A/N: In April I ordered a charger for my laptop after my old one finally ran out (that's a lie, I accidentally crushed it :/ ). It worked fine, but one day in the middle of May it gave up randomly. So I'm forced to use a different computer that's used by the family for homework and general entertainment to write this out. Enjoy!

Role-swapped

On the ground, you had to worry about bandits or people who tried to sneak up on you. Maybe the occasional sleazy noble trying to get a position in court. Totally ruined a good day. In the air? Not a care in the world.

Once you were airborne, all you had to be concerned with is if you properly put your saddle on your wyvern. In my case, I don't have to worry about Sylvester. He's specially trained to make sure I stay on my saddle and in case I did fall off, he would quickly catch me with his giant claws.

I put a hand against his head, just underneath his eye as I lowered my head to his ear.

"One more run."

Over the wind howling, I heard him growl. He knew what I had in store. Less than a second later I suddenly leaped from the saddle, tome in one hand while my wyvern dove beneath me. I flung my hand out; a sphere of lightning shot out from my fingertips, small in appearance but strong enough to bring a house down. A howl echoed through the sky and I saw a blade of air fly up at the orb, cleaving it in two. It exploded into a cloud of lightning, the sight made me grin at our success.

"All right, Sylvester; that's enough for the day!"

I heard no answer, as I started to plummet towards the ground. My stomach lurched. "Sylvester?"

Again, no reply. I wasn't sure if this was a joke he was playing or if he had gotten distracted, but I was starting to panic. This was not how I intended to die. I envisioned myself swarmed by enemy hosts, fighting until my last breath. Now some city cleaner would be scraping my remains off the street, probably grumbling about reckless kings and their fancy wyverns-

At the last second a shadow dove above me, claws roughly catching the scruff of my neck. My stomach jumped down from my throat. Once I found my breath again, my gaze turned up to Sylvester, looking back at me with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Very funny, Syl."

The two of us resumed our evening flight, soaring through the sky above Valla. It's a wonder people don't have their own wyverns for activities like this. It's beautiful from up here…

Though not as breathtaking as a certain Vallite queen, responsible for establishing peace across the land.

The entrance to the wyvern stables came into view, torches lit for the night. Sylvester eased up on his dive, wings spreading out to catch the wind and prevent certain death. Dust rose around us as we landed, otherwise the other occupants were undisturbed. I dismounted with a leap and patted the wyvern's side; "You did well, Syl. Then again, when have you ever let me down?"

His tail swished to and fro, several of the tail spikes extending. He emitted a low growl, which might seem threatening to some people but, to his proper trainer, was merely an affectionate purr.

Strange to think it's been fifteen years since I first brought him in, bleeding and left to die in a storm. Once he somewhat recovered though, he lashed out: caretakers and soldiers alive fell victim to his razor-tipped wings and spiked tail. Most would've put him down after so many scars. Being an elder son of the Nohrian royalty, I was determined to train him.

I had little success at the beginning, most times my hands were bitten and sliced when I tried to handle him. After some months though he seemed to recognize a determination like his own, and eased up on the attacks. I still got the occasional nip or scratch, but for the most part, we formed a truce.

Then came the trials, to see what he was capable of. And I have to say I've never seen a wyvern capable of firing spikes from its tail, much less stalk a herd of warriors without making a sound. And that's when I knew he'd be the perfect match for me.

Well, until she came along and stole my heart-

"Evening, your Highness."

Sylvester's ears twitched at the voice; I put two fingers on his cheek. Wait. I turned and was greeted by a man who looked like a doll. Porcelain face with pale pink cheeks, golden jewelry hung from his neck and ears, lavish robes befitting a royal. For me, he was anything but worthy of helping to rule a kingdom.

"Sir Milva." I nodded to the man in front of me, "Good evening. How may I be of assistance?"

"I wanted to come and see if there were anything you needed. A drink, perhaps, or an evening meal?"

"No, thank you."

"Well, would you care to take a walk with me? I hear it's lovely around these times."

Ehh, why not? Can't hurt to fulfill a simple request. I walked forward, only to be nudged by Sylvester's snout. He looked up at me with anxious eyes, letting out an almost inaudible growl. I turned to Sir Milva and raised a hand; "I'll be with you in a second. Just need to finish putting Sylvester away."

"Of course sire. I'll be waiting in the courtyard."

