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nowis-scales · 4 years ago

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Hoshido Royal Family Headcanons

I love the Hoshido royal family. Thus, I think about them a lot. As a result, I thought it might be fun to compile a list of varying headcanons for them! The list consists of eight characters total: Sumeragi, Ikona, Mikoto, Ryoma, Hinoka, Corrin, Takumi, and Sakura. I’ll admit I was tempted to throw Kiragi and Shiro in there, but the post was getting really long... So you’ll see some headcanons about them another day. Same thing for Azura — I want to do some for her with the Nohr siblings! For now, though, I hope you will enjoy the list I have compiled!

Oh! And real quick: trigger warning for implied/referenced suicide, under the final bullet point for the 2nd character. Please refrain from subjecting yourself to anything that might hurt you, and stay safe!

Sumeragi:

‣ Despite having trained and worked to be king since childhood, Sumeragi could never say that he really liked the position much. He certainly didn’t mind it, but... Sometimes he wondered if he was born into the wrong family. There were several occasions throughout his youth where he would sneak out to do normal kid/teenager stuff. This often got him into some very hot water with his parents, who didn’t understand his desperation for normalcy.

‣ He loved to show off. As a child and as an adult. He loved to show off most while fighting, particularly if he was fighting in front of women (Ikona and Mikoto, while they didn’t get along all that well, could both laugh at the theatrics he did for them). Once he started his family, though, that was his new favourite thing to show off. Every time he had a new baby, he would bring it to Shirasagi Castle Town the first chance he got. He liked to make sure that everybody could see and appreciate the new princes and princesses. This created a bit of a trend in the town where the royal children get doted on whenever they come visit.

‣ He was fond of the sword even as a child. There were definitely options presented for other weapons, but one look at Raijinto and he... did not want to use anything but the sword. It was very much a “gimme” situation. He actually got to know Ikona due to the fact that she came from a samurai family, and her background with the sword interested him.

‣ His favourite thing to eat when he was alive was unagi. He didn’t really care how it was prepared; he just always found it delicious. Ikona, Mikoto, and most of his children did not share his passion for the dish... except for Hinoka. He used to joke that that’s how they knew for sure that she was his daughter.

‣ His ‘type’ as a young man were sweet, sort of ditzy girls. Though he was betrothed to Ikona from a young age, that didn’t stop him from trying to have some... fun while growing up. Prior to their marriage, he and Fuga used to visit the Red Light District in an attempt to pick up women. It usually didn’t go too well for them, as Sumeragi tended to pick fights with sleazy brothel owners, but there were a few who admired his bravado.

‣ Totally terrible with numbers. Seriously. He was a counts-on-his-fingers kind of person. The worst part is that he pretended to be good with them, even though everyone could tell that he had no goddamn idea what he was doing. His parents tried to get him mathematics tutors when he was still young, but even they thought that he might just be a lost cause. It was such a relief for him when he interviewed Yukimura for his position and found out that the man was at least decent with numbers. Such a huge weight off his shoulders, that was.

‣ Part of what made him such a beloved king came from the fact that he was a people person. Super sociable, good-humored, and genuinely loved being with others. Plus, he also happened to be more of an extrovert, so he felt as if he gained energy from being around others. Being around him was just a win-win situation for everybody. He made you feel good in his company, and you felt good in his company.

‣ Sumeragi wanted lots of kids from the get-go. He himself grew up in a large family (three older sisters, two younger brothers), and wanted to have a similar experience of bonding between his own children that he had with his siblings. Unfortunately, as he grew up, his relationships with most of his own siblings were sullied — charming disputes over the crown being the cause. Still, he kept in good contact with his youngest sister Kazuno, and his eldest younger brother Hiromitsu.

‣ He was actually a huge softie. A lot of people thought that he might be somewhat stern, but it was more of a mask than anything. He was actually pretty sensitive and cried a lot. He cried every time one of his children was born, as well as the first time Corrin called him “Papa”. He cried when he married Mikoto, too. He even cried after Ikona passed, in spite of their troubles. And for the very brief time that he was left alive, able only to hear the sounds of Corrin screaming for Ryoma and Ryoma begging him to get up, he cried then too. Not that anybody could really notice it.

Ikona:

‣ Absolutely did not want to be apart of the royal family. She’d been betrothed to Sumeragi from a young age, but tried and failed repeatedly to weasel out of the marriage. Her dream growing up was to be some sort of court musician rather than a queen. She had no mind for politics, but she loved to play the koto. Though she never did get to pursue her dream, she did choose to play the koto into adulthood. She tried to teach Hinoka, and was disappointed to find that she didn’t care for it. If she knew that Sakura plays, she’d have been over the moon.

‣ Being apart of the monarchy changed Ikona as a person. Though she must have seemed that way as the queen, she was not a harsh woman. If anything, she was a bit like Takumi. Kind enough, but altogether had a tendency to hold a grudge. She was also a bit like Ryoma in the sense that she knew how to manipulate people to get what she wanted. She didn’t care to do it, but sometimes, that was what it took to stay afloat in a court she hated.

‣ A hopeless romantic. Loved to read romance novels, even wrote a few as young girl (although she would tell you herself that they were not very good). Her favourite trope in writing was childhood friends to lovers, on account of her being in love with her own childhood best friend... A young man named Takumi Kawagishi, whom everyone tended to refer to as “Gishi”. She wrote letters to him all of her life. He reciprocated her affection, but could never be with her on account of her marriage to Sumeragi. There was... even a brief period where Sumeragi thought that Takumi could have been Gishi’s son, rather than his.

‣ She resented Sumeragi for trapping her in an unwanted marriage. As much as he tried to have a relationship with her and make her love him, she refused to budge. Their relationship did not improve until Ryoma was born, and even that took Ikona briefly considering suffocating her newborn babe just to get back at Sumeragi. Thankfully for the kingdom and baby Ryoma, she realized how much she actually cared for him and how wrong it would be to hurt him just to hurt her husband. From then on, she vowed to love him... which in turn facilitated things with Sumeragi, for they finally had something to agree on. They both loved their son very much.

‣ She hated the way she looked in colours like yellow and orange. She had red hair like Hinoka, and thought the colours looked atrocious when paired with it. Sometimes, she even felt pink was pushing it. As a result, she liked to ask for cool coloured kimonos. She particularly liked the way she looked in sky blue. It was the colour that she felt prettiest in.

‣ Ikona had a harsh opinion of the Nohrians. Her father had been involved in the Hoshidan military for years before finally retiring, and had lost a brother to the Nohrian army. Thus, she didn’t trust them very much and thought them warmongers like most Hoshidans did. Interestingly, the reasoning behind her eventual marriage to Sumeragi was for them to gain his family’s favour again. Her own elder brother, Taiga, sold out the Hoshidans to the Nohrians about important military plans. He was tossed out of the country, and the Asano family scrambled to make amends by offering Ikona up as a bride for Sumeragi. Ikona had been under the impression that not much would become of it, but was surprised to learn that of his suitors, she was the one he wanted.

‣ In spite of technically being a noblewoman, she did not need much to be satisfied. She wasn’t so fascinated by the idea of being rich. In fact, back when she lived with her own family, she loved to spend time with the servants. They taught her how to cook, clean and sew. They would even sometimes gather around to listen to little koto concerts, and make requests. She missed them greatly after going to Castle Shirasagi, and struggled to connect in the same way with the staff there.

‣ Came from a samurai family, but was not a samurai. If she had it her way on the battlefield, she’d probably have been a shrine maiden. She much preferred healing people to actually getting into fights. If she had to, though, she would probably go for onmyoji. She probably had a preference for the rabbit and the snake spirits.

‣ Very good at remembering people’s names. Nobles, commoners, and servants alike were often baffled by how well she remembered people’s names. If she didn’t remember your name, she was most definitely insulting you. If she knew your name one day, and then forgot it the next... then something you did pissed her off, and you needed to figure out what the hell it was before things got worse.

‣ Ikona’s death occurred by non-natural causes. After Mikoto’s arrival, she felt increasingly isolated from the rest of her family. She was already struggling with post-partum depression after the birth of Sakura, and ended up fighting with Sumeragi a lot as a result. Ultimately, though, Ryoma and Hinoka are the ones who blame themselves for her death. The two had caught her during an argument with their father in which she claimed that she had never wanted them in the first place, and that it was he who pushed her into it. She knew she had grown to love them, but hearing such horrible words from their mother broke their hearts. When she tried to apologize to them for what she said, they refused. The two were horrified upon her death, and needed extensive comfort and caretaking afterwards. It was a horribly dark period in their lives. They both still feel guilty even as adults, but will not talk to anyone about it. Not even each other.

Mikoto:

‣ She was very good at appearing all calm and serene and stuff, but she... was not. She never was. Perhaps when she was young, maybe, but not in Hoshido. Raising Sumeragi’s children was the most rewarding and yet most stressful things she’d ever done in her life. She found herself constantly at odds with Ryoma as a teenager, and then fretted about his tendency to overwork himself as an adult. Hinoka spent most of their time together adamant about getting under her skin however she could, because she had coped with the loss of Ikona so poorly. She found Takumi to be sweet, but incredibly brittle, and like Ryoma, she worried about him a lot. They spent a lot of time together trying to work on his self-esteem issues. As for Sakura, well, she was not much of a headache, but someone so sweet...? Mikoto felt determined to protect her from the big, harsh world.

‣ If any of her outfits had pockets in them, you bet your butt she found a way to sneak sweets in there. Even if she didn’t have any, she would find somewhere to hide them. Her sweet tooth was uncontrollable and she tried to manage it at every single turn. Thankfully, this also meant that if anyone was ever sad, she always had a sweet to offer to make them feel better. (Saizo the Fourth, were he still alive, would tell anyone of how she kept offering him sweets after particularly rough missions.)

‣ Not much of a drinker. For a long time, people would offer her drinks, but she would usually only drink them to be polite. There is nobody, apart from her sister and Yukimura, who have ever seen her drunk. Even then, they’re not entirely sure if it was real or if they hallucinated it. She’s a bit of a loud drunk, but very affectionate and wise. If you ever want life lessons without judgement, ask drunk Mikoto.

‣ Birds were her favourite animal. I’m not talking like kinshi birds (although she did think that they are gorgeously majestic, and begged Reina for a few rides on hers), but your typical cute chirpy ones. She used to have one as a pet when she was a teenager that she’d nursed back to health; it was a little finch. It died just as tensions began to grow. The finch’s name was Yue.

‣ Could not stand being talked over. That definitely turned some heads when she first started working as queen in Hoshido. Many of her male advisors did not take kindly to her interrupting the sentence they’d just started after they interrupted her, especially because it was just to tell them that she wasn’t finished. The bonus was that while Yukimura and Ryoma both did it initially, they eventually got to the point where they would cut people off, saying: “Excuse me, but Queen Mikoto had not finished speaking.”

‣ Liked spiders. She was actually never the type of person to kill them, but tried to make sure they got put outside safely. Most of the time, people were rather respectful of her intent to try and protect life where she could. The only person who couldn’t understand it was actually Yukimura, who would let her, but felt god awful and shivered as he watched her take it onto her hand. She’d sheepishly admit that she did used to antagonize him with them a bit.

‣ Missed her parents deeply. They both died long before the events of the main story, but not a day went by that she didn’t miss them. It was even harder having to live in Hoshido and never speak of them, but she would write little letters to them telling them about the events of her life. She would do the same for Corrin while she was gone. Really, though, it stung her heart to see her step-children to be living without their own parents. She sympathized with how they felt, and more than anything tried to be a good mother figure to them for that reason.

‣ Her love language was quality time. If you wanted Mikoto to know that you loved her, the best bet would be trying to spend quality time together. It could be tricky sometimes as she was very caught up with running the country, but she and her family managed. Sometimes she would even manage to have full-on conversations with them while working that made her feel like her day would be just a bit better.

‣ Hummed to herself. If she was walking around or doing anything in the day absent-mindedly, she’d usually start humming a little tune. The problem with it is that she annoyed herself with it. She didn’t like that she did it, and thus slowly grew aggravated with herself for sitting there and humming all the time. She did this since even in childhood, and her sister found it to be absolutely hilarious. Mikoto herself didn’t find it funny at all.

‣ A total busy bee, but not for any cute reasons. She often piled herself with work, sometimes just busy work, for the sake of getting her mind off of her dead and missing family. If she let herself think about them for too long, she would slip into a dark mood. It would often leave her unable to do much for days on end, where Yukimura and Ryoma would end up shouldering most of the burden. Sometimes, she wouldn’t even be able to get to sleep. She was just that distraught.

Ryoma:

‣ A scream-sneezer. For some reason feels the need to yell at some god forsaken volume as he’s sneezing. He makes Sakura jump every time. He’s definitely tried to make his sneeze a lot smaller and more princely, but that just usually ends in him managing to blow snot everywhere. As he deems this significantly worse than scaring everyone in the room, he’s decided that perhaps he’ll just have to stick with his frightening sneeze.

‣ Hates his long hair. Hates it. Secretly prays throughout Revelation’s whole campaign that someone will try to mess with him in a fit of xenophobia and just chop it short while he’s sleeping or something. He’s expected to keep it long for reasons have to do with both religion and being of royal blood, but he doesn’t want to. (He lets Shiro keep his hair short even after revealing him as the next crown prince for this reason — he is 100% living vicariously through his son.)

‣ If he weren’t a prince, he’d make for a pretty good writer. He grew up writing bedtime stories for his younger siblings, so he has a bit of practice. As an adult, though, he mostly writes for himself. Little tales of missions and adventures he’s been on, to keep them as memories. It’s why he’s so skilled at putting thoughts to paper when it comes to his wife.

‣ Ryoma is incredibly dense about romance. He can only tell his own feelings for other people; he doesn’t seem to register when other people are pining for each other or when someone likes him. He was surprised when he was young to learn that his father was harboring a crush on Mikoto. He was even more surprised when Saizo and Kagero kissed in front of him for the first time when they were dating, because what do you mean you’ve been obvious?! I haven’t noticed a thing!!

‣ Actively skirted around royal duties as heir by having a nervous breakdown. Technically, he was supposed to take over from Mikoto a long time ago. However, after his genpuku ceremony at age fourteen, he had a huge breakdown over becoming ruler. The advisors were so concerned that they had to postpone it until Ryoma felt he was ready, and as the story tells us... that wasn’t for a long time. He also managed to get out of political marriage and heir-conceiving due to everyone worrying he’d freak out again. He’s both embarrassed that it happened, and extremely grateful that things turned out the way they did.

‣ He doesn’t really show it so obviously due to his own struggle to express himself and let his guard down, but he really likes to nurture others and see them become the best versions of themselves. That’s why he took to Azura so quickly — he wanted to do anything he could to make her happy and feel as if she had a full life.

‣ Grinds his teeth. It appears to be mostly in response to frustrations, but others have noticed him doing it in times of anxiety. It’s sort of grating to listen to him do. Orochi likes to joke that all of that jaw clenching and grinding is why he has such a strong jawline. He... doesn’t really find that joke funny.

‣ While he is not so great with kids over the age of like... ten, he’s so good with babies. He has no idea why and neither does anybody else, but babies just adore him. If you hand him one, they will probably snuggle right up against his chest and fall asleep. Either that, or he’ll find some sort of way to make them laugh. Listen. We just don’t question the logistics of Ryoma’s effect on babies. They just love him, okay?

‣ Treats Raijinto almost as a comfort object. He forced himself to give up his own comfort objects when Sumeragi died (deciding that he needed to be more mature with his father gone), and thus ended up becoming very protective of Raijinto when it became his own. Generally doesn’t like other people touching it, and prefers to keep it at his side most of the time.

‣ Constantly has chapped skin in the wintertime. He’s too busy to ever really think about monitoring it himself, so it often results in Sakura taking him aside to slather him in all of her balms to make sure that he’s not itchy or in pain. Otherwise, the skin will usually end up cracking, and his chapped hands will get blood on important documents. It certainly sends a message, but not always the one the royals are hoping for.

‣ He actually has a bad leg from an injury he sustained that day in Cheve. It doesn’t affect him all that much physically, but it’s definitely noticeable if he’s worked it too hard. Some think that one of the arrows meant for Sumeragi missed and lodged itself in his leg. Others speculate that he tried to defend Corrin against Garon, and was fired upon to ensure that he wouldn’t try to interfere with the kidnapping. Nobody, not even Mikoto or his siblings, knows for sure how it happened. Just that he came home injured, and spent a decent amount of time trying to overcome and recover from that injury. If you ask him what happened, he won’t tell you.

Hinoka:

‣ Secretly, she’s a big old snuggle bug. Loves to cuddle. Family, friends, lovers, it doesn’t matter. Hinoka enjoys a good snuggle more than anything. Her primary snuggle buddy is Sakura, but when she was really little, she tended to curl up with her mother the most.

‣ Her pegasus’s name is Bashira. As expected of a pegasus rider, Hinoka is incredibly fond of her, often referring to her as her “best friend” and talking about her as if she were a person. Sometimes, she’ll even dress her up for holidays or special events.

‣ Even as a child, Hinoka was always pretty athletic. She loved to race and wrestle and all of that. Of course, she was still very much a crybaby. Sometimes she would cry crocodile tears if she was bested, but most of the time she would cry if she’d been bonked a little too hard or jerked around too quickly. These interactions tended to distract people from the fact that the little princess was even engaging in rough-and-tumble games at all.

