Holy cow. I did not expect this to be as well-received as it was. The support I've received already is astounding. Seriously, thank you guys.
Corrin
"Eventful" was certainly one way to describe the recent string of events that Corrin had partaken in. If someone had told her beforehand that she'd be kidnapped by ninjas, taken to the other side of the continent, then approached by the High Prince of Hoshido and told that she was his younger sister, she'd have punched whoever said that in the mouth. However, here she was, now in a large, decadent guest bedroom, time wasting away as she waited for her captors to figure out what to do with her. She had already tried the door, finding it was locked tight. When she broke a decorative flower pin located on a dresser and used it as a lockpick, she almost immediately was knocked out by one of those damn ninjas after exiting, waking up back in the room, with any objects that could be a potential lockpick now removed.
She had insisted to Ryoma that she was most certainly not Hoshidan nobility, though much to her dismay he seemed dead set on the idea. He had tried explaining to her over and over again the situations behind her winding up in Nohr, claiming she was attacked while still a child, her father dying in the attack, leaving her alone. That certainly would have lined up with when Uncle Shura found her, however, so could any story that ended with her wandering alone in Nohr at that age. He stopped talking when she said that her father must've been a pretty shitty person to fail so miserably at protecting his own daughter. She had to admit, she took a petty enjoyment out of riling people up like that, and even if Ryoma tried not to show it, she knew she had succeeded. It seemed that he was unaware that in his efforts to stay silent and hide his anger, it only made said anger infinitely more obvious.
Corrin wished that she could be bored. It was highly preferable to the worry that plagued her every minute. Sure, if she was actually believed to be a princess, she'd be safe. But Niles, Rinkah? Their safety wasn't secure. They were just thieves, criminals. They weren't important. Corrin was enraged just thinking about it. What made her own life suddenly worth more than the lives of her friends? Nothing, that's what. Whether she was born in a street gutter or in a big fancy palace, she was worth the same as everyone else. Not to suggest she was born in a palace. She knew who she was.
Corrin imagined that the ninja that had captured her were likely still around. A fun little idea popped into her head. "Man, I sure am hungry." She said rather loudly. No response. "MAN, I SURE AM HUNGRY! TOO BAD I HAVEN'T BEEN FED SINCE I GOT HERE! WOE IS ME, THE PRINCESS OF HOSHIDO." She shouted. Within minutes, her door was opened and closed in a flash, a couple of peaches left in front of it. She honestly wasn't sure if that was going to work, but she was certainly glad it did. She knew what peaches were; Uncle Shura had educated her heavily on Hoshidan culture, even if she had snoozed through most of it. Though it turned out their taste was far different from what she had imagined. They were so disgustingly sweet, it felt like her teeth were going to fall out. This was a far cry from the tough, salty foods she had eaten growing up.
Corrin forced the unbearably sweet fruits down, knowing that she needed to eat something, even if it was as disgusting as this. When done with the peaches, she gathered the pits, sat down against one wall and threw them at the other, walking over, retrieving them, then walking back until she had figured out the perfect velocity and angle to throw them at to get them to bounce right back to her. The door to her room opened, though she pretended not to care, keeping her sight at the wall across from her as she continued to throw the peach pits and catch them.
She could see the person who had entered out of the corner of her eye, a male build with long, gray hair. He spoke to her, his tone surprisingly sharp given what she was used to hearing from most in a higher class. "So, he really thinks you're Corrin? I don't see it." Corrin chuckled at that.
"Finally, someone here is talking sense." She tossed another peach pit, catching it as it bounced back. "I'm not Corrin, obviously. Well, not the one that big red guy seems to think I am." She knew his name was Ryoma, she just wanted to annoy the new face. And annoy him she did.
"For your information, that 'big red guy' is Ryoma, high prince of Hoshido. And you're speaking to his brother right now, you Nohrian piece of filth." The silver-haired man responded, his frustration clear as day. Corrin was delighted; it wasn't often she got to mess with someone so easily. Though, him calling her Nohrian filth managed to genuinely get on her nerves.
"Say that again," Corrin said, her voice calm as she threw her peach pit at the wall again. The prince opened his mouth to speak, only for Corrin to turn and hurl a peach pit right at his face. He caught it, looking down at it in his hand before tossing it to the side. "Nice catch." Corrin complimented, returning to chucking the pits at a wall instead of someone's face. "Now, can you leave this Nohrian piece of filth alone? I'm trying to work on my throwing arm."
