Give your heart and soul to me

It was so surreal to stand at an altar next to someone she truly loved.

After all they'd been through, from the abusive nature of King Garon to the terrible bloodshed of war, they had never left each other's side.

As a princess, she never thought that she'd ever have the opportunity to marry someone she loved. Especially because of her past and the fact that she'd been taken from the kingdom of Hoshido at birth, Corrin always expected that she would be married off as a pawn for legislative purposes, or worse. Considering the events of the war and Garon's mental instability, she would have probably been killed. Not just her, but countless of other people in the kingdom would have probably suffered the same or perhaps even worse fates.

She considered being alive to be a great privilege. She was even happier that her entire Nohrian family, plus all her friends and companions, had made it out alive.

Her ever-present hesitation about the future as a reason that getting married had never been a dream of hers, and until recently, she'd never even considered the idea of falling in love.

While living in the Northern Fortress, all she longed for was freedom and the opportunity to fulfill her father's desires. Now, she knew better than to blindly follow others.

Instead, she wanted to stand beside others as a comrade and confidant.

Now, she would have a husband that would loyally stand by her as well. A true equal, no matter what hardships or battles came their way. Corrin knew that she would never be alone again.

Before a modest crowd of family members and their respective retainers, Xander stood between Corrin and Jakob to legally officiate their marriage.

After all, they were in the midst of war and couldn't afford lavish festivities. Although it was impossible to throw a large party, a small ceremony was still planned to mark the occasion. The couple had readily agreed to the conditions, much preferring that as many resources as possible be reserved for the war effort.

"Do you promise to be loyal and stay by each other's sides, and swear to be good to each other for as long as you both live?" Xander asked in a booming voice that was perfectly suited for a future king.

"Yes," Corrin replied eagerly, visibly unable to contain her excitement as she reached out and took Jakob's hand. "I do!"

The silver haired butler laughed at Corrin's eagerness, wondering all the while what he had done to have such a beautiful and wonderful woman fall in love with him. The man still felt as if he didn't deserve someone as incredible as her as his wife.

"And you, Jakob?" Xander asked in a low, almost emotional tone. "Do you promise to protect and love Princess Corrin, my sister, for as long as you live?"

"Yes, I do. Corrin, I will love you for eternity, no matter what."

"Jakob…!"

"…Then I pronounce you husband and wife," the prince said, taking an unusually long pause before speaking. The man seemed to be more expressive than usual, but was clearly trying his best to maintain his composure. "Congratulations. You may kiss, if you'd like."

Corrin couldn't resist laughing at the clear embarrassment in Xander's voice. She imagined that it had to be a little awkward for him to officiate a sibling's wedding, but she was truly grateful for it. The woman gave her older brother a brief hug before going to Jakob and pulling him into a powerful kiss. The butler seemed taken aback by the passion, but ultimately grinned like the lovesick man he was and swept her up into his arms.

The first to cheer was Elise, who was smiling and sobbing equal parts at the sight of her precious sibling getting married to someone she truly loved. Leo also looked somewhat misty-eyed, although he didn't care show it and had to keep his gaze averted while the couple kissed. Camilla was also teary at the sight, using a finely embroidered handkerchief to gently dab her eyes.

Nobody was good enough for Corrin in her mind, but Jakob was pretty damn close.

Odin and Niles were ready with glasses and booze to toast the couple. Both were trying to lift people's spirits and maintain the joyous mood of the wedding despite the buckets of tears. Felicia was also a sobbing mess, clutching onto her oddly quiet sister Flora.

"Congratulations, milady!" the pink-haired maid said as the couple left the altar and was swarmed by excited guests. Corrin embraced the clumsy maid merrily, her hug tight enough to lift the woman off of the ground a few inches. Obviously, Felicia squealed with delight at her lady's playfulness.

"Yes…" Flora muttered, eyes looking somewhat sad. "Um, congratulations."

Jakob's usually hard gaze softened at the sight of her sadness, remembering the confession she'd told him when they had initially traveled to suppress the rebellion in the Ice Tribe. The young butler nodded and lifted one of Flora's hands to kiss daintily.

"Many thanks, Flora," the man said. "I mean that."

