Terribly sorry for the long pause everyone, I've been very busy. Hope you all enjoy this next offering as much as I enjoy making it!

Time to Think

"Gah… my ribs…"

Corrin found himself, once again, waking to an unfamiliar sight. This time though, he saw not a ceiling but two pairs of curious eyes, one pair pink and the other gold.

"You're awake," a young voice sighed. "I'm so sorry for Hinoka and Mother's behavior, they couldn't control themselves."

Corrin put a name to the face. "…Princess Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, a shy smile on her lips. "That's me. Um… it's good to meet you, big brother."

Corrin shook his head, still unable to wrap his head around what she was saying, but forced his mind to the other guest. "Who… are you?"

His voice rasped, but the woman heard him nonetheless. "My name is Azura, a former princess of Nohr. Before you ask, I was taken as retaliation for your kidnapping, but I hold no love for Nohr."

Corrin blinked, his breath easing. "Really? I… can someone stop dropping anvils on me, I'm getting sick of all these revelations."

Azura cracked a grin and Sakura giggled. "Well, you likely have a few more in store before all is said and done."

"I'm just glad you're conscious." Sakura continued. "Those hugs cracked both sides of your rib cage and took me a good few hours to stitch back together."

Corrin grimaced, but a quick twist of his chest showed no pain. "Wow, you did good work. I'd put that on par with Elise at the very least."

Sakura looked confused. "Who's Elise?"

"The youngest princess of Nohr," Mikoto answered as she entered the room, a worried Hinoka behind her. "She's a gifted healer, from what I've heard."

She bowed to Corrin, regret coloring her voice. "I must apologize for my actions, dear Corrin. I fear I grew excited and lost my head."

Corrin scratched his head, relieved she wasn't tackling him again. "That's, uh… ok. I can understand getting excited; it's just a lot to think about…"

He trailed off and Mikoto sighed. "I see… Then please, take the next few days to think on matters. I'll instruct the servants and guards to leave you be unless asked, same for myself and your siblings."

She smiled at his conflicted expression. "It may be hard, and you may not agree, but we still think of you as family. Also, should you wish to speak with the friends you met on the way here, they'll be staying with us until the end of next week. An outside perspective may be useful to you."

She turned and fixed a desperate Hinoka with a look before departing. Sakura gave Corrin one last look before standing and guiding the heart broken red-head away.

Only Azura remained. "If you're wondering, Queen Mikoto is always like that. Even though I'm technically a hostage, she treats me as her own and pursues peace. I could think of no finer ruler."

Corrin sighed and sat up, simply staring at the bright sky outside the room. "…I just need time to think. Meeting your blood-family after you've been raised with another is… strange."

"To put it mildly," Azura quipped. "But I understand. I would likely be in the same position were I returned to Nohr, but I would never do so willingly. King Garon is too much of a war-monger, especially when he provokes Hoshido with the Faceless."

Corrin shook his head, but stood slowly. "Those beasts are not just a problem in Hoshido. Is there somewhere… quiet that I may be alone?"

Azura nodded and directed him to one of the less traveled gardens. She waited a few minutes before standing and leaving as well, only to pause next to a hall. "Hana? What are you doing here?"

The samurai jumped, not realizing the princess had joined her. "P-princess Azura! Forgive me, I didn't notice you!"

Azura tilted her head, following Hana's gaze to find the path Corrin had taken. "Are you… spying on Corrin?"

Hana flushed, hands flying out in denial. "What?! No, I was just worried about Lady Sakura! Besides, why would I be interested in him unless I'm told to check in? It's not like I want to break a tie…"

She slapped her hands over her mouth and Azura let an amused smile show itself. "Ah, that's it. Well, hold off on the competitions for now, he needs his space. Why not try with Lady Olivia again? She may even let you spar."

Azura strolled past the flustered samurai, but took a glance when she was alone. "Corrin… a lost prince like in Mother's stories… it should be interesting to see how this goes."

"For sure," Someone answered, making Azura flail about in panic.

