A/N: It has come to my realization that I have failed to provide some rather basic info for a certain topic, this one being my way of handling dialogue. When a character goes around speaking, "Within just quotation marks." That's a standard spoken statement. If we take a moment to step inside their thoughts about how good that meal was with, 'Italics in apostrophes.' Then that is their own thought, or in Yasei's case, a way to chat with that voice in her head.

If a character is recalling a direct quote from another or if they are getting a 'guest' in their head, then that belongs with, "Italics inside quotation marks." Lastly… bold words? Eh, I just use that for yelling/screaming instead of all caps. If I ever reach a point where I use bold and caps in the same spoken line, except someone's eardrums to literally rupture.

At last, at long last… it's a new day in Hoshido!

Consort: I will say that yes, the frequency will change. Though… she can 'think' to him and… oh wait. I didn't… oh! I'll just put that in the A/N real quick.

Vallite Water Magic, just a tad different than your standard magic. Oh yes, Ignis! Do thank Antex for him!

Antex: *bows* Thank you, thank you. There's plenty-more for Corrin's abilities… over time. Can't go giving her the full arsenal quite yet.

It shows that Kaze is trained for pretty much anything for his liege… but nudity wasn't one of them. Camilla still has a big influence on Corrin's life, which will contribute towards the conflicted feeling on which 'side' Corrin will take.

Glad you like him! Hope you like the next part for him!

Yes! Partially from the initial trauma, partially from the upcoming changes from her Dragon Form.

I ended up sleeping all the way up until lunch… because my 'few more minutes' swimming ended up lasting an entire extra hour. I let out an un-lady-like groan as I push myself out of my bed, stepping onto the floor, as I forget to actually take the blanket off, so that the next step I take ensures that I fall right over, though at least I was awake enough to grab onto sheets of the bed, so I don't actually land on the floor. Whew. Alright, now just gently let go, and there.

Major 'damage' has been avoided.

After safely landing on the floor, I untangle my legs from the cloth-trap and rise once more, no longer bound by the blanket. I pat off some wrinkles on my Hoshidan nightgown and now… time to get dressed!

I grab a rather standard Hoshidan dress and wear that. Red and white. Just like the nightgown. Just like nearly every single piece of clothing that I have. I huff, I want something different. Like, purple and black. Nohrian. Or maybe some blue? Just some sort of variation! I had more choices back in the Northern Castle… Hrm.

"Kaze." I call out, hoping that he's at least close enough to hear me.

So, when I hear the door open up and his response a second later, "Yes, milady?"

I felt very… happy. Wait, wasn't I going to ask him something… oh, oh right! But first... "I would like a dress… woven in the colors of… purple and red." I end up deciding. Red for Hoshido, purple for Nohr.

"Of course, milady… any particular combination?"

"Like… this one." It's striped vertically. I'm not too picky on the design, it's more about the color right now.

"Consider it done. Is there anything else?"

I take in a breath, and nod, "Yes, actually." I take a look over him, making sure the door is closed and… "Kaze? I have a very important question to ask you…" I can still remember the day that I asked Jakob…

"...Jakob? Will you be my retainer?" We were in an incredibly similar situation. Jakob had just brought me my morning tea, and we were alone in my room.

I remember how Jakob, for the first time since becoming a Butler, had nearly dropped the tea. Some of it spilled, but in the moment, I didn't care. Since once that potential spill had been mostly averted, the way his face lit up just made my day. "M-Milady! Lady Corrin… I…" He stopped himself, having to overcome the shock. "I would be beyond honored to serve you as your retainer!" I had approached him, and then smiled.

"Thank you, Jakob… that means a…" Then he ended up fainting, backwards. The tea set somehow landed neatly on his chest, not a drop spilled. After he woke up, he told me he had the most vivid dream of his life… before I proceeded to confirm that it wasn't a dream.

So, I look Kaze in the eyes and ask, "Kaze, will you be my retainer?"

Kaze, thankfully due to his Ninja training, manages to avoid falling over or fainting, though the question does hit him hard enough that I can see his eyes widen, I hear a gasp, and he takes a half-step back. "I…" He also recovers quicker from the initial shock of the question. He then proceeds to kneel, his head bowed, "From the darkest night to the brightest day, I will protect and serve you with everything I have, even unto my dying breath. Lady Corrin, I accept."

Er, well… I would rather not have him die over me, but… I'm also aware of how serious this oath is. "Then rise, Kaze. You are now my retainer." I keep my tone light. "So, how about let's get this dress business out of the way!"

"At once, mil…" He pauses, and then corrects himself, "My liege." For a moment, I see a smile on his face as the word 'liege' passes through.

