[Halloween DLC]

I would bring up her ridiculous Cipher art, but I feel that's not really fair since the proportions and armors are off or at the very least different from their in-game counterparts; in one of her cards, Corrin simply doesn't wear pants.

Femui doesn't wear pants anyway.

[your fates RNG stories]

Conquest Chapter 26. Corrin gets crit by a 1% chance, has just enough HP to barely survive, and then dodges all the enemies who dogpile him after with +50% chances of hitting.

Not sure if the RNG was blessing me or just trolling that time.

[The Invisible Princess: A Mikoto Origin Story]

Chapter Two:

When the king died, contrary to Mikoto's expectations, the worst did not come to pass.

She had feared that the peoples' wills would crumble, terror would grasp Valla, and chaos would consume their country. But instead the opposite happened. The day after the news became public, Mikoto awoke to find what seemed like half the citizens of Gyges clamoring at the palace doors, demanding retribution for Theo. She sent them away, but they returned the next day. And the next. A hasty look in one of the crystal balls in the palace—designed to see what was happening in other places and pierce all deception—showed similar uprisings across the country.

A mob mentality had gripped the people nation-wide, but not one of fear, no; it was anger. Anger and hate. Theophilus may not have been a loved king—the people had seen him as weak-willed, too easily swayed by his friendship with Anankos—but he was not overly hated, either. And more than that, he was their king. He had gone to Anankos under a metaphorical white flag and been murdered. The injustice of that was ultimately what put steel back in their people's spines and reignited the fires of their hearts, and now they screamed for Anankos' blood.

Mikoto couldn't help but think privately that perhaps Theo's death was a good thing. As much as she mourned him—mourned for her sister, who now hunched her shoulders as though the weight of the world were upon them, and for little Azura, who would never know her father—she could see that the stink of fear upon Valla was lifting. Rather than fall into despair, they were rallying, rising up again. Theo had become a martyr, serving his kingdom better in death than he had in life. The famine still weighed on them, but they no longer buckled beneath it.

Now the greatest challenge the royalty faced was reigning the people in, stopping them from acting on their threats to Anankos. Because he was still a very, very dangerous god.

A week after Theo's murder, Mikoto went out on a walk with her retainers at the palace lake. One of the gifts Anankos had bestowed upon their nation was the ability to travel through water, either to different parts of Valla or to other lands, and the location of the palace had been chosen precisely because of its close proximity to water. Should the worst occur, the royal family would not have to go far to escape.

Assuming they still could, with Anankos's barrier spells in place. As soon as word of Theo's death has arrived, Arete had made undoing the spells Anankos set a top priority for their mages. So far they hadn't made any progress.

A light breeze tickled the nape of her neck and she shivered, still unused to having her hair so short. In Valla, when someone died, it was tradition for their associates to cut their hair in grief. How much hair you cut was proportional to how close you'd been—Azura was exempt, being a baby, but Mikoto had lopped off most of her black locks, leaving her with a short bob, and Arete, as Theo's wife, had shaved her head completely.

She was trying to calculate the benefits and downsides of advising Arete to lower the taxes, and whether that would mollify the people for a time, when she spotted a shape on the shore of the lake. She raised a hand to shade her eyes and squinted. It was a man, lying face down in the mud, lower half in the water. Surprise struck her, followed by suspicion—there was only one entrance to the grounds, and the guards would have notified her had someone entered. So who was he and how had he gotten here?

Ignoring her retainers' cries of milady, wait, it may be a trap!, Mikoto lifted her skirts and hurried over to the prone form. She rolled him onto his back, pushing aside the hood covering his face impatiently. He was unfamiliar, but he looked Vallite, with the long blue hair and strong aristocratic features many of the upper class had. Unusually, he had a red gem set on his forehead and slightly pointed ears. Mikoto patted him down, feeling for weapons and finding none—but when she pulled her hands away, they were sticky with blood.

Her healer's training immediately took over, and she began methodically going down the checklist. Locate the wounds—several on his chest and stomach, one deep puncture on his hip. Check the severity—the abdominal wounds ranged from minor to moderate; the hip wound was severe. Not fatal, but he might lose the use of his leg if it went untreated. Decide on an appropriate staff—well, her sun festal was the only one she had with her. She brought it over him, whispering the incantation for a healing spell.

Halfway through, the stranger started awake. His eyes flickered around wildly before landing on her, and she saw that the irises were as red as rubies—another anomaly, most Vallites had yellow or green eyes. He blinked, confusion etching itself on his face.

"Who…"

"Quiet," she scolded. "Let me finish healing you."

"Milady!" Her retainers, Damaris and Keiji, had caught up to her. Damaris grabbed Mikoto and yanked her back, hand going to her naginata, while Keiji pointed a finger at the stranger, the tip flickering with lightning. At this the man struggled to rise up, only for his legs to give way beneath him.

Damaris was the daughter of a cow herder, sixteen, with a hook nose, brown hair and amber eyes. She was a bit dreamy, but her graceful and determined, and her skill with a naginata let her overcome all odds and become a soldier—and, eventually, royal retainer. Keiji couldn't have been more her opposite if he tried: cynical, no-nonsense and a bit of a bookworm, with dark blue hair and wintry green eyes betraying his noble heritage. Already an accomplished mage, the twenty-year-old's family had long been in service to the royal family, and he'd dutifully followed their footsteps. They, along with Arete, were the only people who ever saw Mikoto without her mask. She trusted them implicitly, but given recent events, they'd become a bit overprotective—the one area they could agree on was diligence in regard to her safety.

Mikoto huffed. "I've already checked, you two. He's unarmed and wounded. He's not a threat."

"Even so, Lady Mikoto," Keiji began, eyes not wavering from the stranger, "We can never be too careful."

Pointedly, she asked, "Should I have stood by as he bled to death?"

That got a pause from Keiji. To the rest of Valla, Mikoto appeared a shy, reclusive, somewhat air-headed princess. Not worthy of attention. A little demeaning, but it was a useful deception. It meant any potential enemies underestimated her—and that meant they were in for a surprise if they tried anything.

But she was cunning, not heartless. If a stranger showed up practically on her doorstep, bleeding everywhere, she would never turn him away. She'd take appropriate caution when dealing with him, of course—but she wouldn't let him die, knowing she could have saved him, because he might be a threat.

This time, when she stepped back out, her retainers let her. The stranger's eyes did not move from her face as she finished healing him, and when she rose, offering him a hand, he did not hesitate to take it. As she pulled him up, his leg buckled beneath him, and so she lent him her shoulder—Keiji hurried over to take the other half of his weight. With Damaris's watchful eyes upon them, they slowly began the return trip to the palace.

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The stranger could not remember his name, so they called him Hydra, one of the more common names in Valla.

In fact, Hydra could not recall anything about his past at all. He looked like a nobleman, but none of the families had a missing male relative who matched his description.

His age was difficult to pinpoint—he had the sort of face that lended itself to agelessness—but he estimated himself to be in his mid-twenties. There was nothing on him to give a clue as to where he was from or what his occupation was, and when asked how he'd been wounded or ended up in the palace grounds, he'd just shaken his head apologetically.

Valla had many methods of uncovering falsehoods, and they quickly discerned that Hydra was being honest about his amnesia. It wasn't spell-made; they sat him on a throne of truth, which had been created to shatter deceptions and break spells, and it did nothing. After some consideration, Mikoto asked Arete if they could perhaps let him stay in the palace a while so the palace healers could try to fix his memory.

