And we're back. Sorry this took a bit longer than usual, I had a trip planned out, depression hit me again, usual excuses. Regardless now it's time for a Nohrian character to be featured. I hope you enjoy :D –ArcanaHermit
Chapter 21: Peace (Corrin x Elise)
"Yahh!" The young princess shouted as her spell launched from her hand. It landed straight onto the training dummy, setting it alight. That was followed by Corrin firing a similar spell onto the training dummy beside it, but it missed, only grazing its side.
"Yay! Looks like I won again, honey." Elise exclaimed while jumping up and down, her pigtails bouncing alongside her.
"Indeed. You're already a talented healer, but now you're a great mage as well." Corrin said, not bitter that he lost the last five training sessions with her. If anything, she was proud of what his wife had accomplished, more so than anyone else. "At this rate, you might even surpass Leo."
"You really think so?" She said excitingly, to which he replied with a nod. Elise then charged towards her husband in a half-hug, half-tackle. "Thank you. You're the best hubby ever."
Corrin received her hug warmly without falling over, even managing to spin her around playfully. Afterwards, they decided to wrap up their training with some thunder tome practice. Once again, Elise managed to score a decisive hit on all the training dummies, while Corrin missed one or two. After a little bit more practice, they decided to go back to their quarters and retire for the day.
Holding each other's hand, they walked across camp, occasionally waving to other members as they walked by. It was a rather windy day, as leaves and even small objects were being blown away, and the camp walls were flapping wildly. A large leaf blew right into Corrin's face, leading Elise to laugh as he shook it off.
Once they reached their quarters, Elise hopped on the bed and rolled around on it, sighing happily. "Ahhh, after so much training, this bed feels so amazing."
Corrin chuckled as he sat on the bed beside her. "Indeed, it's always important to rest after battle or training. Remember when we tried to practice for a whole day straight?"
She sat up and smiled at him, recalling the memory as well. "Yeah, I remember how mad Leo and Xander got when we passed out at breakfast. That wasn't a good idea…"
They both laughed. Their time together was filled with many happy and funny memories, even before their marriage. Corrin lost count of how many times Elise visited him during the Northern Fortress, even when she wasn't supposed to, or when he would indulge in her silly ideas and earned scolding from their siblings. As spouses, they've shared both laughter and tears together, and have become all the more closer because of it.
"Hey, honey. Do you think this war is going to end anytime soon?" Elise said, sitting up. "I just want to go home and spend more quality time with you already."
"I don't think so. We still have a long way to go before we achieve a true peace. But we're getting there."
"Oh…" The princess replied, sighing a bit.
It was a question she asked multiple times, which Corrin knew the real reason why she kept asking. It wasn't a secret to him that she didn't like fighting, preferring to simply talk things out or sit on the backlines and heal. But with the threat of war rising, even the healers are being trained in offensive magic in order to serve on the front line when needed.
Elise, despite having a natural talent for this sort of magic, didn't enjoy the act of unleashing her spells on real, living enemies. Though she would never refuse the call to battle, Corrin would always find her frowning before and after the battle.
"I know you don't like fighting." Corrin said suddenly. "But there will be day where we won't have to fight, I promise you."
Elise faced him, her face giving a tired smile. "I know, I know, I'd just wish it'd come sooner. I'm tired of all the fighting and killing. I just want it all to end already."
Corrin had a good idea, and place his hands on her side and started to tickle her, causing the young princess to giggle and laugh as she squirmed on the floor.
"Hahahaha…stop it, honey…hahaha" She said before succumbing to laughter again.
"Only if you promise to clean up after dinner next time." Corrin said playfully, continuing the onslaught. "I've had to clean up after both of us for too long."
"Haha…I promise, I promise…"
Corrin stopped tickling her, allowing her to catch her breath and look at her husband, where she made a pouty face. "No fair, tickling like that."
"You promised, Elise. And you can't take back that promise." Corrin remarked, a sly look on his face. Elise pouted more while Corrin chuckle.
Elise smiled. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up. You're the best hubby ever."
Corrin held her head, making her smile wider. "You're welcome. Whenever you feel down or sad, just know that you can rely on me to cheer you up, just like I can rely on you. We'll end this war together."
"Yeah. Nothing can stop the two of us." The princess responded, squeezing his hand. The two lay down in bed, curled up against one another. They weren't quite tired enough to sleep, but they wanted to enjoy each other's presence.
"Hey, remember when I gave you those flowers?" Corrin asked. "The one that showed my feelings for you."
"Of course." Elise replied, her eyes closed. "It was the happiest day of my life."
"Mine as well." Corrin said, returning to that day. He was so scared that she would reject him, and was nothing short of ecstatic when she reciprocated his feelings. "I hope once this war is over, we can make more of those memories. We never did get an actual wedding, did we?"
"Yeah. I want a big wedding, with a gigantic cake. Ooh, ooh, and me in a gigantic white dress." Elise exclaimed, enthused with the idea of a wedding. "Can we also have a lot of pretty flowers? Pretty, pretty please?"
"Yeah, I'm sure Leo might have something to say about it, but he always does." Corrin said. "After the war, that seems like a nice idea."
"Yeah, we have the rest of our lives to ourselves. And I'll make sure to be the best wife ever for you."
Corrin kissed her on the forehead. "You already are the best wife I could ever hope to have."
They both let out a soft yawn, and soon found themselves asleep in each other's arms. Despite the chaos of the war raging out, of battles that have been fought and those they have yet to, they know that they can find a sense of peace with each other, and no one could take that away.
And done, next up is one of the last Nohrian characters. I'm so close to completing this and moving on to other projects. –ArcanaHermit