For this chapter, I'll be using Japanese suffixes to give some more distinguished elements between Nohrian and Hoshidan mannerisms.

Chapter 2: The Land of Bushido

For what seemed like hours, Corrin laid in the field, unconscious and weak. That all changed when he felt himself being prodded gently awake.

Slowly, he stirred awake as he opened his eyes and found a pair of red eyes peer into his blue ones.

"Hello? How are you feeling?" A woman's voice reached his ears as his vision focused.

He looked around and found that he was in a room that he recognized to be of Hoshidan style, according to the many books that he had in his room.

The woman that the red eyes belonged to, had jet black hair with a silver hairband in it, a lithe and alluring figure of such beauty that Corrin had felt as if his breath had been taken away. Her expression was radiant and gentle and he couldn't sense an ounce of hostility from her. He looked at her attire and noticed that she was wearing a white and black kimono. (Imagine a default appearance for the Female Avatar but with black hair)

"Ah, you're fully awake now." She cheerfully smiled.

"Where am I?" Corrin sat up and gripped his head as nausea struck him hard. His stomach lurched and his brain just screamed from discomfort.

"You are in the Kingdom of Hoshido. This is the Royal Palace. My name is Kamui. Could I know your name?" She asked.

"Corrin. My name is Corrin." He replied with a somewhat passive tone.

Corrin was actually digesting this new information with recent events, though with a bit of disorientation. Just then, he recalled everything that had just happened the previous night. Grasping his forehead in grief, he realized that his whole life had been an act. His family was not of blood, and not only that, he had lost them within the same timeframe that he had learned all of this. Grief then crawled into his heart as he came to terms with his loss.

Kamui, seeing his distress, leaned forward from her chair and looked at him closely.

"Are you alright? Can I get you anything?" She gave him a worried look.

"I…I'm fine, thank you. I appreciate your concern." He mumbled.

He closed his eyes as tried to quickly deal with his sorrow. Deciding not to dwell in this unhealthy emotional state, he looked at Kamui.

"When you said this was the Hoshidan Palace, did you mean Castle Shirasagi?" He then recalled her earlier words.

"Indeed." She nodded.

"Then you are…" Corrin trailed off as his mind connected the dots.

Kamui made a sheepish smile as she confirmed his suspicions.

"Yeah, I'm a princess of Hoshido. I'm the third Royal Child, anyways. Hehe." She chuckled lightly.

Corrin's eyes widened in shock as he shot out of the futon on his bed and knelt before her.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my insolence!" He held his head low as he gave an earnest apology.

Kamui was a bit surprised but also used to Corrin's behavior.

"I-It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just address me as you would a friend." She tried to urge him to lift his head as she attempted to return the atmosphere back to normal.

After finally convincing him to relax, she began explaining to him about how and where she had found him.

"I found you close to the Castle, in one of the fields around here last night. It was a good thing I came across you. Who knows what would have happened." She smiled. When Corrin looked at her expression, he just couldn't help but note how lovely her radiant smile was. It was like a warm sun was just projecting itself at him, invigorating him.

"I am truly grateful, Your Majesty." He bowed, knowing it was one of the Hoshidan gestures of etiquette.

"Don't worry about it and you can just call me Kamui."

Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Who is it?" Kamui asked.

"It is Yukimura, Kamui-sama." A man's voice came from the other side.

"Go ahead and enter."

The sliding door moved to reveal a dark-teal haired, bespectacled man wearing a dark kimono with shoulder guards.

"Please excuse me." He then walked inside.

"Corrin, this is Yukimura, the Royal Advisor and Tactician. Yukimura, this is Corrin, our new guest."

"A pleasure to meet you." Yukimura bowed.

Corrin also returned the gesture.

"Likewise, Yukimura-san."

"Is something wrong?" Kamui looked at the older man.

"Sumeragi-sama would like to meet this young man. He has questions for him."

Kamui's expression became a bit more serious as she nodded in confirmation.

"I see. In that case, it would be best to get dressed, then." She said as she got up.

