As much as I want to bolt out and run to Nohr, I know it would be folly. Even if the near-constant burning pain stops, the large number of guards in the near vicinity would catch me. Thirty of them within a few hundred paces. I know my senses were not ever this sharp and conclude that transforming into a dragon had something to do with it. A blessing I am thankful for, as I can filter through information to find out what is true and false, listen in to hushed conversations… know when guards switches posts and how long it takes.

Sakura does everything she can to ease my boredom, like bringing me coloring books and simple puzzles, sometimes a board game if I can handle the burning pain. If I did not have to leave so badly, I would have called it enjoyable. I kept myself clean and groomed well, my violet hair no longer messy, it actually shines!, though it was shortened to cover my ears, which were now pointed, I noted with disgust, while the hair band and butterfly pin stayed. I have a small selection of robes and dresses, but what I want to wear is my custom-made Nohrian armor. Sakura insists that the scale-like material would aggravate my wound and I have to stick with the soft silks I am provided with. I just think she does not want me walking around, parading Nohrian colors.

Right now, though, I am alone and standing in front of the body-sized mirror, observing myself in a newer cherry-red dress, I felt pretty enough as long as whatever I wore covered my body. Elise would probably approve of it, I smile at the thought of my little sister, a true ball of sunshine and happiness. Then I remember I am stuck here while my siblings scouring Nohr to find me, maybe they even crossed the border? Camilla most likely has and I shudder at the thought of whoever stood between her and her family if the encounter in the Bottomless Canyon was anything to go by. I break myself of the thoughts and focus on the mirror again. I notice if I focus on my emotions hard enough, my pupils would become narrow. I can also hear faint roaring and an… urge, however unlike somehow knowing what honesty and sorrow smells like, I have no idea what that urge was.

"Um, Yasei?" A new voice, I immediately associate the voice with ocean waves for some reason. I turn to see a light-blue haired woman in a slightly revealing dress at the door, golden eyes looking me over. She smiled, "Hello."

I return the smile, "Thank you for using my actual name…" Why were these Hoshidans calling me 'Corrin'? "Who are you?"

She tilts her head, "Azura, don't you remember me? You heard me singing by the lake in the royal garden here."

"No. Why are you here?" I feel defensive suddenly.

"I'll admit, I felt a strange power in this castle… and it's coming from you." 'Curiosity.' "How are you feeling?"

"As long as I'm not doing much, fine. But this burning pain is…" I move a section of the dress to show off my wound, nearly throwing decency out the window. "I hate it."

"I see…" I let the dress fall to its previous position. "Do you remember what happened a few days ago?"

This stuff again, "Apparently I shifted into a dragon after my 'mother' died," I almost scoff at the idea of associating these Hoshidans as my family, "and I was struck by one of those blades."

"That's right, I helped calm you down so you could transform back into a human," She moved the dress away from her neck-line, where a very visible bruise was shown, did I do that? "And it seems the trauma from her death and stress from the transformation wiped your recent memory from you." She pauses, "tell me, what do you think of… this stone?" She procures a rock from her dress.

Azura holds it out and I grab it, "Soothing?" It feels right. "What is it enchanted with?"

"It isn't." I let out a small 'huh'. "It's a Dragonstone. I requested to have one purchased. If you were to go under deep stress again, I might not be able to bring you back to human, so you'll need that Dragonstone to safely shift between forms." She pauses, "I… um, attuned it to you while you slept. Sorry if that was invasive."

"So, it's mine?" She nods, "Well, thank you, Azura." The blue-haired woman smiles. I look over my body, not that I have a place to put it. Fortunately, the woman seems to be one step ahead of me and hands me a golden thick-chain necklace with an empty pendant, just large enough for the Dragonstone. "Oh, um, thanks again." I place the Dragonstone in the empty slot and equip the necklace. The soothing blue contrasted the fiery red of my dress, but I don't really care for that. As long as my body is hidden from sight. 'Lithe, small.'

