing things. Debora was also guilty of that, constantly depending on her father for the finest things and being too cowardly to find a life worth living all on her own.

She didn't trust people outside of family... at least to a point. Throughout their childhood, people took advantage of Nera's kindness and Debora had grown a backbone for her and made every attempt to stop anyone from taking advantage of her sister's meek attitude. The townsfolk would try when Debora wasn't around but when Debora was out with her sister they knew better. Debora was known as a crazed bitch for that very reason. She had eventually learned that it was folly to try and be there for Nera on a constant basis and Nera had always been too nice to admit that she felt Debora was being overbearing. She realized that was doing more harm than good. Debora was crafty, however, and knew exactly what it would take to ensure that her sister was protected from those greedy urchins. One day she whined to her father about wanting a pet dog. Rodrigo bought one for her once she whined enough and the days were nearing her and Nera's 'birthday' (more accurately, the day their father had found them abandoned on some anonymous hilltop). Her flabbergasted parents watched as Debora promptly gave the puppy to Nera and told her it was a birthday present that her parents had got her. Nera had immediately taken a liking to the dog and Debora had patiently helped her raise it throughout their childhood. She made sure to instill a sense of guard duty so that the dog, which Nera affectionately named Bingo, would bark or howl if anyone got too close or was bothering Nera. If they began to threaten Nera's safety? Then Bingo would attack. Bingo was also rather adventurous and loved running around town but that couldn't be helped as dogs needed to be walked from time to time and besides that it proved to be a distraction for Nera from attempts by villagers wanting to get some free gald or expensive items such as gold bars.

Crispin had been the first to endure the dog's attacks, much to Debora's delight. The dog had eventually stopped due to Nera's admonishments but Debora would always get a kick out of the memory of Bingo biting the buttocks of young Crispin. Debora always hated that boy and bullied him at any given opportunity. Nera was too good for him. She had always been too good for him. While Debora had no qualms with Nera making friends with any of the village children she did have a personal vendetta against Crispin. First and foremost, the boy was a total idiot. He would always do the stupidest things and bring Nera along with him as he did it. One such time they had ventured outside of the safety of the town to take a look at the 'spooky tower' to the west and had been seriously hurt by monster attacks. Had it not been for Debora and the dog coming in a timely arrival, the monsters could've killed Nera. Debora had refused to allow Crispin to enter the household or for him to see Nera for the next few months. All of his attempts at apologies and desire to see Nera had been refused. Her parents, angry at Crispin's brashness in leading Nera into something dangerous (a danger that their father had specifically warned all three kids about), supported Debora's decision. It was only after Nera made a full recovery that her parents had let Nera see Crispin, she had practically begged them to and Debora eventually let go of any objections she had. Nera had obviously missed Crispin's company dearly during the weeks she was bedridden. The grudge was still there though and in Debora's eyes, Crispin would never be more than an insignificant worm from then on. The second thing that Debora didn't like about him was that, back before Debora got Nera their family dog, Crispin never stood up to villagers who took advantage of Nera. He would be too shy or scared to defend her. In most ways, Crispin was as meek as Nera and did nothing to stop adults from asking for 'favors' or demanding money, it was only after the dog became part of the equation did Crispin gather enough 'courage' to defend Nera. If anything, Crispin was hiding behind the dog and therefore hiding behind Nera in retrospect. The final thing that annoyed Debora to no end about him was that Nera obviously developed strong feelings of love for Crispin. She couldn't, for the life of her, see what the hell Crispin had to offer that was appealing to Nera. At first, she thought maybe Nera was simply being nice because Crispin was her only real friend in the town but later realized that Nera, though she was too shy to admit it, really did love Crispin. The idiot boy had got himself bedridden with third-degree burns that Nera had taken it upon herself to treat. Debora had literally face-palmed when she found out from her father what Crispin had done to himself to 'win Nera's heart'. She contemplated asking her newlywed husband about parting with one of his monster pets and letting them protect Nera and possibly protect Crispin from his own stupidity… if that was even possible. Really, she wouldn't fault even the strongest of monsters for being unable to protect Crispin. The kid really was too stupid for his own good. Debora was certain that he was only alive at this point out of sheer luck. She had originally thought her husband to be the same as Crispin until she realized that he was both capable and prepared for the dangers one could face in the outside wilderness.

