Where am I?
It wasn't anything like his normal dreams. It was a grassy field with a river running down the center. There was an old bridge crossing the river about a hundred meters away. It was clearly old, probably at least a hundred years and of Hoshidan architecture. To the east, the field ended and the Bottomless Canyon along with the range of mountains that marked the border between Nohr and Hoshido stood. To the West, the field continued, eventually disappearing into the vast plains of Hoshido. The sky was a deep gray, the clouds blocking out the majority of the light from the sun. The field was instead lit by the glow of thousands of torches. These torches cast shadows against the legions of soldiers that stood opposed on both sides of the plains.
It was Corrin's worst nightmare. War had been declared.
Corrin looked to his right and saw a group of figures he did not recognize. They weren't dressed in any clothes that he had ever seen before. The one closest to him was a woman with short cut red hair who looked to be in her early twenties. Her clothes were white with crimson lining and silver shoulder pads. She was standing next to a white horse with wings, a Pegasus. He thought he remembered something about them in a book he had read. But that couldn't be right; the book had said that Pegasi were native to Hoshido. Though, he supposed that would explain the odd cloths they wore.
Besides the woman there was a teenage man with long, grey hair tied back into a ponytail. He wore a sort of white fur over a blue shirt. Corrin figured there was some official Hoshidan name for that type of clothing but for the life of him he didn't know it. He carried a golden bow without a string.
Besides him, another young woman stood holding what looked like a magic rod. Corrin recognized it as similar to the types that his sister Elise used. This looked different though, probably of Hoshidan make. This woman had pink hair and looked to be in her early teen years. She had a nervous look on her face and when she caught Corrin looking at her she smiled and looked away.
What is this? Who are these people?
The red haired woman looked out over the area, a dark shadow crossing her face. "Takumi, I think the Nohrian's are beginning to advance. Come on, Corrin! We've got work to do!"
The woman got onto her Pegasus. And began to fly towards the battlefield.
"Wait," Corrin began, "What are you talking about? Why is Nohr attacking?"
"Corrin, what's wrong?" The red haired woman smiled. "Don't worry. All your siblings are here with you. Those Nohrians don't stand a chance against us!"
The woman's reassurances were interrupted by a thunderous roar that tore across the field. The river exploded with a golden light, the water evaporating as it was blasted into the sky.
Corrin grimaced. There was only one force capable of that kind power. Somewhere, someone had used a dragonvein to destroy the river.
But wait, only members of the royal family could use that kind of power. Did that mean that the Hoshidan royals had done it?
Corrin quickly glanced at the woman next to him. Her face had gone pale.
"That was a dragonvein!" The woman spat. "But how? I thought only members of the Nohrian royal family could do that."
The man with the ponytail walked towards the two of them, "Well isn't that nice. I've always wanted to use the Nohrian royals as target practice."
He looked past the Corrin and the woman and narrowed his eyes. "It would appear our eldest brother has engaged the enemy commander. It shouldn't be long before this filth is running back to Castle Krakenburg with their tails between their legs!"
The enemy commander? Corrin looked in the direction the man had remarked in. In the distance a white samurai with long brown hair was fighting a norhrian paladin in jet black armor. Wait, I know that armor. Xander!
Corrin took off at a run, sprinting down at what was now the center of the battlefield. Nothing else mattered but reaching his eldest brother. As he ran he saw both Nohrian and Hoshidan soldiers look at him in surprise. Some even made the mistake of trying to strike him. Those that did died quickly. As he ran, Corrin glanced down at the sword he was carrying. He couldn't remember where he had gotten it, but it was clearly unique. It was golden with a hilt that looked like to claws facing away from each other. Why am I even trying to figure this out? Nothing else makes sense why should this?
Eventually Corrin arrived at where the battle was taking place. When they saw him, both combatants sprung backwards. Corrin looked at them both, eventually setting his gaze on the figure of his older brother, the eldest child of Nohr, high prince Xander.
