"Happy New Year!" The call went out, the clock tower ringing its last toll. Fireworks exploded, lighting up the night sky with bright colours. Corrin smiled into the sky, Sakura attached to her arm and Hana hovering at her shoulder. Everyone was standing outside the castle, staring into the sky, excited for the New Year to begin. This year brought about the first year in which Hoshido and Nohr were not at war. And Corrin remembered that this year, Hoshido and Nohr were to be brought together due to the marriage of their royals.

New Year's Resolutions weren't something Corrin had never really bought into. As a child, she always resolved to do something mundane, like go on picnics or see the ocean. This evolved into her list of goals that she gave Silas, and to this day he still attempted to make these come true. She found the idea of setting time limits on dreams absurd; you should have your whole life to do such things. But this year was different, she resolved. This year, she would find out where she truly came from.

The end of the previous year had all but pushed Mikoto's cryptic letter from her mind. But now, Corrin was determined to find out her birthplace. Perhaps, as well as Hoshido and Nohr, this other country could be brought in the agreements. She wasn't certain that it even was a country- it could easily have been another small town, elsewhere in the two kingdoms. But she wouldn't know until she started to investigate. Of course, that couldn't begin right now, since the party was really only just beginning.

Corrin excused herself early from the party, heading to the lake. It was a different experience for her coming here now. It didn't include any sad memories, or pining of Azura. While she still missed the songstress, there was nothing she could do but remember the good times. Now, she came out here to clear her head, and often sat by the lake. Tonight, though, it wasn't that calm. There were people at the lake, drinking by the water's edge. Corrin smiled as she passed them by, heading for her usual spot on the boardwalk. As soon as she sat down, another body sat beside her, making her jump.

"You scared me," she laughed, putting a hand over her heart.

"S-sorry," Sakura said, folding her legs underneath her.

"Getting too much for you?"

"Yes. T-takumi has drunk a lot, and he can be scary..." she laughed sheepishly, fixing her hair.

"It's a lot quieter out here, even though the people are still here."

"It's a sh-shame to think this will probably be your last New Year's celebration with us," Sakura said sadly.

"Nonsense," Corrin answered, rolling her eyes. "As if because I'm living somewhere else means I can't come back to visit. And hey, perhaps one day you'll move somewhere else."

"I don't want to think about that!" She laughed again. Then, her face fell quickly, and she turned to Corrin with a serious expression. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. And Ryoma, and Takumi, and Hinoka, and everyone else."

"And we'll come to visit any time!"

"Perhaps... Sakura, you're the perfect sort of person for the job, so why don't you apply for my job as Foreign Secretary?" Corrin suggested.

"Oh no, there's no way I could do a job like that. I'm not the right sort of person for politics."

"Sakura, you are! I think you'd be the perfect person for the job. Hoshido needs someone calm and level headed, kind hearted and serious to do the job, and I think you'd be perfect!"

"I'll... th-think about it. I don't know, but perhaps I could do so."

"And since you enjoy travelling, you'd get to do a lot of that."

"Stop doing such a good job at convincing me!" She said, swatting Corrin's arm.

Corrin was just settling down with another book on Valla when a sharp knock came to her door. She called for the person to come in, and in walked Orochi, with whom she had never really had a conversation before. The foreseer was usually quiet and devious, and she had her fair share of fighting during the war, both on the battle field and behind the scenes, gathering intelligence. Both her prowess as a sage and her womanly charms largely helped them during the war. She closed the door behind her, but still hovered near to it.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Lady Corrin. I have some information that may interest you."

"Do sit down," Corrin said, pointing at the chair to her desk. She closed her book as the chair was drawn up, and Orochi produced a teacup from behind her back.

"This is your teacup from breakfast. I took the liberty of reading the leaves; since it's something I do every New Year for each of the royals. Everyone else's came up with normal things, like luck, prosperity, and the like. But yours worries me a little. It was hard to decipher. It looks like change when you hold it this way, which makes sense. But this way..." she twisted the cup 180 degrees. "It looks more like a goat, which means that you must be careful of your enemies."

