Warning: minor spoilers for Fire Emblem Revelations ahead

"Run Kana!"

"I'm running as fast as I can Nina!"

"WELL THEN RUN FASTER!" The girl yelled while looking over her shoulders. Sure enough, they were still being chased and their pursuers were starting to gain on them. Swearing under her breath and ignoring the burning sensation in her legs, she grabbed the other girls arm and hurried her along, ignoring her protest as she did. The terrain was rocky and slippery under their feet, and should they slip they could easily fall into the seemingly never ending chasm below them; the sky was dark, spewing lighting and thunder every few seconds, as if it were to fall upon them any second.

In other words, the Bottomless Canyon was not a place for children to be running around; but giving the circumstances it was either that or have the both of them drawn and quartered by a group of very angry bandits.

How the hell did I get into this mess? Nina thought to herself, Oh right, because of my stupid heart...

Ever since she could remember Nina had survived by relying on no one else but herself. She never knew her parents, meaning that they were either dead or didn't want her, and honestly she never really cared to find out. Her earliest memories were of a rundown orphanage where she was cramped with a dozen more unwanted brats who would never shut up and a "caretaker" that cared more about using what little money was provided to them for her gambling and drinking habits. So Nina learned very soon that no one else was going to look out for her but herself and that if she wanted something, anything, she would have to get it for herself. From then on out she would rely on no one, teaching herself everything from how to read and write to braiding her own light pink hair. But that wasn't enough to keep her stomach from growling at night, so she had to resort to less savory acts.

Stealing became her means of obtaining food and money; she started small, stealing coins from the other brats at the orphanage when they weren't looking and then hiding her loot before going out to buy bread and meat for herself. After a while she got a little bolder, stealing a little more every time and even managing to steal a little from the caretaker every now and then. Unfortunately she got careless one time, resulting in the thrashing of a lifetime that left a scar on her back that would never properly heal. Soon after that she ran away from the orphanage at the age of 7, realizing that she was better on her own than in that wretched place.

She then spent the next few years wandering through Nohr, moving from city to city in order to find new targets for her to pick on. At first she tried to steal only from "bad" people: bandits, corrupt officials, and other people like that. However it soon became clear to her that the world wasn't as black and white as she thought. In fact, it seemed like the world was nothing but black. So many people she had met that seemed decent, only for them to turn out to be hiding something that made them utter scum. So she decided to hell with it and essentially began stealing from everyone and anyone; and fortunately the war between Nohr and Hoshido provided her with several opportunities, from cleaning abandoned houses to ransacking corpses of fallen soldiers. It wasn't pretty, but neither was the world and eventually she just closed herself off to everything.

And then she met Kana. It was on one of her many trips to the border between Hoshido and Nohr. She had heard that there had been an intense clash between both armies that had devastated some of the villages in the area, which of course meant lots of abandoned houses and dead bodies to loot. Upon arriving to one of the villages she saw that it had been almost razed to the ground and completely empty, but she decided to explore none the less. She had just finished cleaning out a house when she heard it: the most pathetic whimper. Curiosity got the best of her so she decided to follow it until she found the source. A small girl that seemed to be severely malnourished and possibly at the edge of death struggling to stay awake. She was dressed in filthy rags covered in mud and dried blood, and her silver hair fell past her shoulders and covered her eyes.

Nina's gut told her to simply leave the girl and go on her way, and she actually started doing that; however she had only taken a few steps when she began whimpering again, almost as if she was trying to speak. Maybe it was pity, or maybe she just wanted her to shut up, regardless Nina took out some bread and meat that she had been carrying with her and dropped it in front of the girl.

"Here. That should last you for a day if you're smart. Also there's a stream about ten minutes' walk from here. You can get water from there," she said bluntly before turning around and walking away.

She thought that would be the end of it, that she would never see that girl again—most likely because she would end up dead anyway. What she was not expecting was for the girl to show up in her campsite one night out of nowhere, scaring her half to death.

"Get out of here! Shoo, shoo! I'm not giving you any more food! Go die somewhere else!"

Unfortunately it all proved pointless and the girl would not leave, and even began to follow Nina wherever she went. She tried everything to get rid of her, including ignoring her, insulting her, striking her across the face (lightly), and even threatening her with her knife; but the girl was relentless and would continue to follow her silently. Even when she tried sneaking away in the middle of the night when she was certain the girl was sleeping, she still somehow managed to find her by the next day. Nina was at her wit's end when she realized that the girl could easily become a hindrance to her main form of revenue if she wasn't kept on check. So when they reached the next village, Nina had hatched a plan.

"Okay listen up twerp," she growled as they hid in the forest near the town, "this is how this is going to work. I'm going to get gold from there and I don't need a brat holding me back. So here's the deal: I'll give you food if you stay right here and wait for me. Understood?"

The girl nodded her head rapidly.

"Good. Here's some bread and smoked ham," Nina said handing the aforementioned items to her companion, "wait right here and when I come back I'll give you some cheese too. Understood brat?"

"...Kana."

"What?"

"My name is Kana," she said quietly.

"Whatever twerp, I don't care. Just stay here," Nina rolled her eyes.

And that was pretty much how it went in the future. Nina would give Kana food so that she would stay put while she went out and performed her "duties". At the end of the day she would always return, pawn any valuables that she had acquired, and then go out to buy more food for the both of them. She considered a few times just abandoning Kana rather than return to her at the end of her mission, but with her luck the twerp would probably still somehow find her; worse yet, she wouldn't trust her anymore and follow her during a job and ruin everything. It just wasn't worth the risk. So she stayed with Kana for days, which turned into weeks, which turned into years. Soon five years had passed, with Nina now being around 14 and Kana being roughly 10.

In all that time Nina hadn't learned much from Kana other than her name, mostly because the girl didn't really know much about herself to begin with. She had no recollection of her parents or even where she was from (though her accent suggested Hoshido); but man she would not shut up. Nina didn't think it was possible for one little girl to be more annoying than an entire orphanage of brats, but she soon learned how wrong she could be. The hard way.

And yet...the twerp had begun to grow on her. Despite the fact that she could overbearing and annoying, Kana was the first—of not only—person who not only depended on Nina but actually looked up to her. As cold and callous as Nina tried to act around her, her face would always lighten up when she would returned, and she would follow with a hug every time despite the fact that Nina would constantly push her off. Nina was used to people either being outright nasty, or pretending to be nice in order to get something from her; not Kana. Kana was genuinely nice to Nina, expecting nothing in return except perhaps a little attention and care. Eventually Nina's defenses began to fall and she began treating Kana like the sister she never wanted before. She would fix her hair, cook her favorite meal every now and then (beans and rice apparently), and even spent some of her money to get her out of her disgusting rags and into something a bit more presentable. Despite her best efforts, she began to care about Kana—though she would never say that aloud.

Which became a problem once Kana started asking to accompany Nina on her jobs. Nina, naturally, wouldn't have it. The last thing she needed was having to constantly worry about Kana and mess up her concentration; unfortunately Kana could be stubborn. Stubborn and annoying. So Nina had no choice but to let Kana help her out. She managed to find a good solution too: Kana would act as a distraction, using her adorable charm to pretend she was a helpless and lost girl while Nina pocketed everything that wasn't bolted to the ground. On more risqué missions Kana would serve as a lookout while Nina cleaned house. They had been following that plan for a while now, and it seemed to work for them just fine.

Until now.

Recently their criminal endeavors had become harder to pull off. After the war between both nations had ended there weren't as many looting opportunities as before; and many villages and cities had wised up to their antics to the points where they even had their own wanted posters ordering for their immediate detention upon sight. Nina knew that if they were caught she would most likely be sent to a correction facility while Kana would be forced into a horrible orphanage like the one she grew up in. There was no way she was going to allow that to happen, so they had to be careful with whom they stole from. Nina decided to go back to the basics, stealing from bandits and thieves since they couldn't go to the authorities and report them. Thus the job that started all this mess.

