Oh look. Razuri writing AU fanfics of a game(s) she hasn't played at the time of writing. This one is inspired by and based on a post made by megidoladying/vype on tumblr.
The birth orders of the royal families are reversed in this one. I tried to keep everyone as close to their canon counterparts as possible, but as with all AU scenarios, I had to take some liberties here and there.
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Title: Down the Riverline
Author: Rapis-Razuri
Beta: N/A
Word Count: 4525
Game: Fates
Characters: Sakura, Elise, Takumi, Leon, Ryouma, Marx. Mikoto, Kamui/Corrin, Garon, Aqua, others mentioned
Warnings: Written pre-localization so uses Japanese names for the characters (except Corrin) and the timeline in this fic does not sync with canon's.
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Sakura did not always admire her stepmother.
The day her father formally introduced her to the black-haired woman with a child in her arms, was the day he announced his intent to marry her. It was not unexpected or unusual after his first wife died giving birth to her baby brother, but it still made her want to scream. Do you think she can replace my mother like this?
Instead, she bit her tongue. No matter how angry she was, she would never dream of making such a childish scene. She smiled politely and bowed with the request to take care of her, welcoming Mikoto into her life in letter, but not spirit. From there, stepdaughter and stepmother would speak to each other with the courtesy expected of women in their stations when necessary, but kept each other at a distance when not.
(Kamui, on the other hand, was an uninvited, but not unwelcome addition to her life. The little energetic boy was easy to love.)
Then a visit to Cheve goes wrong. Sumeragi's body was recovered, but Kamui was nowhere to be found. In one night, Sakura lost her father and brother. Mikoto lost her husband and son.
They all coped in their own ways. Takumi shut himself in his chambers and refused to speak to anyone. Hinoka was inconsolable and refused to let go of the broken Raijinto. Ryouma was still too young to understand, but he is quieter, as though he could sense the atmosphere. Sakura picked up a bow and before her father's grave, swore she will never let anything happen to her family again.
(The irony of deciding to learn to wield the same type of weapon that killed him was not lost on her.)
Hoshido will grieve for their lost king for a long time, but they needed a new ruler. Mikoto became the queen and the whispering began.
("Did you hear? There are rumors that our new queen conspired with Nohr to kill King Sumeragi."
"It's only a rumor though. You can't prove it to be true."
"Hah, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true. She never did say where she came from did she?"
"Well...that is a little suspicious.")
Mikoto handled it all with grace. She hid her worries and lead the country alone as she once did with Sumeragi. She never spoke a wrong word, her public appearances were perfect. It was a slow process, but she began to earn her country's trust. On the surface, she was an imperturbable queen, but underneath she was a grieving wife and mother. The servants didn't clean Kamui's room anymore, but none had the heart to vacate it either and it was pure chance that Sakura stumbled upon her in his room one evening.
"I must seem like a sentimental fool to you," Mikoto said, wiping her tears away, "The ruler of Hoshido, crying over her lost child's drawing."
She never expected Mikoto to open her heart to her like this. Sakura won't be able to push her away again, not after this. "No. I think... I think it's okay for you to cry."
"It's kind of you to say that, Sakura."
"I haven't been kind to you. For as long as I've known you, I have always treated you so coldly." She bowed long and low before her stepmother. This gesture of humility can not make up her past behavior, but she hoped it would be the right place to start making amends. "Please accept my apologies... Mother."
Mikoto will never replace Ikona as her true mother, but Sakura thought she could at least try to make enough room in her heart for another.
Elise was once the apple of her father's eye.
Garon wasn't always the hardened King he was today. He used to let her sit on his knee during council sessions and was always the first to applaud when she mastered a new spell. Brynhildr, the dark magic tome that won her so many victories, was entrusted to her by him on her birthday.
His infidelity meant nothing to her then. She did not understand what was happening when she sees him lavish attention on a woman who was not her mother, not until a veil was lifted from her eyes when she met a blond boy Father proclaimed to be her brother despite how his mother was not her's. Half a year later, that day repeated, this time with a sister and then again with another. Not too long after, it seemed as though she had one more sibling than she did the month before.
(So it doesn't strike her as unusual when Gunter introduced the nervous red-eyed boy with unusually pointed ears as another one of her brothers.)
