A/N: Okay, so I guess I'll be answering reviews everytime I do an interlude, so I'll keep a number next to each user to show which chapter they asked that back in. It's going to be the one the system uses, so even though Chapter 35 for my work is labeled as Chapter 36 in the system, I'll use the system's version, for simplicity's sake.

Guest (Ch 36): Yeah, I guess having a 97% casualty rate is abnormally high...but think about it. There's a simulation somewhere on the internet that gives you the approximate number of survivors if a military force was suddenly attacked by a tsunami of zombies/aliens/plants/whatever. Corrin's forces numbered around 10,000, a respectable number, sure, but 10,000 soldiers versus 1.2 MILLION people, who all have the ability to fight as well as the best soldier or fighter because of the pseudo-hive mind...the numbers aren't going to be pretty. Plus, this point is going to come up later in the story. Trust me, there's a method to my madness.

Guest (Ch 35): Yeah, yeah, I know all that jazz about SOL and Garon immediately putting them into service...but I don't ever remember reading or seeing how long they were actually in Fateslandia before bumping into Garon. Plus, they were in pretty rough shape following their escape, which meant they'll probably need a couple weeks, minimum, to recover, collect enough funds to keep themselves in shape, and think of a "cover story."

Delta446 (Ch 37): Haha, yes, I'm a big Halo fan. Halo 3 may have a mediocre story (relatively) but the way they portrayed the Gravemind is the perfect way of portraying such an ancient and primal threat.

aratakasugatrinity7 (Ch 7): Granted, yet, I admit I wrote this arc rather poorly in comparison to my later chapters, but... C'mon, people are going to gossip and siblings are going to get concerned and offer their own tidbits of advice. This chapter was definitely supposed to be a more "humorous" one, but when you read into the lore, I feel like this chapter's contents isn't *too* unbelievable. Yes, Corrin is biologically an adult, but you gotta remember, being basically locked up in the Northern Fortress with people supervising you isn't exactly the best scenario for a child to learn about the bird and the bees. Secondly, they're in the middle of a war. You can't expect your leader to be floundering off with a woman in the dead of night when there's s*** that needs to be done. So yes, maybe I made the characters treat the protagonists like children, but in all seriousness, if you had multiple siblings who are all older than you, chances are, they're going to offer you advice and information. This chapter is supposed to be more light-hearted than the rest, but if you dislike this chapter, that's cool man. I won't be making changes, especially since I'm now 20+ chapters ahead, but I promise I'll try to avoid having people treat the protagonists like children (even though socially, one of them is). Also, sex before marriage is a big no-no, at least in the medieval times. And guess what time period FE Fates is set in?

(Note to self: it's not actually medieval, but that's just the best word to describe the overall setting of the Fire Emblem universe in general)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem Fates or any of the characters.

"Corrin, you said that you never talked to the Vallites?"

Corrin looked up from his desk at Azura. "Sorry, what was the question again?"

Azura set down the picture she was holding back on the bookcase. Ever since she returned from Valla, she had been helping the newly rescued Vallite slaves adjust to their new life, a life of freedom.

But with Corrin constantly being tucked away so he could finish the paperwork needed for New Valla, and Azura constantly being pulled away to help her people settle in, it meant the two royals had little time for each other. Thus, Azura began spending more and more of her free time in Corrin's study, usually doing nothing except for simply enjoying his presence.

Corrin, on the other hand, appreciated these little breaks for the monotonous lines of texts he had to read through every minute for the past four days. Four days ago, Gunter had tried to take his own life, and he had been planning on working himself to the bone so that the therapist Leo said could help Gunter could actually find New Gyges, considering the fact that it didn't exist yet in the real world.

(It technically did, but Lilith had explained that to him long ago.)