Her sister had barely paid attention to her request, giving her an absent nod as she stared at the report in her hand. Anankos had vanished almost immediately after Theo's murder; their soldiers were spread across the land trying to find him, and their mages using the scrying crystals, but neither group had found anything. One errant man with amnesia was hardly the greatest of her concerns.

For the next ten days, she visited Hydra in the palace infirmary, teaching him about Vallite society—someone else could have done it, but she was curious about him. The healers had been trying to cure his amnesia, without success, and today was the day they'd finally given up, deeming he at least knew enough to return to society. She bowed demurely to the healers, greeting them softly, making a vapid giggle at a random comment. The healers smiled politely and left. Damaris and Keiji took their places by the door—it was improper for her to be alone with a man, after all.

When she took her usual seat, she saw Hydra staring at her curiously, head tilted to one side. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Wear a mask. I saw how you acted with your retainers, that day you saved me. You were assertive and intelligent. You act flighty and shy, but you aren't." He hesitated, then added, "You don't have to pretend around me. I won't tell anyone."

"I'll…keep that in mind." In all honesty, Mikoto was startled by his words; she couldn't recall anyone seeing through her mask before, or even paying that much attention to her in the first place. Knocked off-center, she hastened to talk about other things; asking him how he was doing (fine), if he'd remembered anything (no), what his future plans were (he wasn't certain). Then she quizzed him briefly on Vallite customs—cutting hair in grief, removing your shoes when entering a person's residence, bowing before a superior until they spoke, to name a few—which he passed, and updated him one last time on the situation their country was currently in.

As she was rising to leave and likely exit his life forever, Hydra asked the question that, unbeknownst to them, altered the course of history. "About the famine…could you not use the power of the Dragon's Vein to replenish the land?"

She blinked, turning the suggestion over in her mind.

Using Dragon's Vein to grow food or replenish the earth was a very old technique, so old it hadn't even occurred to her. But in ancient days, if there was a problem with an area—say a river, relied upon by a nearby village, dried up—a member of royalty would ride out and warp the land itself to fix it. There was very little that couldn't be fixed with the technique.

The downside was that there were very specific locations where they could use Dragon's Vein, and that upon use, it couldn't be done again for some time. A bigger concern was that using the Dragon's Veins too often increased the time you had to wait for the "hotspots" to replenish, until eventually they just stopped. It was even possible to damage the land this way—there was speculation that Nohr's barren state had been caused by overuse of Dragon's Vein, and that no matter how the royalty tried, they couldn't coax the land back to fertility. All this, along with Valla's natural abundance, ensured the technique had gradually slipped out of use; nowadays Dragon's Vein was used more for combat.

But there was merit to the idea, and she told him so, thanking him with a broad smile.

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Arete hated the idea. She was adamant about not letting her little sister go out and cavort around the countryside while Anankos was still out there. Her friend and husband was recently dead; she wasn't about to lose someone else too. They had quite a long argument.

"Why do you always do this? Suggest plans with no regard for personal safety or how others around you feel? Do you think I want my sister out there, where that dragon could attack at any moment?"

"I'm just looking at the big picture. Arete," Mikoto had rubbed her forehead; why did Arete have to be so stubborn, she wondered, "if Anankos decides to attack, you know as well as I do that it won't matter whether I'm on the open road or behind castle walls."

Her sister's face had practically crumpled at the reminder of their powerlessness in the face of this threat. Dark bags were under her eyes, and the dark clothing she wore reflected the miserably, stressed mood she'd been in of late. "I can't…I can't lose you, on top of everything else."

Mikoto's face had softened, and she'd grabbed her sister in a hug. "I can't promise that you won't—"

"Dammit, Mikoto, that's not helpful—"

"—but I can promise I'll do my best to come back. Let me do this, please. Let me fix this one problem for you."

Arete had clung to her tightly, fingers digging into Mikoto's back. But slowly, she'd nodded against her shoulder.

Preparations were hastily made, so they could leave as soon as possible. Her retainers were coming, of course, and she was given a small squad of their best soldiers. Packing was swift: elixirs, festals, yumi—Mikoto paused to run her fingers lovingly over it; it was a gift from her father, crafted from the finest cedar he could afford and blessed by priests—some light armor, and a month's worth of rations. They would have to hunt for anything else along the way.

The day of the departure, there was no formal sendoff, no crowds of citizens lining the streets from the palace. Mikoto's trip had been kept a secret from most of Gyges, partially out of fear that they'd take it as an example to go out "hunting Anankos", partially because she was just a secretive person. Arete's face had been lined with weariness, as though she'd already written the trip off as a failure, as she hugged her sister goodbye. Mikoto tried not to let it bother her too much.

When she rode out to the courtyard, she was surprised to see Hydra lingering nearby, holding onto the reins of a horse of his own, bags packed, his face set with resolve.

"You're coming with us?"

Hydra bowed his head to her deferentially, but his voice was firm. "It was my idea that put you on this path; I would feel terrible if something happened to you while you were out there. I may not be very trained, but just being there would make me feel better."

Mikoto smiled at him. "So long as you're prepared for the risks, you're welcome to come along." He smiled back, and her face warmed a little. He was quite handsome.

Hydra mounted his horse and trotted it over to the others. The soldiers didn't much acknowledge his presence, but Keiji smiled politely and shook his hand, while Damaris gave Mikoto an amused, knowing glance from atop her kinshi. She blinked back innocently.

The captain of the guard clicked her tongue, and with that, they rode off.

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Their sojourn lasted two months, long enough for summer to begin to die. They could have gotten it done faster had they not been cautious, keeping a careful eye out for Anankos, but Mikoto was reluctant to trade safety for speed. It was unlikely they could escape if he attacked, even less likely they could kill him, so the only thing to do was try and remain unnoticed.

Hydra stuck closely to her the whole time. He was wearing a sword, but it was more for show than anything; if they were attacked by bandits, he was supposed to stay near her and pretend he knew what he was doing while the people who were actually trained fought. Still, he was adamant about protecting her, so whenever they set camp for the night she would spar with him a bit. Mikoto would be the first to admit that swordplay was not her greatest strength—she was better with archery—but she knew the basics well enough to pass it on. Hydra was a fast learner, and it didn't take long before he outstripped her meager abilities and started training with the more capable soldiers.

The rest of the soldiers seemed to like him well enough; he pulled his weight around camp without complaint, and he was always courteous when spoken to. His first real time in combat—against a group of desperate, starving wolves—had him saving Keiji from getting his arm ripped off, and that cemented him as "one of us", so to speak. He soon became fast friends with her retainers; he found Damaris's tales of farm life fascinating, and he and Keiji bonded over their mutual love for books.

To Mikoto's pleasant surprise, though, it was her company he sought the most. They had similar taste in literature and games of strategy, and it wasn't long before they settled into a pattern. Ride side-by-side through the morning to one of the locations marked on the map. Spend the afternoon calling down rain or revitalizing the earth with Dragon's Vein. Ride more until the sunset. Get together in the evenings, sometimes in discussion over the latest piece of literature they'd read, sometimes poring over a board of shogi, sometimes just talking about themselves.

She learned that Hydra was quiet, gentlemanly and humble, with a bizarre dislike of shoes and a penchant for collecting trinkets from the locations they visited. While normally serious, he did occasionally display a dry sense of humor, and had a sharp wit. He was intelligent and seemed to have no end of subconsciously retained Vallite lore, leading Mikoto to speculate that he'd been a scholar or historian before his memory loss. But beneath his mild demeanor was a very terrifying anger she only saw once and wished to never see again—when they had learned that a group of bandits had been kidnapping children and selling them into slavery in the southern regions, he'd been among the first to charge into battle with them, his normally gentle mien blazing furiously, his sword arm completely merciless as he cursed the bandits with surprisingly profane language.

