That awkward feeling when you don't check the 'Complete' box by accident and some mistakenly believe that there is more content in the works. This is complete, in case I make that mistake again.
I.
The magic of the Astral Plane was quite fascinating to Leo. The ability to simply will into existence fields of crops, mines, and springs of ore went far beyond the limits of his legendary tome, Brynhildr, or even the earth-altering power of the Dragon Vein. When he had first seen the seemingly inexhaustible supply of foodstuffs available in Corrin's castle, his thoughts went immediately to Nohr, and how he might be able to harness just a little bit of the sorcery that fed the fighting force to provide for his people. It appeared to be a perfect solution for his country's agricultural woes, but alas, it did not seem to be possible to bring outside of the realm.
Still, the scenery and atmosphere was a pleasant change of pace for him from Castle Krakenburg, Windmire, and the rest of Nohr's perpetual gloominess. The wind rustling the leaves of nearby trees, the shimmer of light reflecting off the water next to him, it was all rather pretty. He was so engrossed with his surroundings that he walked right into someone, about half a head shorter than him.
"M-my apologies, Prince Leo, I wasn't looking at where I was going," mumbled Princess Sakura. She averted her eyes shyly, nervously rubbing the hem of her skirt.
Leo shook his head. He had been just as distracted. "I wasn't paying attention either."
An uneasy hush descended between them. The two had only ever conversed directly twice before, briefly, not counting that one incredibly awkward time when Corrin had tried to introduce Leo and Xander to the Hoshidan royal family.
"H-how has your day gone so far?" the shrine maiden began timidly. Now she was fiddling with the ends of the teal ribbon on her blouse.
"It's been pleasant, I suppose."
"D-did you do anything interesting today?"
Smiling inwardly at her endearing attempts to make conversation, Leo replied, "Not in particular, but I did find today's lunch quite intriguing. Is rice the staple food in Hoshidan cuisine?"
"Well, in Hoshido we also grow s-something called soba, which is ground into flour for noodles." Her fingers played absentmindedly with the tips of her rose-coloured hair.
"I assume that soba is some kind of grain, correct? How difficult would it be to grow in poor soil, compared to say, wheat or rice?"
She seemed unsure, perplexed by his odd line of questioning. "I d-don't actually know very much about that…" Her face turned into one of dismay. "Oh no! I'm late for kitchen duty. P-please excuse me, Prince Leo."
He couldn't even get a word out before she scurried away, making a beeline for the mess hall. The path she took cut across the grassy courtyard of the castle, past a glittering blue pool. The stones on its rim were worn smooth, and in her haste the princess clipped one with the edge of her sandal. Her left foot flexed inwards unnaturally, before she lost her balance completely and tumbled to the ground.
Leo jogged towards her, kneeling at her side. "Where did you hurt yourself, Lady Sakura?" he said gently, taking note of the obvious discomfort and red-faced embarrassment in her expression.
"M-my ankle." She grimaced in pain. "I guess I'll have to go to the infirmary now."
He stood, offering his hand to her. "Allow me to help you get there."
"I'm sure that you have better things to do than help cl-clumsy old me…"
"I insist. Lady Sakura, you're a very important part of this army, despite what you might think of yourself. I don't want you to hurt yourself more."
As the Hoshidan princess was unable to put weight on her injured foot, the two were forced to trot towards the infirmary. Leo had to wrap his arm around her to maintain her balance, while she hopped on her right foot. Moving such a slow speed and in such close contact resulted in an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the occasional whimper of pain. It lasted until they reached the medical building, where a blonde troubadour was patiently waiting to poke fun at the pair.
II.
Leo's brow furrowed with concentration, his eyes locked onto the spear-wielding soldier charging towards him. When the distance between the two had shrunk to a just a few yards, the prince snapped his hand forward, channeling the flow of magic outwards. A tree branch erupted to ensnare the Vallite, while an arrow from the nearby Niles skewered the immobilized target. Its body disintegrated into fine powder and purple mist, blowing away in the breeze.
With his immediate surroundings cleared of foes, Leo took time to steady his breath, and survey the battlefield for problems. While Corrin was a competent tactician, his older sibling had a narrow focus and was often surprised by flanking maneuvers.
More adversaires were appearing over the grassy hill, and a Hoshidan samurai sprinted from her defensive position to meet them. Overhead, Hoshidan sky knights and Nohrian wyvern riders worked alongside one another to push for aerial dominance. The battle seemed to be progressing at a reasonable pace, despite the precarious ground that the army had to fight on.
They were in an abandoned village, situated on a chain of floating islands. An impenetrable layer of clouds lay beneath the landmasses, but Leo had no idea what was beyond that. More land? An ocean? Void? He didn't intend to find out.
