DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, places or anything else; they remain property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. This is a work of fanfiction and love: please don't sue me. Wait, I think I own the OCs… nah, screw it; Nintendo can have 'em if they really want.

Author's Note/Introduction

This story, Song of Dusk and Dawn, is an expanded prologue adaptation of Nintendo's fourteenth game in the Fire Emblem series, Fates. I initially set out to novelize the whole game, but… well, it didn't happen. Enjoy the prologue!

Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter! - metalloverCAB

Read, review and Nagaspeed!

Chapter 1

You are the ocean's grey waves, destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach…

A young man stood in a field, the afternoon sunlight dying his surroundings a crisp orange as he turned. A haunting song echoed around him, coming from where, he couldn't tell.

Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time, the path is yours to climb…

All around him the ghosts of soldiers and warriors fought and struggled, their ephemeral forms leaving trails in the air behind their movements, everything happening in slow motion as the melody overlaid everything. He turned, a horrified set to his regal features beneath a shock of messy white hair as he surveyed the lingering carnage around him. Four figures approached, clearer than the others in the field. Two women with red hair, and two tall men, each wearing looks of concern as they neared. He turned as four more, far more familiar figures approached from the opposite side. His brothers and sisters, each atop their horses, or in his elder sister's case her wyvern, all glaring hatefully at the four figures behind the young man. But something was off about his siblings. He could not seem to bring them into focus, no matter how hard he tried the remained blurs in his vision.

In the white light a hand reaches through, a double edged blade cuts your heart into two…

And… he still felt a strange connection to the people behind him.

He felt the same connection with them as the figures of his siblings before him…

"Your family has come to take you home! Quickly, come join us!"

"Nohrian filth! He is my brother, and a Prince of Hoshido!"

"Quite the contrary! He is my brother, a Prince of Nohr!"

Waking dreams fade away, now wake, wake and face a brand new day…

The young man stumbled, gripping his head with both hands as he tried to quiet the screaming in his head. He looked up, tears of pain beginning to well in his eyes. He looked over his shoulder at the shadowy figures at his back, flickering as if they were candles about to be extinguished in the wind. One of the red-haired figures stepped forward.

"First you kidnap him, now you lie to him!? He is my brother, not yours!"

"You are mistaken," came the unmistakable voice of his oldest sister. "He is my sweet little brother, and you may not have him."

You are the ocean's grey waves…

He shook his head, wincing at the volume of the voices and song overwhelming him.

"Don't be fooled by their words! You belong with your true family!"

All of the shadowy figures reached their hands out to him now, screaming.

"Brother! Corrin!"

"Corrin!"

"Corrin!"

There was an insufferable blast of cold against his cheeks, forcing the young man back into the waking world from his nightmare. With a yelp he leapt up, quickly becoming tangled in his sheets and tripping, landing face-first on the floor beside his bed.

"Lord Corrin, it is time to wake up," a familiar, pleasant voice said from the opposite side of his bed.

The voice held a tinge of laughter, similar to the giggles of a second voice beside her.

"Up and at em, Lord Corrin!" the second voice laughed.

Corrin let out a low groan, pulling himself up with the edge of the bed and untangling himself from his sheets as he cast a weak glare at the two maids, both beaming bright smiles at him. He rubbed his cheeks, attempting to warm some feeling back into them. The maids were twin sisters, similar in appearance except for the colour of their hair. Flora, the older of the two, had hair the colour of a glacier, a light, pale blue, while the younger sister Felicia had light tan hair, both pulling their hair back into uniform ponytails. Both wore their black maid's dresses with pride, having been chosen personally from among hundreds to be Corrin's maids.

And both still had crystals of ice floating around them from their rather abrupt awakening.

Corrin groaned, pulling himself up and running a hand down his face as he struggled to throw off the last vestiges of his nightmare.

"Felicia, Flora," he yawned. "That was mean. And it's still dark outside. What gives?"

"Listen well, Prince," a third voice, like cold steel, said before either maid could answer. "It may be dark, but it is indeed morning. And you have practice today."

Corrin glanced at the owner of the voice; an older man, his hard face lined and scarred from a life of fighting, stood just behind the maids in full black plate armor. Beside him was another man, wearing a youthful smile in a thin face, adorned in a fine suit a step up from the ones the rest of the castle's staff wore.

