A/N: uhhh so this is a very strange situation, since that first chapter took me like a year or so to finally pin down, and here I am in chapter 2 like it ain't no thang.

For those wondering: We'll be getting to the start of the game almost immediately, but there's a little more set-up we have to go through first. The Corrin-related twist/reveal is coming up Soon(TM) but I'm still gonna slip in some breadcrumbs like I did with the first chapter up until that point, in case you want to try and figure it out for yourself beforehand B)

Corrin liked to hide out in the stables of the northern fortress. For one, pretty much the only other person there was Lilith, and for various reasons the two felt comfortable enough around each other to let their guard down. For two, most of the other servants and guards made such a racket getting to and from that it gave her plenty of time to hide, or stop what she was doing, or whatever. Mostly, however, she'd say it was the horses. There was something oddly comforting about them, in their own way. Animals wouldn't put you under scrutiny, or force you to practice piano six hours a day.

There was something Corrin found morbidly ironic about her last piano lesson before the surprise visit. You're never just playing, you're preforming. In the moment, it was another quip she rolled her eyes at, but…

Leo's horse seemed to recognize her, which was good. For lack of anything better to do, Corrin was brushing down his mane, idly mouthing the lyrics to a song stuck in her head. Her siblings would be staying through the weekend, and Xander seemed pretty intent on running her down to the bone. For the past couple of days she seemed to have been stuck in a perpetual cycle of piano practice and sparring, only occasionally broken out of by Elise demanding attention, or Camilla wanting to share a bath, or Leo's quiet companionship in the library. So she thought it was nice, having some alone time again. Well, about as close as she could get to alone time, anyway.

"I thought I would be able to find you in here."

Corrin jumped and turned around. "Leo! Uh… I was just-"

Leo reached over to pat his horse's neck as well. "You and Brynhide are conspiring against me again, eh?" Brynhide snorted, but as he was just a horse, said nothing.

"Maybe. Maybe we were just exchanging gossip, instead." Corrin looked to the large doors leading out into the world, then back at Leo.

"We can go for a ride, if you want."

"Really?" Corrin felt herself perk up, before stopping herself. "…We can do that?"

Leo grabbed Brynhide by the bridle and led him out into the pathway. "Corrin, we're royalty. We can do whatever we like. Come on; up you go."

Rapid footsteps proceeded Lilith. "L-lord Leo! Please, allow me to-"

"No need, Lilith. Corrin and I are going out for a quick ride. Alone."

Lilith opened and closed her mouth a few times, eyes flitting from Corrin to Leo. Corrin nodded with a smile. Lilith visibly relaxed, almost appearing relieved. "Very well, then. Allow me to open the gates for you, at least."

It took Corrin a couple times to figure out the right way to mount Brynhide, but she got on the horse the right way in the end, Leo climbing up to sit in front of her. "Out of practice, sister?"

"I don't get many horse-riding opportunities here in the fortress."

"Fair enough." Leo grasped the reigns and clicked, urging Brynhide forward. Lilith had already opened the gate; Corrin mouthed 'thank you' to the young servant, who nodded with a smile.

It was moderately cold outside, the sun pale and distant, but Corrin didn't care. Brynhide trotted out of the stables at a pretty steady pace. Somehow, Corrin felt he was as happy to be out of there as she was. She took in a long breath of the fresh air, and sighed contentedly. "It's so nice to be outside again."

"I'm glad one of us thinks so." Leo remarked. Corrin could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Ooh, are you volunteering to swap with me? I'm sure I can convince Gunter to let us change places."

"Absolutely not." Leo pulled back on the reigns, causing Brynhide to stop. "Well, we're here."

"Here?" Corrin peeked over Leo's shoulder. Brynhide had stopped at the base of a small hill with a tree, not far from the fortress. A blanket was spread beneath the branches, with a basket keeping it from flying off into the unknown. Corrin grinned and gently punched Leo's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me we were having a picnic today?"

"I'm sorry, I thought part of being a good brother meant having plenty of surprises." Leo dismounted Brynhide and helped Corrin get down, just barely concealing a grin. "Beyond that, you've only been bemoaning how you're never outside our whole visit. If this can get you to shut up then it's more than worth it to me."

Corrin rolled her eyes. The grass underneath her feet wasn't as soft as most grass, but she was so desperate for the outdoors she really couldn't bring herself to care much. "Well, consider me shut up then. Not in the literal sense, of course, thank Go- thank the gods."

Leo hooked Brynhide's reigns to a low-hanging branch and took a seat across from her on the blanket. "There's another reason I wanted to bring you here. Beyond this tree, we have a clear view all around, so there's no chance of being accidentally overheard."

"What's happened, then? It must be something serious. Or serious enough to be added on top of the other two reasons for our picnic."

Leo handed her a sandwich that consisted of about seventy-five percent tomato and twenty-five percent everything else. "I'll be blunt: if you can't manage to beat Xander tomorrow, he may lock you up in the fortress forever."

"What?" Corrin lowered her sandwich.

"Father demands only the best out of us. Not just as royalty, but as soldiers of Nohr. Also…" Leo's stony, if not mildly stern expression slipped, revealing an echo of worry. He looked around the clearing and lowered his voice. "There have been rumors that father is growing suspicious of you. For what, I don't know…but that may be why all of us were sent here instead of just Xander."

"Father…suspicious of me? But why? Have I done something wrong?" Corrin was holding the blanket so hard her knuckles turned white. Her sandwich lay mostly forgotten in her lap. "All I do is study here. I don't find that very suspicious."

Leo shook his head. "Like I said, it's just a rumor. Still…it would probably be best if you let the rest of us do the talking after we return to the capital." He snuck out a smile. "That is, assuming you're focused enough to defeat Xander tomorrow."

"What are you talking about? I have plenty of-" Corrin reached for her sandwich to find nothing there. His smile stretched into a smirk, and she lightly smacked his arm. "I hardly think that's fair, Leo."

Dissonance. Flashing lights and rapidly-changing colors.

A voice, beckoning forth. A world split into pieces, and yet…

"…take the place…"

"…who you're looking for. Sorry."

"…perfect match. The only option…"

"Are you so sure about that?"

"…nothing I could-"

"…still don't understand, why-"

"What's done is done. Your fate is the same as theirs, now."

A/N: So what I always thought was a weird detail was how Corrin was all "Leo was such a sensitive boy, what happened?" in Birthright, despite how Leo acts nothing like that in any route, not even in the opening chapters? So I added in a sweet!/good brother!Leo scene, for CONSISTENCY. I understand the whole "Leo projects a tough persona over a sweet cinnamon roll inside" thing was more evident in the Japanese version, so it is canon sort of, but the localization seemed to ignore that? Guess that's another thing Treehouse missed lmao where the fuck is the last Fates DLC IntSys

Also Leo's horse is named Brynhide (pronounced either brin-hide or brin-he-day, as is your want) that's fanon now. Xander names his child after his magic sword, Leo names his horse after his magic…tome…

Okay that sounded better in my head but you get what I'm saying.