‣ She likes to take walks alone in the forest sometimes to be alone with her thoughts. She finds she can get really get caught up in the rhythm of training and working to do her duties, and that she doesn’t think so much for herself. So she tries to take the time alone every once in awhile to ponder on life. It’s comforting to watch the world around her move.

‣ Very prone to nosebleeds. Nobody’s really sure why. She’s bitter about it because it doesn’t really happen much to her siblings. What’s worse is that it tends to ruin her white clothes! She doesn’t usually feel it coming until her nose starts dripping. Often has tissues with her when she goes on missions to help clean herself up.

‣ When Hinoka hits, she hits hard. She once slapped Ryoma so hard he had a hand-shaped welt on his face for two days. He was so impressed he couldn’t hold it against her. He also learned not to torment her after that, as did many others who thought it would be funny to antagonize the red-headed princess. The comments about her being an unfit warrior mysteriously tapered off...

‣ Due to all of her missions, she has a lot of scars. On the surface she tries to act as if she’s not self-conscious over them, but in truth, she feels a little awkward about them. Especially since so many men in Hoshido preach Saizo’s narrative, in which women must remain “delicate”. She worries what people might think of her as a princess who has so many markings. Often, she tries balms and creams to try and fade them.

‣ Can curl her tongue. None of her other siblings can do it. She lords it over them like some sort of mysterious power. She’s so damn cocky about it that she almost always curls her tongue when she sticks it out at them, just to piss them off. It always works.

‣ Allergic to fish eggs/roe. Or perhaps it’s not allergic so much as intolerant. Usually ends up with a migraine and an upset stomach, but refuses to eat them at all costs. Sometimes will claim that she is deathly allergic to them just to make sure she doesn’t have to eat them.

‣ Worries that after the war/after Corrin comes home that she won’t know who she is anymore. She’s dedicated her whole life to being a soldier and fighting that she doesn’t know what she’ll do with herself when that is no longer necessary. Sometimes, she even worries that maybe she’s really only half a person. Usually, when she gets into one of these moods, there is very little anyone can do to talk her out of it. They simply have to wait and trust that Hinoka will find her own way to realize that even without being a soldier, she can still be human.

Corrin:

‣ The most ticklish of all of her siblings. Not that she wants you to know that. When she was little, Sumeragi would tickle her sides until she squealed. It sometimes resulted in her kneeing him in the groin by accident as she tried to get away. He tried not to mind terribly.

‣ Likes rainy days. Since she could never go outside much at all, she loved to sit in the fortress and watch the rain fall. Rainy days were most definitely days with no training; she would curl up with a good book and some cookies to enjoy herself. Now that she can get out, though, she loves to dance in the rain. Sometimes she’ll even drag the other members of the army out to prance around with her. She’s so good-spirited that pretty much everyone obliges.

‣ Has a mole just like Mikoto’s! Well, maybe not exactly... It’s not on her face. It’s actually on her back of all places, towards her left shoulder blade. Naturally, it’s covered up most of the time. When she was little and visible, though, Camilla used to kiss it to make her giggle. If you do it now, she still does.

‣ Has a bizarre amount of hobbies. All of that time spent in the fortress gave her lots of time to try and practice different things, so she’s full of activities. Her favourites were playing the piano, painting, reading, and embroidery. Should anyone want to learn any of these things, she’s always happy to lend a hand.

‣ Constantly fighting with her hair. It’s super fluffy and requires a lot of attention. If she could recall her childhood, she would find a myriad of memories of squawking as Mikoto tried to brush her hair. It’s very prone to tangles, and thus her mother would braid it before she went to sleep. It’s a habit she ended up continuing into adulthood, having Felicia braid it for her.

‣ Full of restless energy. It both is and isn’t Fortress life talking. When she was a little girl, she spent a lot of time zooming around the castle and its grounds, keeping her nurse maids from having much of a break. She was especially fond of impromptu games of hide and seek, as well as tag. It’s... a bit of a game she keeps into adulthood, too. Most people find her energy so cute that they can’t help but play with her, knowing she’ll get back to work as soon as it’s done.

‣ Struggles to sit in a proper position in a chair for more than half an hour. She’ll usually end up contorting her body in some strange way. This occurs so, so often in war meetings. The others have tried to tell her that it’s inappropriate for an event like that, but they can only ever get her back into a proper position for more than fifteen minutes before she’s back to sitting all funny. Her Nohrian siblings have completely given up, but the Hoshidan siblings try to politely remind her on how to sit (despite knowing it’s a fruitless endeavour.)

‣ Heavy sleeper. Like a rock. Why do you think Flora and Felicia have to wake her up with their ice powers every morning? Without them there, a bucket of cold water would struggle to wake this girl from her rest. What’s worse is that she also likes to nap, but if you need her for something... well, bring one of the maids with you. Otherwise, you’re going to have to beat her with a pillow to get her to wake up. And even then, there’s no promise. Sometimes, people can’t wake Corrin and they honestly think she’s dead.

‣ Sings in the bath. Both made-up songs and ones she’s heard before. One she’s been singing since childhood is something she named “The Bubble Song”, that consists mostly of the lyrics “Bubbly bubble bath, bubble bubble, gonna brew up some... bubble trouble”. Hilariously, this song has caught on with anyone she bathed with as a child. Ryoma used to sing it to Takumi and Sakura when he’d help them bathe as kids. Silas has been known to sing it when bathing as well, but as a grown adult.

‣ Agonizes over losing her memory. She hates herself for having lost it, and has had a few breakdowns from trying to force herself to remember. If she gets especially angry about it, she’ll sit there angrily pounding her fists against her head and screaming at herself to figure things out. She knows it causes others to think that’s she unstable, but she gets so angry about it sometimes that she doesn’t have it within herself to care. She just... wants to remember her life.

Takumi:

‣ In spite of his humiliation at Ryoma’s hands years back, Takumi does like to use a sword sometimes. Not usually for battle, only really in training, but he likes the feeling of a blade. He just finds he prefers a bow overall, though.

‣ One of those people who is just always hot. He totally holds his heat, and often complains throughout the summer months about how hot it is. Alternatively, though, he’s pretty comfortable in the winter. His siblings sometimes even use him as a human heater when they get cold.

‣ If not in the company of his family, Takumi likes to curse a lot. He knows it’s not princely behaviour, but he doesn’t care. He mostly does it in the company of Hinata and Oboro, but every once in awhile he’ll let one slip around his siblings. If it’s going to be any of them, though, it’s going to be around Hinoka or Corrin. Rarely ever Azura or Ryoma, and absolutely never around Sakura.

‣ Takumi actually kind of enjoys being sick. He definitely doesn’t like being rendered incapable of doing basic things, or feeling like trash, but... he does kind of like to be fussed over. There’s something nice about being the center of his family’s attention for once.

‣ He is not aware of this, but he was named after Ikona’s lover prior to her marriage to Sumeragi. Given that she could not be with him but was still attached, Ikona gave him his name. Only Ikona and Sumeragi know where his name really came from, and Sumeragi was less than pleased to find out later.

‣ Likes to pretend that he can handle spicy food. He cannot. You could dare this boy to eat a spoonful of wasabi, and he would do it, but the end result wouldn’t be pretty. His whole face turns bright red, and there are tears streaming from his eyes, and he holds his mouth like he’s sucking on a lemon. Even with that whole production, though, you can never get him to admit defeat. The spice doesn’t defeat Takumi. Takumi defeats the spice.

‣ Do not begin a sentence when speaking to him with “no offence”. He always takes offence. Always. He doesn’t know why people start conversations like that because it’s almost always something rude and uncalled for. It’s one of his biggest pet peeves, and it would just be better for both of you if you didn’t say stuff like that.

‣ Has very good hygiene and always smells nice. He tries to bathe every night, and washes his hair every other day with that schedule in mind. If one had to try and categorize Takumi’s scent, it would probably be a mix between morning dew and oranges. There were many women in Hoshido who used to swoon over him based on the way he smelled alone.

‣ Like a true December baby, Takumi loves the snow. When he was little he’d beg his nursemaids to go outside for some time to play in it. Even as he grew older, he’d wrestle his siblings and friends out of their plans for the day to go spend some time outside in the cold. There were many snowball fights, as well as a whole bunch of wrestling. By the end of their outside time, they would usually end up piled on top of one another in a big dog pile. If you get him vulnerable enough, he might even confess that he loves the snow because it gives him more family time. His siblings, retainers, and other friends are all busy people, and he wants to spend as much time with them as he can.

‣ His nightmares almost always revolve around losing someone important to him. In spite of not remembering Sumeragi and Ikona well, he finds himself dreaming of them regularly. Mikoto is also someone he dreams of a lot, usually of her death and his inability to do anything to save her. If the dream is really bad, he’ll dream of losing people who are still alive — Garon slicing Ryoma’s throat, Nohrian archers shooting Hinoka down from the sky, a commander snapping Sakura’s neck like it’s nothing. He often wakes up screaming and scares the others awake, and needs all kinds of comfort to even think about falling asleep again.

Sakura:

‣ Sakura is the member of the family who gives illnesses to everyone else. She’s the carrier. She will have a slight sniffle for two days, and then be fine — because she passed it onto the rest of the family, who will have a huge cold for two weeks. She’s always very sorry about it, and brings them warm soup every time it happens.

‣ Has the softest skin known to man. Nobody knows why this girl just has like... baby soft skin, but she’s always been like that. Holding her hand is an excellent experience because of it. Once she starts using a bow, she’s a little disappointed that she starts developing callouses on her hands, as they ruin the softness.

‣ Sweets thief! Well, not so much now that she’s older, but when she was little it was a huge thing. She used to sneak sweets from the kitchen a lot. If she were asked to count on her fingers how many times Mikoto caught her with sticky hands and a sugary face, she probably couldn’t. She’s a bit embarrassed by the memories, but everyone else finds it charmingly cute.

‣ She has dimples! For the most part she’s pretty shy about them, but everyone else thinks they’re really cute. Her siblings sometimes go out of their way to make her smile just so they can see them. Sumeragi loved them the most.

‣ Believe it or not, she has a favourite proverb! It’s “Even monkeys fall from trees”, which is basically just another way of saying that anyone can make a mistake. Given that Sakura is such a compassionate person, it comes as no surprise to everyone that this is her favourite. She wants to give people a fair chance, and doesn’t want to hold their mistakes against them (assuming that they genuinely are mistakes).

‣ Thrives off of other people’s happiness. She loves to people watch in Shirasagi Castle Town to see if she can spot anyone who is out having a good time. Little kids getting a treat for good behaviour are definitely one of her favourite types of happiness to spot, but she also loves seeing shy young couples on first dates. Getting to see her country’s people so happy gives her the spirit she needs to keep doing her healing work.

‣ Has really strong nails, for some reason? Nobody’s exactly sure why her nails are so deathly strong, but she needs help trimming them. Mikoto would usually help her manage that, but sometimes she’d get Takumi’s help if Mikoto was busy.

‣ You probably could not get her to admit it, but she likes the smell of freshly blown-out candles. She doesn’t quite like the scent of fire, but she sort of enjoys the smokiness that comes from a flame that has just been put out. For some reason finds her love of the scent embarrassing.

‣ Still a bit scared of the dark, even at her age. Her childhood fear of the Nohrians coming back for her led her to fear them wandering around in the dark, and thus she finds it unsettling. Depending on the hour at which she has to go the bathroom at night, she’ll ask Ryoma to escort her (if it’s earlier, as he’s usually awake anyway) or prod a sibling into wakefulness to take her (if it’s later).

‣ Tends to rehearse the things she says before she says them. Especially in war meanings, but also sometimes in regular conversation. She’s very concerned about saying the wrong thing and making a bad impression, so she feels like the constant rehearsal is the only way to ensure that she’s not going to cause any kind of trouble.

‣ So soft-hearted that she cries for her own family without them knowing. At night when trying to sleep, she can often think herself into horrible moods about her family’s pain. She can lay there for hours sobbing quietly to herself over the various ways that they’re hurting, even if they don’t want to acknowledge it themselves. She cries for Ryoma, who agonizes over being good enough for everyone. She cries for Hinoka, who has been a soldier all her life and may never get to fully experience that sense of normalcy. She cries for Takumi, who just wants to be noticed for once and feel like he is actually genuinely loved. She cries for Azura, who has been taken from home to home to home in a vain effort to fight other people’s battles. She cries for Mikoto who lost her child, for Corrin who lost her family, for Sumeragi and Ikona who lost their lives... Sakura cries for everyone.

#feel free to block if I’m bothering you in the fe tag #fire emblem fates #hoshido #fe 14 #fe ryoma #fe Hinoka #fe takumi #fe sakura #fire emblem #suicide tw #tw suicide #fe headcanons #queen ikona #king Sumeragi #queen Mikoto #fe corrin

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kumeko · 4 years ago

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A/N: For the @invinciblezine Calamity’s Advent Zine! I’m not 100% happy about how this ended up. I always wanted to write a dark route, Corrin turns into a tyrant after a scene in the Conquest route and instead I wrote more of Corrin’s slowly collapsing state throughout the conquest route. XD Maybe I’ll revisit that idea in the future.

…

Corrin knew what it felt like for the world to turn upside down, to lose her footing and stumble when nothing was as it should be. From the moment she’d left the Northern Fortress, it was a feeling she’d felt constantly. After all, everything she’d known was a lie. Her family couldn’t be called hers, Nohr had never been her home, and even her body wasn’t entirely human.

After all of that, she’d thought it was impossible to get surprised anymore. That there was nothing left that could shock her to her core. That wasn’t the case, sadly. Somewhere above her, the gods were laughing. Standing at the lake’s edge, she grabbed Azura’s shoulder for stability. “What?”

“We have to kill Garon,” Azura repeated softly, her eyes downcast. In the moonlight, she looked ethereal, her gossamer dress silver. Nothing about her felt solid, neither her words nor her skin, and Corrin tightened her grip unconsciously. Maybe she could chalk this up as a dream. “And the only way to prove his true identity—”

“Is to put him on Hoshido’s throne,” Corrin finished hollowly, turning away to stare at the lake. A gentle fog covered most of the water, and the parts closest to her reflected the endless stars. In another time, she’d have stared at the night sky with her family, chatting happily. Now she was faced with the choice of tearing them apart. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the dewy grass and tried to calm her racing heart. “He really is a demon?”

“Yes.” Azura gracefully knelt beside her, tucking her skirt under her knees as she sat on the damp ground.

It’ll stain, Corrin thought idly. Jacob will be furious. Life used to be so simple in the Northern Fortress, when all she’d wanted was to prove she was good enough for Garon so she could finally join her siblings. When she’d only had one set of family, and not two. Xander had warned her once that she might not be ready for the outside world, that it was crueler than she could imagine locked away.

He’d been right. She wasn’t ready. She never had been. Yet it was too late to go back. Curling her hands into the dirt, she quietly muttered, “You know, I should have known he wasn’t my father.”

Azura rested her hand on top of hers, gently urging her to continue. “How could you?”

“I mean…” Corrin cracked a lopsided smile, leaning back to stare at the moon. “What sort of father keeps their child locked away? And it couldn’t have been strength or age—Elise wasn’t trapped with me. But I wanted to believe.” Her voice cracked. “I wanted to belong.”

Azura clasped her hands to her chest, looking down at the grass, at the moonlight glinting off the dewdrops. “It’s hard to belong. I don’t think I ever have.”

From the moment they’d met, Corrin had known they were kindred spirits. She just hadn’t realized how much. Corrin held up a hand above her, studying it. “We don’t even look the same, but then again…no one really looks like Garon.”

“He isn’t what he used to be,” Azura pointed out sadly. There was a trace of familiarity in her tone and Corrin wondered how deep it ran. “He’s…changed much.”

“That’s what Xander says too, but…” Corrin glanced at Azura. She was beautiful, bathed in the moonlight. It wasn’t just her—all of her siblings were. Camilla was gorgeous, Elise cute, Leo and Xander handsome in wildly different ways. No matter how much she looked at them, she couldn’t find Garon in them, couldn’t find his cruelty in their words or actions. The reverse also held true. She couldn’t find their kindness in Garon, couldn’t find their justice in his actions. “Do you take after your mother?”

Azura’s eyes widen before a sad smile crosses her face. “I’ve been told we look alike. I can’t remember her well.”

“Me neither.” Corrin chuckled mirthlessly, leaning forward to peer at her reflection in the glasslike water. There was nothing of Mikoto in her hair, her eyes, her frame. Maybe she took after her father, but she didn’t resemble her Hoshido siblings in the slightest. She remembered Mikoto’s arms around her, her last ragged whisper, and she bit back a sob. “And now I never will.”

She felt untethered, disconnected from the world. Even for all her years caged, she’d never felt as lost as she did now.

“You know, you’re lucky,” Azura murmured, squeezing Corrin’s hand. When she looked back in askance, Azura continued, “Camilla, Xander—your siblings, they truly care for you. Blood-related or not, they love you. And,” she paused, her eyes lowering. “Even in Hoshido, they miss you.”

Corrin turned her hand, squeezing her back. “They miss you too.”

“Maybe, but not as much as they miss you. They’ve spent years waiting for you.” Azura shook her head. There was nothing self-deprecating about her tone, only honest truth, and that was what made it sting the most. That someone as amazing as Azura thought like that about herself. “Even now, it’s you they’re fighting for.”

