Chocolate.
Candy.
A treat usually made with milk and something called cocoa, Despite its seemingly humble preparation, it was something loved by mostly everyone.
The conundrum was, that chocolate itself lacked any meaning. That is, unless given in a certain day, for a certain festivity celebrated by Nohrians.
"Valentine's day is a joyous occasion!" Princess Elise exclaimed, visibly excited by her own words. "It's when you get to show your love to that special someone in your life by giving them the greatest candy ever conceived, chocolate!"
The young princess fidgeted around with a small bag she had with her until she was able to find the famous object. "Behold!" The princess held a red box adorned neatly with a small yellow ribbon in the air. "Pure love in physical form!"
With quick hands, Elise unwrapped the whole contraption and one by one, she gave a small piece of candy to every single female attending her impromptu speech about Valentine's Day.
Once everyone had their piece, the princess made a grand gesture for everyone to start eating.
Reina didn't think much about it in that moment. In a single motion she introduced the small rectangular shape in her mouth.
Then it hit her.
The sweetness spread through her mouth in a moment. An intense array of flavors took her senses by surprise, most of them unknown to the Kinshi Knight. Was the sweetness the milk? Or It was the cocoa? Was that a subtle hint of almonds?
"I take by your expression that you also think this is amazing, isn't it?" A gentle voice asked.
Reina turned her head to see her old friend Orochi standing right next to her. "There's nothing like this in good ol' Hoshido. A shame, really-" The sorceress licked her lips. "What do you think?"
"I… do not know. Is there something to think about?"
Orochi laughed a little. "It's all right, you don't have to think about it right now. What you have to do, however, it's getting this to Lord Corrin." She sentenced, producing a small package in front of her friend.
"A small bag?" Reina asked.
Indeed. There, in Orochi's palm, rested a small green bag laced with a red ribbon.
Realizing her friend wouldn't understand in time, the sorceress took Reina's hands and gently placed the bag in them.
"This is a Chocolate Bag." Orochi answered, a big grin in her face. "Supposedly, these were to be handed to us, you know, because Princess Elise thought it would be a nice idea to let us experience the joy of Valentine's day. But, because I am a great friend and thought that maybe you wanted to celebrate in peace with your hubby, I took the liberty to get this bag early. Just for you."
Reina examined the bag for a few seconds, and then smiled at her friend. "You have my gratitude."
"Consider it a little favor. For all those years with Mikoto, okay?" And with that last sentence, Orochi gave her a little wink and started to walk away.
The Kinshi Knight did not wait for her friend to vanish in the crowd that surrounded the young Nohrian princess. With quick steps, she crossed the courtyard towards the big treehouse installed in the middle.
She hummed happily, caring for the little package in her hand. Reina was now amidst a light reverie, one that if she could guess, was chocolate flavored.
Carefully, she climbed the steps of the stair, stopping right in front of the wooden door that separated the outside world from her private paradise. But before she could knock, Reina hesitated.
This was her first Valentine's day ever. Was there something else besides the chocolate itself? Maybe a speech, a gesture. Or maybe she just had to hand him the chocolate. Oh gods, this was getting out of hand incredibly fast
"Reina?"
A voice once again took her out of her thoughts. Corrin had opened the door instead and was now standing in front of her. "So it was you after all!. Is Elise speech over?" He asked with a smile.
That was everything she needed. Without any more hesitation, she gave him her warmest smile and presented the little gift she carried. "This is for you, my love."
Slowly, with careful hands, Corrin received the little bag from the hands of his wife. He looked at the bag, and then at Reina. At the bag and then at Reina.
"Is… is this?" the prince struggled to get the words out of his mouth.
"Chocolate A bag of it, to be precise." Reina answered, holding back a small laugh. "Lady Elise told us that chocolate is supposed to be given to the ones you love. And I can't think of someone I love more than you, my dear husband"
Corrin tried to say something, anything. But nothing came. He tried hard, but he soon found that words had totally abandoned him.