Thus, Corrin promised himself to finish all of the paperwork before the end of the week, a daunting task for even the most hardened of scholars or government officials, yet Corrin had to it with gusto. Unfortunately, that also meant he was slowly becoming more and more of a recluse to the newly rescued Vallites, who were all curious to see their king in the flesh for once, and not in rumors or passing glances whenever he ventured out of his study for a quick trip to the lavatory.

"I said," Azura repeated, "Have you ever talked with the Vallites before? You know, your own people? The people that you're supposed to lead?"

"I thought you were supposed to lead them?" Corrin asked quizzingly. "You know, what with being their queen and all."

Azura frowned. "I thought we agreed that you'd become the King-Regent, the one who's supposed to be giving all the speeches while I do all the behind-the-scenes stuff as the Queen-Consort?"

Corrin idly scratched his head with the back of a pen. "Oh yeah, huh. Guess I forgot about that for a second."

Azura planted her hands on her hips and stared at Corrin unimpressed. "You know, royalty is supposed to have at least two retainers and a steward, right? You know, the ones responsible for doing the paperwork for them?"

Corrin nodded disinterestedly. "Uh-huh, yeah. Say, Azura. Do you know what a 'steward' is? I know Lilith is my attendant, and she's basically responsible for doing things like cooking meals, cleaning clothes, carrying messages—you know, stuff Flora also does—but what's a steward? I'm trying to think back to my lesson on castle positions and I can't seem to find what a steward is."

Azura sighed in exasperation before she walked over and forcefully pulled Corrin out of his chair and dragged him towards the door.

"That's what we're going to find right now," she said, grunting as she pulled Corrin.

Corrin stumbled, caught off-guard by her sudden aggressive. "H-hey! What gives?" he protested. "Did I say something wrong?"

Azura rolled her eyes. "No, but you didn't say something right either."

"Where are we going?"

"You're going to talk to the Vallites and see if any of them are fit to become your new steward," she replied.

"What's a steward?"

"You'll see."

"But…why do I need a steward again?"

"Because, Corrin, unless you plan to spend the rest of your life as King-Regent of Valla doing paperwork and not sleeping, you're going to need somebody to help you manage the trivial stuff."

"Yeah, I get that part, but why do I of all people need a steward? I get they help with the small stuff, but why can't you do it? I mean, isn't the entire job of a Queen-Consort to deal with the small stuff?"

Azura socked Corrin in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"As much as I love you, Corrin, I am not going to spend the rest of my time as Queen-Consort doing what you were basically doing these last two weeks: doing paperwork all day with no time to yourself, unable to do breaks, and getting less than four hours of sleep every day!"

Corrin gingerly rubbed the burgeoning bruise near his right elbow. "I guess that makes sense," he said. "But why does my steward need to be of Vallite blood?"

Azura pushed a strand of hair out of her face using her breath. "Because, save for Kaze, all of your attendants and retainers are Nohrian. Sure, you may seem closer with your Hoshidan siblings—"

"But I'm not though! Not saying I don't love them—I do—but I feel like I can connect just a tad easier with Xander, Leo, Camilla, and Elise compared to Ryoma, Takumi, Sakura, and Hinoka."

"That's why I said 'seem,' Corrin," Azura said. "If New Valla is going to be the place where old differences and grudges are set aside, you're going to need some racial diversity in your stands."

"But I'm perfectly happy with my current servants and retainers though! Silas, Flora, Felicia, and Jakob have been nothing but perfect recently! I can't just get rid of them!"

"Yes, I know, Corrin," Azura said exasperatingly. "I'm not telling you to let them go. I'm just telling you that if you want to keep up the appearance of being impartial between Hoshido and Nohr, you're going to need a bit of racial diversity among your staff."

"But I'm more used to having Nohrian staff!" Corrin whined.

"Stop whining," Azura scolded. "Trust me, Nohrians put too much effort into being perfect first try, but only for one specific task or role. Look at the twins! Felicia's a prodigy when it comes to being a maid, but Flora can easily wipe the floor with her when it comes to fighting!"