“They’re fighting for you too. After the war—” Corrin cut herself, realization sinking in. “The Hoshido throne. We have to conquer Hoshido.” She looked at Azura, pained. “We have to fight them.”

Azura nodded, averting her eyes. She must have realized this before. “We have to defeat them.”

Corrin gazed at the lake once more. Ryoma was proud, Takumi bitter, and Hinoka fearless. There was a chance she could convince Sakura to surrender, but the other three—they wouldn’t back down without a fight. Especially now that Corrin had slapped their hand away, had rejected their kindness and love for Nohr. “They might die.”

Azura said nothing. Her nails dug into Corrin’s skin.

“I…” Corrin’s heart was in her throat, her eyes already watery. Could she kill them? She had to, didn’t she? It was the only way she could get Garon on the throne, the only way she could kill him and bring peace. Her chest throbbed, her palms sweaty.

Xander had warned her, so long ago, that she had to be tough to survive outside. She just hadn’t realized how tough.

Corrin closed her eyes. Ryoma’s grip had been firm, but gentle. Hinoka had a playful, competitive streak. Takumi had been bitter, so terribly angry and bitter, but in time, in time he might have come to accept her. To love her. Just like Sakura, who despite her shyness, had made sure Corrin felt welcome.

Mikoto’s body had rapidly cooled in her arms after the explosion, her words so kind and forgiving. Corrin would remember that sensation for the rest of her life. Now, she’d have to remember Ryoma, remember Hinoka and Takumi and every other Hoshidan she would have to kill in this war. This wasn’t like with Ice Tribe’s rebellion or Garon’s order to kill all dancers. All of Leo’s tricks couldn’t change the truth here: one way or another, people would die.

“I have to conquer Hoshido,” she uttered softly, steeling herself. She wondered how many times a person could face heartbreak before they crumble, just how many pieces a heart can shatter into before it can’t be put back together again. “Maybe I’m more like Garon than I thought, using and killing others to get what I want. A tyrant.”

“You’re not,” Azura defended, shaking her head.

“I might have to kill my siblings.” Corrin paused, before correcting, “Your siblings.”

“They were never mine to begin with,” Azura replied sadly, her hand curling on her chest. “Besides…I was forced out of Hoshido, remember? I doubt they want me back.”

Corrin frowned, not buying a word of it. If Azura could only realize how they had looked at her, the love that had shown in Ryoma’s, Hinoka’s, and Sakura’s eyes, she wouldn’t say such things. “Even then, you don’t want them to die, do you?”

“Never,” Azura admitted reluctantly, closing her eyes. “Never.”

“Then—”

“But we have to stop Garon.” Azura opened her eyes and clenched her jaw, looking more determined than Corrin had ever seen her. “He’ll only bring ruin to everything he touches…it doesn’t matter what I want, this is more important than that.”

Was it? But Corrin couldn’t say the words. Deep in her heart, she knew it was true. For the sake of Nohr, for the sake of Hoshido, sacrifices had to be made. Her siblings had to be thrown on the altar to protect the country they loved. Curling her hand into a fist, Corrin quietly replied, “I’ll do it, so—”

“Not alone.” Cutting her off, Azura squeezed Corrin’s hand one last time before standing up. “I will not let you walk this path by yourself. Not when I suggested it. The blood on your hands is on mine as well.”

It shouldn’t have sounded as reassuring as it had. Corrin looked up at Azura, feeling like she was stepping on quicksand, and shiver ran up her spine at the path they were taking.

-x-

Corrin silently stared at the plain tent before her, its flap closed. Despite being the royal tactics chamber, it looked as simple as the other tents in the war camp. Unlike Hoshido and its golden tents, there weren’t the resources to make something similar in Nohr. It was hard enough funding the army without tossing in ornamental trinkets. Besides, even if there were, she wasn’t sure they would make it. Xander and Leo had always been of the practical sort. How the tent looked made no difference to what they did inside it.

Elise, on the other hand, would have decorated it with flowers. A smile tugged on her face at the thought and Corrin relaxed slightly before ducking her head and entering. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, making out her two brothers standing around a large table. Spread across it was a familiar map, Nohr and Hoshido covered with small figurines indicating the allotment of troops.

Noticing her, Xander turned and gave a solemn smile. As usual, his posture was a little stiff from years of being the crown prince. “You made it.”

“I thought we had to send a search party,” Leo quipped with a teasing smile.

“I wasn’t lost,” Corrin protested, her smile instantly turning into a frown. Her shoulders remained relaxed though; this was familiar, this was safe. This was her family, when all was said and done. As she approached them, she pointed at Leo’s collar. “And your collar is inside out.”

“Seriously?” Leo swore softly under his breath as he tugged on his cape. He was lucky Camilla wasn’t around to hear that. “Every. Damn. Time.”

Xander chuckled. It sounded rusty, like he was out of practice. “Leo, this happens far too often. Why do you even wear that?”

When Leo merely glowered his reply, Corrin teasingly guessed, “Aesthetic?”

“No.” Immediately, Leo snorted indignantly, and she had a feeling she’d guessed right. He scowled at her. “Nothing as frivolous as that. It is for decorum.”

“Decorum, huh?” Corrin stretched out the word, a mocking grin on her face.

“Have Niles assist you, at least,” Xander suggested, ending the discussion before it turned into an argument. He had always been diplomatic like that. “Or Odin, if he is capable.”

“I feel like that’d make it worse,” she muttered under her breath. If there was something both sets of her siblings shared it common, it was picking really strange retainers. Hinoka’s were especially odd, but Leo’s weren’t far behind. Niles never ceased his dark humour and teasing, and Odin, well, he often felt out of touch with reality.

“Nonsense, I can manage something as simple as this myself,” Leo refuted, adjusting his cape, right-collar out now. His ears were red, a tell-tale sign of embarrassment he could never hide. Turning back to the table, he gestured at the pieces, “Anyways, we have more important matters to discuss.”

Corrin snorted at the obvious topic change. Xander accepted it gracefully, as usual. Walking around the table, he leaned forward and studied the troops. “Our upcoming battle. They are all in their current locations?”

“As of this morning’s update,” Leo confirmed, idly picking up a wooden knight. He rolled it on his hand. “For the most part, we are holding them in check. We need to add extra pressure to push them back.”

The smile dropped from her face as Corrin glanced down at the table. The map was overrun with battalions. She swallowed, her heart beating in her ears. Each piece represented a hundred. Were there even that many people in Nohr? In Hoshido? A single move could alter the fate of thousands.

“We seem to be evenly matched, which is better than I expected considering their upper hand in numbers, resources, and location.” Xander frowned, his brow knitting as he examined the battle lines.

“But not in strength,” Leo added, smirking cockily.

“Don’t get too overconfident,” Xander warned, picking up a soldier that was taller than the others. “There are Hoshidans who can match us blow for blow; it will not be as simple as you think.”

Corrin stared at the soldier, realization dawning. “Is that Ryoma?”

“We needed a way to distinguish the Hoshido royal family.” Xander pointed at three points on the board where there was an archer, a Pegasus knight, and priestess, all of which were taller than the others of their class. It was her entire family in a wooden block set.

Leo set down his soldier and picked up Takumi. He snorted inelegantly. “This one’s just an archer, I highly doubt he’s a threat.”

“Leo.” Xander sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I’m just a swordsman. A weapon can be deadly in the right hands.”

“There is nothing just about you,” Leo retorted, setting the piece down. “Though you might be right. We just don’t have enough information on them.”

“Information…” Corrin repeated, picking up Sakura and rolling the piece in her hand. If they had enough information, could they clear the battle without killing? It was a possibility, however slim. Noticing the silence around her, she looked up and realized they were staring at her expectantly. Surprised, she stepped back. “Me?”

“Well, you were with them for a while,” Leo pointed out, rolling his eyes. “You know more than we do.”

“The information would be very helpful, though I understand if it’s too hard for you right now,” Xander added supportively, walking around to squeeze her shoulder. It was rare for him to play brother and not crown prince.

“Quit babying her.” Despite his harsh words, Leo didn’t push her. Instead, he glanced at the tent entrance. “Maybe Azura could help—”

“I can do it,” Corrin blurted out immediately. Azura couldn’t be dragged into this any deeper than she already was. The betrayal would be less, coming from her lips rather than Azura’s. It would still be a betrayal, nonetheless. Her heart sank, remembering their kindness and how she was trampling on it now.

Xander hummed approvingly. “Good.”

-x-

“Corrin!” Hinoka gasped, the Yato buried hilt-deep into her chest. Blood dripped down her chest, splattering darkly against the earth. “Why?”

Corrin woke up, drenched in sweat. That was a dream. Only a dream. There was a sticky sensation on her hands, the false memory of Hinoka’s blood, and she wiped them off on her blanket. The feeling wouldn’t leave, even though it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. It had only been a dream.

“Shit.” She covered her eyes with the back of her hand, breathing heavily as she tried to get her bearings. Every night, it was one sibling or the other. Her hands were stained red, her sword piercing their body, and a single accusatory why lingered in the air before she woke. A dream that felt all too real. She could only hope that she hadn’t gained foresight.

There would be no sleeping further tonight. Her heart calmed and Corrin slipped out of her tent quietly. She didn’t want Jakob to notice her absence; only one of them had to lose their sleep. Around her was a tent city, small lanterns here and there giving her the vague shape of the army’s campground. It was a dark, moonless night. Everyone else was asleep, as they should be.

Quietly, Corrin walked a familiar path through the tents, stopping in front of her friends’ and families’ tents. The layout was the same at every stop, Xander’s planning meticulous. First was Elise’s chambers, Elise silently polishing her armour as she kept watch. By now, Corrin was certain all of the retainers knew of her nightly check-ups. Niles stood guard at Leo’s tent, his lips tugging into a lazy smirk at the sight of her. Laslow was nodding off at Xander’s, no doubt covering for Peri’s shift as well.

Her last stop was Camilla’s tent, with the steadfast Beruka watching from the shadows. Corrin sighed with relief. It had only been a dream, after all.

-x-

Corrin watched as Camilla tightened the straps of her saddle, her delicate arms far stronger than they appeared. Considering the hefty axe she preferred, they had to be. Far above them, Selena was already in the air with her dragon, circling around warily as she kept an eye out for any enemies. Beruka was impossible to spot. It felt like such an ordinary thing, as though her sister was leaving for another scouting mission, when it was anything but.

“Are you sure about this?” Corrin asked softly.

Camilla tightened her strap one last time before gently patting her wyvern’s tough hide. The sun had only set minutes ago and already almost all of its rays were gone, bathing them in darkness. Above them, the stars hadn’t appeared yet, this twilight hour one without any heavenly witnesses. Smiling, she turned to Corrin. “About what, sweetie?”

“This, all of it.” Corrin rubbed her arm, her eyes flickering from Camilla to the ground. Shame crept into her voice. “You don’t have to do this, you know. Beruka can carry it out without you. I can send someone else.”

“My Beruka is very good at assassinations and sneaking around,” Camilla concurred, hand on her hip as she stared up at the sky. There was a gentle smile on her face, as though she was talking about Elise sneaking treats and not her retainer’s capabilities in murder. “However, you gave me this task.” She turned around, stepping toward Corrin and reaching out. Her right-hand caressed Corrin’s cheek. Expression tender, she finished, “And I never turn down anything my darling family asks.”

And that was the crux of it, that the one who’d decided Camilla should go on this assassination mission was Corrin. That the one who had looked at the map, at all the small soldiers, and discovered the quickest way forward was through subterfuge and sabotage was herself. It had been her decision, and yet the consequences wouldn’t occur by her own doing. She covered Camilla’s hand with her own, pained. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, this isn’t my first assassination.” Camilla chuckled. Her hair flowed in the wind, covering her face. Despite her square shoulders, she sounded tired. “And it won’t be my last. Some battles are better done quietly, when no one can witness them. I don’t mind, as long as I can protect all of you.”

“Camilla…” Corrin hugged her sister and closed her eyes. There had been times, when she had been younger and Camilla had visited for longer than a day, that she’d spot a dragon leaving the castle in the middle of the night. Had it been her sister, even then? Or Jakob or someone else she knew and cared about, someone else whose job it was to clean up secretly. It wasn’t hard to imagine Camilla’s axe in the darkness, coated in thick red liquid. “I won’t—” ask for any other missions, Corrin almost added, cutting herself off before she could lie.

Because there was no way that could be the truth. Not in a war like this. Not when she wanted to minimize casualties. If only she was stronger, better, smarter. If only she wasn’t so weak that she had to rely on her family like this.

“Don’t cry, sweetie.” Camilla pulled herself away, still wearing that gentle expression. It was a mirror image of Mikoto’s and maybe she’d been wrong, maybe Corrin had known what a mother was like all this time. “Just smile for me, that’s all I need.”

Corrin steeled her heart, pushing away her regrets as she smiled. “Come back safely.”

-x-

Pulling a sword out of a body was hard. It took a certain amount of strength and finesse depending on where in the body she stabbed. It was easier in the arms and legs. A single strong yank was enough to free her weapon then. In the torso, however, it took a saw-like motion, it took grunting and sweating and listening to a person choke in their own blood, their hand limply reaching out to grab her.

It was a sensation she wished she didn’t understand. It was a sensation she wished was imprinted in her skin and bones, engraved into her until she could never forget. Corrin knew how blood sprayed when she cut a body, where to strike to minimize the splatter. How it looked when she flicked it off her sword. How long it took a person to die, the wet sound as they tried to take a breath.

It was terrifying, the facts she was learning about the human body.

“Corrin?”

Elise’s voice shook her out of her thoughts and Corrin scanned her surroundings. The battle might be over, but there could be Hoshidan stragglers lurking about, one careless mistake away from striking her down. Around her were damaged houses, windows broken and plumes of smoke escaping crumbling walls. Despite her orders to not endanger civilian life, she still found village after village like this and she could never tell if her soldiers were disobeying her or if Iago had overruled her orders. It didn’t matter. In the end, the result was the same: Hoshidans without a home. Children without parents. Dead bodies strewn across the street and not all of them were soldiers.

Still keeping a tight grip on her sword, Corrin replied, “It’s safe, Elise.”

Behind her, low-heeled shoes clacked against a cobbled road. Elise walked slowly, her staff clutched tightly as she nervously looked at each soldier. Her long, golden braids were speckled with blood, her usually immaculate dress dirty and crinkled. The healing stations must have overflowed today and Corrin felt a pang of sympathy.

“It’s okay, they’re all dead,” Corrin reassured her, approaching to meet her halfway. “You’re safe.”

Elise paled, her skin taking on a sickly shine. “They are?” She looked around her, her eyes sad. “All of them?”

“Yes.” Corrin bit her cheek. Whether it was Nohr or Hoshido, the soldiers were too proud, all too many of them preferring to die on their feet than to surrender and live. “What’re you doing here, Elise?”

“Oh.” Elise’s shoulders sank and she loosened her grip on her staff. “I…I thought I could save someone. Anyone, really.” She looked up at Corrin, giving a troubled smile. “Not just our soldiers.”

Corrin’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Elise brightened slightly, remembering her past successes. “I actually saved a whole bunch of Hoshido soldiers!” She held out her hands, increasing the gap between them as though to indicate how many. “They might be prisoners, but they’re alive.”

“That’s great, Elise!” Corrin forced a smile as she wrapped her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly.

It was good news. It was great news. And if her heart didn’t feel light at it, if she sensed something dark lurking in the edges of her sight, well, she’d just become more cynical these days.

-x-

Azura was drawn to water in a way she couldn’t entirely explain. It was more than just her connection to that other world or even to her late mother. Lakes were a safe spot, a place she could sit, think, and be a little less afraid. Whenever they camped by a lake, she would invariably end up in front of it, sinking her toes into the shallow banks as she calmed down.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one drawn to it. Azura wasn’t entirely surprised when she spotted Corrin at the lake’s edge, hugging herself as she stared down at the waters. They’d been bumping into one another here more and more these days and Azura found she welcomed the company. There was something comforting about her friend.

“Corrin,” she greeted, standing beside her. Their reflections rippled in the water.

“Azura,” Corrin croaked, eyes red-rimmed.

“What’s wrong?” Immediately, Azura touched Corrin’s arm. Her skin felt cold to the touch—just how long had she been here? And had she always been so pale, so gaunt?

“I…” Corrin averted her gaze, her eyes firmly locked onto the water. She didn’t shy away from Azura’s touch at least. “Elise had been healing Hoshido soldiers lately.” She laughed wetly. “Prisoners of war, but alive.”

Azura could already guess where this was headed. With Garon, it wasn’t hard to know just how he’d react to that news.

“Garon doesn’t take prisoners. Iago had me carry out the execution.” Corrin’s voice grew fainter and fainter and had she always looked this small? “Though none of that surprised me.”

“Oh Corrin.” Azura worried her lip, hesitating before gingerly wrapping an arm around Corrin. She had never been one for physical affection or even good at it, but Corrin had done so much for her and she had to help her friend now. “I’m sorry.”

“The worst part was that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be.” Corrin’s tired voice carried a trace of desperation and she hunched over slightly, curling into herself. “I used to vomit in the bushes and now I just…” She turned to Azura, scared. “Maybe I really am like Garon. A monster.”

“You’re not,” Azura refuted automatically, wrapping both arms around Corrin now to draw her into a proper hug. “You’re not.”

Corrin laughed weakly. “I’m fighting to save Hoshido and Nohr, but all I find are corpses. Just who am I saving?”