"I have taken the liberty of preparing your armor, milord," the younger man said with a slight bow, still grinning. "And, er, pounding out the dents."

"Ugh. Fine," Corrin groaned. "Thank you, Gunter. Jakob. Truth be told, I'm still not entirely awake yet."

The young man rose to his feet, yawning and stretching his arms above his head.

"Best wake up quickly, Prince," the knight, Gunter, chuckled. "Your brother is a fearsome opponent."

"We can help with that if you wish," Flora offered calmly.

"Yeah!" Felicia added excitedly.

The twins raised their hands again, ice crystals already beginning to dance in the air around them a second time.

"N-no, that won't be necessary!" Corrin said, panicked. "I'm awake! I'm awake! See!? Fully awake! Ah-ha-hah… hah…"

"That's how we deal with slugabeds in the Ice Tribe!" Felicia declared, grinning as she cocked her head to one side.

Flora simply nodded, allowing herself a small grin of her own. The two may have been twins, but they were as different in personality as chalk and cheese. Flora was prim and proper, every bit the perfect maid, while Felicia was more outgoing and cheerful, and honestly terrible at her duties as a maid. It was almost comical how bad at cooking and cleaning she was, but it was inspiring for Corrin how she never gave up, no matter how many times she burned dinner. Or the laundry. Or… herself…

"Urgh, trust me I know," Corrin deadpanned.

Felicia giggled again, and Corrin sighed, running a hand through his hair as he recalled the dream he had just been having.

"It is time for you to be going, milord," Jakob said, his perpetual grin still in place. "It would not behoove you to keep Prince Xander waiting."

"I suppose I'd best get dressed, then," he said, stifling a yawn.

"We'll give you some privacy," Jakob offered with a bow. "Gunter, ladies. Let us prepare the healing salve."

The four people left Corrin alone in his room, chatting as they exited.

"Think we'll need as much as last time?" Felicia asked cheerily.

"I would prepare more, just in case," Flora suggested. "Prince Xander has been holding back less, lately."

"Yeah," the younger maid sighed. "At least I'm getting good with a healing staff."

"I can still hear you, and you're not helping!" Corrin shouted into the hallway.

Gunter stopped at the door, the old Knight grinning over his armored shoulder as he shut the door behind them. When Gunter was in a good mood, then Corrin knew he was in for a beating.

With a sigh the young Prince began to pull his nightclothes off, sluggishly as if trying to prolong the inevitable. He kept coming back to his dream, though… Who were those people that looked like Hoshidans, calling him their brother? As far as he knew his only siblings were here in Nohr.

Not that he would know, being shut up in this castle his whole life with nothing but scrambled, almost non-existent memories of his childhood.

With a melancholy look Corrin ran his fingers over the thin plates of his armor, standing in the center of his room in his smallclothes. Jakob had indeed mended the suit since his last training match with his eldest brother, the bare metal plates polished to a sparkling sheen again and the dent in the central black plates pounded back out to make the suit pristine once more.

Try as he might, he couldn't get the melody of that song from his dream out of his head. Humming it to himself, Corrin pulled the tight black clothes he wore beneath his armor on, before starting to pull sections of the armor itself into place. As he fastened the tattered blue cape he wore more out of habit now than anything else to his shoulder plates he let out another great yawn before pulling his boots on.

"What was that dream all about, anyway?" he muttered.

With a shrug, he started humming the melody of that song again as he stepped out of his room. There was no point dwelling on it now. Not when he had to face another beating from his brother, anyway.

Corrin yelped, jumping back as a black bladed sword descended directly in front of his face. He fell backwards, landing on his rear, before rolling to the side as the blade descended again.

"Well, at least he's getting good at dodging," another young man sighed off to one side of the training ground. "You won't beat the strongest knight in Nohr by sleeping all day, brother."

"Corrin! Stop running and face me already!" an older man growled, holding the black sword up again. "You are a Prince of Nohr! I expect more from you!"

Corrin nodded, wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of one gloved hand. He was atop one of the towers in the space that Gunter had turned into a training ground for him. It was cold, perpetually blasted by icy winds from the wasteland around the tower and fraught with precarious footing that the Knight had assured him was 'just perfect to train in'.

