A/N: So I started writing this AGES ago and dropped it, but I've been getting back into Fire Emblem recently and everyone else seems to enjoy re-writing Fates so I might as well join in the fun.

For the FF dot net mirror, since summaries here are so DANG SHORT: Corrin is OOC on purpose, and there's a reason why Everybody Loves Corrin(TM)

It wasn't always dark in the kingdom of Nohr. Far to the north in a hidden fortress, a small finger of light pushed through heavy purple curtains and gently lay itself on the face of a sleeping individual. Although much of her was currently wrapped up in a blanket burrito, she had made the grave mistake of leaving her head uncovered, and this would be the demise of her dream.

The girl let out a rumbled sigh and turned over, only to shoot up in bed in sudden realization. She wrest free an arm from the blanket burrito and clutched her head from a sudden migraine, bits of conversation slicing into her head like a knife.

"If this world is to survive, you must-"

"-anyone else can?"

"There was nothing-"

"I don't want-!"

The prisoner of the tower – although she would never be considered a prisoner – took a few deep breaths before wiggling her way out of bed, smoothing out the creases on her plain cotton nightgown and making a meager attempt to fix the sheets before someone else would come and do it for her. The air seemed to always be cold here, the days bleeding together.

Corrin pressed cool fingertips against her eyelids and sighed. This would be the beginning of the second week.

In other areas of the Northern Fortress, its small band of servants were already awake and about getting things ready for the day. If they hadn't gotten her up yet, then that must mean any pressing matters wouldn't happen until later in the day. Or there was a surprise planned.

Corrin walked up to the window, shivering at the cold stone against her bare feet. Her arm pulled back thick purple curtains and let the rest of the morning light in. Outside, there was nothing but grey and brown rocky, barren countryside as far as the eye could see. A threadbare road spindled its way around one mountain towards the fortress and, just at the edge of the horizon, Corrin could barely make out an abandoned ore mine. There would be nothing – no meager farms or any human life – for quite some distance, lest someone find her here. Like Rapunzel in her tower, Corrin thought. Not for the first time.

A gentle knock startled Corrin from her thoughts. "Come in," She turned from the window, dusting invisible dust bunnies from her nightgown.

Flora, a servant of the fortress with light blue hair, walked inside, sparing a moment to execute a short curtsey. "I've already drawn your bath for you, milady. Breakfast will be ready soon, as well."

"Thank you, Flora. Felicia trying scrambled eggs again?" Corrin's bare feet made no sound against the polished floor. Her bedchambers were at the very top of the highest tower – because of course they were – with the washroom a flight of stairs below and down the hall. The inconvenience of waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom wasn't all that fun, especially when a random servant might cross your path and demand what's going on. Corrin had run into Gunter once in the past couple of weeks. Never again.

Flora shook her head, having no problems keeping pace. "No, it's Jakob's turn today. I don't know what he's making this time – you know how he is." The maid opened the door to the bathroom a touch wider and gestured Corrin forwards. "This way, milady, before the bath water gets cold. I'll get you a change of clothes for when you're done."

"Thank you again, Flora. I don't know what I'd do without you all…you know that, right?"

Flora looked down and nodded. "Yes, milady. You're…welcome."

Elise squirmed in her saddle, tangling her fingers in the mane of her steed. "Are we there yet?" She whined. "I want to see Corrin already!"

"No, Elise, we're not at the northern fortress yet." Leo, riding beside her, rolled his eyes. "Although you should probably ask another dozen times, just to be sure."

The Nohrian countryside wasn't exactly known for its lush, vivid landscape, but the northernmost portion of the kingdom was exceptionally barren. All the commoners that used to inhabit the area left after the iron mine collapsed in on itself. Most assume royalty wouldn't come anywhere near such a landscape – which made it easy for them to travel lightly, disguised and undetected, every time they visited their sister.

Elise sighed. Then she sighed a couple more times, kicking her legs. "I can't help it, Leo." She huffed. "I'm boooor-"

Xander, leading the entourage, turned his head and gave Elise the look. She quieted down after that, but not without returning the look with the pout.

Xander sighed. "If it'll make you feel better, we'll be at the fortress by sundown."

"Really?"

"Why are you like this every time we visit the northern fortress?" Leo frowned. "You've visited far more than I have, but every time, you complain. It's unbecoming of a Nohrian princess."

"I wouldn't complain so much if there was something to do." Elise crossed her arms and huffed.

"Oh, I see. Would you like to review your magic lessons with me, then? We've got time."

"But Leo…"

"You're slouching again. Sit up straight." Corrin's piano teacher was an elderly woman who was at the age where she didn't care about such social conventions as, "being polite" and "giving a shit." She had taught all of the Nohrian royal family, and would probably teach their grandchildren before finally allowing herself to retire. Her silver hair was tied back in an immaculate bun, and she had a brooch shaped like a swan over her breast. Her eyes were narrow and beady, like a hawk. She accented her criticisms of the young princess by lightly smacking Corrin's lower back with a ruler.

