This idea has been in my head for a long time. I adore Shiro/Siegbert, but I don't see that much content for them. So we gotta be the change we want to see in the world, right? Right.
This story happens around 4 years after the events of Conquest. The war has left the relationship between Nohr and Hoshido frail and tense, but cooperative. Both kingdoms are trying to recover from the war, but Hoshido is in worse shape because it was the nation that got invaded and lost. I could've chosen to set it post-Revelation, but where would the fun be in that?
Shiro's 19 years old in this story and Siegbert is 21, due to deeprealm shenanigans.
Hope you enjoy!
Shiro entered the throne room in slow, unsure steps, trying his best to not show his nervousness as he approached Queen Hinoka, who stood in front of the ornamented, golden throne. Normally, he wouldn't be this nervous, it wasn't the first time his aunt summoned him to the throne room and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but usually when she did it, the throne room was filled with other people from the Hoshidan court.
He felt so little, so insignificant standing there in that empty, vast room. What could be so important that she had to speak with him in private? Was he in trouble? What did he do this time?
"Shiro," Queen Hinoka said.
"Auntie," he replied.
"At ease, my nephew, I didn't call you to reprimand you."
"Well, that's great and all, but that still doesn't make me feel better," Shiro said. "So what's up with you wanting to talk to me in private?"
Despite what he just said, Hinoka noticed her nephew assume a more relaxed, casual position, one that she had to tell him again and again to refrain from showing it when in public. She would give him credit for trying to look serious this time.
Shiro tensed up as he saw the queen walk towards him. She had that expression on her face, her lips hard pressed against each other and furrowed brows, that indicated she had something to say that would inevitably upset Shiro. Did she schedule even more classes into his busy schedule? Was he going to cut training time to attend these lessons? Did someone die?
"Shiro, I called you here today to inform you that we are going to visit the Nohrian royal family," she said.
Shiro blinked.
"You mean you, right?"
"No, we."
He did not understand that wrong.
"Auntie, what the hell?!"
His first reaction was to wish the news were that someone died. Then he retracted that thought, because it was an awful thing to wish for. Still, he couldn't believe that she wanted him to go to Nohr right at that moment. He had so much to do, the last thing he wanted was to stop everything to visit that vile place.
"Shiro, watch you language," Hinoka reprimanded.
"Okay, look, I understand that you need to go, you're queen of Hoshido and all of that, but why me?" he asked. "I've yet to ascend the throne! Surely you can spare me from visiting the Nohrian royal family for a bit longer?"
"It's exactly because you're about to ascend the throne that I want you to come with me," she said. "Shiro, you are Hoshido's crown prince. In two years, you are going to become its king! It is about time you started developing your diplomacy skills with our biggest ally and get them to know you better."
"Biggest ally," he said, bitterness dripping in his voice. "Former invaders, you mean."
Hinoka bit her lip and, for a moment, Shiro thought that she would say something that agreed with his sentiment. Instead, she regained her composure and said: "Former invaders or not, right now our alliance with them is beneficial to us. One of the reasons why we are going it's to discuss trading routes between our nations."
"You can't seriously believe this!" Shiro exclaimed. "Auntie, the Nohrians are parasites!"
"Watch your tongue, Shiro," she warned him. "Control your temper."
"It's just us here, isn't it? Let me be angry!"
Hinoka knew that Shiro wouldn't take the news well and they both knew that she asked for them to be left alone exactly because of this kind of reaction. Shiro had this unfortunate habit of wearing his emotions on his sleeve and, while he had been trying to get better at it, still had a long way to go until he fixed that.
"I understand your frustration, I truly do," Hinoka said. "However, regardless of your feelings towards the Nohrian royal family, they are still our allies and it is important that we remain on friendly terms with them."
"But should we? After they've declared war on us and invaded our land, should we really remain friendly with them?" he asked, in a faint hope to make her change her mind.
"Shiro..."
"Oh, sure, when the war was over and they won, they didn't take any of our lands for themselves. But do you really think we should be grateful for them doing the bare minimum and not stealing from us after all the pain they've caused?"