The man holding the sword in front of him was his older brother, close to ten years his senior. Xander, Crown Prince of Nohr and general of some repute among its army, frowned. He had strong, patrician features and short, wavy blonde hair kept from his face with a black circlet that matched his thick black plate armor. The other man alternating between flipping through the thick tome in his hands and watching the match was Corrin's younger brother, Leo. He had similar features to Xander, but his hair was slightly longer and straighter. His armor, too, was lighter than his older brother's, perfect for a lighter Mage Knight.

Xander smiled a little as he tensed.

"Very well. Here I come!"

Corrin just barely managed to bring his sword up in time to block the blow from his brother, catching the much larger blade on his own. His feet slid backwards a little from the impact of the strike, but Corrin grunted and held on. Xander blinked in surprise as Corrin roared and threw the bigger man's sword to one side, spinning and earning his first hit of the day on the flank of the Knight-Prince's armor. He panted as he backed away, trying to catch his breath as he held his sword up in a defensive stance while Xander turned. To his surprise, though, his older brother merely smiled and laughed, shaking his head as his fingers traced the new gouge in his armor.

"Good!" Xander said. "Very good! That was a good blow, Corrin."

"T-thanks," he panted, lowering his sword and grinning a little with relief.

That hadn't just been his first hit against Xander all day; it had been his first hit against his brother all month.

"Now pick up your sword and do it again," Xander instructed.

Corrin winced, still panting heavily.

"But Xander, I need a-"

"We train like this to defend ourselves and our homeland from our enemies," Xander said suddenly. "Father has been tracking your progress of late, too. If you cannot land at least one more hit on me today he may never permit you to leave the Northern Fortress. Ever."

Corrin let out a little groan, hopping up and down on his toes a little and trying to pump himself up.

"Did he really say that? Never mind, of course he did. One more hit, right?"

The younger prince took a calming breath, steeling himself. If it meant finally getting out of the fortress and getting to see more of the world than just the view from the ramparts, then Corrin would land a thousand more hits on his brother, no matter the cost to himself.

Xander nodded, a confident grin rising to his serious features as he echoed Corrin's thoughts.

"Motivated now, are we? Then use that fire to best me. If you would see the world outside your window then come! Whenever you are ready, little Prince!"

Corrin hopped up and down a few more times before letting out a shout halfway between a groan and a war-cry and charging at Xander. They traded blows, Xander not giving an inch of ground as Corrin struck as viciously as he could, each strike bouncing off his brother's sword.

"Come, Corrin," Xander sighed, their blades locking. "Prove to me I haven't been wasting my time training you!"

"You asked for it!" Corrin grunted, pushing off his brother's weapon and spinning again.

After all their time sparring Corrin had learned that he may not have been as strong as his brother, but he was faster. His armor was lighter, and his sword smaller. Speed was his advantage here, and he intended to use it. Xander brought his sword down to defend his flank from Corrin's blow this time, but the younger Prince moved back around to his front, lashing out with his fist the way Gunter had taught him. Xander turned, barking out a laugh as he caught the blow on his armored shoulder and stumbling back a step. Corrin set his features, grinning as he pressed his advantage, raining blows high and low on his brother and forcing him back another few steps.

"Good!" Xander said. "You've finally managed to drive me back! Now what!?"

Corrin snarled again, throwing himself into the air to put all of his weight behind his next attack. There was a familiar glint in Xander's eye as he brought his sword up, just a fraction of a second too slow, and Corrin's own blade bit into his pauldron.

The younger prince leapt back, panting even harder than before as Leo glanced up again in interest. Xander nodded, and both he and Corrin finally lowered their swords.

"Well done, Corrin," Xander said happily as he slid his sword into its sheathe. "You're becoming stronger every day."

Corrin nodded, collapsing backwards onto his rear again.

"Thanks, Xander," he panted. "I couldn't have… done it without your… uh… tough love…"

Xander laughed, stepping forward and offering Corrin his hand.

"I think it has more to do with your own natural talent, little Prince," he chuckled. "Someday you may very well surpass even me."