His brother smiled. "Thank heavens we found you, little prince. Don't worry, the rest of our siblings should be here soon. "
"Hold your tongue, dog!" The samurai growled. "Corrin, quickly! Come over here. We can take him out together and end this battle before there are any more casualties.
"Who do you think you-" Corrin's response was cut off with the arrival of three new warriors from what Corrin now realized to be the nohrian side of the battlefield.
"Oh my, they didn't hurt you did they? My darling little Corrin…" His older sister Camilla said from atop her undead wyvern.
To her left, Corrin's younger brother Leo came closer on his horse. "Haha, you have the devil's own luck brother."
"Yay! Corrin's back! Now we can all go home together and be a family again!" Corrin's youngest sister, Elise, squealed with joy.
Corrin smiled, "It's good to see you all. I was beginning to think this whole world had gone to-" he began as the three hoshidans from before arrived to back up the white samurai.
"B-Brother?" the pink haired girl asked with a nervous glance at the nohrian royals.
"He's my brother!" Elise yelled at her, outrage plain on her face.
The samurai looked down the edge of his blade at Xander. "Corrin quickly, return to us. Come back to your true family."
My true family?
"No, Corrin come back to us! We love you, please come back to Nohr!" Xander yelled.
"Nohrian scum, get away from him! You already took him once, I'll be damned if I'll let it happen again!" The red haired Pegasus knight spat.
"Oh is that what you think?" Camilla said as she began to ready her ax, "I'll let you touch my little brother when the skies burn and the seas boil."
"You want to fight? Well that's fine with me!" The grey haired archer said, his golden bow now strung with bowstring of green energy. "Come on, this is for my family you scum!"
Leo said nothing, merely readying his tome, Brynhildr, for battle.
"Corrin!"
"Corrin!"
"CORRIN!"
Time seemed to stop. The dream began to fade and shift. The people in front of him were already distorted. Their faces were now nothing put pale masks with no distinguishing characteristics. The grass beneath his feet was gone. The sky and everything around him was fading to black.
Corrin tried to turn around but found that he couldn't move. By now everything in his dream was gone. There was nothing left but an inky black void pressing in from all sides.
Through the blackness Corrin saw two figures appear. He couldn't make out their features, but one appeared to be a child, or at the very least was quite short in stature. The other looked to be an adult.
"It is my honor to tell you that my master has shown an interest in you. Poor human, he wants to give you a special gift. It is vital that you receive this gift…"
A sense of panic overtook Corrin. He couldn't explain but the woman's voice… The words she was saying… Something was very wrong. This feeling in his bones, something terrible, something irreversible was about to happen.
"_ag_ama, the essence of _e_n_ power… You have _ the r_" The rest of the woman's message was too obscured to understand. The figures in front of Corrin had begun to fade.
Wait when did I cover my left eye? Corrin looked down at his left hand which until a second ago had been covering his left eye. "Why was I doing that?" Corrin's right hand edged downward, looking for a weapon as the figures in front of him began to grow more solid again. This time they were about the same height.
"Time to wake up milord."
The dream began to fade as Corrin felt himself regaining consciousness. Just as the dream was about to completely disappear he made out a final voice, one that was different from the others.
"Son of man, do not despair. Through your actions the power of the fiend may finally be put to rest."
As the voice faded Corrin finally opened his eyes and realized his body was dripping with sweat. That dream… What was that? It felt so familiar, and… so wrong.
"Ummm, milord, it's time for you to get up please."
Someone off to his left was speaking but Corrin continued to stare at the ceiling. There was something odd about that dream, to the point where it was really bothering him. Those Hoshidans, who were they? Why did they seem to know him?
"It seems like another one of those days. Felecia are you ready?"
"O-of course!"
Wait. What was that I just heard?
A sharp coldness exploded over his chest, biting into his body and quickly spreading down his arms and legs.
"AHHHHH I'm awake, I'm awake!"
The blue haired maid next to him cracked a small smile. "That is how we deal with slugabeds in the ice tribe."
Corrin sighed. "I've never heard THAT before. By the way, was that really necessary? It's still dark out."
"Milord we are in Nohr, it is always this dark." The butler standing at the entrance to the room spoke up.
