"Well, I know what we're facing. I know I shouldn't waste time playing around. [...] But I can't help but want to help everyone smile as much as they possibly can. And sometimes I think if we all played just a little bit more then maybe it would help. I don't know. It just doesn't seem right when nobody looks happy."
-Elise, A-Support with Jakob
And yet somehow - deep down - you knew.
Stupid Father. Stupid war! Stupid Iago and his stupid meetings!
It was already three hours past sunrise, and the only two words Elise had heard so far were "Run along" when she tried to see her father in the council room.
Those weren't exactly the two words she was hoping to hear on her birthday.
All she'd wanted was a birthday wish from her father. What did those guards have to send her away for? Why hadn't Father even taken the morning free? Why hadn't anyone taken the morning free? It wasn't every day the youngest princess turned five years old! Didn't anyone remember?
Elise roamed the halls of Castle Krakenburg alone, save for the maids that passed her, sheets or feather dusters or trays of food in their hands as they ran their morning routines. Elise would've liked to go with one of them and help out - if only so she had something to do - but they never seemed to want her help. Well, and the head of housekeeping had once told her to stop asking…
So who could she talk to? Camilla was at one of her lessons, Leo too. Xander was probably in the war meeting with Father and everyone else. She was too scared to ask to see her mother in the infirmary, and even Cassita was too busy this morning! Perhaps she could ask one of the coachmen to take her to Corrin's fortress!
However, that idea quickly found its end when she remembered she would need someone's permission to be taken.
Fed up, Elise let out a pout and flopped onto the ground next to an end table in the hallway. She wished she could pull one of the red tapestries off the wall and hide beneath it, but she'd probably get in trouble if she did that again.
So instead, she settled for curling her knees up to her chin and burying her face in them. She covered her eyes with her hands, and all at once the whole world was blackened out. Now, she wouldn't have to see anyone. Better yet, no one could ignore her. They couldn't ignore someone they couldn't see! And if she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her, right?
As she hid, Elise began to hum one of the tunes her violin teacher had been teaching her. She rocked back and forth to the melody, trying to soothe herself. So her music lessons were good for more than making her into a "proper lady."
"Laa laa laa," Elise began to quietly sing out loud. She felt her lip began to shake, but she didn't want to cry, so on she made herself sing. "Lala lala laa…"
From down the hallway, the sound of footsteps drifted into her ears. Elise constricted herself tighter and cut her singing off in an instant.
No one could see her, no one could see her...
"Elise?"
Unbelievable… They'd found her! The young princess' head shot up from her knees, eyes wide to see none other than Xander standing above her, staring at her expectantly.
"What are you doing down there?"
Elise couldn't tell if her stomach was sinking because she'd been found or rising at the joy of seeing Xander.
"How did you see me?" she asked with wide, amethyst eyes full of disbelief.
Xander knelt down on one knee before his sister, a gentle smile on his face. "I always have an eye on you, little one," he said, placing his hand on her head.
Elise pouted a bit as he rubbed her hair. She didn't want to talk to anyone, not really. He hadn't told her "happy birthday" yet either. Even he didn't seem to remember…
"What's wrong, Elise?"
"Nothing," she answered plainly. She didn't want to remind anyone of her own special day or make them feel bad. It would be too embarrassing. Xander still stared her down like he knew she was lying. Elise simply widened her eyes innocently and pretended not to notice.
But her older brother's gaze wouldn't relent. Elise felt herself growing nervous, worried he would press the issue further, but his brows eventually raised again, and he moved to grasp her hand in his own.
"I'm not needed at the war meeting today," Xander told her, squeezing her hand in his larger one. "Why don't you join me to Corrin's fortress, hm?"
Though she'd just had that thought herself not moments ago, the idea simply didn't seem as exciting anymore. Soft but stubborn, Elise replied, "I don't want to."
"You don't want to?" asked Xander, his tone gently nudging at his sister's stubbornness. His chocolate eyes locked in on her, soft but speculative. "You always love visiting Corrin. And I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."
Elise supposed it wouldn't be the worst to go… In any case, it would be better than spending her birthday wallowing in the dark, depressing castle.
Before she got the chance to speak up and accept the offer, Xander had made the decision for her. He stood up with a smile and offered, "Come on. I'll let you ride on my back on the way to the carriage. What do you say?"
A small smile finally cracked Elise's face. Especially if he was offering a piggyback ride, it wasn't as though she could say no!
She remained on the ground but held her hands up high to Xander, hopeful that he'd pick her up. Not quite, but instead he did what he so often did: He took her tightly by the hands and pulled her to her feet, enough extra force to make sure he could lift her into the air as she bounced up before standing solid. That never failed to pull a delighted laugh from Elise.
Once Elise was steady on her feet, Xander turned and knelt a bit, allowing her to climb onto his back. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he hoisted her up, supporting her legs as they began to make their way through the halls.
Elise still wasn't feeling particularly talkative despite the slight boost in mood. She was thankful that Xander didn't try to force her to speak up. It was a few minutes before they even spoke at all.
"You know," Xander began as they began ascending one of the stone staircases to the surface of the city. "Father used to carry me around like this when I was your age."
Father? Their father? Elise thought of the scary man in the throne room with his deep voice and deeper frown, and she couldn't believe her ears.
"Really?" she asked with amazement.
Xander replied with a warm 'mhm'.
Elise let the thought sink in for a moment, and her heart was quick to sink as well. "He never gives me piggyback rides." She rested her head against Xander's, disappointed. Father never did much of anything with her… He never played with her, he never took her by the hand and lead her through the castle as she told her stories from the day. That was all Xander and Camilla.
"Yes, well… Father's changed since I was young." Xander's voice remained level, but Elise could sense a small shift in his mood. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone as he assured her, "Ah, well. You have me to do the job now, don't you?"
"Yeah," said Elise with a calm smile as she nuzzled her cheek closer to her brother's neck.
She loved her time with Xander. He always made sure to pay attention to her. When the others were off at their lessons and training, he'd try to find time in his schedule to play with her for a few minutes. He always asked her about her day when he had the time. He gave her piggyback rides and he always smelled like soap, which was a nice bonus.
"Hey Xander?" Elise spoke up. She still had another question. As much as she loved spending time with her brother - and with the others, for that matter… "Why is Father always in those meetings?"
Elise always felt from the way Xander, Camilla and Leo talked so fondly about their father that she must've been missing something. He was always too busy for her, it seemed. The only one who said the same was Corrin, but that was because she lived so far away! Elise was in the castle all the time… Father's meetings must've been really important if they meant he had no time for her.
Xander's answer came a bit delayed, but still level-headed. "It's complicated, Elise," he told her. "It's nothing you need to worry about."
"Oh… Okay."
She might not have needed to, but since she hadn't even seen her father on her birthday yet, she still did.
One carriage ride later, the sun was up for its scant hours in the sky, hidden behind the clouds, and Xander and Elise found themselves approaching the front doors of the Northern Fortress.
Xander had kept the conversation going along the ride, but Elise's spirits were still rather dampened. She was simply eager to reach the fortress, desperately wanting to see her big sister.
The second they banged the knockers on the front door, it creaked open from within. Xander nudged Elise forward, where she was met from behind the door by Corrin, a huge smile on her face and her eyes excited.
And… was that Leo behind her?
"There she is!" cried Corrin excitedly. "The birthday girl!"
Elise's mind slowed to a stop as both Corrin and Leo moved in towards her. "Huh…?"
"Happy birthday, Elise," Leo told her with a smile and a pat on the head.
In a whirlwind, Corrin picked her up under the arms and hugged her close to her chest. The next thing Elise knew, she was being spun around in a circle, and a laugh was bubbling out of her chest.