"You're welcome." A moment passes in silence, "I should get going, the high priestess told me not to spend too long bothering you."

"You weren't… bothering me, I mean. I don't mind your presence." Well, that came out weird. "I mean, um…"

She laughs, melodious and calming, "It's alright, I understand what you are trying to say. Maybe we'll speak again soon?"

"I would like that." The woman leaves the room, leaving me alone once more. 'Why am I so comfortable with her?' I suppose it does not really matter, at least someone is truly nice to me… and not pushing family lies down my way. Oh sure, they have the scent of honesty on them whenever they try to talk that route, but I am convinced they have told that lie to themselves for so long that even they truly believe it. "Elise, Camilla, Leo, and Xander…" I mumble, "Please hurry and get me out of here… I want to go home…" Suddenly the dress feels constrictive, and I practically tear it off, leaving my body bare once more, that scar still pulsed… still burned.

The room seems more confining and I glance over to make sure no one is looking. 'Wives don't swing swords.' I look at my toned arms and my hands show the wear of gripping a sword. My chest is virtually flat, wait… some of my skin near that scar is dry and scabby. Hold on, dry skin does not turn light blue, Out of curiosity I poke it… several minutes pass before I realize what exactly it is…

'I have scales!' A shriek follows and the floor comes up to greet me…

"Sister?" I open my eyes to see a very concerned Sakura above me. "Gods, you're okay, when we heard you scream…"

I look around, I am back in the bed with a blanket over me. "I screamed?" I look under the blanket and remembered. "Of course I screamed! I have SCALES!"

"...I didn't notice?" I shamelessly rip the blanket off and point at the offending area. "Th-that wasn't there before." Her face flushes and I realize that I just revealed my bare body to show her… Gods, my mind is far behind. The blanket is placed back over me and I sigh. "Would y-you like me to get you a-anything?"

"Some more privacy so I can check to see if there is anything weird growing on me." The statement has more bite than I anticipate. 'And maybe a carriage back to Nohr, so I can show everyone how much their sister has turned into a freak!'

"R-right. I'll uh, see you l-later?" She scurries off, I probably scare her.

I get back up off the bed and walk towards the mirror again. I did a full look over, thankfully all I have is that patch of light-blue scales. 'How much more is my body going to change?' My ears are now pointed, my senses are sharper, my pupils can narrow to slits, and now I am growing scales instead of skin. Some changes are nice while others are almost terrifying.

I feel smaller with that scar on me, more self-conscious, I am no longer worrying as much about my lack of development in my breasts or rear, or how I barely look the model of what a grown woman should look like, it is that scar and my scales that sticks out more than anything. I want to turn invisible or something, anything to hide me from the world… no, not anything, the discarded dress proves that, I want familiarity, safety, the things that only my armor can provide me with.

I walk back to my small bed, which replaces the cheap cot that was there. Royalty or no, blood is always difficult to remove so they wait until the wound is closed before placing me on anything expensive. The mattress is undeniably soft, as is the pillow, the blanket has a bit of weight to it and never makes me too hot. It is probably the best thing about this place, maybe even better than my bed back at the castle. Perhaps a nap was in order…

I awoke a few hours later to another wave of healing energies, I open my eyes and see the high priestess. "Stand up slowly." The woman does not waste any time and I comply. The high priestess sighs and hands me the same red dress I had thrown on the floor. She does not blush or seem embarrassed, just irritated. Understandable, infections and blood could not grasp the concept of decency.

I pull the dress back over me, feeling as if the fabric threatens to take me over again. The pain is almost non-existent and the lack of any gasps or grimaces proves it. "Impressive." She turns around and I follow her line of sight, "High Prince Ryoma, she is fit to walk, keep her away from anything intense, physical or mental, and she'll be fine to stay up." She bows.

"Thank you, high priestess." His cheeks seems to be recovering from a flush.