Corrin blinked, his face going blank as he had a sudden flashback of his previous night's dream before he shook the images away and grasped his brother's hand, allowing himself to be pulled back up to his feet. Leo approached, sliding his thick tome back into the pouch at his hip as he, too, grinned a little at Corrin's efforts.

"Now you're just teasing me," Corrin chuckled, shaking his head bashfully.

"Come now, little brother, you know me," Xander said seriously. "I do not jest about serious matters. I meant what I said."

"Typical," Leo scoffed, stopping a few steps away. "You do know that strength is more than just mere swordplay, right? I hope you haven't been forgetting what I taught you about magic, Corrin."

"N-no, of course not," Corrin assured him. "I don't think Xander meant-"

Xander laughed again, clapping a hand on both of his brothers' shoulders.

"Calm yourself, little brother," he said to Leo. "You really are competitive to a fault. You know I have always said you are the most powerful mage in the kingdom."

"And a respectable swordsman," Leo added, his grin returning.

"Do not get full of yourself now," Xander chuckled, giving Leo a little shove.

The three brothers laughed for a time, growing silent after a few moments. Leo was the first to speak again, looking at Corrin a little more kindly than he had before.

"Just remember that the pointy metal sticks are not the only path to power," he warned.

"Of course, brother," Corrin nodded solemnly. "In return for your advice, I'd like to offer you some of my own."

"Oh?" Leo said, quirking a brow.

"You're collar's inside out."

"What!?" Leo shouted in disbelief, tugging at the high collar rising from the mantle atop his armor.

Xander and Corrin both burst out laughing again, the oldest Prince actually doubling over as he rested one hand on his knee.

"Corrin! We were waiting to see how long it took him to notice!" Xander laughed.

"We!?" Leo practically shrieked, his face turning scarlet from embarrassment. "You mean Camilla and Elise noticed too!? And none of you said anything!?"

"You should not… dress yourself… when you are half asleep!" Xander gasped between laughs.

Corrin simply nodded, too busy trying to remain on his feet as he laughed and held his stomach to say anything.

"Hey, what's so funny!?"

"I would guess that your training session is done now, then."

Corrin and Xander both turned at the two new voices, Leo letting out a frustrated growl as he ignored them and continued to struggle with the clasps holding his mantle to his armor.

The Princes' two other siblings, their two sisters, approached. The youngest, Elise, rushed forward with an irritated frown on her pretty features, her blonde twintails tied up with matching black bows and fluttering in the ever-present wind atop the tower as it pulled at her pretty black-and-pink riding dress. The older sister, Camilla, swayed her hips as she walked, her womanly form practically spilling out of the low-cut armor she was wearing as she smiled at her brothers, brushing a stray strand of long purple hair out of her face.

"Are you alright, Corrin?" she asked, sauntering right up to him. "You were not hurt during practice, were you?"

"No, Camilla, I'm fine," Corrin sighed in resignation.

His older sister let out a small sound of relief, smiling again as she pulled his head to her chest in a tight, inescapable embrace.

"Oh, that is good," she purred into the top of his head. "If you did let me know right away, so I can take extra-special care of you…"

"I'm perfectly fine, Camilla," Corrin said, his voice muffled by her embrace. "You can let go of me now. Any time."

Leo rolled his eyes as Xander cleared his throat.

"Oh, fine," Camilla pouted, finally releasing Corrin.

Only to be instantly replaced by his younger sister as she wrapped him in a hug of her own.

"I missed you so much, brother!" she said, crushing her face into his chest. "I was worried about you too, you know!"

"Yes, Elise, it's good to see you again, too," Corrin said, stroking her hair affectionately.

Both of his sisters were rather clingy at the best of times, especially so when they hadn't been able to come and see him for a long period of time, such as the one that had just passed. There had been some great celebration in the capital that the four other Royal Siblings had been required to attend, so Corrin had been left all alone for the last month with no one but Flora, Felicia, Jakob and Gunter. Flora and Jakob weren't particularly fun to talk to, and all Gunter wanted to do with Corrin was train. Felicia was fun to spend time with, but she was so clumsy that spending an extended period of time with her could sometimes be hazardous. In Corrin's mind nothing beat spending time with his brothers and sisters.

It was nice to have the family back together again.

Elise pulled back, a small blush on her cheeks as she smiled brightly up at Corrin.

