"...Is thicker than the water of the womb."

At first I fell in love with Nohr because /aesthetic/ but then the story really sucked me in, and the characters are so nice and complex, it's a blast!

This is rushed as hell tbh, came out in a whim. It's exactly 2:45AM and I'm too tired and inpatient to fix typos and grammar mistakes. English isn't my first language so there is that, too.

Also, dunno if there will be a second chapter or will leave it as an Oneshot. Eh. Most likely will stay a Oneshot, oh well.

Enjoy.

"Ryoma! Withdraw your troops."

She can feel the surprised, betrayed stare of Ryoma burning her body to ashes. The eyes filled with disbelief of the Hoshidan siblings are tearing holes in her heart as she stands her ground besides Xander.

The Hoshidan prince stares at her for half a second before reacting, jerking his head slightly in denial, his voice breaking for less than a seconds as he speaks. The rest of his siblings- Their siblings- are staring at her with equal disbelief.

"I-It can't be. You don't mean that Corrin. You cannot possibly!"

The princess bites her lip, something icy grasping at her gut and heart and twisting painfully over and over. She tries her best to numb the sensation and stares straight at her older brother by blood, her own stance wavering just slightly as her fingers curl uselessly around the hilt of Yato.

"...I'm sorry Ryoma, but I will not fight for Hoshido."

The words are carried by the wind, leaving an unpleasant taste in her tongue as they float over towards the family of brunettes and redheads. Hinoka's expressions is one of utter betrayal and sadness, seeing her little sister walk away from her and towards the enemy as they had just got her back.

Takumi's expression is one of shock, then pure loathing. His breath hitches just a little when he shoots her with a poisonous glare and his fingers twitch, itching to grab his bow and arrow.

And Sakura, the youngest Hoshidan royal is a mess of silent sobs as she stares, tears running down her cheeks as her grip on her staff weakens and waivers.

"How can you say that?! Open your eyes! Can you not see how vile those Nohrians are?!"

Ryoma's words are filled with hatred, almost begging to her to come to her senses and run back towards the kingdom of white. Though Corrin's heart lurches in pain at the same time her blood boils little by little.

'They're not vile.'

"It's not that simple…"

The images of queen Mikoto, her mother, come rushing to her mind. Her kind smile swept away in less than a second, her expression of utter pain and realization as the rocks pierced through her abdomen, her worry-filled voice ringing in her ears."

'Tell me you're okay…'

'I-I am..."

"I know what the Nohrian kingdom has done to Hoshido is unforgivable…" The princess answer in a thick voice, trying not to break down in front of her family, of both of them, she does not wants to do this, she doesn't wants to fight.

"And I know that these are not my brothers and sisters by birth."

They're not. There was always a nagging thought in her head that she was quite different from her Nohrian siblings. Things going beyond the slightly pointed ears and the soft pink, almost white hair instead of her siblings blonde or purple locks. She was different.

But she didn't care, because they loved her.

And she loved them in return.

"Yet even still, I must side with them. My heart won't allow me to do otherwise."

It won't. She wouldn't forgive herself if she did, she would rather be slain by her siblings that raise her sword against them.

"How can you fight alongside those monsters after what they did?!" He roars, the army behind him slowly coming at the ready. "Now that you know of their sins, how can you possibly justify joining them?"

She bristles, red eyes blurr with frustrated tears as soon as Ryoma's words leave his lips. She wants to yell, to scream until her throat is sore that none of her siblings did any of this, that this was her sore fault.

'They did not!' She wants to yell at the top of her lungs. 'They're my siblings! They didn't do any of this! They were looking for me, don't blame them!'

"You are a princess of Hoshido! You are my sister!"

"But…"

The princess shakes her head, her teeth clenched and her grip on Yato grows tighter with every second, a traitorous thought crossing over her head that she can't deny, no matter how much she tries to.

'But you're a stranger to me.'

She feels like crying, because it's true. The short while she stayed at Hoshido with queen Mikoto and her siblings opened her eyes to her bloodline. The family who shared flesh and blood with her was suddenly at her side and happy to have her back. They spoke of memories, or tales and events they had together. Things she cannot remember for the life of her.

It broke her, but she truly felt among strangers, instead of reconnecting with her long lost family.

'I'm sorry.'

"They are to blame for you not growing up with us as you were meant to!" Ryoma's words are a bit more than a buzz in her head, she feels faint. "Do you truly mean to fight for those who stole you away?"

"Ryoma…"

Her breath hitches, and Corrin takes a wobbly step back before looking back at Xander. His face stoic as ever as he looked at her, yet his eyes showed something akin to sorrow, nervousness and hope, all mixed in one piercing look as he offers a tight lipped smile.

He mutters something under his breath, and over all the buzzing the words 'Little princess' are all but a whisper that luckily reaches her ears.

"I…"

And suddenly she remembers.

She remembers Xander's reassurance and confidence in her, staying by her side since young age, how she always hid behind him and he stood firm when she was scared, the nickname 'Little Princess' leaving his mouth and making her smile up at him.

Camilla's gentle words and pampering, how she would sing lullabies to her when she was younger, of gentle fingers caressing her hair as she napped on her lap and kissed her cheeks and the crow of her head tenderly.

Leo's quiet compliments, sudden memories of him helping her learn how to read and write, of reading her books after books even after she fell asleep and covering her with a soft blanket as best as he could, making a small cocoon for the both of them.

Elise's sweet smile, meeting her when she was just a few months old and she was pink all over with soft tufts of blonde hair. As soon as she learned to walk her tiny hand would soon enough start taking hers and pull along when her baby sister wanted to show her something.

She remembers nothing of her Hoshidan kin, but the memories of her Nohrian childhood are present and dearly stored into the very bottom of her heart.

And suddenly she knows, though she always did in the first place.

"I will not abandon the only family I have ever known."

Because they're her family. They showed her a love so strong that she sometimes just got lost on it, they made her happy, so happy, that some days she thought she would burst.

They're her siblings, her family, even if there wasn't a single link of blood between them and her, she didn't care. They didn't care.

She would never raise her sword to them, no matter how much it may hurt to go against Hoshido, she couldn't have it any other way.

Corrin blinks tears away and takes a deep, shaky breath.

Her family was in Nohr, and she would pick them over anything else, even over those tied to her by birth.