You saved me, Azura almost said, but what was one life in comparison to thousands? Whatever Hoshidans survived, they did so out of sight, away from their host army. Azura had always known that the path before them stood on the bodies of innocents, but it was one thing to know it, another to experience it. For all of Corrin’s strengths, it was something impossible to prepare for.

And what lay ahead was even worse. Corrin shuddered in her arms, crying soundlessly. They were days away from the capital, from Takumi, Ryoma, Hinoka, and Sakura. If Corrin could break this deeply from strangers, she would be shattered by the time they reached the throne.

Not for the first time, Azura wished she had some prowess in the battlefield. Her hands weren’t strong enough to take this duty out of Corrin’s. All she had was her voice, her song, and so she hummed softly into the night air, pushing a little power to calm Corrin.

“It’ll be okay,” she sang, stroking Corrin’s back. “I’ll be with you.”

At the very least, she could keep her promise. They were both bloodstained, and if this path led to hell, well, they’d go hand in hand.

#fire emblem fates #corrin #azura #camilla #leo #xander #elise #fire emblem #fanfic

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eiriini · 5 years ago

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Meta: Personality Analysis

Disclaimer: I, in no way, am a psychologist nor claim to be good at this. This is purely for fun, and for character growth. Also, this is based on the way I write Kamui/Corrin. Some of her personality is divergent from canon, due to past interactions in the four+ years I’ve written her.

Edited: August 15th, 2020

Also this got even longer and I’m sorry.

Enneagram: Nine

Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimizing anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts.

MTBI: ENFJ “The Protagonist.”

Protagonists are natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, Protagonists take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community.

Four Temperaments: Sanguine

Your temperament is sanguine. The sanguine temperament is fundamentally spontaneous and pleasure-seeking; sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. Sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. They have no lack of confidence.

Moral Alignment: Chaotic Good, "Rebel"

A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.

Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it combines a good heart with a free spirit.

Chaotic good can be a dangerous alignment when it disrupts the order of society and punishes those who do well for themselves.

Astrology: Taurus

Strengths: Reliable, patient, practical, devoted, responsible, stable

Weaknesses: Stubborn, possessive, uncompromising

Taurus likes: Gardening, cooking, music, romance, high quality clothes, working with hands

Taurus dislikes: Sudden changes, complications, insecurity of any kind, synthetic fabrics

Practical and well-grounded, Taurus is the sign that harvests the fruits of labor. They feel the need to always be surrounded by love and beauty, turned to the material world, hedonism, and physical pleasures. People born with their Sun in Taurus are sensual and tactile, considering touch and taste the most important of all senses. Stable and conservative, this is one of the most reliable signs of the zodiac, ready to endure and stick to their choices until they reach the point of personal satisfaction.

Taurus is an Earth sign, just like Virgo and Capricorn, and has the ability to see things from a grounded, practical and realistic perspective. They find it easy to make money and stay on same projects for years, or until they are completed. What we often see as stubbornness can be interpreted as commitment, and their ability to complete tasks whatever it takes is uncanny. This makes them excellent employees, great long-term friends and partners, always being there for people they love. Earthly note makes them overprotective, conservative, or materialistic at times, with views of the world founded on their love of money and wealth.

The ruler of Taurus is Venus, the planet of love, attraction, beauty, satisfaction, creativity and gratitude. This tender nature will make Taurus an excellent cook, gardener, lover, and artist. They are loyal and don't like sudden changes, criticism or the chase of guilt people are often prone to, being somewhat dependable on other people and emotions they seem to be unable to let go of. Still, no matter their potential emotional challenge, these individuals have the ability to bring a practical voice of reason in any chaotic and unhealthy situation.

Taurus – the Wandering Bull Being the one who betrayed their best friend, goddess Hera herself, this is an unfortunate being that has to wander the Earth in order to find freedom. As if something was always poking them behind their back, reminding them of happiness that once was, stinging and pushing forwards, they close up in their own worlds, lonely and separated from their core. To find love, a Taurus has to travel the world, change perspective or make a shift in their entire belief system and their system of values.

Conclusion:

There are some contradictions in these results, but overall, it is her at a basic premise. She tends to be very strong with her foundations, doing whatever she can to keep by them. Most of the time, she will listen to what others have to say, for they can hold more wisdom than her. However, there are just some things that she won't change on. Her Nohrian family knows this the most, and there are some thing that they've tried to change about her. Especially Leo ( sorrcerii ).

When it comes to the vices, she holds those in as much as possible. The insecurity, the side of her that may be uncompromising -- her reaction to sudden change that isn't what she planned for. Things like that. As a tactician, she likes to be as many steps ahead of her enemy as possible. In mundane life, she tries to put that side of her away. But there's always going to be a part of her that takes notice of every little thing. She notices how someone reacts to a gift, a conversation, and logs it away. However, unlike the standard, she tends to be rather lenient. She's also like clay; she picks up on traits. For example: because of Jeanne's ( noircisaint ) influence, she has more of a backbone than the 'standard' Avatar. With Zero ( echoedfates ), more of her playfulness comes out. He’s shown her that it’s OK to be a bit of a prankster -- well, more than she was before -- and it’s OK to put the title away when it’s just them. That there’s a difference between ‘princess’, ‘general’, and ‘wife’.

In her Type Moon verses, Makoto ( dekirukoto ) and Yi ( einhcrjars ) have taught her it’s OK to let her guard down. Especially while in Chaldea, and around them. That it’s OK to love, and even though it may hurt when they are returned to the throne, that things don’t have to stay at a standstill. That, hey, it’s OK to be you -- even more now than you were.

However, that doesn't mean she'll bite the bullet on it's first fire, and will always try to resolve a conflict before it arrives. Her anger is one of a slow fire, unless you pour the right amount of gas.

Kamui also holds in a lot more than most people. Even around those she calls her confidants and her retainers, she rather watch herself burn and suffer than those around her. She's very much a 'the world must be saved instead of myself'. Yet, over time, she's grown to understand that some people don't deserve it. Later on in the game, and depending on what route/verse, she will show some aggression to those who she deems deserves it. Which, as we know, is extremely small. ( Base game alone, Anankos, Hans, Garon, and Iago are the ones who get no special treatment from Kamui. And if she's acting nice, it's an act. )

There are times where she’ll return to a child-like state as well. There were many things that she didn’t get to experience, which lead her to have an imaginative mind and, at first, such a naive personality. Even during and after the war, she still retains it, since it’s so ingrained. It’s hard to ignore, hard to hide, but over time she comes to accept it. This is why she’s always reading; always wanting to learn; always wanting to experience what others have. A void can only be filled so much.

However, even though she may not seem it, she is rather intelligent. Because of lack of human contact outside of her retainers and teachers, she can come off as an 'airhead' or 'aloof'. Over time, that fades, and her true colors begin to shine more. She's able to find hoops she can jump through, but only will if the time seems right. Calculating outcomes begins to come second nature to her.

This is especially true when in Conquest, where she goes and knocks out almost all the Hoshidan soldiers she fights, just to put on a show for King Garon. In the end of that route, TECHNICALLY, she committed treason and blasphemy against Nohr. But thanks to Xander, she was absolved, and history wrote it to be that King Garon was dethrone on the basis of madness and insanity, dying in a battle in the Hoshidan capital.

And that’s it on this segment of, “Carrie adores Kamui too much, and has a problem.” Back to your regularly scheduled fluff! Thank you for reading this, and I’m sorry this turned out so long. asdfg

#∘OOC #∘Headcanon #Long post//#Someone remind me to doc this thing at a later date -wheeses-#*-wheezes-

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aquosevolved · 6 years ago

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🖊 Pineapple Sushi kids

Ah, yes. Time to finally reveal these rascals. If I had the foresight to bring my sketchbook with me to Ohio, maybe I would have finally done some concept art after getting this. This is going to be in bullet point format since I don’t feel like doing my ultra flowing descriptions.

Other relevant ships in these following headcanons are Azurrin and LeoSaku. Anything left unspecified is left to reader interpretation because I…kind of don’t give a shit about, like, 60% of the Nohrian and Hoshidan royals.

Lilith-specific Kiragi headcanons + General Headcanons

Kiragi has Lilith’s hair without the fade to red

Excited to be a big brother. Kind of reckless so he’s not a very good influence but he’s so kind and earnest that it kind of balances out

As a consequence of being a dragon, Lilith!Kiragi is a lot testier and more stubborn than any other possible version of himself but those are by no means defining personality traits.

All very close in age. Kiragi is 2 years older than Tabitha who’s 3 years older than Suzanoh who’s 1 year older than Yoru

Everyone has Valla Prince(ss) (which is functionally identical to Nohr Prince(ss)) and its promotion Valla Noble (Swords, Dragonstones, & Lances) as their reclass option

Tabitha (2nd oldest)

She’s short. Very short. Like, shorter than me short, which is short as hell.

Has pinkish-red hair, like a combination of Aunt Sakura and Aunt Hinoka.

Has gold eyes like Lilith

Tends to be a worrywart and feels responsible for keeping her brothers out of trouble

Better at wrangling her idiot brothers than most people (only people better are their parents and Uncle Corrin)

Very much a bookworm and loves learning.

Those last two things combined make her Uncle Leo’s favorite.

Good leadership skills. Looks up to Uncle Corrin and Aunt Azura a lot, more than her brothers with the former.

Dark Mage is her default class (except her outfit’s actually sensible) and Dark Knight is her canon promotion

Out-of-universe naming convention was wanting something Biblical/Abrahamic to go along with Lilith

No in-universe naming convention yet

Suzanoh (3rd oldest)

The tallest. Not saying much as his parents are both pretty short but he’s at least taller than both of them and his siblings.

Dark brown hair like Uncle Ryoma and his paternal grandfather

Also has gold eyes like Lilith

Super serious on the outside. Developed a “no nonsense” personality even as a child

Frequent urge to cause mischief despite being so serious

A more subtle troll you will never meet

Really good with numbers and logical thinking. Good with tactics and logistics.

Monk is his default class and Great Master is his canon promotion

In-universe naming convention is after one of Takumi’s ancestors, the namesake of the Great Wall of Suzanoh

Out-of-universe naming convention is after Susanoo, the Shinto storm god

Yoru (Youngest) (aside from some Silver Scale OCs, he’s my most developed OC by no small margin)

Is also short, but taller than his sister

Platinum blonde/near white hair like Uncle Corrin

Has brown eyes like Takumi

Is a total Mama’s Boy

Very quiet and introverted. Even in the company of people he’s close to, he can go literal hours without saying a word.

Very timid. Scared of pretty much everything. Grows out of his fear eventually but he’s still a bit timid as a teenager/adult

Oddly enough, despite being afraid of so many things, he really likes bugs.

Looks up to Aunt Azura more than his siblings.

Takes singing lessons from Aunt Azura but she’s one of the handful of people he’ll actually let hear his singing

Ridiculously high emotional intelligence and is really good at helping other people with their emotional problems.

Is a non-combatant. But, hypothetically, his default class would be Ninja and Master Ninja would be his canon promotion.

In-universe naming convention is that he was born in the middle of the night under a full moon and Lilith wanted his name to be symbolic of that

Out-of-universe naming convention is that Yoru means night.

#asks #galator13 #Fates #LiliTaku #Lilikumi #Pineapple Sushi #Kiragi #Tabitha #Suzanoh #Yoru

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twin-dragons-of-fate-blog · 8 years ago

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@hiddensxrenity

Kamui ran about the castle searching every room. No matter where she went she couldn’t seem to find the one she was looking for. She was looking for Selena specifically, but was having no luck. Between her and Forrest Kamui spent more time hiding from the two in regards to her clothing and fashion sense, but the one day she needed either they were nowhere to be found. This changed when she finally found the red head waiting outside of Camilla’s room.

“Selena!” Kamui called as she approached. “I um... I need your help.” She whispered once she was near her sister’s retainer. “It has to do with my clothes.” The princess commented further with a bit of a gulp.

#hiddensxrenity #draconian daughter kamui #child of the moon - nohr #postgame verse

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calcescarp · 2 years ago

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WAHH I LOVE YOUR INTERPRETATION OF THIS!!! it's the way that the Nohr family is somehow biological family AND found family at the same time!! the way that they didn't have to choose each other and were probably told not to but did anyway. and like that is a little bit of what i think of when i listen to The Moon Will Sing with them in mind, but i did have some of my own thoughts and idk maybe you'll be interested in them!

because i also have ruminated on them in complete isolation in my mind so maybe I'M way off, but that's the fun of consuming the media and being consumed by the media!

ANYWAY so for me, the first time i slapped this song on the Nohrian family, it was almost entirely because of Xander Thoughts. like

Tell me once again

I could have been anyone, anyone else

Before you made the choice for me

My feet knew the path

We walked in the dark, in the dark

I never gave a single thought

To where it might lead

this just SCREAMS Xander to me, his unwavering loyalty to Garon as a source of purpose and stability as much as they are a source of pressure and anxiety (because i so much think of Xander as an anxiety-driven mess of a character; afraid to disobey, to do anything other than conform, shouldering the weight because he can, because someone has to, and he doesn't want that someone to be one of his siblings if he can help it). and like... sure, he makes so many choices about the kind of crown prince he wants to be (or perhaps should be), but he never made the choice to be the crown prince, to wield Siegfried and be the figurehead of a kingdom underneath his father. this is my own little insanity about characters, but i feel like one word that really sums up Xander in my mind is dread.

and now, for Leo

All those empty rooms

We could have been anywhere, anywhere else

Instead I made a bed with apathy

My heart knew the weight

Ten years worth of dust and neglect

We made our peace with weariness

And let it be

okay obviously this is all of them, of course it is, but when i read the words "apathy" and "neglect" it's like. Hello Middle Child Self-Sufficient Prodigy With Some Kind Of Complex(es). and the thing about neglect and Leo is that while they have all experienced it, even Elise, it just seems like it hits him the hardest. from having a support or two that outright express his loneliness and feelings of being looked over, to the fact that he's a middle child, it's like a physical presence to him. like negative space. and then the mention of making peace with weariness. like UGH that's LEO. the resignation that's slowly settling in as he grows up. i think he straight up tells Corrin that he's "used to it" and that he shouldn't burden others with these feelings. it's the feigned apathy, the defense mechanism. "Xander would expect me to look after you" "Camilla and Elise would make such a fuss if you got upset"

and when you tie it into King Leo. i have to stop myself before i just go feral i'm. yeah.

The moon will sing a song for me

I loved you like the sun

Bore the shadows that you made

With no light of my own

I shine only with the light you gave me

before you pointed out how excellently this part tied into their relationships with each other, i had kind of split these up between Garon and Corrin. Garon for making the shadows that they bare (and god. i won't get too into it but Leo baring the shadows that Xander made!!!!!!)

"I loved you like the sun" and "I shine only with the light you gave me" are like. the two different sides of af the same coin to me. the potential hurt of one of them saying "I loved you like the sun" to Corrin during Birthright, the awareness and dual hope and shame of Corrin leading them out and giving them light in Conquest. the shame is, to be entirely honest, probably a construct of my own mind. i tear the story apart in my mind all the time and i just always think about. Xander and Leo both trying to shoulder as much as they can, and it might be a relief to have Corrin take some of that burden, but i can imagine that along with that relief, comes some kind of guilt. "i shouldn't have needed the help, i should have done it on my own"

Name your courage now

We could have had anything, anything else

Instead you hoarded all that's left of me

Swallowing your doubt

Like swords to the pit of my belly

I want to feel the fire that you kept from me

THIS. this. most of this is Chapter 26 (?) Conquest to me. final chapter, staring down the monster that replaced their father and finally digging deep to find the resolve to end this, although it's the hardest thing they may ever do, although they do not at all want to believe it. and this is a reach, maybe, but the fire that was kept from them; yes, it's passion, but it's also warmth in the cold and light in the darkness, and it's life! life like they've never been allowed to live! life without threat of it being taken at any moment because of the whims of their king, their father, their keeper!

whhoahguhh!!!!! okay i'm done, these are my thoughts, i hope you liked them <3

https://youtu.be/X7qHeS5TAlc slides this over to you and gestures at the whole Nohrian royal family <3

CRANE WIVES MY BELOVED !!! oh my god you have no idea how much i love the moon will sing BUT TO THINK OF IT AS THE NOHRIAN ROYAL FAMILY STARTS GNAWING ON MY HANDS

with the song being about emotional dependency, it really does just highlight a lot of how they all built each other up when they didn’t have anything else for them. Or at least, the song reminds me a lot of the siblings’ own mothers not caring for them, and it was only until the siblings found each other that they could start learning to love and it’s that they protect the most and i just ooooooourgh

thank you for the brainrot :) im going to eat my hands !

#oh my god i'm so sorry. oh my god i'm SO sorry i just wrote you an essay #you don't have to respond i just!!!! got to thinking #also i didn't say it enough in the actual post: I LOVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FATES I LOVE YOUR INTERPRETATIONS!!!!!! especially when you talk #about Leo like. like. you have such good and compelling Leo thoughts #and you think of things and aspects that i somehow don't consider!!!!!!#like we got completely different things from this song for them and i love it. i love that i have new things to think about #to rotate in my mind like a rotisserie chicken #ANYWAY also another thing to note: my Xander Thoughts are so skewed by all the times i've read the differences between #the english localizations and the original japanese dialogue. like ohhhhhshsgsh JPN Xander. OOOGGGHSJ cannot stress enough how much i #recommend looking into that. it's so neat #okay okay #oh my god hi. once again i'm so sorry!!!!!!#talking tag #fe fates

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dominodebt · 7 years ago

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a wip to prove I’m not dead

HEY KIDS so idk how many of you follow me on twitter but I’ve been very chatty about this Original Thing I’m doing and for some reason these past two weeks I was suddenly like “fuck it. I wanna work on that” and hit 50k words which as someone who typically hovers around 3-5k per story, is a pretty cool thing!

but now the first big arc of that thing is done and I’m not really down with sharing it quite yet because it’s very rough and being edited right now by some pals of mine, so maybe when it’s a little more polished I’ll share some? who knows!