It seemed like an easy job: Kana distracted the bandits by setting off some fireworks they had purchased in the town before while Nina looted their hideout. Just a simple in-and-out job, like many others they had done before. They had expected to be long gone before the bandits even realized they had been robbed; unfortunately these bandits were not as dumb as they looked, and it only took them a few minutes to realize what had happened and catch up with the two girls trying to sneak away with a sack filled with their gold.

Hence the situation Nina and Kana currently found themselves in.

"Quick, across the bridge!" Nina pulled Kana towards the rickety suspension bridge connecting the borders of both Hoshido and Nohr. She knew that simply escaping across the Hoshidian border would not stop the bandits, but with any luck they might stumble across border guards who could help them. Once they reached it Nina let go of Kana and grabbed on to the ropes tightly while making her way across, her heart pounding against her chest as she did her best to avoid looking down at the dark abyss below.

"Nina look out!" Kana puller her down right as a couple of arrows whizzed by. The girls looked up and saw three archers standing at the other side of the bridge with their bows pointed directly at them.

"Gotcha now ya runts!" They heard someone snarl behind them. They looked back and saw that the bandits that had been chasing them earlier had caught up with them, cutting off their only way of escape.

"Damn, this doesn't look good," Nina swore under her breath, "Kana, give them the gold back."

"B-but you worked so hard to get it!"

"And that won't matter if they cut our heads off! Just give it to them!" Nina hissed.

Swallowing Kana got up and presented the bag filled with coins that she had been carrying with her.

The bandit laughed, "you think this is about the gold? Ha! We could get that back in less than a day without trying!"

"Then why were you chasing us?!" Nina spat standing next to Kana.

The bandit's face darkened as he gripped the handle of his ax tightly, "because no one steals from us; and if we let two snot nosed brats get away with taking what is ours, we'll be the laughing stock of the whole area. Therefore, we send a message with your deaths!"

Ninna grabbed Kana from her collar and pulled her back, causing her to let go of the gold as the ax missed her by inches; the blade went through the sac like butter, causing the coins to fall on the bridge and then slipping into the abyss. The two girls fell back, with Nina holding a trembling Kana against her chest as the bandits begin to close in on them. She thought about pulling out the knife she kept hidden in her boot, but she knew it wouldn't do much.

"Kana...for what it's worth...you're not the worst. Despite everything I ever told you," she muttered softly holding her tightly.

Kana buried her face on Nina's chest.

"Say good night brats," the leader laughed raising his ax.

Nina closed her eyes.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning came down and struck the bridge, causing it to shake and slowly begin to break. The bandits began yelling in confusion, doing their best to get off before they plummeted to their deaths; some of them managed to make it while others fell through the boards as they gave way. Nina was about to make a run for it when the ropes holding the bridge snapped, causing it to tilt sideways causing them and the bandits that didn't make it out to fall.

Nina held on tight to Kana as they fell into the abyss, the wind rushing across her face as the darkness seemed to grow the farther down they fell until it completely consumed them

"Nina? W-wake up...please wake u-up!"

"Nnnngh," Nina slowly opened her eyes, doing her best to push through the pain in her head. She sat up and saw Kana kneeling next to her looking like she was about to cry.

"Nina!" Kana threw herself at the older girl, hugging her tightly and burying her face in her chest, bawling her eyes out.

"Kana get off me!"

"I-I was s-so s-scared" the young girl sobbed ignoring Nina, "I-I thought y-you'd n-never wake up...and...and...WAAAAH!"

"Geez you're such a crybaby," Nina muttered while patting her head, "I can't even imagine how much you'd be crying if you had the dream I just had. With bandits, a scary chasm, falling to our death—"

"That wasn't a dream!" Kana interrupted looking up at her, "that did happen. There were and guys, and we fell down a big hole, and we almost died!"

"What?" Nina focused her vision and looked around them. They were definitely not in the same alleyway where they had camped out the night before heading out to the bandit's hideout. They were...actually she had no idea where they were. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It looked like an open field covered with lush plantation, decorated with what appeared to be ruins of buildings here and there; but that wasn't what caught her attention. What caught her attention was the fact that there were what appeared to be islands floating in the sky around them. Unlike the Bottomless Canyon, this place had clear skies and sunlight, thus making it impossible to not see the floating islands that seemed to be defying all logic.

"Where...where are we?" Nina muttered confused letting go of Kana and standing up. She walked towards one of the ruins—which appeared to have been a statue of some sort at one time—and noticed that there was a ledge behind it. Looking down she saw that, apparently, they too were in a floating island seeing how there was nothing but clouds and endless sky below them.

"The hell Iis going on?!"

"Nina! You said a swear!"

"Not now Kana, I'm kinda freaking out here!" She snapped at the younger girl.

"S-sorry," Kana said, her eyes beginning to water again.

"No, Kana no. Don't cry," Nina sighed pinching the bridge of her nose, "look I'm sorry I yelled at you. If you don't cry I promise I'll make you some beans and rice when we get out of here."

"O-okay," Kana sniffed wiping her nose with her sleeve.

"Ugh could you not do that? It's so gross. I'm telling you right now I'm not going to wash th—" she was suddenly cut off when a glint caught her eye a few feet away. "the gold! Kana quick, grab as much as you can!" Nina ordered running toward the coins scattered throughout the ground. Not wasting any time Kana got up and ran towards the gold as well. However no sooner had they began collecting them than an arrow struck the ground in front of them, causing them to scream and fall back. They looked up and saw the bandits from earlier standing before them with their weapons drawn.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you brats survived too," the leader growled while patting his ax, "don't worry, we'll fix that soon enough. Take 'em out lads."

"Aye cap," one of the archers sneered drawing his bow back. However, before he could release it an arrow flew out of nowhere and hit him straight in the eye, causing him to scream in pain before dropping his weapon.

"What?!" The leader yelled, "where did—"

Before he could finish several more arrows flew towards them, hitting the other bandits in their vital areas and killing them instantly. Soon only the leader and the two girls remained, all three of them looking around in fear where the arrows could be coming from.

"W-where are you?! Show yourself!" The leader barked trying—and failing—to keep up a brave face.

"Now why would I do that?" A voice chuckled. It was deep and soft, almost velvet like and soothing despite the situation, "after all, I have the advantage here. I know this place like the back of my hand, while you seem to be as lost as a little piggy in the big city. So why don't you just run along before you end up with that ugly mug of yours plastered on a death mask."

"You think you're funny?! Let's see how you like this!" He grabbed Kana roughly and pulled the screaming girl towards him, pressing his ax against her throat.

"KANA!" Nina jumped towards the bandit, but he simply stuck her across the face with the broadside of his ax, causing her to fall down again. He then pressed his boot on her back, pinning her onto the ground.

"You just wait there, I'll get to you soon," he spat.

"Dastard, let her go!" Nina struggled in vain.

"Listen up whoever you are! Unless you want to see this girl's blood soak this place, you will show yourself unarmed right now!" The bandit roared, looking around.

"...very well, if you insist," the voice sighed.

A light appeared before them, flashing for about a second before disappearing. In its place stood a young woman with chest nut hair tied into two tails and freckles on her face; she was wearing a white pelt sniper outfit and armor bearing a crest on her shoulder that Nina had never seen before and had a bow strapped to her back.

The woman raised her hands in front of her to show she was unarmed, "there, I agreed to your demands. Now let the girls go."

Wait that voice...it's not the same, Nina thought to herself.

The bandit, however, didn't seem to notice, "not until you slide that bow here; and I want directions on how to get the hell out of this place and back to the Bottomless Canyon!"

