#corrianderweek2020

[corrianderweek]

CORRIANDER WEEK 2020 PROMPTS AND DATES

October 25th - Training

October 26th - Coronation Day

October 27th - Bonding Moment

October 28th - Taking Time to Travel

October 29th - Nohrian Summer / Beach Day

October 30th - Getting Ready for Winter

October 31st - Hoshidan Festival of Bonds

Thank you everyone for the support and super special thanks to @yukiwrites for doing the banner art! Let’s all spread the love so we can have another amazing shipping week!

To participate, you can submit your work to this blog or post it with the #corrianderweek2020 tag in the first 5 tags so we can reblog it here! If you want to make doubly sure we saw it, tag us with @corrianderweek!

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[yukiwrites]

A Way to Unwind

For CorrianderWeek 2020, Day 1: Training. IT’S HEREEEE, THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!! Let’s have a blast this year too, folks!

Xander had been educated to follow through his father’s kingly footsteps from infancy. He was no stranger to paperwork and the dreadful weight of carrying the lives of thousands of his own people at the tip of his pen or at the top of his tongue.

That did not mean that nothing would get to him.

No. Even the recently crowned King regent of Nohr and Valla was prone to succumbing to stress.

Or rather, precisely because he was the King, it was indispensable for him to have an outlet or two from his pent up stress and pressure. Though Xander had a most dreadful tendency to hold it all in and let it consume him until there was smoke coming out of his ears, so it fell to his wife, Kamui, to nudge him towards the right places so he could take better care of himself.

Having said that, the Queen got up from her seat at her jointed desk, right beside Xander’s in their shared study, soundlessly walking behind him so as to place both hands on either of his stiff, oh-so-stiff, shoulders.

“You were a tad harsh there with that man, you know.” Kamui hummed, smoothing her hands from her husband’s shoulders to his chest, then crossing her arms around his neck in a tender hug.

“Hahh…” The King sighed, leaning his head against his wife’s soft cheek, closing his eyes as he already felt a headache forming in the bridge between his eyes. “Was I truly? I shall make amends to that right away…” He meant to move back to his papers, not even allowing himself to rest for a minute inside his wife’s arms, but what he didn’t expect was Kamui not moving from her spot, trapping him in her hug. “Kamui, please.”

“‘Please’ is my line, Xander.” The Queen huffed, letting go of her husband so as to circle his chair and sit on the desk right in front of the documents he was about to go over. “Look at you: If I weren’t there last night, I would say you haven’t been sleeping for weeks! You look dreadful. Even your crown is crooked.” She twisted her lips as she spoke, at least putting his tiara back in place. “You can’t keep on working like this.”

His frown ever so present over his brow, Xander simply closed his eyes further, feeling the headache pulsate inside his skull. “What do you propose I do instead, Kamui? There are many things of which I am responsible as a King-”

“As do I as your Queen and Chief of State of both our kingdoms. We share our burdens, Xander, and we work together to not let them take the better out of us; which I know they are doing to you at the moment.”

Xander hardened his jaw, a sign he usually did whenever Kamui hit the mark but he was too hard-headed to admit that he needed to take better care of himself. After a few moments, however, he deflated, letting out the air he hadn’t noticed he had taken in as he rested his body on the backrest of his chair. “What do you propose we do, then, my Queen?”

As he asked that, Xander finally looked straight at his wife’s eyes, feeling her worry and love overflowing through them and piercing right through his heart. To top it off, the moment their eyes met, a mischievous smile grew at the corners of her lips as a curious glint shone in her gaze.

“I know exactly what we need to do to help you, well, unwind.” She scooted closer to him while still seated on the desk, placing both arms over his chest. The heat of her body made Xander wonder if she really did mean what she seemed to be implying, but…

He placed one hand over hers, ready to thank her and decline her offer when her smile grew into a childish grin.

“Let’s go spar!”

“Wh- spar?” The proposition came so suddenly it left the King wordless. Those were surely not the words he thought he would hear from his wife’s lips.

“Yes! It’s always when you’re dealing with unpleasant thoughts that it’s better to just unwind by swinging your blade, isn’t it?” She patted his shoulders before sliding down from the desk to stand beside him, reaching out one hand to help him up from his seat. “And maybe we can do the other thing you were about to refuse after you’re feeling better, heehee,” she giggled deviously, making the King clear his throat before accepting her hand without even thinking too much about it.

The moment his eyes ran through his full desk, however, he stopped himself in the middle of standing up, staying at an uncomfortable position.

“The offer is delightful, Kamui, however-”

“Nooo!” Kamui pouted, jerking him up fully, almost tripping back with the amount of force she needed to use to do that. “You can’t make a clear judgement with a clouded mind!” She lectured, throwing back the words he often told her during her training days right at him.

“Ahem,” his body rock-solid, he promptly held Kamui in his arms when she was about to trip from pulling him, so he simply cleared his throat, loosened his cravat and nodded. “Fair enough. Lead the way, my Queen.” He smiled at last, the shadow of his frown still ever present, but Kamui was about to erase all of that soon, so she was happy to see at least a more relaxed expression on him.

