Xander
Fuck.
We were caught by Corrin's handmaiden, just what I didn't need. Lenore's face changed from shock to a glare, and I quickly grabbed some clothes to hide my nudity. I felt Nyx move her body more behind mine and I felt anger and… shame?
"Get out of here!" I ordered at her. Lenore's face twisted into a mask of anger and took a step into the room.
"You cheating scoundrel," She hissed out. My eyes narrowed.
"You know nothing, now leave. Keep your trap shut too or I'll cut out that tongue of yours," I cried out. She turned on her heel and the door shut behind her with a click.
"Xander, get me dressed quickly, I can find her and put a spell on her to forget," Nyx said urgently. I looked at her in surprise, Nyx didn't use her magic like that so carelessly. I nodded and together we dressed in record time. Nyx left before I did, and she went to find Lenore as fast as possible.
Once outside of the closet, I strode back to the dining hall to find the reception still in full swing. Maybe thirty minutes had passed since I left, and I saw Corrin on the dance floor. She was dancing with Leo, my younger brother. She was laughing and her head threw back as she danced. She looked like she was having fun. I hadn't seen her so happy since the time with the horses, and Leo was laughing along with her. As they danced, I felt guilt bubble up in my chest. I cheated on my wife.
Once the song ended, Leo took notice of me and he nodded in my direction, still holding his hand out to Corrin to continue dancing. She smiled and accepted his hand, and they continued with a slower song. Her head rested on his chest as they danced, moving together effortlessly. I felt another feeling bubble up inside me, and it was jealousy. I was jealous of my brother slow dancing with Corrin. Was I going mad or something? Corrin and Leo seemed to be talking, I couldn't hear anything as the music drowned it out.
"What a pair, eh?" A voice came from behind me. I turned and looked coolly to see Xion standing there.
"Leo and Corrin, you mean?" I asked. "They seem to get along well."
"A little too well, don't you think?" She asked with an arched eyebrow. I frowned. No, Leo wouldn't do something like that… would he?
"I think you're seeing things, darling," Came Camilla's voice. Camilla walked up to us, her purple dress the same color as her hair. "Leo is a doting brother, he's just taking on Xander's duties while he was away, isn't that right, brother?"
She cast me a look, and I knew right then that Camilla knew what I had been doing. I could see the disapproval in her eyes as she stared at me. Her own mother was my father's concubine, and there was much in fighting between all the mistresses. Gaining father's favor was their one goal and they tended to use their children to get their way. I knew Camilla didn't agree with what I was doing, she probably didn't want to cause any future problems. But the likelihood I would ever have a child with Corrin was slim. Corrin could barely stand to touch me, much less I her. There would be no issues there. Nyx and I never actually made a chance exist till today. And even then, the chance was so slim I wasn't going to worry about it.
The slow dance went on for a few more minutes, and it was agonizing to watch them. I couldn't squash the feeling of jealousy no matter how many times I tried. Camilla never left my side, but she didn't give me any more glances. She was focusing on Corrin and Leo as well. The song ended and Leo helped Corrin off the stage. She tripped into him, the same way she had me earlier, and she laughed. Her eyes sparkled when she laughed, how had I not noticed that before? They walked up to us and Leo placed her hand in mine. Feeling her touch made the surge of guilt rise again, I had cheated on her, on our wedding day.
"Everything taken care of?" She asked with a smile. My eyes tightened.
"Yes, I have taken care of everything," I said, trying to mask my emotions. My voice came out a little odd and I think Corrin picked up on it as she frowned. "Come, why don't you dance with me?" I asked her.
She nodded and we took off to the dance floor, hand in hand.
Corrin
It had been five days since the Nohrian wedding, and I was still being trained on how to act like a Nohrian Princess. Camilla was more diligent in teaching me, and I was beginning to get frustrated. I studied books, not decorum. This wasn't my forte. Every dance move she taught me had me wanting to stamp my feet in frustration, and every poke and prod on me not doing the steps right had me wanting to scream at her. I knew she was only trying to help, but I couldn't stand this. Ryoma was raised as the heir to the throne and he learned all the policies and acceptable ways of other countries. And, if he were ever to pass, Takumi was trained in his stead. My sisters and myself weren't forced to do any of it, so I focused on training my body more than my fanciful affairs.
