Corrin

The day of my wedding was here. The week had flown past and Xander and I had little to say to one another. Unless it was about traveling plans or the wedding itself, we hadn't spoken much in the past week. His attitude towards me was one of indifference, and most of the time we spoke through our respective retainers, so I saw him maybe twice over the week. It was fine with me, if he wanted our marriage to be this way, I could handle it completely. I had done my part in trying and he resisted me, so I wasn't going to try again.

Lenore and Oboro, my sister Hinoka's retainer, were working on my hair and face to get me ready for the wedding. Lenore worked on my hair while Oboro tried to make my face into something resembling beauty. We were to have a wedding in Hoshido that gave honor to our Dawn Dragon then one in Nohr to give one to their Dusk Dragon. Our Hoshidan wedding was going to be very simplistic. We don't embellish on the details but keep it about the couple.

Once my hair and make up were done, I stepped up to the flowy white dress that was made for this occasion. It was long and fell to the floor and the bodice was all lace and pearls. It was off the shoulder and its sleeves were made from the same material as the bodice. It cinched in on my waist and it was overall a very beautiful dress, if only I were wearing it for a man that deserved it.

Lenore and Oboro were very gentle when they pulled my dress up my body. Their hands working quickly with the back that was all buttons and lace. After they were finished, my mother and two sisters walked in and I saw Sakura's smile light her face up as she saw me. She rushed to me and held my hand while Hinoka came to my other side and held my other hand. I hadn't seen my mother almost all week since I lost my temper with her, I regretted my actions now and I wish I hadn't done what I did. This might be the last time I see her.

"My beautiful daughter, you are splendid, as we all knew you would be," she spoke warmly to me. In her hands was a long thin blue box that had the Hoshidan Crest emblazoned on the front.

"Thank-you mother," I said softly.

"You look gorgeous, big sister," Sakura said happily. I smiled at her, at least this made her happy. Someone needed to get something out of this.

"We decided to give you a present to take with you after your wedding and to wear during, if you'd like to," Mikoto said with a smile.

With that she opened the box and inside laid the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I had ever seen. It was a golden and pearl necklace that was worked into a wreath looking piece almost. The gold was made into tiny leaves and the pearls almost like buds of a flower. Sitting next to the necklace was two small golden leaf earrings with pearls in them. The finest metal workers must have made this, and it was stunning. I felt a lump in my throat as I got choked up.

"Ryoma ordered this to be made after a decision was made, and Takumi gave the design to the worker in charge… Sakura and Hinoka added the pearls to the list…" She said softly.

I turned to my two sisters and felt tears light up into my eyes, they were the best family I could have ever asked for. I hugged each one of my sisters in turn and then faced my mother and hugged her as well. I could tell she was surprised after how I treated her. Once I finished hugging my family my mother pulled the necklace out and hung it around my neck. I put the earrings in and turned to face the mirror that was in my room, my mouth dropped open.

I was beautiful. I had never looked this way my entire life. My lips were pink, and my cheeks were slightly flushed. My reddish eyes were accented with a little black kohl liner and my lashes were even fuller than normal. My hair was done up in a braided fashion that had tendrils of hair falling along my face. The dress had made every curve on my body look… well… sexy. I had never imagined myself that way before and this was a new feeling. I felt beautiful.

"I look…"

"Gorgeous!" Sakura supplied happily.

"You look beautiful, little sister," Hinoka said. I smiled at them and I felt my hands shaking a little.

"Now, it's almost time to walk down there into the grand hall for the wedding. I'm going to give you a piece of advice, and I hope you listen well to it. Your husband will not always do what you wish him to and you the same to him. It's how you react to these moments that will make your marriage work. React in a way that will leave no room for error or space for anything or anyone to come between you, do you understand me?" My mother said softly. I nodded, very confused by what she meant.

At that moment, the door opened again, and I turned to face the person that entered, in came my elder brother, Ryoma and my younger one, Takumi. Ryoma was wearing an all-white suit and he had taken off the red mask that was normally covering his face. His hair was pulled up into a pony tail and he looked… quite dashing. I blinked a little and saw Takumi in black and white clothing, and he too looked dashing.

