Surprise! Another update in the same day! I do want to say that this may be the last update in quite some time. I unfortunately have hit a block with this story, and although I have notes on how I want it to progress, it's been difficult writing. I'm working on it though. Thank you all so much for your support. 3
Hinoka sat in her chambers, having been brought tea. She sipped it quietly, reminiscing on the past. The weather had been quite dreary as of late, rain falling in a downpour. The stormy season was headed their way, and it matched her mood.
To say she was bitter was an understatement. Corrin's departure meant nothing to her, but that was well over a month ago. She wanted nothing to do with the woman. Corrin merely brought back unpleasant memories, memories of the war and all that she suffered through. But Hinoka cared little about her own personal suffering. What she cared most about was the death of her siblings.
Two years. It had been two years and yet she still mourned them. Hinoka never liked to admit it, but she was far more sensitive than others gave her credit for. It all happened so fast it seemed. They lost Mikoto. Then, at the very end, Ryoma had taken his own life and then Takumi was murdered in cold blood, though Corrin said that, in a dream, Takumi had wanted to be put down. Hinoka pretended she didn't believe that. Takumi was proud, but the war had changed him. Maybe he was in fact possessed…
No. Takumi was better than that.
Then there was the loss of Sakura, something that Hinoka pondered over constantly. What had happened to her little sister? Had she perished? Was she living in a quiet village, still in hiding? Hinoka wondered.
However, as she drained the rest of her tea, she came to the conclusion that Sakura had in fact perished. Why else had she not returned? Hinoka had no answer for that. It seemed that finally, after two years, she came to accept that her baby sister really was gone.
She had lost her retainers in the battle, something that disturbed her greatly. True, it was their duty to do so, to make the ultimate sacrifice, but she missed Azama's acerbic behavior and Setsuna's mindlessness. They were her best friends and she could admit that she had some feelings for Setsuna. But that was something she could never act upon, so she had never admitted them to her faithful retainer.
That was something she regretted immensely.
Hinoka's rule was one of chaos. She felt she wasn't meant to rule, having not been prepared, but rather to live a warrior's life. Being a warrior was something she was good at. She wasn't very good with the people.
This was something her citizens sensed. Some had petitioned to keep any Nohrian occupation out of Hoshido, though few were brave enough to challenge the Nohrians there. They opposed Corrin's visit, stating that Corrin would bring disaster once again. Thankfully, there weren't very many incidents, but the ones that did occur happened in small villages, where some of the Nohrian soldiers felt they could act upon what superiority they had. Hinoka put a stop to it immediately, but some of the people still resented her for even allowing the Nohrians to occupy Hoshido. It wasn't something under her control though. War torn nations often were occupied by the enemy, or so history stated. Hinoka found there was much history and politics lessons she had to catch up on.
During her visit, Corrin had tried to appease the people. She visited shelters where Hoshidans had stayed until the relief efforts could restore their homes and businesses. Hinoka felt that Corrin made very little success, seeing that the people were hostile towards her sister.
Sister. Hinoka knew that was a lie. Shortly after the war, mourning Setsuna's loss, she had found the letter her mother, Mikoto, had left her. Mother. Hah.
As it turned out, neither Mikoto nor Corrin were her blood relatives, Mikoto having hailed from some distant land, bearing her newborn when she immigrated to Hoshido. It shocked Hinoka, but it gave her some relief. She no longer felt the need to try and be civil with this 'sister' of hers. Granted, she never was outright hostile to Corrin, but there was some resentment. Corrin sensed it and let Hinoka be.
Dinners were spent together, as they were meant to be a way of 'bonding' and discussing politics and the like. Hinoka was always very quiet during these dinners, hoping Corrin would simply shut up and leave her alone. Afterwards, she'd leave without so much as a goodbye and would head to the graves of her loved ones, praying to them to give her the strength to deal with this.
She felt weak. Ryoma was so much stronger than her. Takumi, though anxious at times and sometimes abrasive, was loyal to his family. Sakura was kind and gentle and pure of heart. Hinoka had none of these things.
So she ruled as best as she could, hoping that her resolve, though little, would strengthen her people.
Almost as a parallel, Sakura too was taking tea, though she didn't enjoy it very much. She was so used to the green tea of her home, but Nohr favored black tea, something that came across as rich and thus she had to sweeten. She had to learn the proper ratio though, because she sweetened it almost too much so she made a face every time she took a sip. It didn't help that the maid, Felicia, had brewed it. After three attempts that ended in broken china, she had finally successfully brewed the tea, but Sakura had a feeling she had done it wrong. She learned from the butler Jakob that Felicia was horrifically clumsy. She only met him as he had entered her chambers that morning (after knocking a little too hard) and had asked if she'd like coffee. She never had it before, even after living in the west for two years, having never being adventurous, and asked for tea instead. She should have known better. She forgot this was the go-to tea.
