Holding Hands
Corrin tried to slow his breathing as he hid behind the large curtain. His back was pressed to the window, the darkness outside more comforting than the atmosphere inside the Northern Fortress. He, along with the other children, were being hunted.
He had heard Jakob earlier, his cries of defeat made Corrin's heart beat so fast he couldn't hear much else. Since then, it had been silence. Corrin tried so hard to remain silent, going as far as to muffle his mouth with the back of his hand.
There!
Somewhere to his left, he heard something. It sounded like...breathing? Corrin's heart jumped to his throat. Was it his hunter? Carefully, Corrin reached up and pulled the curtain to the side so he could see into the hallway.
The dark stone was light by a few, sparse candles. A red plush carpet lined the floor, a splash of colour in the otherwise bleak fortress. Corrin glanced around, there was no sign of what made the noise.
Suddenly, a small head of blue hair appeared from behind a standing suit of armour. Flora! Corrin watched as the servant-in-training tiptoed into the middle of the hallway, eyes shifting around nervously. She had her back to Corrin, the hem of her dress bunched into one hand.
A door opened down the hall, the slam of the wood making Corrin jump. Flora, still unaware of the prince's presence, muffled a scream with both her hands. The tell-tale clank of armour told Corrin all he needed to know; their hunter was close.
Corrin reached out and took Flora's wrist, tugging her behind the curtain. He quickly placed a hand over her mouth, whispering for her to be silent. The prince reached down and interlocked his hand with hers, squeezing once. Flora nodded back silently, and stood close to Corrin as they both crowded in the small window well. Behind them, a bolt of lightning cracked the sky.
The heavy footsteps of the hunter drew close, a slow and methodical rhythm that only made Corrin shake with nervousness. Beside him, Flora closed her eyes and tightened her grip on Corrin's hand.
The sounds drew closer and closer, until Corrin could practically feel the hunter just of the other side of the curtain. He glanced over at Flora, the shorter girl staring right back at him with wide eyes. Corrin nodded once, a shaky smile and a quick squeeze to Flora's hand the only source of comfort he could give.
"There you are!" A deep voice yelled out as an armoured hand tore the curtain away from the two children.
"AHH!"
"KYYA!"
The two ran for it, hand-in-hand, as Gunter chased them down the hallway. Corrin shot a look over his shoulder as he practically dragged Flora behind him. He smiled widely, and she smiled back. And, just for a moment, Corrin felt a strange feeling rise in his chest.
