"Dearest little brother, are you ready to go?" Camilla called from the hall, waiting patiently for her sibling's response. They were supposed to leave earlier that morning, but after Leo's many complaints, Camilla delayed their trip by a few hours. She now stood at the base of the stairs, her official armour covering her head to toe. Her bags were packed, and she folded her arms, tapping a foot impatiently against the floor.

"I wish you would stop calling me that," Leo huffed, trailing his bag down the stairs. "I'm not a child any longer."

"I know, I know. But to me, you'll always be my little brother. Now, hurry up. We've postponed this trip long enough. The Hoshidans are expecting us. Where are your retainers?"

"At the gates already, as far as I'm aware."

"Good to hear. Oh, and you can tell Niles to please leave me alone. He's been a right pain recently."

"Why, what's he done now?" Leo sighed, exasperated at his retainer's antics. Niles was the saner out of the two of them, but he still managed to make a nuisance out of himself a lot of the time. Leo couldn't doubt his abilities though, and found no real reason to dismiss him.

"He existed," Camilla said vaguely, waving an armoured hand in the air.

Castle Shirasagi was in uproar. With Ryoma's coronation taking place just days later, each and every person was working towards getting everything perfect for the grandest event this decade. Oboro was holed up in a room in a far-flung room of the castle, carefully embroidering the final details onto his coronation robes. Takumi and Corrin sat with her, the former awaiting letters from members of the Hoshidan war council who had announced that they would be coming to witness this great event. Corrin was curled up in the corner, feet tucked under her, soundly asleep.

She had made preparations earlier in the day for the hall in which the ceremony would take place. There was a hall in the castle that was rarely used, unlike the similar room in the Nohrian palace. Cushions were laid out in neat rows of ten, with another three at the head of the room for Ryoma, Yukimura and the priest who would conduct the ceremony. Corrin and her other siblings would sit in the front row, along with Kagero and Saizo, who were deemed important enough to sit at the front. The other seats were first come, first served, although Corrin had set a reserved sign on two cushions halfway back in the room for Camilla and Leo, who were to arrive that evening.

Ryoma sat in his own room, speech written on flawless parchment set in front of him. Not matter how long he stared at the words, he wouldn't remember them at all, he knew, but he hoped by staring at them long enough he would absorb them somehow. A soft knock came to the door, startling him out of his careful seated position. He managed a dignified 'come in', and the door opened a crack, his youngest sister pausing by the door.

"Do you want s-some tea? I know y-you're stressed…" she asked softly, holding out a cup of steaming hot liquid. "It's c-chamomile, which is supposed to be calming…"

"Thank you Sakura. That means a lot." He nodded to her, and she knelt at the other side of the table, passing the cup towards him. He took it, and drank, ignoring the fact that it was burning his tongue.

"I-if there's anything else I can do to help, pl-please let me know!" She said, folding her hands on her knees. "I kn-know I'm not as useful as the others, but I want to help!"

"Why don't you sit here with me, Sakura?" Ryoma offered, a soft smile on his face. "I could do with some help learning this speech."

"Y-you really think I could help with this?"

"I think you're the perfect to help me."

A hunting horn sounded loudly just after the clock struck seven, informing the inhabitants of the castle of approaching visitors. Corrin woke from her slumber at the sound she was expecting, and hurried to the window, where the sight of two wyverns approaching over the darkening sky turned her tiredness into an abundance of energy. Upon a closer look, an armoured horse led a parade on the ground, with three plainer decorated horses following close behind. All three riders looked uncomfortable, and from that sight alone, she knew that the Nohrian royals had arrived, retainers in tow.

She flew down the stairs, ignoring Takumi's protests and Oboro's loud sigh. With her usual disregard for shoes, the stairs were tricky to navigate without falling over, but she made it downstairs, and ran to the front door, flinging it open, flooding the outside path with light. Camilla landed Marzia a little way in front, and hopped off the dragon. Corrin took a further few steps outside, her lack of shoes not making a difference on the stony gravel. She wrapped her arms around Camilla, thanking the woman for making the journey.

"I'm so glad you made it!"

"We're glad to be here," she smiled kindly, holding the girl at arms length. "You've changed since the last time I saw you, haven't you sweetheart?"

"Huh? I don't think so…"

"You got your hair cut," Leo observed, dismounting his horse. "It suits you."

"Thanks," Corrin smiled, making her way towards him. He met her in the middle, and she embraced him too, a soft smile appearing on her face. "I'm so glad you're here! This is going to be such a nice occasion!"