Her mother glared at every new addition to her family and the mistresses all glared back. Elise avoided the mothers, but saw no reason why she should do the same with her half-brothers and sisters. Leon liked to hide away in the library, but she didn't mind searching for him through the bookcases before she could drag him outside to play. She and Camilla took turns brushing and braiding each other's hair and giggled over first crushes. Aqua was quiet like Leon, but she loved hearing Elise's violin and sang along when she played.
(There were others, many others. She did her best to keep them alive in memory, but soon found the pain too difficult for a child to bear alone.)
The midwife allowed her to hold Marx when his mother was asleep, exhausted by hours of labor. He was heavier than she expected, but she held him tight. "Do you know who I am?" she whispered with a soft smile. He was too preoccupied with the flickering gleam of her earring in the daylight to pay attention to her, though he wouldn't understood her even if he was. "I'm your big sister. So is Aqu... Camilla. She likes to take care of me and our brothers, despite being the youngest of us until now. You have two big brothers too, you know? Leon's going to be a little mean to you at first, but trust me, he's a big softy underneath it all. Corrin is the nice one, he'll definitely like you, I know it..."
Father no longer showered her with affection as he used to, but Elise was okay with that. She had the rest of her family to live for and protect. Call it optimism or naivety, but she knew she was going to be okay. They all will.
Takumi never wanted anything more than he wanted the Fuujin Yumi.
Before the other of Hoshido's holy weapons had a wielder, Takumi came to enjoy practicing archery together with his older sister. Her beginner days were painful for any archer to witness. Her stance was terrible and her footing not much better. The way she drew her bow puts too much tension on her shoulders, she was going to tear a muscle one of these days. One missed target too many and he's taken it upon himself to help her. He corrected her mistakes and recited for her the lessons from his teacher to the best of his abilities. With his guidance, Sakura improved to the point where Takumi admitted she was no longer shooting like a blind goat.
(She laughed at that. The first time since that day.)
That newfound camaraderie shattered when he watched Mikoto entrust the Fuujin Yumi to Sakura. His first thought was unfair. It was him who was the better archer. It was him who has been training his entire life to be worthy of the weapon. What did Sakura have that he did not?
Their sessions soon become unbearable. Watching Sakura draw the bowstring and arrow distracted him. He didn't comment on her form anymore, no longer made suggestions to help her improve. He kept his eyes forward on the target when she was looking his way and stole envious glances at the weapon in her hands when she wasn't.
He didn't have to vocalize his frustrations for her to become aware of them. Sakura stopped showing up to practice with him when his behavior made it clear she was no longer welcome.
Pride would never let him admit it, but the archery field was starting to feel quite lonely without her.
Just a little bit.
(But still enough to make him keep him awake at night, wondering if a sacred weapon was really that much more important to him than his family.)
Leon thought he left weakness and fear in the past behind him.
When he was a child, his father had enough concubines and children for them to fight among each other. Every mother wanted her child on the throne and his was no exception. She never missed a chance to boast of his intelligence, his knack for tactics, and his talent in magical combat, all the while smiling in smug satisfaction when he received scowls of envy and resentment. The queen in particular, despised him more than any of her husband's other illegitimate children. In her eyes, he was a threat, a possibility that Garon may decide to throw her aside in favor of a woman who gave him a male heir.
(For what it was worth, Leon had no desire to sit on a throne bought with the blood of his sister.)
It was ironic that it was Ecatarina's daughter who ultimately helped him feel safe within the castle. Elise was so different from him and her mother and even their Father, it's hard to believe they were all related. She encouraged him to continue studying magic while developing his sword skills, always making sure her younger siblings had all the affection and unconditional love they so desperately needed. She was undeniably the sole ray of light that persevered in the darkness of Nohr.
In many ways, she was too kind to be the commander of Nohr's armies, but she can inspire troops and win their love and loyalty in a way he never could. It for this reason Leon was quite content to let her lead and aid her by pulling strings in the shadows.
(He was the puppet-master now and no one will control him again.)