Flora smiled warmly and nodded as he released her hand. Although her love would remain unrequited, she was relieved that there was no bad blood between them.

Xander watched his younger sister, feeling a complicated stirring of emotions in his heart at the sight of his little princess in a wedding dress. In a way, he'd been one of her most influential guardians throughout her life, and was in a state of awe at seeing the fine person she'd grown up to be. He imagined that it was what feeling like a humbled parent was like.

Moments later, Charlotte was there at his side to bring him back to reality and reassure him.

"You did wonderful, even if you got a little sappy at the end," she teased lightly. This caused Xander to laugh heartily. Her teasing eased some of the obvious tension that had built in his shoulders. He reached over to gently grip her chin with his hand, tilting her beautiful face upward.

"Thank you, love."

A party continued late into the night, with all the other guests in the army dancing and drinking until dawn threatened to break over the horizon. As couples flirted and the modest feast dwindled to bare dishes, the newlyweds had snuck away to one of the more isolated areas of the astral castle.

The two stood on the porch of the large treehouse that served as the troop's private quarters. As they overlooked the bustling party that was still going on below, they made jokes about the tipsy guests and lightly teased people like Laslow, who was getting chided by Xander after flirting with half the members of the army.

It had felt amazing to take a break from the routine of battle to relax and enjoy everyone's company. Still, despite the cheeriness in the air and sweet glow of starlight that bathed everything in an ethereal glow, a thick cloud of tension still blanketed the camp.

"The war isn't done…" Corrin said slowly, her head resting against Jakob's shoulder. She sighed and wrapped her hands around his arm, which he lent for her to hold and grip as much as she needed to.

"Tomorrow, everything will go back to normal," Jakob said with a long sigh as he threaded his fingers through his wife's tumbling locks, careful not to cause any tangles as he did so. "We must enjoy everything while we can, including each other's company."

As usual, Jakob spoke the truth. The words were hard to hear, for she knew the implication. Nobody in the army knew they their last day would come. So far, they had been lucky in their adventure in that everyone had made it out alive. She had no idea how long the trend would continue, and knew she couldn't take anything or anyone for granted.

"I know you're right," she said, laughing gently. After a few more moments of silence, she turned her head to face Jakob's, whose profile was outlined in the silvery moonlight. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Jakob?"

"Yes, Corrin?"

Her heart soared when he used her name so informally. It was a true testament that showed just how far their relationship had come since their first meeting as children, when they were simply master and servant.

Swallowing, Corrin said in as serious of a voice as she could manage, "Please, stay with me. I know we have a lot of hard battles ahead, and you have to promise me you'll protect yourself. I want to know that you'll be with me forever, and that after this war is over, we can really begin our life together."

The young man was silent for a few moments, as if absorbing the gravity of her words. Then, he chuckled and swept a hand across her cheek, pulling her close. Upon feeling the subtle chill that caused her shoulder to prickle, he removed his suit jacket and placed it over her shoulders.

Just like when they shared their first kiss on the balcony, he caught her hand and intertwined their fingers.

"I am yours, my lady," Jakob promised gently before lowering his lips to hers. "I am yours, body and soul. I cannot leave you, nor do I desire to."

The young princess pursed her lips to suppress a joyful sob, which made Jakob laugh as his thumb ventured to her lashes to wipe away a tear that threatened to fall. Corrin looked up at her best friend and husband with absolute adoration.

"I love you, Jakob," she muttered, smiling radiantly.

"I love you too, my lady," he swore, placing a hand over her thudding hear. "Always and forever. You have my word."

She rushed into his arms and covered his face in kiss after kiss until the sun emerged from over the horizon and bathed the joyful festivities and enamored couple in a pinkish, rosy glow.

And life will always be

La vie en rose

-END-

Yep, these are all the usual pairings in my Conquest file, although, Corrin and Jakob are married in my file long before Xander shows up, haha!

As I mentioned, I'd love to write some Siegbert/Shiro and Leo/Takumi in the future, once I finally convince myself to play Birthright/Revelations. I don't have a problem with the games…I'm just too attached to the Nohrian siblings at this point.

I hope you enjoyed this simple fluff. Thank you so much for reading!