(He'd apologized for his behavior later, but she hadn't blamed him; her fingers had also been shaking with rage against her bowstring as she drew, nocked, and released arrows into the bandit's flesh, and she'd ordered her soldiers to execute any survivors.)

Mikoto, in turn, opened up to him—at first just about little things, like her uncontrollable sweet tooth, the pet squirrel she'd named after King Ryurei when she was four, her admittedly childish love for snow days. Then she found herself telling him deeper, more personal matters: how she still missed her parents five years later, how inferior she felt to Arete sometimes, her longing for a family.

That last one had gotten a long, sympathetic look from him, a breach of propriety as he squeezed her hand, and a quiet "I can understand that." And then she remembered that he didn't know anything about his family; mortified, she blushed, but when she raised her concern he chuckled and waved it away.

Almost anti-climatically, while they encountered danger, their trip went off without a single sign of Anankos. So at the end of summer, they returned safely to Gyges, where news of their successful venture had arrived ahead of them. As they rode throughout it, the people wildly cheered for their success, throwing wilted flowers on the roads ahead of them. While Mikoto was pleased that everything had worked out, she couldn't help being a little saddened-the return to society meant she and Hydra had to return to their proper social standings. Secretly, she vowed to find a way to keep spending time in his company.

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"It's not my place to question you, Lady Mikoto," Keiji said, a week later, "but are you sure this is wise?"

It was mid-day, and they were in the marketplace of Gyges. The city was made entirely out of wood and stone—Anankos's first gift to the Vallites. Overlooking the city was the palace, layered like a wedding cake, looming on its hill to the north. To the west, at the base of the hill, was the lake where Mikoto had first met Hydra. To the east of Gyges was the expansive plains the covered much of Valla, dotted with lakes and streams at irregular intervals; to the south, the hills slowly rose to mountains, the exit to the Bottomless Canyon deep in their depths.

Mikoto's gaze strayed to the center of the marketplace. There was once a huge pillar there, with an effigy of Anankos, but after his murder of King Theophlius, the citizens had smashed it in a rage. Now all that remained was the defaced base.

They'd come to the city to visit the library, one of the finest pieces of architecture it had. The Gyges Library was a building two stories high, made of a mist-grey stone with swirled patterns carved into it and arch-shaped openings at regular intervals. It was there that Hydra stayed. Mikoto had called in a favor to the owner and gotten them to take Hydra on as a scribe, stressing his knowledge of history and love of books. She suspected he would enjoy the work.

"I think it's romantic," Damaris said. With her fondness for romance novels, it wasn't surprising that she'd become invested in her best friend's love life. "The princess sneaking out of her castle to spend time with a peasant. A peasant whose life she saved, no less!"

"Yes, and how well do you think it will end for them? Society has rules that have to be followed, even for—especially for—royalty. Life is not a fairy tale, Damaris."

"I know that." She said, defensive. "But it's nice to dream once in a while."

Before Keiji could respond, Mikoto glanced over her shoulder at the two of them, her smile tinged with a bit of melancholy at the truth of Keiji's words. "I appreciate your concern, Keiji. But I really enjoyed his company on our journey, and I'd like to spend more time with him. Being invisible at court can be lonely."

She paused, then added, "Besides, you're both his friends too. Don't you want to see him again?"

Keiji arched a thin eyebrow. "I doubt we're going to be able to get many words in."

Mikoto was saved from having to respond by a cart that nearly bowled her over, after which her retainers were distracted by being mother hens. By the time they'd finally ascertained that yes, she was alright, they'd arrived at their destination, and that was the end of the discussion.

The attendant welcomed them inside. His eyebrows rose when Mikoto told him who she was here to see, but he pointed her towards the back of the building. She handed him her cloak, smiling, and headed in the direction he'd indicated, her retainers trailing behind her.

Hydra was very surprised to see her, almost knocking over the papers he'd been scribing in his haste to rise and bow. "Lady Mikoto! I—I didn't expect to see you again."

She laughed. "I couldn't very well leave our discussion of The Trail to Dawn unfinished, now could I?" She paused, taking in the quillpots and books and ink all over his desk. "Or…are you busy now?"

"Oh…no, today's my day off. I was just working because I wasn't sure what else to do." He smiled. "I'd be glad to pick up our talk."

Mikoto returned it, genuinely, not the fake polite one she'd given the man at the entrance. "Excellent. Perhaps you could give us a tour of the library, too? Damaris has never been..."

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"You've been visiting Hydra a lot lately," Arete commented one afternoon over tea.

They were in the garden, watching seven-month-old Azura swat at the brightly-colored fall leaves. Mikoto's journey had occurred in the nick of time—they'd been able to repair enough land in time for the farmers to plant and harvest autumn crops. It would be very close, but as long as they were careful with the food they'd stored, they should have enough to feed most of Valla throughout the winter. Then spring would come and hopefully bring an end to this awful famine.

Mikoto took a slow sip of her tea, carefully schooling her face into one of polite disinterest. "What of it?"

She hadn't been trying to keep her visits a secret—that would only create speculation and rumors—and it didn't take long for the castle to realize who she'd been constantly visiting for the past two months. But they couldn't wield the information against her; she made sure to keep her retainers with her and stay in sight of the public, so no rumors of affairs could grow. There was a bit of buzz, of course, but there were far more interesting bits of gossip around than the business of their quiet princess and a scribe.

Her sister sighed. Her hair had grown out again, brushing her chin to frame her face nicely. The bags under her eyes had disappeared, and a visible light had returned to her eyes. So much weight had been lifted off her when Valla's food problem was solved. "Mikoto, I'm glad that you've finally found someone, but…you know nothing can come of it, right?"

"Of course," she said smoothly. "But there's nothing wrong with a little indulgence in the meantime, is there?"

Arete snorted. "A little indulgence can easily become a lot. Remember that he's a man with no past. He doesn't have the status to court you. Enjoy your dalliance while it lasts, Mikoto, but don't get too attached."

She made a non-committal noise, then changed the subject. "How's the work on Anankos's spells going?"

Arete let her back out of the topic, explaining that their court mages hadn't made any leeway in breaking the curse on Valla's name or the amnesia on Hoshido and Nohr, "But," she added, "they've found a crack in the barrier, and they're working on widening it. In a few months' time, we might be able to leave Valla."

It wouldn't do much good, of course, they couldn't just bring an entire population to other, potentially hostile, countries. But it was something. At least the option would exist. At least they wouldn't be trapped here with Anankos anymore, even if he still hadn't made his presence known.

Their chat continued, but Mikoto's mind remained on a man with red eyes and a soft smile.

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Love was a funny concept.

Mikoto's parents had not been in love. Like Arete and Theo, their marriage was arranged, but unlike them, her parents were never able to summon more than polite courtesy towards each other. That wasn't to say they were bad parents, no—they'd loved their daughters very much, and had always made sure they'd known it. They just hadn't been very fond of each other.

And they were hardly the only ones. Many of the noble families had rather frosty relationships with their spouses—nobody liked being forced to marry and sleep with a stranger, after all, so resentment built up from the start. Even Arete was hiding some lingering bitterness over having to marry Theo, Mikoto suspected, and theirs was one of the better marriages. She'd read in history books how some couples, such as her great-great-grandparents, downright hated each other, trying to sabotage the other at every turn. And this sort of thing was seen as necessary, for the honor, prestige, wealth, and continuation of the family line.