"Now, now, enough of the spinning!" came a third voice, low and familiar. Corrin slowed to a halt, and Elise looked up to see Camilla standing in the doorway to the dining room. In her hands was something that sent the youngest princess' mouth watering. "You don't want to knock the cake to the ground, do you?"
She almost couldn't believe it! All that time she'd spent feeling so sad and forgotten…
"You remembered my birthday!" she called happily, hugging herself closer to Corrin.
"Of course we did!" replied Camilla with a laugh. "You didn't really think we'd spend our whole day in lessons when our little darling is turning five years old, did you?"
"I hope Xander didn't spoil the surprise on the ride here," Leo said with a half-joking side eye to his elder brother.
Xander chuckled as he brought a hand to Elise's head, rubbing her blonde waves back and forth. "My lips were sealed."
"Elise," Corrin grabbed her younger sister's attention. Her eyes were excited and playful as she pressed her forehead to Elise's. "Why don't we head to the dining room, huh? You can eat your cake, and there may be some presents in there for you…"
Elise let out an excited gasp through a wide smile. An hour ago, she'd barely had a birthday. Now, she had a birthday, a cake and presents!
And most importantly, she had her siblings. Each and every one of them were around her and smiling. In hindsight, she didn't know how she could've thought they'd forget about her. They were always there to make her happy.
It was almost sundown, the few hours of Nohrian sunlight already coming to a close as the shadows across the training grounds grew longer. Even after a full day in the fortress, Elise was still desperate for someone to play with.
Leo had told her the shooting grounds were too dangerous for her when he'd been practicing magic with the archers and mages, and he'd told her to go away. Camilla had said she'd needed to train seriously today, and they couldn't take a joy ride on Zisa this time. None of the maids had wanted to hide nor seek nor do anything else resembling fun. Even Flora and Felicia, who she could always talk into a game, were too wrapped up in tending the fireplaces.
That left the youngest princess only the option of watching Xander and Corrin as they trained.
Elise sat on the grass, the green blades turning dry and brown as winter approached, against the fortress wall as her two older siblings sparred. Her dress was a bit dirty, and the cold breeze was blowing her hair into tangles. None of it bothered her, though, as she watched the swordplay from across the grounds with half-fascinated eyes.
Xander would make a lunge at Corrin, and she'd try to deflect the strike with her blade. They'd stop, lower their swords, Xander would give her some more instructions and pointers, and they'd try again.
As awe struck as Elise sometimes was by her weapon wielding siblings - by how strong and skilled they were - she much preferred watching Leo train. She loved the pretty designs his magic could make, the symbols in his tomes. She could spend days just reading them, pretending to understand them and cast brilliant spells just like the wizards in her fairy tale books.
As cool as her oldest siblings were, she would never take one of their big swords or axes to play with. Too boring! She loved the old Ember tome she'd snuck out of Leo's collection far more.
Hopefully he would never find out about that…
In the distance, Xander finally lowered his sword as Corrin did the same. At last, they were finished! Elise felt her heart leap as she sprung to her feet.
"You did well today, little princess," Elise heard Xander say. Corrin barely responded though, her eyes on the ground as she sheathed her sword. Xander placed a strong hand on her shoulder and assured her, "You're improving by leaps and bounds."
The two elder siblings began to make their way towards Elise, and she watched them with hopeful eyes, waiting for one of them to notice her.
"Silas said he was able to perform all four prise de fer perfectly by the time he was ten!" Corrin declared loudly with a disappointed look on her face.
Xander shot back with an amused smirk on his lips, "Was Camilla in the room when he said that?"
Corrin thought about it for a moment and replied, "Yes. Why?"
"Fancy that…"
Now, Elise didn't know what a " prise de fer " was, nor why Silas would tell everyone he could do four of them. Especially in front of Camilla.
But she did know Corrin, and she knew when her voice got tighter, louder, and her lips began to pout that she was upset. Elise hated it when her siblings were upset… They'd barely speak to her or one another, they'd sometimes yell, and they wouldn't even smile. The thing she liked best about her brothers and sisters was how they'd smile! She saw enough anger and heard enough yelling at home in Clarkenstein...
Before she could even make up her mind to, Elise left her spot on the wall and ran straight for her older sister. Corrin and Xander still hadn't seen her, but she didn't care. She could be a nice surprise for them at the end of their lessons!
"Xander! Corrin!" she called out happily, not too far from them now.
The two looked up at her, expressions of mixed surprise and happiness on their faces. Corrin's brows still remained knitted as they raised up her forehead, though. That was nothing Elise couldn't fix.
"Oof!"
As Elise ran full force into legs, Corrin keeled forward. The younger buried her head into her older sister's stomach as her arms locked tightly around her waist. Corrin chuckled and, once she'd settled from the shock, took her baby sister into a gentle hug. "Elise! Hi."
Her voice was sounding lighter already! That was a relief.
"I missed you!" Elise declared into Corrin's stomach. She raised her head to speak more, but never eased her arms hugging Corrin. "Leo wouldn't let me watch him train, and Camilla's been gone with Zisa all day.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Corrin brushed some of the hair out of Elise's face. Her little sister was happy to see that the traces of disappointment were all but gone, and her older sister's voice was soft and friendly again.
"Will you two play with me?"
"Of course," replied Corrin on behalf of her and Xander both.
Xander finally spoke up from their sides once Elise let go of Corrin. "Let's get you back inside, first," he told Elise, placing a hand on her head. A pause followed, after which he tilted her head upwards to look him in the eyes. Chidingly, he asked, "Where is your coat, little one?"
Elise looked guiltily at her arms, covered only by her dress. It was a thick, winter dress to be fair! But she was admittedly a bit cold in the chilly air.
"It's inside…" Elise whispered guiltily.
"Inside?" Xander repeated in a tone that Elise couldn't tell if it was serious or not.
Just as she began to put on her "sweet face", as Corrin called it - the one with a pouting lip and widened eyes that she used to keep from getting in too much trouble - Xander's hand left her head.
"Well, I'm sure that poor coat is missing you by now!"
Before she knew it, she was scooped off her feet by Xander's arms then pinned to his side by only one. Elise let out a squeal of delight and began laughing as her brother flipped her around between his arms.
"Don't let Camilla see you!" Corrin jumped in with a chuckle as Xander held Elise upside down. "You know that makes her crazy with worry."
Xander flipped Elise right-side up again, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back a bit tighter to his chest. "Ah, what Camilla doesn't know won't hurt her. Right, Elise?"
"Yeah!" Elise exclaimed happily, a smile threatening to split her cheeks wide open. She did like it when Xander was in a good mood like this.
Just when she wanted to begin toying with his hair, though, she found herself being set back on the ground. When she looked up at Corrin, standing at their sides, she found her older sister was smiling now. Just a little bit, but it spread to her eyes and made them crinkle and shine.
Her mission was a success! Even a small smile was a good sign. Everything was all right again.
"I'll race you back to the house!" Elise declared excitedly, not sure who she wanted to take up the offer. Either way, she was eager to run no matter who was with her.
With a little jump, she turned and began to run as fast as her little legs would carry her back towards the fortress, her feet hitting the hard ground and the wind making her eyes water. None of it could stop her, though. And it didn't take long before she felt a hand take hers and heard two feet running beside her.
She looked up and saw Corrin, her lips finally pulled all the way back into a bright beam. A laugh came from all the way down in her stomach as she held tight to Elise's hand and urged her to run faster, faster! "Come on, Elise!"
Elise giggled even harder as they neared the fortress together, the warm lights within growing brighter and the smokey smell of the chimneys reaching their noses.
She squeezed Corrin's hand even tighter, the familiar feeling of wind rushing through her hair making her feel like she was flying. This - the time with her siblings, where she was allowed to run and play and laugh - was why she loved coming to the fortress. This was what she'd been waiting all day for.
Corrin was with Elise again that night, wrapping her younger sister in her arms as they rested on her bed at bedtime.
