"Lady Corrin, you can't be serious?!"

Felicia and Flora have gone equally pale, and Jakob is clutching a chair so tightly that his nails look in danger of breaking.

"I am," she says, her head held high, her jaw set. She places her Yato on the table, giving them all a fierce look. "Not a word of this leaves this tent, understood?"

"But milady-!" Felicia begins. Corrin glares at her.

"Not a single breath," she insists. "And there is no point in trying to convince me otherwise; I have already made my decision, and Xander himself has agreed it is for the best."

"Then Lord Laslow-" Flora says.

"Already aware. From the very beginning," she cuts in. "Don't try to lecture me on behalf of... of my husband, Flora," she adds, pausing for a moment. Even now, it's hard to think of Laslow as something as concrete as a husband. "We've already decided this is what must be done."

"This is madness, milady!" Jakob cries angrily. "I cannot accept this, it is the height of stupidity!"

"Whether you can accept it or not is irrelevant!" she shouts over him. "I am the commander of this army and your princess, Jakob! For the good of the country, and for the army, I will do whatever I must. That is my responsibility, and my pride. Either you accept that and do what you can to help, or you go back home and let Nohr crumble. I will make the same choice no matter what the circumstances, for the sake of my people and my kingdom. If you cannot agree with that... then you must decide whether you will stay or not for yourself."

They stare furiously at each other until Jakob finally gives in.

"Fine!" he growls. "Of course I'm going to stay. I live to serve you, Lady Corrin, and for no other reason; even if you are being a stubborn fool."

Some of the tension in Corrin's body fades away.

"Thank you," she says, turning to the twins. "And you, Flora? Felicia?"

"Lady Corrin, I can't believe you have to ask," Felicia frowns. "If you're going to do something dangerous, then it's our job to protect you, isn't it, Flora?"

"Of course," Flora agrees. "We will follow you to the ends of the earth, milady. But," she adds, her tone suddenly growing strict. "We will not allow you to do anything reckless for no reason. That much we cannot ignore."

Corrin is too tired to argue at this point.

"Fine," she sighs. "As long as you don't prevent me from fighting, and as long as you don't fuss too much and make the rest of the army suspicious, you may do as you please."

"Very well," Jakob huffs. "Come, Flora, Felicia. We must make some preparations. Will you need anything before bed, milady?"

"No," Corrin says, shaking her head.

"Then we'll take our leave."

She watches them go, Felicia giving her a timid sort of smile before she closes the tent flap behind her. She waits until their footsteps have faded before she falls back into her chair, sighing in exhaustion.

"Gods, what a day," she groans to herself. The army has nearly made it to Mokushu in the time it's taken her to leave the astral plane, and she's had to fly for hours to catch up. After the relatively quiet winter, she's grown rather sluggish and less energetic. She can't be sure if that's an effect of the pregnancy, or just a general lack of discipline.

I'm tired,she thinks, staring at the canvas above her head blankly. She wants to sleep, but she's afraid. Azura has been haunting her thoughts all day; surely her dreams will be worse.

"What a terrible, fickle woman I've turned out to be," she mutters, closing her eyes as she forces herself to remember Laslow's pallid complexion. For the past few months, Corrin has somehow been able to keep her desires at bay, but they have been there all along, waiting for their chance to strike once again. She shivers slightly, remembering Azura's desperate plea, her fingers clutching her own tightly...

No, I can control it,she reminds herself firmly as her heart begins to ache. I must. I am not an animal, I have duties and responsibilities... and a family to care for.

But her thoughts still stray to images of Azura's eyes, to the warmth of her touch, to what she imagines might be the taste of her lips...

She swallows the hunger back with all her strength, burying her face in her arms and letting the warm, familiar musk of Laslow's clothes lull the dragon to sleep.

"Is somethin' wrong, Lady Azura?"

She heard Mozu's voice, but found it hard to tear her gaze away from the sky outside her window.

"...Hmm?" she finally asked, her fingers holding the down the pages of her book carelessly. From the bench near the fireplace, Mozu put down her sewing needle and frowned.

"Are ya okay, milady?" she said, setting the coat she'd been adjusting aside. "Are ya cold or feelin' sick?"

It seemed to take an eternity for Mozu's words to reach her.

"Eh? No, no, I'm fine," she said, shaking herself back to her senses. "I was just a little distracted," she said, glancing back toward the window.

Mozu gave her a thoughtful look.

"I'm sure everyone's doin' fine," she said as she returned to her work. "Kaze won't die so easily."

