"Holy crap!" Corrin exclaimed, pausing as he pulled his shirt off.
"What?" Azura asked, her own shirt discarded on the floor. Her modesty covered by traditional Hoshidian chest wrappings, the songstress looked appealing to the young prince- Moreso than usual.
"Az-" Corrin said, awestruck. "You've got abs!"
Azura flushed and wrapped an arm across her midsection. "Er-well we are in a war. Of course I would be more physically active."
Corrin stepped closer in the small tent and placed a warm hand on her stomach. "How have I not noticed this before?"
"It is usually dark when we-"
"I mean, wow..." Corrin muttered, oblivious to his fiancee's words. He traced a finger along the faint definition of her stomach.
"Cor-Corrin..." Azura chuckled. "That ti-tickles!"
"Sorry." Corrin said, pulling his hand away in favour of placing them at her hips. "It's just... you look really hot."
"Thank... you..." Azura replied, more than a little confused by Corrin's apparent infatuation with her stomach, but still flattered and slightly embarrassed.
"Like, really... really hot."
"Go to sleep, Corrin."
"Sorry, sorry."
()()()()
"Come here, son." Azura said with a smile, patting the empty space on the mattress beside her.
Shigure opened the door fully, revealing his parent's bedroom in the early morning light. A combination of traditional Hoshidian wallpaper and decorations, with Nohrian furniture and Vallite bedsheets, his parent's room was a mess of culture and colour.
His dad slept on the far side of the bed, his head partially obscured by a long wave of his mother's hair. Snoring echoed gently from his dad, something he had gotten used to, as it echoed through the walls of the house.
Azura was sitting up in bed, her back supported by far too many pillows. Her nightshirt was pulled open near the hem, revealing her large, inflated stomach.
Shigure pulled himself on the bed, his feet scrambling against the wood floor. He nestled against his mother's side, his hands falling automatically to her tummy. He gently rubbed his hands back and fourth, making Azura smile at his childish wonder.
"Mom, why did you eat my little brother?"
Azura chuckled and put a finger to her lips, motioning to Corrin, still snoring soundly. "Well, I didn't eat your sister." She whispered. "She's growing inside me."
"How do you know it's a girl?" Shigure whispered back, his face twisted into a little pout.
"Your auntie came by a told us."
"Auntie Sakura?"
"Mhm." Azura said with a nod. "She's a great healer, and she did a bit of magic to determine the gender."
"I still want a brother." Shigure said, removing one hand and entwining it with his mother's.
"Just wait till you meet her." Azura said with a chuckle. "You'll love her."
"But mom, what do you mean you grew her inside you?"
Azura nodded, considering her words carefully. "You see, babies start out small as a grain of rice, very, very tiny. So your father took the baby and put it in my stomach for safekeeping, so the baby could grow happy and warm inside me."
"But how did dad put it in you? Did you eat it?"
Azura felt heat rise in her cheeks. "Well, yes, in a way." She adjusted the pillows underneath her back. "But soon, in only a few weeks, you'll have a baby sister."
"In a few weeks?"
"Yes, she isn't quite ready to come out yet."
"Will she tell you when she's ready?" Shigure asked, his head falling lazily against his mother's arm, a tired yawn escaping his lips.
"Oh she'll tell me." Azura affirmed, her thoughts travelling back to when Shigure was born. He didn't really tell Azura he was ready to be born, more screamed it at her as they rushed to the cleric. While overjoyed at having a perfectly healthy baby boy, she wanted nothing more than to bathe and sleep.
Azura came back to the present, finding Shigure soundly asleep, his head pressed against her stomach. Surrounded by her family, Azura felt a pleasant warmth rise within her. Sighing happily, she nestled deeper into the pillows and ran a hand through Shigure's hair.
She could get used to this.
()()()()
"Rise, knight of Valla!" Kana cheered, all semblance of royal authority lost to the ninja.
Kaze rose, his head adorned by a flower crown made by the Vallite princess. "Yes, Milady." Kaze said, smothering a chuckle with his hand.