And just like with Jakob, my day suddenly felt one-hundred percent great. It's going to be a wonderful day! So, with my newly appointed retainer, we both head out into the… oh, right. "Kaze? Is there any of the market left?"

His eyes show recognition, and the overall mood drops. "Many of the stalls and shops remain. For what it's worth, the explosion hit the square, where the Dawn Dragon statue resides… and the rest area. The most that was damaged were the food and snack merchants."

Oh, alright. Well then, "Let's go out there and see if there's a dress I can buy there… I'd like to help out the common people a bit more." Besides, I've wrangled with a custom-clothing person a few times back in Nohr… and I would rather not do that again. Hm, wait… maybe it would also be a good idea to, "Kaze? Perhaps we could also see if my little sister wants to come along?" It would be nice to spend time with some of my family.

"Ah, Lady Sakura should be in the infirmary…" He nods, smoothly leading the way. "I'm sure she would appreciate the distraction, my liege." With that he guides me through the hallways, though I can tell he seems a bit more… relaxed?

I keep my eyes upward, simply scanning across the hallways, and giving small smiles to the servants and guards. All of them are pretty similar, and aside from 'Princess Corrin', I'm not getting much else. I was kind of hoping to maybe come across one of my siblings, or maybe one of their retainers, but nope. That doesn't happen until we reach the infirmary. Kaze opens the door for me, and I enter.

Currently, there are some servants who are cleaning the lot of empty beds, though… I do pick up a nervous giggle… and a somewhat familiar sound of music. No, not singing, but… that, leaf-blowing trick.

Ignis is playing some soft music for my little sister, Sakura!

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" I call out as I approach.

Sakura does gasp, but she gives me a beautiful smile when she realizes who just spoke. "B-Big sister! Uh, p-pardon me…" She gives a brief bow to Ignis, before hurrying over to me and giving me a hug, avoiding my wound. "Oh, it's so good to s-see you up and out." She whispers, actually now that she's this close… I can see that she seems to be a bit tired.

However, I refrain from pointing that out right now, and I return the hug, "As is you, little sister."

"Good morning, Lady Corrin, I hope you slept well?" Ignis asks, after Sakura and I share a hug for about a minute. "I was simply sharing a song I learned quite a long time ago with Princess Sakura." He smiles, though I can see the tiniest… smallest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

Sakura follows with a light giggle, "H-He's very nice, sister. I'm glad Azura chose him." However, she seems to give into her healer instincts for a moment, and… "I need to a-ask, how is your…?" She oh-so hover her hand over my side, and I can already feel the healing magic ready to pounce over at the slightest mention of 'not good'.

"The ointment is working very well, sister. There's no need to worry." I assure her, then prove it by stretching the wounded side of me. "As long as I'm not pushing myself with some tough training, I'll be fine."

"...Or if you get smacked on your side, milady?" Ignis lightly asks.

"Or if I get smacked." I nod, a smile on my face. "Oh, and… Ignis? I notice you have a bow and sword… are you Nohrian?"

A smooth nod, "I am, Lady Corrin. However, as I have told a number of others here… I am my liege's retainer first and foremost. I stand with her."

Well yeah, but that's not where I was going with that, instead what I was going to ask was… "Have you ever been to the hot springs? It's about three days due North-East of Krakenburg. Big sister Camilla talked about taking me there and they sound lovely."

"B-Big sister… C-Camilla?" Sakura echoes.

Ignis clears his throat, "No, I'm afraid I haven't. My duty has been bound to Lady Azura since I was able to form sentences."

Oh… wow. So, he's been Azura's retainer since like… eight years old? Though first, I nod to Sakura, "Yes, I… still view them as family, Sakura. The Nohrian Royal siblings, that is. I think you would like Camilla, too. She's very motherly and caring. Oh, and Elise! She's always happy and bursting with energy!"

Sakura's face falters for a moment, taking my words into consideration, and probably comparing them to the experiences she had so far. "I… tr-trust your words, big s-sister." She has a smile, but it doesn't seem as genuine as before. "But, th-this is a bit too soon to… t-talk about." Ah, mother still weighs heavily on her mind.

I mean, it still hurts me greatly, but… I need to stand strong. She's… she's my little sister! The elder of the siblings needs to be stronger for the younger ones, that's what… Camilla always told me. So, that's what I did. Every time Elise was uncertain or needed some help, I did what I could. The same for Leo. And when… whenever I needed help, Camilla and Xander were there to help when they could.

So, I reach out and pat Sakura on her head, giving the best 'big sister' vibes that I can manage. "Sakura? Little sister? If you ever need to talk… I'm here for you, alright?" I smile at her, then slowly, ever so slowly bring her into a hug.