"Corrin-san, perhaps you should wash up and change into new clothes. There is no need to rush, though. Sumeragi-sama is a very patient man." Yukimura smiled gently.

Corrin, however, wasted no time in cleaning himself up before putting on his freshly cleaned clothes and following Yukimura and Kamui down the halls of Castle Shirasagi to the Throne Room.

When he entered, he was introduced to a massive room with red pillars and a carpet that stretched to a golden throne. Sitting upon the throne was a man with a long stretch of black hair that was extremely spiky. He had white robes and a white haori jacket one and on his head was something close to decorative ram horns. Next to him was a white-hilted katana of royal ornamental design.

"Welcome to Hoshido, please come closer." King Sumeragi's loud and strong tone beckoned Corrin forth as he nervously walked forward and knelt in front of the King.

"Do have a seat." He kindly gestured in front of him.

In front of the King's Throne, was a silver chair that was for guests. Corrin calmly took a seat as instructed and waited for the inquiries to begin.

"I am honored to meet you, Your Highness." He calmly spoke, though his gut was telling him to freak out.

"Hahaha! You need not be so formal. In Hoshido, I regard everyone here as family. You may speak with me as you would a friend." Sumeragi smiled.

Contrary to his appearance, he was a rather friendly man, which brought Kamui some relaxation.

"I have called you here to answer some questions. I hope you will forgive me."

"I shall answer all of your questions to the best of my ability." Corrin nodded.

"Then first, how did you come to the fields near my home?"

Corrin paused, lost on how to answer but decided to answer with honesty.

"I had arrived here randomly through a gateway from the Deep Realms."

Sumeragi stroked his beard with interest. Questions swirled in his mind as he tried to make sense of Corrin's tale.

"I see. Then allow me to ask you some more. Why were you there and why did you leave that place?"

Corrin thought about how to answer for a few seconds. He couldn't give the whole truth because he didn't know what might happen to himself, regardless of how benevolent King Sumeragi may be.

"I was raised there by my parents but suddenly, mysterious creatures attacked my home. I barely escaped with my life but my parents perished." He solemnly spoke.

King Sumeragi felt sympathy for the young lad. To lose his parents and end up in a foreign place just seem to hit a heartstring in him. The whole time he spoke with Corrin, he felt no malice nor secrecy. There was also the fact that the seat that he was sitting on would reveal any dark intentions within a person's heart. After all, it was a lesser prototype of his own throne.

"What do you plan to do now?"

"I do not know, as of this moment, Your Majesty."

Sumeragi looked at Corrin and knew the lost look that he had. The king himself had sported that expression once or twice in the past.

"I see no reason to cast you out nor bring any form of punishment upon you. Therefore, you may stay in Hoshido and go where you please. You may remain in this castle for as long as you wish as a guest. I too, understand the pain of losing family." King Sumeragi's stern face changed to a serene and smiling one as Corrin gave his utmost bow of gratitude.

"I am unworthy of your kindness, Your Majesty."

Corrin didn't understand why the King was so charitable to him, but he would accept his kindness, regardless.

"I believe that is the end of my questions. You may go now."

With one last bow, Corrin left the Throne Room and was met by Kamui.

"Hime-sama." He bowed.

Kamui shook her head at his gesture, making him look up in confusion.

"Did I make a mistake?" He asked nervously.

"I remember telling you that formal titles don't matter to me. Actually, just call me Kamui." She reiterated.

Corrin only nodded in surrender, even though his gut told him that calling her by her first name was rude.

"Do you have business with me, Kamui-sama?" He asked.

Kamui sighed in resignation at the fact that Corrin wasn't likely to drop the honorifics soon.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted a tour around Hoshido. Since you're new here, then perhaps you'd like to take a look around." She kindly offered.

'Is everyone this nice in Hoshido?' Corrin asked in his mind. His mother used to tell him stories about how the Hoshidan people were kind and gentle while the Nohrians were polite and protective. Now he knew that she was right.