“Great! Let’s go to the Northern Tower!” Still within his arms, Kamui stole a peck on his lips before hopping to the floor, pulling him by the hand.

Infected by her enthusiasm and eagerness to help him, Xander simply allowed himself to be led by his small wife, sometimes mirroring a most jovial smile that he only flashed in Kamui’s presence.

Look at them! King and Queen of two realms, Conquerors of the Forgotten God and Those Who Ended the Endless War with their neighboring kingdoms… just sneaking around the palace, hand in hand, like they were two pages running away from their lessons! And they weren’t even about to do… unsavory activities, like the ones he previously thought his wife was going to suggest, no: they were going to spar! The absurdity of the situation alone was hilarious enough to make Xander smile to the point of forgetting that he had had a headache just a few minutes ago.

Kamui muffled her laughter during the entire way, making sure to pull her tall husband to hide behind a pillar or around a corner whenever she saw someone coming from the opposite side, to add even more mirth to their situation.

Once they arrived at the Northern Tower’s training grounds, Xander’s steps picked up -- now he was walking right beside his wife, properly infected with the desire to swing swords with her. Kamui held the hem of her dress with her free hand, biting her lower lip in anticipation as they reached the changing room -- not wasting any time, the couple quickly picked the first garments that fit them and changed as fast as they could.

By the time they were at the storage room to pick their training weapons, they were already running, as though racing to start their sparring session even one second earlier.

Without his crown and his face flushed from the run, Xander already looked 100% better than he had been one hour ago, back inside their study. He was now full of life, the frown over his brow one of concentration rather than of preoccupation. Smiling, Kamui dove with her shortsword towards her husband, not even allowing him to take his proper form to start their training.

However, Xander was a trained warrior who had been wielding a sword at the same time he had been learning how to write -- so he simply blocked her attack by lifting his broadsword, the familiar ‘clang’ of their practice weapons ringing inside his ears and making him feel ALIVE for the first time in a while.

“Ukh, your defense is as solid as ever!” Kamui gasped, being pushed back by her husband’s overwhelming strength.

“If it were not for the width of my blade, I would have fallen to your, ah, quick jabs,” he spoke as he dodged and defended himself from his wife’s fast attacks, knowing all of her movements due to, well, him having been the one to teach them all to her back in the day.

“Haha! If you were wielding Siegfried, I would’ve simply done this,” she stabbed his sword right in the middle, though he simply turned his wrist to rotate the weapon to the side, pushing Kamui back, “and I would’ve been able to tuck my blade in the middle of it and throw it out of your hands!”

Xander smirked, using the back of his hand to dry some droplets of sweat sprouting on his forehead -- and Kamui had to force herself to focus on the match instead of simply admiring how manly, strong and - and viril her husband looked at that moment; full of life with his chest going up and down with the effort of their training.

“No normal weapon can pierce through Siegfried’s energy field,” he declared as though he were taking a walk in the park and not swinging his towering sword towards Kamui, forcing her to take long jumps backwards to escape its grasp. “It would have melted in the very moment you’ve attempted such a foolish action.”

“Yato can pierce through it, though.” Kamui wriggled her eyebrows, brandishing her weapon to start her counterattacks. Xander bobbed his head to the sides, acknowledging her claim.

“Indeed, I do believe it could.” He prepares to defend from her flurry of jabs, his attentive eye making note of her every movement in case she thought of using any opening from his sides to take a winning shot at him.

It was as though they were in the middle of their courtship days all over again -- the way they had to pay attention to one another’s every movement; the shifts in their breathings or the way they grasped their respective weapons… The way a similar fire was ignited in both of their gazes and how only they could recognize one another’s wordless signs…

Ah, truly they were made for each other.

Xander’s smile widened as he watched his wife approach, his head no longer clouded and his heart fully prepared to thank Kamui for always showering him with her love and to tell her for the thousandth time that he truly, deeply loved her.

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[corrianderweek]

Thank You!

We want to thank everyone who made this week a happier one for submitting, reblogging and enjoying the works! It was a week filled with some happy prompts, and other not so much, but most of all, we all did justice to the Corriander/Kamarx ship!

So, thank you so much! And remember:

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SUBMIT YOUR WORKS!! :D

We’ll still hover around the tags for a few weeks, but you can always send us a message with the link of your work (ESPECIALLY if you submitted and we missed it for some reason!) so we can reblog it here!

More Corriander is never enough! ^v^)v

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[yukiwrites]

His Two Most Precious

For Corrianderweek, Day 3: Bonding Moment. LONG TIME NO KATERINA!! My baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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There was always a larger influx of work and reports to read during the weeks preceding any of the Royals’ birthdays, most of all the King’s.

Thus, Xander spent more time than usual cooped up in his study, going over piles and piles of documents each and every day. Of course, so did Kamui, but she was one to know when to take her proper breaks so the people saw the Queen around the castle much more often than they did the King.