"You do like it when I visit, right?" she asked bashfully.

"Of course!" Corrin laughed, putting her head again. "I can't take even a step outside the fortress, so all I have to look forward to is when all of you visit me!"

"Yay!" Elise cheered, leaping on Corrin's chest again. "I love spending time with my brother!"

Corrin actually had to step back to keep his balance, still exhausted from the duel with Xander as Elise swung them both around in a circle.

"I love you more than anything in the whole, wide world!" she declared laughingly.

Leo sighed, finally joining the conversation.

"Elise, when do you intend to behave like the adult you technically are?" he asked tiredly.

"Oh, leave her be, Leo," Camilla chuckled. "I for one think that her cheer is a good compliment for this gloomy kingdom."

Elise nodded, separating from Corrin again and sticking her tongue out at Leo.

"Well said, Camilla," Corrin agreed. "Each of you is so dear to me. I don't know what I would have done had you not come and visited me to break up my boredom, especially after I lost my memories of my childhood."

"Maybe you could have actually studied a little more," Leo muttered, crossing his arms and turning away a little to hide the awkward grin on his face from Corrin's compliment.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this touching family moment," Xander cut in, chuckling and shaking his head. "Why don't we take this inside and out of the wind? We're done for today, Corrin. You did well."

"I have prepared some tea in the study, milords," Jakob said, suddenly appearing behind Corrin. "Or shall I prepare something a little more filling for lunch?"

Corrin and Elise both screamed and jumped, and even Leo started a little at the thin man's sudden appearance. Camilla and Xander simply took his presence in stride, both grinning at their younger siblings' reactions.

"Yes, something more filling would be best, thank you Jakob," Xander said with a nod.

Camilla smiled again, taking Corrin's hand and leading him towards the hatch back into the fortress.

"Come, Corrin, and I will tell you all about the dreadfully dull and boring party we were forced to endure," she offered.

"O-okay," he said, stumbling as she pulled. "You don't have to… Sister, I'm going to trip if you… Waugh! Stairs! Camilla, don't pull while I'm on the stairs!"

Corrin sat by the window in the study later, holding a cup of tea in his hands and humming the tune of the song from his dream under his breath as he looked at the landscape outside. The same rocky, dry landscape he had studied from this spot a thousand times before greeted his gaze, shrouded in darkness from the constant clouds that blanketed the sky over Nohr. Gunter liked to joke that most Nohrians only got to see the sky once or twice in their lifetime unless they travelled. Corrin spent a lot of his free time lying on the roof or the training ground, watching the dark clouds float by and waiting for them to open and show him a glimpse of the sky he had never seen before.

"That is a lovely melody," Camilla said, coming up behind him.

Corrin glanced over his shoulder, grinning a little in embarrassment.

All five of them had relocated to the study, and after a light lunch of tea and sandwiches each was doing their own thing. Xander was meticulously cleaning his blade, watching with an interested grin while Leo tried to teach Elise how to play chess. The Princess grumbled from time to time, but clearly held the same competitive streak as her older brother judging from the way she demanded a rematch every time she lost.

"I heard it in a dream," Corrin commented absently.

"It must have been a good dream, then," Camilla said.

"Actually, it was a pretty horrific nightmare," he admitted.

Camilla made a thoughtful sound, moving to lean against the windowsill with him. To his surprise, she started to hum the same melody. Corrin glanced up at his sister, somewhat awestruck at the beauty of her voice as she wordlessly hummed softly. It had been a long time since she had sung to him, not since he had been a child, and Corrin had forgotten how much he enjoyed it. A small smile rose to his face as Camilla looked out the window, a wistful expression on her face as she gazed at the same scenery he had. She stopped humming when she realized he was watching her so closely, giving an embarrassed laugh.

"Is it so strange for me to be happy to see you again?" she asked.

"It was only a month," Corrin groaned, rolling his eyes.

"A month without you is a month that our family is incomplete," Camilla pouted. "It may well have been an eternity."

Camilla shifted, moving to another nearby chair and patting her lap with a soft smile.

"Now, I'm all ready," she said, looking at Corrin expectantly.