"You're getting the two of them mixed up, Azura. Flora is the prodigy at…maid-ness, but Felicia's the one you want on the battlefield. Wh—how d-did you even mix them up? Flora has blue hair and Felicia has pink, for gods' sake! Mixing them up is like mistaking Ryoma for Takumi!"

"It happens to the best of us!" Azura retorted, looking away and obscuring her face with her hair to hide the flush that arose with her mistake. "All I'm saying, Nohrian servants tend to focus too much on one role. Hoshidan ones prefer to their best in all areas, but if my memory serves me correctly, Vallite servants are the perfect combination of both. Perfect in every area."

"You sound like you're being a little bit biased, Azura."

"I am not!"

"…Yes, you are."

Azura pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, if you think I'm being biased, then why are all of your servants Nohrians?"

Corrin chuckled and rose his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, Azura," he said placatingly. "You win. I don't think I've ever seen you this worked up before. It's kind of cute, actually."

"Stop complimenting me."

"You are though!"

Azura hmphed and turned away, but only so Corrin couldn't see the broad smile on her face. He knew, however, based on the gentle shoulder bump he gave her as they walked outside the main hall to where a sea of tents housed the entirety of the Vallite population.

Azura's tightened at the sight of seeing how few of her people survived. Roughly five hundred or so tents were sprawled before her. The entire city of tents fit snugly within the castle courtyard, and with plenty of room to spare too. All the empty space, however, reminded Azura of how few people survived The Decimation.

Sensing her heightened anxiety, Corrin laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he murmured. "It's alright. We tried to save as many as we could."

"I know," she replied, laying her own hand on top of his and turning to look at him. "It's just…so jarring to see my entire people contained one castle courtyard, you know?"

Corrin squeezed her shoulder. "I know," he said quietly. "I feel the same way too, but what's important right now is the fact that we saved all of them. They're all safe now, which means we can rest easy now. At long last…"

Azura chuckled humorlessly. "Who said anything our rest is going to be easy?" she said snarkily. "We still have to serve as the King and Queen of Valla, don't we?"

"Maybe," Corrin said, looking out towards the tents.

The "sun" in the astral planes had set roughly an hour or so ago, which meant people were getting ready for bed, the night sentinels already manning the battlements and patrols already patrolling. It was quite a sight, to see the violet night sky contrasting the orange light from the torch flames, the almost-blue castle walls in the dark contrasting the tan of the tents.

It was…soothing in a way. Maybe in another life, another world, this would've been a more familiar view for Corrin, but since only his elite personal guard and a few others were allowed access to the astral plane, they had mostly used the quarters already built within the castle. That was why Azura had her own room instead of sleeping in a tent like they would have had if the castle was fully manned.

Which it was now. Basically.

"Either way, I don't plan for my term as the King of Valla to be a tumultuous one," Corrin continued. "So maybe we should get a steward…"

Azura laughed breezily. "Oh, so now you want a steward?" she asked lightly.

Corrin said nothing but cocked an eyebrow smarmily as he looked down at her. "I always wanted one," he replied. "I just…didn't know if I needed one."

Azura laughed again and gently pushed Corrin away. "Oh, come on, you. Let's go meet our first applicant."

The smile faded from Corrin's face as he followed her down the dais steps leading into the tent city. "Wait, how did you find this 'applicant?' What's his name?"

"Why do you have to assume that your new steward—or rather your future steward—is male?"

"Or her," Corrin added hastily. "Yeah, a woman could be my steward. Do you know her name?"

"Why?" Azura asked cheekily. "Are you saying something about me?"

The tips of Corrin's ear turned a scarlet red as he realized the hidden meaning behind Azura's words.

"Ah, no, that's not what I meant, er, but—"

Azura laughed again, the third time in as many minutes. "I'm just poking fun at you Corrin. Your future steward is male, and as for his name…well, let's just say you can figure it out real quick. If not, I'm afraid you'll need a sharp blow to the head to fix your eyesight."

