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4leavesonaclover Small notes to preface this and to make certain things make more sense. Of course, ask if there are any questions, constructive criticism is important for writers! Both kingdoms have their own language, which is just Fantasy German for Nohr and Fantasy Japanese for Hoshido, but they have common tongue that has been spoken for generations (English). Nohr's poor conditions make it difficult to grow spices and therefore it is used rather sparingly due to having to be imported from Hoshido, which will explain why Corrin is overwhelmed with flavour. Hoshido also has more capacity to have a lot of beauty products while Nohr is more practical with bathing, hence Corrin's confusion over how much items they use in her bath. The Hoshidans getting upset every time Corrin mentions her Nohrian siblings is a side effect of them being a bit jealous and bitter that she has good memories and hobbies with the family that stole her away while knowing nothing of them and what they had before Corrin was kidnapped. If the Hoshidans seem a bit more harsh or OOC, that is a side effect of Corrin having severe anxiety and overthinking their actions and emotions. She got kidnapped, revealed she is a long lost princess to Hoshido and now having a formal dinner when most of her (known) life was inside a fortress. Naturally, being in this social situation would overwhelm anyone. Corrin is also an avid reader (how else would you pass the time without going insane?) which is why she also constantly references stories. Also this Corrin is slightly different in appearance as the "canon" one in that she has dark hair just like Mikoto.
---
Eternity seemed to pass after Corrin had returned to her room after meeting with Azura. She hadn't felt comfortable touching anything inside that old room. Queen Mikoto had never touched them anyway, and Corrin didn't feel like they were hers. All the items in that room belonged to a metaphorically dead girl, and Corrin could not feel any connection of the girl who once lived to herself. Touching them felt disrespectful, even if it was supposed to be hers. She had tried reading the books, however, they were written in Hoshidan script and therefore incomprehensible to her.
A knock finally broke Corrin out of her identity-torn fog. "Lady Corrin?" It was Kaze. After having met him again in Hoshido, the two had grown closer ever since his escort of her to Shirasagi and then helping save Hinoka and Sakura. Queen Mikoto seemed to have noticed their closeness and allowed Kaze to pledge his service as Corrin's retainer, which relieved the amnesiac princess to have at least one familiar face with her. "Lady Mikoto has a dinner prepared for you and your siblings. She would like this opportunity for you to meet and hopefully bond more with them."
The very idea of talking to her unfamiliar family sent a feeling of dread down her spine. However, the joy and relief her family had in seeing her again... Corrin didn't have the heart to turn it down after all the preparations the queen must have made in order to welcome her back. "Okay," she said, "is there anything I should do to prepare myself for the occasion?"
"Just a bath should do," replied the green-haired ninja. "The servants have already prepared it for you, and Lady Mikoto has selected a fitting kimono for you to change into."
"Alright, I'll go do that. See you at dinner then?"
"Unfortunately, Lady Mikoto has requested that the retainers eat separately tonight, she wanted it to be a more personal dinner with just the seven of you."
"That's alright," responded Corrin, trying to hide her disappointment, "I'll see you later tonight then."
After her bath, which surprised her with how much soaps and scented oils and tonics were used, she was fitted into her kimono. Despite the soft material it was made of, it felt heavy and restricting on her. Corrin felt like the peasant girl impersonating a dead princess from her stories. Like a fake. Nevertheless, she steeled her nerves and slid open the door to the dining hall.
The sight of the table was more than enough to make her jaw drop. The dishes before her made all the celebration dinners back at Nohr look like a common farmer's meal in comparison. She could see a large plate of fish and other seafood, a large bowl of soup, even the vegetables seemed well presented. Her bowl of rice was inlaid with small leaves that had a rich aroma to it. Even the rice has spices? Corrin thought. She had known of spices, but they were rare in Nohr due to having to be imported. The amount of spices used in this feast could have been enough for decades worth of her birthday dinners in Nohr.
As if understanding her confusion, Mikoto spoke up. "This is Nanakusa-gayu, a porridge for special occasions made by preparing rice with seven different herbs. It is meant for good fortune."
"I-I see," said Corrin, still stunned by the differences of Nohr and Hoshido. Still, the custom seemed fascinating to her. It seemed she still had a lot to learn.
One by one, the other Hoshidan royals came in and sat down. Corrin was about to pick up her chopsticks and eat when Azura put her hand over Corrin's as an unspoken sign of "not yet."
