"There once was a girl who could sing and dance with unimaginable skill. She was beautiful and strong, and many noblemen tried to court her. The girl was resilient, for she preferred books and lakes to parties and grand meals.

For many months suitors came to her door, only to be turned away. In time she came to be known as the Ice Princess, for many thought she was cruel and her heart had frozen over.

Eventually, the girl's father had enough. "If you cannot find a husband suitable for you, then i will find one for you." He told her.

The girl was upset, so she ran away, fearful of her cruel father's choice. She ran for many days, eating what she could find and drinking form rivers.

Hungry and tired, the girl stumbled upon a cave at the base of a mountain overlooking open plains. She went inside, seeking shelter from the night.

Inside, she was shocked to find a great steel dragon resting upon a pile of golden treasures.

"Who dares enter my cave?" The dragon asked.

"My name is Aqua." The girl replied, her voice strong and proud.

"Why do you not flee? Does a dragon of my size not frighten you?"

Aqua placed a hand over her chest. "My father is a cruel man who would see me married to a monster. I would rather live among the animals than be with him."

The dragon chuckled, amused. "You may stay here for as long as you like, if you have treasure." You see, dragons hoarded treasures. Gold, silver, coins, and gems. All were things dragons craved.

The girl nodded, unclasping a necklace laden with sparkling crystals. "There you are, dragon." She spoke, placing the necklace at the dragon's feet.

The dragon nodded and let her sleep. He let her drink from a spring nearby and showed her how to find delicious roots and berries. He brought back many deer and sheep to eat, and for a time all was well.

"It has been three weeks." The dragon said one morning. "I need another treasure if you are to stay here."

Nodding, Aqua gave him a ring from her left hand. The dragon was satisfied for a time.

"It has been another three weeks." The dragon said again. "I am in need of another treasure from you."

Aqua nodded, removing a ring from her right hand.

Time passed, and soon the Dragon would speak of his homeland to Aqua. He would tell her of the many different tribes and dragon cities. Aqua, in kind, would tell the dragon of her own home.

Time passed, until finally Aqua had run out of treasures to give the dragon.

"If you cannot give me treasure, then I must ask you to leave." The dragon was reluctant to let her go, for she was the first friend he had made in many years.

Saddened, Aqua left, singing a sad tune to herself. The dragon had followed her, flying silently above to ensure she left his land. Aqua's song travelled far, and it soon reached the powerful ears of the dragon. It was shocked, for it had never heard anything of that beauty before.

It landed in front of her, moved almost to tears at the song's utter sadness.

"Please." The dragon pleaded. "Sing a happy song."

Aqua shook her head. "I cannot, for you have asked me to leave. I must return home to my cruel father."

"Return to my home." The dragon asked again. "And sing for me, that is all I ask."

"I won't have to give you treasures?"

"Your song is treasure enough."

And so Aqua returned with the dragon, who finally revealed his name to be Kamui. The two sang everyday, happy and free. They fell in love, and Kamui prayed to the gods that he could become human. Moved by the dragon's pleas, the Gods allowed the dragon to transform into a human using a special gem, but in return, he must leave behind the treasures he had collected over the years.

Kamui agreed, and the next morning a special stone lay at the entrance to the cave, and the piles of gold and gems were gone. Kamui grabbed the stone, and was transformed into a human. He was tall and handsome, and Aqua could finally embrace him as a lover.

They lived together in the woods, hunting and farming. They had two children, strong like a dragon and graceful as a dancer.

They lived happily ever after."

"Whoa..."

"Did you like it?" Azura asks as she closes the small leather journal.

Kana bounces in her bed, squeezing herself in a hug. "I loved it! Tell it again! Tell it again!"

Azura laughs in her melodic way and runs her hand through Kana's unruly hair. "It is past your bedtime, little dragon."

Kana slumps forward, her ears drooping. "Aww..."

"Goodnight, Kana." Azura kisses the girl on the cheek. "I love you."

"Love you mama!" Kana calls back. She dips beneath the covers, sliding down into the bed with only the top of her head poking out.

Azura gets up from her bedside and turns off the lamp, double-checking to ensure the nightlight was still plugged in. Azura closes the door with a quiet click and moves on to her son's room. The boy was sitting beneath a large bay window, a book in hand.

Azura smirked at the cover. It was a collection of poetry, gifted to him by Nina. "Good night Shigure." She says with a knowing smile, and before Shigure can even reply his phone buzzes, a picture of Nina popping up on the screen.

Azura decides to leave, silently waving to him as he fumbles to reach his phone.

Finally Azura arrives at her own room, where Corrin is laying in bed. He's holding a small leather-bound journal above his head, scribbling into it with a pen. It looks very uncomfortable.

"Hey." Corrin greets, his attention never shifting from the book.

"Are you writing another story?" Azura asks, stripping into her nightclothes.

"Mhm." Corrin hums. The scratch of the pen on paper is noisy in the small room.

"Why are you writing so many stories." Azura asks. Catching his eye, she hurriedly adds; "Not that Kana nor I hate it. In fact Kana is quite in love with the new fairytales we have acquired."

"I want to create something personal for her. Shigure was raised on art and song, but Kana is a little more wild. She hardly has the patience to sit in one place for long." Corrin explains. "But stories are different. She could listen to them all day, it's quite remarkable."

"She is... excitable." Azura hums.

"If Kana insists on all these stories, isn't it more special to come from her father or mother? Why should we read her some mass-produced book when we could guide her with our own words."

Azura smiles and slips into bed. "You are a talented storyteller." She compliments, placing a hand on Corrin's forearm. "Though it's getting late."