The sound of her husband's name sent a shock of guilt down Azura's spine. In truth, she had not so much as given him a parting thought since he'd left several days ago.

"R-right," she said, her throat dry. "I'm sure he... I'm sure he will come back. My brothers and sisters too."

"Everyone'll be fine," Mozu repeated firmly, her eyes on her stitches. "All ya have ta worry 'bout is your health, Lady Azura."

There they were, the words Azura had been hearing for weeks on end. At first, they had filled her with a warm pride and happiness, a reminder that she was soon to be a mother.

But... it's nothing to be proud about, she thought, staring down at the words on the open page. I've done nothing special, nothing worth celebrating. All I've done is selfishly bring a child into the midst of this war, and then selfishly asked to be excused from the front lines. Children are born every day, and children die every day. Why am I given every luxury to relax, when it was my own selfishness that forced my sister to fight on in my place?

"Mozu..."

"Yes, Princess Azura?"

"... No, it's nothing."

The evening whiled away in silence.

"Inigo, how come you always get so quiet around Lucina?"

He was twelve, hardly older than a child, and his face burned at the question. Severa frowned at him.

"Tell me," she commanded, hands on her hips and eyes ablaze.

"I dunno," he mumbled, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"It's not just Luci," Owain said as he turned the page of his book, his feet kicking into the air. "He's like that with everyone."

"Not with me!"

"You're different," Inigo insisted, continuing with the chain of flowers he'd been working on all afternoon.

"Different how?!"

"Well, you're hardly a girl," Owain snorted. Severa threw a shoe at his face.

"You, shut up!" she seethed. "I was asking Inigo, not you, you weirdo." She knelt behind Inigo and put him in a chokehold. "Tell me!" she growled.

"Ow! Stop-! Severa!"

They wrestled loudly for a few minutes until Inigo finally managed to pull free, panting heavily in the grass.

"What'd you do that for?!"

Severa wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, glowering at him.

"You act different with Lucina," she said, her tone accusatory. "I don't like it."

"Oooh, are you jealous Severa?" Owain teased, suddenly alert. He swiftly dodged her other shoe. "What's this, are you secretly in love with Inigo?!"

"No!" she spat as Inigo flushed. "It's just weird! He's not normal around her! And you, take that disgusting look off your face, it's creepy," she added, punching Inigo on the shoulder.

"Monster," he grumbled under his breath as he rubbed his arm. "I don't know, okay? I just... I freeze up around other people. You guys aren't a problem, but I dunno what to say to anyone else."

"So you're saying we're special?" Owain asked, his eyes glittering in the sunlight. Inigo shrugged.

"Guess so."

"Hehe, maybe we were destined to be friends, like in this book!" he said excitedly. "Maybe we've been friends in our past lives, and we've met all over agai-"

"That's so lame," Severa scoffed. "Who'd wanna be stuck with you guys forever?"

"I wouldn't mind," Inigo chuckled. "It's always fun, being with you two."

He thought he might have imagined it, but Severa and Owain both seemed to go a little red in the face.

"I guess it's alright, sometimes," Severa mumbled, avoiding their eyes. "But you still haven't told me what's up with your shy act in front of Lucina!"

Another scuffle ensued, and by the time it ended, the three of them were covered in dirt and scratches, laughing wildly.

"Say, Inigo, Severa..." Owain said as they lay stretched out on the grass. "Let's make a promise."

"What kind of promise?" Severa asked suspiciously. "I'm not doing anything stupid."

"It's not stupid," Owain insisted. "Your parents are going too, aren't they? To fight?"

"... Yeah," she replied, her voice quiet. Inigo nodded in silence.

"My mother says she doesn't know when everyone will come back. So we're all... we're gonna be on our own, aren't we?"

"Don't be dumb, Owain," Inigo said. "They're leaving us with friends and family and stuff. They'll be back."

"Yeah but... it's gonna be lonely," he said, and Inigo thought his voice sounded rather strained, as if he were holding back tears. "So, I wanted to promise that we'll all keep hanging out."

"That goes without saying, dumbass," Severa said, but she didn't sound quite as sure of herself as usual.

"Yeah," Inigo said. "We'll always be together, just like your book, Owain."

If the Nohrians had not been allies with the Mokushujin, it was unlikely that they would have ever found their settlement. About two days after the army left the relative safety of the woods in search of the forces that had attacked and killed Beruka, they were approached by a ninja holding a white cloth.

"Don't shoot!" Xander called, holding up an arm to prevent the archers from attacking the stranger. Everyone held their breath, tensions high, as the man was allowed to approach the crown prince and the commander.