"Corrin, it's time to go downstairs, are you ready?" Ryoma asked me. I looked at the faces of my family and knew it was time.

"Yes, I'm ready," I said and walked forward to him. He held out his hand and I took it in mine. Ryoma was the one to give me away to Xander at the ceremony.

As we walked down the steps, I could see maids and footmen rushing about the place preparing for the reception that was to take place after the ceremony. They were frantic and they almost bumped into us a few times. I looked around and saw the place absolutely transformed, there were flowers every where and lace banners to signify the grandness of this occasion. I was the first one to be married from this generation, it was a huge deal. There hadn't been a royal wedding since my mother's and father's wedding.

Once we approached the doors, Ryoma turned to me and looked down at me and I saw… something else in his eyes than brotherly love. It made me feel weird. But just like it appeared it went away.

"Corrin, I am so sorry that you have to do this, but please understand that it was the only way. I hate that I did this to you," he said brusquely. I blinked at him and my hands shook a little.

"Ryoma, I understand my duty, and I know this is for the better of our people."

"But I shouldn't have done this to you… I should have fought more for a better treaty. I'm sorry, Corrin." And when he said that his look returned from before that made me feel uncomfortable. I shook my head and smiled at him, trying to make things better.

"It is fine, now, let's get me married, shall we?" I said with a smile and he nodded at me turning back to the double doors that separated us from my husband.

Ryoma pushed the doors open and in we walked, to my wedding.

This is not what I wanted at all.

Xander

I was standing at the end of a make shift aisle and on either side was seats and it was packed. My family from Nohr had arrived, Camille, Elise, and Azura had finally joined us. Father was sitting on the first row with Leo beside him and my sisters on Leo's other side. They were all talking amongst themselves and I looked towards the middle of the side that was to represent my country. There sat Nyx, and my eyes tightened, and I felt my heart skip a beat. I didn't want her here, but the invitation was to the scholars as well to document such an occasion. I met her eyes and I saw a half smile on her face. She was stunningly beautiful. Her dress was a deep purple and it showed everything off that she could get away with in Hoshido.

Doors scraping the floor caught my attention and I had to yank my attention away from Nyx and saw the doors at the end of the aisle opening. The priest that was behind me signaled for the music that was planned and in walked my soon to be bride. I was shocked when I saw her.

She was wearing a dress that showed off her curves beautifully and she was a vision. A vision? I thought to myself. I had never used terminology like that before and I should stop immediately. I stared at her as the Crown Prince of Hoshido and the Princess of Hoshido that was to be my bride, stepped towards me. I noticed that Corrin wasn't looking at me, but rather was looking at the priest behind me.

Once she and her brother got up to me, I held my hand out to take her hand from her brother's. He placed her hand in mine and glared at me before he stepped away. As soon as her hand was laid in mine, I watched her gaze turn to look at mine and there it was, that electric fire that always seemed to happen when I looked at her eyes. Her bright red eyes darkened, and I felt lost for a moment. This wasn't normal was it? I had to force myself to look away from her and helped her step up to the altar where the priest was.

The priest's words were a blur to me, I couldn't remember most of what he said. He said something about how the Dawn Dragon would bless us and help us through the good times and bad. It was about all I gathered from the speech. My attention was brought to Corrin when she cleared her throat and I looked down at her. She was over a foot shorter than me, such a little princess… but such a spitfire at times too. I looked down at her throat and it was so delicate, such a creamy color and when she cleared her throat, I could see my lips- No, I couldn't think that way.

It was at that moment I had to say my vows to her that I was taught to memorize by Yukimura, and I looked at the priest instead of my bride as I said them.

"I vow to honor my wife and to treat her in a manner befitting one of the Dawn Dragon. I vow to love her and cherish her in a manner befitting one of the Dawn Dragon. To the Dawn Dragon I make this vow to protect her and keep her from harm. In all these things I vow to the Dragon," I said gruffly. These vows were ridiculous. The ones that the Dusk Dragon had was about strength and passion. The things that Nohr held dear.