A hand landed on her shoulder and blazing red hair entered Azura's view, Cordelia smiling at her. "No need to be scared. You were so focused you never noticed me."

Azura tried to control her breathing, but her mind was fixated on two things. First, Cordelia had not been in the hall when she'd entered, or anywhere else for that matter. The woman had appeared out of thin air.

Then there was the distinct smell of fire that hung around her, a dry and sweet scent.

"Do you require something of me, Lady Cordelia?" Azura asked after she'd calmed down. "If not, I'd prefer to return to my practice."

Cordelia's grip tightened, holding Azura in place. "Not so fast, daughter of Arete. My friends and I would like to have a word with you."

Azura's panic quickened with her pulse, but Cordelia's grip was iron. "Why would you speak with me? I am no one of import."

"Quite the contrary," Cordelia said. "Now please, follow me. If it's any consolation, my husband has likely grown bored by now and we're sure to see something entertaining."

Azura had little choice. Hopefully what she'd find would be as entertaining as advertised.

-Lucina-

"It's been a hard few days, but I think we've made good progress."

Lucina flipped a sheet of parchment and wet her quill. "To continue, Flora. Now that we've moved past your family issues, let's try something of a more personal nature."

Flora sighed from her position on the couch, unsure of how she'd gotten here. It had started with a summons from Krakenburg calling for both Jakob and herself, then led to finding out Corrin had been captured and Gunter killed, with Felicia soon to join him if the royals had anything to say about it.

Then there was the disappearance of Lilith…

Finally, somehow, she'd ended up on a couch for the last few days as Lucina, who'd introduced herself as a friend of Princess Elise, played therapist.

Scarily enough, she was very effective.

"I've been informed," Lucina continued, "by unnamed sources that you lose control of your powers when emotionally charged. That's why a snowstorm popped into existence when you heard the news. The question is: which part of the news set you off?"

Flora frowned; an eye casting to the room's other chair where Felicia was sitting. It was hard to have her sister there and be nearly forced to admit the truth, but it had done wonders for them already. "I'm… not sure I can answer that. Gunter was a father to everyone in that fort, but Lord Corrin was its light."

Lucina made some marks on the parchment. "Well, I can see why either would cause you to lose control, but I think there's something deeper. Gunter is a father figure, as you say, but there was something… hidden, when you mentioned Corrin. I don't mean to press, but is there something there that would cause an outburst?"

Flora's frown deepened and she closed her eyes. Dare she take this step, with a stranger no less?

"It's ok, Flora." Felicia said, a smile meeting Flora's unsure eyes. "I feel something will come of this, like earlier. Why not get it off your chest? That way, when we see Lord Corrin again, you can finally say what you want."

Flora adopted a blank face before she surrendered. "I… fear that I'm in love with Lord Corrin, quite deeply-if I'm to be honest."

Lucina nodded and made some more marks. "Not the first time I've heard this situation. Remind me to tell you about my aunt some time; it'll be a good example."

Flora gave Lucina a side-long glare before sighing. "Anyway, I fell for him a few years ago. I'd just finished moving on from a former crush and found myself with little to do. Lord Corrin volunteered to help me practice my duties, so I made some tea and worked at my tasks."

Her voice turned wistful. "I thought it was a one-off affair, but he insisted. Yes, he did so with Felicia and Jakob as well, but I was always the first to receive his help. Eventually, I learned his habits and that of his family."

Lucina pushed up her spectacles, which she'd gotten from…somewhere. "Did anything come of this? Call it a hunch, but Lord Corrin's siblings appear quite fond of him and are far more observant."

"They are." Flora agreed. "And that's what led to the single most awkward evening of my life… a few weeks ago."

-Northern Fortress, Flora-

It had been bad enough that Princess Elise wished to speak with her.

It got even worse when she found all the other royals in the room she'd been dragged to.

Elise, the blessed existence she was, ignored Flora's nervousness in favor of prattling on about inane gossip and things that held no import. At least until the door shut.

