A/N: Wheeeew boy! I had this idea stirring in my mind very recently, and I wanted to pursue it!
Oh look, a Male Corrin! That's a rare one from me.
His claws scraped against the confines behind him, the chains rattled on his wrists. He breathes in… a thick, disgusting vapor fills the air. He proceeds to cough it up, forming a singular, large spit that lands on the ground. His stomach growls, he growls. One, two, three tugs on the chains, the anchors remain stubbornly fastened.
Nobody has had the guts to come in to reinforce them while he wasn't sedated.
The longing for freedom has become corporeal, a desire so intense that the mere thought of it drives him wild… it drives his instincts wild. The fresh air, ground to run on, prey to hunt and… the rattling stops. There it is again. Not an animal, he's not some mere animal, and yet… his thoughts keep returning to some primal stage.
He then hears Xander's yell for help, the blood in the air, the way Siegfried clattered to the ground and…
Rattle, rattle. He lets out a guttural roar. He pulls and pulls against the chains, he hears a screw clatter to the ground and…
A sudden calm struck his body. Magic. "Sleep." The Mage on duty orders him. "The moment Prince Xander awakens, you're going to the Block."
His eyelids grow heavy, despite his urge to fight back.
"All out?" Xander asks, gripping Siegfried, a mixed look of concern… and a hint of pride in his eyes.
"All out." Corrin responded, a confident smile on his face. He's been feeling it, the results have been showing it. Over the past year, his skills and raw power have surged higher. A change that even Leo couldn't explain…
Not without its drawbacks, but only Jakob, Felicia, and Flora are aware of that.
Corrin tightens the grip on his sword, and as he makes his first slash…
His eyes snap open again, the burning feeling in his chest returns. His eyes gaze over the cell, a fine gloss-like texture filming over the natural red, making it seem to glow. His heart begins to pound and his human features gives way to something more sinister, powerful… Draconic.
He can't keep doing this. The instinct inside won't let him remain docile.
All he can hear is his heart hammering in his chest, the blood surging through his body. Rage gives way, and a growl resonates in his chest. His breathing becomes labored, his body demanding more air than what he's used to intaking.
The Mage isn't here. He must be on break, food? Rest? He finds he doesn't care, and…
He smells it. Food. Bread, meat, tea. His body laxes. Death won't be today. "Rations, Corrin." The Guard approaches.
More than 'just rations'. No prisoner gets cooked meat or Tea. No… Camilla had a hand in this. The dish slides under the bars, and Corrin approaches as far as his chains let him. Food.
Click, clack, the soldier's armor hits the stone and he leans to watch Corrin ravage his way through the nourishment… the pains subside, the instinct gets pushed back. The bread is stale, the meat is unflavored, and the tea is cold… he intakes it all. "X-Xander?" He chokes out, his voice holding great concern.
"Can't tell you, kid. The Crown Prince is in the care of every skilled Healer that His Highness could gather within a twenty mile radius." He crosses his arms. "As if you care."
Kid… Corrin glances down at his hands and trembles. "I…"
"Can it, I'm not paid to listen to your regrets."
Corrin felt it. The changes. It started after his 11th Birthday, puberty hit him, and it hit him hard. A higher need for water, he experienced fatigue more often… he reacted emotionally, quickly… sometimes violently. His muscles were almost in a constant state of soreness.
All these facts he hid from his family when they visited.
Flora and Felicia numbed the soreness, lowered his body temperature, which aided him in not drinking so much water. Jakob secured herbal ingredients that tempered his mood. He suppressed everything… and when his siblings left from their visits, the soreness and anger shot up.
Several months after this began, his senses began honing, his strength and speed rose, he… began to get a better grip on his new 'issues'. Or, so he thought.
If he knew a 'Formidable Opponent' would trigger these… instincts, he would've never said those words.
"I want to do an all-out duel with you, Big Brother…"
Barely older than twelve years and in here, with a future of having himself executed.
No, his instincts screamed a denial. He'd find the strength to flee before Death came for its due.
"Geez, you really are a mess, kid." The Guard snorts.
"Corrin." He asserts.
"Kid." He insists. "Look Kid, Royal or otherwise, you throw shit like that, you're nothing more than a Kid."
"I didn't mean…"
"Wake up! It doesn't matter if. You almost murdered Crown Prince Xander in cold blood. Your own 'Big Brother'! The legal system doesn't give two flying shits about your case. Had Princess Elise, Camilla, and Prince Leo not stepped in, you would've had Xander skewered and readied to be roasted like a Pig!"
Corrin recoils, tears almost immediately forming in his eyes.
His sword was mere seconds away from piercing that fractured armor. Had Corrin not wrestled back control, Xander would have died. Corrin dropped his sword and staggered back. Horrified at what he did… It was just supposed to be a spar, a test to showcase just how far Corrin came. Blood… so much blood. Siegfried lies on the ground, several feet away from its owner. Corrin backed away further… and then he saw their eyes.
Elise, full of fear. "Big…?"
Camilla, anger. "Leo! Snap out of it!"
Leo, resentment.
Xander… fading out and losing life fast. "I…"
Corrin fell to his knees, clutching his head with his bloodied hands.
"Just let loose. You will know when it's time." Wait… who told him that? He… he can't remember.
Corrin gasps, rising from the floor. Did he… fall asleep? The smell of food is faint in the air. Yeah… he did. His body succumbs to exhaustion when the instinct is pushed back, and it's pushed back when the meal comes in. He looks up… the Mage is back on Guard. A different one, this time. Female. Her eyes meet his, and she grins, her eyes shine with latent power. No, this can't be a standard Mage… a Sorcerer? "How far have you fallen, dear Prince?" She asks in a mocking tone.