No, romantic love was not for the upper class.

Except—her heart beat faster when Hydra was around, and she noticed things. Inane things, like the breadth of his shoulders or the sound of his footsteps. Every slight brush of his skin against hers had her yearning for more. She found herself not really caring about what they were doing together, whether it was taking walks around the city, talking about literature, or just sitting in silence. She greatly enjoyed their time together, looked forward to it, found herself slightly depressed on the days she wasn't able to visit him.

And sometimes, she caught a look in his eyes. Sometimes he would look at her as though she were the sun and moon and stars wrapped up in one. But whenever he saw that she noticed, he would just smile and turn away. And she didn't want him to.

She had thought she just wanted children, but now that she'd had her sample of—of love, she was certain that was what it was—now that she'd tasted it, she found that she wanted more. But Arete was right, Mikoto knew; royalty didn't marry peasantry under ordinary circumstances.

It was quite fortunate that she was good at orchestrating extraordinary circumstances, then.

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Winter was only a few days away, now—it had taken Mikoto a week to come up with a plan, another to find a way to sneak Hydra into the castle, a third to carry it out. The only ones who knew what it entailed were her two retainers, who were vital in its execution.

Hydra was called to the palace that afternoon, under the presumption of fetching books to be added to the Gyges library. Keiji and Damaris had been instructed to intercept him as he tried to leave, express surprise at seeing him, and invite him to dine, which, Hydra being Hydra, he wouldn't refuse. They were supposed to keep him there long enough for the sun to set, then fake an apology and offer to let him stay in the servant's quarters for the night. However, Damaris would lead him to Mikoto's rooms, then she and Keiji would stand guard outside, having bought off the usual soldiers stationed there.

She was waiting in her bedchambers, running through everything in her head again, tapping her foot with nerves, when Damaris poked her head inside. Her retainer's face was tight with worry—this could go very badly for her friend, and she knew it.

"He's in the main room. Good luck, Lady Mikoto." Damaris said, then left.

Mikoto closed her eyes, whispered a quick prayer to the gods, and exited, walking swiftly through the hall to the main door. She lingered in the doorway, watching as Hydra looked about the room. The floor was covered in fur rugs, so the stone wouldn't wear on one's feet, but the walls were mostly bare, except for a giant abstract painting Mikoto enjoyed. On the left wall, a fire burned in its hearth, two chairs dragged in front of it. A window on the west side gave a pleasant view of the lake and castle grounds.

His gaze finally found the door she was waiting by, and her. As soon as he saw what she was wearing, his eyes widened and he hastily looked away, clearing his throat. Mikoto had left her hair tumbling around her shoulders and was clothed in only a loose red robe over her shift. It was downright indecent of her.

She took a deep breath—here goes nothing—and approached him.

"Lady Mikoto," Hydra greeted, not lifting his eyes from the floor. "I…your retainer seems to have brought me to your rooms by accident."

"It wasn't an accident, Hydra. I asked her to bring you here." She sank into one of the chairs by the fire, fingers digging into the arms to hide their trembling. She nodded for him to take the one opposite. "Have a seat."

He slowly did. Though he had leave to now, he still wasn't looking at her. "That sounds ominous."

She laughed, a little too loudly. "Only if you think I'll poison you with wine. I haven't seen you for several weeks now and I thought it'd be nice to talk, that's all." Because I've been deliberately avoiding you to set this up.

"You couldn't have waited to see me during the day, rather than call me here at night? In your chambers? In your—" he cleared his throat, "evening clothes?"

In hindsight, it wasn't a very subtle plan. Then again, it wasn't supposed to be.

"You're free to leave anytime," Mikoto said, ignoring his question, reciting her words just like she'd rehearsed. She reached over and poured themselves some wine that Keiji had swiped from the kitchens earlier that day. "Damaris will escort you to the real servants' quarters if you want, she's right outside the door. I just…wanted to talk, and I knew you'd probably be gone in the morning."

Hydra hesitated, eyeing the glass of wine she was offering him like it was going to explode. Mikoto waited, praying fervently he wouldn't take the out she was offering him.

After a long moment, he finally look at her, gave her a smile, and took it. "For a short time," he conceded, raising it to his lips. "What did you want to talk about?"

Mikoto studied him, watching his throat bob as he drank his wine. She swallowed and fanned herself discreetly, suddenly warm.

There were other ways to do this, she knew. Subtler ways, ones that didn't involve putting her heart on the line. She could start talking about inconsequential matters and steer the conversation to where she wanted it to go. Or she could refill his cup over and over until he was drunk, then coax the answer out of his loosened lips.

But she disliked the thought of manipulating him more than she already had. If things went the way she was hoping, she'd rather not sully the memory of this moment. If they didn't, well, she'd rather find out right away than drag things out. So she opted to take a leaf out of her sister's book and cut straight to the chase.

She threw back a shot of wine to steady her nerves, set her goblet aside, took a deep breath, and said "I'm in love with you."

Hydra choked on his drink. She waited as he spluttered and banged his chest; she should have gone to help him, she knew, but her muscles seemed locked in place, frozen by fear of his eventual reaction.

Finally he recovered his composure and shook his head, eyes incredulous. "I'm sorry, Lady Mikoto, what did you say?"

"I'm…in l-love with you." Dammit, she wasn't supposed to stutter.

She waited with bated breath for his response, anticipation mounting, then giving way to dread as silence stretched out. Oh gods, she'd misread his interest, she'd been fanciful and imagined all the signs, she was such a fool—

"I…would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same," he finally responded, sounding defeated, and she collapsed back in her chair, relief and joy pouring through her. "I think I've loved you from the moment I woke up and saw your face hovering over mine."

She closed her eyes. "Gods, that's…that's such a relief to hear. You have no idea how my heart fell when I thought—" She shook her head. "Well. You know."

"But, Mikoto—" He stopped, correcting himself. "Lady Mikoto—"

"No," she interrupted, "I…I like how you say my name, without the title."

Those beautiful red eyes closed briefly, and he sighed. "Mikoto," he acquiesced, and oh, she relished how her name sounded by itself, coming from him. "I'm overjoyed you feel the same, but…You and I both know I'm not worthy of you. I have no past, no family, nothing to offer you. I am so far below your station that just kissing you is liable to get me killed."

"I know," she said. "But—humor me a moment. Pretend for a moment there were no titles, no rules, nothing in our way. Pretend we were just a man and a woman, in love with each other. Would you marry me, if you could?"

"Mikoto…"

"Would you marry me?"

He gazed at her solemnly. "I would build you the world if I could."

She licked her lips, then quietly told him the rest of her plan.

When she was done, he was silent. Unnerved, she hastened to explain herself. "I know it's a lot to ask. You might not be ready, or you might be scared about the consequences, or—"

"Mikoto, no, that's—" He shook his head, a small smile working its way onto his face. "I always seem to lose my composure around you. No, I would love to…spend the night with you. But…your reputation…"

"That's what you're worried about?" She laughed, relieved. "The court has thought of me as an air-head for years. They can think of me as a floozy, too, so long as they don't think me as a threat. I only ever wanted a reputation to be courted, and I have you."

"What about your position as royalty? Your sister wouldn't kick you out of the castle, would she?"

"No. I wouldn't be dragged down, you'd be raised up. Stripping me of my status means putting my blood on the streets, where it can mingle with commoners'. Then one of them could use that to make a claim for the throne and start a rebellion. She'll be furious, but she won't risk that."