"I'll tell you whatever you want, just let the girls go first," the girl said calmly.

"Ha! Why would I ever do as you say?! If you haven't noticed, all the chips are on my side! I am armed and I have hostages; and seeing how you were stupid enough to show yourself unarmed, it means you care if these brats die or not! So we're doing things my way, or else I'll slit her throat while you—" he suddenly stopped his eyes going wide as blood began trickling from the corner of his mouth. His arm went lip, dropping Kana before falling face first onto the ground with several throwing stars embedded on his back.

"Kana!" Nina grabbed the girl and pulled her into a hug, letting out a sob of relief.

"Ahem," she looked up and saw a man with messy green hair looking at them with concern. He was wearing what appeared to be hoshidian ninja gear, complete with a purple scarf wrapped around his neck, except his chest plate bore the same strange crest as the sniper, "are you two okay?"

"Stay back!" Nina yelled pulling out her knife from her boot and pointing it at the green haired man.

"H-hey you shouldn't be p-playing with t-that!" The brown haired girl stuttered standing behind the ninja.

"Just stay away from us!"

"My, my, we definitely have a feisty one in our hands," she heard that deep voice from before chuckle behind her. She turned around just as someone grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled the knife from her hand while ignoring her protest. It was a tall man with white hair, tanned skin, and broad shoulders. His right eye was covered with an eye patch and he was wearing a an adventurer's outfit complete with boots, brown pants, a gray white shirt—which was opened just enough to reveal with muscular physique underneath—and a blue cape wrapped around his shoulders.

The man shook the knife in front of her, giving her a sly grin, "if you're not careful you're going to poke your eye out with one of these. Trust me, I know a thing or two about that."

"G-give it b-back!" Kana suddenly reached out for the knife only for the man to pull back out of her reach, "that's Nina's!"

"Not anymore."

"Just let him have it Kana," Nina whispered to the other girl. She didn't like their current situation; they were surrounded by people who specialized in in long ranged combat, so even if they did manage to give them the slip they probably wouldn't get very far. Not to mention that they had taken the only weapon she had to defend them.

"You two just stay put, I'll be with you in a minute," the man winked at her before facing the other two, "report."

"We scanned the area, but it doesn't appear to be an invasion of any sort," the green haired man responded, "my best guess is that the bandits were just chasing these two over the Bottomless Canyons and they fell in by accident."

"Thank you Kaze. What do you think Mozu?" He asked turning to the brown-haired sniper.

"It was probably that old suspension bridge. It was bound to break at any time; either Ryoma or Xander should do something about that," she huffed in annoyance.

Nina's attention perked at the mention of the two rulers of Hoshido and Nohr. Whoever these people were not only did they know about the royal families, but were apparently comfortable enough to refer to them without their official titles, meaning that they were personally acquainted with them in one way or another.

The adventurer laughed, "I doubt they will anytime soon. Building a nation after war takes time and money, so I doubt they'll have any of those to spare for a miserable old bridge. Though if we're lucky perhaps the bridge collapsed entirely and we won't have to worry about fools trying to cross it and falling down here."

"Niles don't say that!" Mozu stepped from behind Kaze, "the Bottomless Canyon is an important connection between Hoshido and Nohr. We need a bridge to signify the trust between both nations."

"Fine, fine, we'll pass on the information to Lord Corrin so that he can inform Xander and Ryoma. Now, onto more pressing matters, what do we do with these two?" He asked looking down at the girls.

"Well we certainly can't just leave them here," Kaze said, "they're clearly not from Valla and won't survive the night out here alone. I believe the best course of action right now would be to take them to Lord Corrin and see what he says."

"I suppose so," Niles shrugged before crouching down to meet Nina at eye level, "so how about it kid? You and your sister are going to come with us?"

Nina spat in his face.

"Nina!" Kana whispered furiously.

"Bite me," Nina growled.

"Sorry, but while I do enjoy biting I don't fool around with little girls. Not my style," Niles chuckled wiping his face with his hand.

"We are not going anywhere with you," Nina said defiantly while blushing slightly at the man's comment.

"Oh I see, you thought I was giving you an option because I was asking you a question. My bad, let me fix that: you and your sister are going to come with us," Niles smiled.

"Niles enough!" Mozu cut in pulling the adventurer away, "they've clearly been through a lot, so they don't need you and your twisted humor to make it worse. Just let me handle this."

"Suit yourself."

Mozu extended her hand at the two girls and game them a warm smile, "why don't you two get up? The ground is filthy."

Hesitantly Nina took the girls hand and Kana followed suit helping the both of them stand up and dirt the dirt off their clothes.

"As you heard, my name if Mozu," she gave them a small bow, "the man with green hair is Kaze, and I believe you are already acquainted with Niles. Don't mind him though; he just likes to pick on people to get a rise from them."

"I heard that sweet cheeks."

"This may be hard for you to understand, but you are no longer in the same world as Hoshido and Nohr. You're in a completely new one called Valla."

"What?!"

"I know, it was hard for me to accept at first," she giggled, "but we are in a different plane of existence, completely separated from the one you came from. The only connection between the two is the Bottomless Canyon, which sometimes works as a gateway between this world and the other one."

"I...I'm confused," Kana whined scratching her head.

"Don't worry about the details. All you need to know is that you're in a different place now, and you need our help to back home," Kaze cut in.

"Is that a threat?" Nina narrowed her eyes.

"No, no, no!" Mozu shook her head, "not at all! We don't want to hurt you or keep you here against your will. It's just, going back to the other world is not easy. Even we don't fully understand how it works. That's why we wish to take you with the people who understand it better; Lord Corrin and Lady Azura."

"Never heard of them," Nina said flatly.

"Well Lord Corrin Iis the King of Valla, and Lady Azura is...she's...uuuummm...well I guess you could call her the queen? I mean she doesn't really have an official title but she does rule with him and—"

"The point is that they know how this world works inside out," Niles called from behind Mozu, "and if you wish to go back home then an audience with our king is necessary; and the only way you're going to get that is by coming with us. It's either that or stay here alone until a bear or something comes by and eats you. So, like I said, you don't really have a choice."

"Niles! Must you always be so harsh?" Mozu scowled.

"What can I say? It's one of my finer qualities."

"Listen, we mean you no harm," Kaze said in a soothing voice, "we simply wish to help you. It's still dangerous for people, especially children, to wander around Valla unattended. Without a proper guide or understanding of the kingdom, you'll find yourself in trouble soon enough. Lord Corrin and Lady Azura are kind people, and I'm sure they'll be more than willing to help you."

Nina was severely tempted to tell off the green haired ninja, but decided to hold her tongue. The truth was, they needed help if they wanted to leave this bizarre place. Sure they could wander around aimlessly, but there was always the chance that they could fall into the sky—which in itself was impossibly weird—or get mauled by some sort of wild animal. They had already escaped death twice, and she didn't wish to try their luck a third time.

Plus if this Corrin person is a king then he might have some valuables he might not notice if they went "missing".

"Fine, we'll go with you."

"Wonderful!" Mozu clapped excitedly.

"Worry not, I am sure Lord Corrin will be more than happy to help you," Kaze smiled at them, "now follow us, we have a bit of a walk ahead of us," with that said he began walking off with Mozu following close by.

"Kana stay close to me," Nina whispered to the other girl while following them, "whatever happens, do not let them separate us."

"Right," Kana nodded.

"Hey kid."

Nina turned around right as her knife that had been confiscated earlier fell in the ground in front of her, the blade sinking into the ground. She grabbed it before looking up and seeing Niles grinning at her.

"Almost forgot to give it back to you."

"I thought you said you were going to keep it."

"I never said that. Plus, why would I want such a flimsy little toy? I'm a big boy, so I have big boy toys to play with."