"Like Camilla said, we're glad to be here. Anything for you. And of course, we're hoping to make some peace deals with Hoshido while we're here."

"I'm glad. That really is what we need. I tried to end the war for a reason, and it means a lot that you and Ryoma are being so cooperative, Camilla."

"Ah… yes. I think Leo will handle more of that, however. He's much more politically minded than I am," Camilla excused, biting her lip.

"I can't argue with that," Corrin beamed. "Here, I'll show you and your retainers in the rooms. We only have four free rooms, unfortunately, so you may have to share somehow."

"Selena and Beruka can have their own rooms, dear. I can share with you!" Camilla said, wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Imagine, it'll be like the old days in the Northern Fortress."

"…Okay. Okay! Let's go then." Corrin turned on her heel, only to be greeted by Takumi and Hinoka. The latter's face was as happy as Corrin's own, however her little brother looked less than impressed at the arrival of the Nohrians. "Hinoka, Takumi! Do you think you could help me for a moment?"

"Sure thing!" Hinoka said, taking a step forward and dragging a reluctant Takumi with her.

"Can you take Marzia and Beruka's wyvern to the stables? You're probably the best person for the job, so…"

"I barely know anything about Wyverns, but I'll do my best! Don't worry, your dragons will be safe with me!" Hinoka said, enthusiastically moving towards the creatures.

"Wyverns," Camilla corrected, and the short haired princess shrugged in indignation.

"Same difference."

"Actually-"

"Camilla! Let's go inside. It's getting dark." Corrin passed Takumi on the way in, pausing in the doorway for a moment. "Takumi, is something the matter?"

"Oh no. Everything's just peachy," he said, his face betraying him. He shot a look towards Leo, as he usually did when seeing the Nohrian prince. The blonde raised an eyebrow in disapproval, ignoring the other's wish to start a fight.

Sun was practically a foreign concept to the Nohrian siblings, and each took it in their own way. Camilla tended to Marzia in the stables, watched by a curious Hinoka, who seemed to want to ask the elder princess about Wyverns. Beruka stood by, while Selena lay in the grass in the middle of the garden, Odin towering over her, muttering spells to himself. Leo stayed inside, holing himself up in the library. Niles watched over him, waiting outside the paper door to the library.

Corrin padded through the castle, trying her best to find her brother. Takumi had been utterly unhelpful in helping to locate the Nohrian prince, claiming he was 'too busy' to help Corrin look. So she looked herself, finding Niles, the first sign that Leo was sure to be nearby. She had always been rather frightened of his retainers, who seemed to be rather eccentric. Odin was harmless, she gathered, but Niles was a different story. He used to be an outlaw, but Corrin tried her best to look past that. Aside from that, he was still scary to her- whether his attitudes were real or not, she would never know.

"Hello, Niles," she said, pausing a few feet away from him for good measure.

"Princess Corrin," he drawled, raising one eyebrow. She held her ground, trying not to let her facial expression betray her. "How can I help you?"

"Is Leo in here?" She asked politely, in her best princess voice.

"He might be."

"I'll take my chances. Thank you, Niles." She took the rest of the steps towards the door, but he slid in front of it, effectively stopping her from getting into the library.

"Ah ah ah, I'll need payment for that."

"For what? You didn't even give me a proper answer."

"For helping you out. And maybe if you help me out, I can tell you what you want to know."

"No, thanks. I shouldn't have talked to you. Camilla always told me you were weird, and I definitely believe her now."

"Oho, Lady Camilla was talking about me?" Niles said, biting onto this tidbit of information and standing up a little straighter.

"Not recently. And she never said anything particularly nice about you, either," Corrin sighed, leaning back slightly with her weight on her back foot. "Look, I have to tell Leo about the plans for tomorrow, so if you could let me in, I'd appreciate it."

"Lord Leo already knows. Princess Hinoka dropped by earlier to tell us."

"Niles."

"Lady Corrin."

"Lady Corrin!" Jakob's unmistakable voice called from down the corridor. "Lady Corrin, Ryoma wants to speak with you."

"Tell him I will, after I speak with Leo," Corrin said kindly, and Jakob nodded. "That may take a while, since Niles won't let me into the library in my own home."

"Niles," Jakob sighed, glaring at the other man with disdain. The two had come in contact during Corrin's many years in Nohr, and Corrin had often expressed her distaste with the man to her retainer.