Corrin laughed nervously. "Haha, yes, well, where is he now?"

"Right here," Azura said as she stopped in front of a tent.

The tent looked the same as all the other tents, so Corrin wasn't sure how Azura knew the tent she was looking for was this particular tent.

"You sure?" he asked as he prepared to knock on the wooden pole in front of the tent. "I don't want to wake some poor soul up."

"Trust me, this is the one," Azura said, stepping back.

Corrin frowned at the sudden distance between himself and Azura. "Er, Azura?"

"Yes?"

"Is there any reason why you're standing so far—"

"Ah! Visitors!"

Corrin lurched backwards as the tent flap burst open, revealing nobody other than…

"Otis?"

The old man bowed low to the floor, his ponytail falling past his head. "Ah, please forgive me for startling you like that, milord. It's just that I've been dying to meet you ever since Queen Azura told me about you!"

Azura's gentle smiled shrank by a few centimeters at the title of Queen Azura. "Please, Otis. Just call me Azura. I'm fine being addressed so casually."

"Yes, but you're also the Vallite people's princess!" Otis said, spreading his hand apart. "Not saying you aren't important," he said to Corrin, "you are, but you're not as…well, how do I put this? Ah, people just don't know you as well as Que—er, is Lady Azura fine?

Azura nodded.

Otis smiled and clapped his hands together. "Ah yes, what was I saying? Oh, yes, while our people adore you and respect you just as much as our long-lost princess here, we…don't know you as well as Lady Azura, which is quite surprising, considering how…reserved she can be sometimes."

Corrin glanced at Azura, who gave him a told you so glance in return.

"You met with them before?" he mouthed.

Azura smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said. "They're my people, aren't they? I have to know my people to succeed as queen, right?"

Corrin chuckled ruefully and shook his head. "And here I was, thinking you would be the shy one between the two of us," he said.

"Well, in all fairness, Corrin, somebody had to get the Vallites settled in, and it definitely wasn't going to be you with the amount of work you had to do," she said. "Speaking of which, Otis—"

The old man snapped to attention, complete with the Vallite salute. "Yes, milady?"

"You…received our 'invitation,' haven't you?"

Otis nodded and pulled out a letter with a red wax seal broken on it. "Of course!" he replied. "What kind of steward would I be if I didn't read milady's own official decree?"

"Hold on," Corrin said. "This whole operation is your idea, isn't it, Azura?"

Azura said nothing but merely smiled and looked away. Otis looked between the two of them, first with confusion, then with something that sounded like nostalgia.

"Ah, young love," he said. "How I've missed you…"

Snapping to attention once more, Otis straightened out and stuck a hand out. "Well, Lady Azura quote-on-quote 'interviewed' me earlier today, and she deemed me worthy of the position of steward to the future King-Consort of Valla. I must say, milord, I've heard plenty of rumors of you, both good and…good but not-as-good, but I do look forward to working closely with you in the future."

Corrin crossed his arms. "Well, without sounding too presumptuous, isn't that for me to judge?"

Otis blinked in surprise before retracting his hand. "Ah, yes," he said, tapping his chin. "I suppose that is true."

Corrin smiled and gently laid a hand on Otis' shoulder. "Don't worry. You don't need to be worried about anything. If Azura feels you're a good candidate for being my future steward, who am I to judge her choice? I just want to know you better, since, you know, I haven't really talked with any of the Vallites before."

Otis sagged in relief. "Oh! I see, I see. Well, in that case…"

Otis swept open the flap to his tent and bowed as if he was holding open the door to some fancy restaurant instead of a cloth tent. "In that case, perhaps we should take this conversation inside? Not trying to brag or anything, but this old man has seen…quite a few things. I would like nothing more than to share them with you."

Corrin smiled. "It would be a pleasure."