"Yes, yes I do."
"But..."
"I do not ask you to be grateful to the Nohrians for not taking any of our lands," she said. "I ask you to be grateful that our situation is not worse. Hoshido is recovering from its wounds, the last thing we need is to make the ones responsible for them angry."
Shiro became quiet, a deep frown on his face. He wanted to argue more, but he knew his aunt well enough to realize that it would be useless to try to convince her otherwise at that point. Her expression softened a little and she crossed her arms, an indication that their conversation was reaching its end.
"We depart in three days. I hope you take this time to educate yourself on our trip."
Shiro had no desire to learn about the Nohrian royal family, even if he had to meet them by obligation. However, he was painfully aware that as much as he loathed them, he did not want to come off as an ignorant prince once he was forced to meet them. He already had that told to him enough from his family and his instructors. The young prince let out a tired sigh and shook his head. He would do his research eventually.
With that decided, he first would do his weekly training session with Caeldori, the daughter of Subaki, one of the kingdom's finest pegasus knights. It was one of the few things he looked forward too during the week, as Caeldori was a very good friend of his who could actually keep up with him and make training more interesting.
As he crossed the lush and green courtyard of Shirasagi Castle, Shiro couldn't help but enjoy as much of the warm sunlight as he could, as his mind reminded him that soon enough, the sunlight would not shine down on him for a good long time. His state of mind was already processing the anticipated mourning over trading the warm sunlight and the beautiful gardens for the dark, suffocating halls of Castle Krakenburg.
He sort of understood why his aunt kept friendly relations with King Xander of Nohr. A little bit. It was as she had said, their country was recovering from a war and the last thing they wanted was to make their former aggressors upset. However, he thought that she was putting way too much effort into that relationship.
What a pain. Once he became king, he would make sure to find a way to cut ties with Nohr for good.
Shiro reached the vacant training grounds, where Caeldori patiently awaited him, carrying a wooden naginata on each hand and with a strange smile on her face. He was surprised to see Asugi there as well, as he knew his retainer loathed training and only did the bare minimum when it came to exercising.
"Hey, Caeldori!" he greeted. "And… hey, Asugi. What are you doing here?"
"You sure know how to greet me, Shiro."
"Can you blame me for being surprised? When have I ever seen you here in the training grounds before?"
Asugi rolled his eyes and the lollipop in his mouth. Shiro was not wrong, but he did not need to point it out. Caeldori also was rather curious about why Asugi was there and has the feeling that he was about to say the real reason he decided to meet them there. She handed the naginata to Shiro and they headed towards the arena at the center of the training grounds.
As they got into their starting positions, Asugi decided to ask:
"So, Shiro, when are you going to tell us that you're going to Nohr?"
Caeldori, in her moment of surprise, lost her perfect composure and dropped her weapon, which made Asugi smirk and Shiro groan. He turned to his retainer, who just watched the scene unfold with his back slumped against the wall.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
"So it is true?" Caeldori asked. "You are going to Nohr?"
"Not only that, but the reason our dear Shiro will go to Nohr is so that he can visit the royal family," Asugi said.
"You're going to visit the Nohrian royal family?!" she exclaimed, incredulous. "Why didn't you tell us sooner, Shiro? This is big news!"
"I was told about this today, a little before coming here," he said. "How do you know about it, Asugi?"
"I have my way of getting info."
They both stared at him suspiciously. Asugi twisted the lollipop in his mouth.
"Okay, fine, Setsuna told me that you were going and that I needed to accompany you on your travels," he admitted. "Retainer duties and all of that."
"She didn't waste any time, uh..."
Shiro wanted to end that conversation and start training. He did not want to think about the people he would be forced to meet in a few weeks. He was already forced to think about one too many things that gave him a headache with his lessons and responsibilities as crown prince. He wanted to at least give his mind a rest and focus on one of the few things he enjoyed.
