AUTHOR'S NOTES: There's a little more Camilla stuff before the actual ceremony, but unless I decide to add a whole chunk of new material in all of a sudden, I'm pretty sure that all of that will be next chapter. That said, it's also worth pointing out one thing regarding pairings. Ryoma/Camilla (as well as Oboro/Camilla, lol) is not set in stone just yet. I'm kind of leaning towards it, but there are no guarantees. As of right now I have only one pairing confirmed, and it involves Azura (and does not involve Corrin).
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 32: A Princess' Elegance

Sing with me a song of Prowess and Charm…

With only a few hours until the announcement and parting ceremony for Kamui (and by extension, Camilla), Camilla knew how she wanted to spend it. It was time to find Ryoma and let him know exactly how she felt. She found the High Prince right where she wanted him: alone and unoccupied.

"Prince Ryoma," she spoke up, her newly acquired sword at her side, "A word, if you will."

Ryoma turned to face her, and noticed her blade. At once it clicked as to her intentions.

"I've been waiting for this," he responded, drawing out the Raijinto as it crackled with electric energy. "Let us see if your newly obtained weapon can save you against the one that has been at my side for many years since my father's death."

"Oooh… so we're breaking out the real weapons then," Camilla looked excited.

"I will have Sakura on standby," Ryoma replied, "and I trust that you are not causing any trouble." Even barring Mikoto's barrier, Camilla knew there was no way she could kill Ryoma even if she wanted to. Fortunately for both of them, she had no such desire anyways.

"Allow me a few moments for preparations," Ryoma requested, "you may do the same, and then meet me at the sparring grounds."

"I eagerly await your challenge," Camilla licked her lips, shamelessly gazing at Ryoma as they parted ways. Had Kamui been there, she would have said something.

Takumi was the first one to run into Ryoma between him meeting Camilla and him heading down to meet her for their fight. Naturally, he did not like the sound of it.

"I suspect a trap," he warned, "we've let a Nohrian Princess waltz right into our castle, and she might be planning on taking you out."

"I wouldn't think so," Ryoma assured him, "Kamui has expressed genuine interest in keeping us united as one big family. For Princess Camilla to attempt to take my life, she must know that retribution from Hoshido would come crashing down on her just as swiftly, and that odds of fleeing Shirasagi alive are near zero."

"That's…" Takumi growled, realizing Ryoma had a point, "fine, that's a fair point. You know why I'm suspicious though. I… I would really hate to lose you."

"Your suspicions have some foundations, brother," Ryoma assured him, "but trust is one of the only ways this cooperation effort will succeed, and we should lead by example rather than hoping that Nohr trusts us before we trust them."

Hinoka was curious to see how well Camilla fought, and she was joined by Corrin, Roku, Zenzi, Kagero, Saizo, Kaze, and Oboro, to name a few. Even Kamui followed the noise and met up with Sakura as the two stepped out to watch the fight. Sakura had her healing rods at the ready for emergencies or for after the fight, while Kamui watched her sister closely to see how well she could hold her own against Ryoma. While she had come to a draw against the Hoshidan prince (through great effort), she wanted to see how well Camilla and Ryoma fought.

Camilla seemed to have little trouble adapting to Alondite. The blade's massive, two-handed size gave it a weight that helped Camilla use heavy but fast swings similar to the axes she was more accustomed to. She was pleased when she learned that it should launch shockwaves similar to how Xander's Siegfried could shoot bolts of dark energy, but she was pretty sure that this spar was going to be steel against steel rather than magical shots from a distance (although she would not mind either style, or a mixture of both).

Ryoma was unsurprisingly fast, but so was Camilla, and her heavy swings were backed with strength and speed. She was less evasive than Ryoma, but she hit harder and defended better; thus it kept the two of them on their toes as they clashed. Suddenly it became clear why the two required so much spade. Ryoma launched himself backwards before swinging his katana and calling a blast of lightning to strike right where Camilla was standing. She evaded it with a remarkably swift and graceful backflip before bombarding Ryoma with shockwaves from her own sword in retaliation. Ryoma raced in to eliminate the distance between them before pulling a feint and attacking her with the lightning again. This forced Camilla to escape with a combination of backflips and handstands, but not before blood was drawn. She put her hand to her cheek and it came back red. Smirking and licking her lips, she smeared the blood across her face and eyes before racing in with a wild fury that would have killed Ryoma without a shadow of a doubt, had he been less competent. Sparks flew from the two blades as they collided, but neither one was able to gain an upper hand above the other. Eventually, Camilla called a truce.

"I'd say it was a draw," she wheezed, her face red from the activity (rather than the blood). "You are as talented as I had expected you to be, Prince Ryoma. Thank you for the wonderful performance… I may have to ask of it again someday."

"You are formidable, Princess Camilla," Ryoma wiped sweat off his brow, "Truly a respectable rival. Thank you as well." The two of them shook hands, before Ryoma clarified that he needed to get cleaned up for the festival and announcement that would come in a few hours, and suggested Camilla do the same.