Debora had always taken an interest in combat as one of her hobbies. She wasn't an expert at it, her skills and lack of experience making her a novice, but she knew enough to at least go toe-to-toe with the average wildlife around the village. She and Nera had asked their parents for tutors on combat since they were young. Debora had decided to train more rigorously in the physical aspects of fighting ever since Nera and Crispin's brush with death since spellcasting usually took too much time. She preferred getting a battle done with quickly instead of waiting to cast a spell. Nera favored the variety of different effects that spells gave and secretly had a fascination with setting random objects on fire. Fortunately, Nera was sensible enough to only ever use spells when in the forest facing down monsters. Debora was certain that given enough time and practice, Nera would eventually learn the powerful fireball spell Kafrizzle for the sake of roasting some poor monster to death. Honestly, Nera could be very scary at times… but at least she was learning to defend herself. Debora hoped there was never a time where she would have to fight her sister in battle; despite being known as the 'stronger' sister due to her rude attitude to most people, she was certain that Nera could kick her ass with the spells she used if she ever had the opportunity and desire to. Oh sure, Debora could fight physically but her skills honestly didn't compare to that of a trained soldier and Nera's spells outright trumped hers in every regard.

Another reason that Nera or the other girl, Bianca, would've been the better choice. It's not as if she was ungrateful… Debora was just hopelessly insecure about herself and used an off-putting demeanor to hide her feelings. Very few could ever see past it. Her father had trouble looking past her staunch demeanor at times. The only few people who ever saw past it were Nera, their mother, and their dog. The servants were always respectful but were only nice to her because of her family name and fortune. Therefore, there could be no way that he had seen past it. She was very much like her sister in that regard. She was as insecure as her sister but instead of showing it, tried to hide it so she wouldn't get her feelings hurt. She was capable of being nice, she was always nice to Nera or the dog, and generally kind to her parents most of the time but otherwise she was very guarded. Yet… that hadn't stopped her from taking the humiliating risk of being turned down as a bride to a rather handsome man.

She moved herself from the bed to the edge and looked down to the floor where he was presumably napping. She had let her mind wander for practically all night. She couldn't help it really… she had always been this way. Nera would always be the one who didn't worry what their meddlesome father had planned for them. Always taking the commitments he forced his kids to make, in etiquette, in learning how to run the family fortune, in protecting the town from the vile monster sealed in the tower to the west and an assortment of other things. A lot was expected of them and they always had to maintain composure for the demands made by their family or the townsfolk. Being a Briscoletti was a lifetime commitment. Nera secretly hated it all… she was just always too nice to say so. Debora, however, was never so quiet. She was rather vocal about her contempt for it all. One of the reasons that she and her mother had quite a few tiffs during her childhood and even now. Debora never saw eye-to-eye with her parents ideas of what should be expected of her… yet trying to find love in the finer things, in shoes, in make-up, or in the latest and trendiest clothes had never helped. They just increased her feelings of insecurity and loneliness. The latest tacky gadgets didn't make her happy, the latest clothes only made people see her in a shallow way, and the make-up did nothing to hide her bitterness. Her leaving her room and asking to be wedded? That had been one of her only real choices in her life. Admittedly, she probably could've been much nicer to him during the wedding. She cringed in embarrassment as she realized she had taken her nervousness over the situation, the fact it was truly happening and not some fantasy dream, out on her fiancé. She would definitely make it up to him later. Oh, she was still planning to have her fun and continue annoying him with her pet name 'servant' among other things but she was definitely going to be nicer to him. He had already done so much to improve her life and even her self-respect. If she was honest with herself, she would admit to already being in love with him.

He had chosen her. Her! Not that buxom blonde or even her sweet sister Nera but HER – Debora Briscoletti! It was a dream come true. She had been married only yesterday! It was all happening so fast it was as if Debora was simply having the best dream of her life; a young good-looking, trustworthy, and honest man deciding to sweep her off her feet out of the choice of two other women who probably deserved it more. It was too good to be true. Thus, Debora had to know from the man himself… why had he picked her?

"Zephyr." She called out his name quietly; she didn't want to wake him up if he was fully asleep. Despite her burning desire to know why, she could wait until the morning. "Are… are you awake?"

"mmmhmph…" was the response. Slowly, he cracked his eyes open and brought his full attention toward her. "Wh-what is it? It can't be morning yet, right?"

"N-no, I just… I uh-" she paused, wondering how to continue before deciding to just get on with it as she always did. She hated pussyfooting around an issue. "I wanted to speak to you about something important."

He slowly rose and turned to her giving her his full attention. He made a gesture for her to continue.

"I've been curious about something… and don't take this the wrong way but…" she paused yet again. This was a rather difficult subject to broach and she was very afraid of his answer. After all, questioning the whole reason you married someone - the day after the wedding, no less - was not easy. Even for someone normally as outspoken as Debora. "Well, why did you pick me out of the three choices?"

He stared at her in surprise. He obviously hadn't been expecting that. Perhaps orders to fetch something like an early breakfast or perhaps just to ask him what his plans were now that they were married, such as where they would be living… but this? Debora being timid was surprising enough at it was. He couldn't really fault her for having doubts after the wedding though. The entire event had gone by rather fast and both had been lost in the euphoria and deep concerns about what it would mean in their future. Debora wasn't even aware that he had gained a huge crush on her when they had first spoken to each other.