The two were outside Valla's castle, in the royal gardens.
"Now, sir knight!" Kana called, a light tiara on her head. "Find me the bluest flower in all the lands!"
Kaze bowed. "Right away, my princess." In a flash of smoke, the ninja disappeared.
"Is it really okay to order around your best friends father like that?" Shigure asked, a tiny easel set up in the gazebo nearby.
"Of course it is, big bro!" Kana laughed, scampering through the grass to his side. "What'cha working on?"
Shigure quickly spun the easel around, hiding it from his sister's prying eyes. "It's not ready yet!" The eleven-year-old exclaimed.
"Shiggy~" Kana groaned. "C'mon, you won't let your sweet, little sister see it?"
Shigure frowned, but still twisted the art around.
"Whoa." Kana gasped.
It was a picture of herself, sitting in the grass. Her tiara sparkled in the light, as wind gently teased her wild hair back. It was all coloured, save for the worn kimono she wore.
"That's really cool!" Kana said, pumping her fist.
"Well, thank you, sister. I am glad you-"
"I didn't know you were such a big fan of me!"
()()()()
Camilla sat in the hot springs, cuddling her favourite niece.
"Hehe!" Kana laughed, wrapping her arms around Camilla's neck. "You're so nice auntie!"
"Please," Camilla said, gently adjusting the young girls position on her lap. "Call me big sister, I'm not old enough to be an aunt."
Azura sat a few feet away, head leaning back against the stone wall. "Come now, Camilla, you're almost-"
"Almost old enough to go to the markets without an escort." Camilla countered, her eyes sharp.
Azura shrugged and rolled her shoulders, content to let the older woman believe what she wanted.
"Big sis Camilla?" Kana asked, settling herself down on Camilla's lap and leaning against her chest.
"Yes sweetie?"
"Can you teach me to ride a wyvern?"
Camilla shot a questioning glance at Azura, well aware that it was really up to the songstress. Azura shook her head subtly, mouthing 'Not old enough.'
Camilla took a deep breath. "Well, sweetie, I didn't learn how to ride a wyvern until my fifteenth birthday."
"So I have to wait until I'm fifteen!? That's, like, forever!"
"Six years can go by very fast." Camilla tutted, then leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "Don't tell your mother, but I'll take you on a ride later."
Kana's eyes widened, practically sparkling in the latern-light. She nodded quickly, smiling brighter than anything Camilla had seen before.
()()()()
Azura groaned as she rested her chin on the toilet seat.
"Morning, hon." Corrin said, a smile threatening to break onto his face.
"Ugh, don't look at me." Azura said, wiping her mouth. "It's gross."
"Morning sickness is natural with pregnancies. I'm sure you'll get over it soon. Besides, I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful."
"Don't say that while I'm wiping vomit off my face."
Corrin chuckled and grabbed a towel. He knelt down beside Azura and dabbed at her sweaty brow. His wife was pale and shaking from the force of her sick.
"Shigure was never this bad..." Azura moaned, hands gripping the toilet seat as she felt a wave of nausea pass over her. Swallowing, Azura managed to hold herself together. "I don't understand why this one is being so difficult."
"Must take after her father." Corrin said, his free hand pulling back long strands of Azura's hair to wipe at her neck.
"I love you, and, in a way, this is kinda my fault." Corrin said sheepishly. Azura opened her mouth to reply, but Corrin quickly pushed a corner of the towel against her mouth. "And don't argue with me. C'mon, I'll clean this up, you get in the shower."
Azura nodded and rose on shaky legs. She quickly threw her sweaty clothes on the floor and jumped in the shower, savouring the hot water. It felt better, now that she wasn't covered in vomit and sweat. Azura could feel the sickness leaving her as the steam rose around her.
"I'll make some breakfast today, okay?" Corrin called, tossing the soiled towels in the hamper.
"Dawn dragon..." Azura muttered. "I don't wanna get sick again..."