"That sounds troublesome," Corrin said, staring into the cup. She usually didn't buy into all that stuff, but she knew Orochi was to be trusted since she had predicted correctly for many people, including her mother, in the past.

"Do you know who this enemy is?" She asked, setting the cut down and folding her arms.

"I have an idea where they are, though I couldn't tell you their identity."

"The invisible kingdom, I would reckon," Orochi said, and Corrin's eyebrows rose in shock.

"How do you know about that?" She asked quickly. "I thought-"

"I was Lady Mikoto's retainer as long as I've been in court, Corrin. She told me and Reina a lot- her trust was in us not to tell anyone, but I think passing this information on to her daughter is okay."

"What do you know?"

"Plenty. This kingdom is impossible to get to without jumping into the bottomless canyon, but this can only be done when the skies change. Currently, if you jumped, you would hit the bottom and die. You can only get there when the gate is unlocked. That's what we were told, anyway."

"When will the seal be broken?" Corrin asked desperately.

"Lunar New Year. It'll stay open until the Spring Equinox, and then will be shut again. Lady Corrin, if you're planning to go there, you mustn't go alone," Orochi warned, and Corrin nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll have both the Hoshidan and Nohrian armies to command, so everything should be good. Well, perhaps good is a strong word, but no one will die."

"I don't know what's down there, so you go at your own risk. I won't be travelling with you- I have a child to look after, and I expect some other parents both here and in Nohr will be unwilling to travel with you. But Lady Corrin, you're well supported within both kingdoms- everyone loves you as their peacemaker. You can do this." Orochi places a motherly hand on Corrin's shoulder, before leaving the warrior to question what she will do next.

The logical answer to the question she had spent the entire day pondering was to tell someone. To tell someone about Valla, although she had inferred that she couldn't mention it by name. Ryoma would listen, or Sakura, and both of them would be able to offer her advice. Hinoka would definitely listen, although she was busy often and wouldn't have time to come up with a helpful response. And she was still avoiding Takumi, although the two still managed to be civil in the company of others. While writing to Nohr was still an option, she didn't want to bother either Leo or Camilla in this busy time.

So instead of doing anything, she bottled it all up. She knew this wasn't a good idea, but it was only a few weeks until the Lunar New Year and she didn't know how to express that the skies would change to anyone. In fact, she didn't even know what the skies changing would look like. In times like this, she truly missed Azura, for she had some innate ability to tell when something was on Corrin's mind. Azura's infinite wisdom would never fail to explain to Corrin how to fix the problem.

Corrin spent a lot of time in the garden, pacing back and forth. It was still cold, but since she was now exempt from her duties due to her imminent move to Nohr, she couldn't think of anything better to do. She could be packing- but she didn't own all that many belongings and she wouldn't need to spend a lot of time packing. Aside from her books (which, to be fair, were heavy tomes), she only had her armour and weaponry, and a few casual outfits. She had left the couture dress Leo had bought her for Christmas in Nohr, in her wardrobe that was slowly growing in size.

One afternoon, when the rain was pelting down, Corrin sat in the kitchen, staring at the rain running down the window. The cooks were busy in the background, readying dinner. She ignored them, staring out into the garden. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and saw Takumi's retainer Oboro behind her. She hopped off her stool, trying to figure out the expression on the spearmaster's face. It was a mixture between excitement and fear, and Corrin clocked that her hands were bandaged. Oboro usually wore her hair in a long ponytail, elegant and precise. Today it was in a messy bun, piled on top of her head.

"It's done," she said, and it took Corrin a moment to figure out what she was talking about. In her excitement, she grabbed Corrin's wrist, but dropped it after a second. "Apologies, lady Corrin. Are you busy currently? If we could go to the workshop, that'd be good for me. I can see what needs fixing."

"I'm sure it'll be perfect, Oboro," Corrin smiles. "But of course."

Following closely behind Oboro, who had clearly run to there, Corrin made her way into town. Oboro's shop was close to the castle, so she could have access to both it and Takumi. She took care of the prince during the day, and often worked through the night on her creations while Hinata looked over Takumi. Today was her day off, she informed Corrin, since Takumi was on a political visit to the newly reformed Kohaga. She unlocked the door, and in the centre of the room was a mannequin, a huge white dress on it. Oboro flipped the sign to 'closed', before making her way over to Corrin.