She felt it was odd that Jakob had come to her that morning and even more so that Felicia came to her as well. She was merely a minstrel here basically. She didn't have the leverage of needing servants.
She then realized this must have been Leo's doing. She'd have to talk to him about that. Even if she was a former princess, she never liked being waited on, and being waited on when she was viewed as a commoner left a bad feeling in her stomach.
She decided she didn't like Jakob very much, as he seemed a bit snippy that she refused coffee. She liked Felicia. Even if she were clumsy, the woman was very sweet. She had stayed a moment to ensure Sakura enjoyed the tea. Of course, she didn't know Sakura was Sakura, but rather Kazahana, and she seemed a bit oblivious at Sakura's distaste for the tea. Still, Sakura had said nothing. When she had finished, Felicia took the teacup away from her, asking if Sakura needed anything else.
"Oh n-no, I'm quite alright," Sakura responded, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I think I might take a walk in the courtyard."
"Would you like me to help you dress?" Felicia asked dutifully.
"Oh, that will be un-unnecessary! I can do it myself." Sakura wondered if that last statement was a bit impolite, but Felicia seemed unbothered. She excused herself and left.
Sakura didn't like the Nohrian clothing. It felt too tight, but that was something typical of the fashion. She wished that she had a kimono, but she hadn't worn one in years. It saddened her.
She found one of the dresses she was gifted and put it on with some difficulty. The robes and dresses in Nestra were flowy so they were looser and easier to put on, no unnecessary laces or tight-fitting bodices like the ones in this part of Nohr. Once the dress was on, she took a breath and left her room.
Leo had shown her where the courtyard was earlier that week, wanting to show her his project. Despite how the garden seemed dead, she thought it was wonderful that he worked so hard to bring it to life. His tome Brynhildr worked marvelously.
When she arrived, she sat on a bench, looking at the black roses she learned Nohr was known for. There was other flora, sure, but these were the most famous. She thought they were beautiful in their own way.
She wondered what Leo was doing at that moment, but she had awakened fairly early and figured that as royalty he would be late to rise. He seemed the type to work late in the evening so his waking later made sense to her.
She wondered what life at the castle would be like. So far, everyone had been pleasant to her and she had played almost every night at dinner. Xander actually loved her music, being almost as enthralled as Leo. Elise played with her once, finding music that complemented both instruments. Camilla seemed unaffected, but she thanked Sakura's efforts. Leo always escorted her back to her room.
This was where he attempted to court her, though he usually only made small talk. She found it endearing that he was suddenly shy, having been forced to be honest with his feelings. He told her that Xander commanded him to be forthcoming, but he seemed to hold back. She wondered if she should tell him that it was okay to be more open, but she also was too shy to admit it. Both knew there were feelings for each other, but being allowed to be open about them seemed…weird. Neither had felt this affection before, so it was sometimes awkward for both.
She really liked Leo. After her coming out as Sakura, he was much kinder. She was still careful, as she couldn't shake the initial feeling of feeling guilty, but he made it easier for her to be kind to him as well. He was always courteous to her. She wondered if he only was doing so due to her being a princess.
She shook her head. She was no longer a princess. She wasn't Sakura, but she had started to refer to herself in her head as such. Perhaps this was due to Leo calling her Sakura behind closed doors. She hoped he wouldn't let it slip. She had a feeling he would.
She then knew that she'd have to come out eventually to the royal family. Nothing would be worse than finding out in an accidental way. She was scared though. She wasn't sure what would happen. Would they be mad? Would they exile her, sending her back to Hoshido? She didn't know.
She wasn't sure how to tell them anyway, but she knew that being honest was her only option.
She sighed and simply stared at the flowers. She then heard footsteps coming her way. She turned around to see Elise, whom immediately perked up at seeing her new friend.
"Kazahana!" she squealed in delight. Good. She was keeping her promise.
"Good morning, Princess Elise," Sakura said in response.
"Hey, none of that. We're equals here. Call me Elise."
"Okay… Elise," Sakura said sheepishly. "How is your morning so far?"
"It's been okay. I really want to go outside to the market, but Xander says I spend too much time there. Ugh, it's so boring here." Elise perked up then. "Let's go play music! You write music, right?"
Sakura nodded. "Sometimes."