Flora gulped as she felt the royals look her up and down, eyes as judging as Flora had ever seen. "D-do milords and miladies require something?"

Elise gave her a reassuring smile and went first. "Well… we wanted to talk to you about something important. Something that's really close to our hearts."

Xander went next. "Flora, I'll be straight with you. It has come to our attention that you are… attracted, to Corrin."

Flora froze, almost literally. Master-servant relationships were strictly forbidden beyond the most basic levels of interaction, but especially amorous ventures. To have her feelings discovered…

At best, she'd be dismissed. At worst, she'd be killed.

"Don't look so down, Flora." Leo sighed, face set in a stoic mask. "We're all well aware that you've not acted upon such stirrings and that Corrin's too much of a block-head to see what's in front of him."

Xander sighed and rubbed his temple. "In fact, Leo and I sought to leave this be, but Camilla and Elise insisted that this happen."

Flora was a bundle of nerves, but snow began to fall as Camilla stood from her chair and sauntered forward. Flora felt herself look up at the taller woman, Camilla's finger tapping on her lip.

"Well… I can't think of anyone that could ever be good enough for my dear Corrin…"

Flora's hands clenched, ready for the other shoe to drop.

Camilla shrugged. "But I think I'll change my mind when we get the dress fitted and the venue sorted out."

Flora blinked… and blinked… and blinked again. Her hand fell limp at her side.

"Excuse me?"

Elise skipped forward and grabbed Flora's nerveless hand. "It means you have our full approval silly! Whenever Corrin gets his head out of the snow, we'll be ready!"

"For what?" Flora asked, gaze turning to Leo and Xander.

Who were looking everywhere except at her.

Camilla's hand fell on her shoulder and Flora knew dread.

"Why, the wedding of course!"

-Present-

"I was made to wear some of the gaudiest and most stifling dresses ever designed by humanity. For six…freaking…hours…"

Lucina stared at Flora, hand long since limp. "You mean to tell me… that they were willing to throw a wedding at a moment's notice?"

Flora nodded, eyes haunted. "They spent a lot of that time trying to talk me into confessing. I don't know why those two wish Corrin wed so desperately, but I fear that if he wasn't so thick headed, my attempt at confessing may have ended with chapel bells in the next town."

Lucina shook her head and looked to Felicia. "I must say, I believe your masters to be mad. They present perfect facades, but in private they sound like lunatics."

"I…can't deny that." Felicia muttered. "But they're under a lot of pressure. I think they have a right to be silly."

The door to the room opened, Severa entering with a scowl. "There's being silly and there's forcing Flora to be a doll. Anyway, have to cut the session short, we just got marching orders."

Lucina stood and threw her spectacles away, cape billowing from a conjured wind Severa felt obligated to make. "Then we have no time to lose! I feel something big will happen next week, but what that will be remains to be seen."

Severa nodded and motioned for Lucina to follow her. Once they were away from the maids, Severa breathed a sigh of relief. "It's a good thing we sent Morgan to see if there were any Outrealm gates. I'd be so much more stressed if she hadn't spoken with Moro."

"Don't get too relaxed." Lucina warned. "The time flow here and back home may be matched for now, but our parents want us home. The minute we find Aunt Lissa and Uncle Donnel, we'll be gone."

Severa sighed, pausing by the window to watch Camilla fly by, escorted as ever by Beruka. "I know, and I'll be glad for it. This place is nice, but I've gone on enough adventures."

Lucina smiled and took Severa's hand. "Come on, we should meet with the others. It's nearly time for the big day and we need to be ready."

Severa nodded, a spark of black lightning arcing between her fingers. "Yeah…

"Should be fun."

-Azura-

"What… exactly am I looking at?"

Cordelia smiled at her, looking far too pleased. "Couples practice. Without me, may I add!"

Her last words were shouted to the three people by the lake. Lon'qu was doing practice forms, Olivia was working on a routine, and Robin was reading a tome of some sort. All completely normal for each of them.