We were in a library today, and she had me poring over books of Nohrian poetry for this lesson. The poetry itself wasn't so bad but having to transcribe it into a language I understood was what made it frustrating. These poems were ancient and were written in an old language that Nohr didn't even use anymore, but Camilla said that I had to learn it in case they ever came up in topics of conversation. I had to be well rounded. I wanted to bang my head against the book and throw the damn thing out the window.
"Hard at work, ladies?" A manly voice I came to recognize as my husband chimed. I perked up, Xander had been very doting on me the last few days. His touches were coming more naturally, and he was being gentle with me. Even in private, he would place kisses on my forehead. I was beginning to get used to the small touches.
"We would be if I could get Corrin to focus," Camilla replied with a laugh. I glared at her sullenly.
"I was wondering if I could steal her for a bit," Xander said with a smile. I perked up at this, a break from lessons was a piece of heaven.
"For what, brother? She needs to learn this before her coronation," Camilla said with a pout. I liked Camilla, but the drilling of lessons was getting old, and we had only been at this for five days.
"I was thinking she might like riding lessons," He replied with a chuckle. "What do you think, little princess?" I smiled, I wanted to learn to ride a horse so badly. I pushed my chair back and stood up happily, my hands clapping slightly.
"Yes! I vote yes!" I exclaimed.
"No, she has to learn this. Horse riding lessons can come later, this coronation is more important," Camilla said with a hard look at Xander. What was up with that? I had noticed more tension between the two of them, tension that said something had made them mad at each other.
"Well, considering she has to ride through the town on horse-back, alone, I think it's more prudent for her to learn how to ride sooner than later. Riding isn't easy," Xander pointed out. I had to ride through the town? What? I felt my smile slip off my face.
I wasn't even dressed to ride. I was in a light pink silk and cashmere dress. The long sleeves were tight on my shoulders and the full-length skirt flared out. This was not riding attire. I looked up at Xander's face and I could see he was hiding a laugh, his eyes said it more than his face. He was looking me up and down as well.
"I think we need to get you into something else, little princess. Camilla, take her to get her changed," Xander said. The last part to Camilla sounded more of an order than a request. I blinked. Almost as if reading my thoughts, he amended, "Please."
I saw Camilla nod, standing up stiffly from the table we were at. She walked with me up to the room I shared with Xander. Once we entered, I looked around the room. In the short time I had been here, I had made small changes to the room. There were now lilies that sat in vases around the room, and there were some added white colors to the decorations. Xander had insisted I tried to make it feel more like home to me as well, which was touching.
As soon as I was in the room, Camilla deftly undressed me, knowing her way around my dress better than I did. She strode to the huge closet Xander and I had, and she pulled out some brown pants and a long-sleeved white shirt with a black jacket. She helped me to dress quickly and then tossed some light brown boots that were knee high to me. I barely caught the throw and she laughed, my mistakes seemed to give her joy, that was the most irksome part of our lessons. I knew she was only teasing, but it still didn't help to quell the frustration I felt.
Once I was ready to go, Camilla led me to the stables, and Xander was already there, dressed in his own riding gear. Xander had on black and red riding gear. The way the jacket pulled across his muscles made my mouth dry, and his butt even looked good in the black pants he wore. I noticed that he held the reins on a pure white horse. The horse was beautiful, graceful and sleek, I could tell that its coat was brushed regularly. Xander was facing the horse so his back was to me, and he was petting its head gently. As we approached, the horse nickered a little and Xander turned and smiled at me. I smiled back, I was going to learn how to ride today.
"Corrin, this will be your horse, Persephone," Xander said. Persephone shook her head slightly and I smiled. I walked up to the horse and put my hand on the side of her neck. She stilled under my touch and I put my forehead against her neck.
"She's beautiful, Xander," I whispered. I was going to learn to ride today.
"Here, let me help you up," He said, and he took my hand. The saddle was already on the horse, and he instructed me to put my left food in the stirrup and to lift myself using his hand and the horn on the saddle. I did as he told me to, and almost fell flat on my face.
He laughed. Xander laughed. I looked up from where I was on the ground and his laughter filled my ears. It was a wonderful sound. I had never heard his laugh before like this, like he was truly enjoying himself. Once he finished his gleeful moment, he offered me a hand and told me to try again. I did try, twice more, before I finally got up on the saddle. I felt triumphant at my feat and a small giggle escaped my lips. Xander took the reins of the horse and made a clicking noise with his mouth. The horse lurched forward, and I almost fell off trying to steady myself. Xander chuckled.
