It's funny, I received this prompt as a request when I actually already had it in mind for one of my Adrift stories. Must be one of those cases of great minds thinking alike. Your thoughts are always appreciated, so read, review, and enjoy.
This marks my one-hundredth published story since joining the site.
Word count: 540 words.
Of Bonds and Endearments
"M-M-Married?!"
The young songstress' face burns, her typically pale face beet red, her heart aflame with the kind of flustered, childish embarrassment one would expect to garner from a lone mention of 'cooties', dialed to an absurd extreme considered unfathomable to children—the kind of children who only know of love from fairy tale endings and their occasionally publicly affectionate parents. Steam billows from the young girl's head as she tries and utterly fails to comprehend the monumental concept of holding a boy's hand, to say nothing of the things that come afterward.
"Oh," Corrin naively mouths, an arm lovingly snaked around the waist of the girl's adult counterpart—the present day Lady of the Lake, Azura. "Was I not supposed to tell her?"
"It's rather late to be asking that now, isn't it?" the older songstress chides. "She was bound to uncover the truth eventually. I was quite prying as a child. I could tell when others were pulling a farce and when they were genuine."
"It probably helps that I'm not a good liar," Corrin adds, pressing his lips to her cheek.
She giggles, so vibrant and cheerful. "Quite,"
The younger songstress' headdress practically leaps off of her head as she watches the pair indulge in each other, her face intensifying to a deep shade of scarlet. She quickly covers her eyes and turns away with a squeak, but her accursed curiosity compels her to sneak a peek through the slits of her tiny fingers. The image isn't far off from the lofty tales her mother would weave for her every night, the ones with knights in shining armor and princesses of far away lands—of which she is one.
"Er, is something the matter, Smallzura?" Corrin asks, awkwardly scratching his cheek as he takes notice of the girl's plight.
His wife is quick to accost him. "Did you just—"
"If... If that girl is me," little Azura mumbles, slowly putting the pieces together whilst trying not to explode. "And that boy is Corrin... then.. then that means... when I grow up... !"
A swift eruption sends the girl barreling into Corrin's chest.
"Aagh! Corrin! Please don't forget about me because I'm little!" she whines, tiny fists beating on his chest. "I'll grow up soon, I promise! I want to be friends forever! I want to be friends right now!"
"Huh?! Uh, hold on—!" Corrin starts, only for the older Azura to ensnare his arm. "Zuzu?"
"You mustn't forget about me either, Corrin," she tuts with a teasing lilt.
"I-I would never!" he stammers.
The little songstress pouts. "Or me! But me especially!"
"Hm, she's certainly more direct than when we first found her," Azura muses as she leans on her husband's shoulder, still embracing him. "Mother always said I had a sharp tongue. Even back then, I never doubted her, and this shining window into the past more than proves it."
"He's my prince, Zuzu, I dreamed him up!"
The older songstress cannot help but laugh, while Corrin is more stunned by how quickly she adapted to the pet name.
"He is my husband and king, Smallzura."
"Aagh! Tease!"
At last, Corrin interjects, playfully bopping both of their heads.
"You're both the same person."
Laughter fills the courtyard.
For as dark and dour as she is, young Azura is still a child, her understanding of marriage should be no deeper than 'they hold hands and rub cheeks a lot and they're best friends forever'. A lighthearted scene like this might take place a few weeks into her recruitment, as she accepts her new circumstances and begins to open up after spending time with the Order of Heroes. I still have a few more Adrift stories planned, if there are any you'd like to pitch or just theories in general you'd like to discuss, drop me a line. Thanks.