Yet there was only so much he could do when it came to her desire to end the war with Hoshido through diplomacy. It was not unreasonable and her determination to make it happen was admirable, but the way she pushed for it was imprudent. Anyone else would have received a much more severe punishment than a swift reprehension, but Elise has always been given more leeway by their father than most. Garon may disapprove, but there was no reason to fear anything more than that.
Or so Leon thought until he overheard something he wasn't supposed to.
("Elise is...opinionated about her silly ideals. Her eccentricities are an inconvenience, but not a threat. Should they ever become more than pretty words, I have ways of keeping her in line. The way she wears her heart on her sleeve... It's no secret she loves her half-brothers and sister more than anything.")
Perhaps it was then that he realized he and Elise weren't that different after all.
Hinoka's life changed with a scared and injured tenma.
Eye contact, slow approach. No sudden movements or you'll scare it even more. "Hey, it's alright," she coaxed. "You don't have to be scared."
Closer and closer, talking non-stop all the while, until she was but a few steps away from the pegasus. "Sakura didn't mean to hurt you," she continued speaking in the same soothing tone. "If you come back with me, I will be able to take care of your wing." She kept an arm held out, trying to maintain a relaxed, non-threatening posture despite being weary that she was well within the range of the pegasus's front legs if it wanted to lash out.
The pegasus did not attack her. It let Hinoka approach it until she was standing at its shoulder on its non-injured side. Tentatively, the princess placed her hands on its neck and stroked its white coat. "Will you come back with me?" she asked. It wasn't wearing a bridle, so she would not be able to take it back without it's co-operation.
It snorted and gave its head a shake. To her great surprise, it began to walk in the direction she came. Hinoka couldn't stop herself from grinning as she accompanied it back to the stables. Sakura was waiting for them, staff in hand, but Hinoka had other plans. As selfish as it was, she wanted to care for it herself.
For the longest time, Hinoka couldn't help but feel inadequate to them in comparison. She was good with a naginata, but nothing about her skills was standout. Takumi was the best archer in Hoshido, whose skills, good looks and status as the Crown Prince earning him more admirers than he could ever care to count. Ryouma has been trying to pick up swords bigger than him since he learned how to walk, no doubt an upcoming samurai, not like the late Sumeragi himself. Then there was her sister Sakura, who has yet to encounter a non-lethal wound she could not heal and not to mention being a skilled archer herself.
Last in line for Hoshido's throne, Hinoka had no such calling, but nothing has ever felt as right to her as this brief encounter did. She was stubborn and refused to be dissuaded, adamant to see this through to the very end. If she was not in the stables with it, she was with Yuugiri or Tsubaki or whichever other pegasus warrior that was free to talk, wanting to learn all that she could so she could take care of it herself.
She cried when she watched it take flight after weeks of nursing and falling asleep in the stables next to him. Its wing was as strong as ever as it carelessly flew loops and somersaults as if expressing its joy to be back in the skies again. When it landed on the ground next before her, it nuzzled her, a wordless thanks that meant everything to a girl that didn't know her place in the world until now.
Perhaps it was the joy of it all, that made her think about the remains of the Raijinto she kept safely hidden in her room. A proud tenma that would not be grounded. A proud weapon that should not stay broken...
Camilla has always been a free spirit.
She felt confined in the stone walls of the castle she called home. She was always sneaking out to the castle gardens and not returning until she had throughly ruined her dress with dirt and grime, to her mother's dismay.
Gunter's training sessions were more interesting to her than lessons on politics and history, so she one day boldly declared her interest in to learning to wield an axe. Her lack of upper body strength at the time put her at a disadvantage, but she did not let it stop her. The workout exercises the old knight recommended were tiring, but Camilla did them daily and without complaint. She persisted and trained until she found the standard iron axe that was once so heavy was lighter than a tome.
The long, painful hours finally paid off when she had her first taste of true freedom on the back of a wyvern with her first real axe in hand. She fell in love with it at once – the speed, the wind in her hair, the feeling of power, like there was nothing in the world that could harm her as long as she was one with the sky.
(She agreed to go easy on the somersaulting and tailsliding when Leon was around lest she gave him a heart attack. When he wasn't... well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him.)