"Excellent! Maybe we can work on a piece together. I like your instrument so much and I want to continue playing with you!" Elise was so peppy and Sakura found her energy contagious.
"Okay! Lead the way," Sakura obliged, and she got up from her seat to follow Elise.
Elise led her to her room where her violin stood on a stand near the window. She pulled out parchment from a drawer and a quill with ink and sat down on the floor, ready to start.
"Okay, so how do you usually start?" Elise asked.
"W-well… Sometimes a melody pops up in my head, or I find inspiration in some event."
Elise looked excited. "You went through so much during your trip here. I'm sure we can come up with something based on that!" She was so happy to be spending this time with Sakura. Elise loved making new friends and she felt that this was the key to finding peace.
"Yes, perhaps." Sakura wasn't as confident as Elise, but the pieces she did manage to write were based on some things. Mostly her affection for Leo, but she wouldn't tell Elise that. It was embarrassing to her.
So the two young women spent their morning attempting to write music. Elise was new to it, but she was coming up with good ideas and Sakura felt relaxed to have a friend with a common interest. It had been some time since her escape from Nestra to bond with someone over music, though the bonds she did manage to make weren't very strong. This felt different and for a moment, just a moment, Sakura felt truly at home.
When the afternoon arrived, Elise's stomach growled and she decided it was time to take a break and grab lunch. She helped Sakura up from her seat on the floor and demanded that Sakura eat lunch with her. Sakura felt almost spoiled by the treatment she was receiving. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She found that the Nohrian royals, or at the very least Elise and Leo, were treating her with so much respect and genuine like. Even Camilla seemed fond of the girl, teasing her if she happened to run into her. Sakura wasn't sure what Camilla did in her leisure time, but the woman always seemed preoccupied.
Xander was always busy with his kingly duties so Sakura only saw him at dinner when she would perform. Corrin seemed to help with this, writing drafts of policies and laws in regards to foreign affairs, namely Nohr's relationship with Hoshido. Sakura wondered how that was going, but she felt it wasn't her place to ask.
Leo, when he wasn't spending time with her, was also helping Xander, proof-reading laws and advising what would be the wisest course of action. She knew his genius must have been immense since Xander trusted him with such a task. Sakura admired that.
Elise led her to the dining hall where she instructed a servant to bring them some food. Today's lunch consisted of bread with cheese and some delightful cuts of meat.
Sakura ate delicately, though Elise had less refined manners. She by no means ate like a ravenous hound, but she did leave crumbs on her face and brushed them off with her hands. The two were quiet for a moment, needing to fill their bellies after their hard work, but Elise was never one to stay quiet for too long.
"So…you and my brother, huh?" she asked conversationally. Sakura blushed and looked away.
"Um, yes," she responded, embarrassed. She always felt like she was embarrassed for something that was meant to be natural.
"He's a good man. Sometimes a little arrogant, sometimes a little clumsy, but he really does mean well and something about you has given him some sort of peace." She smiled brightly. "I'm his sister. I can tell."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Sakura said, unsure of how to properly respond to that. She had seen these sides of Leo, and she liked him regardless.
Speak of the devil and the devil shall come, Leo strode into the dining hall, surprised to find Elise and Sakura together eating lunch. He cleared his throat and the girls turned to him.
"Leo! We were just speaking about you!" Elise chirped. Sakura wanted to hide behind her meal.
"Were you now?" Leo inclined his head to Sakura. "Did you speak well of me?"
She saw the clever smile and heard it in his voice. He was jesting with her, but she was always awkward about those sorts of things.
"Oh, y-yes, of course!" she stuttered. "I only speak the best…"
"Do you now? How intriguing." He sat down next to her, helping himself to the platter of food before the girls. "How was your day? I take it you spent it with Elise?"
"Yeah! Sa-I mean, Kazahana and I were working on writing music!" Elise responded in Sakura's stead. Sakura caught the slip and felt her blood run cold.
She could only imagine if that happened in front of Corrin.
"Interesting. Were you successful?" Leo asked conversationally.
"Yeah, we have some notes written and a basic melody now. It's gonna be great. I can't wait to perform it."
Elise continued to chatter about the music while Leo listened dutifully. Sakura munched quietly on some bread, not sure how to enter the conversation.
It was then that Elise abruptly ended it.
"Okay, well, I'm gonna go find Corrin or Camilla and see what they're up to! You two lovebirds have fun now!" And thus Elise was off.
Sakura flushed at hearing those words and she saw how Leo bit his lip, trying to hold back something to say. After an awkward silence, he finally spoke.