Corrin looked around the room for the first time, noting that there were four people in the room as opposed to the usual two. "Very funny Jacob, you know what I meant. Now am I missing something? Oh gods, it isn't Iago's birthday again is it? I'm not sure I can take that again…"
The blue haired maid rolled her eyes and turned to her sister. "Felicia it would appear that our master has forgotten himself. If you wouldn't mind bringing him up to speed, I will begin the day's work."
"Of course!" the pink haired maid replied. Turning toward Corrin, she somehow tripped over the rug and fell onto the bed, her head landing in Corrin's lap. Shooting up, her face crimson, the embarrassed maid began stuttering out apologies. "MilordI'msosorry!Idon'tknowwhathappened,IpromiseI'llbemorecareful."
The splurge of apologies continued as Corrin sighed. "Felicia its fine, to be honest I'm used to this kind of thing by now."
"True, this is not exactly a new occurrence. Now, if you and Gunter have this covered, I will assist Flora in her duties."
"J-Jacob, t-thank you, but that won't be necessary." The now flustered blue haired maid said.
"Nonsense, it wouldn't due for Lord Corrin's butler to remain idle. Why the very notion is simply ludicrous. Now come, we will need to stop by the stable and bring Lilith up to speed. That girl always has her head in the clouds… Well, let's go."
The two left, Jacob continuing to go through the day's itinerary.
Corrin looked down at the still red faced maid standing in front of him, "Um Felicia, if it's not too much trouble, could we, you know…"
"What, OH right, of course, I'm sorry for the delay!" Felicia stammered, "Today is the day your older brother is coming to test your combat ability."
"Oh. Is that today? Wonderful."
"Milord, you don't sound too excited. Is something wrong?" the man in the black armor asked. "This is your chance to finally get out of this fortress after all. I would have thought you would be overjoyed."
"It's not that, Gunter. It's just, I had a really weird nightmare last night. I guess I'm still a little shell shocked." I'm also not sure if I'm ready to fight Xander again. Last time was… ugh.
"Well you'll have to tell us about it later. Right now we have a schedule to keep. Felicia?"
"Yes sir?"
"Please gather Lord Corrin's sword and gear from the armory before reporting to your sister. The crown prince should be arriving within the hour and I will not have this household unprepared." Gunter ordered before turning back to his liege, "My lord, breakfast has been prepared for you in the main hall, after you finish Jacob will assist you in donning your armor for today's skirmish. Do you have any questions?"
"No Gunter that will be fine. Thank you. You too Felecia, thanks." The two servants bowed and left to finish preparations for the day's visitors.
Corrin finally got out of bed and began to dress himself. Eventually following Gunter's plan and walking down to the main dining hall.
The northern fortress. It was all Corrin could really remember. Ever since he had had that incident as a child and lost his memory his father the king had deemed it necessary to keep him isolated for his own protection. After all, an insane prince would only bring shame to the kingdom.
It wasn't all bad though. The faculty was kind, and he had grown up alongside a few of them. Jacob, Felicia, and Flora had all arrived when he was six years old. At first it had been very awkward. His governess had made it very clear that the three new children were servants and not his friends. As a result Corrin had done his best to obey and keep his distance. That had changed when he had come across Felicia being screamed at by that same governess. This was not unusual, but the beating that followed certainly was. Horrified, that night Corrin disguised himself as a servant and snuck into the kitchens and stole some of the pastries for the feast that would be held the next day in honor of the Dusk Dragon. He then split the pastries into two groups, one that he planned to bring to the two young maids as reparations, and the second he planted in the governess's chambers.
After planting the evidence, Corrin made his way into the maids' quarters and knocked on the two girls' door. A very wary Flora had opened the door, clearly worried that her sister was in trouble again.
Smiling Corrin had asked the two if he could come in- only to have the door quickly slammed in his face. Frowning now, Corrin went back to his room. There had to be something he could do. Looking at his book shelf he had asked himself what the heroes in his stories would do in his situation.