Corrin rolled his eyes, sighing as he scooted a little further away on his own chair. He discretely glanced at the other siblings in the room; Corrin had some harsh memories of Leo and Elise teasing him for cuddling with Camilla in the past.

"Oh come on, Camilla, not this again," he groaned.

"Yes, come now," she cooed. "It's time for you to rest your precious little head in my lap. Would you like a lullaby as well? I know how hard it is for you to fall asleep sometimes."

"Camilla, please," Corrin pleaded. "It's been years since we've done that."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "It seems like yesterday to me. I could just sit and stare at your cute little sleeping face for hours. I promise I won't kiss your cheeks while you're sleeping. Oh, who am I kidding? I can't promise that!"

"I'm not a child anymore," Corrin sighed, resting his face in his hands.

"So?" Camilla asked, quirking her head slightly.

"So you don't need to cuddle me to sleep anymore," he said.

"I don't see why not!" Camilla huffed.

"Oh, stop teasing the poor boy," Xander called from across the room.

Corrin and Camilla both glanced at the others. Leo was frowning, practically glaring at their display of impropriety, while Elise was clearly trying her hardest not to burst into a fit of laughter. Xander had finished with his sword, and leaned it against the bookshelf behind him.

"But it's been so long since I have seen him!" Camilla complained. "Longer than the three of you, anyway! You and Leo always come for his training, and Elise is free to visit whenever she pleases. I am too busy with the court to come as often as I would like."

"If it were up to you, you would never leave," Xander laughed.

"You are a mage, too, sister," Leo pointed out, deadpan. "Say the word and I'll swap with you any time."

"Hey, ow," Corrin said, stung by his brother's tone. "Excuse me for being such a burden."

"I didn't mean it like that," Leo sighed. "Don't be so sensitive."

Camilla actually hesitated for a moment, looking back and forth between Leo and Elise and Corrin a few times before smiling sadly at Corrin.

"I'm sorry, my darling little Corrin," she said, reaching out and stroking his cheek, "But as much as I would love to tutor you personally I must also protect our younger siblings from the Nohrian Court."

"And here I was starting to think you only cared about Corrin," Leo scoffed. "How bad can the Nohrian Court truly be?"

"Pray you don't find out," Xander sighed, resting his elbows on his knees.

There was a small, awkward silence, broken when Leo reached out and pushed a piece on the chessboard.

"Checkmate," he said.

"Argh!" Elise shrieked, pounding her fists on the tabletop. "Again! I demand another rematch!"

The siblings laughed, the earlier tension broken again as Elise began to reset the chessboard. Jakob chose that point to enter, knocking lightly before stepping into the study.

"I'm terribly sorry to intrude, milords, but it is time for Corrin's afternoon classes," the butler said with a bow.

Corrin sighed, rising to his feet and shuffling across the room.

"We will be staying the night before returning to the Capital tomorrow, so we will see you at dinner, little Prince," Xander called after him.

"Have fun with your studies!" Elise added, earning a little glower from Corrin as he closed the door.

Corrin let out a little groan as he shuffled down the stairs at the end of his day, his shoulders sagging in his mental exhaustion. Why he still had to attend lessons when even Elise had long ago completed her own was beyond him. Sometimes it seemed like they made him take the stupid lessons just because he had nothing better to do cooped up in the Northern Fortress. Classics, Literature, Politics, Philosophy, History, Tactics; he was being taught everything by Jakob and Gunter. Flora had even tried to teach him how to play the lute at one point. Correction, Flora had taught him how to play the lute. That was how boring his life could be.

But now that he was older, Corrin could see that it was mostly pointless busy-work. He wasn't as smart as Leo was, he honestly doubted anyone was as smart as his brother was, but he had a wealth of knowledge that it appeared neither Elise nor Camilla had. He hadn't had a lot of time to test this theory with Xander, the Crown Prince not often spending as much more time at the fortress than his training required compared to his other siblings, but Corrin found it hard to believe that his eldest brother had sat patiently through philosophy lessons like he was being forced to.

The lesson had even run long, meaning he had missed dinner. And Flora had roasted some chickens to welcome the royal siblings, too…

That was why Corrin was staggering exhaustedly down the servant stairs behind the kitchen, to see if there were any leftovers for him to gorge himself on. He was starving, only having eaten a little at lunch. Felicia would probably happily cook for him if there was nothing left from dinner, but… Corrin shuddered at the thought. It was probably safer to just have something cold and wait for the evening tea-time.