Except Olivia was doing her routine on Lon'qu's head while Robin was upside down and scalp-to-scalp with Olivia.

This strange tower was somehow remaining perfectly balanced despite two of its pieces moving in very different directions while one refused to budge. The sheer impossibility boggled the mind.

Azura shook her head slowly. "This is… normal?"

"Oh heavens no." Cordelia laughed. "We usually do this with at least eight people. My practice tends to involve lance forms and fire magic along with anything else that comes to mind. I remember one time a year ago where I forged an entire sword on the back of a friend doing planks while Robin held him up."

Azura gaped at her. "…You're all mad."

"Who isn't?" Cordelia countered. "Anyway, may as well get this show on the road. Robin, Olivia, hop down and join us! Lon'qu, stow the sword for now!"

There was a trio of groans before the tower was broken and the travelers gathered before Azura. Robin started them off. "So, we're informing her too?"

"It's only logical." Lon'qu grunted. "Queen Mikoto is already aware, but one more that sees both sides is important. Besides, she won't help us otherwise."

Azura narrowed her eyes and started looking for escape routes. "What are you saying? Is this a favor you ask for or something else entirely?"

Olivia smiled, trying to calm the singer's suspicions. "Well, we do have a favor to ask, but we won't force it out of you. See, we believe some of our friends have been…misplaced."

Azura's gaze sharpened to a glare. "Speak your intentions or I will not suffer any further waste of my time. I may owe you greatly for your help in my performances, Lady Olivia, but I do not owe you that much."

"Wise thought process." Robin muttered. "You tell me what's going on six years ago I'd have dismissed you as a lunatic."

Cordelia shrugged. "We are no lunatics though. Just give us a moment; we have to make sure we can speak freely."

She gestured to Lon'qu, who sighed. "It's always me. Hold on."

He took a deep breath and held his hand up in a strange sign. Azura noticed a brief shimmer radiate from him before the entire world went white.

"What in the world?"

Azura had little time to think on the changed world before her eyes were drawn to the travelers, who were… changing.

As she watched, Lon'qu expanded to three times his previous size, robes shifting to black and gold while his skin took on a red hue. The sound of cracking bone filled the air before four new arms burst from his shoulders, each ending in black nails. More cracks sounded and Azura gaped as what looked like two new faces wrenched themselves free on Lon'qu's head, a crown of gold shimmering into existence.

Then there was Olivia, who literally melted into water before reforming as a giant eel with sea creatures both common and fantastic swirling in the current of its body, a gaping mouth open in an eerie grin.

Next was Robin, who was consumed in electricity and reduced to ash, only for the ash to form the outline of a skeleton that the lightning flowed around. After a moment of crackling energy and what sounded like growls, the lightning formed the shape of a great wolf.

Finally, Cordelia. Her transformation was simpler, the crimson of her hair whipping of its own accord as it changed to flame. Her armor was consumed by fire and replaced with a gown. White flames burned where eyes had been and an almighty crack rent the air-six wings of fire burst from her back, the lance she summoned looked almost plain by comparison.

Azura couldn't help herself, not in the face of this.

She bowed.

All was silent for a moment before a great sigh rumbled from the wolf. "Don't bow, Azura. The last to do that went on to be a mad-prophet. We simply wished to impress on you that we are serious and want to be taken seriously."

"Now that we've done that." Cordelia continued. "Know that no curse can touch you here. You're under the protection of beings far beyond the king of Valla."

Azura gasped, but true to Cordelia's words, she did not dissolve into bubbles. "But… but you are gods! I am a mere mortal, I cannot escape that which binds me!"

Olivia's form pulsed, a tendril of water reaching down to stroke Azura's shoulder. "If it will relax you, I will demonstrate how we keep the curse at bay."

Azura gulped, but nodded. If these were truly gods, then maybe it would be ok…

Olivia's jaw shut before the shining blue eyes migrated to one side of her head. "…Anankos, King of Valla."