Hydra chuckled affectionately. "You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

She smiled. "There was a reason it took me so long to put this in motion. So is that a yes?"

In response, he slowly leaned over and kissed her.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuko was one of Mikoto's newest handmaidens, about thirteen years of age, with red cheeks, black hair in a loose bun, and bright yellow eyes. The unwanted result of one of the palace guard's affairs with a courtesan, the girl had been handed off as a servant as soon as her mother could get rid of her. She was rather eager to prove herself, showing up bright and early for work every day without complaint, but had a loose tongue and an unfortunate love of gossip.

Mikoto heard a startled yelp come from the door, and knew without looking the girl had just entered. She rolled over anyway, best she could with Hydra's arm around her waist, and peered out over the edge of the blankets. Yuko was backing away, hands covering her mouth in shock, and she blubbered, "Lady Mikoto! I—so sorry, my lady, I'll just—" and rushed out of the room. Mikoto watched her go.

Likely within the hour, the entire castle would know that Princess Mikoto had been caught in bed with an unwed man.

A small, satisfied smile crept onto her face, and she nestled back into Hydra's embrace, content. Just as planned.

Hydra's arm tightened around her, and his sleepy voice murmured in her ear. "I suppose our time together is up?"

Mikoto twisted in his arms, pressing a small kiss to his lips. "No. Our time together is just beginning."

All she had to do was survive the upcoming confrontation, and they'd have won.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Arete was livid.

Mikoto was right about the time it would take for the news to circulate. Scarcely an hour after Yuko stumbled upon them, Mikoto was called to her sister's chambers. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, she threw on a dress, instructed Hydra to lay low a while, kissed him one more time, and hurried over.

When the guards escorted her in, she found her sister pacing like an angry cat. Mikoto took a seat and looked at her expectantly, gauging how much trouble she was in. Arete was wearing her darkest blue dress, definitely not good; Arete only wore dark colors when she was extremely displeased.

The queen dismissed the guards with a terse nod; as soon as the door closed behind them, she wheeled around, golden eyes flashing with anger. "Do you know what you have done?"

Mikoto took her sister's anger in stride. Calming folding her hands in her lap, she responded, "I lay with a man outside of marriage."

"Not just any man!" Arete snapped. "Hydra! Hydra, the man without a past! The man who can't give you a future! I told you, didn't I, that your liaison was fine so long as it didn't go too far? And instead you slept with him!"

She shrugged, unapologetic.

The queen growled, running hands through her hair as she resumed her pacing. "Now what's to be done? That damned handmaiden of yours has told practically everyone, our family honor is at stake—"

The raven-haired princess shrugged again, doing her best to seem contrite. It was not easy when her heart was squealing with triumph. "My honor has been impugned, and I may possibly be with child; the only thing that can be done is for me to marry him."

Arete stilled, and very slowly turned around. "You planned this," she said lowly, accusingly.

Mikoto lifted her chin and braced her shoulders, sensing a storm. "Yes, I did. Is it really so bad for me to want for my own happiness?"

"When it causes you to take leave of your senses? Yes! It is!"

"I didn't just rush into this like a lovestruck fool. I planned everything out perfectly—"

"Oh, yes, because you can always account for everything. Damn society and damn the rules, you always know best!" Arete shook her head in disgusted anger. "Someday, Mikoto, you'll make a mistake with your little plans, and you'll pay for it."

Annoyance sparked in her, but she did her best to beat it down. It still bled into her tone as she responded, "Perhaps, but that day is not today. Everything's worked out nicely."

"For you it has, so who cares about anyone else? You have been such a selfish child—"

"Selfish?" And here a bitter laugh tore its way out of her throat. "I'm selfish? Well, why shouldn't I be, for once? I gave up everything to help you! I sacrificed my social life to slave around for you! I gave up my reputation so you could shine, and I gave up my chance at being courted for you—"

"And do you think I wanted that?" Arete screamed, stalking over, nostrils flared. "Did you think to ask me if I wanted that? I wasn't ready to marry! I didn't want to marry so soon! But I did, because you advised me to! Because you reminded me that it was my duty! And yet you flounced your duties for your desires—"

"What duties?" she shrieked, leaping to her feet in a fury. "I have broken no engagements, ruined no alliances! There have never been and would never be any offers for me! Not so long as you were around! No man ever wanted me if he could have had you!"

The doors slammed open, and they jumped back, startled. The guards rushed in, weapons drawn. "Your Highnesses—we heard yelling—"

Arete's fingers curled into fists, but she drew herself up with all the regality of the queen she was. She took a single, deep breath, then gave the guards a fixed smile. "Nothing to worry about, I assure you. My sister and I were just having a disagreement about her…paramour."

The way she said the word, paramour, like it was something disgusting, dropped a chunk of ice in Mikoto's belly. Anger faded, giving way to guilt and regret. She'd suspected Arete had resented being pushed into marriage, but she hadn't done anything about it, and that resentment had festered. And now her grasp for happiness may have destroyed her relationship with her sister.

"Arete—"

Her sister turned away, staring out the window.

"I will allow the marriage. You've left me no choice. Again. Now leave."

She slowly rose to her feet, wanting to say something, but her sister's tense shoulders and stiff back sent a very clear message. Quietly, she left.

[The Invisible Princess: A Mikoto Origin Story]

I actually posted this on ff.net last week, but after updating yesterday I thought I should put it up here.

The premise of this fic is exploring how Mikoto ended up as Queen of Hoshido. I've done a lot of research into the timeline and lore of Fates to make sure everything fits. Beyond just telling how Mikoto got to where she is at the start of the game, I'll also be applying some alternate character interpretation to her character, adding worldbuilding, and trying to inflict some greyness into the Hoshido-Nohr conflict when it eventually rolls around. It starts shortly before Corrin's birth and will end shortly after the kidnapping, with an epilogue set when Corrin returns to Hoshido in Chapters 4/5. Expected length is about 7 chapters, though the word count is significantly higher.

Naturally, there are spoilers ahead. You shouldn't read this if you aren't aware of the plot reveals in Revelation or care about remaining unspoilered.

You can find the original here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11860540/1/The-Invisible-Princess. Rather than start a feedback topic, I'd prefer it if comments, reviews and feedback were dropped there (though if that's not okay with the mods, let me know and I'll remove the link and open a feedback topic up).

Chapter One:

Her month-old niece was a small thing, all soft skin and big gold eyes and wispy blue hair. The white of the bow in her hair and of her coronation dress made her look even more delicate, almost like a porcelain doll. Sunlight kissed her brow and she squirmed a little, squinting in the light, even more precious in her precariousness. Everyone in the kingdom fell in love with her the moment she was presented to them.

Thunderous applause rang from the streets below as the priest finished his annunciation of Princess Azura of Valla. The entire city of Gyges was assembled below, peasants and nobles alike brushing shoulders. In the distance one could see decorations lining the streets and town square, along with various stalls. The king and queen, Theophilus and Arete, stood at the forefront of the balcony with the priest holding their precious daughter, waving to the crowd. Hovering in the background, in the shadows cast over the balcony, Princess Mikoto couldn't suppress a smile—Valla hasn't had much cause for celebration lately. The birth and christening of their new princess was just the thing needed to lift their kingdom's spirits.

With the formalities over, the celebrations could commence, and the sounds of laughter and chatter floated up as the people began bustling to the different stalls in the town square. The priest returned Azura to her parents' arms and stepped back, bowing respectfully. The guards escorted the royal family into the castle, passing through the maze of corridors until they reached the great hall, where they, the nobles, and some lucky upper-class merchants would be dining.