Throughout their years (over a decade!) of marriage, Xander had grown resistant to Kamui’s invitations to take breaks, be they family rated or not, so the Queen had to resort to her trump card…

“Toc, toc, toctocTooc!” A youthful, almost baby-like voice sounded at the same time a chubby hand did the set of knocks specially devised for her. The guard on duty outside fidgeted, wanting to open the door as it was his role, but being told not to.

From the inside, Xander tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Katerina?” He asked the empty room, being answered by the youngest princess of Nohr right outside.

“Caan Katie come inn, Papa?” She asked adorably, in a way that Xander could already picture how she was standing on the tips of her toes and swaying her fluffy dress around.

“Of course, my precious princess. Come on in.” The King immediately let go of his pen to welcome his youngest child midway to the room, opening his arms to pick her up.

Before he could, however, Katerina hopped inside and opened a rolled up sheet of paper, yelling a, “ta-dAH! Happy birthdee, Papa!”

“Oh?” Xander chuckled, wearing the warmest and fondest expression only found on a parent who deeply loved their children. “What priceless piece of art! Is that me?” He kneeled in front of the little girl, prompting her to sit on his knee and let him take the drawing so she could point to each of the hairy stick figures she had drawn with crayon.

“Here is Papa, me, Mama, bibig bro and big bro! I made Papa’s crown reaaally big here!” She kicked her chubby legs, making her curly, golden hair bounce around her pointy ears.

“Indeed, you have managed to capture me perfectly, my precious princess. May I keep this with me here?” He rolled the paper back, gesturing to his desk, intending on keeping the drawing in the drawer closest to his arm so it could be within his reach anytime he wanted to look at it.

“Mhm!” Katerina nodded as she wrapped both short arms around her father’s neck, squeezing him in a warm and loving hug. Xander reciprocated the gesture immediately, getting up as he held the little girl with one arm, safely holding her drawing with the other. He walked back to his desk, sitting upon the comfy chair by it so he could safely place the wonderful piece of art inside the drawer.

As he bent sideways to do so, Katerina made herself comfortable on top of his desk -- specifically making of the many important documents of the kingdom as her seat of honor. Usually, the one who would sit on his desk to distract him from work would be-

Wait just a moment…

From the corner of Xander’s eyes, he saw that the door to his study remained ajar, despite him knowing full well that was supposed to be a guard on duty standing right outside. As a rule, it was the soldier’s job to open the door for the guests and close it behind them, so there was no understandable reason for him not to do this single task of his job, unless there was someone of a higher rank than him standing right there to impede him from doing it.

“Say, Katerina?” That line of thought took less than half a second to conconte, so the young princess had barely set her fluffy dress atop his documents when he opened his mouth.

The little girl’s bright, red eyes that looked so much like her mother’s darted straight to Xander, being accompanied by a large, missing-a-tooth grin that somehow managed to melt the King’s heart even further. “Papa?”

“Did someone tell you to come here to do this? My birthday is only two days from now, after all.” He glanced from the princess to the door, wondering if he could catch a glimpse of what was behind that slight crack.

As matter-of-factly a 3-year-old could be, Katerina simply pointed to the door and said, “Mama!”

“C-cough!” Something behind the door moved, making Xander’s gaze catch a glimpse of a blue dress.

Pressing his lips so as to hide a smirk that fought to grow on his lips, Xander cleared his throat, managing to ask with a semi-sarcastic, mostly-fond tone: “Would you care to join us, Kamui?”

Xander could feel the tension coming from beyond the door, which made his hard-fought smirk win half of the battle, giving him an annoyed look to the normal onlooker. To his family, however? They could see that he was fighting back the urge to laugh the moment any of them laid eyes on him.

Kamui awkwardly popped her head inside the study, smiling as though caught red-handed. “Heehee, you caught me!”

“Mama!” Katerina bounced on her seat of documents. “Mama, Mama!”

The couple exchanged glances that carried the words of a man and woman who had been together for the largest part of their lives. See that? She’s calling me so I’m going over now, Kamui giggled innocently, knowing that her husband would see through her ruse right away. We will need to talk later, was the only message Xander’s gaze sent through, but Kamui simply smiled as though to ignore it and quickly headed towards the bouncing little girl.

“Katie heard everyone say it’s Papa’s birthdee, but it’s not! Did Mama say wrong?”

Kamui coughed once again, caught in her ruse by their too-smart 3-year-old. “M-Mama only meant that Papa was too busy with the preparations for this birthday party, my little pumpkin. Thank you for coming here and reminding him to take a break, okay?”

“Mhm!” The little girl nodded vehemently, but stopped it just as fast, “AH!”

Startled out of their skins, the parents each placed one hand on either of Katerina’s shoulders to assess how she was, but the princess simply widened her sparkling eyes as she looked at her mother.

“Bumpkin!” She waved energetically, “Nanny said there was bumpkin snack today!”