Corrin had sat up, he needed a diversion! If the two girls were focused on the door he could get in through the window! It was genius! But who would be the bait? Eventually settling on the young butler Jacob, Corrin paid him a visit. Upon explaining the situation as well as a seven year old possibly could, a red faced Jacob asked why Corrin had picked him. Replying that Jacob was the only one who could help him, a confused Corrin had watched as Jacob seemed to cry a little before joining him.
As far as how the plan went, it almost went off without a hitch. Almost. As it turned out the tree branch that Corrin had been using to get to the girls' window was a little drier and a little frailer than he had thought. Thankfully Jacob had realized something was wrong and the three servants had rushed to help him before he lost his grip on the window sill.
One long explanation later and the four of them were happily munching on the pastry. Felecia was beaming, her black eye all but forgotten while Flora kept stealing glances at the young butler. Corrin was smiling too much to care about anything and Jacob kept trying to keep everyone from waking up the castle.
The next day had pretty much gone as Corrin planned. The governess was fired and the maids were happy. Looking back at the misadventure, Corrin had to admit he might have over reacted. Hopefully the governess was doing better nowadays, not that Corrin would trade her happiness for Felicia's. He did not regret his decision; he just wished he had been a little cleaner.
Things really hadn't changed that much since then. Felecia was still clumsy when it came to housework and destructive when it came to cooking. Flora was still cold to everyone that wasn't Jacob or Gunter. Jacob was utterly loyal to Corrin and didn't care about much else. And Corrin continued to live in the Northern Fortress, waiting for the day he would be able to join his siblings outside and explore his home country.
Corrin walked into the dining hall and found the food the servants had prepared for him. Sitting down to eat, he looked around upon hearing the sound of footsteps coming from the outside hall.
"Hello my lord! How are you?" asked Lilith, the stable girl.
"Oh, hello Lilith. I'm doing well. How are you?"
"Fine, my lord. I'm just here getting some treats for the horses."
"Really? What's the occasion?"
Lilith seemed unsettled. "O-occasion. No occasion, my lord."
"Really? Then why are you so nervous?"
"Nervous! I don't know what you're talking about"
"Hmm? Of course. I must be mistaken… By the way, mind if I go down to the stables? I just want to check something real quick."
"NO! I mean, sorry my lord. But it wouldn't do for you to be absent for your brother's arrival."
"Oh come on! This will just take a minute. You're obviously hiding something."
Their conversation was interrupted by Jacob's return. "Ah, there you are my Lord. We have just received word, your brother should be arriving within the hour."
Taking one last glance at the flustered stable hand, Corrin got up to join his butler. "Alright, would you mind helping me with my armor Jacob?"
"Naturally, my lord."
"See you later Lilith!"
"Good luck, Lord Corrin!"
As they walked back to his room Corrin began to consider what it could have been that Lilith was trying to hide. Something about the horses… Could she be leaving? Doubtful. He had offered to either promote her or transfer her a few times. The first time she had cried and asked what she did wrong. The second time it had taken a week to get her to stop moping and telling the horses that "I think Corrin hates me!" Needless to say, Corrin had gotten the message after that. In fact ever since she had shown up five years ago, she had been very adamant about helping out at the Northern Fortress. For the life of him, Corrin couldn't think of a reason why, but he had grown fond of her over time, and she had proven herself a loyal servant countless times.
The duo arrived back at Corrin's room. Putting on his armor, Corrin resolved to visit the stables come nightfall. Whether or not he would be wearing a disguise and leaving a couple pillows under his blankets to throw off a certain elderly guardian… well that was just the boredom breaking through.
Corrin looked down at his silver grey armor as Jacob finished tightening the straps.
"There we are my lord. You are ready to go."
"Thank you Jacob."
"No need for thanks my lord. Now, if I may; I have some chores to attend to."
A sudden crash followed by what sounded like Felicia crying wafted into the room from down the hall.
Jacob sighed. "In fact it would appear a few items have just been added to my list. I trust you do not need my assistance to find your way to the entrance hall?"
"Was that a joke Jacob?"
"Of course not sir. Don't be ridiculous."