"And you're just going to give someone you don't know a weapon that they could kill you with?"

"Nina!"

"What makes you sure I'm not going to stab you in the back the moment you turn around?"

Niles laughed and ruffled her hair playfully, which annoyed her greatly, "I like you kid. You've got moxy. But trust me when I say that better people than have tried to kill me, and they are all serving as worm food. You should be careful. It's a big, ugly world out there, and sometimes trying to charge at it head on swinging is only going to end badly for you. Sometimes you just need to trust people; after all, not everyone is your enemy."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nina said coldly.

Yeah in the "that's a load of bull crap" section. If you think I'm letting my guard down around you then clearly that eye patch is obstructing more than your vision. You just wait, I'll show you what happens when you underestimate me.

After about an hour of walking—and about thirty minutes of Kana whining her feet hurt leading to Nina carrying her on her back for the remainder of the trip—they finally arrived to their destination. It was a large castle which looked pretty ancient and bore what appeared to be damages from a recent battle; there were currently people working on fixing it, but it looked like there was a lot of work ahead of them.

"What happened here?" Nina asked Mozu who had been walking next to her for most of the trip.

"Umm, well we had a bit of a...big fight between two groups of people and—"

"I know what war is, you don't have to patronize me," Nina snapped.

"O-oh s-sorry," Mozu stammered in embarrassment. Despite herself Nina felt a small twang of guilt. Mozu was clearly the youngest of the group, she looked only a few years older than Nina, and she reminded her a bit of Kana (minus the annoying part).

"Look I...I just...she's heavy okay? And I've been carrying her for a while now," Nina tried to explain while gesturing at the now snoozing Kana.

"If you want I could carry her inside," Mozu offered.

"No thanks, I got it," Nina said quickly, not wanting to give Kana to anyone here.

Mozu smiled at her, "you're such a good sister."

"She's not my sister. She's just some brat that won't stop following me around," Nina mumbled.

"Still doesn't change what I said."

"If you two are done talking, I believe we have made Lord Corrin wait long enough," Niles called from the main gate. They walked up to him and Kaze, who was talking to one of the guards standing before them.

"We return with scouting reports for Lord Corrin, as well as two unidentified individuals."

"Prisoners sir?"

"Negative. Just two children who seem to have fallen into the Bottomless Canyon. We bring them to Lord Corrin so that he might tell us what to do with them."

"Yes sir. King Corrin is currently in the throne room with Lady Asura," the guard signaled the others to open the gate before beckoning the group to enter.

The group walked inside the castle with Niles taking the lead followed by the others. Nina looked around and saw that the inside was just as damaged as the outside. Pillars that had been smashed, walls covered in burn marks, shattered windows, and others signs of destruction. Even the people who were working in fixing the damages seemed roughed up; many of them bore visible scars in their arms and faces, and some were still wearing bandages. Yet they seemed...oddly calm and happy. Nina noticed that while they worked they were talking and even laughing with each other; she even heard a few of them humming and singing while working. Despite all the indications that the war that had occurred here had been a destructive one, it seemed like these people were still happy to be there.

I think it's safe to assume that whoever this King Corrin is, he's not at all like King Garron, Nina thought to herself. During her time wandering around Nohr she distinctively remembered now all Nohrians, regardless of their location and status, always had a sense of melancholy and sadness to them. The Hoshisians were the same after Queen Mikoto had been killed and they were left without a standing ruler while the war raged on.

So he's seen as a kind king...well this just got better for me. If he's faking it all I need is some dirt on him so that I can blackmail whatever I want; and if he isn't, then just makes it all the easier to steal from him. Being nice almost always goes hand in hand with being an idiot. Hehehe...

"Here we are," Niles said interrupting Nina's thoughts. She looked up and saw that they were standing before a large double door that looked like it had been recently fixed. The adventurer turned to face her as he grabbed the handles, "ready to meet the king?"

Before Nina could answer Niles swung the doors open, revealing a large throne room before them. Unlike the outside it seemed to be in relatively good shape (perhaps it had been recently fixed) and was adorned in a way that was eye catching and not too gaudy. There were sky blue banners wrapped around the pillars that all bore the same crest Nina had seen earlier. At the far end of the room stood a modest throne Iin front of a large dragon statue.

And it was currently empty.

Niles sighed and rubbed his temples, "why am I not surprised? All right come on."

"Wait I thought you said we were going to meet the king," Nina said.

"Yes and in order to do that we need to find him first. Kaze, Mozu, you two are excused. I'll take them to Lord Corrin."

"As you wish."

"Yes Niles."

The other two gave the man a salute before walking out of the throne room, leaving the two girls alone with Niles. The adventurer began walking the other direction without saying a word while Nina followed.

"So what, you're like the boss of those two?"

"Pretty much. I am one of Lord Corrin's retainers and second in command, meaning that everyone in this castle listens to me, even if they don't want to," Niles smirked waking through a door that lead to another corridor.

"Why would he make you his second in command?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Because you're weird."

Niles gave her a sly wink that made her blush slightly, "we are all a little weird my dear. I just choose not to hide it; and that is why Lord Corrin trusts me."

Nina didn't say anything else as they continued to make their way through the corridor. Mentally, however, she was casing the place looking for anything that may have value and that she and Kana could smuggle out of the castle.

"Okay, here we are," Niles said as they arrived at another door. This one was much smaller. made of metal and slightly worn out, not from damage but age. There was a small window at the top, but it was covered with something white from the other side making it impossible to see through. Listening closely Nina could hear what seemed to be people yelling and laughing on the other side.

"Sounds like someone is having a good time," Niles laughed opening the door. Inside was a kitchen that was in pandemonium. There were four people in total, with three of them laughing and throwing food and ingredients at each other while the fourth one was desperately trying to stop them.

"Milord please, you must stop!" The man with silver hair tied into a ponytail begged, "this is most unbecoming of you! You are getting flour all over your clothes!"

"Oh lighten up Jakob, we're just blowing off some steam," the woman with pink hair and a maid outfit laughed while tossing some oats at the man.

"You are the last person I want to hear that Felicia! It's because of your clumsiness that this whole mess started!"

"Oh come now Jakob. A little fun never hurt anyone," a woman with long blue hair chuckled before ducking out of the way of a flying stick of butter, "oh you've done it now!"

"You too Lady Azura? I had hoped that you of all people would not reduce yourself to such childish antics. You are of noble blood, just like master C—MMMPH!"

He was cut off when the fourth person, a young man with messy silver hair that barely reached his shoulders, stuffed a chocolate bar into his mouth laughing, "Relax Jakob. You are too tightly wound all the time. Come on, live a little!"

"But master—"

"Jakob I don't want to order you around, but I will if I have to."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that," Niles interjected causing everyone to look at him.

"Niles!" The grey haired man walked up to him, clearing the flour in his hands. He was wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a stained apron over it, though it was considerably less filthy than his face and arms, "so how was that scouting mission?"

"Actually we found something quite interesting," Niles stepped to the side allowing the man to get a good look at the confused Nina.

"Well hello there. And who might you be?" the man asked lowering himself to Nina's level.

"Nina."

"That's a nice name. I'm Corrin," he smiled at her.

"Wait, Corrin?"

"That's King Corrin to you kid," Niles pointed out.

"Oh come on Niles, you know I can't stand being called that," Corrin scowled.

"You're...King Corrin?" Nina asked flabbergast.

"Why does everyone insists on calling me that?" Corrin sighed.

Nina was lost for words. Of all the possibilities she had pictured, this was not one of them. She had thought that Corrin would have been like King Ryoma, a benevolent yet firm leader who always stood up for his country in the garbs of a proud warrior. She even played with the possibility that he might be like King Xander, stoic and serious while driven by what he thought was right and clad in the decors of an honor bound knight. But she was not expecting this: a buffoon with a lopsided smile wearing an apron and with egg yolks in his hair. How did a man like that become king?