A cry of distress made him wheel around, pulling harshly on the reins. An axe-wielding Vallite had broken through a gap in the lines, and was bearing down on the isolated Princess Sakura. Backpedaling hurriedly, her fingers fumbled at string of her yumi, the few arrows that she could release having little effect.
Cursing under his breath, Leo urged his horse forward, trying to close the gap as others around him noticed the situation. He could have sworn that Corrin had assigned partners for everyone beforehand, to ensure that no one was left alone. How one of the most vulnerable members of the army, inexperienced with their weapon, had ended up alone just as a chink in the formation had appeared was an extraordinary set of coincidences.
A sudden pang of horror struck him. Princess Sakura, trying to make space between herself and her attacker and stall for time, was blindly approaching the end of the island.
"Watch the edge!" Leo called out, far too late. The words reached her ears and filtered through her head just as she took the fated step backwards, finding only a short ledge, and then nothing but empty space below her. She teetered on the precipice, arms flailing in an attempt to regain her footing. The yumi tumbled from her hand into the clouds.
Desperately, Leo reached for her, magic sparking at his fingertips. He had no time to mumble out the incantation. From the side of the cliff emerged a tree bough, splitting into a dozen branches that formed a web of wood, flexing slightly as Princess Sakura collapsed back into it.
A few paces in front of her, a javelin sprouted in the back of the axe-wielding soldier, following by a thin metal shuriken slicing across its throat, and an arrow, humming with magic, through its skull. The axe hit the ground as the hand holding it dissolved into dust.
The slender girl's eyes, which had been squeezed shut in fear, fluttered open cautiously. She stared at Leo, shock written all across her face.
"Wh-what—"
"Sakura!" The samurai who had raced past him earlier rushed forward to pull her liege onto solid ground, kneeling in front of her and bowing her head in shame. "I'm so sorry."
Releasing a shaky breath, Leo watched the princess lean forward to whisper reassuring words into her retainer's ear. The two girls stayed like that, clutching each other as the rest of the small crowd slowly dispersed. Only the insufferable Hoshidan pineapple and a crimson-haired pegasus knight remained nearby, standing on guard.
"Leo! We need more spellcasters at the front."
Xander, oblivious to what had happened, placed his gloved hand onto his younger brother's shoulder, gently guiding him back into the fray. Leo followed after only a brief glance behind him. She was watching him with wide eyes. He saw her again once more that day, after a battle that had stretched on for hours, and, despite his weariness, her words and smile of thanks made Leo feel lighter on his feet.
III.
Then she fell in love with him.
IV.
Macarath had been one of Garon's favourite villas. Located on the southern borders of Nohr, and only a short distance from the opera houses in Cyrkensia, it had been his de facto residence during travel in between his kingdom and its neighbours. Of course, 'travel' was a general term. Besides acting as a resting point for frequent visits to Cyrkensia, the palace of Macarath was also where Garon had stayed after kidnapping Corrin from the murdered Hoshidan king, taking hostages from the Ice Tribe, and conducting the occasional bloody massacre in Cheve.
Thinking about the atrocities that his father had committed as king of Nohr made Leo feel rather ill. There wasn't anything that he could have done to prevent any of those actions, but still he felt just a tiny bit of guilt for his relation to the man.
So perhaps it was a bit of petty revenge for his children to desecrate the residence by inviting some of their newfound Hoshidan allies to stay there after the war. Prince Takumi had expressed his desire to see the world beyond Hoshido, but it had been Elise who suggested that Sakura take time away from frequent relief missions around her country to accompany her brother. Of course, it was actually Leo who asked Elise to make that suggestion, but he wasn't about to openly admit to Sakura's family that he missed her dearly and wanted any excuse to be with her for more than a few days every few months.
"To slow down, you need to relax the reins and keep your heels from pressing into her."
"Like this?"
Besides its extensive apothecary, Macarath also sported a number of other outbuildings, including a stable. The surrounding hills, which stretched on farther than one could see, were covered in long grass, rooted in soft, squashy mud, making it a suitably safe and private location to teach Sakura to ride a horse.
"Exactly like that. You're doing very well for a novice." Leo released the bridle as the horse, a mare with a dull chestnut coat, sauntered to a stop. "Now you need to do the reverse of what you did to get on in the first place."
Sakura hesitated briefly before trying to dismount. She managed to swing her far leg back towards Leo, but in a momentary lapse, let go of the saddle before she touched the ground. The princess fell right into her prince's arms.
"Careful now, Sakura," Leo whispered into her ear. He set her on the ground, but didn't let go of her immediately. It wasn't often that he could hold his beloved so close to him. The wind picked up, and a delicate, flowery scent wafted towards him.