Except that, for just a moment, I tried to finger-comb some pigtails that weren't there…

Oh, I miss Elise so badly. "Big… sister?" Sakura whispers, returning the hug, but giving me a wide-eye look. "You're… crying. Wh-what's wrong?" She reaches up and wipes my eyes for me.

And in the moment I was wanting to be strong for her… I break down? "I just… had a flash of a memory… m-mother." I end up lying. "I miss her…"

"I do, too…" She whispers back. For several minutes, we hold the embrace. "But, I'm… also so happy, that… you're back." She adds after that time. "For so many years, w-we thought…"

I was fine, no matter what they think, no matter what Yukimaru assumes. My Nohrian siblings love me, and they still do! "And I'm glad to be back." I sniff her hair and… I can smell the cherry blossom perfume, and even… there are hints of a healing salve, a fair amount of sweat, residual magic. She's been scratching her head a lot, I can pick up the smallest hint of blood, a bit of her hair is roughed up from too much rubbing, and…

Wow, did I really just smell all of that?! I blink my eyes. Everything in that moment was so vivid. "That felt really good…" Sakura suddenly comments, and I finally notice I just gave her a sort of head massage. "I… actually have been getting some headaches recently, uh… magical in nature, b-but it can st-still be tended to in a ph-physical… manner." Her voice slowly becomes smaller and smaller, until she's just barely whispering.

I smile, and we finally pull back. I then place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Then I'll be here to soothe you, little sister." I whisper back. After that? "So, I came to ask!" My tone rises a bit, "Would you like to shop for a dress with me?"

"A… dress?" She echoes, tilting her head. "That sounds… lovely!" She then turns to look at Ignis, "W-would you like to… join us?"

Huh?

Ignis outright flushes and looks away for a second, "I appreciate the offer, Lady Sakura, but… I should return to my liege." He smiles as he returns his eyes to look at us. Then as he stands, he offers a single bow. "Do enjoy your day, Lady Sakura… Lady Corrin." With that, he gently strides out. "Ah, you as well, Kaze." I hear him say after he leaves.

Sakura looks up to me, "So… what kind of dress did you want?" With that asked, we start to walk out of the infirmary.

Kaze is waiting, and he simply nods at our arrival. "I was hoping for a combination of red and purple…" I admit. "How about you? Did you want one, too?"

She hums for a moment as we walk the halls, "I wouldn't mind a new one. Flower-printed, maybe?" She pats her own dress. "That sounds lovely…" She ends up nodding to herself. "Oh, a-and… hello, Kaze. I'm sorry I didn't…" She trails off.

"It's all well, milady." Kaze replies. "How are your retainers? I'm surprised to not see Hana beside you."

Hana… Hana. I can't quite recall that name. "She's out tr-training with… big brother." Sakura replies. "Subaki is scouting out the area around Shirasagi." She then looks at me, "Big sister? Have you chosen your retainers?"

Ah, well then… um. "Sister? I… actually appointed Kaze as one of my retainers, this morning." I smile.

Sakura gasps, "R-Really? Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Sakura claps her hands.

"I am beyond honored to have Lady Corrin ask me…" Kaze humbly speaks.

"So… you're s-second?" A pause hangs in the air.

"I'm… actually her second, Lady Sakura." He adds.

"Yes, Jakob is my first." I nod, "He's a Butler, back in Nohr."

"Oh…" Sakura simply nods.

Aw, c'mon! Even a Butler can't get high regards?! Fine, fine. Clearly nobody here will believe that any Nohrian is 'good' until they see them for themselves! The silence overhangs, with none of us providing a new topic to discuss. We were just about to make it out of the castle, but… the guards and servants suddenly started shifting around to get out of the way. Before I have a chance to act…

"Make way! We have a Critically Injured!" Kaze, Sakura, and I all go to a wall. Four soldiers are carrying a patient on a cloth-based stretcher. This person has blue-hair, a bit darker than Azura's and not as long, and I can see part of her armor, which is incredibly well-forged. Primarily a light-weight material, a mix of metal and leather.

"Th-that's… Reina!" Sakura calls out. "I-I… I need to tend to her!" Without hesitation, she joins the soldiers. "S-sorry, sister! Reina takes… priority!" She waves off as she keeps pace.

Reina… "She's the… Kinshi Knight?"

Kaze nods, "That is correct, my liege. Reina is the leader of the Kinshi Knights and… former retainer of the Late Queen Mikoto."

Oh, oh gods… I should probably be there for her… "I have to agree with Sakura. The dress will have to wait." I go to catch up, Kaze quickly follows.