"Your Graces," the ninja said, kneeling on the ground at Xander and Corrin's feet. "I am an emissary from Mokushu, here on the orders of our daimyo Kotaro to greet you."

Corrin did not miss the twitch of dislike in the corner of Xander's mouth.

"I see. And how do we know you are not an enemy in disguise?"

The man did not falter. He pulled a little scroll from somewhere in his cloak and presented it to the prince. Xander motioned toward Corrin, who accepted it and held it out to Kaze.

"You are best suited for recognizing a hoax from the real thing, Kaze," she said. Everyone watched as Kaze tore the scroll open and read carefully.

"It is, without a doubt, a Mokushujin missive, Princess Corrin," he said a moment later. "He tells the truth."

Xander nodded. "Your name?"

"Shin. I am only a messenger and guide."

"Very well. Shin, are you aware of the attack on our men that took place recently?"

Something changed in the man's demeanor, but Corrin couldn't put a name to it.

"I only know what the daimyo has told us, milord."

"I see," Xander said, his eyes flashing. "You will not mind waiting here, yes? We have a war council to finish."

"Of course not, sir," Shin said, lowering his head.

"Benny, Charlotte, please show our guest some proper hospitality," he ordered. No one in the camp needed an explanation to understand that Xander didn't trust the ninja alone for one second. "Return to your preparations. Come," he said, signalling to his siblings. "We have plans to make."

Corrin walked at his side, pulling her cloak over her shoulders as they marched through the snow toward the war tent. It was freezing, even with the double layer of clothes under the armor she'd thrown on in the morning.

"Are you alright, little princess?" Xander asked as he held the tent open for the others.

"Mm, just cold," she muttered as she ducked in and took her place at the table. In truth, she was exhausted, though she didn't have any real reason to be. She'd overslept, and she hadn't even done any training for the day so far, but she still had to stifle a yawn as the others settled down.

"Well, I don't know about you, darlings, but I have half a mind to tear that man open from head to toe," Camilla said, her expression dark.

"Camilla!" Elise cried in surprise. "Why would you say such a cruel thing?!"

"Why? How do we know he wasn't involved in Beruka's murder?" Camilla challenged. "If Kaze is to be believed, then the attackers were from Hoshido and Mokushu. And I, for one, do not doubt him. Surely you saw how shifty-eyed this Mokushujin looked?"

"Suspicious though he might seem, it doesn't mean he was part of the actual attack," Leo said, frowning. "We can't afford to make enemies of our allies just now. We don't know if there are factions in the Mokushujin ranks, or if perhaps the Hoshidans orchestrated the whole thing to make us doubt them. We have to keep calm, Camilla."

"My retainer is dead, little brother," she hissed, slamming a hand down on the table. "Someone must pay!"

"Sister!" Xander barked. "We are not here to murder all Mokushujin indiscriminately. We are here to find out the truth."

"Truth? What truth?! We already know the truth!" she said angrily. "The Hoshidans and Mokushujin conspired to ambush us! Had it not been for Laslow or Corrin, they would have had a perfect trap in wait for us when we left. What I want to know is why we're not storming their gates now!"

"Camilla, please!" Corrin scolded. "Xander is right, we are not here to kill innocents."

"Innocents?! After what they did to Beruka and Laslow? Your own husband, Corrin?!"

"Not every single Mokushujin was responsible for that," she threw back. And several of those that were had their throats ripped out, she thought to herself grimly.

"Then what, you'll let the bastards go free?!"

"No," she said, her voice cold as ice. "If this man, if any of the Mokushujin we meet turn out to have been complicit in that attack... I will kill them myself." A heavy silence fell at the table for a moment, and Elise glanced at both her sisters fearfully. "However, I won't hurt anyone until I'm sure they played a part in it. We are not bloodthirsty demons, Camilla. The Hoshidans hate us enough as it is."

"We are not here to make friends," Camilla said coldly.

"A conquest means taking people under our rule," Leo cut in. "Leaving too much resentment behind will only make governing more difficult in the long run."

"Who cares?! That's Father's problem, not ours-"

"Camilla, that's enough," Xander said. Though he did not raise his voice, his tone was dangerous enough to stop the argument in its tracks. "We are the royal family of Nohr. Though you may not sit upon the throne, your actions have consequences for us all. You know this, sister. Do not allow grief and hatred to cloud your judgement."

"What would you understand, Xander?!" she cried, and Corrin was almost shocked to see that tears were glistening on her sister's cheeks. "You don't know what it's like-"

"Of course I know," he said sternly. "I have lost retainers before, Camilla. The pain is beyond compare. As much as I wish I could allow you to express your suffering, we siblings do not have that luxury. As a princess, I ask you to put your own feelings aside for the time being."