"Oops." A tiny smile played on her lips.
"Hold on a second..." He eyed her suspiciously. "Was that on purpose?"
She giggled him, a cheeky grin arching across her face. "Maybe it was...?"
Try as he might to feign annoyance, Leo couldn't help but return her smile. She was too adorable for him to keep a maintain a stern expression. "Could I have some warning next time?"
Nuzzling into his chest, Sakura shut her eyes, her face the picture of contentment. "Only if you promise to hold me like this again."
V.
It was traditional for the Nohrian royal family to host an extravagant ball on the eve of the winter solstice. While in the past it had some religious significance, in reality the event functioned primarily as a way for the powerful to flaunt their status and wealth among their peers, and to celebrate another year of exploiting the poor while thousands of peasants starved or froze to death.
Leo despised tradition.
He considered the entire affair to be a waste of time and resources. The amount of preparation that went into the single-day event— writing countless invitations to every lord and lady of importance, arranging lodgings for each, budgeting money for food, decor, and extra staff— was in his mind ridiculous for something that always, eventually, devolved into rash insults, drunken brawls, and lust-driven flings.
It was also considered by the nobility as the opportune time to gain the favour of the royal family, whether through flirtation, flattery, or funding. Leo's brother, of course, experienced the worst of it. Being harassed constantly by subtle— or not— attempts at seduction, empty compliments, and pointless gifts was wearing down Xander's patience like nothing else had before.
"Leo?" called a soft voice beside him. "Is something wrong? You've been scowling at that man for a long time."
The prince blinked rapidly, returning to his senses. A lanky young man, around Leo's age and the son of some minor baron, stood trembling on the other side of the ballroom. His face was a ghostly white and shining with nervous sweat. His eyes flicked back towards Leo every few seconds before he shrunk inwardly again.
"Was I doing that, Sakura?"
"Yes, you were. He looks as though he's going to faint now. You're scaring him to death!" she scolded.
"I'll have to apologize to him later. But for now," Leo continued, "have I told you how radiant you look tonight?"
Sakura was wearing kimono of creamy white silk, a far cry from the darker and often more revealing ball gowns worn by the Nohrian women. Red and pink flowers had been dyed into the material all down its length. The long sleeves of the garment nearly touched the wood paneled dancing floor. A simple silver hairpin, with a pink sapphire embedded in its centre, kept her hair up and out of her eyes.
She let out a tiny 'eep!' in surprise. Even after a months-long courtship, it appeared that Sakura still didn't expect all of his compliments. "Th-thank you…"
Reaching for her hand, Leo murmured, "May I have this dance?"
"You may."
Sakura's attire didn't allow her a wide range of movement, so instead of an elaborate series of steps and twirls, they merely held hands, fingers intertwined, and moved back and forth in time with the music. Their simple swaying and sickeningly sweet adoration for one another made them stand out against the rigid, measured behaviour of their peers, but it wasn't obvious enough to stop a different pair from blindly barging straight into the princess.
"Oof!"
Leo protectively pulled Sakura into his chest before she could lose her balance completely and fall. Her hair brushed lightly against his cheek. It distracted him, but only for a brief second before anger moved to the forefront of his mood.
"Watch where you're going!" He berated the interlopers, his voice was sharper and louder than he had intended. In the background, the orchestra faltered for a beat, before striking back up.
The offending couple bowed hastily towards him, disregarding the Hoshidan princess beside him. They scurried away, mumbling apologies before disappearing into the crowd. Leo slowly released his grasp on Sakura, letting her straighten out her clothing and sweep her hair out of her eyes.
"E-everyone is staring at us now, Leo," she whispered, eyes darting left and right. His outburst had attracted the attention of nearly every person on their side of the ballroom, save for a few who had tactfully ignored the commotion. His sisters, who had been dancing with each other, began wandering over towards him. Xander pulled away from his conversation with a grey-haired marquess, glancing at his brother.
Leo exhaled slowly, trying to compose himself. "Let them. I couldn't care less about what they think of us."
To emphasize his point, he leaned in and pecked Sakura on the lips, pointedly ignoring the whispers of Nohrians drifting over from the edges of the room, and glares of death leveled at him by the Hoshidan delegation.
Her cheeks blushed pink, matching the colour of the gemstone embedded into her hairpin, all the way up to the tips of her ears. "Leo! W-w-we're in p-public!"
He laughed, gently clasping Sakura's hand in his. "Shall we continue our dance?"
It appears that I've lost some brain cells between writing my last story and this one.
I've never actually ridden a horse.
The kimono is specifically a furisode (according to everybody's favourite reliable source of knowledge, Wikipedia), but that isn't something that Leo would know, seeing as in theory this is written from third person limited POV. In practice, it's trash.