ANYWAY fanfic is a thing and now that my original stuff is on hold I’m diving back into it. Here’s a Fire Emblem: Fates piece that I’ll have finished soon. It looks at Kamui’s (Corrin’s) life and upbringing in Nohr, particularly her relationship with Marx (Xander) so here’s the first bit of that!

for those of you who may not know the story? Kamui was kidnapped as a child from her “home” (complicated) of Hoshido to Nohr. the game never really touches on how she’s treated initially or how she mixes in with Nohr’s royal family and I liked the idea of Marx having to kind of shoulder the burden all on his own.

Sorry for the big hiatus, but Author Mom should be settling back into things and cranking out fics again real soon!

(if you ever wonder where I am or why I’m not writing or I’ve missed an ask of yours, I’m on my twitter like all hours of the day so that’s always a good place to contact me <3)

“She’s just up these stairs, milord.”

Gunther’s voice is a deep rumble in his chest as he lifts the lantern in his hand a little higher to illuminate the steps. The flickering firelight throws shadows across his face, highlighting the places where battles and age have carved out their place.

Prince Marx nods stiffly, trying not to shiver as he draws his cloak tighter around himself, following the knight up the narrow stairway.

“Is this part of the castle not kept warm?” Marx asks as they continue their climb.

Gunther laughs hoarsely, and his breath clouds before him. Marx’s jaw tightens. He has his answer.

“No one’s lived in the Northern Fortress for ages, milord,” Gunther explains. He grabs the young man’s arm, quickly pulling him off his course. “Watch your step. This staircase is crumbling.”

Sure enough, the stonework begins to collapse where the prince had stood just a moment before, and he eyes it darkly as they climb higher.

“Is this safe?” Marx demands, still frowning at the ruined patch of staircase. “The girl could die if she isn’t careful moving about this tower.”

Gunther casts the prince a sideways look as they reach the top of the stairs.

“If I may speak frankly, milord,” the old knight rumbles. “I doubt the thought crossed His Majesty’s mind.”

His words draw a scowl from the prince—an expression of deep disdain already familiar on his young face. Gunther would feel sorry for him—ten and five is too early for such anger and scorn—but there is no other way to survive in Castle Krakenburg.

One must armor themselves in their hate, lest they be overtaken by the backstabbing liars that fill this place.

“A fair assessment,” the prince remarks stiffly as they arrive at the landing. Gunther reaches out to pull open the door, but pauses when Marx lifts a hand.

“Milord?” Gunther asks, but Nohr’s heir pays him no mind as he raps twice on the ancient wood, the sound echoing loudly in the lofty tower.

Silence answers the summon, and neither man is surprised.

“Guard the stairwell,” Marx orders him lowly, and Gunther obediently steps back to do so as the prince pulls the door open and sweeps inside, pitch cloak swirling behind him like a wayward shadow as the air rushes out.

The room is sheer cold—a raw, biting chill that steals the breath from Marx’s chest as he exhales a shaky cloud through gritted teeth. He steps inside, pushing the door shut behind him—what, to not let the cold in?—and makes a note to pull whatever strings he must in order to warm this room by tomorrow.

“Hello?” he calls, glancing around. The room is small, backlit by the moon’s pale glow and washed out in its eerie silver light. Marx takes another step, and hears a small sharp intake of breath.

His eyes snap to the noise—dark gaze picking her out in the whiteout of the room.

She cuts an impossibly small figure, silhouetted against the Nohrian moonlight as she is. Her hair is matted and darkened with blood—eyes wide and fearful and as red as the crimson stains on her dress.

Marx stares, completely at a loss.

A child.

“A Hoshidan princess,” his father’s retainer had announced.

“A bargaining chip,” Gunther had murmured darkly.

Marx cannot bring himself to look away—trapped in her troubled ruby gaze. A child.

His thoughts spring to Elise and Leon—both children in their own right, this girl hardly older than them—and he grits his teeth as panic blooms hot and tight in his chest.

This is wrong. This is so terribly, terribly wrong—

The prince swallows hard, dropping down into a crouch to level himself with her. She’s still a few feet away, and he doesn’t dare move closer.

“It’s all right,” Marx murmurs, calling upon the low, gentle tone he reserves for his siblings and spooked horses. He holds out a hand, but she gasps and spins away, hiding her face in the tattered curtains that hang from the window.

Marx watches her for a moment before smoothly withdrawing his hand, berating himself.

Of course she’d be afraid of him. Of course. She’s young and scared and alone and covered in her father’s blood. She is a thousand miles from home and locked in a drafty fortress with strangers at every turn.

He watches her, idly wondering if he’d not been in the room when his father had returned—if he’d not heard of the girl’s arrival himself and decided to investigate—if anyone would have come to check on her.

The thought—and its definitive answer—makes his blood boil in the frozen room.

“My name is Marx,” he tells her softly, still holding her gaze. He’s not sure if he could look away if he tried. Her eyes are luminous in the dark of the tower—glowing like cursed rubies as she peers at him from around the curtain. They draw him in like moth and flame. “May I hear yours?”

He lets the silence wash over them, content to go at her pace—he knows what it feels like to be pushed and prodded and provoked—and in the settling quiet, hears a strange noise he hadn’t caught before.

A bizarre series of clicks? Marx tilts his head, glancing around as he tries to place the sound, and realizes it’s coming from the girl—who stands trembling with cold, teeth chattering as she tries desperately to hide herself in the ruined curtains.

Marx’s heart—ironclad and cold like the country he will inherit—crumbles to dust at the sight.

In a swift movement that startles a gasp out of the girl, Marx unclasps his cloak and removes it with a flourish, the thick wool heavy in his hands as he folds it up as neatly as he can and sets in on the floor before him.

The girl seems torn between eyeing the strange new parcel and keeping the prince in her sights, so Marx decides to make things easier for her and leave. He taps the cloak as he rises, meeting her gaze as kindly as he can.

“For you, if you’d like it,” he tells her gently.

Her blood-red gaze drops down to the cloak, but then darts up to his just as quickly. She doesn’t move.

With a quiet sigh, Marx straightens back to his full height—unable to miss how the girl shrinks from him as he does so—and turns to leave, rejoining Gunther back on the landing as he closes the door to her room behind him.

Gunther lifts a split eyebrow as the prince idly inspects the tarnished lock and keyhole, adding more things to his growing list.

“That was quick,” he notes, and Marx just hums noncommittally, still lost in his thoughts.

“When does my father plan to return her?” he eventually asks, cutting a sideways glance at Gunther.

The old guard lifts his eyebrows, weathered face awash in the flickering fire of his lantern.

“Return her, milord?” he questions, uncertainty coating his words.

Marx waves a hand impatiently. “Yes, return her. To Hoshido. To her home.”

Gunther just stares back at him—as he often does—simply waiting for the young prince to come to his own conclusion. That knowing look of a teacher, silently urging him on…

Come now, Marx. You’re a smart lad. Figure it out. You can do it.

“He means to keep her here.” The chill of Marx’s realization could rival the frigidity of a Nohrian winter. “Indefinitely.”

Gunther gazes back at him, expression painfully neutral, and Marx looks away with a disgusted scoff—curse his father to all seven Hells—and begins to descend the staircase.

“Milord?” Gunther calls after him, hastening to follow. “Prince Marx, where are you going?”

“To get firewood and spare blankets,” Marx returns bitterly. The chill of the fortress rushes to meet him as he makes his way down, and he reflexively reaches for the clasp of his cloak to draw it tighter, when he remembers it is now in the possession of another.

#fire emblem: fates #fic wip #corrin #kamui #xander #marx

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kayaws-art · 8 years ago

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I feel like this is gonna be über long so I'm sorry beforehand haha I'm gonna need some help coming up with a personal skill, and MAYBE a personal weapon but we'll get there lol Name: Nakoma Age: 20 Birthday: January 25th Class: Adventurer (promoted from Outlaw) Heart Seal: Oni Savage Boon/Bane: Magic/Defense Personal Skill: Maiden of Fire (ahahaha I have no idea what I could do here, I have some ideas) Personality: Nakoma is very jumpy and easily starts, almost like a cat. She is very well versed in the practice of helping others in need, stemming from her belief that everyone deserves a chance. Nakoma is very interested in her heritage, as growing up she didn’t get to learn a lot about her mother. She is very intelligent and loves to lose herself in her newest painting or piece of writing. She once had long, beautiful green hair, but cut it all off after running away to start a new life, while also being easier to manage. Because of the trauma she suffered as a child, she has a very hard time concentrating on the tasks at hand, unless she is doing something she loves (anything artsy, writing). Nakoma also has a dark sense of humor, sometimes accidentally making people feel uncomfortable. She feels very anxious around men of any age unless they are good friends and she trusts them, and even then, she is still guarded. Nakoma tries to better herself for the sake of her mental health by focusing on her passions, and helping get children out of abusive homes. Despite her trauma, she still finds men attractive, however she’s grown to also be attracted to women in the aftermath. She is too afraid to act on her crushes, and often is seen avoiding those she secretly likes. Her favorite food is sushi, after she tried some from a Hoshidan based traveling mess hall. Backstory: Nakoma was born the night of a full moon to a Flame Tribe maiden and a Nohrian farmer. Her mother died shortly after childbirth, but not before she named her daughter. She saw that her daughter had a beautiful, fierce, fighting spirit, and thus named her Nakoma, their word for “great warrior”, and bestowed on her the red stone pendant she held dear, a flame to remind Nakoma of her lineage, and to be proud of it (now this isn’t canon to the Flame Tribe. It’s Native American, but I’d figured that Native American could be sort of synonymous with the Flame Tribe). She was the middle child of six kids, each sons or daughters of other women their father met. Nakoma was not fond of her father, and her siblings, all of Nohrian descent, bullied her relentlessly for her darker skin and her love of painting and writing, sneering “Women aren’t meant to be artists, much less someone of your dirty blood”. She was forced at a young age to learn to rely on only herself, as her father favored the other children. He often showered them in gifts and new clothes, while she was only allowed very ratty, old hand-me-downs. She barely got to eat, and often stole food and scraps of cloth to keep herself fed and warm. She was once caught by her father scarfing down a stale piece of bread, and he beat her so badly she was forced to stay in bed for days. “Ungrateful little bastard,” he spat at her. When Nakoma hit the age of 14, everything started to get crueler for her. The beatings and verbal abuse continued to get worse, and she was driven to become a concubine just to keep from getting hungry. After three years, sick of feeling less than a person, and hating everything that her father and siblings forced her to be, she grabbed her only belongings- a parcel of parchment, two small stubs of charcoal, and her makeshift iron bow- stole the flame pendant, a loaf of bread, and a canteen, and fled into the night. After a few days of hiking, she came across a small village, starving and scared her father could have followed her. She stole some shears from a small hut, and with tears in her eyes, cut her hair off, knowing it would disguise her a little. After cleaning and returning the shears, she walked through the town for the afternoon, and found a large willow tree and rested there for the night. For the next few months, she helped save children from their abusive homes, often refusing pay unless it was food, parchment, or charcoal. She can get recruited by Corrin by visiting a village (not sure what chapter yet). Roster: A young woman of Flame Tribe descent, who’s loyalty lies with Nohr. She is curious about her heritage but hasn’t been able to research it because she spends her time saving children instead. The most scatterbrained of the group. Help Description: Descendant of the Flame Tribe who rescues children in need.

#fatesona #fe:if #fe:fates #fire emblem #self insert #oc #purple #green #adventurer

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doriduckdoodles · 8 years ago

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Marcus and Dori C-S Supports

Kept forgetting to post these so doing so now!

Marcus belongs to @draco-marco and Dori belongs to me!

C Support

Dori: *training in the woods, swinging her sword* Hyah! Hah!

Marcus: *walking down the forest path with a sack full of wood* Tonights campfire will be lovely, I just know it!

Dori: *still swinging her sword, not realizing she wasn't alone*

Marcus: *sees Dori up ahead* Hey! Guess i'm not the only one here, they look pretty focused on whatever they're doing.. doesn't mean I can't say hi though!

Marcus: *makes his way over*

Dori: *decides to take a small break* Phew..! I think that's enough for now. Can't overdo it now...

Marcus: Eyy, if it isn't Dori!! *trips over a bush dropping all the fire wood* D'oh!

Dori: WAH!!! *jumps in surprise, whirling around with her sword pointed in the direction she heard the noise* ...Huh? Oh, i-it's just you L-Lord Marcus...

Marcus: *gets up* Yes tis I, Prince Marcus *looks at the wood scattered everywhere* Ehh I'll worry about that later. So! How ya doing?

Dori: Um...Good...I guess..?

Marcus: Good is great in my books! So yeah, just training? Is that all?

Y-yeah...Nothing real special...

Marcus: Say wouldya be up for some sparring? I haven't really had any matches in a while and I'm afraid I may be a liiiiiittle rusty around the edges. Don't worry about weapons though, I brought some with me cause you know what they say 'Always be prepared!'

Dori: Huh? Spar? With me? Really? Uh, well...We can spar, I guess..!"

Marcus: *unties the ribbon around his waist slightly to get his Practice Naginata from his back* Ta-dah! And just like that, we are ready to spar! *gets into his stance*

Dori: Now? Really? Uh, okay! *gets into an attack stance* Uh, so who starts?

Marcus: Three-Two-One GO *fakes an attack to trick her*

Dori: Eek!! *swings her sword in response*

Marcus: *goes into guard stance* Heh guess i'm not so rusty, but we'll see!

Screen Transition

Dori: *panting* Phew...That...was pretty intense...

Marcus: Wow, You really got the adrenaline going there Dori! Intense doesn't even half describe that!!

Marcus: And man did you leave quite a mark *points to a big scratch in his armour* Hey that actually looks quite cool

Marcus: Good game! GG for short! *gets off the ground*

Dori: Oh um, thanks..! *wipes sweat off her brow*

Marcus: If there's one thing i've learnt, is that your fighting style really is effected by where you live *wipes sweat too*

Dori: I guess...I mean, this is probably the first time I sparred with a Hoshidan...

Marcus: Like from what I know all Nohrians are relentless and hell bent on conquest, right?

Dori: ...Excuse me?!

Dori: That's not...Don't assume stuff like that!!!

Marcus: Not like it's their fault or anything, I was just-

Dori: Don't you even realize what you're saying? That oh, maybe, just MAYBE you could be offending someone? Well of course not, you don't care! Leave me alone, I don't want to see your face again! *storms off*

Marcus: That... went downhill prettyyyy fast, Ha! Guess even I mess up conversations sometimes, or maybe she's just over reacting... Meh oh well, may as well get this fire wood back to camp ASAP *picks up his stuff gets on his way*

B Support

Marcus: *polishing his weapons* Oooh~ ♪The dirt is so mean, but don't worry you will be clean! Clean like no one has ever seen, like a lean mean slicing machine!♪

Dori: *nearby* I think he should be somewhere around here...

Marcus: *starts to rhyme like mad and really gets into it* Huzzah! *points the katana at the sun* Haha! Bright as bright can be!

Dori: *sees him, can't help but laugh a little*

Marcus: *is about to move on to the next weapon, unaware of Dori's presence nearby* One down...loooads more to go!

Dori: *steps forward* Um, Lord Marcus?

Marcus: *nearly drops the katana* Pfft-Dori?! Why what a surprise!

Marcus: What brings ya?

Dori: Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you..!

Dori: Um...I just came here to apologize...For yesterday...

Marcus: Apologize? Oh think nothing of it! It's me who should be apologizing for what I said about Nohrians.

Dori: Still, I feel bad for blowing up on you like that…

Marcus: Say, would it make ya feel better if I talked about why I said that? Heh, It may make your reason for 'blowing up' more justified.

Dori: Huh? Oh, sure, if you don't mind..!

Marcus: First let me tell you that I trained with my siblings back in the day, and from what I remember they played fair, if I used a naginata, they would too. If I used a katana they used katana, not matter what, for fun or for training, we would always be even. And Sakura would heal any wounds afterwards.

Marcus: But from what I heard about Nohr... they actually have their soldiers attempt to try kill each other! I mean that isn't training at all, that's just carnage!

Marcus: And then there was that miniature war between the Royals of Nohr and their children, that Princess Camilla especially... I heard Her mother forced her to kill her own siblings in cold blood.

Marcus: So you can probably see why I think of Nohr the way I do...

Dori: .....Well, it's not all like that...A lot of people, like my mom, we've sparred all the time and we'd never take it to the point of killing each other...

Dori: As for the Nohrian Royal Family...I don't know how much of it is true...But that doesn't dictate that the common folk are like that too.

Marcus: There's always two sides to a story I guess, those who want the glory of Conquest and those who want the peace of their Birthright!

Dori: Or those who seek the truth in Revelations.

