A Fire Emblem Fates/If story, based on Jakob(Joker) and Corrin(Kamui). Decided to make it a chapter story, since there was a lot I wanted to bring into it. Hopefully you all enjoy it, and thank you for taking the time to read it!
Chapter 1
The soft sound of music seemed to be drifting into her room, and woke her from her sleep. She slowly leaned up on her elbow and turned her head towards the door, wondering if the sound was a dream. She stood up and wrapped a robe around herself, than looked toward the window. Apparently it was still dark outside; the moon was low and stars still glistened behind the clouds as a slight snow was falling. Granted the sky was always dark and snowy around Castle Krackenberg, but she was still able to distinguish night from day.
She opened her door as silently as she could so as not to draw the attention of the service staff; she really did not want to be lectured for breaking any rules. She tipped-toed into the hall and closed her door slowly, than looked around for the location of the sound. She walked further down the hall and through the foyer, looking up for a moment to admire the large ceiling windows that were slowly being covered with snow. She scurried her way past a few lazy guards watching the stairs leading to her Father's bedroom, and found herself in the hall where most of the staff were housed. The sound was getting louder as she stepped further down the hall, and noticed a door was cracked open where the music was flowing from. She stiffened.
That was his room.
She knew he would most definitely scold her if he caught her, but curiosity got the better of her. She crept up to the door and peeked through. He was sitting on the edge of his bed where she could see his profile from the light given off by a lantern lit on his desk. His vest was all the way opened and his shirt was unbuttoned to the middle of his chest. His silver hair was completely down; something she had never seen before. His eyes were closed as he knowingly ran the strings of a bow along his violin. The music was sweet, but somber. It was entrancing her so much that she didn't notice him open his eyes and connect them with hers.
"Come in if you wish, milady," he said, closing his eyes again and not missing a beat in his melody. She blinked several times, embarrassment rushing to her face at being caught, but she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She sat shyly on his desk chair, and watched his fingers move along the neck of the violin. They were nimble and knowing, each note precise. He ended the melody with a long note and gently pulled the bow away from the strings, than opened his eyes and looked at her. "Well," he said, putting the violin in his lap, "what did you think?"
She stared for a moment, so enthralled with not only the music but with him in general. His face looked so much softer and he looked so relaxed compared to his usual stern and stoic presence. His clothing was rather messy compared to how proper he always kept himself, and his hair looked absolutely touchable. Ever since he was first brought to the castle to be a butler for her family, he had always been so...pristine. With Gunter's teachings and lecturing, she was sure. Seeing him now, in this scene, made him seem so much more approachable. She continued to stare until the clearing of his throat brought her back to attention and she responded to him with a simple, "Hm?" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "With all due respect, milady, you really should learn to pay better attention when someone is asking you a question." She rubbed the back of her head and bit her lip, looking down. "Sorry, Jakob," she mumbled, and he sighed deeply.
"No, Master Corrin, excuse me for over-stepping. I just requested your opinion on my playing. It really is not my place to even ask that. Forgive me for waking you," he said as he stood, placed a hand across his chest, and bowed. She stood and shook her head. "No please, Jakob, don't apologize. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude to you. I was just so lost in your music. It was absolutely lovely." She gave him a sweet smile, and he looked at her in awe. "You grace me with your kindness and compliment, milady," he said, bowing again. She waved her hand in a minimal dismissal. "You don't need to be so formal with me! Just be yourself. And you can call me by my name," she said, giggling.
The look of sheer horror on his face after she said that caught her off guard. "Wh-what?" she mumbled. "My liege," he began shakily, "you are royalty! There is no way I could be so informal as you request! Why, your father would have my head on a silver platter!" He threw his hands up for emphasis and clamped them to his cheeks. This time she laughed whole-heartedly, covering her mouth the stifle the noise. "Oh please, my Father wouldn't do anything of that sort. Especially if I spoke with him." She sat on the edge of his bed and picked up his violin, running her fingers gently on the strings, while he still mumbled to himself about how her Father was going to string him up like trapped game. He turned to her to explain further how her idea was completely horrid, but as he saw her sitting there, the words died in his throat.
Her robe was opened, as one sleeve was hanging off her shoulder. Her nightgown was sheer, but not revealingly so. The light caught in her hair, making it look so touchable. The thoughts building in his head were quickly shaken out and he cleared his throat again, crossing his hands behind his back. "Well, milady-"
"Corrin."
He tried very hard not to glare at her. "Lady Corrin, this has been a lovely visit. But if you would be so kind as to-"
"Could you play another song for me?"
He blinked several times, surprised. "Excuse me?"
She giggled, and held out the violin to him. "Looks like you also need to learn to pay attention when people ask you something," she teased. This time he didn't hold back the glare and took the violin from her hands with a little more force than he meant to. "I heard you," he mumbled, and put the violin up to his chin. She sat back on his bed and brought her legs up to cross them underneath her, leaning her elbows on her knees to place her face in her hands. The look of excitement on her face gave him a twinge of nerves in his stomach. "I've...never really played in front of anyone before, to be completely honest," he confessed, shifting, noticeably uncomfortable. "Really? But you play so well," she remarked with sincerity. He shrugged slightly. "My parents forced me to learn when I was young. I never really wanted to play, but it soon grew on me. Helps me gather my thoughts."
She frowned to herself; she remembered over-hearing Flora and Felicia, two of the servicing maids, talk about stories they heard involving Jakob's family. They were apparently very cold and unloving parents, abandoning Jakob at a rather young age, and this caused him to be a rather black sheep in the village. Many people refused to hire him for even the smallest jobs, since he seemed to not be good at anything; which she honestly found incredibly hard to believe, given how well he took to being a butler for her family and how immense his work ethic was. But, despite being so good at his job, several people in the castle were cold and cruel to him, because of his upbringing. She saw it all too often.
While she was drowning in her thoughts again, he had begun playing a soft, slow song. He had let her see him play a bit already, why not play another, he figured. When the song registered with her, she closed her eyes to the music and swayed with it. She had heard it somewhere before, but she really could not place it. It was so hauntingly familiar. Something in the music caused her to stand, and she began to slowly dance small circles around his room. Jakob watched her, his eyes following her dance. Her eyes were closed and a huge smile was splayed on her face, and it made his heart happy. She seemed to truly be enjoying the music. He didn't want the moment to ever end.
When he finally hit the last note, she came to a graceful stop in front of him, smiled warmly, and bowed. He bowed as well, smiling in return. She practically beamed at him.
"You hardly ever smile, Jakob. Please do so more often."
His face flushed and he was completely taken aback. "W-well," he started, running a nervous hand through his hair, "tonight has been quite the experience. But, you really should be off to bed, milady. I'm sure you are aware that your older brother will most certainly wish to train with you in the morning. So off with you, go on!" He emphasized with a waving of his hands in a 'shoo' motion towards his door.
But her smile just widened, and she surprised him even more; she wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. "Thank you for playing for me, Jakob. That song was lovely. I really would like to talk with you more about it soon. Good night."
She kissed him softly on the cheek, and went back to her bedroom.
He stood there in the middle of his room, staring at the door she just left through, his hand gingerly touching the cheek she kissed.
"Oh Jakob, old-boy...what have you gotten yourself into..."
