There was nothing they could do.

Mikoto had been hesitant and unsure in the months following the ambush in Chevalier, and many Hoshidan lords took advantage of her political flailing to put plans in motion that normally would never have seen daylight. The new queen was particularly distraught over the loss of Ren, her only flesh and blood daughter. Not even Ryoma's kind words or Hinoka's naive determination could lessen her anguish, which had led to one of the higher ranking nobles to put forth a plan Mikoto would've shut down under any other circumstance. His plan: kidnap a princess of Nohr and demand a trade. Even if Ren had perished with Sumeragi, King Garon would've had to confirm her fate if he wanted to see his own daughter again. Surely this would force the Nohrian king's hand.

The result… one week after she agreed to the plan, Yukimura led a small, blue-haired girl into Mikoto's meeting chamber, introducing her as Princess Azura of Nohr. The Hoshidan queen realized in that moment what she had truly ordered and sank to her knees before the girl. Her eyes had been unfocused and her cheeks damp, and Mikoto had apologized profusely to Azura, promising that they meant her no harm and she would be returning to Nohr shortly.

A ransom was sent out immediately. Days… weeks… seasons… all passed with no word from Garon. They knew he'd received the message, as the messenger had returned unscathed, yet not a single letter was sent in response. Mikoto ensured that Azura's stay in Hoshido was as pleasant as possible - accommodating every need and treating her with the respect due someone of royal blood - but no one thought it would become permanent.

One year after the kidnapping, Mikoto accepted that Garon would do nothing. But they couldn't just return the Nohrian princess; if they did so, then they would effectively be breaking the terms of their own agreement. As much as Mikoto wished to return Azura to her homeland, Hoshidan honor dictated that it was not a possibility so long as Garon kept Ren's fate concealed. She had been in tears when she went to explain this to the blue-haired girl.

Azura had merely smiled, wiped away the Hoshidan queen's tears, and said that she liked living in Hoshido and didn't mind staying there as long as they needed her. Something in the timbre of her voice when she said that set Mikoto at ease. Ren's fate was unknown, but they could protect Azura in her place.

It was a hollow comfort, the queen thought as she read yet more reports of Faceless raids on the Hoshido-Nohr border. The blighted country tried again and again to provoke them to war, but Mikoto wouldn't let it come to that. There had to be a peaceful solution, something that would allow them to coexist without bloodshed. Yet every olive branch the queen extended was thrown back at her - even the Nohrian people had turned their noses up at offered, Hoshidan-grown food, their pride making them refuse the charity. She couldn't offer land, either; her people would rather burn and salt their land than allow Nohrian farmers to reap the benefits of generations of their ancestors. War seemed inevitable, and Garon's apparent thirst for glory was not helping.

Sighing, Mikoto leaned back, stretching her neck as she pondered taking a break for tea. None of these problems would be solved overnight, and she was fairly certain that Yuugiri was one step away from dragging the queen from her study.

"Yurari yurureri~"

Mikoto shook herself from her thoughts as Azura's song drifted through the air. Her voice was soft, but she could clearly hear every word, like they were floating in through the open window leading to the gardens. She didn't know what prompted the girl to begin singing right then and soon didn't care as another tune swept her away…

Lanterns were hung from every conceivable location, the orange glow illuminating the entire town square as if night had never completely fallen. In fact, nothing in the square looked like anything had changed. Merchants were still out, although none were hawking wares like normal. Instead, everyone had out food and gifts typical of a festival, and the lively music playing all around dissuaded anyone from trying to yell above it. The middle of the square had been cleared of any structures and it was the only place people weren't crowded nearly side by side.

This was because that was where people were dancing. Several were members of the Hoshidan army, and all were nearly battle ready. Given the cobbled-together nature of the festivities, they'd probably won a battle mere hours ago and hadn't yet been able to change out of their armor. It made for an interesting sight - although Oboro hardly looked out of place as she refused to be less than fashionable even in armor - yet one dancer stood out among the rest.