"I vow to honor my husband and to treat him in a manner befitting the Dawn Dragon. I vow to love him and obey him in a manner befitting the Dawn Dragon. To the Dawn Dragon I make these vows to be by his side always and to never leave him. In all these things, I vow to the Dragon," she said clearly and with pride. I looked down at her again and I saw her turn her gaze and her red stare met mine.

"You may kiss your bride," Came the priest's voice.

I leaned down, my hand cupping her cheek and I placed the barest of kisses on her lips. The moment my lips touched hers I blinked as I pulled away. Instead of an electric fire it was now blazing. The briefest of contact between our lips had set my whole body on fire. I couldn't fathom it. I looked down into her eyes and I saw that she was feeling the same thing. We were still so close, only inches separating us, and I felt her pull away. It was like water was immediately doused on me once she pulled away. I straightened up and turned to look in the crowd.

Nyx's eyes met mine and I saw her stand up and turn on her heel and leave the hall. I wanted to run after her and catch her, but my duty bound me to stay near my new wife. This was not the life I wanted at all.

It wasn't long after our shared kiss that we were ushered into a reception hall, I'm assuming it was where they held large dinners. The place was packed with nobles from Hoshido and I could see maids and footmen serving dishes. It was chaos, but organized chaos. At the center of the room was a dais that was meant for dancing and beyond that was a long table that our families were already seated at. My wife was by my side, God's, I'll never get used to saying that, and we moved to where we sat in the center of the table. She was on my left side which is where her family were seated on her other side, my family was sat on my right side.

"This place is beautiful, darling," I heard Camilla talking to Elise. I turned my head to look at my purple-haired sister. She was laughing and she donned a red gown instead of her usual black. Elise was next to her and dressed in a bright purple dress. They were talking away happily, at least someone was happy today.

"Yes! We'll have to take some of these design ideas and put them into some of our banquets!" Elise said happily. I felt Corrin cough slightly next to me and one glance in her direction showed she was hiding a smile. Elise was making her smile, lovely.

"Corrin, darling, you will have to show us how they did these center pieces, they're absolutely to die for," Camilla said to my wife. It was the first time I noticed what was on the table. It was a small lantern that was surrounded by lilies and white roses. But the lilies and roses were intertwined with the metal on the lantern. It was different, not my tastes, but different.

"Oh, thank-you, but Sakura did most of the decorating," my new wife said next to me. It was at that moment that soft music started to play in the background and Leo stood up, tapping his glass to make a speech, I was assuming.

"We are all here to celebrate the union of my brother and his new bride and to celebrate a unification in our two nations. I know that Corrin will make a lovely sister-in-law and I am sure that she will adjust to our customs just as she has embraced and shown Hoshidan ones beautifully. I'm sure it won't be long before we have a true union from the two of them and it will be a wonderful sight to see.

"Big brother, I know you'll treat your marriage with the same honor and vigilance that you have given to our kingdom and your soldiers. I know that Corrin will bring the grace and the beauty that she always exudes. Xander, this toast is to you and to your marriage, congrats and I hope that you two will be happy together for many years to come," Leo said with a laugh and he grabbed the wine that was on the table and took a sip. The entire royal table drank with him and I felt my throat tighten.

Corrin also tensed up at this speech. Was she feeling the same way as me? That she was trapped forever just like me? It wasn't long after my brother's speech that the Queen Mikoto stood up with her wine glass in her hand.

"I'd also like to make a small toast to my beautiful daughter and son-in-law. Their union will bring our two kingdoms together and they will be the future that will bring both kingdoms into the light. My daughter is beautiful and with this marriage, our kingdom will be unified in all things," her eyes went to King Garon and tightened. "My husband will help me to unify this kingdom and he will help me as we work together to bring our families to a tighter bond. Thank-you all for coming to our gathering. Now, let us start with the dancing!"

My father was watching the queen silently, fury in his eyes. She had ousted the treaty that we worked on, and she did it publicly so that we couldn't back down from our side. Damn her. Now if we didn't return the king there would be an actual war. The nobles in the room looked surprised and were murmuring amongst themselves, I knew that this news would cause some friction in the room.