Reina noticed this, and soon her smile faltered "D-did I do something wrong? I did, isn't it? Oh gods, I'm so sorry my dear! I shouldn't have…"
The sight of his distraught wife gave Corrin the strength he needed to arrange his thoughts again. "No, no. Of course not! You were wonderful, and I love you with all of my heart, but…" The Dragon Prince sighed "But this is my first Valentine's Day ever. I don't even know what to do now."
Now it was Reina's turn to run out of words. In her own rush to celebrate, she forgot that his husband itself knew very little about life outside a dark fortress. She wasn't the only one trying to guess what was and wasn't allowed. Her husband was alongside her the whole time, just as he had been since the two were wed.
"I mean, I could've bought chocolate for you maybe some flowers. Flowers are allowed too, right? I should have, isn't it?" The young prince continued his rambling, "Maybe a romantic dinner, with some candles. Would you like to…"
Corrin didn't had time to finish his sentence, as Reina hugged him and pressed their lips together.
With the last ounce of control he had, Corrin managed to not throw the little gift from the sudden gesture of love, and then he gave himself completely to the kiss.
After feeling the tension subside in the body of her husband, Reina slowly pulled away from their kiss. "Do not worry yourself with little details, my love. This is my first Valentine's Day too, so, as long as you keep loving me I have no need for anything else."
"That.. that's right. We don't need to complicate things, we can just take it easy." Corrin spoke, as he smiled at his wife. "We can figure out things, as we always do. Just like our first kiss."
"Just like our wedding or even like the time you proposed to me." Reina slowly parted her embrace with the young prince. "Love has always guided us"
A small kiss on her cheek was enough answer. "Then let's go. Let's celebrate Valentine's together, as a couple." The prince grabbed her hand while still holding the little bag in his the free one. "But, do you mind terribly if we celebrate a little different?"
"So, are we just supposed to gift this little bag, right?" Hana asked. "Isn't that a little bit simple?"
Elise pinched her temples, visibly frustrated after being asked the same thing again and again. Was people really that simple minded? "Look, it's that simple, and not that simple at the same time. Love is weird, you know? It just… happens!"
A murmur coming from the crowd she was addressing gave her enough proof that her point was not getting through. So she decided to do something more 'practical'. But, who to use as example?
Xander was not romantic by any means. Pragmatic, perhaps, but romantic? Not a chance. Then it was Camilla, her big sister. Surely she knew a whole lot more about romance than Xander, but then again, she came along as more of a tease than a romantic person.
It seemed that things were not as easy as she thought it would be.
In one last act of desperation, Elise eyed the rest of the courtyard, seeking a little bit of help from anyone. From anything.
The whole conversation was getting nowhere in the crowd. The simplicity from the Hoshidans clashed fiercely with the reasoning coming from the Nohrians, and in the end, it seemed that Valentine's Day was not the greatest idea to try in such a diverse group.
"Like that!" the Nohrian Princess shouted, pointing at some place behind their backs.
Elise's exclamation broke the endless chitchat and soon, everyone turned to where the little princess was pointing at.
A collective gasp was everything Elise needed to know her example was enough this time.
There, a little further away, in a bench under the cherry blossom trees that Corrin had installed a few months ago, sat the Dragon Prince and his wife, Reina.
Her head was carefully resting on his shoulder and her hands grasped his left hand in a love lock. And in his right hand, a little green bag rested. Its ribbon torn apart to allow the extraction of its contents.
There, under the shower of sakura petals, the pair rested. A breathtaking scene that only seemed to reflect one thing: Pure and unconditional love.
"That's love! Ohmigosh, my big brother!" Elise squealed, deeply moved. "You people don't need anything more than to show your love! Stop thinking, and start feeling!"
The whole crowd remained speechless. No one really wanted to disturb the peace which had taken over the whole castle. So, with the utmost care, they started to disband their little reunion, their minds now fixed with a new task at hand.
Only Orochi remained for a moment.
"Lady Mikoto, my queen. I want you to know that your son is now a splendid young man. Just as you dreamed. And maybe you can rest knowing that the person at his side, is none other than Reina. Even if she's a little bit older than him, their love remains pure."
"I'm so happy that you're always together with me. In truth, a younger person by your side would match you better, I think. But…
There's no other woman in this world that loves you as deeply as I do."