"Corrin we talked about this: whether you like it or not, you have to start getting used to being addressed by your official title," the blue haired woman hummed while walking over to them and smiling at Nina, "you said your name was Nina right?"

"...yes."

"What a lovely name. My name is Azura, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

So this is the Azura person that Mozu was talking about. She's probably the one who's really in charge of here, Nina thought to herself. After all, Azura had an air or royalty surrounding her. She was poised, refined, and serene (even with her clothes slightly covered with flour). In other words, she was the complete opposite of Corrin. She was guessing that Azura was the queen who had married Corrin for some reason that benefited her. It wasn't the first time she had seen something like this; a woman using someone else as figure head while she did all the work. Maybe it was due to inheriting the throne, maybe it was for her own safety, though it didn't really matter. All she knew was that she had to watch herself around her.

"Now then, what brings you to Valla?" Azura asked.

Before Nina could answer her stomach began growling loudly, most likely because she hadn't eaten anything since the previous night.

"Oh my, are you hungry?"

"N-no," Nina said embarrassed as her stomach rumbled again.

"Well then I suppose you wouldn't want this chocolate now would you?" Corrin grabbed a bar from the table behind him and held it in front of the girl.

"I'm fine..."

"I'll take it!" The candy was snatched from Corrin's hand by Kana who began eating it like an animal.

"Kana! How long have you been awake?!" Nina asked irritably.

"Since we got here," the little girl finished her chocolate.

"Then get off me!" Nina snapped pushing her off, though Kana landed on her feet.

"And who might you be?" Corrin asked laughing.

"I'm Kana! Hi!"

"My, my, aren't you an energetic one?" Azura laughed softly.

"I'd say more like adorable," Corrin pinched her cheek playfully causing the girl to giggle.

That's it Kana, real them in. Make them think we're just a couple of innocent girls that would never do anything bad, Nina thought to herself while looking around for any silverware they could steal. If there was one thing Kana was good at it was using her natural charm to get people to let her guard down, something that Nina was never able to pull off. She suddenly felt a hand over her shoulder, and when she looked up she saw Niles smiling down at her.

"See anything you like?"

"I was just looking around," Nina said firmly, doing her best not show how nervous he made her.

"Right. Now then, Lord Corrin, what shall we do with these two?"

"Help them get home of course, what else?" Corrin said in a matter of fact voice, "after all, I'm sure their parents must be worried sick about them."

Kana's face fell once Corrin said that last part, "we don't have any parents mister..."

"Oh you poor thing," Azura knelt down and wrapped her arms around the girl.

That's it Kana. Milk it for all you can...

"Hmmm," Corrin bit the inside of his lip, thinking what to do next, "you know, it is getting pretty late. Taking you back to the Bottomless Canyon at this hour might not be the best idea; it will be dark by the time you arrive and then you'd still have to walk for a few miles before you reach one of the nearby villages. Why don't you two spend the night here and we'll take you back tomorrow morning?"

"Really?!" Kana gasped.

"Of course. We insist," Azura smiled gently poking her nose.

"Nina?" Kana asked looking at the older girl.

"Well it's not like we want to be ambushed by bandits in the middle of the night, so we might as well," Nina rolled her eyes.

"Yay!"

Perfect, Nina snickered.

"Then it's settled. Jacob, Felicia?"

"Yes Lord Corrin?" The maid and the butler appeared behind him.

"Could you make sure that these two are as comfortable as possible?"

"Of course Lord Corrin."

"Felicia why don't you draw them a nice warm bath, they seem exhausted; and ask Kaze and Mozu if they have clothes that they wouldn't mind parting from and well pay them back later. I think Kana here might be Midori's size and maybe some of Mozu's clothes might fit Nina."

"Yes Lord Corrin," the maid bowed slightly.

"And Jakob, why don't you make them some dinner? I'm sure once they taste your cooking they'll forget what hunger is entirely."

"You flattery is too much milord," the butler bowed his cheeks turning slightly pink, "I shall begin as soon as I finish cleaning this mess."

"Oh don't worry about it, I'll clean up."

"But milord I—"

"And that's final."

"...very well milord."

"In that case I'll be giving my report to Lady Azura," Niles let go of Nina's shoulder and walked up to the blue haired woman, "shall we discuss it in the throne room milady?"

"Yes, though I would ask that we stop by my chambers first; I don't think it would be becoming for the others to see me in this state."

"For what's it's worth, you look as stunning as always," Niles growled.

"T-Thank you Niles."

"Keep it in your pantaloons Niles," Corrin laughed as he began sweeping the floor.

"No promises," Niles winked walking out of the room with Azura.

Gods what is it with this place? The king is a joke and his retainers are even worse. Are they seriously going to leave him alone in the kitchen with no guards or protection? How is he still alive? Nina thought to herself, no matter, it just makes it much easier for me to get the job done. As soon as these people aren't paying attention, I'm taking everything that Isn't bolted to the ground.

"Nina? Nina are you listening?"

"Hmm?" the girl snapped out of her thoughts and saw Felcia standing by the door holding Kana's hand.

"I said lets go draw that bath for you," Felicia smiled.

"Right, sure," Nina said following her out.

"Oh my gosh this bed is sooooo soft!" Kana laughed rolling around the mattress.

"Yeah it is pretty comfortable," Nina muttered pressing down on her own bed. They were currently in the "guest room" that King Corrin said they would sleep in for the night; apparently the king had asked Jakob to make all the preparations while they were having dinner, which included two beds with three different sets of sheets and two pillows for each one, a tray with water and milk on the nightstand, and even a chocolate waiting for them in each bed (both of which Kana had eaten immediately once they entered)

"Nina you have to try these sheets; they're like fluffy clouds!" Kana wrapped herself in one and let out a loud sigh of content. Nina grabbed her own sheet and gave it a squeeze.

Damn, that really is soft to the touch. That's going to feel amazing once I go to sle—no! What am I saying?!

Nina shook her head in order to focus. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. First they had taken Nina and her to a large luxurious bathhouse where they were washed until they were practically squeaky clean before being given clean and pressed clothes for them to change into. Then they were given an entire feast of the most delicious food they had ever eaten (which they ate mostly by themselves because Corrin and the others where apparently busy at the moment) and now they were given a private room that was nicer than most of the houses Nina had robbed in the past, and she had robbed many noble houses before. In short, two street urchins that had been digging through trash for food not even 24 hours ago were now being treated as royalty. It just didn't add up.

They must be planning something. Not Corrin, he seems too much of a fool, but maybe that Azura woman. She must want us to be slow and unprepared for when she decides to put her plan in action. I bet she's just waiting to hand ups over to the authorities, or maybe use us for her own nefarious deeds. I'm not going to let that happen!

"I love this place! I wish we could live here forever!" Kana sighed falling back into her pillow.

"Kana no!" Nina said grabbing her by the shoulders and sitting her up in her bed, "don't you see? That is exactly what they want! They was us to put our guard down so that we won't want to go back home; you have to snap out of it!"

The girl frowned, "but we don't have a home: and these people are nice."

"Kana what am I always telling you?"

"No one in the world is nice..." The girl mumbled.

"Exactly; at least not without a reason."

"But you're nice to me."

"Because you won't leave me alone."

"Oh..." Kana looked down slightly crestfallen.

Damn it why did I say that?

"Look I...I didn't mean it like that. Anyway that's not the point. We need to be on our guard. Whatever these people are planning on doing to us, they'll either do it tonight or tomorrow morning. So we better prepare ourselves tonight."

"But I thought they were going to take us back tomorrow."

"Don't you see they were just lying?" Nina asked exasperated, "they only said that so that we wouldn't be suspicious and try to find out what they're really planning on doing with us."