Corrin straightened her posture. "I can't focus on playing if I'm focusing on my posture."

"Yes you can. Now, from the top." Corrin sighed and flipped over a page. For a moment, she considered the merits of playing bad on purpose while having perfect posture, but decided against it. The piano teacher was…blunt, to say the least, but Corrin was sure she was being rough on her because she felt obligated to, and underneath was a warm, kindly old lady. Probably.

The piece Corrin was attempting to play reminded her of a song she learned a few years ago – a smooth, gentle melody, that involved all she had learned about the piano thus far. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she played more piano in the last couple of weeks that she had her entire life.

Her fingers slid across the keyboard, handling the first page and a half with practiced ease. They had been at this song all morning. Corrin could probably play the whole of it blindfolded, if her teacher didn't smack her and force a restart of the song every time her posture slipped.

"You're not just playing, you're preforming. The way you carry yourself is part of that performance." The lady had said, a couple smacks ago. She followed up on that statement that implying Prince Leo had surpassed Corrin on the piano, a statement Corrin had no qualms agreeing to. If this shocked the old bird, Corrin couldn't tell. She was too focused on the sheet music.

Finally, finally, Corrin finished the song. As she was no longer "preforming," she slouched harder than she had ever slouched before, and practically fell on top of the piano. The resounding din only helped portray her state of done-ness.

She was slapped with the ruler again, this time on her right shoulder. "All right, my dramatic princess. Once more with no issues, and we're done for the day. For the love of the gods, actually practice this week, young lady."

Corrin did a silent but still rather unflattering imitation of her piano teacher as she flipped the pages over to the start of the song. Like clockwork, the days all followed the same schedule. After the novelty wore off, Corrin just found herself feeling really, really bored most of the time. At least she had a vast library to work her way through during scant free time.

After piano was her history lesson. "The end of the second era was brought about by…" Gunter didn't seem the type of old man who taught, but Corrin thought he did all right. He made all the various wars and such sound interesting, unlike all the dusty old tomes she was supposed to read. Unfortunately today was a quiz day.

Corrin put her quill down from her latest vaguely-phallus-looking doodle. "King Nohstryn, the Illuminated, who united the various poleis into one kingdom. He named this unified country Nohr, after himself, and so it has been called ever since."

"In the year..?"

"3 D.A." Corrin felt like smacking her head against the table, at least the pain would be something amidst the educational equivalent of white bread. "Why don't we see if we can make this any more boring. That would be great."

"This is the history of your kingdom, milady. It may read boring, but that doesn't make it any less important."

Corrin sighed. "…I know. I'm sorry, Gunter."

"It's quite all right." Gunter ruffled her silver hair. "I thought it was boring when I was your age, as well. Shall we continue?"

"I don't think I have a say in the matter, but sure." Corrin dipped her quill into the inkwell with her left hand. Her notebook was supposed to be filled with relevant notes to her lesson, but she ended up covering the pages with random notes, coded phrases, and song lyrics. Oh, and dick doodles. Those were the most important – she made a game of trying to disguise them as a doodle of something else.

Gunter flipped through the pages in the giant tome he was reading from. "All right, then. Tell me the most noteworthy feat of Chardyna the White-Hearted."

"Corrin!" Elise pounced on Corrin, who had long since fallen asleep in the middle of her history test. She jerked up instantly, looking around with wild eyes before her mind caught up with her body. Elise's eyes glittered as she clambered into her older sister's lap. "Guess who?"

"Hey!" Corrin laughed and pulled Elise into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"It was a surprise!" Elise flung her arms in the air. "Are you surprised?"

"I'll say! It's good to see you, Elise. I missed you."

A cough sounded from the doorway, and Corrin looked behind her. Xander, Leo, and Camilla were all there. Camilla rushed over to her baby sisters and pulled Corrin into a hug. "Oh, Corrin, sweetie, this is the real surprise…all of us together, isn't it lovely?"

"Group hug!" Elise called. "Leo, Xander, get in!"

"Absolutely no-woah!" Corrin reached behind Camilla and pulled him in, sandwiching him between the two of them. "C-Corrin, Camilla… I can't breathe."

"Hush up and accept my love, brother. Gods, I'm so happy to see you all again!"

A/N: Hello children it's world building time

D.A = Noloré's equivalent of B.C/B.C.E, stands for "Draconis Ascending", the time of the first dragons

P.D = Noloré's equivalent of A.D/C.E, stands for "Post Draconis", the time after the first dragons and the beginning of the "modern era", marked by the unification of Nohr 3 years prior and Hoshido the year before.

This chapter is really short HECK but I didn't notice because it's very…beefy, I guess is the right world? Hopefully the chapters will get longer as we go on, haha. Unless y'all like these bite-sized chapters – just lemme know B)