Chapter Text
Jakob knew his liege well.
He knew that when he was first abandoned at the Northern Fortress by his parents to rot in a life of servitude, that he would have been thrown out if Corrin hadn’t saved him. The young noble had been so clumsy and terrible at chores that the other servants had resolved to toss him into the streets rather than try to remedy his behavior. Corrin was the only one to defend him. She parted the angry crowd and took his hand fearlessly. She pulled him up from the ground and led him away without a moment's hesitation. That was the day she had saved his life.
He knew from when they used to read books in the library together for their Book Club that she loved books about dragons the most. By the time she was a teenager, she could recite almost every fairytale by heart. He never got tired of hearing to retell the stories with the gusto of a true performer.
He knew that when she first learned to use a sword, she would sneak out of her bedchamber in the middle of the night to practice in secret. In the dark, she would accidentally inflict multiple injuries upon herself but always insisted against using any of the sparse medical supplies in the fortress to ease the pain of injuries caused by her own inexperience. Jakob only agreed if she promised to let him know when she intended to train so he could at least have hot water and a washcloth on standby to clean her wounds. From that day on, he stood nearby at her first and only attendant when she needed medical attention. Such devotion eventually led to him becoming her official retainer.
He knew that she was covered in scars. As was he. By the time they were both young adults, both had undergone strenuous combat training under the guidance of Xander and Gunter. Both of their bodies were branded with pale pink, slightly raised scars that laced up their limbs like garish ribbons. One day, when Corrin expressed discontent at her weakness as a warrior after staring at the evidence of her failures slashed across her body, Jakob couldn’t resist rolling up his sleeve and slowing her his own equally imperfect skin.
He knew that when she laughed, she would scrunch up her nose and turn her head up toward the heavens. Sometimes she would snort, and that would just make her laugh even louder. It was impossible for him to not smile at such a sight.
He knew that when she was overcome with fits of anxiety and sadness, she often got a headache afterward. He always made sure to have tea and sugar cookies on standby for when her sadness passed. He would revisit her room multiple times between chores and listen for her sobs and sniffles to ebb before he dared to knock. Sometimes it took until dawn, but he was willing to miss sleep for her.
He knew the decision between siding with her Nohrian or Hoshidan family broke her heart more than anyone could know. Even if she smiled in front of others, she could never completely fool Jakob. Once the two were alone, he brewed strong tea and encouraged her to talk until she had fully vented all her fears. She thanked him with a kiss on the cheek that left his face hot for a few hours.
He knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his days at her side, serving her loyally as her butler. Then, when she proposed marriage to him, enthusiastic agreement sprang from his lips before he had a second to stop himself. Not that he would have wanted to.
He knew that when she kissed him for the first time that she’d never kissed anyone else. In fact, neither had he. When they share their first kiss, she was enthusiastic to the point of clumsiness. When he took her beautiful face into her hands and she whispered his name in enthusiastic agreement, he knew then that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. It took days for such a revelation to finally sink in.
He also knew her body well. The way her velvet lips would part after only a few touches, the curve of her incisors and the taste of honey on her tongue were all second-nature sensations to him. He knew the softness of her thighs and the natural slope of her breasts. He knew where she was ticklish and knew to avoid spots where injuries from the battlefield made the flesh to sore to kiss. Jakob memorized every slope and plane of her body so that he could worship her fully, from head to toe.
He knew that she liked to sleep on her back unless it was cold. Then she would throw extra blankets on the bed and roll closer to him. She’d place her head on his shoulder and stroke his hair lovingly, whispering that her favorite place in the world was his arms, because she was never alone there and always felt at peace. Jakob always agreed and told her that, without her strength and guidance, he'd truly be at a loss.
He knew she liked to tease him and make him blush. Sometimes she would surprise him with a kiss that would shatter their master-servant decorum instantly if witnessed by others. Sometimes, they would lay in bed after sex and she’d confide in him about how his eyes reminded her of lavender fields, or how his hair was like moonlight. He’d stutter in boyish embarrassment every time, and she would only laugh and kiss him again. He swore that one day his heart would burst because of her.
Again, he was right. Twice.
When she held both their newborn sons in her arms, he swore that there wasn’t a more beautiful woman in the world that could compare to Corrin. Both their sons were just as lovely as her, with the same wild hair and dreamy eyes. The first and second time that she gave birth, she held the babies lovingly while he sat nearby and tried to blink the tears out of his eyes. He failed both times. The second time, a young Dwyer had tried to wipe his father's tears away with a tissue, only to get squeezed in a loving hug.
Jakob, who had previously resented the idea of fatherhood after the trauma of his abandonment, promised to protect his family forever, no matter the cost. Corrin agreed without hesitation.
When war forced the young couple to place their children into the Deeprealms for protection, he knew they would never be the same. The despair he felt that day, as he held his sobbing wife in his arms as he cried over her shoulder, would haunt him forever. When they retired to their room that night, he knew nothing could alleviate the sorrow in their hearts.
Years passed before the parents saw their children again.
He knew that when Kana and Dwyer came to live with the army after years in their different Deeprealms, that they would never be apart from each other as a family ever again. Even if it took the rest of his life to rebuild the broken bonds between him and his children, Jakob was damned certain he’d see it through. With Corrin at his side, even the most insurmountable tasks suddenly became possible.
The next morning, when Corrin was resigned to bed in extreme exhaustion from spending all night talking and tending to the needs of her sons following their arrival to the astral plane, Jakob requested the morning off to spend time with his family. When it came time for breakfast, he produced a variety of fruits and pastries, along with a huge tray of sugar cookies.
She smiled at him radiantly. The gesture gave her a cause to snort in laughter as she pulled him close for a kiss.
“Jakob, you know me so well.”