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

When Silas finally found Corrin, the half-dragon was alone in the training yard, busy turning the training dummies into dust and practice swords into useless shards of metal. As Silas watched Corrin swing a sword towards a training dummy with enough force to cut through both metal and straw, he couldn't help but think back to the utter fear he felt in his stomach when he heard Corrin's cries of help and found Azura lying unconsciously on the floor, skin gray and clammy-looking.

For a moment, Silas was tempted to call out to his friend but decided against it. There was no way Corrin wouldn't notice the presence of another person in the training yard, and when Corrin hurled the broken sword he was using into a pile of similarly shattered swords, he turned towards and said three words:

"How is she?"

Uncharacteristically nervous, Silas wrung his hands together before stepping forward. "She's…not doing so good," he reluctantly admitted, eyes downcast. "We…don't know what happened, but we seem to think she was poisoned."

"Gods fucking dammit!"

Silas flinched and hastily retreated as Corrin turned around and slashed at the nearest training dummy, his arm transforming into a giant mouth with gaping jaw. Silas watched, both fascinated and terrified as he watched the mouth shred the dummy into splinters.

After a moment, when the training dummy was practically reduced to atoms, Corrin transformed his hand back into its human form and reared on Silas. "Will she live?"

Silas wanted to say yes. He desperately wished to say yes, but how could he lie like that to his friend, even when the lie was about his pregnant wife's life? He just couldn't do it!

"I…I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "The healers said that…the baby may not live if things get worse."

"How, pray tell," Corrin growled, glaring at Silas, "can this get any worse? My wife and unborn child are in danger, and you're telling me there's something worse?" He laughed humorlessly. "Tell me, Silas, what would you feel in this situation if Felicia and Sophie were the ones dying?"

"Azura and the child won't die!" Silas said, placatingly raising his hands. "You gotta focus on the bright side, Corrin!"

"And how the fuck am I supposed to focus on the bright side when my wife and unborn child are lying in bed, dying?" Corrin shouted furiously, gesturing towards the castle. "How, Silas? Huh? How?"

Silas opened his mouth and stammered for a reply, but after a few stutters, he found himself devoid of a reply. Corrin simply bared his teeth in a growl that revealed his inhuman nature before turning and striding away.

"Bring me another dummy and a sword," he ordered.

Silas found his voice again. "Milord, I—"

"Did…I…stutter?" Corrin growled, looking back. "I said bring me another one!"

Silas sighed. He desperately wanted to help Corrin. Beating training dummies into the ground wouldn't help him at all but at the same time…what else could distract him? Silas had only heard tales of Corrin being this angry before, and that was before he had a dragonstone to control himself. If he lost himself to his rage now, who knows what it'll take to bring him back under control?

Corrin tapped his foot impatiently as he settled into an en guard pose. "Silas!" he roared. "Bring me another!"

"Yes, milord," Silas said sullenly. He gazed up at the window which led to the room he knew Azura and the child was kept in. Although he was not a pious man, he found himself praying to every god and deity he knew.

Please, if there's anyone out there, please let them get through this alright. Please.

Corrin didn't know how long he stayed in the training yard. A few people came and went, usually looking worried or muttering condolences, but none of them other than Silas really stayed, which Corrin was fine with. Lilith had arrived a few hours ago from Notre Sagesse where she had been part of a volunteer project to translate and preserve the Rainbow Sage's books, yet Corrin had been unable to tear his gaze away from the training dummy before him.

Even as Lilith apologized for not being there for him and Azura, cried for her brother's loss, and tearfully shook his arm, begging him to please talk to her, Corrin said nothing. Instead, he shrugged her off as he stooped down to pick up another sword from the training rack.

Eventually, even Lilith left him, albeit reluctantly and in tears, which left only one person behind.

"Milord, you really must stop!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Otis," Corrin growled as he hacked another training dummy into bits. "You have…" he grunted as he yanked his sword out of the dummies' straw stomach, "no idea what I'm feeling."

"On the contrary," he said coolly, though he sad look in Otis' eyes grew even sadder as he watched the king take another sword from the training rack and hurl it into a training dummy with enough force to crack the post holding it up in half. "I know exactly what you're going through, and unlike most others, I can relate and share your feelings on this matter."

"There's nothing to share," Corrin growled. "I'm worried about Azura and Ada, and that's it. There's nothing to discuss."

Otis sighed and sat down on one of the remains of the few dummies Corrin didn't completely destroy. "On the contrary," he said again. "You're not just worried about Azura and your child, you're angry at those who sought to hurt her in the first place."

Corrin buried a sword into the ground. "So? What if I am?" he said vehemently. "Am I now not allowed to worry about my wife and unborn child simply because I'm the king?"

"Of course not," Otis said, "but because you are the king, you cannot let others see you like this."

"Like what?" Corrin asked haughtily. "Taking my anger out on training dummies?"

"In a way," Otis admitted. "Already many nobles have been talking about your…behavior. Of course, many of them already know of the accident, and—"

"Accident?" Corrin asked, rearing on the older man. "Accident? Accident? That was no accident! Someone deliberately poisoned my Azura! My child! How was that an accident?"

"I misspoke," Otis said hurriedly. "Many of the nobles have already heard news of the assassination attempt, and although many of them understand your plight, there are a few who question if you are…mentally sound following this whole ordeal."

"I am perfectly fine physically and mentally," Corrin growled. "I just want this whole…thing to stop existing."

"I know you do," Otis said soothingly, "but you have a kingdom to take care of. Few people will care about this incident so long as it doesn't affect them. So long as people see that you're able to continue, they won't lose hope, but should word spread that the king has given in to his inner rage and is acting like a wounded owlbear…"

Corrin turned around and refused to say anything. Otis sighed and reached up to pat him gently on the shoulder.

"I know you're angry right now, milord," Otis said quietly. "I know I felt the same way when I lost my own family, nigh on twenty or thirty years ago. I wanted to scream at the gods and tear them down with my own bare hands or die trying, but in the end, I realized the only person I was harming was myself. Consider it lucky that Lady Azura was still alive and breathing when we found you two, or else, she could have followed a similar fate to my own wife."

"And the child," Corrin muttered, almost too low for Otis to hear.

"And the what?" he asked.

"Ada," Corrin said, louder this time. "Don't forget about her either. She's in just as much danger as Azura, if not more."

"Ah yes, the child," Otis mused. "O-of course, I can't promise that she'll be completely fine…but I'm sure the healers will do everything they can to make sure both of them are healthy."

"…"

Otis sighed and rested a hand on Corrin's shoulder. "You should get some rest, milord," he advised. "You'll have a very busy day tomorrow, and you'll need your rest. If you choose not to sleep, then please, for Lady Azura's and my own sake, refrain from doing anything reckless. The healers will need every ounce of their concentration to heal Azura, and distractions will only endanger her and the child."

Corrin worked his jaw as if he was chewing on something incredibly hard and bitter. "Fine," he snapped, whipping his cape around himself and walking away, into the castle. "Have the agenda on my desk by tomorrow morning. I'll deal with them myself."

Otis nodded. "Yes, milord."