"Fine, fine, okay. I'll see you later, princess," Niles replied, his voice sweet, almost sickly.

"You're disgusting. Thank you, Jakob!" She called after the retreating butler, who waved in response.

The library was silent, with only the noise from the wind outside audible. Leo was definitely in here, since Corrin had checked almost every other room in the castle to no avail. A soft turning of pages alerted her to his presence, and she wandered through the crowded shelves to find the prince laying on the floor, book held above his face.

"That's an interesting position to read in," she commented, and he glanced up from his book to her face.

"Your chairs are uncomfortable," he replied, and turned yet another page.

"Why are you reading up on Hoshidan economics? I didn't think that sort of thing would interest you."

"A prince needs to know a lot of things, and it's not something I know anything about. So I thought I'd try my hand."

"Fair enough," she smiled, flopping down on the floor beside him. It was true that the floors of the castle were surprisingly comfortable, but she had never expected to see Leo of all people sprawled out on the ground.

"Was Niles giving you a hard time?" Leo asked, closing his book with a soft thud and setting it beside him. He pushed himself up, one arm supporting himself. "I heard shouting outside."

"It's Niles," Corrin said dryly, and Leo laughed in response.

"You have a point there. Anyway, did you need something?"

"I was going to tell you about the plans for tomorrow, but apparently you already know about them. So… I guess I just came to see you, really."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? I just want to spend time with you. I feel like I spend more of my time with Camilla than I do with you.'

"You don't need to worry about me."

"I do, though," Corrin said softly, not meeting his eyes. "I don't know how you've been doing since… well, you know."

"I'm fine. I'm keeping busy. It stops me from thinking," Leo said vaguely, staring out the window.

"Good. Good." Corrin shuffled towards him, placing her head on his shoulder and giving him a one armed hug. He froze for a second, barely long enough for Corrin to really notice, before returning it.

"I miss you being in Nohr, you know."

"Part of me misses Nohr too," Corrin admitted, and Leo's eyes widened at the statement. "But I know I belong in Hoshido. They're my blood family, but… I love you and Camilla too. Just as much."

"We love you too. And… well, don't forget that, okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I'll let you get back to your studying, or whatever. Sorry for… interrupting. I know you're busy. But hey, maybe you should try talking to Takumi! He gets all this stuff, so he might be able to explain it more."

"I think he hates me, and I'm not particularly fond of him myself," Leo said, and Corrin laughed at the admission.

"You're only a few months apart in age, you know. I'm sure he'll come around. In the meantime, you should make an effort to be nice to him!"

"I'll do my best, if that's what you want," Leo replied, raising an amused eyebrow.

The crown was placed on Ryoma's head at dead on noon, and the hall erupted into cheers. The coronation of a new king was a big event in Hoshido- it was an event that only happened once or twice in a lifetime, and some people would never get to see the event while they lived. Ryoma would be a popular king, that much was clear. In the eyes of the citizens, he brought about the end of the war between themselves and Nohr, although he would always credit Corrin with that honour.

Many people in the crowd dispersed as soon as the ceremony was over, but Ryoma's siblings crowded round him, congratulating their brother on his special day. Takumi was first to his side, patting his brother heartily on the back. The samurai laughed, gathering all of his younger siblings into an almost bone crushing hug.

"Thank you all," he said, his tone low and serious. "We wouldn't have made it today without any one of you. You all helped so much during the war, both in fighting and in keeping my spirits up, so thank you."

"Touching words," Camilla laughed, appearing behind the group. "It was such a lovely ceremony. Congratulations, Ryoma."

"Thank you, Camilla. Your words and presence mean a lot to us," Ryoma replied, nodding sincerely.

"This was excellent in informing me of what will happen at my coronation," Leo piped up, falling in beside his sister. He quickly realised his slip of the tongue, and his eyebrows shot up, giving away his mistake.

"Leo, we agreed to keep that a secret!" Camilla chastised, glaring at her younger brother.

"Leo, you're going to be king of Nohr?" Corrin asked as Ryoma finally released her from his grip. "I thought Camilla was next in line…"

"Oh, I am, dear. I have no interest in taking up the royal position, though, so I've already abdicated, leaving the throne to the second in line, Leo," Camilla explained, idly wrapping a strand of hair around her finger.

"Well, congratulations to you too, then!" Hinoka offered, and Sakura nodded enthusiastically in response.

"I guess that's great for you," Takumi commented, folding his arms, a familiar scowl on his face.