"..." He glares. "I'm aware of my crimes."
"Prince Corrin, almost three years younger than Crown Prince Xander… and you nearly ripped him to shreds."
"I know!" He snaps back. "It doesn't matter anymore, he hates me. They all hate me at this point, and even if they don't, they fear me!"
"Hmph, pathetic." She snorts. "All of that power… shunted. Wasted. Your father would be ashamed of you, cowering in the corner like a weakling."
He grits his teeth, moving back to the wall, sitting down. "The power that got me in this mess. I should've spoken up to them before…"
The Sorcerer scoffs. "Just let the feeling course through your veins, little Dragon, or a caged beast you'll forever remain."
Corrin snaps his head to meet her gaze… but the only person there is the other Mage… snoring. "What?" He asks, eyes darting, he scrambles closer to the bars, at least, until his shackles stop him. "Where are you?!"
The Mage startles, "Huh? What?" He looks around and meets Corrin's eyes. "Crap, this is supposed to be the easy watch. What are you doing awake?"
No… different Mage. "There was a Sorcerer here."
He blinks his eyes. Then laughs. "HA! Has this dungeon gotten to you? No Sorcerers are assigned to you."
Corrin chokes on a breath… was he just imagining her? No, she seemed so real. The taunts, the words… he quietly shuffles back to the wall and sighs. Maybe it is all in his head.
A chill enters the air, Corrin wearily opens his eyes… Cold, so cold. His blood surges and boils, his fingers twitch. Why is it so cold? He looks down at his hands, and then across the cell.
No.
Felicia is across from him. He scrambles up, the rattling of his chains echoes and…
"Milord?" Another voice, next to him. Jakob!
"Jakob? Felicia? What are…" He panics, adrenaline pumps in him.
"...They learned that we were aware of your conditions, milord. We were charged with Conspiracy for Murder." Jakob responds.
Felicia remains silent… unconscious?
"Where's Flora?"
"Being held for questioning."
Corrin pulls against his chains, trying to get a better look at… "Felicia. Felicia!" Her chest rises and falls… "Jakob…"
"She's been unconscious for a while now, milord. But, what of you?"
"...Tired. Angry…"
"Instinctive?"
"Yeah." Silence follows afterward.
Several minutes later, the door opens. "Right this way, Ice Princess."
"Father's support will fade when he hears of this." The undeniable cold tone of Flora is heard. "Your war will end before it begun."
"Ha! As if. The Barrier has already been breached." Click, clack. The cell door next to Felicia's is opened. "Get in there." Click, clack. Locked. Footsteps. "Oh look who's awake. The Prince-Killer himself!" The Guard exclaims. "Looks like your Retainers were in on this! I wonder who else you had keep quiet, hm?" He chuckles, before turning to leave.
Thunk. The main door closes.
"Flora…" Corrin breathes.
"...We were ratted on. I know not which servant, but one of them eavesdropped and reported us." Flora speaks.
"Harumph. I believed the same, Flora." Jakob agrees. "Lord Corrin told us to remain quiet on the matter, and we did."
"...I'm so sorry." Corrin speaks up.
"Don't be, milord. I'd do it all again and again without end for you." Jakob voices.
"As would I." Flora adds. "I may despise the relations between Nohr and my home… but you are worthy of my time."
Another wave of silence… Corrin gives another test pull on his chains… nothing. Of course.
There it is… hunger pangs. Flora, Felicia, and Jakob are either asleep, or just waiting silently. Corrin yanks on his chains. Instinct is clawing its way back to the surface…
"So, this is the fate you choose?" A single blink, and that Sorcerer is back. "To crawl into a ball and die? You know they'll drag them out first."
Can… they not hear her? "I… can't."
She breathes in… and exhales. Smoke comes out of her nostrils, her eyes alight with a fury. "Pathetic, whiny, undeserving brat! I should reach my hand in there right now and rip your heart out! You are no Dragon, Corrin."
"I'm… not. A Dragon. I…"
"A weakling. A Human." She snorts. "I ask again, is this the Fate you choose?"
"I…"
"Answer me!"
"No." He whispers. She clears her throat and glares. "No!"
"And what are you going to do about it? Mope? Wait for the next meal? Watch her get dragged away? Knowing she's going to lose her head?" She points at Felicia.
"I'm in confinement, Sorcerer!"
"In a prison that means nothing to your heritage, Corrin! Stop holding back. Stop worrying. Stop… being a Human. Trust in your Instincts, and they will guide you to safety." He sees it for a quarter of a second… her eyes shine a brilliant…
Gone. She's gone.
Corrin looks to the ground. No, she can't be fake she…
He grips his hands into fists. A Dragon? Him? That's… he feels the roar in his chest. His memory shoots from point to point. He can… very vaguely recall some sort of secondary armor on his arms during that spar… was it scales? He bares his teeth. Those moments of sharpened senses.
The Instinct.
The door opens, the smell of food enters… but this time, his Instinct is not satiated… and when the Guard gets to his cell? "Your foo…" The plate drops. "The M-M-Mage! Get the goddamn Mage!" He screams in terror.
The last thing Corrin remembers hearing the single most primal, deep, and terrifying roar. The last thing Corrin remembers feeling is his skin expanding and tearing in ways that caused so much pain, his mind tuned it out as a secondary mindset took control. His shackles were broken, a single swipe took the Cell Bars away…
And any notion of humanity left him.
A/N: Let's see... Hadronix's Checklist of Preferences. Draconic Heritage having a larger influence? Check. Helping of Angst? Check.
Now, let's see... Corrin is still in Nohr, and it looks like he won't even be able to... wait a minute.
The Barrier has already been dealt with? How?! And what Path will I be drawing up this time?