Corrin froze on the spot, the woman who looked like him didn't even hesitate to draw her sword. "Keep your distance, Hoshidan." Her eyes seem dead, like there's nothing in her. "Return to your people."
"Are you the army that man spoke of?" He stood his ground, neither advancing nor retreating. "My name is Corrin, might I ask yours?" He kept his tone friendly.
"We can hold on our own." His kindness is met with venom.
"He insisted we need to work together."
"Then keep your distance. I will not have you bothering my family." For a briefest of moments, he saw life flicker in her eyes.
He look past her for a moment, so his eyes could meet Xander's and Elise's, but then the darkened Yato shifted in position and his eyes snap back to the lookalike, "I would like to…"
"Don't. Get. Near. My. Family." Her arms trembled for a moment, before she seemed to have steeled herself again…
She isn't heartless, she's making herself this way. Why? Worrying that pushing her would only cause unneeded problems, Corrin nods, "Of course, ma'am." He backs off and returns to his family.
"Corrin?" Ryoma asked as the prince returned. "What's going on?"
"They're that army the man spoke of, right?" Takumi added, glancing over at the Nohrian nobles.
"How are Xander and Elise alive?" Hinoka was next.
"I-is that… you? A female you?" Sakura asked last.
"Are you okay, love?" Felicia spoke up, eyes darting from him to the lookalike.
"Daddy?" Kana was last.
"I wish I knew what was going on." Corrin answers, "There's no doubt in my mind that this is the army. I am unsure how. And she's… I think she is, but." Corrin glances back at the shell of a woman, she has sheathed the purple version of his Yato, and for a brief moment, she looked alive as she talked to her family, "Something happened to her." He finished.
"Do you think we should watch our backs, brother?" Takumi asks.
He shakes his head, "That would create unneeded suspicion, we won't be able to work together if we're always expecting an attack from them." The female version catches him staring, and she sends him a chilling glare, he quickly looks back, "She wants us to keep some distance, and I'll respect that. It'll take time to close this gap."
"Alright, I'm trusting your judgement."
"The… Lady Corrin is giving me strange looks..." The Ice Tribe Hoshidan princess states.
Corrin once more, glances at the female him, and before she catches him looking again, he sees… sorrow? He couldn't register what exactly it is, before it turned hollow once more. The emptiness switched right back to near-hostility when they locked eyes, but they seemed to be lacking the bite from earlier, and he could almost swear that her eyes were damp, like she was just crying. "Regardless, let's get ready to march," He forces himself to think on something else, "We'll get to them in due time."
Kamui took a breath as she returned to her family, trying very hard to keep herself composed. "Sister?" Xander asked, "Is everything alright?"
"I don't trust them." She forces the shell back on, "They should be dead." She glances back for a moment, before returning her gaze to her family, "We're being forced to pair with an army of dead people!" It was a mistake to take that man's help. At this rate, she would have rather been overrun with this threat, rather than deal with the surging emotions…
Keeping her shell on has never been this hard. It doesn't help that they look at her with compassion. They should hate her! She killed them! She trampled over Hoshido. Nohr has absolute control, why do they still care?! "My dear Kamui." Camilla pulls her into a hug, yet she tenses, unwilling to give into her emotions as long as they are there.
"Not now, big sister." She is trying very hard, but with how well Camilla knows her… "We're in the eyes of the public." With that, Camilla abruptly releases, concern written all over her face, but she ultimately complies with Kamui's wishes. The eldest Nohrian princess is the only other one who can freely embrace her like that, as Elise tends to comfort from a distance.
That doesn't mean it always work. "So, whaddya gonna do now?" Elise asks, giving her big sister her best smile.
"We're going to take out this threat, so we can get out of here." Kamui looks off to the distance.
Elise giggles, "You bet!"
None of this did anything to improve her mood, so Kamui just simply nodded and lead the march, with her Hoshidan counterpart keeping a respectable distance. At least he's willing to listen. She is unsure of how dangerous things will get, but considering the company, she would rather get it done herself. She hates looking back and seeing all of the affection just given freely on the other army, she hates how things seem to go so well over there.
This is nothing more than a punch to the gut for her, the way they are flaunting their familial love. Their war must have gone so well, she could probably bet that everyone living over there is happy and caring… She steals a look at the Corrin, who, like her, is married, but…
He has a child. She won't deny that his child is adorable, which makes it all the harder to keep her shell intact. The daughter looks to have the same upbeat mood as Elise. She absentmindedly rubs her wedding ring, if she had a child, would that one turn out the same? Or would Kamui end up ruining that child's life with her way of life? She looks at the daughter and can clearly imagine her in the same state as she, uncaring and unloving. The thought disturbs her. Kamui tears her eyes from that small child, then forces her tears back.
She can't show emotions, not in the eyes of others.