"I hope you'll come to Nohr again for the coronation," Leo said, directing his invitation to Ryoma.

"We certainly will. Just tell us when, and we'll be there."

"Your support means a lot."

"As does yours," Ryoma agreed, nodding solemnly.

Camilla and Leo left shortly after the ceremony, returning to Nohr to take care of their own matters surrounding the coronation. Marzia's wing beat was heard over Castle Shirasagi, signaling the departure of Corrin's adoptive siblings. Things would returns to normal, or as normal as they could. Now king, Ryoma was busier than ever, and rarely would eat with the others. Takumi spent a lot of his time practicing archery outside, Setsuna offering to help spar with him. Hinoka took over the stables officially, tending to both horses and pegasi until nightfall.

Left as the only two without an official job or other hobby to occupy them, Corrin and Sakura found themselves spending a lot of time in the other's company. Sakura often joined her elder sister in the library, or on errands into town, and Corrin volunteered to help Sakura with the new medicines she was developing. It was always an ambition of the youngest sister to go into medicine, and maybe even become a doctor. The war had given her a lot of experience, both in tending to the injured and on the battlefield. Sakura had been instrumental in winning the war, healing up their best fighters with a wave of her healing wand.

"I prefer the b-bloom festal to the sun festal," she confided in Corrin over tea one day. "The sun festal is better at h-healing, but I can use a bloom festal for longer. Of course, I carry both…"

"Have you tried any of the Nohrian healing staves? They're good, I hear. Maybe next time we're in Nohr, we can try to pick one up for you!"

"I saw s-some of out enemies using th-them, and they look different to ours. B-but I suppose I need to learn l-lots of different types of medicine!"

"Alright, what's the best staff in your opinion?" Corrin asked, sipping at her tea. The whole topic of healing interested her, as something she didn't really know anything about. Of course, as a Hoshido Noble, she could use rods, but tended not to, opting to go on the offensive most of the time.

"Obviously, the Great Festal is s-superior to all others, since i-it can heal a lot of p-people at once! B-but it has i-it's drawbacks too… it can only be used a few times. And I suppose, it depends on what y-you want to use the rod for… the h-hexing rod can be useful!" Sakura smiled into her tea, before setting it suddenly on the table. "I-I'm sorry! I've b-been talking too much…"

"No, no! I find this really interesting! I want to help you in any way I can, even if that's just talking."

"Th-thank you, Corrin," the girl smiled, lifting her tea once again to sip at it.

"No problem. Hey, maybe we can get you a staff with your name on it! That'd be cool! I mean, I have the Yato, and Takumi has Fujin Yumi, and Ryoma has Raijinto… you should get a weapon with a name! Sakura's Rod sounds cool, right?"

"Actually, I've been trying to make my own rod. S-so maybe I c-can name it that?" Sakura asked shyly, hiding behind her teacup.

"That's a wonderful idea."

At that, the paper door to the tea room slid open quickly, a familiar figure blocking the light from the doorway. Both sisters turned their head to be met with the sight of Ryoma, who nodded at both of them before closing the door behind him and kneeling at the table. He looked tired, and Sakura automatically reached for the teapot. He held a hand up to stop her, and she placed it back on the table with a clatter.

"I hope you don't mind my intrusion, but I must speak with Corrin briefly," he said, offering apologies to his youngest sister.

"I-it's okay!"

"Is something the matter, Ryoma?" Corrin asked, draining her tea quickly.

"No, no. I wanted to offer you a position on our new government. I'm trying something out- all decisions will be made by me, but voted on in a council of sorts. It's to minimize people being angry at decisions."

"That sounds like a great idea, but why do you want me on it?"

"I want you to be head of foreign affairs. After Leo's coronation, we're mainly going to be dealing with Nohr, and I want someone who knows a lot of both Hoshido and Nohr to be the one to seal deals between us and them. And you're the obvious choice, so… well; it would mean you'd get to see Leo and Camilla a lot more, since you'd have to travel to Nohr. I thought you might like that, and you are a very diplomatic person. In fact, it was Yukimura that suggested you for the position."

"I thought he hated me?" Corrin spluttered.

"No, no. A lot of Hoshidans didn't trust you at first, but he does now. You certainly proved your worth in the war, that's for sure.

"Then I'll accept the position."

"Just don't be completely abandoning us for Nohr, okay?" Ryoma joked, patting Corrin on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Corrin!" Sakura squeaked, and Corrin smiled.

"Thank you, both of you!"

.