1: BETROTHAL

"What did you say?!"

Leo knew that his reaction came out with much more force than it had any right to, and judging by his elder brother's frown, this slight to his authority didn't escape his notice, either. But he simply couldn't help it. This was beyond ridiculous.

This was a nightmare.

Xander, seeing the distraught look on his younger sibling's face, adopted a more sympathetic expression. "I know this comes as a surprise, Leo, but it is what it is. You are marrying the Hoshidan princess."

Closing his eyes, Leo strived to curb the rising panic that was swelling in his chest. He gripped his chair tighter, his gloved fingertips making dents on its lavish velvet arms.

No, in all his years of living he had never let his emotions take control of him—not even in the face of danger—and he had no intention of starting now. He was going to deal with this as he had with every problem he had tackled—calmly and rationally.

Deep breaths, Leo. Think. Process. Analyse.

"Let me try to understand this. You're saying that I'm betrothed to a princess of Hoshido to secure an alliance with the kingdom. Is that correct?" Leo asked in a somewhat steadier tone.

Xander nodded. "Yes."

"Why the sudden need for an alliance? Aren't we doing just fine without Hoshido?"

"Economically, yes. Our land may not be as fertile as our neighbour, but we are rich in industrial resources and the arts. Of course, any trading agreement with the Hoshidans would benefit us greatly, but I doubt that's the reason for all of this." Xander's voice lowered, so that only Leo, who was sitting across him in the otherwise empty drawing room dais, could make out what he said. "I believe this alliance goes beyond simple economics, Little Brother. Father didn't explain, but I have a feeling this has something to do with his ties to the late King Sumeragi."

His father's friend who died in Cheve? Leo would have been intrigued if he wasn't feeling like the damn sacrificial lamb in whatever this scheme was. "You know I'm curious as well, Xander, but why me? With all due respect, shouldn't you be the one doing this, since you're the crown prince? Choosing me, a younger son, defies logic and most especially, tradition."

Right. There it was—the logical flaw that he so desperately needed.

Emboldened by this reasoning, Leo quickly pressed on. "Nohrian customs value seniority above all else. We all know that, so it's simply impossible that Father would let me marry before you or Camilla."

It's also impossible that he chose me over you for something so important, he thought. As far as everyone in the kingdom was concerned, Xander has always been King Garon's Perfect Son, with his practical knowledge and unparalleled military skills. At a young age, Leo had to make do with being the second-rate spare. He has always been the odd, bookish type, preferring the pursuits of the mind and magical arts to those of strength and military tactics, even if this had meant being relegated to second place in his father's affections. Leo would normally feel embittered by this, but now, he was almost thankful.

Xander was right; there seemed to be something bigger at play in all this. Surely his father wanted his perfect offspring to fill the role. "Maybe you misheard—"

Whatever hope the young prince had of reclaiming his freedom was crushed by his elder brother's answer. "There is definitely no mistake, Little Brother. Queen Mikoto of Hoshido specifically asked you to be Princess Corrin's husband."

"But—but that makes no sense!" Leo blurted, confusion quickly undoing his composure. "I've never met her, or any of the Hoshidan royalty. Why in the seven hells would she ask for me in particular?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I would never doubt Father's intentions, but perhaps we could get closer to the truth when we visit Hoshido in the next week or so."

Gods, no. Everything was happening too quickly. Too damn quickly. "You mean, for a simple visit, right?"

Even before Xander replied, Leo already knew the answer.

"For the wedding, dear Brother."

With those five words, Leo felt the entire world shift beneath his feet. Utter dread twisted his stomach into gut-wrenching knots and caused his heart to pound erratically against his chest. The full reality of the situation was finally sinking in.

He was never going to reason his way out of this mess.

He was going to get married.

Gods. He was going to be sick.