"What are they planning on doing?" Kana tilted her head confused.

"I don't know. Maybe they want to turn us to the authorities back home. Maybe sell us into slavery. Maybe fatten us up so that they can eat us!"

"No! I don't want to get eaten!" Kana began to cry.

Ah crap I over did it.

"Shhh!" Nina clamped her hand over the little girl's mouth, "do you want them to know we're onto them?!"

Kana shook her head and quieted down.

"That's better," Nina pulled her hand off and wiped it off her pants, "all right listen, here's the plan. I'm going to case the place, see if there is anything small and valuable we can take with it; at the same time I'm going to survey the castle so, if the time comes that we need to make a run for it, we won't get lost in this place and we can give these people the slip. Got that?"

"What's my job?"

"Your job is to stay here and wait for me," Nina got up from Kana's bed and pulled the mattress from her own before grabbing some pillows, "it will be a lot less of a hassle if I only worry about my own back. Plus, if anyone comes here you can pretend to wake up and tell them to not do the same with me," she placed the pillows on her bed before covering them with the sheet, making it look like there was someone sleeping under it, "perfect."

"But what if something happens to you?"

"Kana have you seen these people? Knowing them they're all probably snoring in their beds by now. Don't worry about me; I've dealt with worse and I always come out on top. You just wait here and keep an eye out if anyone comes snooping around."

"O-Okay..." Kana said lying down and covering herself with her sheets.

"I'll be back before you know it; count on it," Nina winked before slipping out the door.

Yep, just as I thought: this place is about as guarded as an Izumo nursery, Nino thought to herself as she quietly removed the small gemstones adorning the statue in front of her, these ought to fetch a nice price in Hoshido.

Getting around the castle was relatively easy. What little guards it had were mostly guarding the outside perimeter, and since there were still parts that were being repaired it meant more than enough hiding spaces for Nina should someone spot her, though fortunately it hadn't come to that yet. So far she had managed to swipe a few gemstones and even some gold that she had found adorning the place; but she knew she couldn't get too greedy or else they might discover her.

I think that's enough; if I take any more it will be harder for Kana and I to sneak them out without them noticing. Maybe I could sneak out some clothes under my clothes. Knowing royals they probably have some of that fancy silk that people go crazy for in Nohr; and the best place to keep silk is in your room.

Sneaking around Nina began searching for the king and queen's chambers. After searching a few rooms and getting nothing but dead ends, she eventually stumbled upon a double door that was much nicer than the others. Tiptoeing closer she peaked though the keyhole and to her fortune saw that the candles were still lit. Suddenly a figure walked into her view, revealing it to be King Corrin yawning as began pulling back the sheets in his king sized bed.

Jackpot. Now to wait for him to fall asleep and then search through his closet.

After stretching his arms and back Corrin removed his shirt before folding it and placing it at the foot of the bed. He turned around giving Nina a full frontal view of his now shirtless body.

Well hello there, Nina purred before cursing herself to focus. She couldn't help herself, she was at that age after all. The age where boys/men became fascinating to her. It bothered her greatly, seeing how it was nothing more than an annoying distraction. She was here to rob Corrin, not admire his lean, sinewy body, complete with a trim, fit stomach and cheekbones that she could just—

Arrrg, focus! Now is not the time for that!

Corrin began unbuckling his pants.

Then again...

Corrin suddenly stopped, looking to the side and smiling, "about time you came out. For a moment there I thought you drowned in there."

Must be Quen Azura.

"You know that I like my baths hot and steamy," she heard someone laugh. Someone that clearly wasn't Lady Azuna. Soon Niles came into her view, drying his hair with a towel while wearing just a pair of loose trousers, showing off his tanned, broad form covered in scars that decorated his firm muscles ,which rippled through his—

Stoooooop!

"I'm pretty sure your water bill alone is twice as much as all the total loving expenses of the other retainers combined," Corrin shook his head.

"True, but I am the best retainer you have, so the benefits of having me around outweigh the costs. After all, I did stop no less than three assassination attempts aiming for your head this month right?" Niles gave him a smug grin.

"Okay, I'll give you that; I do sleep better knowing that you're watching over me," Corrin admitted.

Looks like I was wrong about that guy; if he could stop three assassination attempts, then he's no pushover. Plus it looks like he watches over his lord while he sleeps, so sneaking in and taking some of his clothes is a no go. No matter, I think I got more than enough already anyway. I should probably go back with Kana and plan how we're going to smuggle these out of here.

"So are you going to tell me why you brought those kids over?"

Nina's attention was suddenly perked again, causing her to peer into the keyhole once more.

Nile shrugged, "Kaze and Mozu insisted, who am I to say no?"

"My chief retainer and second and command. If you really wanted to leave those girls behind you could have just ordered so and they would have obeyed; begrudgingly maybe, but they would have still done as you asked."

"Maybe I just felt bad for them. You know, like a puppies out in the cold."

"Except you once told my sister you would deliberately leave a puppy out in the cold if given the chance."

"Hey come one, I'm not like that anymore; well not entirely atleast," Niles gave the lord a sheepish grin.

"Niles we're alone here. You can tell me the truth, no one else has to know if you don't want to."

Yeah Niles, what's your end game here?

Niles sighed and scratched the back of his head half embarrassed, "honestly? It's because of that Nina girl."

"Oh?" Corrin raised his eyebrow.

"Not like that you pig. I mean she reminds me a bit of myself at her age."

What?!

"I can see she comes from a similar background as I. Her eyes are the same as mine was back then: defiant, hard, and trying to appear strong. Thing is, as I know from my own experience, it's all an act. No matter how much hardship you go through and how tough you claim to be, there is always going to be a part of you that is afraid of the world and what it's going to throw at you next. Especially when you suddenly find yourself in unknown territory. I knew that if I just left them there unattended they—especially her—would freak out and wouldn't survive the night."

Oh I totally would have!

"Look at that: there is a parental side to you that I didn't know of," Corrin chuckled.

"Anyway why don't we switch the topic of conversation to you now?" Niles smiled devilishly.

"P-Pardon?"

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions: namely, why did you invite them to spend the night here? We both know that not only would they have arrived while there was still plenty of sunlight, but we could have easily send Kaze and Mozu to accompany them."

"He he, guess you got me," Corrin chuckled embarrassed.

"Sooo? Come on, let me hear it."

Nina leaned in closer.

"I just...I don't know I just thought they were cute and didn't want to send them away immediately," Corrin sat down on the bed.

I am not cute! Nina thought blushing slightly

"Don't tell me you're turning into Lady Camila," Niles laughed.

"Something like that, yeah. Truth be told they remind me of my younger sisters. One of them is shy and quiet, and the other one is energetic and outgoing; and they are both just adorable."

I am not adorable!

"You really do miss your families don't you?" Niles asked, his tone changing completely.

"More than you'd think. I know that they're all busy with their own lives and it's hard for them to come by and say hello, but that doesn't make it any less painful. It also doesn't help that time here moves much faster than back there. According to them they were here a week ago, yet to us an entire year passed by since their last visit. I knew this might happen when I assumed the role of king, I just didn't think it would be this hard."

Niles walked up to him and squeezed his shoulder, "for what it's worth, you are a great king. The people have come to love you and Valla is slowly but surely recovering it's lost glory; and it's all thanks to you."

"Well, thanks to me and all of you who stayed behind to help," Corrin smiled at him.

"You do know that you're going to have to let those girls go tomorrow right?"

"...do I?"

I knew it! Nina felt a shiver run through her spine.

"Am I going to have to teach you that holding children against their will is bad Corrin?"

"No, no, not like that. I was thinking about adopting them."

WHAT?!

"You want to adopt them?" Niles asked surprised.