Azura didn't see anything for a moment before a burst of purple magic pierced the white landscape and raced for Olivia. The eel construct glared at the magic with open contempt before a torrent of water shot forward and enveloped the magic. "Be quiet, mad son of Tiamat. You hold no authority upon either us or this realm in which we stand. Return to your prison and await the appointed time."

To Azura's eternal shock, the purple magic dissipated instantly. "…How?"

Lon'qu spoke this time. "Anankos is one of Tiamat's children. As my wife is the successor of the old water goddess, her word is law to all of the First Dragons, no matter their mind. As successors of the gods at large, we also hold authority over the mortals."

"But only to an extent." Cordelia warned, seeing Azura's hopeful expression. "Olivia is the only one among us that can exercise that authority, and even then only on true dragons. The rest of us are still mortal, no matter the power we hold, and will be treated as such until the time comes."

Azura blinked, but gasped when she found everything back to normal. "That's… why would you come here? If anything, divine intervention has been needed here for decades!"

Robin scratched his head. "We're here searching for our kids, as you've been told. We don't know where they are, or what they're doing, but knowing our luck…"

Olivia chuckled. "We'll find them where the most trouble is. That's why we're sticking with you and Prince Corrin, it's obvious something momentous will occur and that's our best shot to find them."

Azura nodded slowly, trying to process all of this new information. "So… that means I've been practicing with a goddess?"

Robin guffawed, eyes wide in disbelief. "You just got all that dumped on you! Focusing on your practice is the last thing I expected to hear!"

"Same," Lon'qu muttered. "I guess you are a kindred spirit, at least when it comes to performance."

Cordelia laughed and looped an arm over Azura's shoulder. "You're the first to not outright faint at the news! Come on, we'll show you something fun!"

Azura paled at this remark. "What do you mean?"

Cordelia kept her smile plastered on her face and Robin sighed. "You're going peeping Azura."

"Cordelia's just dragging us into it."

-Corrin-

If Corrin had to give Hoshido anything, it was great views.

He'd wandered through the garden Azura had told him about for several hours, ignoring anything human in favor of the strange trees and rocks. Then, when he'd grown bored of the garden, his feet had taken him to the edge of the mesa.

It was here, as he looked over the country below, that something came to him. "How, exactly did they get so much material up here? I only saw one staircase…"

Corrin had basically decided to leave his familial and philosophical quandaries for when he was in a room with no chance of interruption. While he was sure Queen Mikoto would keep her word, that didn't mean everyone would get the memo before the end of the day.

Sighing, Corrin flopped onto the ground only to find himself staring at a young man with a long pony-tail. "May I help you?"

The young man stared at him, suspicion in his eyes, before departing, marching back to the castle without a word. Corrin shrugged and looked back to the sky. "That's more what I imagined. I think that was Prince Takumi though… well, at least he seems sensible."

Corrin chuckled, uncaring of the eyes that were on him. Of course people were bound to stare, who wouldn't when someone so odd was there?

"I wonder when I'll see Lilith again?" Corrin wondered aloud. "I still have so many questions, not just how to take a horse's temperature. Like, why does she wear the bonnet? Why does she float on a ball? Why on earth did she decide to disguise herself and work at the fortress?"

The wind answered him, but Corrin didn't speak wind.

"Moving on," he muttered, "there's Azura too. A Nohrian princess kidnapped in retaliation for my kidnapping… Would we have ever met if I wasn't… taken? Even now I can't see anything but fuzzy images, no matter the warmth one holds."

Thinking on Azura was… weird. Just the fact that she was a prisoner and the actual sibling of the Nohrian royals made him ill, but it was obvious she'd taken to Hoshido as her home. The other part was that she was… well, beautiful.

Elise and Camilla had shoved enough romance novels down his throat for Corrin to recognize the flutter in his chest when he'd woken up to her. The problem was, he had no time for infatuation, especially when it was for a woman that had suffered because of him.

So, instead, Corrin closed his eyes and allowed the sweet air to take him away.