"Don't tell me you went easy on him just because he's easy on your eyes," Kamui pulled Camilla aside on their way back to the castle.

"Darling, would I ever do something like that?" Camilla argued,

"Yes." Kamui replied so swiftly that Camilla was nearly taken by surprise.

"Well, it wasn't this time," she giggled, "I have an ego and a reputation that I didn't want shattered here in Hoshido, so I did what I could. He is a formidable man, Kamui."

"Understood," Kamui nodded, "but hey, you're bleeding a little. Usually you're telling me to get cleaned up when that happens, so I'm turning the tables on you!"

"Right you are, my dear," she kissed the crown of Kamui's head. "Right you are."

Camilla returned to the castle and found that Oboro was waiting for her.

"I hope I did not cause you further offense for my spar against your High Prince," Camilla reasoned, "It was an entirely friendly gesture; of that you have my word."

"No… it's not that." Oboro shook her head. "If it was, my left eye would be twitching and I wouldn't be smiling."

"That's your smile?"

"Well, okay; I'd be glaring at you with my demon-face. The smiling bit comes later.

"So what can I do for you, darling?"

"So I take it you're attending Lady Mikoto's announcement this afternoon, yeah?"

"Of course; my darling Kamui will be there. Thus, it is my sworn duty as the best big sister ever, to accompany her at her side."

"So… let me just ask you something real fast," Oboro paused for a second, "...you weren't just leading me on with that talk about fashion yesterday, were you?"

"I'd be a terrible woman if I did such a thing!" Camilla exclaimed, "No, when I said you could outfit me however you liked, I meant it."

"Well… let's get you cleaned up then," Oboro suggested, "I want to try something, and I think you'll be the perfect subject for it."

Camilla's figure was one thing, but also there was something about a Nohrian's build and facial structure that differed from the usual Hoshidan clientele Oboro dealt with. While she was still on the fence about Nohrians in general, when she had a breakthrough of this level, even that prejudice often yielded to her desire to make it a reality.

Oboro pulled out all the stops as she worked on Camilla's outfit. She had already tailored something in advance, but had to have Camilla try it on so she could make a few final adjustments. Naturally, as she worked, Camilla decided to engage in a little friendly conversation to keep the mood light.

"So what swayed you to want to design an outfit for li'l ol' me?" she cooed. "I don't imagine your views on Nohrians changed overnight, did they?"

"No…" Oboro's left eye briefly twitched, "And it's not like I'm trying to butter you up as a Hoshidan to take my mind off of it either. It's just… there's something about you… I think it's your posture and your hair, that made me really want to design something for you…"

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

"You'd think I was stupid; or that I was hypocritical if I told you…"

"I cannot guarantee that I won't, but that's simply because I can hardly guarantee something that I have no idea about. I don't see you as a stupid woman though, Oboro. Methinks that you're being harder on yourself than you need to be."

"Well…" Oboro paused as she was adjusting one of the sleeves of Camilla's robe, "As much as I hate Nohr… There's a part of me that wants to make peace with them someday too… and since one of my dreams is to revive my parents' old business… there's part of me that wants to branch into Nohr too. I told you it was stupid."

"Hardly," Camilla chuckled, "if anything, that's spoken like a true businesswoman. I can see how in ignorance someone could view that aspiration as hypocrisy, but I think you're being genuine when you say you want to try and reconcile with Nohr."

"I am," Oboro gritted her teeth, looking bothered by something, "And… as much as my pride hates to say it, you're kind of doing well on the whole 'reminding me not everyone from Nohr is a heartless monster' front."

"As long as my darling family is safe, I am no monster," Camilla chortled. "I'm not one to stab friends in the back either…"

"Good, cuz I'd have to kill you if you tried." Oboro joked, "now, let's take a look at you…" she stepped back to admire the flowing dresslike kimono she had outfitted the Nohrian princess in. It was a departure from the reds, whites, and other bright colors she usually reserved for Hoshidans, but the black and lavender hues with golden embellishments really stood out on Camilla, and matched wonderfully with her hair. When Camilla saw herself in the mirror, she actually gasped before nodding in approval.

"I tend to be right when I make assumptions about people," she began, "and I was right about you. You, my friend, have impeccable taste. I am going to keep this."

Oboro's face turned sour for a moment, and she bit her tongue to keep from mouthing off against a royal—even if it was a foreign one.

"Now, now," she chuckled, "I'm not going to just take it off your hands for nothing. No… I want your business to succeed, Oboro. I obviously am not carrying all the gold on me right now, but expect a delivery within a few days of my return to Nohr. On that I swear my honor."

"I… am glad you like it." Oboro scratched her head as she glanced from side to side. "I… got a little ahead of myself again."

"No worries, darling." Camilla cooed, "I'm a woman of my word, and so you will not be disappointed. That much I can promise you immediately."

"Right… right." Oboro nodded, clearing her mind, "Thanks."

"Any time, dear…" Camilla smiled, although before the two of them could continue much more of their exchange, they heard the announcement: Mikoto's ceremony was about to begin.