"You may have Ryoma deceived, but I won't fall for your lies. Mark my words, you'll be executed like the criminal you are!" The prince stormed out, slamming the door shut behind him, followed by the lock clicking shut. Damn, she hoped he would accidentally leave it open in his anger. What was he even talking about? She wasn't deceiving anyone, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Or…maybe it was the right place at the right time? An idea began to form, one that made her grin just thinking about it. If they truly believed her to be a princess of Hoshido…well, who was she to deny them the happiness of seeing their beloved Corrin again? She could use her status to get Rinkah and Niles out of jail cells and right into the royal palace with her. And with the complete trust of all (well, minus one) of the royal family, she could get to work robbing them blind. She could just picture it; Corrin, Rinkah and Niles, returning triumphant from the far-off land of Hoshido, bearing many of the royal family's greatest treasures. They'd sell them for as much as they could, getting enough money in the process to live the rest of their lives in total comfort. The heist of a lifetime. She always did know how to turn things around in her favor.
A while later, the door to Corrin's room was once again opened. Ryoma entered, still wearing his bright-red armor, making him look so large that she nearly missed the woman behind him. She was wearing elegant, mostly white clothing, with long black hair falling down the back of her head gracefully. She stepped out from behind Ryoma, allowing Corrin to get a better look at her, noticing how frail she seemed to be. Ryoma stood by the woman's side, keeping an eye on her as she walked closer to the red-eyed girl. Corrin got up from the ground, growing tense as a weak smile formed on her face.
"My child, it truly is you…" The woman spoke, holding out her arms towards Corrin. She couldn't move, her feet firmly planted in place. Then, the woman embraced her, her arms frail and weak, a hug that could easily be broken out of. Corrin wanted to break out of the embrace, to push the woman away and scream at her that she wasn't her mother. But if she wanted this plan to work, she had to swallow her pride and her stubbornness and just go with it. She had to make it look natural, however.
"H-hi," Corrin mumbled, her lack of recognition clear in her voice. The woman held the embrace for a few seconds longer, then pulled back, her smile warmer than before. Corrin glanced over to Ryoma, who merely stood there, his face stoic, like a statue. If he was happy about this, he wasn't indicating it.
"So it's true then. You really don't remember anything about us." The woman sighed, her smile fading. "That is…regrettable. Regardless, my sadness for your lack of recognition is nothing compared to my joy at seeing you again." Corrin realized that this woman must be Queen Mikoto, the ruler of Hoshido.
"Listen, lady, I'm really sorry about all of this, but yeah, I can't remember anything about you guys," Corrin explained, though she wasn't too sorry about the fact. "It's a…a lot to take in. I'm still reeling from everything." The queen nodded understandingly.
"I see. I hope to spend more time with you in the future, my child." The queen spoke. Hearing her call Corrin "my child" sent shivers of disgust down the girl's spine, but she kept her loathing hidden. Queen Mikoto turned to Ryoma. "Regrettably, I must take my leave now. Politics will never wait, even for a family reunion." Ryoma nodded silently, watching Mikoto walk past him. To Corrin's surprise, Ryoma stayed where he was.
"You gonna say something?" Corrin asked leaning against a wall, crossing her arms. "Or are you just gonna make a permanent residence as the decorative suit of armor in my room?" Queen Mikoto may have been a bit too sharp for Corrin to effectively lie to her about her memories. But Ryoma was wracked with emotion, that much was clear. She knew the type; forced to hide emotion and act with a clear mind at all times to live up to expectations. She knew it was likely eating away at him, knowing that he couldn't embrace his little sister as freely as his mother had. That was something she could exploit. "If you're just gonna stand there, I—" She cried out in pain, reaching a hand to her forehead, falling to her knees.
Ryoma's response was near-instant, the prince rushing to her side, getting down on one knee. "What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, the immense concern for her well-being present in his voice. Gotcha. She thought to herself. It took more effort not to grin than it did to keep up the rest of the charade.
"I'm fine, I just…" Corrin grunted again, gripping her forehead tighter. "There's something…I can see…" She thought she might've been hamming it up a little too much, but when she looked to Ryoma, he was absolutely buying it. "I'm playing in a field, it's so beautiful…" She knew that Hoshido had its fair share of Diviners; psychics of sorts who genuinely could commune with higher forces and see things they should not have been able to. Of course, in Nohr, any "Diviner" was a total fraud. Uncle Shura had taught that to her from a young age, having her pay one to tell her something about herself only she would know. He instructed her to give false information, and to go along with the psychic's wrong statements instead of correcting them. Sure enough, the psychic claimed that Corrin was actually the daughter of a barmaid from Izumo. Corrin left with an appreciation for the way false psychics gathered information so expertly, though not before stealing back the money she had spent.
