"And so, the blue-haired heroine and her loyal company bravely clashed swords with the deadly Risen, but it was ultimately for naught. They were outnumbered, and the brave children died to protect their fallen world."

Elise sat up in her bed, staring in awe at her long lost sister. "Th-they all died?!"

Azura nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so."

The beginning of tears in Elise's eyes glinted in the candlelight. "That's not fair!" she declared, indignant.

Azura tenderly put her hand on Elise's. "I'm sorry, Elise. I didn't mean to upset you."

Elise crossed her arms. "The end really needs work."

Azura made a mental note to tell Elise a happier story in the future. "I'll think about it." Now, let me know if you have any nightmares, okay?"

Elise mumbled, "I've outgrown nightmares."

Axura laughed lightly. "I'll be in my quarters if you need anything," Azura said before they wished each other a good night.

It had gotten significantly darker since Azura had gone to see Elise, she realized. The night was cloudy, so though the moon was getting bigger and higher, the sky was an opaque dark blue.

The only light she could see outside came from Corrin's room, dimly illuminating the area around the tree in which it was situated. She could only see shadows of the camp's structures around it, and only clearly see those of the growing garden of statues adjacent to the house.

She considered going on to bed, but the light on in Corrin's room distracted her. Something, perhaps instinct, drew her thoughts to Corrin herself. There was a connection between them, that much Azura knew for certain. Not one to deny intuition when it came to the princess, of course, she walked across the prickly grass to the tree. Who was she to deny fate?

She soon reached the base of the tree, and the grass transitioned to gravely stone steps. She soon reached the door, and knocked. After a bit, the door opened and Azura gasped softly. Corrin's hair was a tangled mess, she seemed to struggle for breath, and her face portrayed exhaustion and pain. "Um, hey, Azura…" she greeted.

"Corrin..." Azura noticed that her bedsheets were disheveled. Had she perhaps awoken the princess? Yet, the light had been on, so that was unlikely.

"You can, um, come in if you want," Corrin said. Azura entered the cozy little room with practiced calmness, the smooth wood floor a welcome change from the cold gravel.

"Are you alright?" Azura asked, searching Corrin's face for sickness or distress. The latter, she realized, was there.

Corrin shut the door behind her, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "I don't know where my manners are. Sorry for not inviting you in straightaway."

"That's quite alright. You seem upset," Azura observed.

"I'm okay. I just had a nightmare…"

Azura nodded sympathetically. "I see. What happened?"

Corrin forced a grin, "It's no big deal, just one of your stories, I guess."

"'I guess'?"

"Y-yeah," Corrin's red eyes darted around, seeming to search for something, "Boy, I sure was freaked out when the big red guy...err, BLUE guy, y-yeah…" She paused for a bit, hoping Azura would buy the cheap excuse.

"Truly?"

Corrin moaned, "This war is getting to me nowadays," she confessed. "I'm startled by anything these days."

"I see… You've been through a lot. It's understandable. Is that what your dream was really about?"

"The war…" Corrin sat down on her bed, clutching the blankets for some sort of comfort, "Well, we had lost the war with Hoshido. Ryoma was giving a speech in the Nohrian capital about justice and traitors. When he'd finished, you walked up, dignified and everything, but then Ryoma drew his sword, and...he-he..." Corrin took a deep breath, "He started to cry, apologized to you, and..." Corrin tried to relax herself, but her nerves were just too much. "He... He c-cut off your head.

Azura seemed to remain calm, "I see..."

"Y-yeah... but just before, when he started crying. You talked to him, tried to calm him down, but then, you kneeled, putting your head on this slab of stone, and Ryoma…" Corrin paused, "I screamed, and that's when I woke up."

By the end, Corrin's voice sounded choked, as if tears were on their way.

Azura's brave face took the form of serene concern. On the inside she was extremely worried for the princess, desiring to sing her troubles away.

