Many of my thoughts center around Nohr visiting Hoshido, or both meeting at Valla, I guess because I can picture the Nohrians in Hoshido faster than I can the other way around. So I gave myself a little challenge, to write of the Hoshidans in Nohr.
Nohr was a much different place than Hoshido. Caeldori had learned that much when the two countries were warring. Now that the fighting had settled down, the countries were trying very hard to make peace and a lasting relationship between them, aided in part by the founding of a third country, Valla. It did not hurt to have the countries united over the new king of Valla, Corrin. Corrin had been raised among the Nohrians, though his mother had married into the Hoshidan royal family, and he served as a common bond.
It was not only the landscape and climate, but the castle itself was also a new place to the young Pegasus Knight. She found herself lost in dim halls and once wound up completely turned around to the point of stumbling across a room she had first left. She had tried not to act lost, and resisted the urge to ask for help. She would not allow a simple layout to confuse her so!
In her efforts to grow accustomed to Castle Krakenburg, she stumbled across the library.
She stepped inside and looked around. It could certainly use a scrub down. It was clear to her she was not the first person to step foot in there in some time, as there were foot prints on the floor, but it was also obvious cleaning the library was not on someone's priority list. Why would it have been? There had been a war to fight, which left little room for leisurely reading. She gave thought to cleaning up the library herself during her visit, but it was not her place to do such.
While she was there, she could at least look for something to read. And if she happened to need to clear some dust to do so, then Caeldori was sure no one would mind.
She took a timid step into the room and looked around. Not only were there shelves among shelves, but books had also been stack haphazardly. What she was hoping to find was beyond her. Could she even find anything in the library? As she approached the shelves, kicking up little clouds of dust as she went, she realized there was at least a bit of order to it. To her left were stacks of books on Nohrian history. While it would be a wise read, she was looking for some lighter reading.
Further beyond the history books, she found shelves upon shelves of tomes. She had little interest in magic itself, but the sheer numbers impressed her. She reached for a shelf, then pulled her hand away quickly as she noticed a dark stain on the shelf.
"Maybe I shouldn't be in here," Caeldori whispered to the empty room. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck start to stand. What had she expected to find, anyway?
She turned away from the tomes, a little afraid to turn her back on them, and glanced around. The shelves were a mix of organization and chaos. As she went further into the shelves, she noticed the order became lost. Her need to tidy overcame the uneasy brought on by the tomes and the mysterious stain. She bent to pick up a few fallen books. Before she returned them to the shelves, Caeldori took a peek to see what each was about. There was a book of maps, one about textiles and weaving, and a third was children's stories. The children's storybook won her over. She placed that one on an empty shelf to take with her to her room; the other two were returned on separate shelves.
She returned to the heap on the floor and picked up a few more. A book with recipes could prove to be a good insight on Nohrian foods, but she shelved it after a moment of consideration. There was another cookbook under that, this one full of desserts. Under that, she found a book with the title Forgotten Desires. She was curious. Was that... a steamy romance novel? She thumbed through the pages and quickly realized it was exactly what she thought it was. She hesitated before placing it on the storybook. Wouldn't it seem odd to have two different books with her?
She bent to the rest of the pile before the shelves, now eager to dig through it. The Waltz of the Thorns, Unwilling Soul, and Night of Flame soon joined her stack. There were more books on the floor, but Caeldori was not even sure she could finish the ones she had picked up. Her cheeks burned bright pink at the thought of asking if she could borrow them and have them delivered back to Nohr once she was done.
She grabbed them from the shelves. The children's storybook she had lost interest in, but after a moment's hesitation, she placed it on top of her stack in an effort to conceal the other titles should anyone come across her.
As she emerged from behind the shelves, she heard a creaking noise. The door swung open and Prince Siegbert peered inside. "Oh, Caeldori!" He seemed genuinely surprised to see her. "I was wondering if someone was in here. The door was ajar."
"I'm sorry, I thought I had shut it. I was just leaving, if you don't mind me borrowing a few books?"