"Elise…can be careless."
Sakura spoke up. "Oh, no, she's fine. I mean… You are courting me. Her words were hardly problematic…"
"I suppose so." Another awkward silence. This wasn't going well.
How was he supposed to court her if he could barely speak to her? Was he truly that dull?
But then Sakura thought of this morning and how the servants waited on her and how Elise treated her as an equal. She had to say something in regards to that.
"Leo…"
"Yes?" He turned to her, interest piqued.
"I need to speak to you about…about how you have the servants waiting on me."
"Oh that? Think nothing of it. It's…my gift to you."
Sakura sighed. "It feels wrong though. I'm not a princess anymore," she said quietly. "You needn't treat me so. I never liked being waited on anyway."
"Are you sure? I'd hate for you to want for anything." She saw how he looked crestfallen.
So this was his strategy in courting her. Spoiling her.
"As long as I'm with you, I'll never want for anything," she whispered.
The statement was smooth, almost too smooth for Sakura to say. Leo blushed and looked away.
"You honor me," he stated.
"And you spoil me! Let's just treat each other as people, no titles in the way."
He nodded. "I can do that."
"Wonderful." She took another bite of food, using it to occupy her mouth so she wouldn't say something humiliating.
He sighed. "What should I do to court you then? I've…asked Xander and Camilla, and their suggestions were to buy you things and spend time with you. I felt that having the servants wait on you was a fair compromise."
She shook her head. "Just treat me as you have, with respect and dignity. As long as you're true to yourself, I don't see the problem."
He nodded. He was silent for a few beats but then he asked: "Have you…thought about marriage?"
In truth, it crossed her mind a few times, but nothing serious. She was still in shock that this was all happening.
She told him so and he nodded again.
"I'm shocked too."
There was another silence as neither knew how to discuss this. Marriage. Sakura was merely eighteen, but she knew it was normal for women to marry early. She didn't feel ready for that though.
Leo wasn't much older than her, she knew, and she assumed that perhaps the public thought it odd that he wasn't married either. Then again, it was probably even stranger that Xander had yet to marry. She figured after two years of being ruler that Xander would have taken a wife, but he hadn't. Perhaps he felt there was no need to rush, that caring for his country was a matter deemed more important. In her opinion, it was.
Leo finally rose from his seat, seemingly defeated. "I suppose I should leave you to your thoughts. This isn't something easy to think about."
Sakura shook her head. "It isn't, but I'm not quite sure I should even be thinking it yet. We've only just started courting. Isn't this something that takes some time?"
He gulped. "Usually, yes. And I'm in no hurry, really, but it's something that I assumed would be in our future."
She nodded. "I understand, Leo, but you needn't worry about such matters. Your duty to Nohr I think is more important."
He pursed his lips, thinking. "You're right. How astute of you." It made him think of how no matter what, Sakura was still a woman dedicated to the people, the ideal, perfect princess. Sakura would have made a fine ruler. From what he understood of Corrin's reports, Hinoka was struggling.
Then again, Sakura's shyness was a bane so she would probably have struggled too. There was no way to know, as she wanted nothing to do with her royal status.
Sakura sighed, not wanting him to leave quite yet, but she felt stressed after his statement of marriage. So she nodded and bade him farewell. He took his leave, and Sakura watched his retreating form.
She really cared about him, but marriage was something that wasn't at the forefront of her mind. Her identity being found out was.
Regardless, all she could do was protect it and hope that her two confidants would as well.
But then she remembered that Niles knew and she hoped he wouldn't say anything as petty revenge. Revenge for what, she didn't know, but she knew Niles to be sadistic from her brief interactions with him. But perhaps Leo had commanded him to keep it to himself, and she only hoped that was the case.
Xander was stressed. There was no doubt about that. He had drank two cups of coffee that morning, something he wasn't wont to do, but he felt he needed the extra energy boost to go over all the documents and regulations he would be implementing. As it were, coming up with such laws was difficult, but he was trained in the process of doing so. He was lucky to have Leo and Corrin however. Their insight proved to be invaluable.
Corrin's visit to Hinoka and the Hoshidan kingdom was something he thought about constantly. He felt with the smallest provocation that Hinoka would instigate a war or at least be recalcitrant in complying with whatever Xander instructed. She was bitter, that much he understood. Slaughtering her people was something even he was against, but Hans and Iago's influence proved to be difficult to sway. They would have reported to King Garon, and that report would only end with the royal children's deaths.