"Well…" he began, thinking over what would be the best response. "…you asked."

She scowled. That was NOT the answer she wanted to hear. He allowed himself a brief moment to think about what would appease her before finally deciding the best way to continue.

"It's not as shallow as I'm making it sound."

She got on her knees on the bed and looked down at him. She crossed her arms. She wanted a damn good explanation.

"You're wondering what made me attracted to you because you're thinking about everything the townspeople and your father must have been telling me, right?"

She simply nodded. She knew he was smart but to think he was so perceptive of her inner turmoil already….

"And I'm sure your father told both you and your sister, Nera, about my journey?"

"…Yes, dad told both us and Nera what happened and what you're trying to do. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for your father's loss. I didn't know him but dad always speaks well of him."

"You don't have to apologize… it's not like it's your fault that he's dead." Zephyr made a mental note to do his best to protect his wife from that monster Ladja. He needed to ensure that bastard would die. "Well, anyway, I had no intention of choosing Nera as my bride."

"Oh?" Debora raised an eyebrow at that. "Why is that?"

She was completely surprised by that admittance. He had no intention of picking her sister? Nera was, by all rights, the sweetest girl that one could ever meet. She was also quite a beautiful woman. Debora wouldn't even be bragging if she said that Nera and her were the hottest women in the town, perhaps it would be stretching it to say the world, but both of them had always been ogled at by passerby whenever they joined their father on one of his vacation spots. She recalled needing guards at one point because she and Nera's skimpy swimwear had attracted far too much attention for either of their liking. Debora liked the attention that sexy types of swimwear brought but men touching her or especially Nera? A major no-no. Debora admit, and was quite proud of, the fact she had a bigger bust size but it wasn't as if Nera wasn't already alluring to men.

"Because," began Zephyr, answering her question. "I knew that she and Crispin had strong feelings for each other. And, yes, Crispin is an idiot but… he obviously loves Nera and, more importantly, Nera loves him. I wasn't about to ruin that for either of them."

"If not for Crispin, would you have chosen Nera?"

She had to ask. She was being rather annoying at this point but she was curious. Zephyr took it in stride.

"Probably not." He replied honestly, "Nera… is a very sweet girl, and regardless of my quest, I don't believe I could truly make her happy. I'm just not the type of person she's looking to settle down with and she's already very attached to the life she has here."

That was true. Nera loved it here. Nera loved her parents, her pet dog, Crispin, and most of the town. She happened to be Mostroferrato's golden girl. She had strong roots here and tearing her away from that and forcing her into some arduous quest could be considered a crime in some respects. At least, that was how Debora saw it. She was very biased in that point of view but it was purely out of the love she held for Nera. Perhaps she was more like her parents than she had initially realized…

"So then…" this answer she wanted to know above all else. That blonde had been a candidate for being chosen as a bride so obviously she was someone important to him. Perhaps he really was only looking to get into her family gold and simply didn't want to ruin what her sister had already. It was a devious thought… but not something she could simply rule out. "What about Bianca? Why didn't you choose her?"

He made a strange face after she finished that. She kept herself calm. Her heart was beating but she didn't start making accusations. She wanted to hear what he said.

"I didn't choose her because I never saw her as more than a friend."

Her brow furrowed at that. Hadn't they known each other for a long time? Similar to Nera and Crispin?

"You two didn't grow-up together?"

He shook his head. Really, he didn't even remember the first time he met her.

"No. We went on an adventure to a haunted castle as kids but that was all and it was apparently the second time I met her. I was too young to remember our first meeting."

"But… but… she speaks so highly of you… I thought you two were close?"

He just shrugged. Honestly, what could he say? He really didn't feel any special closeness with Bianca. He never had. His childhood, to his life as a slave, and his life now all felt like they stretched centuries apart. Bianca may have been his friend as a child but Harry was his closest friend.

"Our families were apparently on friendly terms. Bianca was my first friend, I guess." said Zephyr. "She's a good person but I never felt like we connected like that. Her father asked me to take care of her and marry her after he died but I didn't want to make a lifetime commitment like marriage out of pity. That can't ever end well and I wasn't about to let guilt overrule my better sense of judgment."

"That's one of the reasons I fell for you, Debora, you were hurting from loneliness and isolation like Bianca but you didn't complain. You were guarded… but you didn't whine about it."