She realized she had no idea what to say to Corrin. Any promise she made about the outcome of the war would seem empty. Ryoma was hurt by having to fight Corrin at all, but he was determined to win for his beloved homeland, and that just fueled his immense power all the more. It was entirely possible someone would see an end at his blade.

Corrin's whimper of a voice snatched Azura from her thoughts, "Would you mind telling me a story?"

Azura felt a bit surprised, but the emotion barely showed on her countenance as she replied, "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

Corrin answered with no hesitation, "One of your famous scary stories, please."

"Are you sure? You've already had a frightful night."

"I-I'm fine. A scary story should be a good distraction. Maybe I'll dream about it instead." Corrin grinned, though it was a twitchy sort of smile.

'Good point.' Azura nodded obligingly. The words poured out of her: "Long ago, a young…" Azura trailed off as Corrin settled herself on her bed, fluffing her pillow and pulling her blanket up to her chin. Corrin then looked expectantly at Azura, who restarted.

She resumed with the fluidity or a memory. "Long ago, a young boy ran away from home, to get away from his older sister. When she learned of it, she looked all over town for the small boy. She even asked everyone she saw if they had seen him, which wasn't easy for the shy girl."

She glanced over Corrin's features, and saw that she was rapt in the story. She continued.

"Some of them told her that they'd seen the little boy run into the woods. She wanted to go after him, but everyone warned her that a witch and her pet monster lived there. In spite of that, she soon found herself at the entrance to the woods, the dead trees bending and creaking in the cool, cold wind.

"She steeled her courage, and went on in. The dead leaves crunched beneath her feet, as the sword-sharp branches seemed to reach for her, ready to cut at her arms.

Corrin fidgeted uneasily under the blankets.

"She pressed onward, jumping at every little noise that really only came from small woodland animals. But as she went deeper into the forest, she heard loud, animalistic growls and grunts, deep yet hollow, coming from the distance. The girl was scared, but the memory of her brother strengthened her resolve. If whatever the sounds came from found him, things would end poorly, she was sure."

Azura waited for several beats, eating the suspense stew. Corrin was totally riveted by the tale; her eyes were focused and expectant for her to continue soon.

"As she delved yet deeper into the forest, she heard another set of sounds. These were of tearing and squishing, in the distance but clearly impassioned. A bead of sweat dotted the girl's brow. Perhaps her brother hadn't gone into the forest after all, and she should just leave the woods and hope.

Azura's tone took on quiet urgency. "Suddenly, the leaves broke around her. She screamed, but no monster stood before her… Just the dark old witch from a faraway land. Her face was half-covered, but she said she knew where her brother was, and too frightened to question her genuity, the girl followed her back to a short house, with a few broken shingles and many cobwebs.

"He was there! The boy huffed and asked his sister why she was there. The witch told a story of how she was a dark Mage from a faraway land, and that she created the monster, which had become her greatest terror. The boy eagerly piped up that he was going to help the Mage get rid of the rogue beast."

Corrin's eyes flashed. "Go on, then."

Azura smiled. Corrin was honestly a bit cute sometimes. "Given no choice, the sister pledged her help as well, if only to get her brother home sooner. Without warning, the mage pulled out a knife and cut the arms of the girl and her brother."

"What?!" Corrin''s jaw dropped.

"Right as the two kids began to run, the Mage stammered. 'We need bait to trap the monster,' said she. 'I can enchant this blood to cover the area.' The siblings were somewhat suspicious, but believed her when they saw the look in her eyes. The look of someone who'd been hunted for too long to hurt her only company."

"They all waited for what felt like an eternity, the boy trying to remain confident, but clutched his sister's hand as tightly as he could. The girl kept her hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to comfort him in anyway she could. She still wondered if they should run, but if she did, their wounds could attract the beast towards them and not its master."

"At last, they could hear loud, booming footsteps that felts as if the earth itself was shaking beneath its weight. Everyone stood on edge, waiting for the beast to reveal itself."

Corrin leaned in, shaking with anticipation.