"My apologies, I must have been hearing things."
"I recommend focusing sir. You remember what happened the last time you fought your brother."
Corrin grimaced to himself. Last time had definitely been a brutal defeat to be sure. Even without his enchanted sword, Siegfried, Xander was a terrifying force in combat. The match had ended with Corrin receiving aid from a doctor and Gunter confining Jacob to his room so he couldn't poison the crown prince's tea in retaliation for the injuries. Needless to say, Corrin would rather not endure that again. Luckily he had been practicing religiously as of late. Not that there was much else to do.
Smiling to himself as he heard Jacob begin to help Felecia with whatever it was that she had broken, Corrin walked down to the main hall just as Gunter walked through the door along with two blond young men. One of them was tall with a strong brow and a hard jaw. His violet eyes were intense as they scanned the room, eventually settling down upon the white haired prince of Nohr.
"Hello little prince. It has been quite a while hasn't it?"
Corrin smiled. "Yes it has. How are you Xander?"
"Much better now. I've been looking forward to our duel. From the reports I've seen, you've been practicing quite a bit."
"You know I still don't know who's feeding you your information…"
"If you did, they wouldn't be a good spy now would they?" the other blond man said.
"Oh come on Leo, it's been five years now. I've narrowed it down, but every time I get close, some guy in a bright yellow mage outfit shows up and starts having a seizure in front of me. Then my notes are gone by the time he's done!"
"About that… next time could you not have Jacob and Flora arrest him? Believe it or not he IS a decent retainer. Sometimes."
"Only if you remember to wear your collar the right way."
"Sure that sounds reasonable- WAIT not again!"
The third prince of Nohr began to fumble over his collar. Corrin smiled. It was always fun to meet up with his siblings, even if it usually entailed either a normal beating from Xander or Camilla, a beating in chess from Leo, or a beating in hide and seek from Elise. It was always a joy to see them. They had their quirks to be sure, but he loved them all quite dearly.
Rolling his eyes at Leo's antics, Xander turned toward the white haired prince. "Are you ready little Prince? I have some work for later today and I would like to make this quick."
"Oh I'm sorry Xander, but don't worry I'll make sure you won't be to hurt for work."
"I'm sure you will. Now let's make our way to the field."
Nodding, Corrin turned towards his guardian. "Gunter, just in case this goes south… would you mind hiding some of the tea where Jacob won't find it? Regardless of how this goes, I want to have some with dinner."
"Naturally my lord."
Leo chuckled to himself while Xander looked confused.
"I thought it was Felicia who was the servant who couldn't cook? Why would Jacob be a problem?"
"It's not important. Now we were about to start killing each other right?"
Leo rolled his eyes as Corrin gave their older brother a faux-innocent face before starting up the stairs, followed shortly by his white haired older brother. Still confused Xander followed his two younger half-brothers as they headed up the stairs to the arena, already looking forward to the fight to come.
Corrin rolled underneath the overhead strike Xander had rained down at him. Quickly he regained his footing and threw a repost back at his older brother. Effortlessly the crown prince knocked it away before shoving his sword's pummel into Corrin's diaphragm and driving him back. Growling, Corrin came at him again, this time trying a double feint to buy distance as he attempted to force Xander over to where the smoother patio of the arena connected to the normal cobblestone that made up the remainder of the fortress's floors. It would be only a slight change in footing, but if Corrin could get Xander to trip up for even a fraction of a second, it might be possible to shift the fight's momentum.
As they got closer to the boarder, Corrin began to feel more and more confident. This was going well. Though Xander was clearly not going all out, nor was he wielding Siegfried, the white haired prince was managing to keep up. He could recognize the moves that his enemy was using, and better still, he had enough time to react.
Just a little more… I almost have him.
Then Xander crouched down, lowering his center of gravity. Momentarily thrown off guard, Corrin threw a sloppy strike at Xander's left side right below his ribs. Blocking the strike off his shield, Xander pushed past his younger brother ducking underneath his sword arm and turning as he went, finally finishing the move with a kick to the square of his foe's back. Completely off balance Corrin, fell forward, tripping on the boundary he had been hoping to use on Xander, and fell face first onto the cobblestone.