One thing he was planning on implementing was a no violence clause. True, that would be something hard to instill in the people, but this was Elise's influence. He remembered how she had shown kindness to pirates and brigands during the war and how those said criminals had ceased their activities. Perhaps people truly wanted peace after all.
The violence and hostility between the Hoshidans and Nohrians was heartbreaking to say the least. Xander didn't want this. He had always hoped that the war having ended would have brought a mutual understanding, but the Hoshidans had shown Corrin fake politeness (she had detected as such) and Nohrians had always been jealous of the Hoshidans' bounty. There were some things he had to deal with the various tribes in both countries as well. Mokushu had fallen, and Shura had wanted to rebuild Kohga, though how he would do so evaded Xander's understanding. There were so many petitions and requests he had to deal with, and some days as he dealt with one, he had Leo deal with the other.
Camilla was no help. She wanted nothing to do with politics and ruling. Xander knew she was busy helping out an orphanage, and she had mentioned she'd like to adopt a child or two. Xander had suggested that perhaps she should marry first, but Camilla had claimed she wanted to start an age where single women could still prove to be good mothers, even without a fatherly influence. It was a fanciful idea in Xander's mind, but he doubted it would work.
Elise was still too young to really help out, but her being among the people in the market seemed to be a good way of ascertaining information. The people were friendly to her, but that's because most did not know she was a princess. Xander was thankful for that, for he feared should the people catch wind of it, then Elise would find herself in trouble.
Needless to say, being a ruler was rough.
Xander decided he had enough of going over the documents, at least for now, and thought to pay Kazahana a visit. Perhaps her music would soothe his soul.
Sakura had minded her business the rest of the day, too exhausted really to do much else. She had stared at her koto, but did not feel like playing it at the moment. It had caused her too much strife, and besides, her fingers were sore.
There was a knock on the door. She went to answer it.
It was the king himself.
"Good day, Kazahana. I take it you are well?" He greeted her politely. King Xander was all class, his etiquette lessons teaching him well.
She nodded, then remembered her manners. She was only so casual with Leo.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," she amended. He chuckled at her shyness.
"Please, call me Xander. You are close enough to my brother that formalities need not be necessary."
She nodded again. "Of course… Xander."
"There you go. Now, I was hoping to request something from you."
Sakura had no idea what to expect. Her mind jumped to the worst. He wanted to know her identity.
"Would you play me a song?"
Relief washed over her. Of course she could do that. Of course he had no idea who she truly was.
"Y-yes, I can do that," she responded, despite her exhaustion after playing with Elise all day. She couldn't dare refuse a king's request.
So Sakura went to her koto, preparing herself. Xander seated himself on a chair by her vanity, moving it closer to the balcony window so he could see her better.
As she played a soft, peaceful tune, Xander took in her features. It made sense that Leo fell for the girl. She had an ethereal beauty to her, and she seemed to be shrouded in mystery. She rarely talked about herself, and it made Xander curious. Leo had only told him so much, how she was once a Hoshidan spy, but made herself a turncoat when things got too intense. It made sense to him though. She seemed meek, though there was a resolve in her that she hid well. Xander, trained to observe opponents on a battlefield, could read her fairly well, though she did a good job of keeping herself secret. It made him wonder what else she could be hiding, but her good intentions to his brother made it so that it didn't faze him. Kazahana was innocent in all of this.
She finished, and Xander found himself at ease. However, he could tell Kazahana was tired, by the way she rubbed her sore fingers and wouldn't meet his eyes as she finished.
"Has my sister Elise tired you?" he asked.
Sakura didn't want to answer. She looked away.
"There's no need to be ashamed. Elise can be a handful. Besides, I wouldn't want to impose on you for much longer. I thank you for the song." He got up and moved to the door.
"Th-thank you, for letting me stay here. You're very kind," Sakura squeaked out. Xander chuckled.
"There's no need for such formalities. You are welcome here. Leo cares about you greatly. I wouldn't put his beloved in a hovel. I hope you find comfort in that." With that, he left her to her devices.
Sakura sighed in relief once he left. He didn't figure it out. How could he? There was little exposure to her in that fated battle. The war was so long ago. Other than the risk of another war breaking out, the past one could not even be remotely on his mind, especially that of a lost princess.
Sakura felt some safety. Yes, Elise knew, as well as Leo, but she felt that her secret would be safe.
Then, she remembered again that Leo's retainer Niles knew. She didn't really trust him, but she figured that Leo would make him swear to secrecy. Niles seemed the type to be incredibly loyal to his liege.
So Sakura put away her koto and dressed for bed. Tomorrow was another day, and she would look forward to what was to come.