Into yet another odd dream.

At first, the dream continued like the one he'd had before: sparring with Xander in the fortress.

The change came when, after seeing the wings of fire, there was no simple dichotomy of color. Instead, Corrin found himself standing on a flat plane of grey, his head drawn to gaze around.

To one side the grey darkened into a rich black, veins of gold shining like rivers of stars. Upon the black earth stood his Nohrian siblings and their retainers, along with several other figures whose faces remained hidden.

At the front though, was someone he recognized all too well. Dressed in a gown of black silk and twinkling gems, Flora smiled through a wedding veil with an emotion Corrin could not name.

His gaze was turned from the sight to the other side, where the ground lightened to a pure white interspersed with red flowers. His Hoshidan siblings stood on the milky ground with their retainers as well, along with even more figures whose faces he could not see.

At the front was another he recognized, chestnut orbs glinting from under a white hood. Hana was dressed in robes of white and red, all but her face hidden by the flowing cloth, and she too smiled at Corrin with an emotion he could not place.

Finally, his gaze returned to the center, where the ground mixed into a misty grey. Upon this ground stood only a few figures, including Kaze, Felicia, and Jakob. Three more stood there that he did not recognize, but once more someone stood at the front.

This time it was Azura. She stood proud in a gold and white dress that split at the knee, a crown resting atop her headdress. Again, like the others, she smiled at him with a strange emotion that Corrin could not place.

Corrin did not move from his spot, for a voice spoke to him as the dream began to fade.

"All paths lay before you," the voice whispered. "It is you alone that will choose. Dawn…Dusk…Twilight…or something else entirely. The choice… is yours…"

Corrin woke with a jolt, head smacking into something solid. He gave a grunt of pain at the impact, but he heard a cry that wasn't his as well. "What was that?"

"My head," someone answered, Hana's face coming into view a moment later. "You're a real hard-head, you know that?"

Corrin stared at her before sitting up and turning back to the vista. Hana frowned at him before taking a seat next to him. "Look, I know you're supposed to get the next few days to think, but I wanted to check on ya."

"Why?" Corrin asked. "As I recall, you were quite embarrassed to be acting so casually with me when I'm a Hoshidan royal, apparently. Would that not give you reason to stay away?"

Hana shrugged in the corner of his eye, a package appearing in her hands. "Well, yes, but I've at least seen you outside of that. I think you're pretty neat."

"Never been called neat before." Corrin muttered. "Hard-head though, that takes me back. I had a close friend growing up in Nohr that always scolded me for running into things, even while she rubbed the welt until it went away. The wonders of being able to call ice on command."

Hana smiled wryly. "Considering how fast you run, those must've been some welts. Mind telling me about that friend of yours over food? Call me curious about someone who can conjure ice."

Corrin turned to her and found a white ball being offered. "What's this?"

"Onigiri." Hana answered, taking a bite out of one. "They're balls of rice with a filling in them. Lady Sakura made these for you so you wouldn't starve, but she made a couple for me too."

Corrin frowned thoughtfully, but took the ball. It felt strange in his hands, with the tiny grains poking out, but a quick nibble showed it was good. "I see. Well, it's probably going to take me a while to tell you about her, are you sure you can stay that long?"

Hana nodded and took another bite. "Sure. Lady Sakura gave me the day off since they're trying to organize the castle for Prince Takumi's wedding. They'd be more relaxed, but you showed up and sent everything spinning."

Corrin grunted a laugh, his tongue finding the sweet filling of the rice ball. "I'll have to apologize when I get the chance… if I get the chance. Anyway, my friend's name is Flora. She's a member of the Ice Tribe and boy; I would be lost without her."

Corrin and Hana spent the next few hours trading stories, looking all the world like old friends. In the bush, the plane-walkers watched the interaction with unabashed interest.

Well, Cordelia was unabashed.

"I must speak to Queen Mikoto later." Azura muttered from where Cordelia was holding her down. "I feel like there is more to them than either realize."