Unfortunately, Caeldori would not allow him. She was curious and wanted to know the details of his trip, which was hard for Shiro to say no to. If there was one thing he enjoyed more than training, it was making her happy.
"My aunt said that one of the reasons we are going is to discuss trading routes," he explained. "But I think the main reason why we are going is to introduce me to King Xander."
"Makes sense, you have never met him before, right?"
"And if I could, I would keep it that way."
"Shiro..."
"I know, I know..." Shiro sighed. "That would not be a good idea, Hoshido can't isolate itself like it used to if we hope to recover in any way. But still..."
Asugi listened to him in an uncomfortable silence and Caeldori fidgeted her fingers, her eyes trying to focus on him, but every now and then she would stare at the ground. They knew Shiro's desire to avoid that trip had very little to do with what he thought was right for Hoshido. His main reason was because there was no person in the world that he loathed more than King Xander of Nohr, eldest son of the former King Garon, the monster that invaded his country and was aided by his heartless children. His hatred for the man was so intense that it extended to anyone associated with him, though to a lesser extend.
None of them could blame him for his feelings. If Asugi and Caeldori were allowed a moment of sincerity, they too did not see the Nohrians as friends. Political allies? Sure, anything to make them not knock on their door and invade them again while their army was recovering. But friends? Their people's scars were still healing from the war four years ago for any of them to begin considering forgiveness.
"Oh, cheer up you two!" Caeldori said. "At least you will get to leave this stuffy palace and experience different things. See… different people."
"Exciting stuff," Asugi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"You know, Asugi, I've hear that Nohrian desserts tend to have a flavor three times stronger than an average Hoshidan sweet."
"If you think you're going to make me feel more optimistic with promises of stronger sweets, know that you are absolutely correct."
"Good to know at least one of us is going to get something out of this trip," Shiro said. "Got anything good for me Caeldori?"
"Hmm… well, you might find a sparring partner there that might give you a unique perspective on a different combat style," she said, ever so eloquently.
"Speaking of sparring partner," he said, showing the wooden naginata. "I'd like if my current one would pick up her weapon train with me."
"Oh, sure! Sorry that it took so long."
They both got into their starting position and pointed their naginatas at each other. They exchanged blows at a casual and slow pace at first, both of them still warming up so they could start sparring for real. However, as soon as Shiro was starting to feel the flow of their training, Caeldori stopped abruptly and gave him an uncharacteristically shy smile. That peaked his curiosity, enough for him to not feel immediate annoyance that she was stalling their training session.
"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you, Shiro."
"Okay?"
"Well, this is a little bit embarrassing, but..."
"Caeldori, just tell me what you want," he said. "You know that I can't say no to you."
"Since you are going to Nohr and you are going to meet the royal family..." she said. "There is a chance you might become acquainted with Prince Siegbert."
"Who?"
"King Xander's son," Asugi said. "You know? Crown prince of Nohr?"
"Don't tell me you don't know who Prince Siegbert is!"
"I mean, I know he has a son," Shiro said. "But I guess his name slipped my mind."
"And then you wonder why your aunt is so harsh on you! How do you forget the name of Nohr's crown prince?!" he exclaimed.
"For once I will have to agree with Asugi," Caeldori said. "Shiro, this is extremely negligent. Have you been paying attention to your lessons?"
"I have! I just forgot the guy's name, leave me alone!"
Shiro could feel his face grow warm from embarrassment and anger at their friends ruthless judgment. How about they try to deal with the pressure of becoming king in two years to see if they would know everything? Had it been just Asugi, he would confront him and make him shut up, but with Caeldori there...
"You still haven't told me what you want with this Siegbert person, Caeldori," Shiro said, instead.
"Siegbert person..." Caeldori sighed in slight annoyance. "Anyway, I was hoping you could tell me what he's like."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, that's it?" Asugi asked, equally as confused.
"What, aren't you both curious?" Caledori asked. "From what I've heard, Prince Siegbert is said to be very mysterious and reserved."
"So you already know what he is like," Shiro said.