"Well?" She asked nervously.

"It's beautiful," Corrin murmured.

No other word came into her head. The bodice of the dress was fitted, while the skirt was full. Corrin could already see the amount of hours Oboro had spent stitching this over the past few months. It was strapless, and had silvery embroidery all up one side of the top. When she moved closer, Corrin noticed the silver flecks of glitter all throughout the tulle skirt. Oboro rummaged in a box behind the counter, pulling out a pair of gloves and a long veil on a delicate comb. The veil had lace on it too, and at the top, Oboro had sewn delicate red roses along the comb, a combination of the colour of Hoshido and the national flower of Nohr.

"I don't make shoes, so you'll have to find your own... or I suppose, since it's you, you might not bother," she laughed.

"How much does this cost?" Corrin asked, mentally preparing for the price. She knew wedding dresses were expensive, and this dress had clearly had hundreds of hours of work and countless metres of fabric in it.

"No charge, Corrin!" Oboro said, slightly horrified. "Not to you, anyway. Lady Hinoka is paying for it, and even then, I'm only charging her the price of the materials and not the hours. I've always wanted to make a wedding dress, and do so for a royal wedding is an honour. I have the two bridesmaid's dresses to sew now, but I can finally open up shop again."

"I'm incredibly thankful for this, Oboro. Honestly, I couldn't imagine anyone else making my wedding dress." She pulls Oboro into a hug, wrapping her arms around the girl in a physical show of appreciation.

"Okay, okay! Now, try it on. I need to see what adjustments to make."

Getting into the dress was a lot easier said than done. The layers of tulle made it difficult to step into or pull over her head, but eventually, after a lot of giggling on Corrin's part and a lot of stressing on Oboro's, they got the dress on, and Oboro pulled the strings in the back of the corset to do it up, clipping the top together. She moved Corrin's hair over her shoulders, and handed the gloves to her for her to put on herself. Oboro placed the veil into her hair, and moved the net so it settled on either side of her face.

"You look... stunning, Lady Corrin."

"It's because of your dress, Oboro." The tailor moved the mirror in front of Corrin, and she audibly gasped. "It looks amazing."

"I can see a few adjustments I need to make..." Oboro said, pulling out a notepad and scribbling. "It's a bit too long, and too wide at the bust, but those are easy adjustments to fix. Now, what colour were you thinking for bridesmaids?"

"I hadn't thought about it, to be honest. Perhaps black?" Corrin suggested.

"I can work with that. Since it'll work with both Hinoka and Sakura's hair... I was originally betting on red, but perhaps with Sakura's hair colour it wouldn't work."

"I'll tell them to drop by, maybe? You can wait here and I'll send them round."

"That's a good idea. So red, or black, satin skirts, lace top?"

"That sounds lovely!"

Changed back into her normal clothes, Corrin thanked Oboro yet again and set off back to the palace to find her sisters.

It came as a shock to Leo when Camilla reminded him that it was only two weeks until his wedding. He hadn't seen her since Christmas, although they had exchanged some brief correspondence. He did miss her, although he would never admit that to her, and he couldn't even imagine admitting it to Camilla, who brought her up on a daily basis just to see him squirm uncomfortably. Ever since his admission in the Hoshidan garden, the marriage had become one of love, rather than a marriage of convenience, which pleased both him and Corrin greatly.

One thing that the advisors demanded he changed when Corrin moved was that Leo changed which room they slept in. Leo had been very intent on staying in his bedroom that he had grown up in, but Camilla demanded that she wanted the entire wing to herself, and since she was older, she got her way. The room he was to move to was Garon's old room, and he brought Camilla and Nyx with him the first time he went inside.

"We couldn't find a key for the room," Nyx explained. "We assume that it was on Garon's body when he died. This room hasn't been touched since."