"Now, you have to bounce with the horse. I'll be leading her today so you can get a feel of it," he said with laughter in his voice. I frowned, I thought I was going to learn to ride?
"Wait, I thought I was going to learn how to actually ride? You know, by myself," I insisted.
"You can't ride without knowing the basics. If you don't know how to move with the horse it will be uncomfortable for you and for her. You also need to learn how to turn and angle your body, these things will help you stay stable in the saddle and make it easier for her to carry you," he said evenly. I sighed, this wasn't what I was hoping it to be.
Xander was leading the horse out to the pasture, it took us about five minutes to get there and he led me around the pasture for a while. The sense of peace between us was nice, we hadn't had many moments like this where there were calm. I watched him as he led the horse. His jawline was masculine, and he had a dimple when he smiled. His blond hair was rippling in the wind and I wanted to touch it, to see if it was as soft as I imagined it would be. I think he noticed me looking at him and he turned his gaze up to meet mine and he smiled, that dimple showed, and I felt a pang in my chest.
"Have you had lunch?" He asked me suddenly. I tilted my head, slightly confused. Why was he asking me this?
"No, not yet. Camilla drills me most of the day," I admitted. I saw him look at me sharply, I could tell he didn't like that.
"Well, I arranged for us to have a picnic, if you're up for it?" He said with a smile. I smiled back and nodded, I was starving.
I must have been gazing at Xander for a while because I didn't even notice the maids and butlers laying out a blanket and a basket for us in the horse pasture. The pasture was huge and filled with grass. The grass wasn't green as it was cold, but it was still very pretty. The sun was up with clouds obscuring the sun slightly. The wind blew gently, and it was a picturesque scene. Xander handed the reins to a butler that bowed, and he came to help me off the saddle. He didn't even ask, he just lifted me off the saddle, he was that tall.
Once my feet touched the ground, he let me go, and for a moment I wished he hadn't done that. I walked with him to the blanket and we sat down. The butlers and maids had all stepped back away from us, and they were staring in any direction but us. I noticed that the staff that the Nohrian royals employed were disciplined to perfection, they didn't make mistakes, or at least, not ones I saw. Xander opened the basket and pulled out plates, and glasses. I was a little surprised, they brought plates and glasses to a picnic?
"I figured some wine would be nice," Xander said with a smile. Out came a bottle of wine from the basket. Well, he surely thought of everything. He poured the glasses and then pulled out food that… I did a double take, it looked like Hoshidan food. Rice balls, sushi, sashimi, all the things I missed. I looked up at Xander in shock and he laughed. "I thought you'd enjoy some Hoshidan cuisine. It might not be made the way it normally would be, but maybe you can educate me on how to eat it."
The food, while he was correct, wasn't made exactly like Hoshido, the thought was there. It even tasted similar, and I was so appreciative. I was teaching Xander how to eat the Hoshidan food, as he was constantly dropping it with his chopsticks. It was funny and we both laughed as he tried, and mostly failed, to eat the food. While we were eating, I spotted Lenore among the maids and butlers, and I could tell she wasn't happy. She was eyeing Xander with something akin to… hate? What was up with that?
We finished eating our lunch and I was so stuffed I just laid back on the blanket and looked up at the sky. This was a perfect day for a picnic and not only that, it was just such a thoughtful thing for Xander to do. Ever since our wedding day, he had been more attentive, which I wasn't used to. As I laid there, I closed my eyes, relaxing. I felt the breeze on my face, and I sighed. I heard a chuckle and I opened my eyes to see Xander's face above mine.
"Being lazy, little princess?" He asked with a smile. I laughed.
"As long as it gets me away from lessons, yes, I'll be lazy any day," I answered. He was still smiling, but then his look faded away into something more… serious? He leaned down close to me, and I closed my eyes and I felt his lips brush mine.
"Milady! Princess Camilla says it's time for you to return to lessons," I heard Lenore's voice echo. I felt Xander pull away abruptly and I sat up, frowning in the direction of my handmaiden. What was with her? I noticed Xander was glaring at Lenore and she returned his gaze with a stony look of her own.
I looked between the two of them and I felt tension sprouting amongst them. I had no idea what was going on, and it bothered me. Lenore didn't usually act with such little decorum, and I thought Xander had given me glares before, but it equaled nothing to this.
What was going on?