The early spring wind blew through the fields warm and pleasant, carrying with it the smell of sweet blossom, of sun warmed grass, of earth, and of the laughter of a girl. As a small white dot she ran through the swaying green waves, trailing a dark trodden path behind her. A white puppy dog galloped on her heels, yipping loudly as it struggled to keep up with her. Even when she was out of breath after all of her skipping and jumping, she continued to laugh. And no matter how much time went by, she never seemed to get tired at all.

Many flowers of countless shapes and colors dotted the great field, all swaying and catching light under the sun. With a big smile on her face, clearly visible even from a distance, the girl went to every one that she found, sometimes even visiting the same one a handful of times without even really knowing. She touched the soft petals, poked the flower heads, and smelled so many of them that she had a little sneezing fit. Every now and then she would accidentally disturb the odd resting bumblebee, and would shriek as it circled around her head uninterestedly before buzzing away. It would take her a few more moments of shrieking and flailing to realize that it had long gone.

And when she was not running, playing with the dog, or discovering new flowers, she decided to spin. She would twirl around so much and so quickly that he was starting to get dizzy just by watching her. And just when he'd begin to think she was stuck on spin-cycle, she tipped back and dropped light as a feather onto the soft cushioning grass. Her laughter was warm as the sun, and it echoed.

The dog suddenly jumped on her with a loud "oof!" and started to cover her face with slobbery kisses.

"Hey! S-stop that!" she sputtered through her giggling. "Your breath… pfffhft! Your breath stinks! Aaah!"

Her voice carried on the warm wind and reached his ears in a distant echo. The fields of Shirasagi were vast, wide, but not endless. The grasses and the flowers came to a stop at a deep, dense forest which bordered the far end. It was here that he watched and waited in shadow while the little princess played.

He had arrived at the castle with his father earlier that morning, and after some business taken care of, they were given audience with the Queen of Hoshido. He had met with the queen only a few times before, but her kindness and beauty had not lessened even once since the first time he'd laid eyes on her. Merely seeing her warm smile and hearing her gentle voice was more than enough to soothe the nervousness that had been fluttering about in his chest all day. There was no doubt why the queen was the symbol of Hoshiodo's peace.

She chatted shortly with his father, not seeming to notice he was there: not speaking to him, hardly looking at him. Though this did not dishearten him; he was fully aware of his position here. Dutifully, as he was always taught to do, he remained silent and focused as she spoke. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not make eye contact unless spoken to. Even then, it would be more appropriate to bow and keep his eyes on his feet. Best not forget that.

He'd been focusing so hard on proper decorum that he almost didn't catch when she said his name.

"Y-yes!?" he jolted, standing straight as a polearm, mentally kicking himself for stuttering the word.

Her smile didn't waver. "Would you like to go visit the gardens out back behind the castle while I finish this talk with your father? I don't believe you've ever been there before. It's a beautiful place. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"Ah. Y-yes."

He thought he saw a questioning look in his father's eyes directed at the queen, but Lady Mikoto kept her smile on him.

"And who knows, perhaps you'll find someone there waiting for you."

The queen's words were still fresh in his mind as he watched the little princess play. As a servant of Hoshidan royalty, it was expected of him to know each member of the royal family by name and face. And he knew this girl as well; he had seen her a few times walking through the castle with her siblings, although he had not been formally introduced to her yet. He was certain she would not know who he was.

He felt a little at a loss. He'd found her here… but now what? It didn't look like the girl was waiting for him like Lady Mikoto had said, so what exactly had the queen intended to happen here? Unsure of what move next to take, he concealed himself in the brush of the forest and waited. It was basic training really; it was always good to approach an unknown situation slowly and with caution. A good ninja never made their first move until they fully understood the situation at hand… best not forget that, he thought.

The girl's giggling stopped and faded into the breeze. She got up and stood so still that he would have thought she'd frozen if not for the little dog that kept trying to jump up on her, but she ignored it. All around her grass softly swayed and flowers nodded in the wind. With wide and nearly unblinking eyes she looked far out into the blue distance. The smile that had once been fixed on her face in laughter was now eerily gone. She looked left, looked right, looked over her shoulder, and then up into the sky. She spun around, stopped abruptly, stared, and looked around again.

He watched her, perplexed. What was she doing? Looking for something? Was there something she had lost?

Then she started to walk, the grass swishing in a dull murmur around each step. The dog followed.