"Think about it Niles: they said they have no families or homes to go back to. Even if we gave them some gold once they left, there is no guarantee that's going to help them. What if they get in trouble, or something bad happens to them when nobody is around to help them? They are still young, they still have the chance for a better life; and I can be someone who can give that to them."

Niles bit his lip, "Corrin I don't think I need to tell you that taking care of children is not an easy task, especially not for King such as yourself. You'll have to find a balance between rebuilding a kingdom and making sure they have everything the need."

"I know it won't be easy; but if Ryoma and Xander were able to do it, then I'm sure I can do it as well. Besides, is not like I'll be alone," Corrin smiled at him, "and I'll finally have the one thing I always wanted: a family of my own."

Niles shook his head but smiled at the king, "you do know that's not entirely up to you?"

"Like I said, I'll ask them. If they say no, then I'll have Mozu and Kaze escort them back to the Bottomless Canyon; but I do hope they say yes."

Outside the door Nina's mind was racing with everything she had just heard. Adoption? Could it be true? For the first time in her life, there was someone who actually wanted Nina; even when she was a kid in the orphanage most adults would just sneer at her or pretend that she wasn't there. Yet here was a person that wanted to take her and Kana in and raise them as his own; and a king none the less! It all seemed too good to be true.

It is too good to be true. There's no way there isn't a catch; he must be hiding something, some sort of underhanded plan for us if we say yes. Besides, even if it happens to be as good as it seems, that's only what he wants. There is no way of knowing if Queen Azura will—

"You know it's kind of adorable seeing you want to be a mama hen so badly," Niles interrupted Nina's thoughts.

"H-hey! Why am I the mama?"

"Well you are more sensitive and caring, plus you do have more slender hips and narrow shoulders; not to mention cheekbones I could cut glass with," Niles purred placing his hand under Corrin's chin and lifting it slightly.

Wait, what?

Corrin blushed slightly, "flattery will get you nowhere tonight."

"Are you sure? Because it usually does," Niles said leaning in closer.

What...what...WHAT?! Nina could feel her heart beat faster and faster.

"Ah ah ah," Corrin tooted placing his finger on Nile's lips stopping him, "don't think I've forgotten that little quip with Azura earlier today."

"Tsk don't tell me you're upset about that. You know I wasn't entirely serious about that."

"Mhm, right," Corrin laughed unconvinced.

"It's true. After all, how could I possibly look anywhere else when I have you in front of me?" Niles growled, his hand trailing up and down Corrin's thigh.

"That silver tongue of yours is not going to work."

"Is that so? Well then," Nile's hands went up to Corrin's shoulders, pushing him onto the bed as he looked down at him with a malicious grin on his face, "how about I try my regular tongue instead?"

Nina's eye was practically bulging into the keyhole, her hands gripping the door with enough force for her nails to dig into the wood.

"I'll admit, you are piquing my interest," Corrin chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the larger man's neck, "but why should I agree to this?"

"Three reasons. One, because jealousy makes you look even more stunning than usual. Two, you know how I get when you look stunning, so you need to take responsibility. And three, if we're going to have kids soon we might as well enjoy the last of our freedom tonight, no?" Niles nipped Corrin's neck repeatedly.

Corrin let out a soft squeak, his fingers gripping Nile's hair tightly, "don't tell me you're one of those people who don't have energy for kids and...a little extra afterwards."

Nina was beginning to feel lightheaded, her eyes glued to the events unfolding before her.

"Oh no, nothing like that. Believe me, I have more than enough energy to spare," Niles laughed trailing down Corrin's neck, "it's just that I think the kids might get scared if they were to suddenly hear strange noises coming out of their parent's bedroom."

"Then we'll just have to be quiet."

"You, quiet?" Niles stopped and gave him an amused look, "you may be many things, but quiet is not one of them."

Corrin grinned, "maybe, but all I need is some practice. Perhaps you could help me with that."

"Oh you naughty king. You should know by now that you should be careful what you wish for. Because...You. Just. Might. Get. It," Niles growled, trailing his hand slowly from Corrin's shoulder onto his chest, then his stomach, and then finally—

FWUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAA!

Kana laid in her bed, fidgeting under the covers nervously. It had been a few hours since Nina stepped out to survey the castle and she still hadn't come back. She was worried. And tired. Very, very tired. She wanted nothing more to lay her head on the soft, soft pillow and sleep like she had never slept before; but she had promised Nina that she would stay awake until she returned, and she always did as Nina told her too.

Suddenly she heard the door open and close behind her; peeking out from under the covers she saw Nina making her way inside.

"Nina!" Kana jumped out of the bed and ran up to the other girl before hugging her tightly, "I was so worried! I thought something bad had happened to you! Did you find something? Did you find out if they're going to do something bad to us? Did you—Nina?"

"He...he he he..."

The older girl wasn't really paying attention to her. Her eyes were only half opened and slightly glazed looking off into the distance, her face was incredibly flustered, and she had a dopey grin on her face with a little drool coming out the side.

"N-Nina?"

"So...beautiful...he...he"

"A-Are you okay?"

"Mmm? Oh hi Kana, how are you?" Nina asked drowsily while patting the other girl's head.

"Nina you're scaring me," Kana said concerned.

"Go to sleep Kana. It's been a long day; a long, hard, very intense day. He he, intense..." Nina giggled softly letting go of the girl and strolling to her bed before plopping onto it.

"But what about the plan? Did you manage to find something worth stealing?"

"Oh, no, forget about that. We aren't stealing anything from them."

"What? Why?" Kana asked confused.

"Don't worry about it. I just don't feel like stealing from them anymore. They seem like nice people," Nina sighed covering herself with the blankets.

"They're...nice?" Kana asked, unsure if she had heard Nina correctly.

"Oh yeah. Reaaaaal nice. Good night Kana," Nina giggled hiding her face under the covers.

Kana stood there confused, watching her sister continue to giggle under the covers. She had never seen her like this before, since her two default emotions were usually anger and annoyance. In fact the only time she had heard Nina laugh was one time when they were sneaking around town and they saw a fat noble trip and roll down a flight of stairs. Yet here she was giggling like, well like Kana; not only that but she actually said the people in the castle were "nice" something that she had always taught to be impossible. What was going on?

She must have talked to Corrin and Azura and they told her something. No, that wouldn't be enough. They must have given her something! Like candy, or a pony! It's not fair, I want something too! Kana fumed lying down on her own bed before drifting off into sleep.

The next morning they were woken up by Felicia, who brought them a new set of clothes and told them that breakfast was ready in case they were hungry. Kana was still exhausted due to the late hour she had gone to sleep, but Nina seem oddly relax and rested; or at the very least she didn't tell Felicia to jump off a bridge for waking her up. After changing they followed Felicia until they reached a small dining room with a large breakfast waiting for them. They saw that several people were already eating, including Kaze, Mozu, Jakob, Azura, Niles and Corrin, the last two sitting at one end of the table talking to each other.

Once Corrin saw them he smiled and stood up from his chair, "Nina, Kana, good morning. So nice for you to join us."

"Good morning!" Kana aide cheerfully.

"G-Good m-morning," Nina stammered as her face turned red upon seeing Corrin.

"Would you like some breakfast? Trust me when I say that Jakob's breakfast is just as superb as his dinners," Corrin laughed causing the aforementioned butler to try (and fail) to hide his rising blush, "we have bread, cheese, some ham—"

"I want strawberries!" Kana squealed eyeingthe bowl holding the brightly colored fruit on the table.

"Strawberries it is. And you Nina?"

"Just some bread and cheese please..."

"Of course; and remember, you can always ask for seconds if you want. Let me just pull out a couple of hairs for you two."

"They can take ours Lord Corrin," Kaze wiped his mouth and got up, "Mozu and I must go assist with some of the reparations anyway."