Xander and Kamui both breathed out in relief, the Queen placing one hand over her chest as the King stroked his thumb on Katerina’s arm in an act of fondness.

“Are you going to eat lots of pumpkins, my little pumpkin?” Kamui squeezed the little girl’s chubby cheeks, receiving a loud giggle and happy kicks in response.

“Mhm!” She nodded to Kamui, then immediately turned to Xander, opening her arms as though asking for upsies. “Papa, take me!”

Blinking, Xander was stunned for half a second before narrowing his eyes to his wife.

It wasn’t my idea, her eyes said, though her mouth let out a gurgling snort as her hands did a thumbs-up for her daughter’s wit. Noticing how her husband was about to give in, she joined the act by hugging Katerina and showing Xander the exact same look the little girl was giving him. “Take me too, Xander?” She pouted adorably, knowing that she would answer for this later.

“Take meeee, Papa!” Katerina insisted, pushing Kamui away so as to open her arms once again for her father.

Xander further narrowed his eyes as he reached for Katerina, promptly putting her on his arms and getting up from his seat. “I’m afraid I will not be able to take you, my Queen, as my arms are occupied with one princess already.”

Kamui grinned widely. “I suppose I must concede defeat, then. But I must ask for a fee for this travesty.” She tapped on his free arm, asking him to bend down to her short height so she could place a kiss upon his lips.

Not being able to hide his smile anymore, Xander simply did as his wife said and welcomed her kiss with open lips and closed eyes.

“Chuu, chuu, chuu!” Katerina imitated kissy sounds, wanting her to be the next receiver of smooches.

Gurgling a giggle under Xander’s lips, Kamui smiled as their kiss turned into smaller ones until she was able to speak. “Muah, muah, muah for Katie too!” The Queen pulled her little girl’s cheeks closer to her, covering her with loud and wet kisses.

Xander placed a patient peck on Katerina’s forehead after Kamui was done disheveling the princess’ hairdo, slicking the curly hair back with his free hand. After he was done, his Queen took the arm within her own, wanting to be escorted to the tea room alongside their daughter.

“Bumpkin, bumpkin!” Katerina chanted, kicking her tiny feet as Xander made his way out of the room with Kamui in tow. The guard that was supposed to be there had been probably relieved of his duties for the day by Kamui, but that was a matter for him to talk to her another time.

For now, he would enjoy this moment to bond with the most important women of his life, two days before his birthday. 

[yukiwrites]

Unconditional Love for Them

For Corrianderweek, day 5: Nohrian Summer / Beach Time. This is a sequel to the mini-series I started back when I was doing the weekly Xandersday writings! Now with baby Katie’s first time at the beach!

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By the time Katerina was born, the Sealing Rites of Valla had been mostly finished, which meant that the youngest princess of Nohr would not know nor experience the ethereal beauty of the Forgotten Kingdom. To make up for it, the Royal couple wanted to let her travel through as many Deeprealms as possible, since quite a few of them emulated the vallite aesthetic.

Well, since the princess was still too young to retain much information, and considering she was around the same Siegbert had been when they first took him to the Hotrealm, Kamui and Xander decided to bring the children to the beach once summer hit the dark kingdom.

Well, apart from a larger amount of rain along with its consequential landslides around the foot of the mountains, the nohrian summer was nothing to write home about, especially compared to their hoshidan counterpart. Because of that, to allow the children to experience a fulfilling family time at the beach, the King and Queen could only open the portal to the Hotrealm.

Kana led the way, pulling the tiny Katerina by the hand as they walked towards the nearest Dragon Vein. “It’s so bright! And so hot! And the water is wooshing wooshing!” The young prince excitedly gestured, receiving his little sister’s undivided attention. The toddler widened her bright, red eyes -- a trait shared with all of her siblings and mother -- gapping her mouth just enough to allow her to coo and yapper in response.

“Woosh woosh!!” She turned to Kamui as they stopped in front of the Dragon Vein, right before Xander started reciting the words to open up the portal to their desired Deeprealm. “Mama! Kana said water goes woosh woosh!”

The Queen smiled fondly, placing a lock of curly hair behind the little girl’s pointy ear. “It really does! And it’s reaaaaaly big, so you shouldn’t run off on your own without us, okay?” She booped Katerina’s nose with her index, grinning just as the little girl did.

“Wight!” She puffed up her chest in response, squeezing Kana’s hand.

“Good girl.” Kamui nodded, then turned to her eldest son. “Are you okay, Sieggy? You can hold my hand if you want.”

Siegbert, now a 12-year-old, jumped in surprise with the concern, blushing as he thought that he didn’t want to behave like a child and worry his parents. “I-I am alright, Mother! There’s no need to hold my hand.”

Observing the situation, just as Xander finished chanting the words, the King directed his gaze to the Crown Prince. “Then what about holding MY hand, Siegbert?” He smiled softly to the young boy, clearly remembering how their first time at the beach was.

Fidgeting, the boy’s cheeks flashed in a bright red as he slipped his hand into his Father’s, mumbling a quiet ‘thank you’ as they walked into the light pouring out of the Portal.