She took a breath and called out, "Hello!?" her voice echoed across the plains clear as a bell.

He jolted, breath caught in his throat.

"Hello?! Yoo hoo! Where are you!?" she strolled aimlessly back, forth, and in circles. The dog trotted beside her, white tail wagging and tongue lolling. Her voice resounded carefree and light, "Come out, come out where you are!"

He bit his lip, heart pounding almost painfully in his chest.

The girl stopped, frowned, and took a deep breath, "HELLO!?"

"Grgh...!"

In a whirl of wind he disappeared from the shadow and cover of trees and appeared kneeling behind her. The sun was hot, its light almost blinding; he didn't need to remind himself to keep his eyes down.

She seemed to feel the breeze as it lifted her hair and ruffled her yukata. "Oh!" and she turned. "There you are!"

The dog followed her gaze and barked in surprise when it saw him there. The fluffy thing immediately went to circling and sniffing him curiously. He tried to ignore it, and its ticklish nose, as best he could.

He didn't look up at her. "How…?" the rest of the words died in his throat, and he hesitated. A little part of him wished she'd fill the silence he'd left with her own words, her own questions—he was sure she must have had some. But nothing but the wind droned on, moving through the grass, the leaves in the distant trees, and making the flowers dance. He could feel her curious eyes on him, and it made his heart beat faster. Speak. "How did you know… that I was here?" He thought he'd concealed his presence properly. It had only been a few years since he had begun his training, but still he thought he'd be able to avoid the detection of a child.

She blinked with big red eyes. "I didn't! There was just this feeling..." she made a face, "I mean... something in the wind... uh… I don't know what it was exactly, but I just had a feeling that there was someone nearby! And I was right! Here you are!"

He sighed, rising to his feet, standing about a head or so over her. He figured she must have been only a couple years younger. "Princess Corrin, even so, it is unwise of you to start shouting like that when you're out here all on your own."

"I'm not all on my own, I have Yama with me," she pointed at the dog who was now trying to chew on his sandals. "And hey! You know me but I don't think I know you! What's your name?!"

He started, dropping back to his knees, "I beg your forgiveness! I've spoken out of turn! My name is Kaze. I am the second born son of Saizo IV from the village of Igasato..."

"Kaze..." the word passed her lips slowly. Her smile was bright in the sunshine, "Kaze! Then you're just like the wind!"

He blinked in surprise, and looked up just in time to see her grab his arm with both her hands. "Wai—wha—!?" With surprisingstrength she yanked him to his feet and started running. He made an effort not to trip.

"Come on!" the dog was bounding after them, yipping, "Let's play together! Come on!"

"Play? I... I don..." his cheeks felt warm. Was it the sun?

She blinked back at him, "What? You don't know how to play? It's easy, come on!" she started dragging him, laughing again. "I found these super pretty flowers that you totally need to see! I just hope the bees are gone now... They scare me a bit, but Ryoma says they won't bother me if I don't bother them, but I don't know…"

Stupefied, and at the mercy of her firm grip, he let himself be carried away.

"Oh! Here they are!" she glanced cautiously about for bees, but finding none, crouched down and started touching the blue flowers gently.

"Er..." Kaze was not entirely sure what to say in this situation. "They are very pretty... I suppose."

She flashed a big smile up at him, "I know! Aren't they just! Hey, I think one would look great on you!"

He blinked. 'On me?'

"Here!" she deftly plucked it from the ground and stood a little on her tip toes to slide it behind his ear. She stepped back a bit, "There you go! You're beautiful!"

The heat on his face... was from the sun, right? "I'm... pleased you think so..."

He felt something tugging on his sandals again and looked down at the dog. It yipped at him.

"Look at this!" Corrin picked it up in her arms, "Yama thinks you're beautiful too! I think he wants to give you a kiss!"

"Wha..." before he could even think of what to say, Corrin lifted the little puppy to his face and it started licking him incessantly. Kaze's face scrunched, "Pffh... pff." He tried to keep smiling.

"Aww! Look how much he loves you!"

"...I'm... pfftfh… f-flattered pff," Kaze tried to turn his head away a little, not wanting to appear too rude.

"You must be a really nice person," mercifully, she set the dog back on the ground.

Kaze blinked, rubbing the slobber off his face, "Pardon?"

"Well, Yama loves you! And since he loves you so much, that must mean you're nice!"