Elise was disappointed that her other three siblings all had things to do the following morning, otherwise they would have been able to stay overnight in the fortress as well. When that happened, Camilla would join her and Corrin in Corrin's room and sing to them, Xander would carry her off to her own bed in one of the guest chambers. In the morning, she - and sometimes Corrin - would join Leo for breakfast, since they were always the earliest to rise.
But alone time with Corrin wasn't bad either. She'd already read her a story, and they now rested on top of the covers, looking out at the darkness through the windows and chatting themselves to sleep. As Elise laid down, her head resting on Corrin's stomach, her sister began to stroke her eyebrows.
Elise hummed, the soft fingers on her face soothing her into a daze. She nuzzled into Corrin's stomach, letting her eyes fall shut as she smiled sleepily.
"You know," Corrin began gently. The wild laughter of that afternoon had died down, and her voice was now calm and fond. "Camilla used to put me to sleep like this all the time. She'd stroke my head, sing me lullabies until I fell right to sleep on her lap. And we'd talk about all the places we'd go together… All the things she'd show me and buy me..."
Elise forced her eyes open and was met with the sight of Corrin with an odd smile on her face. She couldn't tell if it was a happy smile, or maybe a bit sad. She let out a small laugh, sounding glad to be remembering or maybe... upset?
"She puts me to bed a lot too!" Elise answered as cheerily as she could, trying to pull Corrin back to a big smile again. Her voice was a bit groggy, but hopefully it could still act as a joy-bringer. "She comes into my room all the time at the castle and sings lullabies."
It wasn't so different here from Castle Krakenburg, when Elise really thought about it. There was hardly a view out the windows, the whole of Krakenburg being in a walled pit, and the blankets were a bit more comfortable and of higher quality. There, Camilla would slip under the covers of Elise's bed and stroke her hair, sing her to sleep. Elise didn't often go to bed alone anymore, as Camilla had been in her room at the castle almost every night after her mother passed, and especially every night since Elise's mother had as well.
Her sisters were always there for her. Camilla once said it was because she'd missed her chance with her other younger siblings, the ones who'd passed on, and that was why she now held her two younger sisters and her little brother so dearly. Elise didn't quite grasp the idea since she'd never known the others. She wondered, if Corrin was always here and had never known the others either, why she always doted on her too.
That was the major difference at Castle Krakenburg. There, there was no Corrin.
"Hey, Corrin?" Elise spoke up in a small voice, heavy with almost-sleep. But she powered through her sleepiness; there were questions she very much wanted to ask.
Why was Corrin never at Krakenburg? Why couldn't she come visit them like they visited her? Elise would have loved having her put her to bed every night, just like now. She would've loved being able to run and play with her every day. Why couldn't it always be like this? Corrin had been in the fortress since she was young enough to be sung to sleep by Camilla, but why had she been here for so long?
Elise missed her when they were apart…
But when Corrin asked, "Yes, Elise?" and looked down at her with those eyes, something in their dark red shine robbed Elise of her nerve. Something in how steady they gazed down at her, in the fact that they looked almost damp. Elise couldn't put her finger on it, but something took the trust she had had in herself to ask all her questions.
Those eyes weren't ones that would be eager to answer sensitive questions. Elise knew the look by now, from Xander, Father, Camilla… It would be better to simply enjoy her time with Corrin now, to huddle together under the blankets and fall asleep.
Asking why Corrin couldn't come to the castle would only spoil the mood. Elise already knew how it would play out: Corrin's eyes would steel, she'd close herself off like a door slamming shut. She'd say something like "It's complicated" or "Don't worry about it." Isn't that what everyone said when they didn't want Elise to know?
And so, after a hesitation, Elise put on the sweetest face she could and changed her course. Rather than say something that would make Corrin upset, she simply said, "I love you."
Corrin's eyes eased slightly, and the corners of her lips pulled gently upwards.
"I love you too, Elise," she replied. Softly, she stroked her younger sister's cheek before pulling slightly on her arm. "Let's go to sleep now, hm?"
Elise nodded and sat up before crawling back up to the pillows. Corrin pulled the blankets from beneath them and lifted them up as they both slipped under.
A puff of air from Corrin blew out the candle at her bedside, wrapping the room in darkness as she curled up next to Elise under the thick covers. Elise rolled over and nudged herself closer to Corrin's chest before being wrapped into a hug.
The cold from outside seeped in, the wind moaned against the windows, but Elise felt safe and warm in her sister's arms. Against Corrin's chest, she felt her sister's breathing grow shaky, a deep breath or sniffle coming every minute or two. Elise didn't know why. She never did, but it didn't stop her from wrapping her arms tightly around Corrin's stomach and squeezing.
"Are you cold, Elise?" Corrin asked quietly, her voice barely betraying a thing.
Elise simply played along, nodded, and snuggled closer to her sister. She felt the arms around her tighten, a bit too tight for trying to warm her up. They stayed that way until Corrin's breathing steadied as she fell asleep. It was only then that Elise let her eyes fall shut again, and she followed suit.
Two years passed. Corrin became a teenager, Camilla of marriageable age. Xander was a full-fledged prince now, and Leo was way ahead in his lessons to the point that he'd passed Corrin up.
Elise… Well, she was seven years old now. And though it didn't feel like much, she was proud of it. Why, she'd started learning to use staves, and Leo had even agreed to teach her some magic if she did well! She'd gotten quite good at the violin and fond of it. She'd even learned to recite the first kings and queens of Nohr in her lessons; Father had been impressed by that.
She still felt a bit behind and confused when it came to a lot of things. The question of Corrin's seclusion still rested on her mind, and why wasn't she allowed to mention Silas anymore? What exactly had happened in Hoshido that meant Xander's retainers were gone? And just what happened to that scary Iago's other eye? However, on the whole she felt like she was growing up just as much as the rest of her siblings.
Camilla had even thought her grown up enough to join in on the girls' day she had planned for Corrin. Well, girls' day plus Leo.
The royal carriage was travelling the familiar path to the Northern Fortress, three royal siblings and two rather sizable trunks of clothing and accessories for the girls to dress up in in tow. Elise recognized all the scenery she saw passing by the windows, years of riding past those willows and mountainsides burned into her memory.
Leo had his nose in a book to pass the time, but Elise simply held Camilla's hand and rested against her shoulder as they patiently gazed out at the passing forests, waiting to arrive at their destination. It was quiet for the most part, save for Leo asking Elise once or twice to stop swinging her feet back and forth.
They'd not been able to visit the fortress in a week, much to Elise's disappointment. Castle Krakenburg had played host to a week-long event for the nobility. Elise wasn't quite sure what it had been about – something about money for the army – but all she knew was it had meant a week of staying in the castle. It had been fun to see a big ball, her brothers and Camilla all dressed up and dancing and charming their guests, but she was simply eager to get back to Corrin.
By the time the carriage wheels began shaking over the gravel way to the fortress' front door, Elise was crawling over Camilla's lap, ready to spring out the door. And when the horses came to a halt and the coachman opened the door for them, that is exactly what she did.
"Elise!" Camilla called after her. "Careful, darling!"
The young princess was far too excited to heed her sister's words. She lost her balance when she hit the ground, stumbling a bit in the process, but picked herself right back up. She barely heard Camilla and the coachmen discussing the pickup arrangement - they would be riding back with Xander's carriage when he arrived in the evening - as her feet flew to the front door of the fortress.
With the largest of smiles on her face, Elise stretched onto her tippytoes and took both brass knockers on the doors into her hands. Left, right, left, right, left she banged them against the door, then decided they guards had probably heard her.
The minute it took for the doors to creak open was a minute too long. She couldn't wait to see her sister! Especially in the pretty dresses Camilla had brought her…
"Princess Elise!" the guard at the door exclaimed with pleasant surprise. Elise smiled sweetly at him in greeting. "I wasn't aware you would be visiting today."