I waited for him to leave before dropping the politeness, kneeling beside my wyvern. I whispered something in his ear; he grunted and whirled around, bounding towards the landing platform. He crouched, then leapt towards the sky, a silver speck among the night sky.

When Sir Milva first showed up I knew something was wrong. Sure he was annoying and always complained about how his family should've received their "rightful inheritance" but he never tried to come directly to me. Maybe try to set a meeting up- which I always declined, putting it off for another time- to convince me he belonged in the council.

Wonder what he's got planned this time…

"Apologies for the delay, Sir Milva," I walked out to the parlor, the sun's brilliance fading with the coming twilight. "There was a slight problem with my wyvern, so I-"

The parlor was empty. The tables were vacant, candles extinguished, it appeared I was alone. I frowned, wondering where he could have gone… until I felt a small blade press against the small of my back.

"Don't make a sound," Sir Milva hissed, "or your corpse will never be found."

Tsk. Politics. So many backstabbers in court, why didn't I see this coming sooner? I nodded and let out a sigh.

"Good. Follow my lead."

He led me by the ear through the dark hallways, the paths known only by the royal family. I assumed this guy had this planned out for a while, which half-impressed me and gave me another reason to enjoy his execution.

"Do you know why I'm doing this?"

How should I know? He was the one who suddenly dragged me out here in the twilight hours- ow ow ow, that's the ear, he's pulling on my ear.

"You want money?" I suggested. "A place in the court?"

"I want the throne!"

...well I wasn't expecting that. I had thought he'd try and bribe me or something akin to that-

"For decades, the house of Macbeth has proved loyal to the throne. We swore undying oaths to serve and protect the crown, whatever the cost. And Garon promised to reward us!"

"Well, that's the thing: you swore loyalty to Nohr's throne before the war. Valla is a completely different kingdom, with other alliances and treaties-"

"That's exactly the point!" the dagger he held moved up to my neck, the very end nicking the skin and drawing blood. "Everything was lined up for us. All would go according to plan. And then she showed up." I could hear the venom in his voice as he referred to a certain someone. My fist clenched as he spat onto the floor. He would not talk about her like that.

"She came along and ruined everything! Garon was overthrown, Xander assumed the throne and swore alliances with Hoshido and your country! We were disgraced, rejected when he renounced his father's old friendships! And she, the very representation of our failure, became Queen!"

Yeah, and an actual good Queen, more capable than this scumbag ever could be.

"But we kept quiet. Kept a facade going so we wouldn't draw unwanted attention from the populace, all the while planning ways to overthrow the 'rightful heirs' of the throne. And then, we had an epiphany.

"You."

A spark of indignance raced up my spine, sending shivers throughout my chest. No…

"See, we were going at this from the wrong angle. Trying to view the picture as a whole, when in reality, it was a puzzle. A tower of children's blocks that would collapse if one, certain, beloved block was removed."

The bushes rustled, and several cloaked men came out, garbed in violet robes and wielding obsidian daggers. My pulse quickened, this was not the way I had pictured this to go.

"We take you out, and the Queen falls into despair. Becomes an emotional wreck, unable to rule a kingdom. And then we swoop in, noble and heroic, offering food and wealth for the people. And favor for the royal family, popular opinion, switches to us."

"There's one thing you're forgetting," I said, voice steady despite the situation. A King never showed fear in the face of the enemy. I drove my elbow into his gut, temporarily disabling him as I spun out of his grasp. I faced the group of assassins, a victorious smile on my face.

"My family never backs down to assassins. And Camilla is much more than capable of ruling a kingdom without me."

I clicked my fingers. For a heart-stopping, chilling few seconds, nothing happened. My eyes darted to and fro between the bushes; do not let these be my last words. Sir Milva recomposed himself, scoffing at my apparent failure. He gestured to his comrades.

"Kill him."

Before they could move the bushes lit up; bright blue flames engulfed several plants and someone unlucky to be standing close by. His screams were cut off as several head-size spikes erupted from his chest, and he collapsed.

The silence around us broke into choruses of yells as soldiers poured out; Sylvester charged out of the burning bushes, followed by two deer-like dragons. My heart jumped in my chest as I realized my plan had worked. Sylvester would be rewarded for this.

"No!" Sir Milva could only stand in horror as his plan fell apart in front of him. Years of careful meticulous planning, hours of preparation for his triumph, and it went up in smoke. "NO!"