It doesn't take long, and I'm back in the infirmary, where Reina has already been placed onto a cot, with the lead Shrine Maiden, Sakura, and one other tending to Reina. "...fractured shoulder, a heavy concussion…" I pick up the tail end of a diagnosis. "Here, an arrow… she must have been shot down from her Kinshi bird." The third Shrine Maiden pulls out the arrow, whilst the lead Shrine Maiden heals the wound. "Lady Sakura, keep her conscious, focus on her concussion. Sejia, grab me an extra cloth." She looks up at me. "Lady Corrin? Here, can you help keep her head a bit raised for a moment?"

I nod, and quickly go to help out. I note the large 'X' scar across her face, but that's nothing compared to her new wounds. Once I gently lift Reina's head, I can see a small pool of blood under it. The Lead Shrine Maiden pours a small amount of tonic down her mouth. Sejia wipes the blood away with a damp cloth, and places a dry one under her head. "Thank you both…" Sakura is focusing a small wave of healing magic on her head. "Okay, you can gently lie her head down now…"

I do so, and pull back, my hands now bloodied… hm. "Mizu." I whisper, and within a half a second… the blood is washed away… though it does drip onto the floor in a puddle. "Reina." I gasp, she was… shot down from the sky? It's a gods-given miracle that she lived, then.

I turn my attention to the arrowhead. There's no way Nohr could have moved that fast, right? "Lady Corrin? Please, don't touch the weapon." The lead Shrine Maiden speaks.

"I was going to just look at it."

"Orochi will examine it." She assures me.

"I won't take that long, ma'am." I stand my ground…

"Gods, you remind me of the late King Sumeragi…" She sighs, "Very well."

I smile, and take a closer look at the arrow. Then I picture Niles's arrows in my head. 'The wood is thicker…' I think to myself, 'Metal isn't as dense… the feathers also don't match up with any Nohrian aviary that I've studied…' I look closer, focusing… 'There are carvings in the arrow, too… though they seem a bit decayed. No, it's just… badly carved.' My eyesight seems sharper. 'K...o' No, that's not a 'K' and an 'o'... the writing is too off, but… I just know it's a different language. Not Vallite, not Nohrian… maybe Hoshidan?

Then I step back, as my eyes suddenly feel really sore. I blink them a few times. Whew. Maybe I just focused too hard?

A gasp sounds out, "G-Gods…" The voice groans.

"Reina! Please, relax…" The Lead Shrine Maiden says.

"Re...report." Reina continues. "Major report." She pushes herself up. "Critical." She corrects herself.

"I will deliver it." Kaze speaks up. "Ready and willing."

I smile, I'm glad he so quickly replied. "Found Nohrians… within our lands. Southern end, close to our port. On… return trip, I saw… a glimpse of a man. Couldn't ID from distance, but… he managed to snipe me while I… performed an aerial maneuver… predicted my movements." She grunts and gasps in pain. "Bl-black bandanna… strands of… gods." She holds her head. Sakura channels more magic. Reina nods in thanks, "dull orange hair. An assassin. Yet… there was no trace of him as I fell. He…" Sakura passes out, she must have been overexerting herself. Reina follows soon after.

Kaze was out of the door the second he realized Reina needed rest above all. I dive to catch Sakura, just mere inches before she hits the floor. "Gods, little sister…"

"I told her to get more rest…" The Lead Shrine Maiden speaks. "Lady Corrin? Please, get Lady Sakura to a cot. Sejia? Work with me to keep Reina with us." The two of us agree, and… it's time to play the waiting game, then…

'Please, be alright, the both of you.' Still, I can't shake the design of that arrow off of my mind. I know it can't be Nohrian… I've seen their arrows. I just… know that it isn't Vallite. Maybe it's Hoshidan? But, if it is… why would a fellow Hoshidan shoot down one of the best Kinshi Knights? It doesn't make sense! Unless… no, surely nobody from Hoshido would betray their own, right?

And now my head hurts, thinking about all of this. Maybe I need a nap? With Sakura on a cot, I decide that… I'll just wait for her to wake up. A simple dress is nowhere near as important as making sure my family is safe!

A/N: And thus we have it! Kaze has been appointed to his rightful retainer status… before the war even starts! Take that, 'A'-Support! …

There has been a complete absence of mentioning of, but I'll go ahead and make it definite right now. Corrin is walking around without the current existence of a Dragonstone or Yato. The Dragonstone will happen soon-ish, but the Yato? Well… it might be a while.

I will also try to keep 'these' types of scenes lower than last time… I'm talking about the ones that involve Corrin setting off to do something, but she gets interrupted. I can assure that there won't be any interrupted hunting scenes...