Debora wished her cheeks hadn't flushed at that comment. Goddess-damned man sweet-talking her so easily... and of course he chose to give her one of his rather handsome smiles at that moment. The asshole. He stopped, his face slowly moving to the floor beneath him. He began to frown and seemed to furrow his brow as if realizing something…

"The more I think back on it…" said Zephyr, frowning as he recalled his adventure getting the circle of water. "The more it seems like Bianca was trying to trick me into marrying her…"

"What did she say exactly?" being a woman who knew how to get what she wanted with just a patented innocent smile, Debora knew a woman's trickery when she saw it. Nera had used that in an introvert way while Debora had been rather manipulative in getting others to do what she wanted for her once she had grown a pair on top of her already dazzling looks. It was pure va-Va-VOOM! "Perhaps I can help you discern what she intended?"

He chuckled at that. She scowled and folded her arms again. Fine, perhaps she wouldn't help him then.

"Well, she kept bringing up our trip ghost hunting…" He remembered that part only too well. There was hardly ever a time she hadn't brought it up… "But… she also spoke of how she wouldn't be able to have fun traveling or going on adventures with the life she was living now…"

Debora snorted. Bianca was almost as kind as Nera and nearly as crafty as Debora. She was certain of that now. She wondered if she should request they take a blood test to see if Bianca wasn't somehow related to both Nera and Debora with how much alike the three of them seemed to be on the inside. Perhaps Nera and Debora hadn't been twins mysteriously left on a hilltop, perhaps Bianca was their mysterious lost triplet and they were all sisters that had somehow grown-up with strikingly different personalities. Bianca was definitely as good as both her and Nera at hiding their true feelings in a masterful facade. What Zephyr had just said proved that this girl was practically the same as them in all but name.

"Then you're correct, she was trying to guilt-trip you into marrying her." replied Debora, this Bianca was a nice enough girl from what she could tell after getting to know her during the wedding reception but she was definitely a bullshitter like Debora and Nera except she used guilt instead of her looks. "Like most women, she was scared of outright rejection so she played her little mind-games and dropped hints using guilt so that you would do what she wanted you to."

He scowled. He had a right to be mad after all. He had perceived those actions as genuine instead of a calculated attack.

"Don't blame her too much…" Debora said, after mulling it over. "Everyone… manipulates at some point to get what they want and…"

She bit her lip. She couldn't believe she was going to say this…, He gazed at her questioningly.

"…It… it was clear to me when I got to talk to her during the reception that she clearly… loves you. She kept going on and on about how you were both friends since childhood and how much you could trust each other. How you both helped rescue that pet sabrecat of yours among many other things."

"Well then…" he looked up at her. Debora's heart started beating fast. What was he about to say? Oh Goddess, what if he decided that Bianca was worth to him more than her? "I'm very glad that I didn't marry her. It would've been a one-sided relationship because I only ever saw her as a friend."

Relief wafted through her. Her body visibly relaxed and Zephyr smiled. He had noticed her tenseness throughout all the questioning after all. It had been clear to him as night and day.

"What about me?" she asked suddenly, he looked at her confused. What was she talking about? He hadn't rejected her…. "I mean… that is… what did you find appealing about me?"

He smirked. It was different from his smile. His smile was serene and calming. It made her feel warm and bubbly. The smirk made him look more rugged… dangerous… cool. It gave her a tingle of excitement that she couldn't quite explain.

"You mean besides the fact you're drop dead gorgeous?" He asked rhetorically, she despised the fact that flattery was getting him everywhere. ...Really she did! Debora just couldn't help feeling happy about the praise. "You're honest about what you want. You don't try to hide or lie about it like the other two do. So, when you asked me to choose you, I knew it was what you really wanted."

"You're not exactly mean either. You may come off as rude but that's usually the most of it and while that may be a major turn-off for some, it isn't for me. You happen to be rather witty as well and you do point out the truth that others would rather not acknowledge from time to time."

She felt her cheeks burning as he kept praising her. She scowled at him.

"You're trying to sweet-talk me, aren't you?"

The smirk hadn't left his face.

"Is it working?"

Her scowl deepened at his reply as she moved to the other side of her bed and laid down.

"Get in bed."

He smiled as he got off the floor and got into the part of the bed cleared for him to sleep on.

Later, Leo, Zephyr's sabrecat, found his master and newly wedded wife cuddled together on the mattress. He slowly got on the bed and balanced himself so that he wouldn't wake either of them up. He fell asleep on the foot of the bed so that he could properly engage in combat should there be any signs of trouble through the door of the Briscoletti villa.

A decade later

Mt. Zugzwang

"I'll never rest until I've avenged Grandma's death!"

"Thinking about Grandma makes me want to cry, but I'm going to be strong and hold back my tears."

"Zephyr, I feel your pain. But you must be strong. Turn the pain into anger… Fan the flames… And then turn it all on Nimzo and make him pay." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. She spoke her next words more softly but with just as much conviction. There was a deadly edge in her tone. "All of the pain and suffering my dear family has had to endure… All of it was Nimzo's doing. I'll make him regret the day he dared anger me, more than he could possibly imagine."