Olivia hummed in agreement. "I believe so. Hana's very protective of Lady Sakura; you'd think she'd be mad at anyone that made her liege sad. Yet, here they are."

"We're not the only interested party." Robin sighed, pointing to the edge of the building. "I'd say everyone's interested in how this'll go."

Azura glanced at him, incredulous, but she looked anyway.

She was not disappointed.

It looked like a totem pole had been erected next to the castle wall, heads of every shape and color peering out to spy on the little get-together. Azura spotted Takumi's ponytail, underneath which were Oboro and Hinata, followed by Ryoma's great mane right above them. Then there were Hinoka and Sakura above them, likely hoisted there by their retainers who were also peeping.

Finally, as if to drive Azura's sanity into the dirt, was the queen herself. She was at the very bottom of the totem, amusingly, with Yukimua's disapproving face directly above-followed by Orochi and Reina.

"By the Dawn," Azura groaned. "Must everyone be here to gossip about such things?"

Lon'qu grunted, Olivia's elbow digging into his back. "Let it never be said anyone is above peeping. We had to ward off the men's baths whenever we traveled, not the other way around."

His glare turned to a sheepish Cordelia. "To be fair, Nowi can be very convincing when she wants to be, same with Lissa."

Lon'qu's disbelief was clear, but Azura's struggle to escape stopped any retort. "Please, let me go. I too wish to speak with Prince Corrin at some point, but this will only make him upset."

"He doesn't even know we're here." Robin drawled. "Too caught up in whatever he's talking about. You could walk stark naked in front of him and I don't think he'd blink."

Azura kept her neutral expression, but a blush forced its way through. "Do you always speak like this before your wife?"

"Honey, you don't wanna know." Olivia answered. "Regardless, I think it's very sweet. Hopefully having a friend can help him sort things out."

Robin patted Azura's shoulder. "Maybe more than one, right?"

Azura sighed, but didn't speak. It was true that she felt a connection to the prince, as they were both kidnapped and raised in different families, but she also wished to offer him someone to speak to.

The rest of the family was a little… emotional, to offer good counsel.

Secretly though, she had a more selfish reason. If gods had decided to stick with the prince then he may very well be the one her mother's stories had told of.

The one that would finally bring this nightmare to an end.

The somber thought came to an end when she heard shouting, a glance through the bush making her groan.

"To hell with this, I won't sit here and watch two grown humans fight over onigiri."

Cordelia's grip tightened. "Now-now, let's see how this goes. You can't expect everyone to remain stoic all the time, can you?"

Azura pursed her lips, but could feel a smile tugging at the corners.

It was amusing to see the two wrestle over an onigiri. Especially when Corrin flat out hip checked Hana to claim his prize only to get dropkicked into a tree.

Levity always had its day, no matter the circumstance.

I think that's a good place to end for today. Next time we'll be getting to the plaza scene and the big confrontation, but not without a scene dedicated to Corrin and Azura.

Now I'll take this time to explain the dream sequence. I had this idea several days ago and I'm glad I put it down. Each side, obviously, represents the three paths in Fates, but they also represent something else.

Love.

On Flora's side, you have that long, warm kind of love you feel for someone that's been there for you and has done much for you. It's a strong, but steady bond that encapsulates the idea of 'Childhood Friends'. A love that may not end up in romance, but one that holds regardless.

Hana represents a rougher version. Not exactly the best start, but fast friends. It's the kind of love that stands between best friends and has the potential to evolve into something more.

Azura, finally, represents initial infatuation and sexual attraction. The ability for it to grow into something beautiful and fulfilling is there, but as it stands, it's almost entirely fueled by passion rather than genuine understanding.

That's how I see it at least, maybe you will come up with a different interpretation. Feel free to share, I'd love to hear it!

Lastly, review responses! (Well, review response this time)

EpitaphEater: I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed writing it!

That's everything I have. Hope you all enjoy and please Fav, Follow, and Review if you like!