"My honor… Oh, and give Lady Sakura my highest praises when you see her, she performed wonderfully." She leaves the room.

The man awkwardly stands there for a moment, shifting from one foot to the other, contemplating on what exactly to say. "Would you like to… walk around?"

"Um, sure." We leave the room and I some of the first things I notice are exquisitely decorated walls, carpeted floors, large ornaments dangling from overhead, and a steady stream of sunshine from outside. It is all so… bright, a stark contrast to the Nohrian tower that I had grown up in. A pang of jealousy shoots in me, it isn't fair! How come this castle has all the bright and healthy things while Nohr was seemingly stuck in the dark?

Ryoma leads me through the hallways and into a large room with a huge table in the center, where Hinoka and Sakura are sitting side-by-side, eating and chatting. "I, uh, hope you're hungry."

"I am." I consider taking a seat away from the other two girls but… I do not want to seem disrespectful, they are still royalty after all, I awkwardly scoot over to an open seat on Sakura's side and take it, before sliding away a few inches. Two smiling faces greet me.

"B-big Sister! You've r-recovered quicker than w-we thought!" She is bursting with happiness, nearly dropping her fork in the process. It is kind of cute, actually, something I can imagine Elise doing.

Hinoka nods, "It's good to see you up and about, Sis." She is trying to mask her emotions, but I can smell the pure relief off of her.

"Lady Corrin…" A maid seems to appear out of nowhere, how did I not notice? "Would you like something to eat? A bowl of fresh fruit, perhaps?" I glance over and se that was exactly the other two had, and I nod. "I'll return shortly."

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asks after she takes a nibble off of a strawberry. The smell coming from the fruit is aromatic and I have to gulp to prevent drool from coming out.

"The burning pain is gone." I will myself calm, still not much I can do to get out of here. Patience. "Azura visited me." The maid wordlessly places a bowl of fruit in front of me alongside a fork. Strawberries, cherries, and a host of other fruits, some I don't know the names to, all in equal proportions. I pick a strawberry with my fork and take a bite. It certainly beats even the best meal Jakob has ever made me.

"Azura's so nice when you get to know her." Sakura smiles, "I just wish she spent at least a little more time with us."

"Did she give you that necklace? It's pretty." Hinoka adds then a beat later, "I think red would suit you better."

"Yes, she did." I decide not to mention what the stone is, but they probably already know. "Is Ryoma going to join us?"

"Unfortunately not, his duties as High Prince keeps him quite busy." She tosses a cherry in her mouth.

"I understand, Xander's the same way." I stare down a small yellow fruit before biting into it. It is sweet and tangy. An uncomfortable silence follows, and I realize that bringing up Nohrian royalty is probably not the best move.

I hear another person enter the room and he has a smell of disgust about him. Hinoka speaks up, "Hey, Takumi! Come to join us?" She pats the open space next to her.

"Busy." I don't need to look to know that he is glaring holes into me. I growl and Sakura jumps in her seat. "It would be wise to keep on training, word is Nohrian scum are looking to invade Hoshido… I wonder why…" He does not bother stopping and is out of the room as soon as he entered it.

It takes a tremendous amount of willpower to keep me from tearing straight to him and my Dragonstone glows in response to my anger. How dare he talks about my family in such a way. 'Blood, tear . ' The fork snaps in my hand and the pronged end lands in the bowl. "B-big S-sister? Um…" Sakura backs up in her seat. Another growl escapes my mouth. She gasps, "Eep! C-Corrin?" The growling stops and I notice the broken utensil.

Even Hinoka is re-adjusting herself in an attempt to hide her nervousness, then I take a breath and calm down, I know my pupils have narrowed. My senses seem to become even more refined in that moment. "I don't like him." I say more to myself than the other two. I pick the pieces of the fork and set them aside before downing a whole strawberry. The maid swoops in and replaces my fork with a new one.

"Hey, sister." Hinoka starts, "Would you like to walk around the cherry blossom garden later?"