Inside the tent, Otis hastily poured some kind of tea for Corrin and Azura, who were "asked" to sit on a pair of chairs Otis pulled out from under his bed.

Corrin curiously smelled the cup of steaming liquid in his hands and widened his eyes in pleasure and surprise. He quickly took a sip, relishing how the liquid tasted.

"Wow!" he said. "I don't think I've ever drank any kind of tea this good before!"

Otis chuckled. "Ah, yes, well, that's the jasmine for you. I never really liked how scalding Nohrian beverages can be sometimes, so I've always been more of a supporter of tea over coffee," he said.

"Is this your favorite kind of tea?" Corrin asked.

Otis nodded thoughtfully. "As a matter of fact, it is! I don't know why, exactly, but something about the smell and taste makes me feel…free, inside. Well, more free than usual. I hope you understand why."

Corrin rose an eyebrow. "Does it have something to do with your imprisonment?" he asked.

Otis' smile shrank by a few molars. "Well, as a matter of fact…yes. It does."

Azura slapped Corrin on the arm. "Corrin!"

Corrin ruefully rubbed the reddening mark. "Sorry," he apologized. "I wasn't trying to stir up any bad memories or anything."

Otis shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, think nothing of it, milord. As much as I hated it at the time, I think my time being imprisoned under Anankos gave me a little…perspective on things."

Corrin gently set his teacup down and leaned forward, his hands on his knees. "Oh?"

Otis pulled up another chair and sat down. "Well, you see," he said, "Long ago, before Anankos attacked, I was a bit…reckless. You know, running around, doing whatever I wanted. I was at the peak of my prime! But when Anankos came, and started rounding us up, I was basically made into the spokesman for my group of survivors simply because in my youth, I served as King Theophilus' retainer."

"King Theophilus?" Corrin asked. "Isn't that your father, Azura?"

Azura nodded. "That was part of the reason why I wanted you to take on Otis as a steward. Not only was he somebody my father trusted in his life, but considering the role and responsibilities he had to take upon being 'promoted' to the position of being the spokesman for the Vallite slaves, I thought he would be a wise choice for a steward."

Corrin rubbed his chin. "Hmm. Well, how about we get started with the rudimentary things, Otis?"

Otis nodded earnestly. "Of course, milord! Anything you want to know about me, it's all on the table."

"Alright then," Corrin said. "First off then, what makes you think you'll be good fit for this role…"

"I hope my answers were able to dissuade your doubts, milord!" Otis called after them as Corrin and Azura departed his tent.

"Don't worry, they did!" Corrin replied. "Like I said, if Azura thought you were a good choice, chances are that she's probably right. I simply wanted to get to know you better. After all, you'll be acting as liaison between us and the rest of the Vallites, are you not?"

Otis nodded. "Of course, milord! If you want, I can procure a resume of sorts for you to go over so you can get a better grasp of my abilities."

Corrin shook his head. "Nah, it's good," he said. "No offense, Otis, I already have enough paper as it is. I'll take your word for it regarding your capabilities."

Otis nodded again. "Very well then, milord! Have a good night!"

"And good night to you too," Corrin replied as he and Azura climbed the dais steps leading into the main hall of the castle.

"That wasn't too bad, now was it?" Corrin asked.

Azura hummed absentmindedly and nodded. "In all honesty, I thought you would've been a bit more…hesitant about my choice."

Corrin gently bumped her with his shoulder. "I already said it like, three times in there, Azura. If you think somebody's a good choice for being my future steward, chances are you're probably right."

"That's a high opinion you have of me," Azura noted dryly.

Corrin bumped her again. "Of course!" he said. "I mean, it's not like that's how you got me signed up in this whole thing in the first place."

"What do you mean?" she said, frowning.

Corrin rose an eyebrow. "Don't you remember? You told me all about Valla and your history, and I believed it. Turns out It was a good thing I did, huh?"