"It's a surprise!" she exclaimed, glad that their arrival was truly unexpected. "Camilla and Leo came too. And Xander will be here later."
"Understood. Please, do come in!"
Elise thanked the guard as he opened the doors wider for her, allowing her to skip over the threshold and onto the stone floors of the indoors.
The guard left the doors open for the older siblings as he asked Elise, "Shall I alert the staff to prepare a meal for milady and her siblings?"
"No thanks!" answered Elise kindly. Oh, no they wouldn't be needing food for the afternoon. Her mouth was already watering thinking about the snacks her eldest sister had brought for them... "Camilla brought chocolate bonbons for us to eat! They were a gift from one of the dukes, all the way from Cyrkensia!"
With a polite smile, the guard told her they sounded delicious. Then, he excused himself with a bow. "I shall fetch Princess Corrin at once."
Alone in the foyer, Elise waited anxiously, her good mood ready to burst from within her. Thankfully her siblings were there to keep her occupied until Corrin arrived.
"Elise!" Leo called annoyedly from outside. At the sound of her name, the young one turned to see him on the lawn, struggling to haul one of the clothing cases from the coach to the door. "You could at least help me carry the trunks full of clothing I won't even be wearing!"
Camilla approached from behind him with a trunk of her own. She, however, seemed to be doing fine with the weight. "Oh, Leo, darling," she began teasingly. "You're welcome to try on any of my dresses you like."
"Not funny." Leo glared at her with a pout, rather roughly adjusting his grip on one of the trunk's handles and charging forward.
Elise giggled as she ran to pick up the other handle, pulling what weight she could of the clothing case to the door. By the time they made it to the front, there was a third set of hands to help them out.
"What are you three doing here?" Corrin's face lit up at the sight of her siblings, and Elise's lit up right back.
Elise had the handle of the clothing case taken from her by her elder sister, and it was all she could do not to hug her legs then and there.
Camilla set down the case she'd been carrying in the foyer, and Leo and Corrin followed suit. She was the first to pull Corrin into a quick hug. Obviously proud of her surprise plan, she explained cheerily, "We thought we'd surprise you! We missed you this week, after all."
As soon as Corrin was free, Elise took the chance to spring into her arms. "Corrin!" she almost sang as she felt two strong arms wrap around her and spin her around once.
"Oh, Elise! I'm glad to see you."
Corrin set her down and greeted Leo as well with a quick hug before she even asked about the large, heavy boxes her siblings had brought along.
"Well, since you've been growing like a bean sprout lately," began Camilla, her familiar, endeared smile warming up her face as always. "I wanted to bring some of my old clothing to tailor for you. And since Elise and I both got so accustomed to dressing up this past week, we thought we'd make a whole day of it! I've brought accessories, makeup, everything we need to make ourselves into proper princesses. I extended the offer to Leo, but…"
Corrin giggled as Leo replied in a deadpan voice, "I think I'll pass. I'll be in the study until Xander gets here."
"Oh, Xander's coming too?" asked Corrin, her mood clearly boosted once more.
"He'll be here in the evening," Camilla answered. "But for now, there's a darling blue dress in here with your name written on it!"
Corrin had managed to convince Sir Gunter to pardon her from training for the day (with the promise to work extra hard the day after), so that by midday, the three Nohrian sisters were up in Corrin's chambers. In a few short hours, they'd managed to turn the ordinarily bare-bones, orderly room into a chaos zone. Fine fabric lay over the few chairs and covered the bed, necklaces and bracelets and tiaras coated the surface of every dresser and vanity. It was as though a royal ball were taking place, but the only guests were the clothes themselves.
Elise had yet to try anything on, but Camilla had put her hair into pigtails for her already, even brushed a bit of rouge on her cheeks. Her turn with the dresses would come, she'd said, but she only had two hands.
So, happy that she already looked like one of the fancy noblewomen with her cheeks so rosy, Elise was able to wait patiently amidst the mass of silks and furs on Corrin's bed. Corrin was on her way to looking refined too. Elise watched as her two older sisters stood at the full length mirror, Camilla behind Corrin and pulling at sections of fabric on a beautiful blue dress.
"I would need to take the hips in," Camilla muttered, pinching the extra fabric in the corresponding area. "And the bust as well…"
Elise saw Corrin's face sour in the mirror. "Honestly I have no idea how we're related… Look at me!" she whined. "I'm a full head shorter than you, even. And everyone else, for that matter."
"You're not shorter than me!" Elise piped up from the bed, full of encouragement and happy for it.
Corrin's reflection only shot her a teasing look that silently asked 'Seriously?'
"Oh, enough of that nonsense," said Camilla, leaving her sister's side for the dresser. She continued as she shuffled through the clutter on the wooden surface, looking for something specific. "You are perfect just the way you are. A woman thinks her differences are her greatest flaws..."
Before the rest of her bit of wisdom could follow, Camilla's face indicated she'd found what she'd been looking for. She raised a couple of pins in the air with a proud "Aha!" before making her way back to Corrin, pinning a bit of fabric in place and stroking her hair affectionately.
"A lady knows her differences are her greatest assets."
Elise couldn't help but smile at Camilla's words. She was a lady if Elise ever knew one…
Someday, the youngest princess hoped to be just like both of her older sisters, but especially Camilla. She'd never be as strong as Corrin, that she knew. As kind, maybe, and that would certainly be nice. But maybe one day, if she worked very hard, she could be as elegant and ladylike as her eldest sister.
As she daydreamed about her older self, the picture of grace and charming the capes off all those handsome noblemen, she felt a pain in her stomach followed by a very un ladylike growling. The vision of her future self sent her the same reminder that she'd heard all too often from those older than her: Only girls who eat all their food grow big and mature.
A sudden motivation hit her as she excused herself, determined to head to the kitchens and not only satisfy her hunger, but satisfy it with something healthy, something that Xander would say would make her big and strong. She'd eaten too many bonbons earlier anyway…
Elise quickly excused herself as Camilla and Corrin kept busy at the mirror. With a skip in her step, she made her way down the winding staircase to the floors below, her shoes clicking happily against the stone as she went.
Her breath began to grow short as she exited the main part of the tower and began to pass up floor after floor on her way down. She passed the hallways to guest bedrooms, weapon storage rooms, part of the maids' quarters… Eventually, she reached the second floor, and through the corner of her eye, she could see a wooden door resting half open. Dim light came from an open window and stretched into the hallways. Within were a few bookshelves, and a familiar figure seated at a desk, his nose stuck in a book. Elise changed her course.
Heading towards the open door, a smile grew on her face. She stepped into the light from the study and nudged her way in, catching the attention of her older brother.
"Hi, Leo!"
Leo looked mildly shocked to see her, his eyes wide, almost panicked. He closed his book and shoved it into his lap, a single fingernail holding his place. "Ah, Elise! Hello… Where are Corrin and Camilla?"
"They're still upstairs," answered Elise as she moved closer. Her eyes were locked on the book in Leo's lap. Surely he'd found another interesting volume to tell her all about. "What are you reading?"
Leo hesitated as Elise came closer, shirking away and pulling the book a bit closer. "I-It's… probably too complicated for you," he stuttered, grip tightening.
"No way!" Elise protested, brushing his worries off. Quickly, she made a lunge for the book, red leather right within her reach. "Can I see?"
After a quick struggle against her brother's hands, Elise managed to get the book to fall open, revealing a mess of black and white letters and, most strikingly, a beautiful portrait in watercolor.
Leo leaned back with a distressed sigh just as Elise let out a gasp of wonderment. The portrait was of a woman, more beautiful than any she'd ever seen. Well, not more beautiful than her sisters, or even some of the noblewomen she'd seen in the castle, but more… different.