"Sure…" I feel uncertain.

We resume eating our fruit for several more minutes in silence. "Lady Hinoka!" A servant enters the room and bows, "Lord Ryoma requests your presence in the war room."

She looks over her two sisters before getting up, "I'm on my way." She pushes her left over fruit to Sakura, "Here, best not let it go to waste… oh wait." She quickly reaches and pulls out what seems like the last cherry and pops it in her mouth. Sakura giggles. "See you both later."

Once they are out of normal-hearing, I hear the servant say, "He also wanted me to tell you that they are less than a week's march away." My breath catches in my throat. 'So close . '

"B-big sister… would you like to walk around the royal garden w-with me?"

I still dislike being called that, but I will put up with it if it means I will be with my family in a week's time. "You have a cherry blossom garden and a royal garden?" The youngest Hoshidan princess nods, "Um, well… sure."

Sakura combines her and Hinoka's bowls of fruit and picks it up, then guides me, while I carry my own bowl, through a few hallways before leading me outside to where a large amount of colorful flowers awaited. "How are you feeling?"

Should I lie? Get her to feel like I want to stay? The thought is tempting, but I am not a good liar, "Fine, if it wasn't for that guy glaring at me." I do not bother to mention his name.

"Oh, Takumi…" She fiddles with her dress a bit, "He's rough for everyone new to him."

I observe several flowers and bite back a rude remark. 'Slash, bleed.' My mind pictures him on the ground, bleeding out. It is unnervingly satisfying. "So… we're family?" The thought bothers me.

"Yes!" She smiles, "I do wish you could remember most of the last few days," Once again her nervousness vanishes, "Hinoka and I took you across the nearby woods, lake, around the market… Oh!" she pauses, "There was this stand that sold chunks of potatoes with all these spices and herbs and it tasted really good, so you got some more and shared some with us..." All honesty and she has a huge grin on her face, "You truly don't remember?"

"No." I don't think I want to, either. Silence reigns again while we walk around the garden and it isn't until we near the exit that I speak again, "Mother was killed?"

A sore subject, surely, especially given the way Sakura stiffens, "She s-sacrificed herself to prevent you from getting k-killed…" Tears began forming in the princess's eyes. "T-then you screamed… which turned into roaring, and you transformed into a d-dragon. Gods bless Azura for helping you return to normal."

I walk closer to the younger girl and wipe some of the tears off of her cheeks, which causes her to hug me and cry into my dress, she keeps repeating my name and how much she misses me. Gods, now even I feel bad about it. "Shh…" I attempt to soothe her… Camilla would know exactly what to say. I can't count the amount of times she comes and listens to my problems before giving her advice or even just simply singing me to sleep.

The high priestess looks me over before letting me go to sleep, "You are recovering much faster than expected, as long as you keep away from anything stressful, you should have a near full-recovery in a few days." She pauses, "Unfortunately, due to the nature of Wyrmslayers, or if you were a Beast Killer were you an animal, you'll still experience pain shifting and may have trouble maintaining that form."

I raise an eyebrow, "You know quite a bit about this, did you treat other people like me?"

She shakes her head, "My knowledge on this is limited to books related to this, and sadly, a lot of the information is old, dated, and doesn't actually line-up with someone like you. I just took the information I thought was vital and left the rest alone."

I smile, "Well, I'd say you did well."

"Thank you, Lady Corrin. Now, I must be off…" She bows and leaves the room.

I close the door to my room, as I found out earlier from Sakura, before throwing the dress I was wearing off, it still felt constrictive. I don't want the dress on but I don't want to be naked. 'What man would want a body like mine?' I walk over to the mirror and look myself over, 'lithe, too muscular', the scar no longer pulses and when I brush my fingers over it, it does not hurt, it is just sensitive and a little ticklish. "A few more days and I'll be fine…" I tell myself, "And less than a week and I'll be home." I have plans to make.