"Thank you Kaze."

The man gave a small bow followed by him and Mozu leaving the dinner. The girls took the empty seats, sitting across Corrin as Felicia served them the food that they had asked for. Kana immediately began wolfing down on her food dripping juice everywhere while Kana slowly buttered her bread before putting some cheese on it and nibbling it. Her eyes drifted from Corrin to Niles, who was sitting on the end of the table next to the king sipping on some coffee. The eye patched man winked at her, causing her to look down embarrassed.

"These are so good!" Kana said in between bites and making a mess on her face.

"Here dear, let me get that for you," Felicia laughed grabbing a napkin and wiping the girl's mouth.

"Thank you!"

"Girls, there is something I wanted to ask you," Corrin said suddenly causing both of them to look up at him, "you mentioned yesterday that you didn't have any parents right?"

"Yes."

"So would it be safe to assume that you also don't have a home?"

"...yes."

"So, my question is, what exactly do you plan on doing once you leave Valla?"

"We do what we always do where Nina ste—" Kana clamped her mouth over her hand once she realized that she might have said too much. She gave Nina an apologetic look while she only glared at her.

"I think the answer is obvious Corrin, so let's not dwell on it," Niles said calmly while pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"Right. Anyway the point that I wanted to make was this: if you could have another life, a normal one, where you didn't have to resort to such things, would you be interested?"

"What?" Kana tilted her head to the side confused while Nina just sat quietly.

"Nina, Kana, would you like to stay and live here with us?" Corrin smiled at them.

"W-WHAT?!" Kana cried out.

"I...I was thinking maybe you two would like having a family. Oh gods, that felt pretentious; did that sound pretentious?" Corrin asked blushing.

"Little bit, but I think they get the point," Niles chuckled taking a sip from his coffee.

"Oh that sounds wonderful Corrin. I think it's a great idea," Azura smiled at him.

"More children running around making a mess, just what I needed," Jakob sighed as he began to clear the table.

"Don't be souch a grouch Jakob, this is fantastic news!" Felicia clapped giddily.

"Everyone calm down, you're getting ahead of yourselves," Corrin cleared his throat, "we still haven't heard what they have to say. It all comes down to what they want."

Kana's mind was racing, adopted? I'm going to be adopted?! Yes! I'm going to live in a castle instead of abandoned shacks, and eat delicious food everyday instead of scraps, and sleep in soft fluffy beds instead of smelly floors, and Nina and I—

She stopped when her thoughts turned to Nina "Remember, nobody is nice without a reason," she could hear her voice saying. Was she going to say no? Was she going to say that it was a trap and they had to leave immediately? She said last nice that they were "nice" but that could have been part of her plan. After all, Kana wasn't exactly good at being secrete and subtle.

I want to say yes. I want to stay here and have a family; but Nina knows best, and I can't leave her. If she says no, then I'll say no, Kana thought sadly. She looked over at the older girl, waiting for her reponse.

Nina sat quietly twiddling her thumbs, her face crimson red, "I-I mean, it's n-not like we h-have anywhere e-else to go..."

What?

"If Kana wants to stay, I'll stay with her," Nina mumbled.

Kana looked at her in shock, unsure if this was a cruel joke or not.

"Well Kana, what do you say?" Corrin asked.

"…..y-yes! I wanna stay!"

"Then it's settled," Corrin smiled, "we'll call forth a royal scribe, have the paperwork done as soon as possible, and you two will officially be our daughters."

"Yah! I'm going to be a princess!" Kana squealed excitedly, "And I'm finally going to have a mama and papa!"

"Well actually—"

"Can you teach me how to have pretty hair like yours mama?" Kana stared at Azura.

"Oh no, no, no," the blue haired woman laughed softly, "I'm not your mama. Corrin and I aren't married. I'm just one of his advisors; but I can still teach you how to have hair like mine if you want."

"Oh. Are you my mama?" Kana asked turning to Felicia.

"Sorry dear. I will be helping Lord Corrin take care of you two, but I'm not your mother either."

"Then where's mama?" The little girl asked confused looking at Corrin.

"You're looking at her kid," Niles chuckled.

"Very funny Niles."

"Eh?"

Corrin shook his head before slipping his hand into Niles', causing the man to smile at him, "what he's trying to say is that Niles is actually my husband. We've been married for a few years now and we often toyed with the idea of starting a family for a while now. "

"So...I have two papas?"

"Is that problem?" Corrin asked concerned.

"No!" Nina cut in surprising everyone, "it's not a problem at all. We don't mind; right Kana?" She asked giving the smaller girl a death glare.

"R-Right!"

"Okay?" Corrin scratched his head confused, "anyway I hate to leave you two so suddenly but I have to go inspect the pegasi in order to see if they're—

"You have a pegasus?!" Kana interrupted her eyes going wide.

"Well technically they belong to the Valla Falcon Knights and—"

"I wanna see! I wanna see!" Kana said getting up from her spot and latching on to Corrin's arm.

"Oh. I guess they're no harm in accompanying us. Is it all right with you Azura?"

"Of course."

"Then let's go!" Corrin picked up the laughing girl and hoisted her up his shoulders.

"Yay! Thanks papa!"

Corrin's faced became flustered at that last part, "you coming Niles?"

"You two go on ahead, I'm going to finish my coffee and then inspect the archer battalion," Niles waved them off.

"Fine. See you at lunch?"

"Of course."

"Great," he bent down and gave his husband a quick kiss, "love you."

"I know you do," Niles grinned.

"Jerk," Corrin laughed walking out of the diner with Azura and Kana, leaving Niles and a suddenly very flustered Nina alone.

"He...he he..." Nina giggled.

"Enjoy the show?" Niles asked grabbing a peach and biting into it.

"I just remembered something funny, that's all," she snapped wiping the drool on the corner of her mouth.

"Now now, that's no way to talk to your father young lady. I will ground you if I have to; and knowing my softhearted husband I might be the one who is in charge of that around here."

"Don't push it with the father stuff. I only agreed to stay because it's what Kana wants. That doesn't mean I think you two are my dads."

"Fair enough, I understand. Though for what it's worth, you are really nice to your sister."

"She's not my sister."

"She is now," Niles sipped his coffee.

"...right," Nina grabbed a piece of ham and rolled it with some cheese before eating it.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Hmmm?"Niles set down his mug and smiled at Nina, "I don't mind people watching me have fun, but Corrin is another matter. He gets easily flustered and embarrassed, especially when it comes to our less savory activities. So next time you want to spy on us, try and do a better job at concealing yourself; just because I have two daughters now does not mean that I'm willing to give up any quality time with my husband."

Nina could feel her face burning up with embarrassment, "r-right. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I don't mind. Though I am curious as to why you were so interested in our little late night thirst."

"Because it was so...so...intense!" Nina said excitedly, her mind filling with images of the previous knight.

Niles laugh, "you thought that was intense? Oh sweetie, you are just adorable. To be young and innocent again..."

"Wait, so you've done more stuff like that?!"

"Child I've done things that your pretty little head couldn't even begin to fathom," Niles chuckled finishing his coffee.

"M-Maybe y-you c-could tell me?" Nina asked quietly poking her fingers together.

Niles gave her an amused look but didn't say anything.

"It's just...maybe it would good to know more about my new dads?" Nina tried.

"Do have any idea what you are getting into?" Niles asked slyly.

"Y-yes?"

"I don't think you do."

Author's note: well there's one way to discover your interest.

Anyway I got nothing. I heard that Niles and Corrin technically "adopted" two girls at the end of Revelations, this came to mind, and I wanted to write it to get out of the way. Just a little fun Fire Emblem fic that, for once, isn't filled with angst or drama.

As always leave comments and critiques below. See you next time.