"That's what they're here for," Siegbert insisted.
The two of them exchanged nervous chuckles. Caeldori held her selections clutched to her chest. She thanked Siegbert as he held the door open for her to pass. 'Oh, gods, please don't let him offer to carry these books! I do not want to find out if it is possible of die of embarrassment!'
What Siegbert offered was to escort her back to her room. She was relieved by the offer; Caeldori had no intention of letting Siegbert know the reason she had stumbled across the library was because she had been lost in the first place!
As he led her down the hall she was certain she had come in the first place, Siegbert asked, "What do you think of it here, Caeldori?"
"I like it here," she said softly. She would sneak a quick glance every now and then at the young prince out of the corner of her eye. 'Gods, he's handsome,' she thought. "It's certainly different from Hoshido, but that's not a terrible thing. It would be boring if everywhere was the same as everywhere else."
She wanted to run back to the library and hide. Was she babbling? She hoped not!
When she glanced at him again, Siegbert appeared to be mulling over her answer. "When we travel to Hoshido, I'm always amazed at how green and vibrant everything is. Our countries do have their differences, and not just our landscapes and climate." He then smiled for her. "I'm glad you like it here."
Caeldori turned away so he would not see her blushing. She wanted to say something, but even if she knew what to say, she was certain no words would come out of her mouth. She shifted her borrowed books in her arms as she followed him down another corridor. She had completely passed by it earlier. No wonder she could not find her room!
"I should apologize for the state of the library," Siegbert said. "Right now, it isn't a priority. I've been trying to organize it whenever I go inside. I think my uncle and I are the only people to really step foot in there."
"You have nothing to apologize for. I don't think you expected anyone to go there."
It was Siegbert's turn to show his embarrassment. He rubbed the back of his neck and admitted as such, then promised that, if she chose to come back to Nohr, he would make sure the library was spotless. She wanted to tell him that he did not have to do that, but she knew he would probably start cleaning it first thing in the morning.
He stopped in front of a door in the middle of the hall. "I think this is your room," he said softly.
Caeldori took one hand off her books and opened the door. She glanced inside and confirmed it was. "How did you know?" she asked, a hint of awe in her voice.
Siegbert looked away, embarrassed again. "I'm supposed to know these things, aren't I? It's not just my father serving as your host, it's the entire country of Nohr, myself included."
"That's a sweet way to look at this." Earlier, she wanted to find her room. Now that she was there, Caeldori wished she was not. It meant Siegbert would leave. Even if he did, she had to at least remember her manners. "Thank you, Siegbert."
A sudden sense of bravery seized her. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. Or she would have, had Siegbert not turned his head to address her as she did. As soon as their lips met, Caeldori felt close to fainting. It had been an accident! Why had she become so brave at that moment?
She began to take a step back, but she could not as Siegbert pulled her closer, returning the kiss. Her books slid from her grasp as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They fell to the floor with a thump and rustle of pages.
Their kiss lasted a few seconds, but to Caeldori, it felt like an eternity. When Siegbert broke it, they were both blushing. He started to speak, then turned away from her. "I - I'm sorry," he mumbled as he released her. He noticed the fallen books on the floor and bent to retrieve them.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Caeldori stammered. Siegbert stood and handed her the books without looking at them.
"I overstepped," he continued.
Caeldori shook her head. "If anyone overstepped, it was me. I started it, but I'm very glad you..." she trailed off, her cheeks burning again. Siegbert looked surprised, then he smiled warmly at her. She smiled back. "Let's leave it at that, shall we?" she asked timidly. She did not want him to leave, but neither of them seemed to be sure of what to say next.
"Yes," Siegbert agreed. "Good night, Caeldori."
"Good night, Siegbert."
She watched him retreat down the hall. Her heart fluttered as he stopped at the end to glance back at her. She then returned to her room and shut the door. A sigh escaped her lips as she finally gave into the wobbly feeling in her knees. She leaned her back against the door and slid down it, the books clutched to her chest. No amount of romance novels could top her first kiss.