“When we cross, it’s gonna be FWOOMP!” Kana pulled Katerina, trying to emulate the sound one makes when they jump on soft sand, though Katie actually understood it and started hopping as they crossed the light.

“Don’t run to the water, you two!” Kamui warned as the world turned white around her, already used to jumping between Deeprealms like that. Once her sense of self was back, she was greeted by the bright sun, hot weather and glittering waters of the sea as the warm sands engulfed her feet.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!” Katerina yelled at the top of her lungs, startling both King and Queen and their Crown Prince as well. “SO PWETTY! PWEETTY!” She slipped her hand away from Kana’s hold, running ahead of him to roll around in the sand.

“Ah, your dress- Katieee, let me take off your dress first, pumpkin!” Kamui ran towards the two youngest children, “Kana, catch her! Catch, catch, catch!” She pulled her own dress up, discarding it on the wind, hoping Xander would get it from wherever he was behind her.

Chuckling, the King all but needed to extend his arm upwards to catch the flying dress, still not letting go of Siegbert’s hand as the both of them carried the bags with their beach supplies for their stay. “Is it still scary, Son?” Xander gestured with his chin towards the sea, understanding Siegbert’s concerns deeply as a fellow non-swimmer.

“Oh, not at all, Father!” Siegbert replied with sincerity. “Kana is an apt swimmer and his enthusiasm over the years shaved away my fear of the sea. It IS still rather overwhelming, though…” The prince looked down, sheepish.

Xander let go of their handhold to pat his son’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go have fun with your brother and sister? I shall set up our luggage here for the time being.”

Siegbert peeked at his siblings, gasping in surprise as he watched Kana sprint right at him.

“Here, Papa, our clothes!” Kana dumped the clothes he and Katerina had been using on Xander’s arms. “C’mon, Big Bro! The water’s super warm and Katie’s super excited to start swimming!”

“Swimming?! Isn’t she too small to start?” Siegbert held Kana’s hand as he followed the young prince towards their little sister, overly concerned about the tiny, excitable toddler.

Forgotten and full of luggage, Xander simply snorted to himself and placed the bags under a tree so he, too, could remove his formal clothing and join his family by the water.

“Papa!! Papa!!!!” Katerina huffed, tired from paddling, but too excited to care, “water is whooshy! WOOSHY!” She opened both arms to ask for upsies, not realizing she was in the middle of trying to swim from Kamui to Siegbert.

There was no cause to worry, however, since Kamui was still holding the toddler’s waist, so the little girl herself didn’t realize what she was doing. Frowning in concern, Xander took his daughter in his arms, sitting by the shallow water they’ve all gathered to introduce Katie to the sea. “It really does, does it not? However, be more careful, hm? The sea is as beautiful as it is dangerous.”

“Mhm, mhm!” Katie nodded, retaining absolutely no information whatsoever, as she wriggled herself out of Xander’s arms so she could try to paddle to her bibig bro instead.

“Awawa,” still unsure about how to properly hold his sister, Siegbert fidgeted once she was safely in his arms. “There, Katie, you’re with Big Brother now.” He smiled shyly, receiving her bright grin in response.

“Bibig bro is best!”

“Hey, I’m also your big bro! Aren’t I also the best?” Kana shoved his head in their midst, splashing water everywhere with his erratic hair.

“Bibig bro best!” Katerina puffed her cheeks, squeezing Siegbert’s neck in a too-tight embrace.

“Oh yeah? I’m gonna show you!” Kana wriggled his fingers towards Katerina, and, by the look in the little girl’s eyes, she knew what was coming. “Tickle tickle tickle!!”

“Nooo! Heeheehe!” Katie kicked water and brothers alike in her flailing, letting out that loud, adorable and absolutely fulfilling laughter only a toddler can make.

Covering her mouth with both hands to hide her huge grin, Kamui couldn’t tear her eyes away from the heartwarming scene she and Xander’s children were portraying, her chest suddenly being overcome with emotion.

Likewise, Xander slipped his hand into his Queen’s under the water, transmitting the thoughts and feelings they never tired of admitting to one another, no matter how long they’ve been married for: That they loved each other.

That they were overjoyed to have nurtured a family as loving and complete as this one.

That there was nothing they would’ve changed in their past, knowing that this was the future that awaited them.

At last, that they simply, truly, wholly and unconditionally love one another.

[yukiwrites]

The First Step Towards Their Life Together

For Corrianderweek 2020, Day 2: Coronation Day. This is a sequel to a story I wrote sometime ago, Battle Against What Was Forgotten.

Part 1 - Part 2

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One thing that Kamui was absolutely not expecting to happen during the wedding’s preparations was for Camilla to be the one to preside over the dress-making.

It happened a week after they had defeated the Forgotten Dragon -- time during which the groundworks for the double coronation and the wedding ceremony were starting to take shape.

“The time’s finally come!” Camilla marvelled as she twirled Kamui around like she was a little girl. “The dress I’ve been sewing for your marriage will finally come to use, my darling.”