Marcus: You know that sounds oddly familiar... Bah nevermind! Let's get back on topic, say you should tell me more about Nohr sometime! I've only been there twice and that was only Nestra and the Nohrian border.

Dori: *smiles* I'd like that, and you can tell me all about Hoshido! I mean, even though it's my home country, I know nothing about it...

Marcus: Yeah, let's do that when I'm free! After I clean my weapons I gotta fulfill a promise and clean Rajinto and Fujin Yumi for my bros, so maybe some other time?

Dori: Alright, sounds good..! I look forward to it.

Marcus: See ya around Dori!

Dori: Bye..!

A Support

Dori: *looking for Marcus* Hmm, I hope he's not busy at the moment...

Marcus: Huh...cleaning weapons for everyone in camp may have been bit too generous, at least it didn't take too long though! *stands there in pride of his good deed*

Dori: Oh, there he is..! Hey, Lord Marcus!

Marcus: Hmm? Ayy Dori!! Looks like you came at the right time, I just finished cleaning everyone's weapons and yes, I mean everyone..!

Dori: Wow, really? That must have taken a long time..!

Marcus: You bet! Aside from that, I guess you've come to talk about Nohr like you said? *smiles*

Dori: Yep..! And you'll tell me all about Hoshido, right?

Marcus: Allllllll about it!

Marcus: Ladies first I guess, hit me in the face with everything you gotta say!

Dori: Well, first I'll tell you about my home town...

Marcus: *is all ears*

Dori: I grew up with mom in a small town far from the capital, so things were mainly peaceful and quiet. The townsfolk were very friendly and always eager to help out neighbors when they could. I...don't know if they knew I was an actual Hoshidan, or if they just didn't care, but they treated me nicely regardless.

Marcus: Good Gods, this is a side of Nohr I've never heard before!

Marcus: Do tell me more.

Dori: We also had a lot of farmers who I would often help with their crops. We grew a lot of different things like potatoes, corn, and lots more..! They'd even give me some to bring home and cook.

Dori: I should make you something some time, I know a thing or two about cooking. *laughs a bit*

Marcus: Oooh~ I've never tried the stuff Nohr grows! Let me know whenever you're in the Mess Hall and I’ll swing on by!

Dori: *smiles* I'll be sure to let you know. Is there anything in particular about Nohr you want to know? There's so many things to say..!

Marcus: Hmmmm... what's it like during the late hours? Sure it's always dark but I mean past any kids' bedtime.

Dori: Well, where I lived, pretty quiet. I always would stay up late at night when I was a kid just to see the moon outside. Sometimes you'd hear Wolfskin howl too in the distance, it was pretty cool.

Marcus: The wolfskin...I saw one when I was in Nestra as a kid, hanging around the meat stand of course, hah!

Dori: *laughs* That's to be expected, they are part beast after all!

Marcus: Haha! Ok, would'ya say it's my turn to hit you up with my life?

Dori: Sure!

Marcus: *takes a deep breath* Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down so i'd like to take a minute just sit right there... I’ll ya how I spent my as a prince of Hoshido!

Marcus: Alright songs aside... my life has been an quite the life alright, Hoshidan life is fun! Out basking in the sunlight while you play, train, do jobs the list goes on!

Marcus: I've always done good deeds for the locals, some could say I acted more like a villager than a prince! When I wasn't doing errands I’d be training with my siblings while Yukimura watched over us for Mikoto, but all the best memories I have are the moments I spent with Corrin! Drawing, playing with wooden Pegasi, riding those things Mechanists ride, Gods this list goes on as well!

Dori: Wow, that all sounds so fun..!

Marcus: You bet! Everyone back home would see me as if I was still my old child self, nobody is scared to ask me for help no matter how intimidating I appear.

Dori: Well I'm sure you weren't so tall back then too. *giggles*

Marcus: Around about five foot six inches by the age of ten, well now that you mention it that's still pretty tall

Dori: Wow, were you ever short??? *laughs*

Marcus: Hah! Mom always told me about how I was the biggest baby she's ever held, my legs must have dangled over her arms when she did hold me!

Dori: Still must’ve been quite cute!

Marcus: *blushes a bit* Aww... ya think so?

Dori: *nods, smiling* Yeah!

Marcus: *hears a call coming from a village nearby* Oh, it looks like someone needs my assistance! Hey It was amazing talking with ya about our lives growing up but I gotta go, see ya later?

Dori: Okay, I look forward to talking again..!

Marcus: *runs off to the village* See you soooooon!!

S Support

Marcus: Ahh~ After a long day of work... -gets in and is greeted by the relaxing feeling of warm water- this is the one thing I deserve! Especially after dealing with that stray faceless that villager told me to kill just now, my Kerberos Spear made short work of them! Hah!

Screen Transition

Marcus: My Gods... H- *yawns* How long have I been here...? Time does pass when you're... super relaxed I... guess *head starts to edge closer to the water's surface* ... *yawns again then closes eyes*

Screen Transition

Dori: Phew, I can't wait to soak in the hot springs...My body's all sore from training..! *steps inside* Hm? Is...Is someone in the water..? E-eek! There is!! *runs over and sees it's Marcus* Marcus?! H-hey! -pulls him out of the water-

Dori: What're you doing falling asleep in the hot springs?! Marcus, hey wake up!!!

Marcus: Wh..Where? Who's th- -opens eyes to see Dori not wearing anything- OH!! D-D-DORI?! -tries to pull himself together- H-Hey there... *getting awfully distracted* Dori... *faints*

Dori: Yah! Marcus?! Marcus wake up!!!!! *shakes him*

Marcus: *nose shows signs of bleeding* ...

Dori: .....I better put a towel on... *goes to do that*

Marcus: *suddenly wakes up again-* Wha- Was that a dream?! *looks up to see Dori again* Oh Gods it wasn't...

Dori: *crosses arms* What were you thinking?! Falling asleep in the hot spring!!!

Marcus: O-oh! Ummm uhh I just... was so relaxed and then it all just went white. *gets the sudden realization that he could have drowned* Dori, I...

Dori: Idiot..! You could have died..! If you died I... *bites her lip* I wouldn't...know what to do....

Marcus: *gets up* In the name of the Dawn Dragon you're right! You're... you're like a guardian angel that fate sent to prevent my coming demise! I...I don't know what to say about this…

Marcus: I don't know what to say other that, I owe you my life Dori! *starts to blush over what he's about to say*

Dori: *blushes as well* Th-that's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Marcus: Exaggeration? No way... if you weren't here Hoshido would no longer have the prince that is me, I would have been dead so please... I owe you my life, let me stay by your side so I can do the same whenever I can!

Dori: -blushes more- H-huh? Is...Are...Are you proposing to me..!?

Marcus: -takes her hands as his face goes all red- to be honest, I would be lying if I said no. *smiles*

Dori: M-Marcus....I....G-geez....So sudden..! But...I'd be lying if I didn't feel the same... *smiles*

Marcus: *gives her a big hug but begins to lose balance* I love you D-DooorrRRIII!! *accidentally brings her into the water with him*

Dori: H-huh!? Eeek!! *falls into the water, is now soaking wet* Marcus..!!!

#fatesona supports #fatesona #fatesona interactions #dori #marcus #dracomarco #both got wet in the end *lenny face*

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kpssmithwrites · 8 years ago

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#9 – “I’m sick of feeling useless!”

This time the pairing is Petunia (my FE Birthrights MU) and Shura, post the ending of Birthrights. Also no baby realms. So help me, no baby realms.

Cross posted on AO3, too!

“I’m sick of feeling useless!”

Thedeclaration was soft, whispered into the night air, probably just meant to beheard by the furniture, the stars, and the moon, but Shura heard it anyways.Shura had been asleep for a while—but it was hard to sleep when his wife wassquirming uncomfortably besides him. She had slowly roused him from his uneasyslumber by cursing under her breath, trying to re-arrange the blanket andpillows, and now, try to sit up and move. The small declaration came after shehad failed for the third time to get up on her own, and Shura was completelyawake.

“Petunia?”he asked, sleep leaking into his voice. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, the coldair riling goosebumps on his skin. He realized without looking that in hertossing and turning, Petunia had managed to steal the blankets. Sleepily, he reached out and found her arm,and then took her hand, before his eyes slowly. “What’s wrong, my love? Can’tsleep?”

Perturbed,Petunia only scowled. Half of the blankets covered her, and a few of thepillows had been knocked from beneath her head. Petunia’s soft red hair wastussled by sleep but her eyes were sharp, glaring at him half-heartedly. Underher breath, she grumbled, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’shard not to wake me lately,” Shura replied. His gentle smile relaxed Petuniasomewhat, and he leaned down, pressing a kiss against her temple. “Can’t sleep?Or is the baby keeping you up?”

Petuniagrumbled again, hands trailing down to her swelled middle. “He keeps kicking,so I was going to get up and walk around, thinking it would calm him down. But…Icouldn’t get up.” She flailed, stuck in the soft feather-filled mattress. “Idon’t like this mattress Camillia got us. I can’t get up!”

“Youwere the one who said we should use it,” Shura said gently. Petunia’s pout grew.“Perhaps our little one isn’t fond of Nohr’s luxuries.”

Petunialooked at her belly. “Mama wants sleep,” she said fiercely. “So settle down!Now you’ve woken Papa!” Then she winced, and held her belly. “Oh for the loveof—I give up.” She flopped back completely, sprawling her arms and legs out soshe looked like a starfish. “He won’t settle down.”

Shurasighed and settled next to her. It was easy to move his wife so she was cradlednext to him, head settled against his shoulder, and he rested a hand on herstomach. He could feel the baby kicking—sharp, fast, and insistent, like theywere already excited to see the world and wanted out now. He hushed themslightly, drawing his thumb across the fabric of the soft pink robe she haddonned for bed.

“Let your mother rest,” he told thebaby. “You’ll be able to kick your little feet all you want once you’re outinto the world.” He waited a few moments, and the baby went still. Petunia groanedand covered her eyes.

“I’m going to be useless as amother, Shura. I know it. I’m already—I’m already useless at court and now this.”

Shura shook his head, laughingslightly. “You’re not useless. You led the attack on Nohr, after all. You’re abrilliant, beautiful strategist—a kind, benevolent individual, who can be countedon to be the voice of reason for future diplomacy missions. It’s perfectlynormal to take some time off when you’re going to be bringing a new life intothe world. Besides, you’re almost at court every other day.”

“Shura,” Petunia said, with a toneof which you would use with a child explaining why they could not have desertbefore dinner, “I can’t even get up. I’m so—fat and bloated that I need yourhelp getting around. I can’t calm our baby before he’s out of the womb. Rightnow, I’m useless.”

“You’re such a pessimist.” Shuraheld her close. “It’s going to go fine. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

“But you’re biased,” Petuniareplied.

“Perhaps, but it’s still thetruth.”

Shura’s hand still rested onPetunia’s belly. He felt the baby kick again and he sighed. Petunia groaned,“Not again.”

“Such energy!”

“Maybe he’ll wear himself out.C’mon. We’re both up now—let’s go for a walk in the garden. Maybe that willsettle him down and I can get some sleep.”

Shura nodded, and went to helpPetunia sit up. She waved him away.

“Oh, no. I can do this.”

Shura watched in amusement for afew minutes as Petunia finally managed to get herself in a semi-sittingposition, propped on her elbows. She panted, face going red, as she tried toget up fully.

“I cannot do this. Help.”

Shura got up and helped pull her toher feet, off of the imported Norhian mattress Petunia’s sister sent. Petuniaheld onto his arm and steadied herself, leaning back slightly to accommodatefor the weight. Her hands fell on her stomach again, and she nodded. “There. Toldyou I could do it.”

“Of course,” Shura replied with asmile. She took his arm and they slowly walked. “I believed in you the entiretime.”

“Oh, shut up.”

There was no bite in her voice, and Shura couldsee a small, embarrassed smile in the pale moonlight. He leaned in, pecked hercheek, and led her to the gardens.

#ask meme #avery's writing #fire emblem #shura #fire emblem fates #fire emblem birthright #petunia #Anonymous

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yukiwrites · 8 years ago

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Where Your Loyalty Lies [7/??]

Summary: Kamui’s kidnapping didn’t go as planned – She managed to get away and ended up at Silas’ doorstep. They were raised as siblings, but she has always felt different; her fangs and red eyes and urges to run amok, what did they all mean? Will going to the castle as the Crown Prince’s retainer help her find more clues? Will the war between Nohr and Hoshido be the answer to everything?

Previous chapter <=> AO3 <=> Next chapter

Chapter 7: Her own agenda

The night sky was cloudy, as though resonating with her inner turmoil.

Sitting on the grass, soon she found herself overwhelmed by the depth of her choices. At first, Kamui had chosen to be a knight just so the training could tire her enough in order to keep her inner beast at bay. Then, after learning more about war, the then-squire realized that she could hone her skills to not kill but incapacitate her enemies so as to end the war without bloodshed.

So she could finally have all the means necessary to find out what she really was.

And now... Where should she place herself into? Even though she still had the mindset of not killing if it could be helped, she knew she would still need to kill. Could she do it, knowing that the battle might be against someone from her past?

“Da’s a depressin’ face yer makin’.”

Surprised, Kamui looked over her shoulder to see her Sir Gallahard towering behind her, holding a wooden mug with one hand and a round wine bottle with the other. He passed her the tankard, giving the young woman little choice but to accept as he sat beside her.

Silently he poured the wine onto her mug before chugging it down directly from the bottle right after. “Ya wanna talk ‘bout that family meeting ye just had? Ya were all shining-eyed after hearin’ bout the royal invitation an’ all.”

Kamui woefully looked at the dark liquid before placing it beside her and holding her legs close to her chest. “I’m hoshidan, Master.”

There was a moment of silence before the knight burst into laughter. “Bahahaha!! Isn’t that great, girlie?!” He had to dry a tear that almost fell from the mirth. Kamui jumped in surprise, her eyes as wide as they could.

“M-master?!”

Gallahard chugged down another big gulp of wine before turning to his apprentice, a frown and a smile painting his face at the same time. “Why, one less mystery ‘bout yer roots, right?” He nodded and Kamui could only follow suit, her brow furrowed in confusion. “’s ‘nother reason for ye to finish this war quickly AND peacefully like ye wanted, right?” He leaned one arm on the grass and looked up to the shy moon, behind all those clouds, “’cause, y’know’, before ye just didn’t wanna kill for the sake of winning, but now yer got a REAL reason not kill -- though offa course you’ll still have to do it.”

“But that’s exactly--” She finally caught ahold of herself and meant to retort, but he raised his index as he held up the bottle, making her obediently shut up.

“People’re gonna die at war, Kamui; regardless of side you choose to fight for. Even if yer commanding yer soldiers not ta kill, the enemy might not be as kind and ya’ll lose people. Bein’ hoshidan, nohrian, chevois or whatever means nothin’ if yer heart’s not on the right place.” The mention of her name instead of the alias he usually used made the knight-to-be widen her eyes and take his words to heart. He looked right into her eyes and pointed to her chest. “An’ I know yer’s is. What does blood matter for if yer marching to end all wars?! Bahahah! It even makes it more poetic! Imagine: ‘honorary nohrian soldier reveals being from Hoshido after endin’ the war; peace was inside our borders all along!’” He mimicked a herald making a public announcement, finally stealing a giggle out of Kamui.

“Do you really think so, Master?” She whispered more to herself after she stopped laughing, her eyes trailing down to the mug beside her. Finally finding it appetizing, she took a sip before drinking it down in one go. “No, that’s right.” She said after wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, “as long as I have my own personal goal in mind, I won’t need to fear.”

“Now da’s my girlie.” He hit her on the back, almost making her lose grasp of the mug.

“Thank you, Master. For teaching me yet another lesson.” She gave him a half bow as she got up on her feet. “I’ll keep on trailing the same path I chose for myself as a child, but I still have one thing to do before the Knighting Ceremony.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?” He asked as she slapped the dust out of her pants. She offered her hand to him, but he didn’t plan on getting up.

“I need to pay my respects to a very dear friend.”

After saying that, the young woman once again bowed to her master and headed back to the mansion. It hasn’t been long since she left, so she found the tea room almost the same way as before.

All three nobles straightened their backs with her return, the air suddenly thick with anticipation. Her complexion, however, betrayed the atmosphere: It was resolute. With one glance, Silas could see that both of them would indeed continue on their paths as knights.

“I have returned,” she said after entering, heading to her mother and crouching beside her. “Mother, can I see the golden hairpin?”

Confused, Eleonore looked from her husband to the table onto which lay the ornament’s box. “Of course, my dear,” she hesitantly picked the box and handed it to Kamui, “but, my daughter…”

“Thank you, Mother. And don’t worry.” The young woman contemplated the pin: it was as thin as her finger and as long as her hand, two golden butterflies resting on each tip of it, each of them decorated with small, blue and silver stones. She closed the box and brought it closer to her chest. “I’ll follow the path to knighthood as planned.”

Silas sighed in relief, his shoulders sagging visibly; he knew his sister well, after all. Leopold was in the middle of doing the same as Eleonore stiffened. “Is that really what you’ll choose, Kamui? I shall respect your decision regardless, but perhaps you could think for a bit more.” The Lady said, putting a stray strand of hair behind her daughter’s pointy ear.

Kamui closed her eyes and slightly shook her head. “I am certain, Mother. Master’s helped me see that, no matter the side of the war I choose, my goal will remain unchanged. Since I already have more chances of crawling my way into the heart of the nohrian army, I’ll do so from here.”