She kneels down in front of the door, tome in hand, and one fingernail beside the door handle. Nyx opened the lock, a determined look on her face. With the click of the lock, she took a step back, gesturing towards the door. Leo hesitated, and with a loud sigh, Camilla stepped forwards. She opened the door in one swift movement. The room was dark, and Nyx lit a small flame on the tip of her finger.

Dust covered every surface of the room, and it was clear the room was untouched for months even before Garon's death. Leo was hesitant to step inside, but Camilla pulled him in, and he stumbled over the carpet. It came as a surprise to all of them that there was nothing sinister about the room, except, of course, for the fact that it belonged to their late father. Camilla crossed the room in long, confident strides, and flung open the curtains, letting sun stream brightly into the room.

"There'll be enough room in here for both of you," Camilla said. "Two wardrobes," she noted, "since you both have armour and large formal wear collections. And of course," she adds with a smirk, "She'll want to keep her wedding dress."

"I forgot about that," Leo whispered under his breath, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Please, spare me the details," Nyx complained, and disappeared without another word. Camilla laughed, and perched on the edge of the bed, a small dust cloud rising and settling within seconds.

"Are you excited?" She asked, and Leo didn't answer for a moment. "Leo."

"Yes. I can't lie," he said, attempting and failing to keep his face serious. A smile broke out across his face, brighter than any Camilla had ever seen from him. It reminded her of his younger days, when he smiled all the time- before the war, before anything bad happened to the two of them. It struck her then- the two of them. It used to be five, but since Corrin left for Hoshido and Xander and Elise had died, she had been left to look after her baby brother.

"I'm so excited for you two," she smiled, blinking away the tears that formed in her eyes, praying to the gods that they wouldn't shed and fall down her cheeks.

She left in a hurry, leaving him in his new room on his own. It was perfect for him and Corrin, she lamented. As much as she loved him, loved Corrin, she could see them moving on, together, leaving her unexplainably behind. She was older; she should be the one to marry first, to have her own family, children, to look after. She could see her potential nieces and nephews in her mind, a perfect combination of Leo and Corrin, running though the castle halls and garden in glee.

It wasn't like the eldest princess of Nohr to cry, but today, she laid her head in her hands and sobbed.

"It is almost time."

"The girl, she marries soon," a messenger commented, standing stock still by a pillar.

"Oh?" A dark voice rumbles. "To whom?"

"The king of Nohr. An arranged marriage, only a week after the seal opens."

"Then we will act soon. A powerful arrangement will only inhibit us."

"When the seal opens?" The messenger asked. The voice hummed quietly, deep within the canyon.

"No," it answered. "We will wait. Until the day comes when Hoshido and Nohr unites finally, then we shall put out plan into action."

"Right you are, my lord."

X

"Camilla?" Leo called from the other side of the door, banging on it hard in the hope of getting his sister's attention. "Camilla, you've been in there all afternoon. It's time for dinner."

"Go away," she called.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing I wish to speak with you about! Send Selena. I need to speak to her immediately."

"Oh. Apologies. I'll look for her." She waited until she could hear Leo's footsteps disappearing along the corridor before she got up off her bed, sitting in front of the mirror. Her makeup had run all down her cheeks and her hair was matted from lying on it for so long. Her tiara was askew, and she could only stare pitifully at her reflection.

Self hatred was not something one would associate with the princess of Nohr. She was beautiful and confident and powerful, and there was no one in the kingdom who didn't look up to her. But now, as she saw herself in the mirror, she realised what she really was- an envious mess, who couldn't stand to see her brother happy. And of course, it wasn't just that she was bitter at that. No, it was the entire system she had the misfortune to be born into. She didn't have the freedom to do what she wanted, to go where she wanted to love who she wanted.

No, the princess of Nohr couldn't do anything she wanted. She had money and power and beauty inherited from her mother, but she couldn't love, at least not in the way she wanted. That's why her bed was often full of men and women from around the kingdom, who she snuck into the palace for her own selfish needs while ignoring the one person so close to her that she couldn't bear to be without, who of course knocked on the door at that very moment.

"Camilla?"

"I didn't call for you!"

"No one does. Now, let me in."

A/N: who is on the other side of the door? feel free to place your bets ;0