Mikoto spoke up. "I would like to say a few words to my newly returned daughter. Corrin, we are deeply grateful for you being brought back to us. I hope that you may be able to find a home here and grow closer to us like you once were. Now, let us enjoy the meal that has been made for us. Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu." The four Hoshidan siblings and Azura chorused. Realizing too late she also had to say it, Corrin hastily said "Eetadakkymass!" before cringing at her own horrendous pronunciation. She could feel her siblings' eyes boring into her and melted in her seat.
"I-it's okay," said Sakura. "I had a hard time saying it too, growing up."
"It's nothing to worry about," reassured Ryoma. "We will help teach you more Hoshidan while you are here."
"T-thanks, Ryoma, and Sakura." Corrin said, grateful for their understanding. She still feel Takumi eyeing her, however.
It was Hinoka who then spoke up, "So, I wanted us to go out like we used to, but I realize I don't actually know what you like to do these days. What do you do for fun?"
"Oh! Well I love to read! There's so many lovely fairy tales in Nohr. One of my favourites is the one with the long-haired princess locked in a tower, I suppose because I related to her..."
She couldn't help but notice Hinoka's slight disappointment and Takumi still eyeing her warily. Trying to take her mind off the awkwardness, she decided to eat some of the food. However, having never used chopsticks in her life, the food fell pathetically on the table.
"It helps to hold it like a pen," advised Ryoma. "You have better control of it that way."
Despite her best efforts, she just couldn't seem to learn and had to just settle with using the spoon for her soup. Only for her to nearly gag at the sudden intensity of flavour. The most she had ever tasted was salt and pepper, and maybe the slightest hint of other spices. But this? Sure it tasted amazing, but it also felt like sensory overload. Still, she managed to keep it down.
"T-those stories sound lovely" Sakura said. "M-maybe we could read some Hoshidan stories together... once you learn more Hoshidan perhaps."
"I'd love that." Corrin relaxed hearing her youngest sister's kind words. "I also love playing chess. It's an amazing game of strategy, even if Leo is far better than me. Still, he taught me and-"
Her voice trailed off seeing the Hoshidans look uncomfortable at the mention of her younger Nohrian brother. I shouldn't have said that...
"It sounds like a similar game to shogi," said Ryoma. "Perhaps I can teach you to play when we have the chance."
"R-right, I'd appreciate that."
"It sounds like you didn't have much in Nohr." Hinoka spoke up. "Don't worry, we'll definitely show you around more, and I definitely want to taking on a flight with my pegasus!"
"I... I'd love that." Corrin felt exhausted keeping up with everyone. She didn't feel like the sister they had missed for so long. She felt like a body double being made to impersonate the lost princess. Judging by the expression on Takumi's face, he seemed the think the same. But this was no story.
Do I really belong here?
---
Eternity seemed to pass after Corrin had returned to her room after meeting with Azura. She hadn't felt comfortable touching anything inside that old room. Queen Mikoto had never touched them anyway, and Corrin didn't feel like they were hers. All the items in that room belonged to a metaphorically dead girl, and Corrin could not feel any connection of the girl who once lived to herself. Touching them felt disrespectful, even if it was supposed to be hers. She had tried reading the books, however, they were written in Hoshidan script and therefore incomprehensible to her.
A knock finally broke Corrin out of her identity-torn fog. "Lady Corrin?" It was Kaze. After having met him again in Hoshido, the two had grown closer ever since his escort of her to Shirasagi and then helping save Hinoka and Sakura. Queen Mikoto seemed to have noticed their closeness and allowed Kaze to pledge his service as Corrin's retainer, which relieved the amnesiac princess to have at least one familiar face with her. "Lady Mikoto has a dinner prepared for you and your siblings. She would like this opportunity for you to meet and hopefully bond more with them."
The very idea of talking to her unfamiliar family sent a feeling of dread down her spine. However, the joy and relief her family had in seeing her again... Corrin didn't have the heart to turn it down after all the preparations the queen must have made in order to welcome her back. "Okay," she said, "is there anything I should do to prepare myself for the occasion?"
"Just a bath should do," replied the green-haired ninja. "The servants have already prepared it for you, and Lady Mikoto has selected a fitting kimono for you to change into."
"Alright, I'll go do that. See you at dinner then?"