"I would be honored." He finally smiled.

Kamui led him out of the massive castle and down into the town. While descending the path, Kamui and Corrin came across a young man that was the spitting image of King Sumeragi. He shared his stern expression and spiky long hair, but in this case, it was brown. He also wore a white haori jacket, and red armor, with something akin to headgear on his face.

"Ah, Ryoma-nii, are you busy right now?" Kamui called out.

The man turned around and made a small smile. Corrin took one look at him and knew that he was not somebody to mess with.

"Kamui, are you up to something?"

"Corrin, this is Ryoma, Crown First Prince of Hoshido, and my older brother. Ryoma, this is Corrin, our new guest." Kamui introduced the both of them as they sized each other up.

Ryoma was a cautious person but he knew to trust those that his family gave faith to. Though, judging by Corrin's posture, he knew that the new guest had dealt with fighting before.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Corrin-san." He offered a hand, which Corrin shook.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Ryoma-sama."

"No need for formalities. You may just call me Ryoma. I hope that we can get along from here on." The Crown Prince replied.

"I understand. I wish the same as well." Corrin smiled politely.

"We're about to go into town, do you wanna go too?" Kamui offered.

"I still have some work to deal with. I'll join up with you when I'm done."

"Alright, then." The Second Princess nodded.

Continuing onwards, the two went further down the road until they came across some horse stables. Unfortunately, Corrin hadn't exactly dealt with this kind of stable before. There were not only horses there, but also pegasii. Back at his home in the Deep Realms, he used to take care of horses in the stables at the farm. He had bonded strongly with them and all of the animals that they cared for. This thought, however, forced his memories of last night to resurface. What had happened to his home? Was it demolished? Did the animals survive?

He was so lost in his thoughts all alone that he didn't hear, Kamui's voice.

"Corrin…Corrin-san? Corrin-san?" She called out a she brought her face close to his.

"Huh?" He looked up, before his face went a little pink.

The proximity between them was so close that Corrin would've probably done something misunderstanding.

"Are you alright?" Kamui asked with a worried tone.

"I-I'm fine." Corrin backed up a little.

"Anyways, my older sister, Hinoka just came back. How about we go say hello?"

Corrin nodded in agreement as he followed the princess.

When they entered the stables, the duo found a young woman getting off of her Pegasus, which had a distinct saddle on it.

"Onee-chan!" Kamui called out.

Hinoka turned around and waved at the pair.

"Kamui. Going somewhere? Who's this?" She then looked at Corrin curiously.

"This is Corrin, our new guest. And this is my older sister, Hinoka, the Second Princess."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

The two exchanged pleasantries before Kamui invited Hinoka to go with them into town.

"Alright, once I'm done getting my Pegasus all settled in, I'll join up with you."

"Great, see you then."

Before long, they came across another one of the Royal Siblings, though Corrin wasn't exactly sure what to make of this one.

At the gates of the Palace's forefront, Kamui greeted her other sibling, Takumi. He had long hair that was tied into a high ponytail, that was grey-brown. He wore a white vest, pelt fur, and a blue top with black pants and a bow was on his person.

"Hey, Takumi." Kamui greeted.

"Hey, Kamui. Goin' somewhere?" Takumi asked.

"Just going to town. I wanted to show our new guest what we can offer here in the capital." The princess then gestured to Corrin, who bowed in respect.

"This is Corrin."

"It is an honor."

Takumi eyed him with caution and distrust for a few moments.

"Where are you from? Nohr?" He curtly asked.

"I'm from the Deep Realms, Your Majesty."

This piqued the archer's interest.

"Strange." Was his reply.

Corrin couldn't shake the fact that he felt severe dislike from Takumi, or rather, paranoia.

"Just make sure you don't overstep your boundaries here. The times aren't very nice right now. Also, don't get too comfy. If you're an enemy, then be sure that you'll have an arrow aimed at you." Takumi then walked away.

However, before anything could happen, Kamui chopped him on the head with her palm.

"Ow!" He cried out.