Finally did the Lady’s shoulders sag. “I see. Then I have at least one thing to thank Sir Gallahard for.” She said with a bittersweet smile. Eleonore’s never hidden her dislike for her children’s master, but she had to admit that he was one of the reasons Kamui could face her life so headstrongly.

“Yes, we all do,” the young noble concurred, then looked at her family one by one. “Before following that path, however, I want to visit Kaze,” she gripped the box on her chest, “and deliver this to him; so he can know that he managed to protect me until I could do so myself.”

Eleonore’s eyes immediately itched with tears; Leopold breathed in with effort as Silas lowered his head. Finally his friend could rest.

“That is a noble goal, Kamui,” Lord Lantanoir said, securely holding his wife’s shoulder as she struggled not to cry, “but I’m afraid you will not be able to visit him now and arrive in time for the Knighting Ceremony.”

As soon as the words were out of her father’s mouth, realization sank in. “Oh, no…” She took the free hand to her mouth. She and Kaze had been found on the Lantanoir Summer House, which was at least 15 days away by carriage. Even if Kamui hurried and only stayed for a day or two, it would still take over a month for her to be back – and the ceremony was less than 20 days away.

Silence stilled the room as they tried to think of a way. Before they could even bring up going after the ceremony, Kamui herself whispered an “and the Royal Ball will take place seven days after our ceremony.”

“They will send a carriage to get us and everything.” Silas added, his heart heavy and frown deep. Would Kaze have to wait, after all?

Unknowingly, Kamui had sat over her legs as she hadn’t done in years – the hoshidan style of sitting Eleonore only recognized after studying about the country’s customs – and took one hand to her chin, in thought. Her heart bled for her no-longer forgotten friend. She finally felt not accomplished, but at least a bit more whole: her past was revealed and her savior, treated with respect, at least after what that Hans fellow did.

Hans, Kamui thought with an angry frown (Silas could swear seeing her eyes glow momentarily and almost panicked). There was at least one person Kamui wouldn’t mind not showing mercy to, but even that would have its time.

“It’s okay, Father, Silas.” Kamui raised her head to meet both men’s eyes. “I’ll just need to go after the ball. We’ll be closer to the summer house at the capital, anyway.” She closed her eyes, both hands holding the hairpin’s box. “Don’t get me wrong; I still want to go more than anything – but I also can’t afford to let Kaze’s sacrifice go to waste by losing these opportunities.”

Silas acknowledged with a sad smile. “Yeah. I’m sure he won’t mind. Besides, I’ll be with you to fulfill my promise with him.”

Kamui’s smile mirrored Silas’. “Thank you, Brother. Now, more than ever.” She gave him a formal hoshidan bow, then turned to the older noblewoman. “Mother, would it be alright if I kept this? I want to go to Kaze right after the ball.”

Finally stopping the urge to cry, Eleonore gave her daughter an uncertain nod. “Of course, my dear. But is it wise? You will be going to the heart of Nohr carrying such expensive and rare hoshidan adornment…”

“It will be okay, Mother. I shall never needlessly take it out of my luggage.”

That seemed to have calmed the mother’s worrying heart as she sighed in relief. “Very well. Do be careful, my dear. I couldn’t bear to lose either of you.” She caressed the young woman’s face, looking from her to Silas.

“I will, though not right now. We still have much to rehearse for the ceremony, right, Brother?”

“Yeah, the Master’s not going to let us off until the very last day.”

The ceremony would consist of three parts: The hunt, the swordplay and the vows. Both knights-to-be would need to prove themselves in front of their elder chevaliers in order to receive their blessings at the document Sir Gallahard would forward to the castle on the next day.

The first part, during the early morning, they both would set out to hunt at the neighboring forest to catch the guests’ and, by consequence, the entire party’s, lunch. If they would choose to team up or no, that would depend on them. During late morning, while the game they caught would be prepared, the second part would occur: The swordplay, would, as the name suggests, consist of a mock battle between both squires with their preferred weapons -- Kamui with an axe and Silas with a lance.

After witnessing their prowess in both managing weapons and ability to survive in less than ideal conditions, both siblings would change to sets of decorative armors and kneel before their master so as to say their vow in order to abide to the chivalry code.

And, lastly, there would be a commemorative dance at the ballroom at night. The chevaliers would sign both Silas’ and Kamui’s pledges on the next day, when it would be immediately sent to the castle.

Their days preceding the ceremony were filled with practice: weapon, dance and speech practice. They went back to the wooden swords so as to prevent any serious injuries and, at night, they would train their step coordination. Not two days after receiving Kamui’s reply of her life choice, Eleonore sent for the famous dressmaker Miss Margaretta: it would be her daughter’s first ball out in society and she needed to give a good impression on the Prince.

Similarly, the best tailor, Mister Mountcroix, would design Silas’ outfit for the occasion. Both of them stayed for a week in order to come up with designs that would fit the pair of siblings before leaving with the promise of delivering the complete set in time.

Two days before the ceremony, Master and apprentices sat as such for the last time -- starting from the next morning, the chevaliers and their families would start to arrive and there would be no more time for lessons. The three of them sat around a campfire, each holding a wine bottle in hand: Kamui’s was half-way done, as was Gallahard’s. Silas’ was untouched (he shared that trait with Eleonore, who didn’t enjoy much drinking).

“I’m not even worried ‘bout yer gig, y’know? I just know that ya’ll gon just go an’ make me even prouder than I a’ready am.” The knight said, raising his bottle over the fire, followed suit by both squires.

“Despite knowing the truth behind my past, I’ll remain loyal to my own convictions and to myself -- I’ll honor my vow and fight until I see the last of this war.” Kamui proclaimed, looking at the fire’s reflection on her bottle. Silas shared her proud smile as he nodded.

“I’ll uphold my vow and protect those in need so we can see the last of this war -- and so I can finally fulfill my promise.” He was the one who clinked his bottle on the other two before bringing it to his lips, prompting sister and master to follow. They spent the night in the wilds one last time.

The next day, as expected, Gallahard’s friends and acquaintances started to arrive with their families -- wives, husbands and daughters (strangely, none of them had sons) -- and were allocated accordingly. Kamui and Silas spent the entire day entertaining and receiving the guests, a total of fifteen families arrived until the late hours of the night.

Kamui barely slept, finding herself in front of her brother’s room after a few hours of shifting on her sheets -- the itch had happened sometime last week, so she needn’t to burn energy, but wanted to talk. “Brother? You’re awake, right?” She whispered by his door, doing one of their secret set of knocks.

“I am, Kamui. Come in.” His voice sounded distant and when the young woman opened the door, she found out why: he was writing by his desk, illuminated only by the moonlight.

“What’re you doing?”

He glanced at his sister before going back to his paper -- it was actually a drawing of the forest at night. “It’s just an old habit of mine.” He rested his back on the chair and stretched his arms. “Ever since the first night I saw you entering the woods, I started looking out of my window every night. After a while, I began drawing what I saw.”

“Whoa, Brother,” she gasped, placing both hands over the chair’s backrest, looking from above Silas’ head to the wonderful black-ink drawing of the scenery immediately in front of them. “If you didn’t want to be a knight, you could as well go into art or something. This is great!”

Silas blushed. “Really? Everyone who saw my drawings just said I committed a crime against humanity or nature or something.”

Kamui clearly didn’t understand of art, but to call that a monstrosity? Outrageous! “Surely you showed it to the wrong people. It looks amazing to me, Brother.” She nodded, glancing down at him.

Little did she know that the sight she was seeing was being distorted by the moon’s faint light -- her brother indeed didn’t have the hand for art; but they wouldn’t find out about that in the forseeable future: in the next break of dawn, they would be ready in front of the forest so as to set out to hunt, the fifteen chevaliers plus their Master there to witness their entry.

“It’s finally tomorrow, Kamui.” He said after a while of silence. From above him, his sister smiled.

“No, Brother. Tomorrow is only the beginning.”

“May your hunt be bountiful and the gods watch over you.” Gallahard announced after all knights were present to watch as both apprentices went in together. The rest of the morning would be spent in their getting ready to wait for Kamui and Silas’ return outside of the main mansion, at the site prepared exclusively for the festivities: an outdoors long dinning table right beside a fenced arena and an open kitchen; all leading to the side entrance that had a direct path to the ballroom into which the vows and the dance would happen.

Both knights-to-be came back in the late morning and all could see how they decided to team up: they carried a large elk between them (all four legs tied onto a long branch they used to share its weight). Kamui also had three hares tied to her belt.

“Bahahaah! They’re tryin’ to fatten us, mates!” Gallahard guffawed after seeing the size of the game. “Yer were THAT ‘fraid we’d starve, lad an’ lass?”

They put the prey down with a thud as two cooking assistants from Gallahard’s Power Attachés effortlessly took it away to start immediately working on it at the open kitchen (a third one came to get Kamui’s hares). “You can never be too sure, right, Master?” Kamui huffed as Silas nodded.

“Aight, now go wash up -- I want yer swordplay to happen while yer still winded because of the hunt. Show me yer stamina, kids!”

“Yes, Master!” They acknowledged in unison, running to the back in order to freshen up and catch their weapons. Their score was even for once, but Kamui hadn’t forgotten how Silas got the upper hand at The Pit.

She would win that one!

They fought with real weapons -- an axe and a lance -- though not their custom-made ones. It would be game over if either Kamui managed to break Silas’ spear or if he got his tip in a deadly spot of her body. They almost danced with the rhythm of knowing each other’s movements, the young woman used to twirling her axe around despite not being her own weapon; the man doing the side steps he learned so as to avoid his sister’s powerful thrusts.

The band was instructed to keep silent during the fight, making the audience’s anticipation even higher: knights and family were distributed around the long table in front of the fenced arena, all of them too focused on the deadly dance to worry about the scrumptious smell coming from the open kitchen.

In one of Silas’ side steps, Kamui found an opening and quickly sneaked in front of him, using not her axe, but her elbow in an upwards thrust on his lance to destabilize his balance. It was a matter of a split-of-second reaction, but before he could think, the weapon was shaking on his hand and his feet were tripping due to Kamui’s sudden approach..

The wives, husband and daughters gasped while the knights nodded in agreement as Silas fell and Kamui put her axe in front of his face, his lance rolling beside them.

Huffing, Kamui smiled with the victory. “Now we’re even, Brother!”

Silas laughed, extending his hand as Kamui put the axe away to help him up. “Technically, you’re winning from 34 to 33, but yes; we’re even.” He agreed, knowing that she was referring to the Pit battle.

The siblings couldn’t talk much for their master came running after jumping the fence, quickly slapping them both on their backs. “Congrats, girlie! Da’s one more lesson for ya to learn, boy!” He looked from one to the other, then turned around to the audience and spoke as loud as he could, making the no-longer-squires flinch. “And now tha’s this is done with, we gotta finally fill our bellies!” He raised one arm, and all of his Attachés followed suit.

“Aye!” They yelled back, swiftly bringing the food in.

Indeed they would have leftovers from the party -- the elk and rabbits were more than enough to feed all guests as well as the servants after cleaning up -- Kamui and Silas sat side by side in the middle of the table, their Master in front of them. They had the time of their lives.

Sir Savoy, for example, knew a lot of folk songs and almost danced over the table while asking for the band to accompany his singing. His brother-in-arms, Sir Stenham, had to maul his friend back to his room before he brought dishonor to his family in his mirth. Both sat right beside Kamui, who only raised her mug in approval.

Dusk slowly covered them like a blanket, signaling that the last and most important part of the ceremony was about to begin: The reading of the Vows.

After seeing everyone in, the knights-to-be excused themselves so they could change to their decorative armor -- Silas’ a replica of a Great Knight’s and Kamui’s one of a Hero’s. Sir Savoy still had the rosy cheeks of a drunk, but managed to stay on his feet and, most of all, silent while the Lantanoir siblings entered the ballroom.

Side by side, they took step after step towards the leftmost corner of the room, where their master waited with a silver rapier in hand. Kamui and Silas, despite the nervousness inside their chests, smiled proudly. The day had been bright, fun and fulfilling; they knew that all chevaliers around them already considered both youths as fellow knights, but they needed to solidify their vows.

As they approached the three steps separating them and their master, Sir Gallahard nodded in acknowledgement to each of them: He was wearing his old battle armor, polished to perfection -- at that moment he truly looked like a seasoned knight, the weight of his scars and eyepatch filling both siblings’ hearts with pride for training under such a great warrior.

Kamui and Silas took the knee, as they rehearsed, and lowered their heads. Gallahard’s deep and loud voice reverberated throughout the ballroom and inside their chests. “Silas Lantanoir and Kamui Lantanoir. You both are here to pledge your loyalty to the Nohrian Army. However, to do so, you must vow to follow the chivalry code.” The knight started, his usual accent nowhere to be found.

“I am aware.” The siblings said at the same time.

Gallahard smirked and raised his chin. “What do you vow?”

Kamui raised her head, one hand over her chest same as her brother. “I vow to always defend the honor of someone in need.”

“I vow to always speak the truth and be loyal to my lord,” Silas accompanied, both of them talking in unison.

“I will always be brave and will never run from a challenge nor avoid a treacherous path,” Kamui continued, looking right into her Master’s eye, her smile growing as she spoke.

“I will be charitable and will defend any helpless I find in my path.” Silas finished.

“I vow to protect the honor of my lord and my land until the battle’s won or my blood’s spent.” They said with a louder voice, receiving a proud nod from their master before he touched the tip of the rapier on their shoulders.

“It is here, by witness of Dame Ahelissa, Dame Aphra, Sir Berold, Dame Betsy, Sir Brianus the Selfish,” as he said each name, the knights ackonwledged with a step forward, “Sir Everard, Dame Gussalen, Sir Isambard, Sir Meraud, Sir Raluf, Sir Reimond, Sir Savoy, Sir Stenham, Dame Theffania and Sir Thibaud the Bodyguard that I, Sir Gallahard the Watchful dub thee, Silas Lantanoir and thee, Kamui Lantanoir, rightful Knights of Nohr.”

The newly knighted duo rose after their Master had put the rapier away and turned to the guests. Eleonore couldn’t help but sob, a handkerchief over her face; Leopold shed silent and proud tears, his chin raised up. The siblings looked at each other and saluted the nohrian way, with a closed fist by their chests.

“It will be an honor to serve beside you, Sir Silas.” Kamui smiled proudly, as did her brother.

“Likewise, Dame Kamui.” He flicked his head towards her and they both walked towards their chevalier elders as Sir Gallahard stayed behind.

Claude swiftly helped his lord take off the armor – Gallhard didn’t mind a skirmish or two, but putting on that armor again always brought back memories from the days he lost his loved ones. The butler worked quickly and by the time Kamui and Silas were done thanking the veteran knights, Gallahard was back with his smile, wearing the simple garment he had on underneath the armor.

“Blargh,” he massaged his jaw, approaching the duo, “I dunno how ye both can talk all proper like that all the time, lad and lass. I think my tongue’s numb.”

“You were very dashing, Master.” Silas bobbed his head in respect as Kamui put both arms on her waist.

“It felt weird, like a different person. But so cool!”

“Ya, nuff flattery from yer both. You still gotta open the ball, go ‘n.” He pointed his chin to the middle of the room, prompting both siblings to exchange looks and smile. Silas bowed extravagantly, raising one hand to his sister, the other one behind his back.

“Would you give me the honor to share your first dance as a knight, Dame Kamui, ma’am?”

The young woman giggled, giving her hand to Silas. “Why, yes, I would, Sir Silas.” She replied in the same manner, being led to the center. They held each other at the waltz’s characteristic closed position and waited for the band to start the song.

The decorative armors didn’t get in the way as they treated through the dance floor, their synchrony inviting the bolder chevaliers to dance alongside them. Eleonore and Leopold followed, and soon the ballroom was filled with swirling couples, painting it with a wide array of colors.

The festivities were scheduled to break through the night towards dawn, but it came to a close as exhaustion filled the wives and husbands (as well as the manor’s Lord and Lady) of the knights. Even after seeing everyone off, Kamui felt too giddy to turn in for the night.

She had done it.

She gave the first step towards her goal.

Even if she felt accomplished at the moment, she knew that there was a whole life of fighting ahead of her; of servitude and loyalty. She didn’t want to break the vow she painfully acquired if the worst came to pass and she discovered some dark truth about her past, but she wasn’t going to stop following her own convictions.

Once again Kamui found herself at the clearing, watching the now starry sky – it truly looked like it was responding to her state of mind. Twenty days ago, it was cloudy as her heart, but now – now it was open, like the path ahead.

No matter what the Crown Prince had in store for her (she would try not to have high expectations, though her Master constant mentioning of the retainer issue made that very hard to accomplish), Kamui would face him head on and comply.

The ball was only seven days away, but the carriage would come to pick them up in two days. Their written pledge and arrival at the castle would happen almost at the same time, and Kamui wondered if it would take long for the army’s officials to process their paperwork. She planned on visiting Kaze, but the trip would take twenty days at the earliest and she worried that she would have to straight to the job after coming back.

Which was why she was taking her customized axe with her, alongside the sword her parents gave her after the party was done; a matching pair with Silas’, with the family crest on the hilt and their names carved on the blade.

A new day was about to dawn, as well as a new life for the mostly-secluded noble. She would meet many people and, despite the positivity she felt from her family and friends about her outward appearance, she knew she had to be on her toes. Especially because she still had no clue about what she was.