Azura was passed off to her nursemaid, who left to return the baby to her chambers. The servants ushered the royal family to their table, up on the dais—Mikoto was at her sister's right hand, who herself was at the king's right hand—and scurried off. Their retainers and some of the particularly wealthy or politically powerful nobles were placed facing them, but at a slightly lower table. A sign of favor—the closer you were to the royal family, the better your position at court, and Mikoto could see some of the lesser nobles eyeing the coveted table enviously. Particularly the spot at King Theo's left hand, left carefully empty, awaiting someone who would likely never return.

The servants returned, precariously balancing platters of food. Duck seasoned with spices, thick loaves of raisin bread, roast pigs studded with chestnuts, fruit cut to resemble brilliant jewels, rabbit-and-herb stew. It was not as excessive as it would have been, had Valla not been in a state of famine, but there was certainly more food in one place than Mikoto had seen in months. Part of her was already calculating the cost of such indulgence, while another was overjoyed at all the food, and a third part reminded the rest that a bit of excess was warranted for the birth of a princess.

The raven-haired princess cut thin slices of her pig, relaxing slightly. The topics currently being discussed were of little importance, innate chatter about the weather and such, and so she allowed her mind to wander. Her mind drifted again to the christening, to the little baby and the people's joy over her, and a pang of jealousy shot through her chest.

At seventeen years of age, she was well past the age of eligibility, but no suitors had stepped forward for her. It was her sister they'd always wanted, her sister with their father's pendant and claim to the throne. When their parents passed away five years ago, Arete had ascended the throne at the age of fourteen. People immediately doubted the young queen's ability to rule, whispering that she lacked experience, that it would be better to install a regent, even though she was of age, albeit barely. Noblemen began presenting their sons to Arete in droves, calculating eyes upon the throne. Arete had refused at first, adamant that she would be no one's puppet queen. But Mikoto, even at twelve, had already had a head for politics, and advised her sister to marry to gain allies. It was her words that finally got her sister to cave.

Theo was the eldest son of a priest, well-educated, popular at court. Eighteen years old—close enough to Arete's age that Mikoto didn't feel bad about pressuring her sister to marry him, far enough that he had more worldly wisdom at his disposal. His lineage was good enough that the other noble families wouldn't feel shunted, and he was said to be a good, just person, if somewhat weak-willed. He was perfect. Through some clever maneuvering on Mikoto's part, she was able to get them introduced, courted, and wedded within a year.

Arete was the queen the people loved, and Mikoto the princess the court ignored. But that was for the best—they had no idea how skilled she was at manipulation and subterfuge, no idea that it was her hand steady at her sister's back. She was the one who dispelled the unpleasant rumors that circulated as the years trickled by and Arete and Theo failed to conceive an heir, the one who eliminated threats to her sister before they could manifest, the one they trusted and relied on the most.

No, she didn't regret being in the shadows; that was where she could best serve and protect her sister. Still, though, she sometimes couldn't help but wish for some fame, so that perhaps she'd catch a man's eye and start a family of her own. Children were the one thing she longed for more than anything.

She was shaken out of her melancholy by the sound of a name—not hers, but one widely known and dreaded throughout the kingdom. "A pity Anankos couldn't make it," Theo remarked through mouthfuls of duck, a little wistfully.

Mikoto bit her lip. To her left, Arete let out a resigned sigh. With his father one of Anankos's priests and him expected to follow his footsteps, it was natural that Theo had grown up spending a lot of time with the dragon. It was natural that he had befriended the dragon. The problem was, Theo's friendship made him somewhat…blind.

The nobles and dignitaries traded a few looks at Theo's remark. "Perhaps it's for the best," one of them, a man by the name of Daisuke, dared to say. "After his destruction of the Brightwood…well, I don't know if I would be willing to trust him near the new princess."

Theo shook his head, firm and determined. "I'm telling you, I know Anankos. There's nothing to fear from him. He just made a mistake, that's all."

"Aye, a mistake that razed an entire forest to the ground." Remembering who he was speaking to, Daisuke hastily adjusted his tone to be more reverent. "Your Majesty, if it were just a mistake, he wouldn't have run, surely."

"Why wouldn't he, after the way we treated him?" Theo's voice was as sharp and cold as an icicle. "We ostracized him and cowered from him. He has done so much for us—so much—and the moment he slipped, we turned on him. That's the exact attitude that would have only strengthened his already low opinion of us. We need to stand by our friends in times of trouble, not abandon them."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," another noble interjected, "Anankos was your friend. Not ours."

"I think that's enough out of all of you," Arete interrupted as her husband opened his mouth again, eyes flashing. "Today is a joyous day, one of celebration. Not division."

The nobles backed down, murmuring half-hearted apologies, and switched topics to safer things. Tight-lipped, Theo let them, instead turning to whisper angrily with his wife. Mikoto looked down at her pig, stabbing it with perhaps more violence than necessary.

Centuries ago, there had been a devastating war between Hoshido and Nohr. Refugees from both sides had fled, and by a stroke of fate came under the protection of a deity. That deity had brought them through the Bottomless Canyon to a previously-unknown land, where they quickly founded their own kingdom, one that had a mixture of both cultures. In exchange for the deity's protection, they'd sworn to venerate him forever. That kingdom was Valla, and that deity Anankos. And for a while, things had been well.

But as the decades passed, the people lost faith in Anankos. He had an incredible amount of power at his disposal, power no human could dare to match. While he had never shown any interest in the throne, he had always been a welcome addition at court and trusted advisor to the royal family—but gradually, bit by bit, that changed. People were afraid of him, and he knew it. His appearances at court dwindled down to nothingness sometime during Mikoto's grandparent's reign, and he retreated to dwell with his clergy. But he did not forget the slight against him, and to the people's terror, it seemed to be driving him mad.

Shortly after Arete and Theo's wedding, Anankos had appeared in court for the first time in five decades, but not as a human—he had shed that form long ago. No, as a dragon, he landed outside the palace and commanded the new king and queen to put isolationist policies in place, and it was here that Theo's friendship with the dragon worked against them. He had been very reluctant to obey, but he had obeyed nonetheless. One spell, done by their most skilled mages, to wipe themselves and their kingdom from all living memories and written records; another spell to raise a barrier between their worlds; a third to curse their kingdom's name, so that it might never be uttered Outside. They truly were an invisible kingdom, and public opinion slowly turned against Anankos.

Things only worsened when Anankos devastated the Brightwood last year in a fit of draconic fury. The effects had been catastrophic—Brightwood had been a sprawling forest nearly 500 acres in size, one of the chief sources of Valla's lumber, meat, herbs, leather, and furs. The loss of such a bountiful habitat had done a terrible thing to their economy. Construction and reconstruction efforts ground to a half, textile production was down, medicine was down, almost everything was affected. Theo had even been forced to impose rations on meat.

The people had always been afraid of Anankos giving in to his base nature, and his policies had not been well-received, but in light of this event, their imaginations had run away with them. Now they whispered rumors that he had ordained the isolation of Valla to have an easier time destroying it. Mikoto and Arete did their best to quash such rumors, of course, but it wasn't easy to stand up for the deity when part of you wondered it was true.

It wasn't easy to stand up for someone you resented, and maybe even hated a little.

Mikoto's grip on her fork tightened as she remembered their father, gasping for life as his body scattered into water. That was something else Anankos had done—at the dawn of Valla's civilization, he'd written a song and ordered the royal family to learn it. He'd granted them a pendant, and in combination with the song it was supposed to soothe his mind, keep him from going insane.