Azura pursed her lips. "Ah, yes, well, I suppose that is true."

They continued walking together in silence, Azura's long, slender fingers curled around Corrin's calloused, warm ones.

Finally, Azura broke the silence by asking, "So what do you feel about Otis?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you like him as a person? His personality?"

Corrin scratched the back of his head. "He sure does seem…excitable at first, but in a weird way, I'm fine with that. No offense to you or the rest of my siblings, Azura, but all of you can be so serious and moody all the time. It's always work, work, and work with you guys. Having somebody as colorful as Otis is…a good way to brighten up my day."

"What about his abilities then?" Azura asked. "Do you honestly think he'll be able to measure up to your standards?"

Corrin snorted. "Oh yeah, please, no, from what he told me about himself, if anything, he's overqualified for the position. There's just so many things he can do, I'm surprised he's content to remain a servant. A glorified servant, yes, but still a servant."

Azura entwined her arm around Corrin's, drawing him close to her. "Yes, well, some people are just that dedicated to others," she said. Then, purposely fluttering her eyelashes, she asked, "Corrin, would you like to spend the rest of the night with me?"

"Can't," Corrin replied, oblivious to her advances. "I still need to finish all the paperwork you dragged me away from today, but if you want to stay, you can."

Azura frowned, clearly upset at being rebuffed. Corrin noticed her pout and stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said. "Nothing's wrong."

Corrin sighed and gently took her chin in his hands, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Azura," he murmured. "I know that you the fact that we don't spend as much time together as we did during the war, but trust me, at the end of the week, if I can finish all my work by then, I'll treat you to the most renowned restaurant in Cyrkensia, alright?"

"I don't need you to take me to some fancy dinner just to make me happy," Azura said. "I'm just afraid that you push yourself too hard."

Corrin frowned and let his hand fall away from Azura's face. "What do you mean?"

"Every single time I visit you, you're doing work!" she said. "I appreciate you trying to help my people, I really do, but I also appreciate spending time with you that doesn't involve one-word answers from you!"

"Azura…"

"You know how hard it is to see you work yourself to the bone?" Azura continued. "Every single time you sleep, it's only because I drag you away! You can't keep doing this, Corrin, because I can't keep doing this!"

Corrin sighed and quietly wrapped Azura in a tight hug. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I hate not being able to spend time with you too, but I need to make sure all the paperwork is in order so that when Lilith transports the castle back into our world, there won't be any problems with the nearby Hoshidan or Nohrian nobles. I only need to keep this up for one or two more days, max, and then I'll be done, okay?"

Azura buried her face in Corrin's chest and tightened her grip on him. "I know," she mumbled. "I know you want to make sure everything's in order so that the therapist that's supposed to help Gunter won't have a problem trying to find a castle, but can't you at least take a break every so often?"

"I do," Corrin replied. "Sometimes, I lean back in my chair and stretch for a few seconds for going back to my work, other times I just take a drink or use the lavatory—"

"That's not the kind of break I was talking about!" Azura said, gently pounding on Corrin's chest. "I'm talking about the kind of break where you get out of that damned study of yours, walk outside, and talk with a few people! Taking a sip of tea after working for three hours straight isn't a break! That's just—"

Corrin silenced her again by pressing another kiss to her head. "I'll try, then," he said. "I promise. Like I said: one or two more days of this level of focus, and we can spend as much time together as you want one the last day of the week."

"And then you'll just go back to doing the same cycle over again, huh?" Azura asked cynically.

Corrin shook his head. "What? No! By the end of this week, we'll be back in our world! Plus, once that happens, then Otis is going to be officially sworn in as the official steward of Valla, which means we'll be able to spend more time together. I promise!"

Azura turned her head so her left ear was pressed over Corrin's heart. "If you say so," she said, tightening her grip on Corrin even more.

A/N: When this interlude was supposed to be 2k words, but you end up doubling it haha crying...