Kamui nodded to herself, getting up from the grass and slapping the dirt away from her pants. “Don’t let it get to you, Kamui. You lived your entire life thinking short of yourself because of these,” she touched her pointy ears, “but stay strong, no matter what they say!”

The next day was as busy as the previous one: The chevaliers signed the pledge during the morning, and some were already prepared to leave by the time the mid-day meal was served. A courier from the castle had been summoned to take the paper a week previous, so he immediately set out after the end of the signatures.

Kamui and Silas hadn’t time to rest, though: Apart from entertaining the rest of the guests, they still had to take the last fitting for their new clothes for the ball as well as to prepare their luggage for the voyage. Kamui made hers significantly bigger due to her side-trip (they came to an agreement that Silas would remain in case they needed to explain why Kamui wasn’t home if their paperwork was done before her return), and wondered if she should take at least Clara with her.

“Hmm,” Silas crossed his arms, deep in thought, “but they said that we shouldn’t bring our own servants since we’ll be ‘appropriately attended’, as they worded.”

“Yes,” Kamui leaned her cheek on her palm, tired of packing, “but I’ll go to the summer house straight from the ball; I’ll need Clara with me, if not for helping in and out of the dress, at least to aid me during the trip.”

“Ya, but no servants from outside’re allowed in the castle, girlie. Even if ya bring her, she’ll hafta stay in an inn or somethin’ till the ball’s done an’ gone.” Gallahard said from the door. He took two steps inside, “’s not easy to enter the castle, an’ I don’t mean literally, since there’re all those ‘open castle days’ n’ stuff.” He crouched beside the kneeling young woman as she turned around from the bed to him. “’s hard to be summoned to work there an’ even harder to leave. I managed to leave His Majestyfulness’ side ‘cause I saved his neck durin’ a battle an’ he granted me a royal favor n’ all that malarkey.”

Kamui sat over her legs so as to face her master, glad to be taken away from packing. “Yeah, you’ve told us something about that battle before.”

Silas crouched down to complete the three kneeling nobles beside a bed with hundreds of clothes scattered around, a frown painted across his face. “But does that mean that we’ll never be able to leave?”

“Bahahah!” Gallahard threw his head back in laughter, “yer not even in yet an’re already thinkin’ ‘bout leavin’? Relax, boy!” He slapped Silas’ back, making him choke, “survive yer first dozen o’ battles ‘fore ya think ‘bout that.”

The young man glanced at his sister, worried about her future condition. However, he slowly breathed in. It was her own choice; he just needed to be there for her. “You’re right, Master, as always. Let’s get this packing over with quickly – we don’t know at what time the carriage will come to pick us up tomorrow.”

Kamui groaned and complied. A month of travelling with that much luggage and no attachés. Great.

Their goodbye was a fast, though heartfelt one. Eleonore felt light for finally telling the truth to her daughter, and seeing her follow her own path without the burden of her past – or at least with the burden lighter – made the mother that much relieved. Leopold never erased his proud smile for the ceremony had been beautiful and the pledge was already on its way to the castle. Two knight children.

“Try not to be overwhelmed about the palace, you two.” He warned, squeezing both siblings’ shoulders. “It’s a big and foreign place, but I have faith that, as long as you’re together, you can do well on your first ball out in society.”

Eleonore hesitated in reaching out for her daughter. “Kamui, about our talk…”

The young woman turned to her mother. “Hm? About what, Mother?”

“Your suitors, my dear.” Eleonore glanced from her husband to her daughter.

The night before, they had talked about finding a husband or a wife for Kamui. She complied, but of course told her mother to keep in mind that they should know about her job being a dangerous one and her motive a secret until they were ready to listen.

“If it’s a woman, Mother, we will need to know each other first, so it might be complicated…” She took a sip of her tea. Marriage has always been a common topic ever since she was a child, so she didn’t mind her mother choosing a suitor for her. But for the lineage to continue in a same-sex marriage, the spouse’s bonds would have to be very strong for a Bond child to be born unto them.

And Kamui was sure no lady would have time nor patience to court a newly knighted full of work, dangerous missions and little time off such as herself.

“Of course, dear. I shall keep that in mind when selecting someone. We will speak through letters, hm?” Lady Lantanoir caressed Kamui’s face before turning to her son. “And you, my child? May I also look for suitors for you? Do you also have a preference?”

Silas choked on the tea he was sipping and unambiguously glanced at Kamui before hiding his face under the handkerchief so as to dry his mouth and chin. “I, uh, haven’t thought about marriage yet, Mother. Forgive me, I need a bit more time.”

Eleonore’s words by the gates brought these memories back to Silas, his eyes woefully looking at his sister as she smiled at her mother.

“Worry not, Mother. I shall wear my hair up on the ball, so you can be certain that they all will know that I am available for marriage.” The young woman squeezed her mother’s hands before kissing them with respect. “Now we have to go. Goodbye, Mother; Father. Thank you for everything.”

Silas bowed, blinking to take himself away from the trance of last night’s memories and bowed. “Goodbye, Father; Mother. See you when I come back.”

“Safe travels, children.” The parents replied at the same time, watching as both young nobles turned around to get inside the royal carriage.

The coachman treated them with the utmost respect, like they were his masters. It’s made the trip less awkward since they felt welcomed by at least one person from the castle – even if it was one of such low echelon.

The first four days passed without much trouble (Kamui’s itch was scheduled to happen sometime next week, so she was at least in peace regarding that) and, on the day of the ball, both nobles had to stop at a high-class inn so as to use the help of its servants to put them inside their party garments.

At Strömborg, the western castle, the ball started as soon as dusk fell, though that was a manner of speaking since the capital has always been darker than the rest of the kingdom. While Kamui and Silas were getting ready at the inn, half of the invitees occupied the large, almost gargantuan, ballroom.

It was of a grandiosity without equal: the dark marble floor contrasted with the yellow and purple lighting, magically extended with the Second Prince’s own signature on the formulae. The main entrance led directly to the room, through a long, red-carpeted corridor. Since the castle had been built inside the stone, it had many lower levels, and the ballroom was one of them: as soon as someone entered, they would be greeted by two flights of U-shaped stairs that would meet again in the middle at an intermediate landing before going further down at a bullnose as the last step, its railing a beautifully carved volute.

And, for as far as the eye could see, the extravagant decorations shone at each step as the band played a soft and peppy tune.

The ball was in commemoration of the vernal equinox and festivities held in honor of the gods of harvest were being held throughout the kingdom – since nohrian soil lacked many nutrients and its sky was rarely blessed with much sunlight, the people relied heavily on what they could plant in these conditions. Trading with neighboring countries was also an essential part of Nohr’s economy, and keeping a good relationship with them through the news of the bounty festivals were crucial for the dark kingdom’s survival.

At the party, hosted at the castle where the Royal Family made its residence, two of its members marking their presence in it: the Crown Prince Lord Xander and the First Princess Lady Camilla. Second Prince Leo and Youngest Princess Elise still weren’t of age to attend to formal events in court and were kept in the royal wing for the duration of the ball.

King Garon had excused himself from the commemorations entirely due to focusing himself on the war at the military’s central command located at the main Castle, Krakenburg.

Xander and Camilla shared a dance, using the opportunity to be on their own for as long as the song lasted to talk, virtually the only way they could do so without either being bothered or spied.

The prince had his hair slicked back, the crown given by his father nowhere to be seen to hide his perpetual frown. He wore a black, double-breasted frock coat with a red velvet cravat, almost as though he had agreed with Camilla to match the color of her dress: a vibrant burgundy and black taffeta long gown with an open back and a scandalous cleavage. Their gloved hands – his white and hers, black – worked in harmony with the beat of the song as their eyes ever so watchfully scanned the ballroom.

“According to schedule, they must have arrived already, Xander.” Camilla turned her head to accompany the beat after a backward walk followed by a quick turn.

“Indeed. If everything goes well, they should reach the palace at any moment.” He concurred, leading his sister to a left turning box with inside turn, catching her hand again as their eyes met.

“Will you really entrust the boy’s judgment to me? I am flattered with the honor, but there is still time to rethink.”

Xander’s lips curved up to something akin to a smile. “I am certain, my sister. After me, only you know of our circumstances well enough to rate a retainer’s worth. Whatever you decide after this ball is over, shall be done.”

Camilla laughed, her fluffy hair fluttering behind her as they did a series of turns. “Then I will not have mercy in my decision.” She huffed after they stopped spinning and Xander pressed her back to lead her to a slower set of steps. “Everything is in accordance with the band, mind. As soon as we both choose our next partners, they shall start the melody you requested.”

“Good,” he praised, something at the top of the stairs catching his attention. “And the song must play for as long as our talk lasts. Alas, Camilla,” he pointed his chin up, turning with the rhythm so his sister could look at the newly arrived duo, “they have come.”

“Dame Kamui and Sir Silas from the Lantanoir Household have arrived!” The Court Marshal and Master of Ceremonies Lord Abbington announced both young nobles’ arrival to the ballroom. It remained mostly unaffected, since the last half of the guests were still coming. Kamui tried not to stare, but ever since she’s been shown in, everything has been overwhelming: There were all kinds of people, from every color, race and even species (she could’ve sworn she saw a wolfskin somewhere, but it could have been a kind of laguz as well; she only noticed a foreign tail).

Not to mention the pressure of simply being there, surrounded by so many new people with her hair up in a bun with only a thick lock of hair twirling down to her shoulder. She was glad that at least her dress didn’t fall short to the palace: A navy blue, sleeveless jacquard brocaded corset with boning imbued with a poly lace up bodice and a long, black tiered ruffle skirt at the back, the front sewn with sparse silver brocades; long, dark gloves covered her arms.

Silas wore a dark grey tailcoat, his hair obediently slicked to the side for once. They parted ways as each one took one flight of the U-shaped stairs so as to meet again at the intermediate landing, immediately locking arms and taking deep breaths before slowly descending the last staircase.

The song continued, however some couples stopped dancing to watch as the Royal siblings themselves came to greet the Lantanoir nobles; Xander to Kamui and Camilla to Silas.

“It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Dame Kamui,” Xander gave her a slight bow as she curtsied, “I thank you for accepting the invitation. I am Xander, the Crown Prince of Nohr. And this is Camilla, the Eldest Princess.”

The first time their eyes met, Kamui felt something bristle at the nape of her neck. Xander allowed himself a small smile as he paid attention to the young woman’s feline eyes. Kitten, he thought with warmth, making Kamui’s heart skip a beat. The pressure of royalty could be seen on every fiber of his body, contrary to his smiling sister. His burgundy eyes carried a conviction as deep as, if not deeper than hers, and she could already discern from that first glance that his extended hand, disguised as a request for a dance, meant business.

Her heart pounded in her chest – the first test had started. She managed to smile shyly and curtsied once more. “I am most flattered to be greeted by Your Highness himself.” She replied, glancing from one royal to the other, nodding at the tall princess. “It is an honor to be able to enjoy a tradition as important as this one in Your Highnesses presences.” Entranced by his seriousness, the knight slid her hand over his, silently accepting the implied invitation for the dance.

As soon as their hands touched, the song changed. It was the complete opposite of the one that was being played previously – it was intense and fast-paced. Its name was War and Peace.

“We have much to discuss, my lady,” Xander said, bidding farewell to Silas and Camilla with a nod before escorting Kamui to the middle of the ballroom; every couple they passed by opening way for them. Soon they were isolated in the middle, with room to spare to dance – and to talk. The song was not only passionate, but also loud.

Kamui held her dress with her left hand, the same Xander held, and, when they arrived at the desired spot, she slid her right one to his shoulder, feeling his right hand press her shoulder blade. Immediately they started moving to accompany the rhythm, getting used to each other before trying any difficult movements.

The prince’s hand on her back guided her with a precision she had never felt before; not with her father, not with her instructor and certainly not with her brother. No; Xander had a strong grip followed by a smooth movement, making her role as his dance partner the easiest in the world – his leading was clear and straightforward -- soon they were doing complicated spins and leg works.

After the first left turning box with outside turn, as they raised their free arms up for the split of second – Kamui saw how intently he was looking at her. “Now that we are alone,” his voice rumbled through her chest when they went back to each other’s arms, “we can speak freely. You must know why I summoned you here, my lady.”

A stubborn lock of hair left the prince’s hairdo, dangling beside his right eye – but it only made Kamui less intent on taking her eyes off of him. “Indeed I do, my Lord. My Master uncovered Your Highness’ intention with the letter.”

“Ah, yes, Sir Gallahard the Watchful.” Xander mused, quickly turning his head around to show Kamui the next side they were going to spin to. “Then I can come to the conclusion that, by accepting this invitation, you also have your sights on assuming the position of my retainer?”

So Master was right after all, Kamui thought, pressing her lips into a thin line. The first test! “If my Lord thinks me worthy, then I shall abide to it.”

“I have witnessed your prowess in battle, against that young man you call brother,” he glanced to his sister’s direction – she was also speaking with Silas during a dance – and then turned back to Kamui, “which have left me no doubts about your physical abilities.”

Kamui licked her lips, the tension making her throat dry, “however?”

Xander’s frown lightened in a not-quite smile, in a less serious face. He liked that she was quick to catch up. “That is all I know about you.”

Ah, of course, Kamui thought, he wouldn’t call just anyone to be his retainer without digging up the past. But it seems he hasn’t found anything regarding Hoshido. “It is all that I am, my Lord,” she started, huffing after a series of twirls, “as Your Highness must know, I am an orphan from the Battle of Cheve. I was lucky enough to have Mo—that is to say, Lady Lantanoir to take pity of me and take me in after those dreadful days.”

“Indeed?” He contemplated, pulling up her body as they started a series of progressive outside steps, without missing a beat. “And why did you choose the way of the knight after receiving the chance of staying forever as a noblewoman?”

Is he perhaps concerned about me not looking like a chevois – or normal human, for that matter – and is testing me? She fixed her gaze on his, the memories of her painful past and her friend’s sacrifice ever present in the back of her mind. “I wish nothing more than to end the war, my Lord, so no other children have to go through what I did – the medics speculated that I have blocked the memories from before the Battle of Cheve because I most likely witnessed my parent’s deaths.”

Xander’s frown flickered with concern. “Forgive me. I should not have pressed the issue that further; it was thoughtless of me to remind you of such terrible memories.”

Kamui closed her eyes, dismissing his apology. “Worry not, Your Highness. It is your duty to ascertain yourself about the people you will be working with in the future.” She replied, being led to a back to back sequence, her eyes never focused on the crowd for they were always led back to the prince. After they were back on the original position, she pursed her lips. “However, before we enter in an agreement, I assume you will want to talk about my outward appearance.”

The prince spared a glance at the knight’s pointy ears and his lips curved down in a shrug. “From what I have gathered, you have never made a public transformation nor do you have any other physical differences apart from your ears. I see little point in pressing the matter further as long as you can assure me you have control over your inner beast.”

“You seem used to dealing with shape-shifters,” she blurted out, surprised. Then, quickly added his title. “Ah, my Lord.”

The Prince gave a half-smile for her blunder, “you must have noticed when you were shown in, my lady, that we do not discriminate anyone in the castle. As long as they fulfill their role, the species or skin color of the person matters not. The same can be said about you.”

Acceptance in the least place she thought she would find. Warmth and conflict inside her heart – suddenly she noticed how calm she was, as though the Prince was shouldering her worries. “Alas, Your Highness. I have never shifted before, despite being always in possession of a beaststone.” She meekly looked up at him, finding understanding in his eyes. “I feel the need to be honest with my Lord due to the role you have offered me: I can indeed control the beast inside of me, though I know not what it is for it has not surfaced yet.”

“A late bloomer; not a rare case.” He turned his head to the right, guiding her to a fast set of box steps. “We will have time to work on this once you start.”

Kamui’s stomach turned. “Have I passed the test, my Lord?”

“I have ascertained that you are not an enemy of Nohr; have good reflexes and has no issues with being led on. You are also sincere and your eyes truly are focused on the end of the war. Tell me, Kamui, have you brought your weapon?”

The unexpected turn of his speech made Kamui open and close her mouth before replying, “I have, my Lord. It is stationed at the guest room they have prepared for myself alongside my luggage.” She glanced down to her leg, “if it is a question of whether I am armed at the moment or not, well…”

The prince chuckled, his body trembling with mirth. She had brought a hidden knife to a royal ball! The audacity! “Splendid.” He turned with vigor, making her hold her breath and almost miss the step, “you have everything I look for in someone to serve under my immediate command. Do you accept to be my retainer, Dame Kamui? I am in need of your services.”

Kamui squeezed her hand on his, nodding in acceptance. “I do, my Lord, if you will have me.”

Xander glanced to something or someone over Kamui’s head before continuing with the twirls he had started. The song started its last section. “Wonderful. You have no qualms in starting tomorrow, then? I have received your written pledge and, as far as the army is concerned, you are already part of it.”

Kaze, forgive me, Kamui pressed her lips as they started their last step: a combination of open twinkles.

The song ended; Prince and knight in the middle of the ballroom with their hands connected and their opposing arms extended to the air. Huffing, Kamui took a step towards him as he gave his arm to escort her to a table. “I have no objections, my Lord. I look forward to working with you from now on.”

#corriander #xander #fire emblem fates #silas #kamui #wyll #where your loyalty lies #my writings #*hallelujah playing in the background*

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