Except the cost came at the singer's life. Not immediately—but the drain on him or her built up over time, hurting and weakening them until they eventually died, dissolving into water. That was the fate that had befallen their father, and would someday befall Arete, and Azura, and Azura's eldest child. That was how it had always been in their family, and how it always would be, because the alternative was letting their god slide into madness.

And in the end it was all for naught. Anankos's mind had fractured anyway, and now he was a half-mad recluse living on the outskirts of civilization. The members of the royal family had been giving their lives for nothing. Her father had given his life for nothing.

Bitterness at the unfairness of it all welled in her throat. Mikoto turned away from Theo and Arete—whose arguing was starting to get louder now—and instead focused on her pig. Ignoring the problems of the world wouldn't make them go away, she knew, but for once she'd rather escape them than face them.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The situation worsened as the weeks went by. The food in their reserves dwindled down, as a drought killed the crops and the hunters refused to go into the forests. Fires became more common thanks to the lack of rain, and there wasn't enough wood to rebuild what was destroyed. Trade between cities slowed to almost non-existence as people refused to take to the roads. Mikoto was a ghost at court, always watching, always silent, always ignored. She almost never saw Arete or Theo anymore, busy as they are trying to keep Valla from crumbling apart. When she did, they were usually huddled together, whispering angrily—she caught Anankos's name more than once, and knew they were arguing over whether to seek him out or not. She'd already been pondering the issue herself for weeks, turning it over and over in her mind, and reached her conclusion.

If Anankos truly desires to destroy us, Mikoto had thought late one evening, picking at a pathetic little quail, he doesn't even have to do anything. He can just sit back and let us hang ourselves with a noose of fear.

That was the thought that made up her mind. When Arete and Theo finally came to her for her input, it was desperation that had her siding with Theo. With Valla cut off from the other kingdoms, they simply had no way to procure the resources the people needed. They needed to find Anankos—either to beg for his aid, or to show the people there was nothing to fear from him and hopefully motivate them into working again. With her sister and her husband siding against her, Arete had no choice but to acquiesce to their wishes.

"I still don't like this," Arete warned as Theo saddled up his horse, his retainers already at waiting at the gates. It had been two months since Azura's christening, and even though it was morning, the air was already heavy with the beginnings of summer heat. There was an assembly gathered in the courtyard of the palace, there to see their king off, buzzing with uncertainty. Mikoto bounced her niece in her arms, watching her sister and her husband say their farewells.

Theo smiled at his wife fondly. His marriage to Arete had not been born of love, and they still weren't in love—but they were friends, and that was more than what some could claim. "You never like my crazy plans."

"Well I like this one even less! Showing up begging for his help after driving him away? That's going to put him in a bad mood from the start."

"It would, if it were why I was going. But it's not. I'm not just going as a king seeking aid, but as his oldest friend trying to help him regain the prestige he lost. Surely he'll understand."

Arete sighed and shook her head. "I wish I had your faith."

"It's for the best you don't. After all, who would keep me grounded in realism?" That got a chuckle out of her somber sister.

Theo hugged first Arete, then Mikoto. He made a few last funny faces at Azura, who burbled happily, and then swung onto his horse. As he and his retainers departed, the crowd applauded wildly, Theo's bravery and optimism infecting them. Mikoto watched all this, marveling at her brother-in-law's ability to remain positive. Perhaps, she dared to hope, he was right. Perhaps Anankos just needed a friend to help him. Perhaps they don't have to fear their god going insane and destroying them all.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks later, one of Theo's retainers returned, bloodied and swaying in his saddle, and told them shakily of how Anankos had attacked and killed the king.

And the people of Valla rioted.

[Child Scramble Convo Topic]

Takumi-Shigure

Sakura-Midoriko

Elise-Lutz

Felicia-Dia

Thanks~

Takumi/Shigure: Not sure if I like IntSys jabbing at the pseudo-bro-sis incest or if I wish they'd just leave it alone so the conversation could not make me uncomfortable.

Sakura/Midori and Elise/Percy were really cute <3

Is it just me, or does Felicia/Dwyer feel unfinished? I dunno, it ended kind of abruptly.

[Pairing up is so troublesome when you find a good support chain.]

I suppose.

Though how does FemCorrin wotk out if thet marry Xander or Ryoma? They have their own Kingdoms.

Who knows? IntSys was too lazy to write an actual epilogue explaining that!

They're either a long-distance relationship, or the epilogue lied and the big brothers stepped down to let someone else take the throne while they live in Valla with their wife.

[Pairing up is so troublesome when you find a good support chain.]

Anyways, I agree with above. Corrin x Azura is so canon it hurts and the fact you loose a child makes me angry af.

Eh, Dwyer's worthless so I don't mind sacrificing him, plus it means I can headcanon Jakob and Flora hook up after the war. If I could do the same for Scarlet and Ryoma I totally would ;_;

Tbh the kids annoy me in their entirety but that's another topic for another day so

Agree with the guy who said it's a shame Beruka's mods are complete crap for everyone but Ignatius, she has so many good supports but she ruins so many kids. Same for Rinkah and Selena.

[Child Scramble Convo Topic]

M!Corrin/Fem!Kana finally got translated! http://megidoladying.tumblr.com/post/142064073469/mkamuifkanna

Very cute, they totally seem like the type to geek out over booth games. I was worried it'd end up as generic as Fem!Corrin/M!Kana.

[Lost in thoughts all alone - Google translate version]

"night's sleep all day" is my favorite. Like no duh, the night is, uh, "sleeping" during the day. Thank you very much for posting this, I needed a laugh.

[Child Scramble Convo Topic]

Thank you so much for this, I've been waiting a while for it!

Also wait, Azura/Shigure wasn't translated before this? Whaaaaa???

I'm still sad about no m!Corrin/f!Kana

Thanks a bunch for your hard work, Karasu!

[A Sardonic Look at Fire Emblem Fates]

As hyped up as Valla is, it suffers from the same problem Nohr has: an amazing premise that is ruined by the game only superficially trying to portray the faction, and barely explaining the politics of the faction or how it actually operates/functions/what it's culture is. In fact, at least Nohr has "generic Europe" going for it, and Hoshido has "generic Japan" going for it----------I don't know what Valla was supposed to be based on. Greece? Rome? Carthage, maybe? There's not enough information about it to draw any definitive idea about what Valla was/is one way or the other.

Didn't the devs say they based it off India?

[Pairing up is so troublesome when you find a good support chain.]

I will never not be resentful of Kaze x Nyx basically killing Midori, because their supports are too damn cute.

At least Elise!Shiro can be a Basara.

[Fates 4Koma Kings Translations (COMPLETE)]

Are you psychic?

Yes I am, fear me!

No, but I am laughing at how appropriate that comment is now.

[Child Scramble Convo Topic]

Here's Benny/Kana. Waring; cute as bears.

http://jokerthebutler.tumblr.com/post/141965765438/hoshido-bond-festival-scramble-dlc-conversation

Benny is the best, 10 out of 10.

Kana is the best ninja.

Benny is a precious cinnamon roll too good for this earth <3

[Child Scramble Convo Topic]

1.

2.

3. prepare to be disappointed

I don't mind requests and I do put everything on my list but I won't make any clear cut promises because to be honest it is kinda tiring doing too many characters you don't care a lot about.

Thanks for all your hard work! Quick note, you accidentally linked to the "edit" page instead of the convos themselves, for Felicia/Kana and Hana/Soleil.

