The most tragic part of the subsequent events was that it was inevitable.
Even without considering her background, Corrin was quite an attractive catch. Her complaisant personality coupled with her sweet naivety frequently captured even the most fortified of hearts to the exasperation of her brothers and sisters, as if they had not succumbed to the exact same thing themselves. Had it not been such an endearing part of her personality, they would've done their best to disabuse her unsuspecting preconceptions of the world.
Leave her be, they'd think, spying upon her childish games with her Ice Tribe maids, let her remain that paradoxical form of alluring and innocence.
Eventually one of the maids would catch sight of them. And then Corrin would spin and run unhesitantly towards their bloodstained arms.
Leave her unspoiled by the sins of this world.
Her loving smile and warmth. Her unconditional love which never fails to encompass their hearts every time they had the opportunity to visit her… Perhaps from the very beginning, she was already their most cherished treasure.
And so, with every visit they found themselves reaffirming that vow again and again over the years.
To protect her.
From those who seek to harm her.
Those who seek to use her.
And those who seek to take her from them.
They knew that it would have to happen one day. Really.
It was the appearance of the Abominable Silas that served as a harsh reminder that nothing gold can stay. That even without the truth coming to light, one day they would be forced to give up their darling little princess.
To their eyes, it was as clear as day that like many others before him, the young noble had fallen to the charms of their sister. Normally this would serve as a source of amusement between them, however they were more than aware that That Boy had an abnormally good standing with their beloved sister. And old clichés suggest boy and girl would fall in love and ride off away from them.
Thankfully, despite their fears, Corrin seemed to take Silas's almost fervent devotion in stride (then again; considering the nature of her butler, they supposed it couldn't be all that surprising...) and remained oblivious to the cause of her best friend's attachment.
Even more thankfully, in his move to please their sister, Silas prompted his own removal from her life.
And they breathed easily once more.
They weren't ready to let her go just yet.
That Boy had open their eyes. They could not afford to dawdle.
If they wanted to keep their most coveted treasure by their side, they would have to act proactively. It didn't matter that it would be years before Corrin would take an interest in anyone. It was too important. They must pre-emptively take down the competition before it even began. Before it was too late.
And so, they began to plan and scheme and plot.
And they began to act.
And the world became that much more terrified of the Nohrian Royal Family.
They thought they had it under control.
Xander had it all planned out.
As Crown Heir, he possessed authority over the Kingdom.
Although he couldn't keep his little princess by his side -couldn't contradict any of Father's orders-, it was well within his rights during his frequent visits to the north, to suggest matches between anyone who stared a little too long at his sister and the next eligible passer-by. Honestly. One could even argue that taking such interest in the affairs of his future subjects is an integral part of his role as the future King of Nohr.
Obviously, his suggestions were not taken lightly. (Corrin was always gleefully pleased to be invited to said weddings). And if the Kingdom saw an influx of startling marriages in the north, they knew better than to comment on it.
Those in the Northern Fortress who managed to excuse themselves during Prince Xander's visits fell to the combined forces of Camilla and Elise. Unlike Xander, who had various duties, lessons, and obligations to tend to, Elise and Camilla were more free to perform spontaneous visits to the north.
Camilla took a certain sadistic pleasure to seducing away the would-be suitors and then crushing their hopes at even trying for her hand. (Corrin just assumed her elder sister was very popular; and objected rather ironically to the idea of Camilla being married off.)
Elise clung by Corrin's side. Visitors to the Northern Fortress soon found that during the Princess's visits, it was impossible to catch the resident Princess alone. And then they found out Elise kept very few secrets from her siblings. And found themselves heartbroken, or married to the last person they expected. Or heartbroken and married to the last person they expected.
Leo simply used her would-be suitors as target practice. (The rest of his siblings were not surprised the idea originated from his more questionable retainer.)
That all possibilities had been fended off.
By their combined efforts, over the next few years they were able to enjoy the company of Corrin without worries.
And then Corrin was let out of the Northern Fortress.
And then she got kidnapped.
And then the war started.
They thought they still had plenty of time.
Despite the war; despite Father's demands; despite the long and relentless campaign, they were glad to be able to be by Corrin's side continuously for such a long duration of time.
War meant little time for romance. Commander in war had no time for romance. In all the brutalities which resulted, they found respite in not having to contend with individuals with romantic interest in Corrin too.
The campaign gave them time to know Corrin. After all, it was one thing to make many visits to a sibling and entirely something else to live with them side by side.
That was-
They had a ritual, once a week, of spending the afternoon together. (Elise had loving dubbed it bonding time). The few hours were spent frivolously, they found, was very effective in ensuring a clean mindset in their work during the week. Occasionally the time would be spent playing chess or reading, however with the increasing pressures from the war effort, much of their afternoons together turned into training sessions.
Today Corrin was late, again. Sympathetic of her duties as commander of the army, they never really rebuked her for her tendency to be late – not that it spared her from their loving teasing.
Like many weeks before, they set out to find their errant sibling. This time she was in front of the berry fields, caught up in conversation with Leo's retainer. They prepared to walk up to her.
Then their gaze fell on the blush on her face. And froze.
-until her heart had already been stolen from under their noses.
In hindsight, they should probably have known that war wouldn't be a big deterrent in love.
End.