Having done his duty—or perhaps wanting to preserve his sibling's dignity—Xander got up, and turned to the door leading to the castle hallway. He was halfway to it when he suddenly looked back at his distressed brother. "Leo, there is a reason for everything. I promise you that we will be with you as you uncover the truth."

The elder prince waited for a reply. When a few seconds passed and he received none, he merely sighed and went for the door.

"Brother… what did you say her name was? This betrothed of mine?" Leo bit out the last line as though it was a spell to summon the Great Demon himself.

"Princess Corrin." His brother said, almost apologetically, before leaving him to lament on his predicament alone.

"Corrin." Truly, it was a beautiful name, if Leo was being honest with himself. But he was in no mood for honesty. He was angry, frustrated, and a tad bit nauseous. For the first time in his life, he was brought so low that his mind could barely keep up with his chaotic emotions. In just one sitting he had lost his freedom, his future shackled to a loveless union with an unknown princess from a foreign kingdom.

No. Corrin was not a beautiful name.

-x-

The sensation of having Sakura comb through her long pale hair made Corrin sigh out loud. It was the first time in days that she had felt this relaxed ever since her mother announced her betrothal to the Nohrian prince.

"You know you don't have to do this, Sakura." She peered at her sister through their reflections on the vanity mirror. "You'll get tired standing there and combing."

"N—no, I won't!" The pink-haired girl indignantly replied. "I want to do this every day from now on. So-so that… when your wedding day comes, your hair will be as beautiful as silk."

Your wedding day.

The mere mention of it gave Corrin's heart a nervous lurch.

Oblivious to her older sibling's worried frown, Sakura's brows furrowed as she tried to untangle a small section of wavy hair. "You're… already ve—very beautiful, but your hair sometimes gets unruly in places."

Beautiful? Her?

Corrin turned a curious gaze on her image in the mirror. Long, white blond hair that fell into waves graced the sides of a small, delicate face. Wide eyes of bright ruby were framed by lashes so long that—what did Hinoka say? Ah, they could even make the gods weep with envy—a sentiment that Corrin considered ridiculous and embarrassing. And then there was the pert nose and the set of full lips that she had inherited from her mother.

She never really thought about it, but perhaps she was beautiful. People would often give her appreciative glances whenever they thought she wasn't paying attention. Once, she had even caught Saizo staring at her, his usually alert eye glazed in an almost dreamy way, when she had donned her red butterfly furisode for a celebration.

But… what about her Nohrian husband-to-be? Would he also find her attractive? Or would she fail to reach his standards? After all, Nohr was a different country with its own culture and set of beliefs.

Corrin must have thought out loud, because Sakura, ever so protective of her elder sister, suddenly exclaimed. "You're a fine woman, and if—if Prince Leo can't see that, then he's blind and deserve to go bald!"

"Oh, my. A blind and bald prince? We can't have that, can we?" An amused female voice sounded from the doorway.

"Orochi!" Sakura cried in surprise, dropping the golden comb at the sudden arrival of Orochi, Azama following closely at her heels.

"I never knew you were so feisty, Lady Sakura." The priest commented once they were only a few feet away, causing the princess in question to fumble her hands and blush in response. He turned to Corrin. "I also didn't know you were having doubts about the marriage, Lady Corrin."

Orochi picked up the comb and placed it on the nearby bamboo shelf. "Especially when you were so calm when Queen Mikoto made the arrangement known."

"It's not that I'm having doubts or reconsidering the union. It's just that… I know so little of Nohr. I don't know what to expect, or what's expected from me." Corrin shook her head. "I don't like the idea of entering a battle unprepared."

"If we're talking about appearances, my lady, I assure you that though we have different clothing from Nohrians, we share almost similar preferences in beauty with them. I'm confident your prince will find you as exquisite as we do." The young diviner assured her.

Sakura happily nodded in agreement. "Right!"

"There is one thing, though," Azama shifted an assessing gaze over Corrin, his lips thinning in disapproval. "Even for Hoshidan standards, your endowments are far from exemplary, my lady. Quite the disappointment, really."

