”It’s the single, most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done!” ~Frein Nivan, Worldborn of Zerax’thum

  ”Are you sure you can stay out here?” Frein asked. “Doesn’t Kristel need you in there, or something?”

  He sat on a bench near the edge of the High Palace. It was somewhat out of the way, but only a minute’s walk back to the main entrance of the actual palace, which he just recently discovered was called the High Citadel.

  Frill was with him. She was fiddling with something on her MOBILE, her fingers tapping at a certain rhythm while she hummed along.

  “As far as I see it, Frein, anyway we can repay the favor to you, would be the Princess’s number one priority,” she said.

  “It’s weird how you still don’t call her Monarch.”

  “That’s for next year, when…”

  “I told you there’s a way now, Frill.” Frein, despite his attempts at reassuring the Aria, was struggling himself. Both hands clasped together as he pressed them on his forehead, as if in desperate prayer. “Fuck, what the fuck do I do?”

  “Can you relax?” Frill complained. “I’m getting nervous here, and I’m the one who has to sing!”

  Frein breathed in an attempt to lay down his rebuttals, but when he turned to find the Aria in Red smiling sarcastically at him, he lost all composure and sighed. With a rough exhale, he collapsed on the bench like a puppet without strings.

  “I don’t know what the heck I should do!”

  “Relax, Frein,” Frill said, turning back to her MOBILE. “I’ll be extremely surprised if you don’t pull this off. I mean, you’re a Worldborn now. You practically have nothing to be afraid of.”

  “That’s not true, Frill.” Frein didn’t bother to turn or check if the Aria was listening to him. “When I unveiled myself, Brymeia made a declaration throughout the world. Zerax’thum said, she might have even boasted it in the Great Beyond. Space, Frill. Other worlds.”

  “You’re afraid your own people might come after you?”

  “That’s a stretch. I don’t think anyone on Earth has any capabilities to reach me here, or even detect the declaration. I’m afraid of other powers looking for Brymeia.”

  Frein whipped himself back forwards, massaging his forehead.

  “That’s a problem for the future, though. Did you hear anything from Lor and Flimeth?”

  Frill paused the song on her MOBILE. “Yeah. We got a report yesterday. Lor said that Northsnow was unaffected by the Incursions that happened on Eastrise.

  “He also received reports that the Nightmare Lands were receding on the Oh’strol Continent. Allegedly, a norc found his way across the sea and was looking for help. They’re going to meet him today and try to find out what was going on.”

  “Receding, huh… That’s odd.” Frein clung onto the information. It was the only way he could get his nerves to calm down. “We might head there some time in the future.”

  “To get to Talendrym Isle, right?” Frill asked. “If Princess Kristel wants to come with you—”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Frein interjected. “I’m not sold on the idea of putting the future of this nation at risk. But I can’t say for certain that I won’t need Kristel’s help either, or yours, or Xiv’s for that matter. I’m still considering that.”

  “Fine.” Frill moved a finger to resume her MOBILE’s song, but decided against it. “So what’s your plan now?”

  “Get her attention with your song, first and—”

  “No, not that, silly. I mean your plan before you get to Talendrym Isle.”

  “Ah.” Frein massaged his temple again. “We’ll help you recover Eastrise Region first. I think Mother Selfiya mentioned a possibility regarding that. If we have more time after that, then we’ll probably go somewhere peaceful for a bit.”

  “That’s nice. Thanks for still helping us despite how urgent things are for you.”

  “I’m helping you help me.”

  “Sure.”

  With that, Frill resumed studying the song, and Frein reverted back to a nervous wreck. He couldn’t help sighing every few seconds, and it was definitely distracting her. She was exercising patience, keeping to herself and humming along with her MOBILE. At some point, however, she reached her limit.

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  “Look, Frein. I know this could be the most important thing you’ve ever done so far, but I think you’re overreacting a little bit.”

  “Yeah…” Frein sighed once again. And again, he slumped over the bench. “I think you’re right. But what if I mess it up? What if I had the wrong idea all along?”

  “Oh, please.” Frill couldn’t help but laugh. “If you had the wrong idea, then I’m not an idol.”

  At this point, even Frein himself was getting irritated, but once again, he couldn’t help but sigh.

  “You survived a war, fought against Deep Nightmares, went through Nightmare Incursions, and even defeated a faunel. But here you are, a wreck just because you’re going to—”

  “Get off my case, Frill. You’ve never done something like this before either.”

  “Can’t argue with that, to be honest.” Frill shook her head. “In any case, I’m here to help. Might as well act the part.”

  “Thank you. That’s what I need to hear.” Despite his words, Frein broke down into a nervous wreck once again. “Goddamn it.”

  The cold winds of the High Palace’s high altitude didn’t help ease his nerves, and the contrast to his warming face only worsened the situation. He also couldn’t shake the feeling that Frill was somehow having fun at the same time.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “Well, look at the time! The meeting should be done soon. I think I better hide,” Frill said, completely dodging the question. She started walking away, heading towards one of the distant trees.