Camilla grit her teeth, but it was only when Elise gently patted her shoulder that she sighed and gave in.

"Fine," she muttered. "I will... I'll try."

"Thank you," Xander said. "Now, about dealing with Mokushu..."

Treason was the worst crime any ninja could commit.

Though they dealt in lies and deceit, in shadows and murder, the only constant in a ninja's life was fealty. From birth to death, every ninja from every clan was taught that loyalty must always be unwavering, that to serve a master was to die for them, and that honor was upheld despite treachery by the strength of one's devotion to their clan and their master.

Kaze was raised no differently.

His clan, his family, they were his pride and his bloodline. They had served the Hoshidan royal family for generations, almost as long as the name of Saizo had been passed down from father to son. When Saizo, his twin brother, was chosen as the crown prince's retainer and Kaze had been chosen for the second princess, they'd been no more than children themselves. But even then, Kaze knew he would never, ever betray Princess Corrin, any more than he would betray his brother.

"Who was I supposed to choose, when it came down to a choice between the two of you?" he whispered, holding a knife up to the moonlight. It was the same blade that had cut Laslow, the same blade he'd shown to Prince Xander when he'd confessed that it was a blade from his own clan. He sighed heavily, leaning against the trunk of the tree he'd climbed. He'd chosen Corrin and Azura, in the end; his princesses, his charges and his masters. He'd sworn his life to protect them and serve them, but...

No one had ever prepared him for what would happen if they changed alliances. If it had just been Corrin, that was one thing.

But I could never betray Azura, he thought, his heart aching. A lifetime of care, a lifetime as an all too willing shield... how was he supposed to turn on that and point a blade at her?

"How am I supposed to point a blade at Saizo either?!" he said aloud, covering his eyes with his hand. They had never been close, by any normal definition of siblings, but they'd never had to be. Twins understood each other without gestures or words. At least, that's what Kaze had believed for most of his life.

But Saizo won't hesitate, he thought as he slipped the knife back into his pocket. So I can't hesitate either.

He knew it was easier said than done as he made his way back to camp.

"Inigo!"

He heard the voice but couldn't turn. It was hard enough holding his ground, flailing his sword with all the strength he could muster. The monster would not fall; every wound Inigo cut meant nothing to it, not until he struck something vital.

"INIGO!" Severa cried, and he had to throw himself aside so as to make the opening he needed to escape.

He hurried through the woods, his heart pounding in his chest, trying not to hear the awful, rattling breath of the undead all around him.

There they were. Three figures standing back to back, surrounded on all sides. He crashed through the foliage and monsters unceremoniously, slashing as he went, trying to reach them.

"Inigo!" Owain shouted as he reached out toward him. There was no time to express relief, no time to embrace, though they all clearly wanted to. Lucina nodded at him, and Severa wavered slightly in her fighting stance, but their expressions remained grim and tired.

"Sorry, got caught up," he panted as he turned to face their opponents. Red eyes glared from the darkness, no matter which direction he looked. "Not the nicest company we could ask for, eh?"

"Oh shut up," Severa growled, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. A thin trail of blood trickled from her lip. "You took too long."

"Yeah," he said, preparing to lunge forward.

"We're breaking through," Lucina said, her voice determined.

"Isn't that what I just did?" he grinned, and he thought he heard Owain groan.

"In the other direction, idiot," the prince grumbled. "Away from the army of dead things."

"Your character is slipping," Inigo said casually, sweat beading on his forehead as the tension rose. The monsters seemed to be waiting for them to move, and it only unnerved him more to think it.

"On my signal," Lucina warned. "And stay together this time."

"Yeah, the others are waiting for us," Owain said, flashing a grim smile.

"I'd rather die than fall here," Severa growled.

"That doesn't even make sense," Inigo chuckled. "If you die, I'll be right with you, Sev," he added quietly as their shoulders pressed together.

"Like old times, huh," she muttered.

"I'll be your shield if you'll be mine."

"That's a given, idiot. Make sure Lucina and Owain make it through, no matter what."

"Mm, just try not to die without me. Wouldn't want you to be lonely."

"Heh, as if. Just protect the princess, alright?"

"With my life."

There was a horrible roar and a clash of swords, but it was not Lucina he saw across the battlefield a few minutes later. Black hair like coal, red eyes like the Risen, but bright, fierce, alive.

"Corrin-!"

He awoke to candlelight and an indescribably sharp pain in his arm.

