This is the third idea I've had as of late that I really want to get written soon. I was thinking of Elise and Xander and how Elise mentions in her support with Arthur how Xander's more of a hero to her than her father. I can definitely imagine little Elise following her big brother around and looking to him for guidance and comfort for just about everything. And it is so sweet how she wants him to smile and be happy.

I wouldn't mind exploring more of the Nohrian siblings pre-game. I've done a couple of other one shots, mostly focused on Leo and Xander. It's such a dark time in their lives, with so much to explore and think of, but it can't all have been doom and gloom. Especially with Elise being the bright spot in their lives.

I thought of this being a one-shot, but I might leave it open for now, just in case I do have some other thoughts that turn this into a collection.

As Crown Prince of Nohr, much had been placed on Xander's head. The young prince was up before the sun, even though most of Nohr's days were cloudy. His days were kept busy, with training, studying, reading, and even the occasional lesson in art or dance. Many days, he was only able to grab a quick bite to eat between all of his busy projects.

Even at night, work never escaped him. He would retired to his bedchambers to relax and unwind after the day, only to find stacks of paperwork for him to read, study, or work on. Such was life for the heir of the Nohrian throne.

Most nights were quiet, save for the scratching of quill on parchment and often the muffled sound of rain. Nohr's climate was a dreary one. Hardly anyone knocked on his chamber door, save for the occasional maid who brought him a late night snack or another note or paper. Some gave him hopeful looks, others appeared more apologetic as they added to his workload.

As he sat at his desk, deep in a mound of papers, he often wound up lost in his work. That was why, late one night, he did not hear the small knock at his door. After the third knock, a faster and longer knock than the first two but still not very loud, the sound finally caught his attention. He looked at the door, wondering if he had actually heard a knock at all.

Then came a tiny voice asking, "Xander? Are you in there?"

He pushed himself away from the desk and hurried to the door. That small voice belonged to the youngest of his three remaining siblings, Elise. It was well past her bedtime, he had seen his other sister, Camilla, carry her off to bed. What was she doing awake at such an hour? And why did she come to him? Camilla's own chambers were closer to Elise's than his.

He opened the door for her, but before he could ask, she had wrapped herself around his legs and rested her cheek against the side of his right leg. He could not help but smile at the sight of his little sister, even though he was still concerned as to what might have had her out of bed. Gently, he pushed her away from his leg and knelt to her level. He could see no sign of tiredness in her large eyes. "What has you out of bed so late?" he asked as he brushed a lock of blonde hair from her face. "Did something frighten you? A nightmare, perhaps?"

She jumped into her older brother's arms and murmured, "Can't sleep."

Xander stood and lifted her, holding onto her with one arm as he shut the door and wondered what to do. He could return her to her chambers. She had made the long journey to his room, though. Would she not come back? He could take her to Camilla, but she had chosen him and not Camilla in the first place. His gaze finally fell on his own bed. He was not using it and it was quite spacious.

He carried his sister to the bed and pulled back the blankets. "You can sleep in here, Elise. I know you say you cannot sleep, but if something scares you, I'll be right here." He tried to lower Elise into his bed, but for such a small child, she had quite the grip on his neck! With a sigh, he sank down onto the bed and began to stroke her hair.

Xander's plan had been to let her fall asleep in his bed and then carry her back to her room. "I'll be at my desk," he said softly in an effort to try to assure her that it would be fine to let him go. "Right where you can see me."

Elise sighed and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. Could he manage to work with just one hand while holding Elise? No, Xander doubted that very much. Even if he could hold his parchment down, writing would probably jostle her.

"It's rather late," he told her quietly. While it was not nearly midnight, it was still quite late for a small child to be awake.

"I know." She sat up and leaned her head back so she could look her oldest brother in the eye. "You're not sleepy either." It was not a question.

Xander chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not," he agreed, "but it also is not past my bedtime."

A look of surprised confusion appeared on her face. "You have a bedtime?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

He could feel another chuckle trying to form. "I do not," he told her with a smile, "but you do. I do, however, have a lot to do before I can go to bed." He glanced over at his desk. For just one moment, his imagination ran wild. Did that pile of parchment get larger in the few moments Elise had his attention? No, of course not. That was just foolish thinking.

Elise, too, looked at his desk. A scowl formed on her face. "Does anyone let you sleep?" she demanded to know.

"Yes, of course I get to sleep." Eventually, he added to himself. He managed to succeed in removing her thin arms from around his neck as she continued to glare at the papers on his desk as though they had purposely chose to appear there to make his life miserable and keep him away from his sweet little sister. "Why don't you lay down? Even though you cannot sleep, it would not hurt to rest your eyes for a little while." It was a trick that had just returned to him, one his own mother had used on him a time or two as a child.

Elise reached for him again. Xander sighed. He had only one other idea to get her to sleep. Would it be worth ten minutes or so of his time? "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep," he said, his tone admitted defeat. He removed his boots as Elise slid along the bed to give him space. He stretched out over the blankets and rested his head on one pillow. He assumed Elise would take the other pillow and drift off to sleep within minutes.

She curled up next to him, her head on his chest and one short little leg thrown over his waist. She peeked at him through a curtain of her blonde hair and smiled at him before thanking him for letting her stay in his room that night.

"I don't mind," he told her. It was true. He, their brother, and their sister would do anything for Elise. She was loved and adored by her older siblings. Perhaps they allowed her to get away with some things that she should not have, but her short life had been so different from theirs.

Not so long ago, Xander had to defend himself against his own brothers and sisters. His father, King Garon, had many children, though Xander was his only legitimate one, his firstborn son, and heir. His mother had also been Garon's beloved wife, Queen Katerina. Other women sought favor with his father, and even rose to the point of using their own children to take out their siblings in order to move them forward in the line of succession and to win favor with their lover and king.

All of the fighting between women and their children had ceased nearly overnight about the time his youngest sister had been born. He and his remaining siblings, Camilla and Leo, had all agreed Elise would not know of the horror they had endured.

They would not hesitate to do anything for her, whether that involved sparing her the horrific details of their past, or simply allowing her to sleep in their room at night.

"Xander? Do you know any bedtime stories?"

He sighed softly as he stared at the ceiling. "I'm afraid I do not, but I will try to make time to check the library for a book of them in the morning." If she came to his chambers once, she probably would do it again. If she wanted a story, he would make sure he was prepared next time. "Just try to go to sleep," he told her as he began to stroke her hair.

His little sister fell silent, but he knew she was not asleep. As he lay there, waiting on her to drift off to sleep, it was his eyes that began to grow heavy. He could feel himself falling asleep, but he could not do that. Not with so much work to do! He forced his eyes open and shook his head.

Elise giggled and glanced at him through a lock of hair that had fallen across her face. She smiled, saw her opportunity, and took it. "Go to sleep, Xander," she said in a soft tone. She began to giggle again, amused at the idea of being the youngest in the royal family, yet telling her big brother, Xander, the oldest in the family aside from their father, to go to sleep. She bit her lip to stifle them but it did not fully work.

"Hmm." If he were not tired, it would have struck Xander as amusing, as well. "You have to go to sleep, too," he reminded her. He took a moment to stretch, then he settled back down and promptly fell asleep.