"Unfortunately, Lady Mikoto has requested that the retainers eat separately tonight, she wanted it to be a more personal dinner with just the seven of you."
"That's alright," responded Corrin, trying to hide her disappointment, "I'll see you later tonight then."
After her bath, which surprised her with how much soaps and scented oils and tonics were used, she was fitted into her kimono. Despite the soft material it was made of, it felt heavy and restricting on her. Corrin felt like the peasant girl impersonating a dead princess from her stories. Like a fake. Nevertheless, she steeled her nerves and slid open the door to the dining hall.
The sight of the table was more than enough to make her jaw drop. The dishes before her made all the celebration dinners back at Nohr look like a common farmer's meal in comparison. She could see a large plate of fish and other seafood, a large bowl of soup, even the vegetables seemed well presented. Her bowl of rice was inlaid with small leaves that had a rich aroma to it. Even the rice has spices? Corrin thought. She had known of spices, but they were rare in Nohr due to having to be imported. The amount of spices used in this feast could have been enough for decades worth of her birthday dinners in Nohr.
As if understanding her confusion, Mikoto spoke up. "This is Nanakusa-gayu, a porridge for special occasions made by preparing rice with seven different herbs. It is meant for good fortune."
"I-I see," said Corrin, still stunned by the differences of Nohr and Hoshido. Still, the custom seemed fascinating to her. It seemed she still had a lot to learn.
One by one, the other Hoshidan royals came in and sat down. Corrin was about to pick up her chopsticks and eat when Azura put her hand over Corrin's as an unspoken sign of "not yet."
Mikoto spoke up. "I would like to say a few words to my newly returned daughter. Corrin, we are deeply grateful for you being brought back to us. I hope that you may be able to find a home here and grow closer to us like you once were. Now, let us enjoy the meal that has been made for us. Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu." The four Hoshidan siblings and Azura chorused. Realizing too late she also had to say it, Corrin hastily said "Eetadakkymass!" before cringing at her own horrendous pronunciation. She could feel her siblings' eyes boring into her and melted in her seat.
"I-it's okay," said Sakura. "I had a hard time saying it too, growing up."
"It's nothing to worry about," reassured Ryoma. "We will help teach you more Hoshidan while you are here."
"T-thanks, Ryoma, and Sakura." Corrin said, grateful for their understanding. She still feel Takumi eyeing her, however.
It was Hinoka who then spoke up, "So, I wanted us to go out like we used to, but I realize I don't actually know what you like to do these days. What do you do for fun?"
"Oh! Well I love to read! There's so many lovely fairy tales in Nohr. One of my favourites is the one with the long-haired princess locked in a tower, I suppose because I related to her..."
She couldn't help but notice Hinoka's slight disappointment and Takumi still eyeing her warily. Trying to take her mind off the awkwardness, she decided to eat some of the food. However, having never used chopsticks in her life, the food fell pathetically on the table.
"It helps to hold it like a pen," advised Ryoma. "You have better control of it that way."
Despite her best efforts, she just couldn't seem to learn and had to just settle with using the spoon for her soup. Only for her to nearly gag at the sudden intensity of flavour. The most she had ever tasted was salt and pepper, and maybe the slightest hint of other spices. But this? Sure it tasted amazing, but it also felt like sensory overload. Still, she managed to keep it down.
"T-those stories sound lovely" Sakura said. "M-maybe we could read some Hoshidan stories together... once you learn more Hoshidan perhaps."
"I'd love that." Corrin relaxed hearing her youngest sister's kind words. "I also love playing chess. It's an amazing game of strategy, even if Leo is far better than me. Still, he taught me and-"
Her voice trailed off seeing the Hoshidans look uncomfortable at the mention of her younger Nohrian brother. I shouldn't have said that...
"It sounds like a similar game to shogi," said Ryoma. "Perhaps I can teach you to play when we have the chance."
"R-right, I'd appreciate that."
"It sounds like you didn't have much in Nohr." Hinoka spoke up. "Don't worry, we'll definitely show you around more, and I definitely want to taking on a flight with my pegasus!"
"I... I'd love that." Corrin felt exhausted keeping up with everyone. She didn't feel like the sister they had missed for so long. She felt like a body double being made to impersonate the lost princess. Judging by the expression on Takumi's face, he seemed the think the same. But this was no story.
Do I really belong here?
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 05:39 pm (UTC)