"You didn't think that would work, did you Corrin." Xander asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"Well for a second it seemed like it might."
"You did well to use your environment," Xander replied raising an arm and pointing towards the center of the arena, "but as a prince you can do far better than that."
Corrin looked in the direction he was pointing, and as he did Xander shot a blast of golden fire from his hand. The flame jumped to the center of the arena where the high prince had pointed and sunk into the ground. An instant later the ground began to glow with a gentle, green light.
"A drgaonvein." Corrin whispered. "Remind me, has that been there for the last twelve years and I'm just oblivious? Or did I hit my head a little harder than I thought?"
"Neither, given proper preparation new dragonveins can be developed. It takes time and resources, but depending on the situation, they can be worth the price." Xander replied. "For instance, I suspected after last time that you would need help healing after our fight."
"Nice to know I inspire such confidence." Corrin growled while rolling his eyes.
Xander chuckled, "You're actually doing quite well. You've surpassed my expectations." Xander's face hardened. "However, if you ever wish to leave this fortress, you'll have to do far better. Father expects results, and if you don't prove yourself soon, it is doubtful you'll ever escape."
"What!? He didn't actually say that, did he?"
"He did. Now prove yourself to him. Come at me!"
And come Corrin did. After healing in the newly formed healing location he rushed at his brother. As he ran, Corrin went through multiple strategies as he approached. Cycling through his thoughts, Corrin considered that the fight had been going on for a while. Perhaps keep fighting until Xander got tired? Corrin dismissed the idea. Against anyone else it might have been possible to outlast him, but even though Corrin's armor was far lighter than Xander's, his older brother was an ox. He could continue for hours if he had to. The terrain plan had already failed so that was out as well.
He would have to play his ace. It was obvious that he couldn't beat Xander with a blade. Then again that was expected. His older brother had always been a prodigy. As long as it was a sword fight, there was little Corrin could do. He didn't want to do it this way. But there didn't seem to be much of a choice. Even after healing in the dragon vein, he was still tired and he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to stay focused.
As he engaged the crown prince, he began with a few light strikes, simulating a wary probe into Xander's defenses. A swordsman of Xander's caliber would see through the deceit, he would know that the probe was designed to ease him into a sense of comfort before dealing a more powerful strike. He would expect the next powerful, desperate, attack. Xander would then block the strike, and depending on how Corrin reacted to his parry, either finish the fight or back off and let him try something else.
He knew he would see through his ploy. He knew it, and was depending on it.
Corrin switched his body language as Xander blocked the last of his strikes, now was the time for the overhead hit. Bringing down his blade with all his weight Corrin brought down his sword as Xander braced himself and lifted his weapon to parry it. And when the blades collided-
Corrin let go of his sword.
Thrown off balance from the lack of resistance to his parry, Xander's sword jerked upwards. Using the momentum from his strike, Corrin ducked under Xander's sword and grabbed onto his wrist while simultaneously lowering his center of gravity and placing his foot against his older brother's. Turning his back to his brother, Corrin pulled on his brother's arm while twisting it, flipping the crown prince over his right shoulder and onto his back.
Pressing his advantage, Corrin kicked away Xander's sword and followed up with two punches to his older brother's face. Dodging Xander's impulse punch in retaliation Corrin rolled with the blow and grabbed onto the crown prince's arm, using it to turn him onto his chest; finally, putting Xander into an arm-bar hold. After about thirty seconds of struggling, Xander stopped fighting and sighed.
"Alright Corrin. I submit, you can let go."
Letting go of his brother's arm and jumping to his feet, Corrin offered a hand to help him up, smiling while he did.
"I have to say, that was quite an… unorthodox method of fighting." Xander continued. "What was that?"
"You'd be surprised what you could learn from an old book on hoshidan martial arts." Corrin replied. "Of course that wouldn't have mattered without ample practice time." Corrin feigned confusion for a moment. "Wait! When would I EVER have time for that…"
"Sarcasm doesn't become a prince." Xander replied. "By the way, Leo, how is it that your spy wasn't able to pick up- what four months of practice?"