I felt a hand jerk my arm back and I turned to see Camilla, my sister, pulling me to look at her. Her lips were near my ear and she whispered softly.

"The people of Hoshido are suspecting that this union is not a happy one. That this is arranged now. I don't know what Mikoto was trying to pull, but unless I'm mistaken, being married off to a country such as ours, is unheard of. You have to make them believe that this union is a happy one and wanted by both parties," came her hushed whisper. I turned and looked to face her a little more. Corrin was standing up, being helped up by her elder brother and he was beginning to walk her to the stage that was set for our first dance.

"What would you like me to do? Have sex with her on the stage?" I hissed out.

"No, I plan for you to give her these," and with that she pressed something small into my palm. I looked down and saw my mother's wedding band set. This set was returned to my father after my mother had passed away and I was surprised Camilla had it in her possession. I looked up at Camilla and she winked at me.

The set itself was a white gold, and the center piece diamond was lain in a heart shape with about twenty smaller ones surrounding the center. The actual band was white gold and had tiny diamonds laid into the band all around it. I hadn't intended on giving this to Corrin, I was hoping to one day give this to someone I actually loved, but Camilla was right. If I didn't make some sort of gesture, there would be discordance in the Hoshidan country. My duty bound me to make this alliance work and if I couldn't convince the Hoshidan's, how could I convince my own country where love and passion is valued above all things?

I stood up to join my wife on the stage, pocketing the rings, and as I walked over to the stage, my eyes caught the blackest of hair in the crowd and I caught a glimpse of Nyx standing there. She was watching me, her eyes tracing my movement and the look on her face was not happy. I couldn't handle looking at her right now and I stepped up onto the stage and joined my bride. She was staring at me curiously as I'm sure she could see my expression, and I'm sure it wasn't one she was used to. I was hurting Nyx. That pained me more than I could fathom.

I took Corrin into my arms and held her right hand into my left and I wrapped my right arm around her waist. Her left hand went up to my shoulder and the music started. We started moving smoothly, the music playing softly in the background. We twirled and where my hands touched her felt like hot heat sprang up there. Our bodies were inches apart and I looked down at her. She wasn't terrible looking. Her hair and dress were done differently than the typical Hoshidan style I was used to.

"Your dress isn't a Hoshidan wedding dress, is it?" I asked softly. She turned her gaze up to meet mine and that surge of heat and tension sprang again.

"No, it isn't… I wanted to incorporate a little of Nohrian style…" She said a little roughly. I looked and noticed that my right arm was touching her bare back, and I felt like my hand was on fire. The bare back was not a Hoshidan thing to do.

"You look… alright in it," I said grudgingly. I didn't want to pay her compliments, my heart belonged to another.

At that moment, I had to spin her out, and when I twirled her out, my eyes found Nyx's again and I saw something in her eyes… I couldn't read what it was, but her mouth was turned into a slight frown. Corrin spun back to me and as she did, I pulled her a little too close and our chests bumped together. We were completely flushed against each other and I immediately turned my gaze to look at her. Something was causing my chest to feel as if it were engulfed in flames. I couldn't put my finger on it. The music was trailing off and I released her and got on one knee and pulled the rings out of my pocket, no time like the present.

"Corrin, I know we are both already married, but it would make me happy if you would wear my mother's rings," I said clearly. Her eyebrows raised and I could tell this surprised her. She contemplated for a moment before she nodded.

"I would love to wear your mother's rings, Xander," she said just as clearly. I stood up and slipped the rings on her left-hand ring finger and I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Lilies and cinnamon wafted up into my nose. This was an act. I had to remember that I had to show our people, on both sides, that we were in love. It would be harder to pass off in Nohr, but I could do it. Corrin might need some coaching from Camilla on this matter though.

I turned to see Nyx and at that moment when our eyes locked, I noticed slight tears in her eyes. She turned from me, not meeting my gaze again and she walked away. I had just hurt the woman I loved. For a princess that I did not.

This is not what I wanted at all.