"Er..." Kaze tried to figure out the logic behind that.

"Hey!" Corrin suddenly burst, which almost made him jump. "Do you want to twirl with me?"

Twirl? "I... don't believe I'm familiar with the concept..." Did this have something to do with all the spinning she was doing earlier?

"What!?" Yama barked at the volume of her voice. "You've never twirled before!? Then we need to twirl right now! I mean, like, right now!"

"I... er... would be happy to oblige you if you would explain how to go about it..."

"Oh don't worry! It's the easiest thing in the world! I do it all the time! You just twirl around in a circle for as long and as fast as you can, and then when everything starts to get really spinny you fall back onto the grass!" she twirled once, lightly. "And you can do it with two people too! But I don't twirl too much with other people anymore..."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Well Ryoma thinks it's silly, and Sakura is too small. Hinoka does it too strong and sometimes ends up throwing me, and Takumi just ends up getting so dizzy he gets sick! One time he even puked! But he's usually the only one I can twirl with!" she threw up her hands at a loss.

Kaze smiled, "I see. That does sound troublesome. Then, if you would like, I would be happy to partake in twirling with you."

Her eyes lit up. "Really!? You'll twirl with me!? Yay! I knew you were a nice guy!"

"It would be my honor. Now, how shall we begin? How are we to start?"

"It's easy! Like this!" she grabbed the both of his hands firmly and started to spin.

"Oh..." the motion and the wind made their hair and their clothes flutter and sway, "this isn't so bad..." Kaze voiced his thoughts as the two of them slowly turned. Yama ran around them, barking.

"And now we go faster!"

"Wha—?"

For such a little girl, the Hoshidan princess was surprisingly strong. Kaze almost lost his footing as they picked up speed. He looked at her worriedly, but the princess had the biggest smile on her face that he'd ever seen.

"And now faster!"

Faster!? He could hardly hear her laughter over the sound of rushing wind and the happily yipping dog. Everything in the world beyond her smiling face became a mad blur of green and blue.

"And now... let go!" her small hands slipped out of his grasp. He gasped and tried to reach for her but grabbed only air. He caught a glimpse of her blissful smile as she fell backward and thudded into the grass with a loud 'oof!'

Kaze stumbled back, eyes rolling. "Oh... my..." the world steadied a little, "princess Corrin!" he leant over her quickly, "are you all right!?"

The little girl rolled around in the grass in a fit of mad giggling. Kaze eased a relieved sigh when it seemed she was okay.

"That was...! So... fun!" she choked out, happily kicking her feet. Swiftly she sat up, grass blades and flower petals caught on her hair and clothes. "You're so good at spinning! Are you sure you haven't done this before!? Wait! Did you fall down!? Because you were supposed to fall down too, Kaze!"

"I was?" he blinked, "I fear you neglected to mention that..."

"Oh my gosh!" she sprang up in a flash. "Your flower is gone! Oh no!"

"Oh..." he reached a hand up to touch the spot where it had been. "I hadn't noticed..."

"We gotta find it! Quick!" she looked down at the dog, "Yama, we gotta find it!" it barked back.

Kaze sweat a little. "Hold on a moment now!" Corrin froze mid-step. "I do not think that we will have to look very far," Kaze went on, "there are more than enough flowers around us at present."

Corrin slowly looked around at the many colorful flowers that spotted the grass, blinking as if she hadn't known they'd been there.

"And I think..." he plucked a small white flower from the ground, "you would look far prettier than me with a flower in your hair, princess Corrin. If I may…" and gently slid it behind her ear. "There you are. And what do you know, I was right. You look lovely." His touch, like a breath of wind, brushed her hair aside.

Corrin blinked speechlessly, her cheeks suddenly rosy. The little white dog started yipping and tried to jump up on Corrin's leg.

"See?" Kaze laughed, "Yama thinks so too. He's trying to kiss you now instead of me."

"You know what!?" she burst suddenly, startling both Kaze and the dog. "Yama was right! You're the nicest guy ever!" Too abruptly for him to react to, Corrin clasped her hand on his and started dragging him off again.

"Whoa! W-wai—!"

"Let's play, okay!? All day long! We'll try spinning again, and I'll show you how to do it right this time! Come on! There's all sorts of fun things we can do together! Let's go!"