He was alone.

She can't keep her eyes open. The night seems to have crept up on her, her thoughts too sluggish to keep up with the meeting after several hours of debating the army's next move. She's the commander, she should be more alert, but she crawls into her cot like a child, tossing pieces of her armor on the floor without a care.

"You shouldn't make a mess, Corrin."

She's startled and suddenly alert; no one is allowed into her tent without her permission.

"Wh-who's there?!" she calls, holding up a candle toward the shadows on the other side of the canvas.

A lone figure steps from the darkness. A woman, familiar, somehow. A pair of golden eyes glitter above a black veil, a dark, flowing gown clinging to her body in just the right places. Corrin doesn't need her to step closer to recognize the long blue hair pooling at the woman's feet.

"A-Azura?! What in the world are you doing here?!" she cries, shocked. "How did you- no, what are you wearing?!"

Azura laughs, her voice soft and warm. "Really? That's what you're focused on?" She turns on the spot, her dress flaring out, the slit on her leg showing far too much skin for Corrin's self-control.

"W-wait, no, stop!" she says, holding out a hand and wildly trying to decide if she should cover her eyes.

"You don't want me to be here?" she asks sadly, almost as if she's disappointed.

"Of course I do, I just, I don't-" Corrin stutters. To her horror, Azura steps toward her, taking her hand.

"You don't have to be so stiff," she whispers, leaning in far too close for comfort. Corrin's heart feels like it's going to burst from her chest.

"Wait! Wha- What's going-!?"

She isn't given the space to finish her sentence. A hand caresses Corrin's cheek gently, a thumb lingering over her open lips. She can smell the delicious floral scent of Azura's hair, she can almost taste it on her tongue.

She makes a panicked sort of gasp.

"Haha, you're adorable, Corrin," Azura giggles, her nose crinkling above her veil. "It's only me, you know. It's the dress I wore in Cyrkensia."

"I know," Corrin breathes, some part of her still struggling to remain calm. "It's... it's just... very..."

Suggestive,she swallows, trying her best not to look at the soft skin showing through the slits, trying not to imagine running her hands over that waist-

"Wait, your stomach! It's flat!" she manages to say, shocked. Azura merely gives her a quizzical sort of smile.

"Why wouldn't it be?" she asks, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Corrin is too mesmerized to gather her thoughts, though there's something niggling in the back of her mind.

"I... dunno," she mumbles, at a loss.

"Silly," Azura laughs. She's almost straddling Corrin at this point, her body leaning over hers, but before Corrin can say anything, their lips meet, separated only by the thin cloth of the veil. It's hot, breathy, and strange, but it's enough. Corrin suddenly doesn't have any questions left to ask.

"Azura," she mutters, reaching up to pull the veil out of the way. The next kiss is hungry, desperate. Corrin has never kissed like this, never felt like her heart will burst just from a touch of the lips and tongue.

Azura's fingers are trailing up Corrin's stomach, pushing her tunic out of the way, and all Corrin can think as those fingers dance over her skin is yes, yes, gods, yes.

Her only moment of reservation is when the tunic is pulled over her head. Suddenly, she's overwhelmed by a different scent, a familiar, safe smell.

"N-no!" she cries, pulling away from Azura, clutching the tunic to her breast. "I can't, I have to wear this, I'm not supposed to forget!"

Azura pauses, her eyes sad.

"You love him more than you love me."

"No!" Corrin insists, but still she doesn't let the tunic go. "But I have responsibilities, I can't just throw it away. This is my armor, if I let it go, the dragon will-"

The dragon will win.

Azura takes her hand gently.

"Let it," she says simply, lifting Corrin's hand to her lips. A powerful shiver travels down Corrin's spine as that soft, wet tongue runs between the spaces of her fingers.

Let it,her blood echoes as her grip on the tunic falters, and finally tosses it aside in a wave of desire.

It's only after she's cried her voice hoarse, only after she's left with a blank mind and a heaving set of lungs that she finally comes to her senses, alone, in her tent.

Her thighs are wet, her fingers pressed between them, and a heavy feeling of shame crawls through her blood as she realizes what she's done.

I... what am I doing?! she thinks, mortified as she presses her face into her pillow. She can't believe she so easily threw Laslow's armor aside, she can't believe she so easily let her heart betray him after all the walls she built around it.

But most of all, as she hugs herself in self-disgust, she aches with the need to see the real Azura, so she can break her promises all over again.

Notes:

It's Azurrin Week, and this Azurrin fic was lacking Azurrin content so... Happy Azurrin Week, my guys. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)