Corrin glances at the clock. "It's not even nine-thirty."

"And I was up at six cooking breakfast."

Corrin leans in close and kisses her nose. "I'm thankful for that. You could have woken me up."

"Mhm." Azura blushes and nestles closer to Corrin, settling onto the pillows. "You are always tired, you needed the extra hour."

Corrin closes the book he was writing in and turns off the lamp, snuggling close to his wife. "You just don't want to drive Shigure to art camp tomorrow."

Azura grins in the dark, her eyes glowing. "Maybe."

()()()()

Corrin tapped his fingers on the wheel happily as the radio blasted some pop tune he had never heard before.

"Thank you for the dinner last night.' Shigure says.

"Oh come now." Corrin grins. "You're leaving us for a whole month. The least your mother and I could do is take you out for dinner."

"Thank you, again."

"She'll miss you a great deal."

Shigure nods, "Mother was always doting in private."

"Your mother and I will miss you dearly, but I was talking about your sister."

"K-Kana?"

Corrin nods. "Of course. She thinks the world of you, even if she has trouble showing it in a proper way."

Shigure blushes and runs a hand through his long bangs. "I...know she loves me but..."

"Kana was the one who insisted we go out for dinner in the first place." Corrin says as they merge onto the international highway between Valla and Hoshido. "She wanted to pay for it, but her piggy bank couldn't afford even her own meal."

"I'll have to call her when we get there."

Corrin smiles and pats Shigure on the arm. "Good boy."

Shigure rolls his eye but says nothing.

Taking a deep breath, Corrin became tense and solemn. He leaned over and lowered the radio volume. "Son, there comes a time in every man's life where we must talk about a very important matter. Since you're going to be on your own for a long time, and anything could happen, we should talk about it."

Shigure blushes and looks out the passenger window. "Father, I-I know about the... uh... birds and the bees."

"Not that." Corrin says, a hint of a smirk breaking through his face. "I'm talking about how every man needs to know about Updog."

"Updog?" Shigure says, cocking his head. "What... what is Updog?"

Corrin smothers a laugh with one hand, the other gripping the wheel tightly. Shigure shakes his head, confused.

"Father, what is Updog?"

Corrin bursts out laughing, tears springing to the corner of his eyes. Realization slowly dawns on Shigure, who can only palm his face and groan.

"Father..."

()()()()

Corrin slumps down onto the couch many hours later, exhausted. "Driving is more tiring than I thought..."

Azura slides up beside him, tucking her legs beneath her. She passes him a glass of wine, her own held in the other hand. Corrin nods and takes the drink, gulping down half of it before taking a gasping breath.

"Thanks, dear." He says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You have good reason to be tired." Azura sips at her wine. "You drove for the entire day."

"I wanted to call you on the drive home, but Camilla called me first." Corrin says.

"Oh? And she talked to you for that long a time?"

"Well, first it was Camilla, then Elise, and they prompted me to call Hinoka and Sakura, which turned into calling pretty much everyone."

"Everyone but your darling wife?" Azura mock pouts.

Corrin leans over and kisses her cheek. "I had something better than a phone call in mind."

"Oh?" Azura smiles, a wicked glint in her eye. "And what would that be?"

"Well, how about we-"

"PAPA!"

Corrin hides the disappointment on his face expertly, swivelling around to find Kana scrambling up the back of the couch. The girl crests the top of the couch, tumbling forward in a mess of bring pink pyjamas and blue hair.

"You're home!" She grins from her position upside-down in Corrin's lap, her feet dangling off the front of the couch.

"And you're supposed to be in bed." Azura tuts, carefully moving her wine glass away from Kana's wild flailing.

"I heard Papa come home though..." She pouts.

Corrin placed a hand on Kana's stomach, holding her down. "Do you know what happens to little girls who don't go to bed on time?"

Kana stills immediate, her mouth opening in a silent, horrific scream. "Pa...Papa..."

Corrin presses slightly harder, careful not to hurt her. "They get..."

Azura slides away from Corrin, taking the wine glass from his hand. She quickly gets to the safety of the armchair opposite the couch.

"Papa, no!"

"THEY GET TICKLED!"

Kana screeches and Corrin brings his other hand up to tickle her sides. She fails wildly, kicking Corrin in the chest a few times by accident as she laughs and cries.

Kana manages to scramble out of Corrin's grasp. Landing on the floor, her bare feet scramble against the hardwood before sprinting off upstairs. Corrin follows seconds later, roaring and laughing.

()()()()

With Kana back in bed, the couple returns to sitting on the couch. The TV plays some old action flick, though the volume is near mute. A motion to respect Kana's rather light sleep pattern.

"I think we should get a dinner and a movie."

"Oh my, are you asking me out on a date?" Azura replies, bringing a hand to her mouth in mock shock.

Corrin rolls his eyes and sips his wine. "I'm serious, you know. A movie, dinner, drive around a bit, get lost on some country roads. Stuff we used to do in high school."

"And Kana?"

Corrin nods. "She could spend some time with one of her grandmothers, or Lilith. I'm sure Arete wouldn't mind a visit."

Azura smiles. "It has been a while since I've seen mother."

"So how about it?" Corrin smiles at her.

Azura leans her head on Corrin's shoulder, looking at the TV. "I'd love to go out with you." She says.

Corrin chuckles. "I should have written a note and left a check box for 'Yes' or 'No.'"

A/N: Special thanks to TheApocryphalOne for reviewing all the time. 3. And curse you FE Heroes, for taking $250 and not giving me my Songstress wife.

I may have a problem...