"Seize the traitors!" I heard a voice bellow over the soldiers' cries. I saw a familiar figure raise his sword at the assassins, frozen in place as they were surrounded by the royal guards. Silas, in full battle armor, wielding a blade with lightning coursing across the edges. "Do your duty for the King and Queen of Valla!"

"For Valla!" the soldiers echoed. Milva looked back at me, fear and hatred distorting his otherwise pleasant features as he removed the dagger from his waist. He sprung at me with surprising agility, but I was ready. I hopped sideways, sending him stumbling over his long robes. I pulled out the tome from my pocket as I dodged another clumsy swing. So he swung again. And he missed. And then he missed again.

Eventually, I decided to put an end to his vain attempts and tripped him, causing him to totally fall over on his face with a sickening crack. I slightly winced; broken noses were particularly nasty. By now the soldiers had rounded up all of the would-be assassins, those who resisted were given a swift death, their bodies piled up next to those who had surrendered. As Milva rose up, likely looking for another chance to strike, I whistled. Sylvester jumped over and stared the scumbag down, eyes appearing scarlet in the night while his two friends flanked me, giving me a more menacing appearance. One Ancient Dragon might be intimidating, but two? Might make you reconsider who you're fighting.

"It's over, Sir Milva," Silas said, his voice colder than Flora's and Felicia's powers combined. "Your rebellion has ended, and you will serve the rest of your life in prison. Accept defeat with dignity, and your sentence might not be so harsh."

Milva looked me dead in the eye, malice contorting his face further as he spat in my face. I calmly wiped his defiance from my face and signaled with a hand, holding the soldiers from charging forward and enacting punishment.

"Your fault, Milva. Like my friend said: it's a bitter pill to swallow, but at least do it with some honor."

"Go to hell!"

...well, if he wanted to play that way. I turned up to Silas; "A sword, if you please."

He nodded and tossed me one still in its coverings, which I caught with one hand. I drew the blade out, making sure to let Milva see it in its glory, catching the moonlight. Jet black with an ebony handle, almost like it was made of shadows. I let the tip of the dagger rest at the tip of this dirtbag's chin, taking some pleasure at how his eyes widened and the small gasp that escaped him when I pressed into his skin.

"Well if you insist. Thou shalt not kill as they say, except when it comes to insurrections and secret organizations. So then, Sir Milva, I offer you a choice: accept defeat and end up in prison for life, with your family being spared out of grace, or public execution at dawn as a reminder that disloyalty will not go unpunished."

"You wouldn't! Y-you don't have it in you; you'd never kill someone in cold blood!"

Cold blood. Says the man who plotted to kill me and overthrow my family. Still, I let my sword lower ever so slightly, my gaze flicker away from him. I contemplated my decision, then nodded to the dragon on my right.

"No. I suppose you're right. I wouldn't kill someone calmly."

His eyes lit up with hope. A flickering candle amidst a wave of despair and hopelessness. That was nice to see-

Though not as nice as snuffing it out.

"But she would."

Camilla, still in her dragon form, swung round and brought her tail across his neck. His head was sent flying off, his body limply fell seconds later. She flicked the blood from her tail, droplets of blood dotting the floor next to the corpse. My daughter growled at the other assassins, letting the message across.

Serve the throne, or join Sir Milva.

The families would be rounded up in the following days, informed of their patriarch's decisions and attempt on the King's life, and, based on their allegiances to us or the insurrection, fined based on their parts in the planning. The house of Macbeth would get the worst of the charges; hopefully, the others would get the idea and swear total loyalty.

So much death for one night… it wasn't even wartime.

"You okay, Papa?"

I glanced at Kana, innocent, concerned eyes gazing up at me. Her adolescence had done little to deter her usual cheer, she still skipped around the palace with an enthusiasm that infected all that witnessed her presence. Even in the face of true pessimism, she could put on a brave face and smile.

"Yes, I'm fine, little dragon. I'm just tired."

"Sleepy, or sick of all this fighting? Because I wish that people would just be nicer to each other and try making friends. It'd be a lot easier than fighting wars, right?"

I nodded with a smile. Always seeming so innocent, and yet underneath that naive exterior was a young woman who understood how the world worked. A hidden genius within my daughter.

"Yes, it would be a lot simpler if everyone simply sat down and talked. Things would be much nicer without any fighting."

"They just need to meet you, Papa! You and Mama are the best rulers in the world! If everyone saw you, I bet they'd like to get to know you!"