Her hair was pink, her eyes as well - just like the coral plants Elise had read about in that book about the sea. She wore the most beautiful red and white robes, matching white ribbons tying two sections of her hair in front of her shoulders. And her face… She looked so peaceful, but the way her red-painted lips pursed and fell seemed almost sad.
"Who is that?" Elise asked Leo with awe.
"No one," Leo replied shortly, trying to push the book shut again.
However, Elise's hands holding it open wouldn't let up. She leaned in closer to read the caption of the portrait. "Queen Ihk-…onn-…"
"Queen Ikona."
Even when Leo said the name with such annoyance, it was beautiful.
"What is she queen of?" asked Elise. Surely this woman was a fairy tale queen, with that garb and the pink hair. That would explain why Leo was so embarrassed; he was reading a fairy tale!
"She was the Queen of Hoshido."
Hoshido? So… that meant she was real! But… 'was'?
It quickly hit Elise that, yes, there was a new queen ruling Hoshido now. She'd heard her name thrown around often enough.
"Is Queen Mikoto her daughter?" asked Elise.
Her eyes were met with a look of either confusion or awe from Leo, his brows quirked as he looked back at her.
"I hear Father talk about her a lot," Elise explained defensively. She didn't know why no one ever thought she knew anything…
Leo cleared his throat and moved on. "No. Ikona was King Sumeragi's first wife. When she died, he married Mikoto."
Elise was a bit put out to hear of the beautiful queen's demise. "Aww, she died?" she whined with disappointment. Her eyes ran over the portrait once more, the pouting lips and somewhat sad eyes now holding more weight. Maybe Ikona had known she was dying and that her husband would marry someone else. But even in sadness… "She's so pretty, though! I want pink hair, too."
Leo replied with a noncommittal "Mm", his hands clearly still itching to get the book out of Elise's, though she couldn't imagine why.
"Can I see more of the pictures?" she begged her older brother.
"No. I have to study." Finally, Leo managed to pull back on the leather cover and ease it shut, finger still holding his place in the pages. "Why don't you go back to Corrin and Camilla?"
Elise felt her stomach sink. She didn't understand what Leo had to be so secretive about. And why, whenever some topics got brought up, could her older siblings be so tight lipped? Leo usually didn't have a problem explaining things to her, but now he was getting huffy and short, just like Xander did when he didn't want to answer a question...
But, with years of experience in the secrecy field, Elise had learned when to call it quits. "Fine," she drawled out, pulling away from Leo and making for the door.
But before she could reach it, Leo's voice called out behind her and stopped her. "And Elise?" he began, his tone almost sounding worried. "Don't... mention this to anyone, okay?"
Elise paused for a moment. So… he wasn't only being secretive with her? She felt a little better knowing that, and even better - in an odd sort of way - knowing that she was the only one Leo had shared the book with.
"Okay," she answered kindly.
Leo went back to his book, and Elise continued down to the kitchens, lost in thoughts but happy nonetheless.
She managed to distract the chef and sweet talk the kitchen staff into giving her a small bowl of strawberries from the countertops - something sweet and healthy! Hurriedly, she ran out with her goods and made the trek back to Corrin's room.
She sat on Corrin's bed as Camilla did their sister's makeup, the two of them chatting all the while as Elise munched on her strawberries. At some point, she bit one open, saw the red juice within and was reminded of Queen Ikona's pouting face. She brought the fruit to her lips and painted them red with juice, and she wondered - without being able to ask anyone - if she looked like a Hoshidan Queen.
It wasn't until later that evening that Elise began to feel bothered by Leo's behavior earlier in the day. Why wasn't she allowed to tell anyone he'd been reading about Hoshido? She had a pegasus feather she'd received from Camilla that would've gone perfectly with a Hoshidan dress-up outfit, along with her strawberry lipstick, but she couldn't do that for fear of getting Leo in trouble. He'd shown her what Hoshidan women look like, after all…
However, she didn't understand why that would get him in trouble, or why he thought it would, at least.
And so, that evening, she resolved to approach him about it, just like a grownup. She'd confront him and ask him directly if Hoshidans were evil, if that's why they weren't allowed to read about them.
When she did just that, Leo didn't quite give her the direct answer she'd been expecting in return.
"Well," he replied with a halfhearted tone. He turned the sparring sword in his hand by the grip, glancing over distractedly to the training grounds not far away. Xander was now waiting for him there. "We're at war with them."
Elise quickly rolled that answer around once or twice in her head, but it still didn't mean anything to her. It still didn't answer her question.
"So…" she began quietly, trying to pull more out of her brother.
Just then, Xander shouted for Leo from the training grounds, urging him to hurry it along. He'd only arrived a mere few minutes ago, but after the younger siblings' leisurely day, they apparently couldn't afford to put at least a round of sparring off.
"Hang on! I'm coming!" Leo called back with irritation. He ran off towards the training grounds without so much as a second glance at Elise.
Elise sighed, growing more and more frustrated.
It wasn't as though she had a lot to say about Hoshido. Most of what she knew, she knew from snippets she'd overhead from Xander or Father or passing comments she'd heard in Castle Krakenburg. But she was remembering more and more instances in which she'd asked to hear more about the eastern land, and people had simply brushed her off.
She knew she wasn't as old and grown-up as everyone else, but didn't she at least deserve to know why she wasn't allowed to learn about something?
Well, Leo was out as a source for answers. Xander as well, for sure. She shivered at the thought of asking Camilla - she could already hear her soothing voice cloaking dead seriousness, telling (but actually warning) her not to worry about it. She loved Camilla, but when it came to serious topics, she wasn't the best one to go to for answers…
That left… Corrin. Yeah, Corrin!
Corrin would never get angry with her, she was sure. And there was no way she would punish Leo for getting her thinking about this topic to start with. It was clear she didn't know as much about Hoshido as their brothers and Camilla, but it was worth a shot.
She turned away from the outskirts of the training grounds, remembering Corrin mentioning she'd be spending some time in the stables. So to the stables Elise would go!
When Elise reached the stables, all the way in the corner of the grounds, her ears were met with the soft voice of the stable girl. She poked her head in the wooden door frame, the smell of hay hitting her nose as she saw Lilith and Corrin by the horses.
"... filled up her trough with carrots so she won't go hungry."
Elise only caught the tail end of whatever it was Lilith was saying, but she heard Corrin give her thanks and dismiss the younger girl with a smile. Elise lingered still in the doorway, waving to Lilith kindly as the latter took her leave.
"Bye, Lilith!"
Corrin hadn't seemed to notice her youngest sister was there until she'd heard her speak. Her hands stopped running a brush through her horse's coat, and her eyes snapped up towards the door.
"Elise!" she exclaimed with wide, ruby eyes. "I thought you were inside with Camilla."
"She's busy altering those dresses for you," explained Elise. She took her first steps towards Corrin, her shoes landing on a floor of hay as she briskly made her way to her sister. In the most grown-up voice she could muster, she said seriously, "I wanted to ask you about something."
Corrin's eyes followed her curiously as she climbed onto the wooden rail fence making the walls of the stables. Elise carefully sat herself down on the top rail and, very ladylike, crossed her feet and rested them on another rail below her.
"What is it?" asked Corrin, open but clearly still somewhat skeptical of her sister's odd behavior.
Taking in a short, steady breath, Elise prepared herself. Corrin won't get angry, she reminded herself, and with that thought in mind, posed the big question.
"Are Hoshidans evil?"
Corrin paused. Her hands, which until then had been fiddling with the brush they held, stilled. It was a familiar reaction to Elise, one that said, "I didn't expect you to ask that, and I don't want to give an answer." She feared she may have miscalculated; perhaps Corrin would get angry…
But her elder sister shocked her when she set down her horse's brush on a nearby stool, her eyes remaining concentrated on Elise. Unwavering, curious, but still gentle.