Outsiders would have been horrified at the priest's audacity, but everyone in the castle was already well-acquainted with his sharp tongue. He was irreplaceable as Hinoka's retainer and loyal to a fault, and that was all that mattered.

Of course, being acquainted with his caustic remarks didn't make them any less mortifying.

He continued to make a tsk-ing sound as Corrin felt the hot rush of embarrassment warm her cheeks.

"Oh, this is precious!" Orochi gave a sharp bark of laughter, while Sakura blushed an even darker shade of red. Corrin noted that no one made an attempt to refute Azama's statement—not even her beloved younger sister.

She groaned. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I don't really have much control over that."

"And that won't really matter much to your prince, anyway." Orochi smiled warmly. "Not from what I saw in your future."

"Now this is interesting." Azama remarked, leaning closer to the group.

"What do you mean, Orochi?"

Sakura chimed in, as well. "Yes, oh p-please tell us!"

"Well, you see, Queen Mikoto asked me to carry out a divination for the two of you before she announced the union. Above all else, she wanted to ensure your happiness."

"And? What did you see?" Corrin's heart was thumping wildly against her chest. As much as she dreaded prophecies, she needed to know.

"Love. Passion. Happiness. A fruitful marriage admired by many for generations to come. Oh, it was wonderful, my lady." Orochi squeezed her hands encouragingly. "He will give you the love you deserve, I swear to you."

At this, Corrin let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. She had bemoaned the thought of being trapped in an alliance void of affection, as political marriages were wont to be. She had yearned to have a union such as that of her mother and her late father, King Sumeragi—a union of both mind and heart, characterised by mutual respect and admiration.

And now, it seemed that this Prince Leo would be the one to give her the things she has always dreamed about.

Sniffling, Sakura latched onto her arm. "Oh-oh, I'm so relieved, Sister. Thank the gods."

"He will fill your days will love," Orochi's smile now took on a mischievous quality, "And your nights, as well. Very enthusiastically, in fact. So much so that I can already I foresee an infant in the way within just a—"

Sakura's sniffles suddenly turned into a scandalised gasp.

"Well, I see you won't be needing this fertility talisman I made for you." Azama revealed a small packet from his robes. "Maybe I'll save it for myself."

Gods save me from crazy retainers.

And just as Corrin thought that, a shuffling of loud footsteps drew the group's attention to the door—which opened to reveal a very disgruntled Hinoka. "Azama, I've been looking all over for you! Setsuna told me you passed by and saw her hanging upside-down in the forest! Why didn't you do anything?"

"Er, she seemed to be having fun…?" Azama offered weakly.

"Ugh, just help me get her down!" Hinoka stormed off, grumbling under her breath about her retainers.

Azama dutifully—if not reluctantly—obeyed his liege, and Sakura followed, just in case Setsuna had a few wounds to heal.

"We might as well help out, right?" Corrin gave an amused half-smile, before heading out of the room with her friend.

-x-

As the two women made their way to the commotion near the thick patch of trees, a dark, hooded figure sneered in the shadows in the castle. Wisps of black essence emanated from his robes, and a thick aura of dark energy swirled around him, concealing his presence even from the trained senses of the ninja.

Rubbing the small orb in his hands, he continued to eye Corrin maliciously from the distance.

-x-

A/N:

First of all, thank you for reading this fanfic. This is a reimagined story, and as such I think I need to dedicate some space for world-building. Like I said in the summary, I'll do my best to stick to the original characterisation, but I will change a few aspects in the lore.

I'm also planning this to be an enemies-to-lovers type of romance, so yeaaaaah, it's pretty much going to end up as a slowburn. Don't fret, though, I promise things will be steamy as hell when they DO hook up. Explicit sex scenes are my forte. (Heh.)

Moreover, I am not going to follow the plot in Fates.