"I'm being serious, Shiro," she said. "I'm genuinely curious about what kind of prince he is. From what little I've heard, he seems to resemble his father quite a lot in looks, but..."
"I'm already not interested in getting to know someone who resembles my father's murderer," he groaned.
Shiro expected to be reprimanded once again for that answer. He half expected Asugi to tell him to suck it up and that he couldn't say things like that as crown prince. He half expected Caeldori to tell him that he was being immature and that to be a good king, one would have to leave his feelings aside. Yet, none of those things happened. All he saw was his friends look at him with an empathetic understanding and in somber silence.
King Xander of Nohr… when King Garon and his family invaded Hoshido, his father, the then crown prince of Hoshido, Ryoma, was tasked with defending Castle Shirasagi from being taken over. He was their last line of defense, Hoshido's last stand against her cruel invaders. With his legendary katana, Raijinto, Ryoma challenged his long lost sister, Corrin and Prince Xander to a duel.
He could still remember the day where his aunt had arrived at his deeprealms, eyes as red as her hair from trying to hold back her tears as she announced to Shiro that his father died in combat and that Shiro was to be the next king once he became of age. His mother, Kagero, had also been slain while protecting his father from being interrupted in his duel, as she knew Nohrians had no sense of honor.
On that fateful day when his aunt came to visit him in his comfortable, detached bubble of a realm where he grew up in, reality crashed hard on him. Shiro, who had grown up oblivious to his own status as a prince, suddenly found himself without his parents and with the weight of a tattered nation on his shoulders. It was on that day that he learned about the violent war that his parents were trying to shield him from by hiding him in the deeprealms and what their role in that war was.
Shiro never fought in the war, he never got to see the suffering of his people firsthand, only the remains of the aftermath. One moment he was training with his naginata in order to beat his father in combat and maybe become a mercenary in the future. On another moment, he was crown prince of Hoshido and having to deal with a hectic life in the court that he was unfamiliar with, with not even his parents there to help guide him.
The young prince could never forgive them. He would not allow himself to forgive them.
Caeldori, realizing how much of those troubled memories she helped bring back with that conversation, quickly apologized for making such a thoughtless request. Shiro just shook his head and said:
"It's okay, Dori, really."
"Um… look, Shiro, I understand if you don't want to talk to Prince Siegbert, I certainly cannot fault you for your… feelings, but..."
"But?"
"In the end, he was not born guilty of his father's crimes," she said. "He might prove to be… decent."
Not born guilty of his father's crime. Shiro thought about that phrase, but couldn't help but doubt that King Xander's son could prove to not be rotten.
"Caeldori, you're way too kind," Asugi said, now having finished his lollipop. "And also very naive."
"Hey!"
"It's true that Prince Siegbert did not commit the same crimes as his father, but he was still raised by him. The fruit doesn't fall that far from the tree… or something like that."
"Exactly," Shiro nodded.
"Anyway, Shiro, since we can't avoid going on this trip, you'll need to control that mouth of yours to not say anything that might make them angry," he said. "You know how it is with that place, one wrong step and you'll have a bounty on your head."
"Yeah, yeah… I get it."
To their surprise, Shiro decided to put away his wooden naginata and head towards the entrance of the training grounds.
"Shiro, are you alright?"
"Sorry, Caeldori, I guess I'm not in the best head space to practice," he said. "I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"
So much for distracting his thoughts from the upcoming trip. Shiro now felt worse than before. Why was Caeldori so interested in some prince that she probably would never meet? Because he was reserved and mysterious? To Shiro, that could only mean he was probably just a very cold person. He would love to just ignore her request and avoid him at all costs.
However, he knew he couldn't say no to her. He would not go out of his way to talk to Prince Siegbert, but should by some unfortunate miracle Siegbert approach him, he would not give him the cold shoulder. That should be enough for him to not feel guilty for not wanting to do a favor so simple to his friend.
Shiro did not think it to be possible, but he now looked even less forward to that cursed trip. His only hope was that it would end soon.
