Corrin closed her eyes she felt the afternoon breeze blow through her long gray hair. It had been several months since the defeat of Anankos and, for the first time since taking the Vallite throne, Corrin was finally getting a break from the duties of being queen. She had managed to sneak out of the castle with none of the guards spotting her and fled to the hill overlooking the Bottomless Canyon. Thanks to Ryouma and Xander ceding large tracts of land to Valla, Corrin had been able to expand her kingdom outside of the canyon and liberate the Vallite people from their long imprisonment under the ground. The world seemed at peace for the first time since Corrin had set foot outside of the Northern Fortress in Nohr. As she was about to lie down and enjoy her little getaway, Corrin heard a familiar voice over the breeze.
"Corrrrrin! Corrrin!" Came the high pitched squeals of a little dragon. A few moments later, Lilith crested the hilltop and saw the young woman there in the grass. "Corrin! What are you doing here? You know you have Silas and the castle guard going mad looking for you right?"
"Relax, Lilith." Corrin said with a giggle. "They'll be fine without me for a little longer. It's not like Valla is just going to fall apart if I'm gone for a few hours. Besides, have you seen the weather today? It would be foolish to spend a day like today indoors and doing paperwork. If I promise to bring you a big juicy steak for dinner then will you be quiet about where I am?" The queen smirked and reached up to tickle Lilith's scales as she said this, causing the dragon to erupt with laughter.
"Fine, fine. My mouth is shut!" Lilith howled between fits of laughter. Corrin let out a satisfied sigh as she returned to her business of enjoying her little break. Lilith even floated down to join her. The two snuggling against each other as another crisp wind blew over them.
"We've come quite far since the Northern Fortress haven't we, Lilith?" Corrin asked as she turned her head to face the Bottomless Canyon again.
"We have indeed, Corrin." Lilith agreed. "Some of us came farther than others..." Corrin was about to inquire what Lilith was referring to when a new shadow fell across the two of them, blotting out the sunlight. At first, the newcomer only cleared their throat, causing Corrin to groan.
"Ok, Silas, you found me... I'll come back to the cas-" Corrin stopped short when she sat up and finally got a clear look at the individual. The figure in question was one of the biggest people Corrin had ever laid eyes on! He stood at a dizzying height and his body was toned and muscular. The skin on his arms and legs was covered in various scars and he had long hair that was whiter than snow. The man said nothing at first, causing Corrin to try and say something to break the tension. "Um... I don't know who you are. Did Xander send you? I know we are still negotiating the lan-"
"Corrin!" Lilith said through a hushed whisper. "This is no human! This is someone more powerful than you can even imagine. This man is... Moro." Lilith said that last part in total awe, as though she were standing in front of Anankos all over again. Corrin was about to inquire when Moro opened his mouth. When he spoke, Corrin felt her body shake. It was as though her body was trying to shy away from this figure that even Lilith seemed afraid of.
"You would do well to listen to Lilith, Young One." Moro said as he uncrossed his arms. "I am Moro. The First Dragon. The First... and the Last. Lilith... I have come for you. I have a mission for you."
"What is it, Moro?" Lilith asked, suddenly perking up to attention. "Whatever it is, I shall accomplish it. You know I owe you my life." At this, Corrin stepped between the two, desperate to understand what was going on.
"I'm sorry, but could we please take a few steps back here? Lilith, how do you know this guy? Why are you so willing to go along with whatever he says?! He could be trying to send you on a suicide mission!" Corrin suddenly found herself on the receiving end of two very dark glares from Lilith and Moro.
"Corrin..." Lilith said sadly as she turned back to Moro. "Moro was one of the First Dragons; who created this Realm. Alongside Anankos and the others, they created all life you now see before you. It was Moro who gave me the power to return to my dragon form and save your life when Hans threw you into the Bottomless Canyon. If it wasn't for him, you would have fallen into Valla prematurely and likely you'd have been killed on the spot."
"Very good, Lilith." Moro said with a smile. "It was I who saved your life that day, Young One. In exchange for my help, Lilith is doing me a favor by assisting in saving other Dragons in the Realms. You saw what happened with Anankos didn't you? Well, there are more dragons like him out there, going mad as a result of their degeneration and destroying all they've created. I'm one of the few who has retained my sanity through the centuries, and I have taken the task of stopping other dragons before they degenerate too far. In another realm right this moment, there is a dragon who is degenerating. She is attempting to resurrect her fallen mother in a ritual that will certainly bring about the end of that world. She has tried time and again to do so, but she was met with failure. Now, I fear she has successfully found a way to revive her mother. If a dragon is returned to the world through unnatural means, it could prove catastrophic for the world. I need Lilith to go and confirm my suspicions, and if needed, destroy the dragon." At this point, Corrin found herself staring down the elder dragon.
"Now wait just a moment! Lilith is my friend and I'm not going to just let her go off on her own to some other realm to risk her life. If we need to stop this dragon, let me rally the kingdom forces and we can go through the Dragon's Gate together. No dragon could stop us! Just look at Anankos!"
"I can't send a whole army or the Immaculate One will know what I am up to. This needs to be covert, otherwise she will turn on all the realms and attack herself. She still commands a great deal of influence in her own Realm."
"Fine, then I'll go with Lilith! Like I said, I'm not abandoning my friend like that!" Moro sighed and gave Lilith a sideways glance.
"Is she always like this?" He asked her.
"You get used to it..." Lilith replied.
A week later, Corrin and Lilith stood at the Dragon's Gate in Hoshido. After telling Silas that she'd be leaving and to look after Kana while she was away, Corrin had made arrangements with her cousin Azura to oversee Valla while she was away. Lilith turned to Corrin as the woman sheathed the Yato sword onto her hip.
"Are you sure you want to do this Corrin? If we go through the Gate, there is no coming back until our mission is complete."
"I'm sure Lilith. If people are in danger from a dragon like Anankos, then it's our duty to help them. I can't let something like that happen again..." A tear started to form in Corrin's eye as she thought back to the allies she had lost in the war with the Silent Dragon. Shaking it off, she turned to Lilith with a smile. "Besides, this will be a good break from being Queen. I have the Yato and my Dragonstone as well so I'm more than prepared! Come on, Lilith!" Corrin took a running start and jumped into the Gate with Lilith following close behind.
When the pair came to, they looked around and found themselves in a dense forest. In the distance, there appeared to be a small village. In the enter of town, there was even a large bonfire blazing against the twilight sky. Upon further inspection, Corrin and Lilith's eyes went wide when they realized one of the huts was literally on fire! Hearing screams in the distance, Corrin and Lilith both took off towards the village.
"Well, Lilith. It looks like it's time to get started!" Corrin shouted.
Phew... Ok, long lore drop about dragons out of the way, and Corrin is in Fodlan! I think you all should know what's coming next ;). Also, to those of you who may be confused, Moro is an actual character from Fates! He's not integral to the plot, but he's mentioned several times, and Lilith directly invokes him on a few occasions so I thought it would be fun to make use of him. I took some liberties with his appearance (obviously), but I also left it a little vague so you can imagine what a First Dragon may look like. Now... Can't wait to finally get this story off the ground and have our heroes meet! See you all next time!