By the divine Dragons, she was adorable. How were we blessed with such a wonderful daughter and hardworking son? I looked up at Camilla, hoping to see similar ecstasy, but what I saw was, in fact, the opposite. Brows tightly knit in deep thought, lips pressed into a thin line, the sight made my heart ache.

"Kana, would you hurry along to bed, please? I think me and your mother need to have a talk."

Her gaze switched between me and my wife before understanding dawned on her and she nodded. "G'night, Papa!" She sprung up and caught me in a ferocious hug and planted a kiss on my cheek before turning and doing the same to her mother. "G'night Mama!"

She smiled at her and kissed her forehead, but said nothing more. Had Milva's insurrection affected her that badly? Dear me, this had to be remedied posthaste. I looked at her in concern while our daughter hurried down the hallway, out of sight and to her bedroom.

Now it was just the two of us. I took her by the hand and led her back to our bedchambers, quietly moving through the sleeping halls of the castle staff. Soon the doors to our room awaited the two of us, patiently standing by to let us in.

Once we had ducked into our rooms I heard a faint sigh. I turned in time to see her rest on the bed, hand over her forehead. I didn't know if she was exhausted or had a migraine; regardless I made my way over and sat next to her, rubbing her back lovingly in an attempt to distract her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"The war's over. Anankos is dead, Nohr and Hoshido formed a truce, our family's worthy of ruling Valla. Everyone should be happy!"

"And they are, sweetheart." I kissed her cheek, my hand seeking hers out and carefully squeezing it. "Well, most of them are."

"Exactly, Corrin: most of them are. I don't understand why they should be unhappy, the country should be grateful for us."

I nodded with her, resting my head on her shoulder and nuzzling into her hair. She was a Goddess, a being who I worshipped fervently. She was responsible for saving this world, a being capable of slaying Gods for the greater good. No matter what anyone else says, she deserved respect.

"Corrin, are you listening?'

Hmm? "Sorry, dearest; I was too enraptured with your beauty to notice your ranting."

She sighed, flicking my forehead. This warranted a disapproving murmur from me as I wrapped my arms around my waist.

"Sometimes I think you're too busy flirting with me to care about what I'm dealing with. This could be an actual issue, husband. Insurgence might go around after tonight, people might rise up for murdering a noble. What will they think of me?"

"Who cares what they think?" I said. "You were- and still are- acting for the benefits of the kingdom. You care about your kingdom, unlike our 'dear' Father. It won't matter what they say, as long as you don't stop being you, everything will be fine."

"But what of their support? I can't rule a kingdom without their approval-"

She faltered as my fingers danced along her legs, finding herself unable to continue. She purred in content as I nipped at her ear, carefully taking the two of us onto the bed. My hand fingered the band on her ring finger, carefully tracing the shape of polished metal.

"We support you. Your family- those in Hoshido and Nohr- will support you. Those whom we met on our adventures will support you. Anyone with a rational mind will support you." My voice dropped to a whisper.

"Kana supports you. Carmen, though he's just a child and still in school, supports you.

"I support you. I have always, and I always will."

She hummed as I nestled into her, whispering sweet promises and our covenants pledged on our marriage day. She turned her head, eyes meeting mine as our lips rejoined each other.

"When were you such a diplomat?" she raised an eyebrow at me when we broke apart.

"Garon's concubines always fought for attention. My mother forced me to read the behavior and etiquette of a noble to earn his approval. Always thought it was useless, but now that I'm ruling with you, I'm quite pleased with the results."

"Indeed, I'm not sure I've ever been so impressed by you before."

I kissed her once more, letting the sensation linger just a little longer before pulling her close to me. I'm quite pleased to say I've never slept better.

A/N: only time I used a swear word (you might not see it as a serious crime but I personally try to avoid swearing), and I'm not using any others.

Going into this, I was confident with the results of this chapter. Coming out of it, I'm more than satisfied with the results. I kept Corrin and Camilla's behavior the same, with a minor tweak here and there. (And since Corrin's the Malig Knight here I decided to give him a "special" Wyvern Mount.) I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Next up is Unable to sleep.

Also, we're almost halfway through this story! Thank you for your encouragement and support, it's been an honor writing this.

Thank you for those who gave your continued support and for those reading this story, if you liked it how about leaving a like and/or follow? Constructive criticism is always appreciated, as is any review from you fellow readers. See you all in the next chapter!

Write on!