hero too stupid to live - sidekick saves world

I was cheerfully tearing apart a published novel where the main character had a bad case of Too Stupid To Live, and was wondering why his buddies kept hanging around and saving his behind anyway. Then I thought: what about a story where the side kick is the REAL hero?

The challenge was dished out to explain WHY the side kick would stick around, and this is what I came up with.

1) Sidekick was hired by "Hero". Although Hero is a complete moron, Sidekick was paid, and has a code of honor/sense of responsibility that keeps them from just dumping their stupid ass.

2) Younger sibling is determined to act the "Hero". Older siblings tags along lest they get themselves killed.

3) Young male plays the role of "hero" becuase, well, it's expected in his society that the males are the warriors! His girlfriend, actually the more skilled of the two, tags along becuase she loves him and someone has to keep saving him...

4) Chosen "hero" matches the prophecy but has all the common sense of a sheep. The prophecy-maker, feeling somewhat responsible for this poor clod's being sent on a mission that will likely lead to his death, feels compelled to stay with him.

5) Sidekick is very smart, but not charasmatic. He wants to be powerful and awesome and hero-like, but isn't cut out of "hero material". He finds someone who seems to be cut right out of heroic cloth. Nice, everyone loves him, but...his grasp of tactics and common sense is lacking. Sidekick thinks that being the real power behind the hero is a totally okay gig. Could very easily turn dark and sinister from there...

AAP by ObsidianDragon

upper-class demon-hunter

A girl has difficulty adjusting to her first job; in spite of her upper-class upbringing, she has chosen to join the ranks of the demon-hunters who risk their lives battling the plague of monsters which surge through the city every night. The girl's colleagues are certain she'll get herself killed before the week is out, but she survives to prove that she can hold her own. However, when her partner disappears, she begins to realize that the demons are not the simple monsters they appear as, and that a memory from her childhood might hold the key to ending the plague for good.

AAP by strdst_grl

elf reborn as human

C1 is the only daughter of the ruling family of fairies, goblins, elves, etc (pick your preferred race). At a birthday party for her when she's very young, the opposing race of fae invades. She is injured when she gets separated from her guard, and is almost dead when she is found. Not wanting their only daughter to die, her parents perform a bit of trickery that causes her to be reborn in a different body.

C2 was C1's guard, a golem created with no desire other than to protect her. When C1 is reborn, so is he. This can be because of their connection, or because it was decided he should continue to serve her, etc. Because he is originally a golem, being reborn changes him. He now has free will, emotions, etc.

C1 is reborn human. She has no memories of her previous life. She's constantly surrounded by the supernatural, but is unaware of it. As she gets older, things begin to change. At school she sees things that shouldn't be there, or hears strange sounds coming from places where there should be no sound. She also starts feeling weak and anemic. She sleeps more than is normal. She's either constantly hungry or never hungry (either works). She has problems concentrating.

One day, a young man appears at her home claiming to be her mother's godson. His mother died recently, and he has nowhere else to go. C1 doesn't take well to this, until she realizes that when she touches him she has more energy, and feels more like herself. It also makes the strange flashes more clear, and she realizes she's seeing "fairies". She eventually has conversation with one of them, who explains that she's somehow the same as they are, but different. It also tells her about what's happened since the "death" of the princess. She gets involved in whats going on without knowing who she is. Eventually she sheds her human appearance, and resumes her original form (though aged), and finds out C2 is her old guard.

AAP by mme.aloria

hero and witch cross-dressing as each other

There is a witch who has an important duty to do. There is a warrior who has an important quest to take. The problem is, the witch is a man and the warrior is a woman, in country where it's meant to be the other way around. They join forces, cross-dressing as each other whenever they encounter people in order to hide their genders, and go about their quests without being bothered by nosy people and even nosier priests.

AAP by esama

Troubadour

The MC is a boy, around 18 years old, with pure white hair. He goes around with a flute and he plays it for a living. His music is excruciatingly beautiful and wherever he goes, many people surround him to listen to his music. He tells a story of a young girl who was captured by a great evil and was forced to live in his castle. The girl was the most powerful enchantress of the kingdom and without her aid, the evil would take over earth. The story goes on to say that, after the girl was kidnapped, a seer had a vision saying that someone with great powers would seek after the girl, rescue her, and destroy the evil.

Every time the boy comes to a new town, he is given a place to stay and food to eat by the mayor, but once the dawn has risen, he is gone. However, at this particular town, a young girl of thirteen is entranced by his story and she seeks him out after sundown to find out more about it. She finds the boy and asks him to tell her more about the story. The boy just stares at her, then hugs her tightly and tells her that she is the powerful enchantress from the story.

AAP by avidfantasywriter

Identical twins: Who's the heir?

Years ago, the queen gave birth to twin boys and died in the process. The midwife disappeared without a trace and now no one knows which of them is older and is the rightful heir. It was decided that the king and his council would watch them as they grew and decide which of them would make a better leader, but they all have different opinions. To complicate things more, there is an older daughter. Traditionally, the throne went to the oldest male, but she's starting to wonder why she can't be next in line.

AAP by KeikoCharna