"Six months."
"Well done Corrin, way to stay committed. Six months Leo. I would have thought that would have shown up in your reports."
Corrin smirked. "Normally it would have. If I hadn't only practiced at night on the mannequins Flora and Felecia use to help with their sewing, that is."
Leo sighed. "I suppose that explains why you started sleeping in a little more often than normal."
"Again, that is ridiculously creepy that you know that. Why did father order this again?" Corrin grumbled.
"I'm sorry brother, but it's for your own safety." Leo grimaced, "I don't like doing it, but ever since that amnesia affair you had twelve years ago Father wants to ensure you are in peak mental acuteness."
Xander nodded. "I'm sorry little prince, but it is for the best. Besides, I have some good news."
"CCCOOOOORRRRRIIIIINNNNN!" a high pitched voice squealed from the entrance to the arena.
Corrin glanced towards the source of the noise to see two familiar looking figures walking towards him. One was younger, probably in her early teens, with blond hair braided into two braids. She wore a black and pick skirt and a white shirt with a pink bow. The other looked to be in her early twenties, and wore black armor along with an ebon crown in her long purple hair. Both had the striking purple eyes of the Nohrian royal family.
"Hello Elise. Hello Camilla. It's great to see you!" Corrin exclaimed. "OOF."
Elise had run at her older brother, slamming into him and hugging his waist. Leo sighed.
"Elise, come now. Aren't you getting a little old for that?"
"Oh, come on Leo. Let the girl express herself." The purple haired princess said, looking fondly at her younger siblings. "Besides, it's my turn next."
Finally prying Elise off of him, he gave his older sister an affectionate hug as well. "Not that I'm not happy to you two, but I have to ask… What's the occasion?"
Camilla smiled at her younger brother, "Oh? They haven't told you yet? I'd thought that would be the first thing they would have done."
Leo grinned, "We would have, but Corrin actually won the fight."
Camilla's mouth dropped. "Wait what? How? Did Xander let you win?"
"No he planned for this fight months in advance and pulled off a stunning victory." Xander said, nodding.
Corrin blushed, "Xander. It wasn't anything like that."
"Nonsense. It was an excellent strategy and it played to your strengths. That being said, your swordsmanship still needs a lot of work. And I expect for us to have more frequent practice bouts once we reach the capitol."
"Thanks?" Corrin asked, a bit confused. "Wait. Did you say the capitol?"
"Yes Corrin." Xander said, smiling. "Father said that if you fought well today it would be proof that you are finally ready to return to the court."
"Now normally, that would have meant displaying proper ability, form and the like." Leo added. "But seeing how you won, well that makes this a lot easier."
"How did you win, big bro?" Elise asked.
"Hoshidan martial arts book." Corrin replied.
"How did you even get that?" Camilla asked.
"Some old friend of mine left me a bunch of books before he got kicked out of the fortress for some reason. I can't really remember the details." Corrin shrugged. "I came across it about a year ago and started studying it."
"Regardless. What's done is done. Be proud of what you have accomplished." Xander stated. "However, remember that trick will only work once, and on a battlefield not even that."
"Of course, brother."
"Excellent, now your servants should be done packing your things by now. Let's go and check on the preparations."
"Yay! Let's go!" Elise said. "I'm going to say high to Lilith."
Corrin and his siblings followed the princess down the stairs into the fortress. It was hard to believe. He was finally leaving the fortress after twelve years. Life could be worse.
Alright Chapter 1 is out! I hope you guys are enjoying this so far. Again, sorry for the lack of SMT stuff but rest assured I do have a plan in the works. Also don't worry, Corrin isn't some kind of martial arts genius. That was a just a one-off strategy to deal with Xander, and like he said, Corrin is no where near experienced enough to actually apply those skills in a real battle. It was just a way to help give Corrin a little bit more character.
Demons Anarchy of Pride- Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll make sure not to take too long to update!
Next time, the King of Nohr himself, Garon!