“W-wait, Big Sister?! What do you mean-”

Smiling slyly, the older princess winked before turning around to open the door to her closet. “I have been working on it for a few years now, my precious Kamui. I wanted you to be the perfect bride when the time finally came for you and my brother to wed. Since no one else in the kingdom can appreciate your beauty like me, I naturally had to be the one to sew it!” She walked with light steps towards the mannequin placed right in the center of the small room, smoothing her hand over the flowy and semi-transparent fabric that covered the gown it was dressed with.

Kamui blushed, first from her sister’s compliment and second from placing her eyes on the gorgeous dress. “Camilla! It- It’s wonderful! It looks like a fairy’s dress… Am I really worth such a magnificent thing?” She carefully touched the light blue fabric, her eyes gleaming in anticipation.

“Of course, my dear; you’ll be the queen of fairies, quite literally, on the day you wear this, hm?” Camilla took Kamui’s hand, helping her touch the dress more decisively instead of hesitating around. “I made it with only you in mind, so the more beautiful you find it, the more it’ll suit your natural cuteness! Oh, I simply cannot wait until it’s ready!”

The soon-to-be Queen pressed her lips into a thin line to hide her shy and excited smile, her chest pounding in anticipation. The day she would marry Xander was at last right around the corner; she could scarcely believe it! And she would be so prettily adorned as well, how could she not be excited about it?

There was, however, a point of concern: Kamui’s pregnancy. Despite wanting his betrothed to lawfully become his wife as soon as possible, Xander also didn’t want to put any unnecessary strain on Kamui, especially considering that she had taken a terrible blow during the battle against the Forgotten Dragon. Thus, they all had to take great care of her -- nothing was more important than having her term come to an end as peacefully as possible, after all.

To Kamui, she did not think that it was necessary to wait for Siegbert to be born for them to hold their ceremony -- he was a strong and dutiful baby, who helped her through the last battle just as much as his father did, after all. He would wait for his turn and do his best to not be a burden to his Mommy, of that Kamui was sure.

Thus, they had to hasten all of the arrangements so they could hold both the coronation and the wedding ceremonies at the same day, preferably before Kamui’s stomach started to swell. Since there was no way to tell how long Kamui had been pregnant for, time was of the essence, especially regarding the clothes and footwear she would use on the grand day.

Apart from separating the budget, accepting reports, choosing decorations, personnel, security and delivering the news to the people, there was still the usual workload of being the rulers of a kingdom -- which was now doubled due to Kamui accumulating the role of Queen regent of Valla. The vallites who were living in hiding scattered throughout the Forgotten kingdom had accepted Kamui as their ruler after seeing all of her sacrifices to defeat the One who had brought destruction to their beloved land, so although the coronation and wedding were going to be held in Nohr, Kamui was being effectively crowned as the Queen Regnant of Valla as well.

To summarize: they were busy. Dizzyingly busy, honestly.

Yet, neither Kamui nor Xander could feel the exhaustion. They were finally going to be wed; their love was finally going to be accepted and celebrated, as it should have been since the day it started, all those years ago inside Kamui’s tower.

The couple spent most of their free time together -- with Xander usually bringing his own paperwork to Kamui’s study so he could spend more time with her (and check on her to make sure she would take plenty of rest, mindful of her condition).

Time was of the essence, so everything had to be done fast but also carefully -- they had so much to do, they barely noticed as time flew by them.

It was already the night before the big day, and Kamui was so excited she couldn’t sleep. She also felt a bit sick for some reason -- perhaps Siegbert was feeling all of her excitement and was getting restless? -- so Xander spent the whole time with his wife inside his arms, at the ready to jump out of the bed to fetch a medic if needed.

“Mhm, there’s no need for concern, my King,” lightheaded, Kamui rested her head on Xander’s powerful chest as he drew circles with his hand on her back, soothing most of her nausea away. “I think I just got too anxious and it made Siegbert act up, too.”

Hardening his jaw, Xander adjusted his betrothed beside him, softly placing his hand under her chin to make her look up at him. “You are pale, little princess,” he said in a low voice, his frown digging deeper into his brow.

“I just can’t wait ‘till tomorrow, that’s all,” she tried to soothe him, though her partly-clouded gaze and slow speech only made him worry more.

“I shall go fetch a healer-” He meant to get up as he carefully placed Kamui back on the pillows, but her weak grip on his shirt made the soon-to-be King stop in his tracks.

“No, no, please stay with me- with us. Please?” She looked at him from below, almost like a pleading kitty, making Xander’s heart almost make a squeaking sound. Yet, his expression was still hard.

“Kamui, do not be unreasonable. There will be a lot of activity tomorrow -- you must have a restful sleep to recover your strength.” He carefully untangled her fingers from his shirt, unbending in his resolution to make Kamui feel better at all costs. “If something were to happen to you, I-” he choked up, feeling as though needles were piercing into his heart with just the thought of seeing Kamui fall in his arms once again.