  “Just… Don’t miss your cue.”

  Frill merely waved a hand in response, until she was out of view.

  “I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay,” Frein repeated to himself, grasping a knee with one hand to stop it from shaking. He took a deep breath and pushed it out slowly. Another hand fidgeted around a small, red box.

  Nothing he did to calm himself down worked.

  “Hey.” Katherine’s voice was too sudden, catching Frein completely off guard. His brain had gone completely blank for an instant, but he managed to hide the box.

  “Oh, hey.”

  “Sorry, the meeting took a bit…” her voice trailed off when she saw him shaking. “What’s wrong?”

  Frein took one final breath and stood from the bench. Katherine wore formal attire today. She had dressed up nicely as a gesture to the emissary they had received while he had slept. Maybe…

  He shook his head. He was getting desperate. Enza even appeared beside him, trying to give him courage. And even within the Tether, Elizzel was there sending her silent cheers. Neither of them wanted to distract him or make him panic.

  “You’re freaking me out,” Katherine said. “You’re also sweating like crazy.”

  Frein motioned for her hands.

  “You’re shaking way, way too much, Frein.” Katherine spared a laugh while looking worried the entire time. “What’s going on?”

  Frein cursed himself. Everything he had done since arriving in Brymeia, he did for her. Every single decision, every sacrifice, every risk, it had all been for Katherine. And yet, for some reason, he couldn’t keep himself composed at the most crucial moment of his life which everything had been leading up to.

  “Hey,” Katherine said, looking him in the eyes. “Take your time.”

  The way she held his hands changed, sending in some sort of comfort into his uneasiness. Even at this moment, Frein couldn’t believe he still had to depend on her for courage.

  Frein gave her hands a kiss as he bent on one knee.

  Almost as if on cue, music started to play, beginning with the soft notes of a piano. Frill’s voice followed next, smoothly creating a rendition of a song she had heard of just a few days ago. A love song that had originated back on Earth.

  Katherine looked around and quickly found where the Aria was hiding. She struggled to hold a laugh, but her eyes began to water. “This is my favorite song.”

  Frein remembered the first time she had heard it back on Earth. She had cried back then, like she was about to now. He felt a small tug from her hands. She must’ve wanted to cover her face out of embarrassment, but he stopped her. He wanted to see every detail of this moment and burn it in his memory, not just paint it in his Mind Palace.

  “I love you, Kat,” Frein said, pulling out the small box. She started crying and smiling at the sight of it. He opened the box and showed her a ring made from his own crystalized meiyal.

  “I know this isn’t the custom here in Brymeia, but still. If you’ll have me, Katherine Militia, I’ll give the rest of my life to you. Well… I think I’ve already given it anyway. Will you still marry me?”

  Everything had disappeared. Nothing else mattered at this moment. Random spectators vanished from his sight. Even the curious eyes of Kristel, and everyone who followed her because of Frill’s singing, didn’t matter. All that remained was Katherine, who was looking at him so earnestly with tears pouring down her cheeks.

  “Yes.”

  Frein felt like his heart was about to give way, and suddenly the next moment, its beats exploded with joy.

  “Yes!” she said again. “A thousand times, a million times, however many more times you want to hear it, yes!”

  Katherine clung to him, and their lips locked together. Frein thought he was in shock, both physically and mentally. He embraced Katherine with all his might, as he cried tears of joy while they kissed until the song finally finished.

  They stared at each other for a while, and Katherine suddenly started laughing.

  “What’s funny?” Frein asked. He quickly dismissed the thought that the Lady was playing a prank on him.

  “You’re a dork!” Katherine teased. “Corny! Old-fashioned! Idiot!”

  She teasingly punched his shoulder with every sweet insult, and he treasured every last one of it. In the end, she came in for another embrace.

  “I love you.”

  When they finally got a chance to catch their breaths, and when everyone found where their courtesies went and left them alone, Frein showed her the ring he had crafted himself. It spiraled three loops with neither end meeting with each other. A closed loop meant repetition in eternity, and his design rebelled against that symbolism, giving Katherine love that would surpass beyond the ends of time. A small concentrated meiyal crystal marked either end, while a slightly larger crystal was emphasized at the center.

  Katherine allowed him to put it on her.

  “This is beautiful,” she said, turning her hand in different angles to admire the ring. “When did you make this? It takes a very long time to crystalize meiyal. And when did Frill learn that song?”

  “Pa gave me instructions back in Atlas Sid, and I gradually worked on it in secret. I had to double check most of the time if I got the size right. As for Frill, well, she’s talented so I asked her to study it last night.”

  “That’s crazy.” Katherine looked at her ring one last time, before turning back to Frein. “I didn’t expect you to make a move so soon after the Incursion.”

  “I did say, I’ll follow through right after, right?”

  “Yeah.” Katherine smiled. “Thank you, Frein. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Kat.” He gave her another kiss. “Happy Birthday.”

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