Azura sat on the stones, her feet dangling into the shallows. It was past dinner, and she was supposed to be getting rest, like the others. Yet she found herself drawn to the edges of the castle, to the scattering of small lakes and rivers that surrounded the strange astral castle.
She swirled a bare foot in the water, enjoying the cool, gentle waves. She sighed, at peace.
"Oh, hey Az!"
Azura shrieked, her hand flying to her lance, which had been left on a rock only a few feet away.
"Hey! Hey!" Corrin yelled, his hands up in surrender. "It's only me!"
Azura paused, her hand wrapped around the hilt of the lance. She stared at Corrin a moment, then relaxed and let go of the weapon.
"Sorry for that, I thought you would have heard me coming. It's... quiet..." Corrin said, his eyes flashing to Azura's feet in the water, admiring her frame in the moonlight.
"Try to make a little more noise next time." Azura huffed. "You seem to make a habit of... spying on me." She flushed.
Corrin's face lit up burning red. "You know I don't mean it!" He pouted. "It's... I like talking to you, right? And this is the best place to find you, so I'm always searching around the lakes and stuff..."
Azura raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps I don't wish to be found?" She said, her face a mask of blank emotions. "Perhaps I wanted to be left alone, with my own thoughts?"
Corrin opened his mouth, but only look down at his feet, toes wiggling in the grass. "I'm sorry..." He sighed, disappointed. "I'll just... head back."
Azura shook her head and beckoned him closer, to which Corrin happily obliged. He shuffled along the rocks, careful to keep his toes out of the water. Azura may have a certain affinity for it, but he would rather stay warm and dry.
"Hey, Az?" Corrin asked, sitting on a rock beside her, both looking out over the shimmering lake.
"Yes?"
"Why do you like water so much?"
Azura let out a sad chuckle. "The people from- from my home... they were the water equivalent of the Flame Tribe, or the Wind Tribe. They could manipulate the water, to raise or lower the temperature. My mother told me we were strong allies with the Ice tribe, once."
Azura took a deep breath. "I suppose I like water so much because it is something from my homeland, a memento of my people..."
"Are you the last?" Corrin asked hesitantly, knowing he was straying into dangerous territory. He didn't want to push too far, to make her close up and say no more.
"I..." Azura swallowed, her eyes glancing up to the moon. "I'd hope not... but it appears that I... am."
Corrin reached out and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry, I keep disturbing you like this... first with sneaking up on you and now this talk of..."
Azura said nothing, instead taking comfort in the half-dragon's warm hand.
...
A sudden ribbit interrupted the two. Corrin felt Azura tense, her entire frame going still.
A frog jumped from the water, landing on a smaller rock near Azura's feet. Corrin smiled, enjoying the little animal. Azura, on the other hand, scrambled backwards, her legs curling to her chest as she tried to get as far away as possible.
Corrin grinned. "Do you not like frogs, Azura?"
Azura shot him a deadly glare, but another ribbit drew her attention. Her mouth drew into a thin line, fear flashing in her eyes.
"Azura?"
The frog leaped closer to the two. Azura screamed. Corrin almost laughed, until Azura shot backwards, practically leaping over the rocks to get away. She stood on the bank of the lake, looking back the ten feet to Corrin, calmly, albeit confused, sitting comfortably.
Corrin chuckled and tried, failing, to hide his grin. He stood and focused, hand tapping the dragonstone in his hip pouch. A flash of light consumed the boy, until a great dragon stood. It roared. The very earth shaking. Waves rushed away from the beast, until Corrin roared again.
The frog simply stared at Corrin, head cocked. After a few seconds, it hopped on its merry way, eastwards along the lake shore.
Corrin shifted back into his human self, still smiling.
Azura bit her lip, looking both ashamed and irritated.
"It's okay Az..." Corrin laughed, holding his arms at his side. "I'm your knight in shining armour!"
Azura stared at Corrin for a heartbeat before spinning and marching deep into the forest.
"Az... Azura! Azura!" Corrin chased after her.