"Takumi, it would seem that you've forgotten your manners." She smiled darkly.

Takumi trembled a little when his older sister exuded a dark aura of irritation.

"B-But, as long as you don't hurt anyone, then it's fine." He then made a more…nicely-worded statement.

This made Kamui calm down a little.

"Sorry about that. Even though Takumi can be a real knuckle-head, he's actually not a bad guy. He's just rough around the edges." Kamui sighed.

"Anyways, what did you want?" Takumi continued.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go into town with us and give Corrin a tour around." Kamui replied.

Takumi thought about this for a moment.

"Alright, fine. I'll go." He conceded.

"Hooray. That settles that, then."

After entering the premises of the town, Corrin was surprised by the spectacular sight in front of him.

"Wow." Was all he could say.

In front of him, multitudes of shops and vendors were making business, with customers and citizens moving around constantly. There were shops that sold trinkets, food, clothes, books, and a whole other range of items that were quite exotic. Back in the Deep Realms, there really wasn't anything like this, since Corrin didn't have much of a chance to go out and do anything.

"It's nice, right?" Kamui asked with a warm smile on his face.

"All my life, I never really got to see anything like this. It's kind of nice. To see something new for once."

"What did you do in the Deep Realms?" Takumi asked.

"I was just a farm boy. Besides harvesting crops, I didn't do much of anything." Corrin stated.

"Then, this is a chance for you to do something new, then." Kamui then walked in front of him and urged him to explore.

Taking this chance, Corrin went to the nearest vendor and looked at what was available for sale.

"Oh, a customer. Well then, take your time and look around." An elderly man gave a friendly chuckle.

In front of him was a collection of books and scrolls, with writing utensils for sale. He didn't have many things that he wanted but when he caught sight of a little blue book that had empty pages, he decided that he may have need of something like this one day. Feeling his pocket, he was relieved to find that his bag of gold was still there. He didn't look like it, but he had a substantial amount of money saved for his own expenses. He just hoped it was an acceptable form of currency.

"Will this do?" Corrin gave him a gold coin.

"Absolutely. With a gold coin, you could a bag, an ink bottle, and some brushes or quills as additions." The old store owner smiled.

Corrin was caught off-guard a lot. He never expected a gold coin to be worth that much in Hoshido.

Takumi and Kamui were also surprised that he had that kind of money, though they saw no reason to grill him for information.

"So what kind of currency is used here?" Corrin turned to the two Royal Siblings.

"We use bronze, silver, and gold coins. One gold coin equals 50 silver coins. One silver coin is equal to 100 bronze coins." Kamui explained.

'Well, at least I have money to last me a good while then. Better find work, though.' He told himself.

Continuing on their trip, Corrin noticed the looks of admiration that the Royal Siblings got. Kamui had quite a number of friendly relationships and male admirers, with Takumi having many female ones. Typically, Corrin felt like an outcast by a large margin.

"Sorry if you're uncomfortable." Kamui gave him an apologetic look.

"It's fine. It's not like you're at fault." Corrin gave her a reassuring expression.

Just then, Kamui noticed a cherry-haired girl in the distance.

"Sakura! Over here!"

The girl named Sakura had pinkish hair that reached her neck, with a hairband on her head. She wore something that Corrin had noticed to be like a Shrine Maiden's.

"Onee-sama, what are you doing here?" She walked over and smiled sweetly.

"We're showing our new guest, Corrin-san around." Kamui then made introductions happen.

After clarifying that Sakura was the youngest and last Royal Sibling, all that was left was to introduce him to the Queen, Mikoto.

"What are you doing here, Sakura? Getting sweets?" Kamui made a knowing smile.

"Y-yeah. That's right." She sheepishly admitted.

"Ahahaha! That's fine. I've got a big sweet tooth, too." Kamui also confessed.

"Hey now, if you two get cavities, don't complain to me." Takumi stated. He was always getting dragged into the antics of either Sakura or Kamui, whether he be willing or not. He was just too nice to say no to his siblings. He just didn't word things right.