Preferring to leave the magic and tactics to her elder sister and brother, Camilla was happy to engage her enemies in close combat. She was good at what she committed herself to do, so good that even Father acknowledged her for the first time in years. An axe imbued with the power of darkness was his gift to her when she returned victorious from her first battle.
("You take after me more than your sister and brother ever did.")
It was a strange thing to give a royal princess, but nobody could deny it was the perfect gift for her. Killing, she discovered, was something that came surprisingly (worryingly, Elise had slipped) easy to her. That evening, Camilla gazed into her reflection in Siegfried's dark head. Running a hand down its haft, she thought about why she was given this weapon and what she wanted to use it for.
Not for glory like what Father wants, she decided at last. If I have this axe... and if it's to protect the things that matter, I can do anything. I will do anything.
Ryouma knew they called him Sumeragi's Ghost.
He doesn't remember much about the late King. He had only been a baby when his father died and one of his brothers kidnapped. It was a topic no one liked to talk about even though it left its impact on both his country and his family.
Some were more obvious than others.
"Explain yourself," Takumi said sternly, glaring down with crossed arms, having just broken up a fight between his younger brother and another boy and was not at all pleased upon learning it was Ryouma who started it. "You have two minutes."
A scraped and dirty Ryouma mimicked his brother's gesture in defiance. Crossing his arms, the young samurai-in-training refused to apologize for what he did. He saw no reason why he should as he felt his actions were justified. "He was insulting Aqua."
It was so obvious in hindsight, Takumi couldn't suppress the groan that followed. There wasn't much that could provoke the normally friendly Ryouma into such an aggressive action, but that was one of them. "So you hit him?"
"Yeah. He was saying stuff like how she's a spy and can't be trusted, that she's going to backstab us all one of these days." Ryouma met Takumi's eyes, glare for glare, but all the protective hostility in his eyes were directed at those who thought such things of his adoptive sister rather than at his blood brother. "The names he was calling her, brother! Nobody else was going to tell him to shut up if I didn't."
"This is the second time this week." Takumi could understand wanting to defend his sister's honor as he told off a number of people for gossiping about Aqua himself more than once, but he worried Ryouma wasn't thinking of the consequences. "You can't just start a fight with someone when they say something you don't like."
"He's a brat."
The corner of the archer's twitched, his stern expression breaking for a brief moment. "Even so... it's still not wise to make enemies with a future feudal lord. He may be a brat, but he's a brat who's going hold a lot of power one day."
"...If you say so," Ryouma did not seem all that happy with the prospect. "Hey, big brother... Why does everybody hate Aqua so much? What did she ever do to them?"
That was one question Takumi did not want to answer because he didn't think he was the right person to do so. The boy who made the comments about Aqua was around Ryouma's age, there was no way he could remember the early days of Aqua's presence in the castle, so he must have been parroting words fed to him by someone. Or multiple someones. Time did not ease paranoia and suspicion.
It didn't help that the older prince admittedly shared some of that weariness. The blue-haired songstress was so quiet and anti-social. It was difficult to gauge her thoughts, even after all this time. It wouldn't surprise Takumi the slightest if she resented Hoshido for taking her from her home.
"They hate her because she comes from Nohr," Takumi replied softly. He knew Ryouma cared little for that, but it was what it was. "She was brought to the castle not too long after Father died. He was a great king and loved by his people. When he was killed by Nohr, they needed someone to blame. Aqua was the most logical – and convenient – scapegoat for their anger."
"That not fair," Ryouma protested immediately. "Aqua didn't have anything to do with that... with what happened to Father."
"No, it isn't and she doesn't," Takumi agreed with a sigh, "But that's the way things are. Come now. Let's see if we can find somebody to heal that war wound of your's."
Ryouma fell silent in his thoughts as his brother guided him in the direction of the infirmary. Nohr killed Father. Aqua was from Nohr. He resembled Father. He was always defending Aqua against his own people...
"It doesn't change anything," he said aloud, his resolution firm. "Aqua is my sister as much as Sakura and Hinoka are. I don't know what Father would have done, but I'm still gonna protect her even if she doesn't share my blood."
Marx wanted to prove himself more than anything else.
"Are you attending a war council?"
The three royals stopped their whispering when they heard the earnest voice of their youngest brother. "Yes, we are," Elise replied with a smile at the sight of him. "Did you want to come?"