In the center of the square, in the center of all the dancers, Azura spun around, a blur of white and blue swirling in perfect time with the beat of the drums. Not even Subaki, for all his perfect steps, could match the songstress for beauty in this court. The music swelled and fell multiple times, and she kept pace with every shift and pause, only slowing her steps when the music stopped and the musicians put their instruments down for a brief respite.

As the dancers all stepped away for a break until the next song began, Azura strode towards the sidelines. Her steps were full of purpose and took her right up to a man who would've stood out even if he weren't decked in black, plated armor. "Y-You were really beautiful," the man stammered, twiddling his thumbs even as he smiled. "Well, th-that's a given, I guess. I meant your dancing was beautiful. But I'm just stating the obvious here, aren't I?"

Azura's normally expressionless face held a gentle smile as she stopped beside the black armored man, taking one of his hands in her own. "Thank you, Silas. It… is truly wonderful to hear you say so."

Silas blushed and shrugged. "You're welcome, dear. I just… I just say it so often, you know?"

"I know. It also warms my heart whenever I hear you say it." The small chuckle she let out made it seem like this wasn't the first time she'd informed him of this, and he responded in kind, giving her hand a light squeeze as well.

"That's good, 'cause I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying it."

Azura gave a simple nod of acknowledgement and a peck on the cheek before the music started up again. This time, it was a far faster tune, and the people who decided to join in on the dance were mostly new, not yet tired from the celebration. The Nohrian princess took a step towards the open square before turning back to Silas and tugging on his hand. "Will you dance?"

Silas threw his hands up in front of him, eyes wide in what could only be called horror. "N-No way! I don't know any Hoshidan dances. I'd only end up making a fool out of myself and probably step on a bunch of people's toes. B-better if I just stay here and watch."

The Nohrian princess dropped her smile, only to quirk her lips upward a moment later. She placed one hand on his shoulder and, with the other, took one of his hands. It was a position foreign to any Hoshidan dance, yet it was one any Nohrian child knew well. Silas almost instinctively brought his free hand to her waist when Azura drew her body closer to him. "Then do a dance you do know."

He looked unsure of how to take her words until he glanced around and saw what must've been an opening in the dancers and gave a hearty chuckle. Silas took one hesitant step and, as soon as he knew Azura saw where he was leading them, whirled them into the square, barely avoiding any collisions with the other people there. There was a pattern to the steps, and both Nohrians easily adjusted it to the tempo, but a 3-step dance didn't mesh at all with the Hoshidan style everyone else was using. Azura laughed gently as people nearly fell over themselves to get out of the way of the pair, and soon they had cleared a space large enough for half a dozen couples simply because no one knew what they were doing.

In this space, they danced. The Nohrian princess's dress flared outward as Silas twirled her around, sometimes only touching by their hands, sometimes pressed flush with each other in a manner most Hoshidans would find inappropriate though it was nothing odd to the two dancers themselves. As the music wound down, Silas dipped Azura as low as he could, the princess trusting him to support her weight. Applause came from all around, and the two kissed before standing back up for whatever song came next…

Mikoto smiled and sighed as the vision ended. That man - Silas - was unfamiliar to her, but his features clearly marked him as Nohrian, and that was to say nothing about the style of his armor. The fact that he'd stood among members of the Hoshidan army not as a captive but an equal gave the queen some dearly needed hope. If even one Nohrian could find a place in their army, then it meant there was a chance for peace. It was a small chance, but it was one, and that matted to her almost as much as what the vision had revealed about Azura's future. To think that the normally shy princess would find someone to dance so freely with… Mikoto couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she glanced out the window, where she could still hear the Nohrian princess singing in the calm and quiet.

A/N: I may or may not have been listening to Adriana Figueroa's cover of "Aqua's Dance (Nohr)" on repeat while writing this piece. Also, how does one write dances?! I really need to work on that. Anyway, as usual, comments and critiques are greatly appreciated