"Evil?" she repeated and came closer to Elise at the fence. "Why would you think that?"
"Well, Father is always talking about how to hurt them, and Xander says they took his retainers. And…" She thought back on Leo's secrecy with his book, on Camilla growing uncomfortable at the sight of her pretending to be Hoshidan, on years of hearing the 'the Easterners' whispered like it was scandalous and offensive and quickly brushed away. "No one ever wants to talk about them. Is it because they're bad?"
"Well…" Corrin leaned a hand on the fence next to Elise. She heaved a thoughtful sigh, her mind clearly at work as she mulled over an appropriate answer. After a pause, she replied, "We're at war with them."
"That's what Leo said," Elise told her as frustration sank into her voice. "But that's not an answer."
Corrin replied level-headedly, "It means we - our countries - think a bit differently, that's all." Her gaze slipped over Elise's shoulder, out across the grounds, and her face lit up with a small twitch. Elise knew that look, the one her sister took on when she got an idea, and she quickly turned around to see what Corrin was looking at.
There, across the green, were her two older brothers, swords in hand as their silhouettes battled each other back and forth across the dimming horizon.
"Like Xander and Leo."
Xander's hands were making those barely controlled gestures of his as he argued with Leo over something the girls couldn't hear. Leo fired a weak spell in annoyance, which his older brother barely dodged before pointing threateningly at the spellcaster. The youngest prince turned to leave in exasperation before thinking better of it, going at Xander with his sword with a renewed vigor.
Corrin let out a chuckle at the sight. "They don't always agree on things," she explained to Elise. She paused a moment long as though reluctant to continue, like she wasn't sure she should. "And they fight sometimes. But that doesn't mean either one of them 'bad.'"
Elise tried to understand, knowing from Corrin's hesitation that she must've just said something with a lot of weight. She nodded her head slowly and waited for it to click, but it simply wouldn't.
"Oh," she uttered unconvincingly.
Corrin seemed to pick up on the vacant expression on her sister's face, taking it as her cue to explain her comparison more clearly.
"My point is, Elise, that Nohr and Hoshido fight because they can't agree on things, too. But that just means that we're different, not that anyone is evil. Especially not everyone in one country." She placed a hand on Elise's head, stroking her hair affectionately as a smile grew on her lips. "Look at you, for instance. Nohr has hurt Hoshido too, but our country isn't full of bad guys. We still have a sweet little girl like you, right?"
Elise blushed, and a bashful smile crept onto her face.
"And two brave princes!" said Corrin funnily as she leaned in closer to Elise.
"Yeah."
"And two other princesses who are practically perfect in every way, right?"
"Yeah!"
The two sisters shared a giggle, the seriousness in the air lightened considerably. Corrin leaned up on the fence next to Elise, her hand slipping from her baby sister's hair down to her shoulder as she squeezed her into a one-armed hug.
"You'll learn more about the war one day, Elise," she promised. "But until then, you just focus on staying so kind. Our little light in the family…"
Elise felt a small kiss planted on her head, and she hugged Corrin a bit tighter. Corrin always knew how to make her feel special. But if she were being honest, she didn't feel like a light in the family. Rather, she often felt she was the only one in the dark, without a clue.
"Sir Gunter taught me that kindness is a light that shines brightest and can never run down its wick. It can burn forever and brighter than anything else in the world."
'Than anything else in the world'? Well, that did sound nice… And Elise supposed it was true that no one could ever run out of kindness to give. But shouldn't she be more serious like her siblings? Should knew now that Hoshidans were not evil, but everyone did seem to want to hurt them… Shouldn't she do the same?
"So I say give as much kindness as you can where you can - even if everyone else tells you otherwise. Then maybe we'd all be a little happier," said Corrin, her voice a whisper that Elise could barely catch. But when she looked right at her little sister, her voice and eyes softened, a questioning quirk to her eyebrows. "Yeah?"
'Even if everyone else tells you otherwise.' Elise let those words repeat in her head. Maybe Corrin was right. Maybe if everyone were a bit nice to Hoshido, and the Hoshidans a bit nicer to Nohr, maybe everyone would be a bit happier. So even if everyone told her to hate Hoshido…
She remembered what a smile and some kindness could do for just her siblings, like making them happy or making them smile too. As long as she was kind, even to an enemy, maybe she could make even the enemy smile.
"Yeah," Elise replied, a light smile on her face. Finally, she felt like she was beginning to understand the world and the war a little bit, even if her take on it all was a bit unconventional. But if Corrin explained it, it couldn't be too wrong.
She wished Corrin were around at Castle Krakenburg. Surely she would understand everything Elise couldn't there. Maybe she could even explain why kindness seemed to be drowned out in there…
Elise missed her sister when she wasn't there, and for years the question had pestered her: Why did she still live so isolated? She remembered a night she'd stayed at the fortress with Corrin, and she'd been so close to asking, but she'd lost her nerve. Her siblings had since explained to her that it was because Corrin was weak, but she was one of the strongest people Elise knew now!
She looked up at her elder sister, who had turned around to watch Xander and Leo sparring again. She looked so relaxed, leaned on the wooden rail of the fence and a peaceful expression as she gazed at her brothers.
Elise had worked up the nerve to pose the question now, and it seemed like the perfect time to ask again.
"Can I ask you something else?" she asked, turning herself around on the fence to face the same way as Corrin.
"Oh, I don't like the look of that face," Corrin teased, and Elise realized her brows were furrowed and her mouth downturned. "You look so cross. So Xander."
"I'm not cross," Elise hurried to explain over Corrin's chuckle. "It's just… Why can't you come live at the castle with the rest of us?"
The playful glint in Corrin's eyes died out slowly, and though her smile didn't fade entirely, it was clear to Elise that she was a bit hurt.
Hurrying to say something nice to brighten Corrin back up, she said, "I just want to be able to talk to you whenever I want."
Corrin nodded, a controlled look of serenity still on her face. She let out a small sigh before asking softly, gently, "How much have the others told you?"
"That… you were sick when you were little, and Father placed a spell on this Fortress to make you strong. And you had to live here." Before Corrin could reply with anything, Elise continued. Her voice grew whiny, a bit desperate. "But you're not sick anymore, are you? You don't need a spell!"
"No, I'm not sick," replied Corrin with a muted laugh, placing a calming hand on Elise's shoulder. "But I'm not strong enough to leave either."
"You're stronger than me!" Elise protested. "I live in Windmire, and I'm not very tough."
Corrin laughed, more endeared than anything else this time. "You're plenty tough in your own ways, Elise."
"Well, can't you come to Windmire anyway?" Elise's voice began to rise. "I can protect you! And Xander can too! And Leo and Camilla and-!"
"That's very sweet of you to offer. I would love to come back with you." Corrin caused Elise's heart to rise in hope, but before long, she let it back down gently. "But I need to be strong on my own."
Elise didn't want to understand, but a little part of her did. Her older siblings were always around to protect her, and she wouldn't wish them away for anything. But sometimes it would have been nice if they wouldn't shelter her from everything. She didn't like the feeling of never being able to find things out for herself. She supposed Corrin hated the feeling of lacking independence too.
Maybe that was why Corrin didn't hide things from her or dodge her questions. Maybe she sympathized with wanting to know more and never finding answers.
"I'll get strong enough, Elise, don't you worry," Corrin assured her with a small squeeze of the shoulder. "I want to be in Castle Krakenburg with you more than anything, that way we can talk like this every day, whenever we want."
"I'd like that!" replied Elise, and she didn't just mean because she'd have her sister around. She'd like it if Corrin could be free too. Free, happy, and able to bring a source and outlet for kindness to that dreary castle.
Also - and this gave Elise the biggest joy of all - if Corrin could make it to being strong and independent like the rest of their siblings, that meant Elise could too, someday.
