Chapter Eleven
It takes them a handful of hours to reach Fort Jinya. Azura truly is not fit for long ventures, and Corrin ponders in investing in a horse for her when they gain enough extra cash. (There is no way he is letting her ride on his back when he is a dragon.)
Everyone is the picture of calm as they approach the gates to the fortress. Corrin is trying to appear cool and collected, as though he has the situation under control. He is trying not to let his nerves make him throw up.
If all else fails, he can succumb to the force that waits to take control of his actions. It would never let him ruin the situation, unless the script calls for him making a fool of himself.
When Yukimura greets them at the gate, Corrin forces his expression blank. While he is grateful to see a friendly face, he knows he is about to experience a world of hurt.
He isn't wrong. Yukimura throws out words like knives, trying to cut and guilt Corrin and Azura. Azura deflates as the man talks. Corrin stands strong, trying to get a word in edge wise. Then Yukimura slips up.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you helped the Nohrians capture Lord Takumi!"
Corrin's skin goes from pale to as white as his hair. His red eyes widen, breaking the look of strong leader. And one thought loops through his head; (Takumi needs to be rescued, as fast as possible). Yukimura narrows his eyes behind his glasses, watching.
"And on top of everything else," Yukimura continues, "Lord Ryoma has gone missing…"
"What has happened to them, Yukimura?" Corrin demands.
Yukimura scoffs. "Why should I retell you what you already know, Lord Traitor. Thanks to you, ill has befallen Hoshido's best and bravest."
"I wasn't-"
"Enough," Yukimura cuts him off with a tone that explains that he wishes Corrin would die. "You will atone for your crimes. Guards! Capture the traitors!"
"Stand ready," Corrin commands, watching Yukimura turn his back on them and leave. A couple soldiers fill the man's space. Corrin casts a particular look towards Azura when he commands his four person army. "Do not kill anyone."
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"Big brother," Sakura says with a nervous look on her face.
She keeps her eyes staring into Corrin's eyes. He recognizes she is using all her courage to talk with him. Corrin relaxes and turns to face her, smiling and trying to look nonthreatening. "What can I do for you, Sakura?"
Sakura blushes and automatically turns her eyes to the ground. She swallows and looks up at him again. "I don't mean to be a bother, but I was wondering if we could try something."
"Of course," Corrin answers easily. "Anything you want."
Now Sakura's entire face turns red and she turns to look at the ground. She mutters something that Corrin can't hear. He leans forwards. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but could you repeat that, please?"
Sakura inhales, and breathes out her sentence in a rush. "Can-I-try-sitting-on-you-when-you-are-a-dragon?"
Corrin blinks in surprise, leaning backwards. It takes him awhile to answer his timid little sister. When he does, he is smiling. "That's right; you don't have dragon mounts in Hoshido." He reaches out a hand and ruffles the redhead's hair. She squeaks and locks eyes with him. Corrin gets down on one knee and holds out a hand to her. "It would be my honour to be your stead for the afternoon, oh great dragon knight Sakura. Though, I, um, do ask you don't dig heels into my side."
Sakura is the only person Corrin has ever willingly let ride him in dragon form, and it only happened in the afternoon of the day she asked.
He is the only one to remember that day, two resets later.
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()
"Betrayal," Takumi pants.
Corrin can't look away as purple smoke rises from the body of the man he never thought to see again.
"Betrayal," the voice that echoes through the room comes from Takumi, but isn't his.
Corrin watches as Takumi's body twitches and jerks, as if pulled by strings. Takumi pulls back on his bowstring, and arrow forming from the smoke around him.
"I am betrayal!" the growled words rip out of Takumi's mouth. The man pants and heaves, eyes flashing bright red instead of the dark burgundy that they should be.
Corrin wants to cry at the sight of his little brother.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
Thank you, prototype gear, for your review! Glad you like them! That will probably come up much later, since right now Corrin is pretty much 'I don't need to learn anything about this world besides what the script says to learn'. Later though… will be interesting. Thank you again for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Thank you, Guest, for your review! Yah, it probably wasn't the best way for it to come out, but it does prove some insight (i.e. Felicia never left the tower with Corrin, his siblings snuck him out, Azura only trying to connect with Corrin for an S rank). I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for reviewing!