"Says the one who likes sweets too." Sakura and Kamui looked at him.

Caught red-handed, Takumi sputtered.

"No way. I only indulge in them from time-to-time. You two eat them constantly. You're gonna get fat." Takumi fired back.

"What was that?" Kamui darkly smiled.

Corrin watched on as the three siblings bickered. He couldn't help but smile as he saw how strong and close their bonds were. He was then reminded that he had lost his bonds. His parents were gone, and he didn't know anyone from outside of the Deep Realms, where he lived. Realizing his loneliness, he wondered if he'd be able to forge new bonds one day, making him hesitant, yet eager to try it.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he felt a hand tap his shoulder. Looking in front of him, he noticed that Kamui was looking at him with a worried look again.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm perfectly fine, Kamui-sama." He smiled.

"Finally found you three. It took your bickering for us to track you down." A voice came over from the distance.

From out of the crowds, Ryoma and Hinoka appeared.

"Looks like everyone's gathered." Kamui laughed.

"I hope that you all were doing a proper job of showing our house guest around." Ryoma raised a brow.

"They were." Corrin politely interjected.

"Good. How do you see Hoshido, so far?" Hinoka asked.

Corrin turned around and looked at the landscape in front of him and gave his answer.

"It's wonderful." Was all he could try and say.

The Royal Siblings smiled at his review and were glad that he liked their home. Suddenly, a loud growl erupted from out of nowhere. It then occurred to Kamui and Corrin that he hadn't eaten since he had arrived.

"Uh…please excuse me." Corrin bowed.

Before anything could be said, an elderly woman spoke up from one of the stalls.

"Oh, Kamui Hime-sama, I see you and your siblings are visiting us townsfolk again. Do please have some of my famous fried potatoes. All on the house."

"Thank you. As always, here's something to say thank you." Kamui then put a small bag of coins on the stall counter.

"No good deed goes unrewarded with Kamui." Ryoma commented.

"She always gives a gift back as thanks." Hinoka passively agreed.

Soon enough, all of the Royal Siblings plus Corrin, were feasting on the crispy potatoes from the stall.

Corrin took a moderate bite and was amazed at how good it was. It was salted enough to give a boost in flavor, though the potato's distinct taste remained. The crunchy skin was a nice touch and the seasonings just made the taste become more enhanced.

"This is great!" He commented, which made Kamui smile.

"I'm glad you like it." Kamui nodded.

As time wore on, Corrin and the Royal Siblings seemed to deepen their connection from both sides. Though, they were royalty, Corrin learned that the Hoshidan Siblings didn't care for titles and different treatment. They saw others as people as well, not lower pawns or lower-classed individuals.

After their short snack, Kamui took Corrin around to see the other stalls and stores. As he spent more time with the Princess, he found her warmth, cheeriness, and kindness to be endearing, even mesmerizing. The way she smiled also seemed to make his own heart change pace. He didn't understand what it was that he was feeling, which just served to confuse him even more.

Soon enough, night was beginning its approach, which meant that Kamui had to bring Corrin home for dinner. Corrin had found the day to be extremely fulfilling. He had more fun than he had ever expected, he learned much, and he had made new friends, all thanks to the grace of Kamui. He hoped that he would be able to find a way to repay her kindness, and soon.

While heading to the room given to him, Kamui had told him that meals would be taken to his room to eat, if he was uncomfortable being around others.

Walking in, Corrin sat down at a desk in his room and laid down the possessions that he had purchased that day. Having bought a book, writing utensils, and some papers and scrolls, he laid them out on his desk and began writing. He didn't know what to really do with his book so he just decided to use it to record his experiences. He had so many thoughts in his mind that he was sure that it would be beneficial to vent them onto paper instead.

For a long while, he had mulled over the grief of his losses, though he didn't show it. He had spent the morning reminiscing about his life till this point but soon realized that it would be a waste to just grieve pointlessly. He had to accept what happened and move on. However, new questions had popped in his mind.