Pouting, the dragon princess kept holding her beloved’s fingers whenever he managed to pry them out of himself. “I’m not being unreasonable, Xander… Please? Just stay with us; I’m sure Sieggy just wants to be with his Papa.” She once again looked at him with a kitten’s gaze, making the Crown Prince sag his shoulders with a short sigh.

“That is foul play, little princess.” Defeated, he returned to his previous spot, collecting his small fiancée into his arms, placing one warm and large hand over her stomach. “How are you feeling, Siegbert? Do not strain your mother too much, you hear?”

“Heehee, don’t scold him like that, Xander, he’s just excited like me, it’s all.” She snuggled her face into his neck, breathing in his masculine scent. “We just want to stay like this for a while longer…”

Blinking, Xander tried to look down to his beloved since he noticed how visibly sleepy her voice had started to sound just a moment after he placed one hand over her stomach. Was it truly?

Were she and Siegbert just in need of cuddles?

“Kamui?” Xander called tentatively, in a voice so low he barely heard himself. Yet, he knew there was not going to be a response since he felt Kamui’s rhythmic breathing by his neck -- she had truly fallen asleep. Smiling so, ever so fondly, Xander caressed his betrothed’s stomach more carefully, placing a kiss atop of her forehead. “Good night, Kamui, and see you tomorrow as my beloved Queen.” He whispered by her soft hair, smoothing his thumb over her still flat stomach, wondering when he would be able to feel Siegbert move, “and may you have a restful sleep as well, Son. Be good to your Mother tomorrow, hm?”

The couple woke up at dawn to let the servants get them ready for the day -- because of that, they were separated right before breakfast, only being able to give one another a short hug before promising to meet again at the altar.

Well, technically Xander would be the one to walk Kamui down the aisle, so they would meet at the door to the Throne Room. He would escort his Queen towards the throne by which the bishop would stand to bestow the crown to the both of them before proceeding with the wedding ceremony.

Her heart pounding, Kamui could barely taste the soup they fed her (usually the bride wasn’t supposed to eat before putting on the dress, but since Kamui was pregnant, many details of this process have been changed to accomodate the baby prince), stroking her stomach once she was inside the wonderful gown Camilla had sewn for her.

As though the marvelous dress itself wasn’t enough, Kamui was adorned from head to toes with many silver jewelry, to complement her hair and blue garments. She wore a two point earring, custom-made for her pointy ear, which depicted a dragon carrying the gem that lay atop her lobe; a festoon necklace that complemented the see-through fabric covering her cleavage; two intricate armbands from which the sleeves of her dress were connected to, both on the same style of the feet bracelets she wore to go with her ballerina flats (there was no way she was going to wear heels, not in her condition, after all).

Camilla also made sure to sewn a transparent cape flowing down off Kamui's shoulders, so the dragon princess truly looked like a fairy Queen, which made her cheeks flush with embarrassment and excitement at the same time.

Xander would be waiting for her by the throne room. How would he react when he saw her? He would always, always, always tell her how beautiful she was, especially during their most heated moments, so Kamui loved to show herself to him whenever she got a new piece of clothing. Just by imagining the surprised and head-over-heels in love look of Xander’s made Kamui wish to dash to where he was immediately.

Still, there was an order to these things, so wait she must, even though she was so excited she felt as though she had actual wings on her back. It was a wonder that the nausea from the previous night was nowhere to be found despite her excitement level being way higher than it was before she fell asleep.

Siegbert was behaving himself rather well, which made Kamui proudly caress her stomach at every opportunity she had to do so.

The final touches were upon her: now she only had to wear a long cloak to cover herself entirely -- the dress reveal itself would only happen after she was crowned, so both Xander and the onlookers could be surprised by their Queen’s beauty all at once. That made Kamui anticipate the moment even more, so she had to stop herself from skipping during the walk towards the throne room.

Her steps couldn’t help but hasten as she approached the corner to the throne room, wanting more than anything to jump into her almost-husband's arms and yell to the world that they’re finally together under the eyes of the gods and of the people. Once she spotted Xander’s tall figure in the distance, her chest started to tighten and her face flushed; it was as though she was about to fall in love with him one more time.

Xander turned his head to the procession accompanying Kamui, his eyes immediately falling on his beloved’s, action of which robbed his breath and took all of the strength he had in his body. If it wasn’t for his sheer willpower, Xander would have fallen to his knees and proposed to Kamui for the second time right there and then.

Once the servants dispersed around Kamui and they were face to face, Xander asked for her hand and brought it to his lips in a genuine action of respect, love and admiration for the one who will always have a hold of his heart.

“Will you do me the honor of being my wife, Kamui?” Xander wasn’t strong enough to resist the urge to propose to her one more time, receiving a bright smile alongside even brighter tears from his beloved.

“Of course, Xander. Yes, yes, yes, I will marry you.” She sniffled, accepting the arm he’d given her so he could start escorting her to the staircase that led to the throne. “I love you so much,” she whispered as the doors to the room were opened, receiving the gasps of admiration of the people that were waiting in there.