"You know," Elise began, snuggling into her sister's side. She thought back to the night when the two of them and Leo had stayed awake waiting for a comet shower. She'd dozed off, but she'd later woken up when Corrin and Leo had fallen asleep. She'd crawled out of their arms and right up to the window, where stars were shooting all across the sky, and she'd wished as hard as she could on one extra bright falling star. "When we wished on the stars, I wished you could come live with us."
"Elise... " Corrin whispered, a look of shock in her eyes. But she looked happy, touched. "I thought you were asleep!"
"I was! But I woke up later," explained Elise with a proud smile. "I didn't want to miss my wish."
"You sweet little rascal…"
"But it still hasn't come true!"
Corrin laughed, a big, bright smile on her face. "You know…" she began slowly, quickly glancing around the stables, making sure no one was listening. "Since we've been on the topic of Hoshido, I read a while ago that they fold paper cranes there for granting wishes. If you fold a thousand your wish will come true."
"Really?"
"Mhm. Maybe the next time you come over, we can fold cranes. Just the two of us! And you can wish for anything you want." Corrin's voice was excited as she rubbed Elise's shoulder, hugging her tight and planning their next big day together.
Elise loved the idea of wishing for anything in the world - especially if it meant she got to make pretty cranes! But the only thing she wanted, more than anything else...
"I only want you!"
Corrin pulled her closer with a chuckle, and Elise wrapped her arms around her waist. She nuzzled her head into Corrin's chest and thought: She'd make a million cranes if it meant she could do this whenever she wanted.
Snow was falling.
Through the windows, Elise could see the world of white, flakes winding their way downward through the air in the blustering wind. She loved it when the barren mountains got covered in such a beautiful blanket of shiny white, especially when she knew how cold it was out there and feel the warmth of the fires in the fortress.
The sudden sound of Corrin's voice calling to her from her piano bench snapped her attention back to the world around her. She adjusted her violin on her shoulder, straightening her back and pinching the wood beneath her chin once more as her sister began to lead in to the song they'd been practicing together.
As she raised her bow to the strings and joined in, she saw Leo on the nearby sofa raise his interested gaze from his book to watch his sisters' duet. He made no comment as the notes flowed through the room, a mystical waltz with a bittersweet taste, and his eyes eventually returned to the pages of his volume.
Elise couldn't help but feel a weight on her chest from the dampened auras around her as she played. They'd been snowed in at the fortress for three days, and as much as she loved the snow, her siblings didn't seem to share her affection for it. Everyone had given up on training, the grounds covered with ice and fluffy white powder and far too cold to tolerate. Leo had had his nose in a book practically the whole time, Corrin had given up on trying to liven the place up, for Xander and Camilla…
Xander and Camilla were grown-ups now.
They'd both been mulling about the fortress, more busy than their younger siblings. Xander had been in one of the studies sorting through papers Elise wouldn't even pretend to understand, his brow deeply furrowed and his lips pulled into a concentrated frown. Camilla, though she'd technically been a malig knight since that awful battle two years ago that had taken her wyvern, had finally been getting serious about learning magic. She'd been up in the library practicing reading runes, alongside a mountain of other general studies she was falling behind on.
Ever since that battle that had taken Xander's retainers, their family wasn't quite the same. Everyone was more serious, it seemed. She still didn't know all of what happened during that battle, but she knew it had to have been bad from the way everyone tried to shelter her from it. She knew Xander's retainers and Camilla's wyvern didn't come back. It gave their whole family a scare, and all at once, as though someone had snapped their fingers, her two eldest siblings changed. They'd grown up.
Elise frowned a bit as she gazed out the windows at the snow, remembering a time when Camilla would've immediately pulled her and Corrin out there with her to play, when Leo would've reluctantly joined in, when Xander would've eventually found them out there and pretended to be too old for playing in the snow. Camilla would throw a snowball at him, and he'd join in anyway, secretly loving every minute of it. Corrin would take Elise by the hand and run with her, kicking up snow in every which way until the air was filled with white flakes catching the light of the dim sun, brightening the whole world as they glittered and reflected white, blinding white...
But alas, the gray of the fortress interior faded into her eyes as her daydream faded away. She only then realized that she'd stopped playing, the song at its end.
Footsteps from the doorway took the place of the music and caught her attention. Xander had entered the room, a stack of papers, a covered inkwell and his favorite quill stacked precariously in his hands. Elise's heart lifted a bit; was he moving his study to be near them?
"You two sound lovely," he commented kindly as he made straight for the table at the room's far wall, just behind Elise's back. He rested his things down carefully, slipping his arms gently from beneath his papers before situating his ink and quill next to them.
Corrin and Elise both thanked him for the compliment with smiles on their lips. He mirrored the look as he approached Elise from the side, placing a large hand on her head and giving it a small rub, a reflex developed over the years.
"Perhaps you should pursue the way of music rather than combat," he joked, still smiling. But only then could Elise see his eyes weren't in it, still tired and in a world of their own.
Corrin either didn't pick up on it as he headed to her side or chose to ignore it. As he placed a hand on her shoulder, she soured up her face and stuck her tongue out funnily.
"And give up my sword? Never!"
He chuckled, a light breath of air as his eyes ran over the sheet music resting on the piano's music rack, only half interested and half understanding the mess of black dots. His hand fell away from Corrin's shoulder.
"Well," he said as he began making his way back to the papers he'd left at the table. "Don't mind me. Please, continue. I could use some background music to clear my head while I work."
From the top of the stack, he took a few of the papers away, making for the couch where Leo sat. "May I, Leo?" he asked politely before taking a seat on the cushion next to his brother. He ran a hand through his hair, and his face grew cold and concentrated again, his eyes carefully reading through the pages before him.
Corrin began to play again.
A short while passed, the two sisters practicing their music - mindfully, for they still wanted to impress their brothers. The snow outside never relented, and Elise's jaw was starting to grow sore from holding her violin.
It was then that Camilla entered with little fanfare, a tome in one hand and a carrot in the other, which she bit absentmindedly at. Her hair was tied back, both eyes free and concentrated on the study material before her.
Elise played on as she watched her brothers notice her sister as well, but on the occasions in which Camilla did get herself to concentrate, she concentrated in the truest sense of the word. Xander and Leo's eyes returned to their books, and Camilla continued to wander slowly through the room.
Eventually, the song came to an end once more. Camilla's feet halted in their meandering tracks, and with a flick of her wrist, she slammed the tome in her hand shut.
"How fare your studies, Little Sister?" asked Xander from the sofa, a knowing tone to his voice.
"I believe 'atrocious' would be a suitable term…" Camilla replied, a funny quirk to her head to accompany her sarcasm. Gently, she lay her tome down on a nearby sideboard and took a final bite of the carrot she'd been snacking on. Her face soured. "An appropriate term for this carrot as well. Blech! We must stock this place with better snacks."
Leo, his eyes still glued to his book, jumped in with his usual wisdom. "A chick doesn't fly the day he hatches," he said. Speaking as the best mage of the household, he could say with certainty, "It will take time before you're able to properly read spells."
"Oh, Leo…' Camilla sighed with a small laugh. "Had I told you that when you first started learning magic, I'd have had a tome thrown straight at my head."
The youngest prince didn't reply, but a barely visible smile on his lips said he'd heard her, and he remembered his own fervor he'd shown as a beginner. Elise smiled too, simply glad to see her sister and catch a glimpse of her siblings' normal manner.
The room quieted save for Camilla, now humming the same tune Corrin and Elise had been practicing. Corrin began to look through her music, Xander and Leo continued reading. The conversation had lightened the mood in the room a bit, but now they seemed to be falling into silence again.
Elise simply wouldn't have it.
Now was the perfect time for her to jump in and start some fun! Everyone was calm, Camilla was humming - a sign she couldn't be in a bad mood. Xander had specifically left his study to be with them. It was time to take the inklings of good spirits and bring them to full fruition.
