His head was numb, vision still hazy, arm heavy with a bloodied, golden sword in hand; his body was stiff and unable to move. Patches of his pale skin were exposed from cuts and holes in his armor as the wind assaulted the open nerves. A wide grassy plain dotted by juniper trees blurred into existence. A nearby river cut through the landscape, dyed red with blood. Its smell danced around with the distant scent of cherry blossoms in blissful cacophony. Familiar, powerful, male voices called out to him: "Corrin!" "Corrin! Come back to us!" Clashes of steel-against-steel filled the air along with their chants. His eyes twitched to their figures but couldn't focus on them. The two men soon backed off and stretched out their hands to Corrin. More people, both male and female, joined in the shouting: "Corrin!" "Corrin!" The calls grew louder and louder, but all he could do was watch.
"Wake up!" A distant, far gentler voice called. Corrin's head suddenly cleared and his eyes darted around looking for the source. That voice didn't match anyone there. Slowly the scene dissipated into inky black; his body floated in space.
"It's time to get up!" The voice again called out.
The darkness released him to the throes of gravity. Realizing the situation, Corrin finally regained control of his body. He sat up and struggled to open his eyes.
"Err…Morning…Flora…" He tried to talk while holding in a deep yawn. Corrin finally managed to open his eyes to the sight of a maid with pale cyan-colored hair tied neatly into two small ponytails on the back of her head which cleanly framed her fair face. Next to her was a handsome butler wearing rather thick black gloves – you could mistake them for gauntlets. His light-grey hair was also cleanly knotted into a single long ponytail. Corrin stood up and stretched to loosen the sleep from his joints.
"Good morning, Lord Corrin." Responded the maid. She swiftly bowed then moved to open the curtains, revealing the overcast, yet bright sky. The spacious but minimalist room immediately brightened; simple red tapestries accented the grey atmosphere emitted by the overcast sky and the dark stones of the ramparts of the Northern Fortress below.
"Today looks to be better than last." She moved to make the slightly disheveled bed.
"More to the point, it is time for training, milord." Spoke the butler. "Your elder brother is waiting for you in the courtyard below. You best hurry or risk being late. Your armor is already prepared."
"Ahh, thank you, Jakob. Brother Xander's already here?"
"He arrived here about a half an hour ago."
"Why didn't you wake me sooner?" Corrin, wide-eyed, rushed to clean his face using a nearby washbowl. He quickly changed from his sleeping garb into light, black clothing and donned the nearby chainmail and pauldrons.
"Lord Xander thought you might be tired from all you've been studying as of late. He had a few matters to attend to with Lord Leo and Ladies Camilla and Elise, and thus allowed you to rest a while longer."
"Yes, that may be true, but you could have woken him before now. A prince of Nohr is always punctual and prepared. You dote on him beyond reason at times." lectured Flora.
"I'm following Prince Xander's orders. Milord did not specify when to wake Lord Corrin, and when it is time to rouse him, I always inform you and Felicia; I did the same thing this time. However I am a stand-in for Felicia, whom I ordered to prepare "tea" for him. She will join us soon." Jakob retorted.
"Yes, yes. However, it is important to maintain a consistent schedule to-"
"Come on you two. Flora, it's good to be consistent, but a bit of relaxation is fine once in a while right? Though Flora's right, Jakob. If I had woken a little earlier, I wouldn't be rushing as much now." Corrin was now making sure any lingering bed head would be eliminated from the spiked black hair, his red irises scanning quickly across a nearby mirror.
"Yes, milord." Both of them responded in unison.
"Now then, I'll be going off to meet with Brother Xander."
"Yes, milord. I shall accompany you." Flora said. Jakob bowed as the two left.
As soon as the door closed, Jakob moved to clear the washbowl, and noticed that Corrin had, once again, forgone wearing boots. "My, my…I don't think we've ever be able to get you to wear any form of footwear on a regular basis, Lord Corrin... Best be prepared for anything then…"
In the stairwell, a moment of silence passed as they quickly moved downward.
Flora broke the silence. "How are you this morning, Lord Corrin?"
Corrin sighed. "Flora, you, Felicia, and I grew up together here, address me less formally. I'd feel more comfortable."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but it is not my place." A smile crept across her face.
Corrin sighed again. "Well, suit yourself. But back to the topic: I feel odd… I was having a strange dream; I wish I had more time so I could finish it…"
"What was it about, Lord Corrin?" Her curiosity piqued.
"Well…I was on some sort of battlefield. I had clearly been fighting, and had a strange blade in hand. Two men were calling out to me to join them while locked in combat. More and more people started to call out to me, telling me the same thing: 'Come back to us.' It was rather unsettling. It seemed like I knew all of them. You woke me before it went any further."
"A strange blade?"
"Yes. It was a golden sword. I couldn't make out the details though."
"It reminds me of something I heard when I was younger. Back in the Ice Tribe, I heard tales of a hero who wielded a golden sword to bring peace to the world."
"I believe you told me that story a long time ago."
"I did? You remember that?"
"It was when we were much younger, but it stuck with me for some reason. But…that story's years old to me…"
"Maybe it had something to do with the people in your dream? Did you recognize anyone in particular?"
"No. But one side wore the dark colors of Nohr, while the other, of Hoshido. However, the Nohrian had the legendary blade, Siegfried, and the opponent, a strange katana coursing with lightning."
"Is it possible that Prince Xander was the one holding Siegfried? He is its current wielder."
Something clicked. After a moment in thought, Corrin responded.
"I…I couldn't make out the figure very well… but now that I think about it, it could have been. He was wearing plate armor, like that of Xander's..."
"Do you know why they were calling out to you?" Flora was totally engrossed by now.
"Not really, but I feel that I was the focus of this conflict…If I didn't do something, the situation would get worse; I was feeling really pressured… I'm starting to think that it's good that I didn't have a chance to find out." The statement pulled Flora back.
"…Well. It's nothing, right? Dreams are dreams."
"Yeah, but…"
"Don't pay too much attention to it then; it will disturb you."
"…Right. You're right. I'm letting this bother me too much."
Flora chuckled lightly. "To think though, the humble Nohrian prince, Corrin, dreams of attention, wielding a sword of legend." Flora elbowed the young man. "You rarely lie, but you've always been a fantastic storyteller" Her usually calm face was grinning.
"Hey now!" He returned the gesture with his own prodding. A happy smile colored his face too. "I did dream that!"
The two jostled as they walked on, and quickly arrived at the entrance of the main compound. Towering oaken doors stood before them.
"Ahh." Flora snapped to attention. "We can continue our conversation later, Corrin. We have arrived."
"Yeah. I'll talk to you soon." As he was about to push the doors open, Corrin paused and turned to Flora. "It's been a while since I've seen you horse around like that." The goofy smile continued to plaster his face.
"Oh!" Flora's face reddened and brow furrowed at the revelation. "How unbecoming!"
"Haha. I told you it's okay. I'd forgotten how much you liked to listen to my dreams. I'll talk to you soon." Corrin waved and pushed open the doors.
Flora's composure return quickly. Corrin's wave was met with an elegant curtsy and a relaxed smile. It was as if she was never embarrassed in the first place.