Xander walked ahead by pure instinct, his gaze ever glued on his beloved and wonderful -- oh so wonderful -- soon-to-be wife. Likewise, Kamui walked by following the carpet under her feet, her eyes meeting her beloved’s and overflowing with tears that looked more like stars falling from the sky.

It was a day that would never again come; a once-in-a-lifetime event, and yet, they couldn’t stop looking at each other and declaring their love through their eyes. The bishop’s speech lasted too long and too little at the same time, their sense of selves merging with the stillness of the air around them as they simply saw themselves in the entire world.

Soon it was time for Xander to kneel and receive the crown from the bishop, being officially -- finally -- crowned the King of Nohr and Valla. Once it was Kamui’s turn, Xander made sure to place her crown atop her head, adjusting the black pegasus feathers adorned around it only for their wedding.

Once she was back on her feet with a straight back and the weight of being the Queen of two kingdoms hanging upon her shoulders, Kamui undid the knot of her mantle to reveal her dress to the world -- to her King and lover, Xander.

Seeing the mesmerizing sight, Xander widened his eyes as he was overcome with the urge to make her put the cloak back on -- she was so pretty, too pretty, for eyes other than his own to see.

She was more than a Queen, more than the daughter of a god.

She was a goddess incarnate, the one who descended upon this world to enrapture him and make him the happiest man in all existing realms.

During that single moment, that gaze they shared became their whole world and they forgot they were in the middle of a ceremony. As though under a trance, now King and Queen slowly went into one another’s arms to share a tender kiss, even before the bishop could start the marital speech.

The audience cooed and cheered, touched with their rulers’ display of humanity and love.

Blind and deaf to all else but themselves, Xander and Kamui simply enjoyed sharing their first kiss as (technically) husband and wife.

That was the beginning of the rest of their lives, and they couldn’t be happier to have one another as their life-long companions.

[yukiwrites]

For Her Sake

For Corrianderweek, Day 4: Taking Time to Travel.

______________

A universal truth Kamui had always been taught by her music instructors but never managed to fully grasp was the ‘no violin sounds the same’ maxim. Since she had received a royal upbringing, as limited as it had been during her confinement into the Northern Tower, Kamui had basically only heard the same kind of songs played by the violin, the piano or the cello.

Of course, the player’s personality usually had a major role in how the same song would sound under their fingertips, but the general feel of the songs were always the same.

Because of that, her shock and admiration when she first heard a bard’s violin inside a tavern was unmatched. Her smile shone like the sun Nohr always wished to have, her eyes gleamed like the brightest winter stars -- she opened her arms to twirl around herself, immediately pulling her beloved to a clumsy yet spontaneous dance.

“C’mon, c’mon! This is so much fun! I wonder why they didn’t teach us this instead!” She giggled as she fast-stepped in the bard’s frenetic rhythm, holding Xander’s hand to keep her balanced on the floor.

“K-Kamui, I’m afraid I do not have the proper knowledge- ah!” The King tried to justify his stiff hips that were only used to the most classical of dances as his long, hard legs failed to adjust themselves to the rhythm. The cloaks both of them wore also played a great role in hindering Xander’s movements, though they did little to impede Kamui’s, her slender and small body adjusting itself to the dance without any trouble.

“Heeheehee!” Kamui giggled, then laughed, throwing herself in her husband’s arms so he could twirl her around to the other side of the floor.

Enthusiastic about this random couple that walked in as he played, the bard started to accompany Kamui’s movements, accelerating and slowing down his rhythm to match her steps. His colleague, a bagpipe player, noticed the commotion and joined the fun, inserting a folk turn into the previously spontaneous dance.

“Whoa!” Kamui marveled as two more bards joined, laughing loudly as she danced around her semi-stiff husband. “Xander, this is so- Oh, goodness! This is so much fun!” The Queen waved to the increasing number of players whenever her eyes caught theirs, though she still hadn’t lifted her hood, as neither did Xander.

To be honest, they had travelled to this border town to inspect the way the local Lord was managing its affairs, so they were actually expected at the manor in a few hours -- but since it was Kamui’s first time in such a town during a peaceful time, the King complied and led her around as though they were in vacation.

Someday, they might be able to take proper time to travel so he could let his wife and Queen enjoy more leisure and adorably crazy time like this, which would also give him the opportunity to practice shaking his hips a bit more so he wouldn’t embarrass himself in the future.

As it stood now, he was much too ashamed to even lift his hood and risk someone recognizing him, though whenever he felt self-conscious about his inability to dance like his able wife, the bright smile on her face made his worries melt. His expression somewhat mirrored hers as they danced on, twirling around themselves like two children learning their first dance steps; his smile fond and overflowing with love for this innocent, pure and wonderful woman he called wife. 

Soon they would need to return to their duties, but for now, Xander wouldn’t mind risking his own embarrassment to extend the time Kamui spent with a smile on her face.