"That could only be…" Ryoma's tone of recognition told her that he remembered a field too.
"You're there too…you're so much younger. You're…smiling at me. It's such a bright smile, it's so warm…" Corrin took her hand off her forehead, pretending her pain had gone away. She looked up at Ryoma. "Did I just…remember?" She feigned shock at the idea. Ryoma finally gave in and embraced her, his arms much stronger and tighter around her than Mikoto's had been. Corrin was downright giddy, knowing she was successful. She just had to make sure everyone else in the royal family believed her scam as well, and then she'd already be fully trusted, accepted as their long-lost sister. Then, the heist could begin.
Niles/Rinkah
"I hate this idea so much." Niles bluntly stated to Corrin, his voice down in a whisper. Rinkah nodded in agreement. "Do you understand how easy it'll be to mess this up? How much we'd be putting at risk?"
Corrin fired right back. "And do you understand how much we stand to gain here? We could be set for life if we pull this off! We'd never have to steal so much as a loaf of bread again in our lives. Even if we do mess up, I'll just make up some sob story about my conflicted emotions, and they'll let us off the hook."
"They'll let you off the hook." Rinkah corrected. "They'll throw us back in a cell and remove our heads before the end of the week."
Corrin sighed. "C'mon guys, when have I ever led you two astray with something like this?" She asked. Her response came from both of her friends, at the same time. "All the time." "Right. And how often have I gotten us out of things like this?" She asked, raising her arms.
The two paused, looking at eachother before they looked back at Corrin. "All the time." Niles responded begrudgingly.
"Right. Trust me on this you guys, I can tell this'll end great for all of us! We'll never get another opportunity like this in our lives!"
"Yeah, because we'll be dead." Rinkah finished bluntly, much to Corrin's mild annoyance, a pout forming on her face as she crossed her arms.
"Even if we do this, it's gonna be a long con." Niles added. "We'll have to butter them up for who knows how damn long, getting on all their good sides, just for the chance to pull this off. I'll be fine, and Rinkah was never much of a talker anyway, so no worries about her slipping up, but you? Corrin, you hate these kinds of people."
"You're right. That's how it's gonna look more genuine. You two can just keep acting like your regular selves, with less stealing involved. Meanwhile, I can do the same, albeit while occasionally pretending like they may actually be right. It'll be easy." There was a silence following her. "What?" She asked, confused.
Niles sighed. "You don't actually think you're some princess, right?" He asked. Corrin remembered when she demanded she see the two of them, boldly stepping up to the guards and demanding they be set free, by order of Princess Corrin of Hoshido. She nearly burst out laughing when she saw the two's reaction to it all.
"No, of course not. All this is, is a bunch of royal pricks projecting their dead sister onto me. It's as simple as that. I'm just capitalizing on their stupidity. They get to have their sister back for a while, and the three of us get to make off with all their expensive stuff."
"Shura wouldn't like this." Rinkah added, her doubts still clear. Corrin sighed. Rinkah was never one to enjoy taking risks; a bad tendency to have when you were in the business of stealing things from people who were usually considerably dangerous. Still, it wasn't like she didn't appreciate how cautious the girl could be. It had saved her life more times than she could count.
"Uncle Shura's not here." Corrin retorted. "Besides, it seems there's more than a few things about himself that he wasn't too honest about." That caught the two's interest, albeit a cautious interest. "The things I heard from the Royals, you wouldn't believe."
Takumi
How could his brother, even his own mother, have been so blind!? Ryoma came to Takumi, claiming that thief was remembering something. He almost laughed then and there. She was playing them, that much was obvious. What annoyed Takumi was that it was only obvious to himself. He could already imagine Hinoka's reaction to the letter Ryoma had sent. The whole reason she became a Pegasus Knight was to make sure she didn't lose any of her siblings ever again, so the idea that Corrin had returned out of the blue was sure to cloud her judgment. And with Sakura being with her, he had no doubt his little sister would be just as blind to that scum's real intentions.
Sure, the thought still gnawed at the back of his mind. What if she really was the Corrin everyone thought she was? Every time he tried to dismiss the idea, it came back stronger than ever. But if anything, that only strengthened his resolve. He knew he was the only one looking at the situation with an open mind, and so he knew that his conclusion was more accurate. All he had to do was wait for Corrin to slip up, to say the wrong thing at the right time, and he'd be able to prove his suspicions right. Even if that meant spending more time with that street rat than he had any patience or desire for, he was willing to do it. For his family.