The sky had been clearing up over Castle Shirasagi's town. Perhaps today hadn't been the best day for King Xander's visit from Nohr. Still, the man laughed it off and told his companion that he'd seen far worse weather; a bit of rain couldn't put a damper on his day.
What might have had that effect, however, were the protesters. Queen Hinoka had been doing her best to ignore them, but looking at the blonde's face next to her, she saw a man clearly beginning to lose his morale. He did his best to smile and wave professionally in spite of the growing jeers.
Hinoka signaled to her driver to stop, then watched as the procession likewise stopped behind her. The crowd fell silent.
"...Queen Hinoka?" Xander asked.
She stood up in the carriage and glared at the crowd before them. "Listen up!" she shouted. "King Xander is a guest of the Hoshidan royal family!"
"Murderer!" one of the townspeople yelled back. "He's a murderer!"
"Do you feel nothing for King Ryoma!? For Prince Takumi!?"
Hinoka shuffled uncomfortably where she stood. "He is... He is to be treated with the utmost respect! I will not tolerate anything less!"
Another citizen threw something, a piece of fruit, it looked like, at Xander. He moved swiftly out of the way, though it would've missed anyway. A Hoshidan guard immediately grabbed the man and handcuffed him.
"...Queen Hinoka..." the Nohrian king whispered.
Hinoka sighed, sat back down, and told her driver to keep moving. Though her demand had quieted the crowd some, there was still the occasional yell from the people as they rode by.
Unfortunately, the fruit throwing incident was little more than an ill presage of things to come. Xander had grown accustomed to seeking out danger during the war, and he noticed out of the corner of his eye a man with a bow and arrow on top of one of the buildings. He readied his bow, until a quick green blur encompassed him. The figure fell to the ground, dead. Xander made a mental note to thank Kaze later, as well as to thank Corrin for sending him.
Xander looked right to his companion. Most of the populace hadn't noticed anything wrong, but Hinoka's eyes were clearly fixated on where the would-be assassin was. She'd noticed the man, just as Xander had. They exchanged a brief glance, then Hoshido's queen looked away, ashamed. The rest of the carriage ride passed by in silence, neither ruler wanting to alarm the populace.
The group gathered inside Castle Shirasagi's reception room. Queen Hinoka, her retainers, King Xander, his sole retainer Peri, and several dignitaries from both countries shuffled and found their seats at the table. There were whispers here and there; some of the Nohrians mentioned the word "assassin," while a few of the Hoshidans discussed the "brutality of the Nohrian guards." Xander dismissed his head of security, saying he'd rather talk about the incident in private.
Hinoka glared at all of them, her brow furrowed. "Leave," she demanded. The dignitaries stared dumbfounded at her. Her scowl told them how seriously she meant it. "I will not ask a second time. I wish to speak to King Xander alone."
The Hoshidans cleared out quickly, while the Nohrians followed hesitantly. Hinoka was perhaps not known for her patience, and the events of the day had clearly worn on her.
After a brief pause, she sighed. "...I am... I'm so sorry about all of this, King Xander."
"...Your people have every right to be angry with me." Xander took his seat again and closed his eyes.
It had been seven long months since the end of the war between Nohr and Hoshido. Xander and Hinoka had quickly been crowned king and queen of their respective countries, and though both had been eager to carve a new path of peace between the two, relations were tense. The people of Hoshido by and large resented Nohr for their invasion. Even Hinoka held something of a grudge, though she at least recognized that Xander's desire for peace was genuine.
"I'd meant for today to be something of a celebration," she said. "I-I'm not naive enough to think there wouldn't be some dissent, but an assassination plot!?" By now, Hinoka's fists were clenched and her knuckles white. "W-what kind of queen am I if I can't keep my guests safe from my own people!?"
"You cannot blame yourself for today's events. Few people understand the burden of ruling a country," Xander began. "I won't pretend to understand how much pressure you, personally, must be under, but you must not lose faith."
"How can you say that!? How can you be so... So... So calm!?"
"...My father was not a popular ruler..." The blonde rubbed his temples in thought. "Such plots were commonplace as I was growing up. I've come to expect that part of royal life."
When he set his hand back on the table, Hinoka noticed it shake ever so slightly. Barely apparent, unless one was looking for it. As soon as Xander became aware of what he was doing, he forced himself to stop.
Hinoka knew about the impostor Garon; Corrin had told her the entire story. Still, she also knew Xander's relationship with his father was... Complicated, to say the least.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."
Xander smiled. "I... I hold no love for the monster that took my father's place. ...But it's hard to erase so many years of being groomed to replace him."
The two shared a certain unspoken bond as rulers. They were truly the only people on the planet who could understand the pressure the other was under, and as such, Hinoka was one of the few people Xander felt he could be honest around.
Hoshido's queen nodded wordlessly.
"The fact that you are so shocked by today's events speaks well of you, and your country."
Hinoka scoffed and sat next to her companion. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'll need more than words to get anywhere." She shook her head, cast her eyes downward, and laughed to herself. "...King Xander... I... The people deserve a better ruler than me."
"They do," he agreed. Hinoka looked back at him almost shocked. She'd expected more words of encouragement, not a concession. "Queen Hinoka... The people deserve a perfect ruler. They deserve nothing less. But such an individual does not exist."
Hinoka nodded. She brushed her striking red hair back and relaxed.
"What would a perfect queen of Hoshido be like?" Xander asked.
"...She would be strong... Compassionate... Wise... She would do everything she could to benefit her people."
Nohr's king smiled. He patted Hinoka on the shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "Be that person. ...It will be hard. You will falter. You will make mistakes. Those mistakes will cost people their lives. You will never be a perfect ruler. But I look into your eyes and I see nothing but sheer determination. And as long as you use that passion to serve your country, you will be a great queen."
Hinoka smiled back at him. She moved his hand off her shoulder and stood up. "Thank you," she mouthed silently. She walked out of the room and returned with the rest of their party, who all quickly returned to their places.
The meeting went smoothly. There was ultimately little grumbling; nearly all of the details of the trade agreement had been worked out in advance. Today's signing had been mostly a formality.
With the meeting finished, Hinoka led Xander on a personal tour of the castle. He'd been invited to stay as a guest at the palace during his visit to Hoshido. Once he was out of earshot, she made a point to assign additional guards to the section of the palace he'd be staying in.
After showing Xander to his room, Hinoka went alone to the throne room. On the wall were the Raijinto and the Fujin Yumi, the royal weapons of Hoshido. Hinoka took her brother's blade off of the wall and held it in her hands. She turned it over several times, and began to wonder what Ryoma would have said about her rule.