Beruka makes a case for being a bad mom ("I'm glad I threw you in the Deeprealm" is an awful thing to say, even if you think it made your child grow up better), Felicia started out okay then got hijacked by her clumsiness gimmiack, and Soleil continues to convince me to never pair Laslow with anyone not named Peri.

[Fates 4Koma Kings Translations (COMPLETE)]

Chaining yourself in place isn't that smart, Fuga. Sure you don't get blown away, but that just means they can pepper you to death from afar with arrows and magic.

LOL at Corrin wanting longer hair like his brothers.

[A Sardonic Look at Fire Emblem Fates]

The thing is that she wasn't particularly handicapped. They were IN Valla, and as demonstrated by the seventh chapter in Revelation, she knows essentially everything there is to know about the current conflict. Even if that weren't the case, we still don't see her even trying to reveal what she knows; she invades Hoshido without any remorse.

I think he means she had to keep quiet because otherwise the third route wouldn't exist. She has no in-character reason not to say anything, so they make her act out of character for the sake of the third route, which is a pretty big handicap.

[Bad/Horrible support conversations!]

I live to serve.

I think male!Kana's best S ranks are Nina, Rhajat (or maybe Midori if you don't want Rhajat as a daugher friend-in-law), Ophelia, and Selkie. Female!Kana's best S ranks are Percy, Ignatius, Asugi, and Kiragi.

(If you wanted to know anway, if you didn't then sorry for that).

Okay, I swear that this will be my last post on this topic.

I actually thought Fem!Kana's S-rank with Forrest was better than her S-rank with Asugi, and that Ignatius's hits the "friendzoned" button a little too hard. But I agree about Kiragi and Percy, they're both really cute. Especially Kiragi's hesitant "when we're older...would you be my princess?" precious pineapple jr. is precious

[Child Scramble Convo Topic]

Camilla-Soleil

Localization is going to censor the crap out of this one.

I know you said you're done for tonight, and I respect that, but could you put Camilla/Nina on your request list?

[Azura and Corrin- (Spoilers)]

The difference here being that it isn't an arranged marriage. At the time, it was understandable why marriages were arranged -- the logic of keeping the royalty line, "pure" so to speak, and keeping the marriages pretty much strictly political rather than actually having emotional investments in them. In the case of Fire Emblem Fates, it even would make sense because you wouldn't want people going around having the ability to use dragon abilities that the royalty has, such as freezing rivers / bodies of water. Imagine if a group of brigands somehow managed to have the ability to freeze water and the standard civilian couldn't.

I think he means that the historical context gives grounds for the people of Fateslandia to not really give a crap about marrying their cousins, especially if they didn't know they were cousins at the time. Their marriage may not have been arranged, but cousin marriage would have occurred enough to be seen as normal and for them not be bothered when they did find out (though it still doesn't excuse how nobody ever acknowledges it).

Maybe I never noticed because I was a female Corin, but I was of the opinion that Azura was the secondary hero sort of thing they have seemed to like to do since Fire Emblem 7 where the character has quite a bit of dialogue and has almost as much at stake, if not more than the protagonist at moments.

Eliwood - Hector

Eirika - Ephraim

Ike - Titania (Radiant Dawn seems to replace Titania with Ranulf here).

Micaiah - Sothe

Chrom - Robin

With Chrom and Robin being the only one that kind of gets weird because after part 1 because the roles reverse. But outside of maybe Micaiah and Sothe, I never really felt there was much of a push for the hero to go with that sort of character. I suppose Awakening kind of mocks you for not doing it as a female with Lucina, but Robin justifiably and satisfyingly responds with irritation and quite a bit of animosity.

No, you're right, she is the deuteragonist, but while she's not "pushed" in the veins of Chrom/Sumia, the devs did go out of their way to give her extra things none of the other girls got and include some shippy dialogue.

[Azura and Corrin- (Spoilers)]

I do wanna know why they made them cousins in the first place. To... excuse the dragon blood?

Like, it's just like a "ps" or footnote.

Did someone sneak it in the script? It feels like it.

IntSys has an incest fetish?

No, seriously, that's the only reason I can think of, because everything that relies on Corrin being Vallite royalty had another, easier explanation. Corrin having dragon blood? His dad is the dragon. Corrin taking the throne? "You conquered it, you own it" is practically Fire Emblem logic. Corrin needing a reason to bang the siblings? Simple, don't let him bang the siblings.

The only moment that maybe kind of actually relied on them being Vallite was their little jaunt through the lake in Conquest 15, which is implied to be something only Vallites can do. And even then! Even then they didn't have to be related, just Vallite.

Anyway, you make a good point with the Hoshido siblings. All that mental gymnastics to justify S-Ranking them at the cost of one of the game's motifs and then they make the most encouraged pairing in the game cousins. What was the point, aside from Waifu/Husbandos?

This. I mean, I get that Japan has different cultural values and they see cousin marriage as acceptable, and that making their pushed pairing related wouldn't hinder them. I just...don't see a reason for it to be in the game. They don't do anything with it. It's just there.

[Azura and Corrin- (Spoilers)]

On that note, I find it absolutely hilarious whenever I see someone going 'it's disgusting because they're cousins' on Tumblr considering that a) the Supernatural Fandom is easily one of the biggest fandoms on the site and b) that Wincest shipping (Sam x Dean, who are actual, blood-related brothers) got so popular that it was acknowledged on the show. Not saying it's a bad thing (I don't judge), I just find it a little ironic is all.

Going off-topic, but I will never understand the double standards on that site. Apparently anything is okay as long as the people involved are the same sex, but the same situation for two people of the opposite gender? Bash 'em to oblivion.

Anyway, it could have been worse. They could have been half-siblings. Wouldn't be the first time the franchise has done that.

[Azura and Corrin- (Spoilers)]

First cousin marriage actually was legal in the medieval ages, and it is legal in Japan (and even parts of the West). That's why they can S-rank after finding out--their cultural values and the values of the people who made the game don't care about kissing cousins.

With that in mind, I don't really have a problem with it and still ship them hardcore, since I view Corrin as his own character, not mine. IE he's the one marrying his cousin, not me. They don't care, the game doesn't care, so why should I? My only real qualm is that it's really badly handled. If they'd actually taken care to integrate proper foreshadowing, or at least have them talk about it, it wouldn't seem so contrived and pointless.

[Bad/Horrible support conversations!]

Speaking about Camilla I have heard from some people that most if not all her supports revolve around Kamui obsession and that she doesn't really have much depth otherwise. Is that true? I have read some of her supports and I can see where they are coming from(the Silas support was really hard for me to read).

She has a great support with Niles, where she talks about how much the Nohr courts scarred her...and then it never comes up in any of her other supports. Most of them do revolve around Corrin or don't develop her character much.

So while she does have some depth, it's left mostly unexplored. Such a missed opportunity.

[Recollection of Bubbles]

Note that Arete having the pendant doesn't contradict that. The King had gone to Anankos numerous times to try to reason with him. What they could have meant is that he was not prepared to die in their last encounter and so he wouldn't have the pendant on him.

Plus there's just no way nothing isn't going to get contradicted at some points. Revelations had a different writer from the other two routes to begin with.

True, but it does make things...slightly suspicious. If she could use the pendant, and the king could use the pendant, and the pendant could only be used by members of the royal family, then doesn't that make them...related? IntSys's incest fetish strikes again

Things definitely get contradicted at some point or other, what the way this game is set up. Heck, even the epilogues can contradict. It's just a matter of finding which contradiction fits the story best.