As he stepped into the kitchen Corrin felt his mouth begin to water, the scent of freshly roasted poultry wafting to his nose and making his stomach gurgle desperately. The kitchen was a simple affair; a central island with three large ovens for cooking bread and roasting meat and vegetables in them along one wall, with another smaller stove in the corner to make soups and tea on.

There were already two people in the kitchen, though, standing over the source of the tantalizing smell; two women were picking at a whole chicken, perfectly roasted vegetables arranged on the plate around it.

Despite his hunger and fatigue Corrin felt a smile rise to his face as he spotted the two new visitors to the fortress.

"Selena! Beruka! I didn't know you two were here, too!" he greeted happily.

Camilla's two retainers glanced up, Beruka's hands dropping to the daggers at her hip before she relaxed, Selena just frowning a little. Both were considered very attractive, or so Leo had said, anyway. Corrin didn't really have much of a scale to gauge such things on.

Beruka was the shorter of the two, her sky-blue hair kept out of her face with a dirty old headband and her severe expression rarely changing from a perpetual frown. She usually wore an old black suit of Camilla's armor, but in the fortress had clearly let her guard down a little and stood beneath her usual cloak in a tight sleeveless top and her riding pants. Selena was about Corrin's height, and kept her scarlet hair tied up in two hip-length twintails that hung down over her shoulders. She, too, had relaxed her usual clothing, forgoing her suit of quilted armor for a simple white blouse, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and her usual pants.

If someone were to ask him, he would probably agree that both women were attractive enough, but couldn't hold a candle to either of his sisters in beauty.

"I'm shocked," Selena said, crossing her arms. "Not only does the Prince deem fit to grace us with his presence, but he actually remembers our names!"

Beruka merely bowed a polite, silent greeting before going back to her meal.

"Of course I remember your names!" Corrin laughed, approaching the two women. "When you spend as much time in solitude as I do any new faces are worth remembering. And you two were the first besides the fortress staff or my siblings that came to visit me, so of course I remember you! It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that meeting you two was the highlight of that year."

Corrin grinned at the memory of his sister introducing the two women to him in the palace courtyard a few years ago. He had been utterly gobsmacked by Selena's hair, shocked that it could grow so long, and intrigued by Beruka's cold and silent indifference to everything. Both women had been so different from his siblings, he loved taking every chance he could to speak to them.

Of course, he loved talking to all of his siblings' retainers when they accompanied them. They were all so colorful and interesting compared to the same faces he saw every day in the fortress. Leo's retainer Odin in particular...

Selena huffed, turning away from Corrin's earnest compliment as her cheeks darkened.

"What can we do for you, milord?" she ground out, not looking at him.

"I missed dinner," Corrin admitted with a chuckle. "Xander and Leo set me a pretty serious lesson regime, and it often runs late."

Selena huffed again as Beruka looked up this time, wordlessly reaching for an empty plate and sliding it towards him.

"Please help yourself, milord," she said, her soft voice deceptively feminine given her appearance.

Corrin grinned, reaching for the chicken and pulling off large chunks of breast before taking some potatoes as well. The three of them ate in silence for a time, Corrin grinning a little at the novelty. Usually he only ate with his siblings; Flora, Felicia and Jakob wouldn't dare eat with their master, and Gunter kept different hours than he did. It was exciting, getting to eat with others for a change.

He still ate quickly, though, eager to return to the study where his siblings were waiting for him. They so rarely visited all at once, and Corrin was looking forward to spending some time as a family.

"So what are the two of you here for, anyway?" Corrin asked conversationally as they ate.

"Where Lady Camilla goes, I go," Beruka answered without looking up.

Selena let out an exasperated sigh, casting her counterpart a glare before turning her frown on Corrin.

"We're here as security," she explained. "If you don't know why we're here, then I'm not going to spoil the surprise."

Corrin cocked his head in confusion, but didn't press the issue. He'd learned quickly in his few dealings with Selena not to pester her.

"I suppose I had best go and ask my brothers and sisters, then," Corrin declared, wiping his hands on a rag.