"The monstrosity finally revealed itself. The large, hulking creature appeared, knocking several trees blocking its way down to the ground. A roar erupted from its throat, rough and bloodthirsty, and, when it saw the children, it charged forward."

"The Mage shot off a spell so strong that the trees in its wake were charred. The furious beast, with a hideous gray mask covering its face, roared with frustration. 'Crack!' The mage shot off a powerful thunder spell, scorching a burn across the beast's chest. This slowed it for only a moment as it made a sound like a demonic hiss and knocked an entire tree down. The little boy narrowly avoided the attack, swerving into his older sister's arms and cowering."

"It was then that the horrible beast made an advance for the mage, who screamed a command to run. The three only got so far, sweat slicking their faces, before there was a bloodcurdling scream. The monster threw a horrible punch at the mage, and a loud crack could be heard as she crumpled against a tree."

Corrin gulped, closing her eyes. She was probably trying to imagine the horridness of the story in as vivid of detail as she could. Azura felt a pang of sympathy; it was probably the only way she'd get any more relief from her nightmares of the war.

"The siblings kept up their running, tears streaking down both of their faces; that was the first instance of death they'd seen, and it was traumatizing. The pair was, even worse, lost in a forest with a dangerous hunter. They had to get out, or the beast would no doubt hurt them, too. The sister vowed silently that she'd do her very best to get her brother to safety, thinking of her large family's grief if she failed.

"The monster caught up with them, blood dripping from its mouth. It had eaten the mage, and the children were next. The only thing that could save them then was their own wits."

Azura paused for a long while. Corrin looked as on-edge as she did throughout the story, but as the pause went on, she looked more confused. "What happened to them?"

"I'm...not sure." Azura sighed, rubbing her temples, "That's all I remember."

Corrin's mouth went agape. "What do you mean, 'that's all you remember'? Are you teasing me?"

Azura giggled softly. "I'm sorry. I'm sure they got out in the end."

"That story seemed to move you a lot as you were telling it," Corrin commented. "Your stories are legendary; now I see why."

"Happy to be of service, Corrin." Azura nodded, smiling. "Did it help any?"

"It will when you remember how it ends!" Corrin teased. "But honestly, thank you, Azura. The fact is…" Corrin smiled, somewhat sadly, "It means a lot to me that you would lose sleep to help me."

Azura paused for a bit, laying a hand on Corrin's own. Eventually, she turned to look her in the eye. "It's fate for us to support each other in any way we can, don't you think?"

Corrin nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

"Well, that includes staying up with you if you're having trouble sleeping."

Corrin giggled softly, "I guess so… Thanks, Azura."

Azura smiled, her fingers brushing the soft top of Corrin's hand. "It's no trouble. Do you need anything else? Please don't hesitate."

"Well… There is one thing…" Corrin fidgeted a bit with her blanket. "I think I'd like it a lot if you spent the night."

Azura was surprised at first, but disguised it as she nodded in agreement.

Corrin's face lit up with a smile. "Yes! You can sleep in my bed."

Azura replied softly, "Um, I'd rather sleep on the floor. You need your space, and I'm unused to sleeping near someone else…"

"What about we compromise? You sleep in a sleeping bag, but the bag is on my bed?"

Azura figured that was an agreeable-enough deal, and gave a small nod, Corrin lept up and was already rooting around for a sleeping bag from under her bed. "What we should do is have sleepover games," Corrin said, beaming at Azura.

"I'm… Perhaps next time. You'll need your rest to take on whatever tomorrow brings."

Pretty soon, Corrin pulled out a large green sleeping bag, and it was only after another moment that Azura was in it beside Corrin on her bed. The dragon girl sighed contentedly with Azura by her side. "I look forward to it."

As Corrin shut her eyes and attempted to get to sleep, Azura looked at her affectionately. 'You deserve the best, Corrin,' she thought. 'I know that this path you've taken is difficult, but I'll try my best to smoothe it for you…'

'As long as we're together, we're okay,' Azura allowed herself to dream.