Elise set down her violin and bow carefully on the table near Xander's study materials, and with as much skip as she could put in her step, she ran up to Camilla. Just like when she was a child, she grabbed onto the hem of her elder sister's black dress; she knew it just melted Camilla's heart when she did that.
"Camilla," she began sweetly, catching a fond gaze from her sister. "Will you teach me how to dance?"
A fond smile spread on Camilla's face, just as Elise anticipated. "What? Why the sudden wish?"
"I don't know!" Elise giggled, flashing her most charming smile. She grabbed a bit tighter to Camilla, looking up at her with sweet eyes. "I love this song and want to dance to it, but I don't know how to waltz. And you always look so beautiful waltzing with those noblemen at the balls…"
Camilla chuckled, every bit as elegant now as she was during those formal events. Placing a hand on her sister's head before squeezing her cheeks, she said agreeably, "Very well. It's only right that a princess should know how to dance, after all."
Elise had known it wouldn't take much convincing!
Camilla took a step back, taking Elise's hands into her own. Corrin began to play their song once more, this time fuller as she took over the part of the violin as well.
"Now," Camilla began to explain. "When we dance, we stand up tall. Shoulders back! Arms poised like… so! And the most important part - you mustn't forget this…" Her lips curved upwards, elegantly lighting up the purple in her eyes. "A smile!"
Elise followed Camilla's instructions and her example, and as her elder sister explained that she would lead, she slowly, concentratedly, began to step around in circles with her to the sound of "One, two, three. One, two, three…" They started first at half the beat of Corrin's piano playing before working up to spinning round and round in time to the music.
Elise was still clumsy on her feet, but Camilla's hands pulled her along as they spun through the room. The elder of the two eventually began to sing along with simple "La, la laaa"s, and her face grew into the familiar smile Elise had missed these past few days in the fortress. A few lilac hairs began to fall from their ties, flying in her face - a delicate shade of alabaster and marked only by the scar she said her mother's ring had left near her left eye.
No matter how many years went by, Elise would never stop wishing she'd one day be as lovely as her sister.
"You're terrible at leading."
The comment came from the sofa. Without stopping, Elise and Camilla both turned their heads to see Leo, his eyes unamused and barely glancing up at them.
"Ha!" Camilla guffawed and asked incredulously, "And I suppose you could do better?"
Leo looked back down, probably thinking himself rather clever for backing down. But Camilla thought otherwise.
"Oh, no no!" she exclaimed through laughter. Keeping her hold on Elise's hand, she stormed over to the sofa with her sister in tow. "You don't get to dole out idle criticism that way, Little Brother. "
The way she teased him with those final two words as she let go of Elise and took hold of his arm with both hands sent him sputtering indignantly.
"B- Camilla! Cut it out! I'm trying to-"
"Come on!"
Elise giggled and watched as Camilla dragged their brother to the center of the room and forced him into leading. He started clumsy and unwilling, but Camilla's hands pushing and pulling him along got the better of him.
Camilla began to sing, shamelessly ignoring her brother's petulant glower.
From the piano bench, Corrin turned around to see the two dancers as well. Her fingers still gliding through the song, she laughed.
"Impeccable form, good Prince Leo!" she complimented him, sure to make it seem more like teasing as they all always did with the youngest prince.
As Leo shot back with a quick response, Elise heard a lower, quieter chuckle from behind her shoulder.
Xander, true to himself, was pretending to stay concentrated on the papers in his hands, but Elise could see the lingering, amused upturn to his lips. It gave his youngest sister an idea, and for it, she put on a face she'd not used on him in a long while.
"Xander?" she asked, her amethyst eyes wide and begging - her "sweet face" - as she held her hands out to him. Her palms reached out for his, just like when she was little and wanted to be picked up, wanted to bounce into the air with her older brother's hands helping her fly.
Only this time, he was the one who needed picking up.
For as much as he played the role of eldest sibling perfectly, he had gotten so into the role as to rarely smile like he used to. It had been ages since he'd let himself go, since he'd played with Elise. She wasn't asking to play house or dolls anymore - she was ten years old, after all! But she missed his laugh. He had always been there to make her stop crying, to make her smile; she missed seeing his smile.
"Rest time is as important as work time," Elise insisted, still refusing to break eye contact with her brother. "I've heard you say that before."
Xander waited a moment, looking almost skeptical. His eyes flitted to his papers, conflicted. But finally he conceded to the pleading eyes of his baby sister and set his work aside on the cushion next to him. His hand took Elise's.
He let her dance on his feet when they joined Camilla and Leo, his hands holding tight to hers to keep her balanced. It took a while, but after enough time, the weight on his shoulders seemed to ease up. He smiled, not fully, but enough to remind Elise that her elder brother whom she so loved really was still in there somewhere. She hugged him tight around the waist, and she was more than delighted when his hand raised to her back and returned the gesture. Suddenly, she was five years old again.
Elise noticed that Corrin was nearing the end of the song, but she feared letting the moment end. On a whim, she pulled away from Xander's arms and leapt off his feet. She rushed to the table, fetching her bow and violin from its surface before running back to Corrin.
She tugged at her sister's shoulder, catching her attention and motioning with her head to Xander as she readied her violin at her chin. Corrin smiled and seemed to understand, standing and letting the sound of the piano die out only to be replaced by the violin.
Xander waited with an outstretched hand on Corrin, which she ran towards and took with joy. The two of them picked up right where Xander and Elise had stopped, and the youngest sister drew her bow across the strings, picking up where Corrin had left off in the song before looping it back to the beginning.
She watched as her four siblings spun in graceful circles. Camilla's voice still sang, mingling in harmony with the violin. Leo lead her around the room, unexpectedly (and perhaps ironically, considering his past stumbles) very graceful on his feet. And Corrin and Xander…
Corrin was dreadful at following her brother's lead, but smiling and chattering away nonetheless. Some comment she made drew a laugh out of her older brother, and though Elise couldn't hear what it was, she smiled too. She could see Xander's true smile again, wide and kind, and hear his true laugh, soft and genuine.
She sighed to herself as she played, her heart satisfied and soaring.
Over the years she'd heard a lot about how to behave. Be quiet, people had told her. Be demure. Be ruthless, said Xander, and be honorable too. But the words that had stuck with her most were Corrin's: be kind.
Corrin was the only one to have ever told her to be kind without limits, and she remembered how careful she was in saying it. As though she knew it was something no one else would want to hear.
Elise often got that impression from her when she spoke of open kindness like she showed, when she spoke of the enemy like fellow humans, when she fed Elise's curiosity about peace and the eastern lands. She always looked like she knew such words would bring her trouble, like she knew she was an island, too different from the rest.
Well, hadn't Camilla once said a lady's differences were her greatest assets? Elise saw the smiles Corrin could put on people's faces, and that ability was a gift, an asset, wasn't it? Wasn't it good if Elise could do the same? If she could, she would make the whole world smile.
But for now, she had made four people smile, the four most precious people in the world. She watched as they danced and laughed, and the silence the fortress had held mere moments ago seemed miles away. It was filled with happiness now, and she liked to think it was partly in thanks to her.
Kindness never runs out, Corrin had told her. So she'd give and give, even if everyone else told her otherwise. Especially to those who had made her smile more than anyone in the world.
A/N
"I always thought of Xander as my own personal hero. You know, like how some girls think of their dads. [...] When things got rough, though, I could always rely on Xander. He always smiled then, and he used to laugh so much."
- Elise, S-Support with Arthur
I dare you to watch Mingled Tears right now and not cry.
I think Elise's dynamic with her other siblings, especially Xander, is something so special. She loves them so much and just wants them to be happy, even if it means pretending to be more naive than she is. She knows what's up. A sweeter little thing there never was.