Kaze's arm hurt a little by how much she was pulling, but his hand in hers was warm. For some reason he found himself smiling, and thought it not so bad to be frivolous if only for a little while. If it was what the little Hoshidan Princess wished for, then he would do his best for her.

Kaze was not exactly sure how much time had passed. Maybe hours, maybe minutes; he didn't pay attention to the position of the sun above them. Honestly it did not even cross his mind to check. However long it was, time went by so unlike how he was used to, with no schedule, no restriction, no training, no standards to meet. He was unaccustomed to this, greatly so perhaps, but for some reason he wasn't quite sure of himself… he felt happy.

He ran through the fields with her, almost struggling to keep up. They sat down when they were tired and made flower necklaces, which was something Kaze had never done before, but Corrin told him he was doing a great job. Yama barked. "See? Yama thinks so too!" they put them over each other's heads. And once they were chased by a bee. Later they played fetch with the dog, and after that they went back to spinning until everything was a blur. He fell back on the grass with her, and it didn't hurt. His laughter joined hers.

For a little while, together with her, he forgot the rest of the world.

"Corrin!" the voice cut through the calm clear as a bell.

Corrin sat up, grass and flower petals falling from her hair. She scrambled to her feet and pat herself off. "That's my mom calling!" she smiled at him brightly in the sunshine, "I guess it's time to go back home."

The white tower-castle of Shirasagi stood proud and tall far across the rolling green fields. Waiting on the back deck, a blur in the distance and light, were two people Kaze distinctly recognized. Dressed in a white robe, with jet black hair swaying in the wind, was Lady Mikoto. One of her hands was cupped around her mouth with the other slowly waving. Beside her with his arms crossed proudly across his chest was King Sumeragi; his great spiked mane of black and white hair was unmistakable and vivid even from so far away.

Kaze nodded, "You'll not want to keep them waiting."

"I had a lot of fun playing and spinning with you, Kaze! Let's do it again sometime, okay? You promise, okay?" she giggled, and straightened the white flower in her hair, as if just to make sure that it was there.

"As you wish it of me, Princess Corrin. I promise that we'll play again sometime soon."

Her smile was almost brighter than the sun. "Great! I can't wait!" she trotted off, swishing through the long grass. "Come on, Yama! Let's go see mom and dad, come on!" the little dog barked, running excitedly in circles around her; Kaze almost couldn't keep up with the little thing.

He watched as Corrin headed off and steadily got more and more distant. Half way back to her parents, she turned around and waved. "Bye, Kaze!" her voice carried on the wind. "Bye! Whoa—! Oof!" Kaze gasped as Corrin tripped and fell face first into the grass. He heard her sputtering, and just before he could dash over to help her, she pulled herself up. "I'm okay!" she stumbled back to her feet and started off again. "Bye, Kaze! Bye bye! Byeee!"

Kaze watched as she ran, without tripping again, all the way back to her family. The wind carried her laughter, a distant echo, as Sumeragi picked the little girl up in his arms and nuzzled her.

"Daddy! Your beard tickles! Waa!"

"Kaze," came a low deep voice at his back. He hadn't even heard—let alone sensed—him approaching.

The young ninja felt himself tense automatically. "Father…" he greeted him without looking back.

There was a short pause filled only with the sound of the breeze and the distant laughing of a girl.

"You've been assigned your first mission."

This caused him to turn. His father stood tall behind him, a deep shadow even under the sun. "Queen Mikoto requested it be you personally. King Sumeragi was also open to the idea. Don't look so worried," his father's voice was low, gruff, but not harsh—it reminded Kaze a bit of his brother. "Not long from now King Sumeragi and a small entourage will be heading to Cheve."

Cheve? Kaze had heard of the place. "But that is in Nohr…" his brow creased.

"Indeed. King Garon has requested peace talks—believe that or not. Young Prince Ryoma and Princess Corrin will be joining King Sumeragi there. You have a place in the entourage as well, as their guard." His father paused, perhaps to gauge a reaction. Kaze tried to keep himself calm on the inside and out, but… what was this fluttering feeling in his chest? "There should be no issue," his father went on, "I expect you to carry out this mission to the full extent of your abilities, Kaze. I know you can do this."

"Of course…" even from far away Kaze could see Corrin vividly. From Sumeragi's arms she smiled happily at her mother, nodding her head and gently touching the flower in her hair—as if to make sure that it was still there. Whatever words the little princess said were lost in the wind.

"I will not fail you."