Why did the Faceless attack him and his family? What was Valla? Who was he really?

There were so many things to think about that his mind just grew irritated at the lack of information.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

"Please come in." He spoke up.

The door slid open to reveal Kamui peeking in, with two trays.

"Kamui-sama?!" He looked at her in surprise. Was she not to have dinner with her family?

"I thought you'd be lonely so I came here. I brought dinner." She said as she closed the door and laid the food down.

"Thank you."

"I'm not sure how Hoshidan food will suit you, so speak up if you want something else."

"No, I am more than grateful that you keep showing me kindness." Corrin gratefully accepted the food.

Grabbing the chopsticks in front of him, he took a piece of sashimi and ate it.

"You seem well-versed in a lot of things. Are you a scholar or merchant?" Kamui noted that he knew the mannerisms of Hoshido and proper etiquette, despite not being a citizen there.

"My mother was something akin to that. She made sure to homeschool me on various traditions and cultures along with academics." He reminisced fondly.

"What was she like, if you don't mind me asking?" The Second Princess pressed on.

"Hmmm. She was gentle but she was very strict when it came to my studies. Whenever I was sick, she'd cook a special soup for me and would tuck me into bed every night and sing me a lullaby when I was a child."

"What about your father?" Kamui continued.

"He was also stern, and though he was a bit blunt, he was always doing everything he could to care for the family. He was also strong and protective. He taught me a lot of handiwork and things of the like."

"Hehe. They sound interesting." Kamui admitted.

"What about your mother? What is she like?" It was now Corrin's turn to ask.

"She's very graceful and gentle, but she's goofy sometimes." Kamui chuckled.

"How so?" Corrin raised a curious brow.

"Sometimes she would put her kimono on backwards or eat with one of her chopsticks pointing the wrong way. There are times when she can be very concerned for others, though. When I had fallen sick once, she didn't rest at all and spent all of her time caring for me and nursing me back to health." Kamui recounted.

"She sounds like a wonderful person." Corrin commented.

The two went back to eating before Corrin remembered a question that he had wanted to ask.

"Kamui-sama." He asked with a serious expression.

Said woman looked at him with a slightly surprised look. She hadn't heard his tone change like this before. It was by no means aggressive or intimidating but it was just different.

"Yes?" She replied as she set her bowl and chopsticks down.

"I wanted to ask you something. I hope you do not take offense." He asked nervously.

"Ask away." She smiled, hoping to defuse the tension.

"Why have you been so kind to me, a stranger that you do not know at all?"

Kamui gave him a sympathetic look.

"Well, to begin with, I just wanted to help you. When I found you out in the fields, I just had a feeling that you were alone. I can't say I really know what it's like to be alone, but then again, it just seems like a painful thing. Also, I didn't want you to feel alienated here in this new environment. That said, I also wanted to be friends with you. I guess that's all there really is to my reasons." She shyly smiled, though with a small blush.

Corrin's mouth had widened a little. He didn't expect this kind of answer, not that he really had one imagined in his mind to begin with. He then broke into laughter.

Kamui looked at him incredulously.

"W-What's so funny?" She asked, with a small blush.

"I-It's nothing, really. It's just that I can't help but feel a little happy. Ever since my parents died and to begin with, I didn't really have anyone to connect with. I was pretty much alone. When I came to this new land, I had no idea where I was or what would happen to me. But now, I'm grateful to you. I never expected for something this fortunate to happen to me. I feel blessed somehow." He smiled.

"Blessed?" Kamui asked, not really understanding what it was that he meant.

"Yeah. I feel blessed for having an incredible friend like you." He finished.

For a small moment, Kamui's cheeks and ears, became a small tinge of pink. She felt a little glad that he was responding well to her treatment. She didn't want to scare him nor did she want to annoy him. Knowing that he appreciated her kindness, made her feel significantly happy.

At that moment, the two felt that in time, they would come to be great friends, or that was the hope.

Well, go ahead and leave a review of what you think and I'll see you next update.