"Well, not really. I was just..." Marx looked down at his feet and mumbled, "Leon promised he was going to spar with me today. When he didn't show up at the weapons yard, I came to find him."
No sooner had he finished, Elise and Camilla rounded on the dark knight. Both were wearing the appalled expressions they reserved for petty crooks and drunkards.
(Poor Leon didn't even get a chance to explain he left Marx a note on his desk. A note the cavalier overlooked in his haste to arrive to his lessons on time.)
"You made him a promise and had the gallto show your face after breaking it?"
"How could you do that to him? Your own brother! I thought you were a better man than that!"
As his sisters continued to berate him, Leon cast Marx a sideways glance, a wordless cry for help. When Elise and Camilla teamed up, it was impossible to stop them. without outside intervention, they could keep berating him for hours. Obliging his brother's request, the younger prince tugged on Elise's robes. "I don't mind. Really. If Leon is too busy right now, I can wait for another day."
"But he's not to busy," Camilla answered. She fixed her older brother with a smile as sweet as poisoned honey. "Right, Leon?"
"Of course he isn't," Elise answered before Leon could even open his mouth. She took the notes Leon was carrying and gave him a push in Marx's direction. "You spent all night revising this proposal. Take a break and spend some time with Marx, I can take care of the rest."
"But–"
"No buts! Have fun you two!"
"We'll fill you in on everything later, Leon. Promise."
They were leaving no room for argument and there was a notable spring in the princesses' steps as they continued walk down the hallway until they were out of earshot. Under his breath, the older of the two princes muttered, "What a pity I wasn't here to speak for myself."
Marx shuffled his feet in embarrassment. Elise said it was okay, but was it really? "Sorry," he apologized for being an inconvenience his brother. "I won't mind if you rather go to the meeting. I can find someone else to–" Leon cut him off before he could finish, placing a hand on his head and tousling his hair.
"Elise is right about one thing," Leon conceded with a shrug. "At this point, she knows the plan as well as I do, I doubt my presence will make much of a difference. Besides, Gunter says you are doing well in your lessons and I'd like to see this improvement for myself."
The younger flushed at the praise as Gunter did not hand them out lightly. Still, he found it hard to accept it when there was always something bothering him in the back of his mind. "I don't think I'm that good," Marx confessed.
Elise would have gently scolded him for being unable to accept a compliment. Camilla would have assured him it didn't matter because she can protect him just fine. Leon did neither of that and asked lightly, "Why is that?"
It was strange that he was confiding in his aloof elder brother instead of his more open sisters or Kamui. Though that may be the point as he knew Leon, while protective, wouldn't try to coddle him. "If I'm so good and learning as fast as you say I am... then why aren't I out there, fighting by your side?"
Leon did not respond at once. Marx bit the inside of his lip, worried that he had stepped out of line. Finally, Leon released a sigh, choosing his words carefully. "War is... not a field of flowers, Marx. Despite what Father and Iago may tell you, glory and recognition are not worth throwing your life away for. Elise, Camilla and I had to learn that the hard way."
"It's not... that." Beyond his siblings and retainers, Marx was terrible at talking to people. He lacked the confidence to begin with. When he tried, his words came out stuttered and clumsy no matter how much thought and preparation he put into them beforehand, making him feel more awkward and self-conscious than before. He wasn't cut out for politics if he couldn't articulate himself, so he poured all his drive into swordplay in hopes that it would become the way by which he could serve his country. "I'm a prince of this realm too. I should be out there, protecting my people."
"Corrin isn't allowed to leave either."
"I know, but..." But there is something about Corrin that makes him... different from the rest of us.
Sighing again, Leon drew back his hand and turned to walk in the opposite direction their sisters had gone. "You're already proving yourself to be a fine knight, little brother," he remarked, almost to himself. "I think the old Father would have been proud."
It took a second for the words to sink in, but Marx was quick to follow him when they did, trying to suppress the happiness he felt upon hearing them. He could not ask for more from his father after being a disappointment for so long.
(And one choice made by someone they all love tears their worlds asunder.)
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Edit: 3/17/2016 – Fixed a couple errors and added a bit to Leon's section.