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Of the many things Azura hated about living in Castle Krakenburg, the view from her bedroom window had to be one of the least significant. All she could see was the city built into the crater walls. In the face of everything else she had to live with, it was the least of her worries. But she hated it all the same. No matter what angle she tried, the night sky was hidden from her. The stars were further from her reach than ever before. It made those sleepless nights all the more lonely.
That was until her sixth birthday. Her mother woke her in the middle of the night saying that she had a surprise for her.
“Huuhhh?” Azura drawled, her voice heavy with sleep. “Where ish it?” She managed to crack her eyes open enough to peek around the room, which was lit solely by a candle her mother carried. Nothing under the candlelight came as a surprise.
“The surprise is too big for me to bring to you, I’m afraid,” Arete whispered. “I’ll have to bring you to it.” She extended her hand for her daughter to take it.
“Too tired...” Azura let her eyes fall shut again and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow in the process. Her mother’s hand came down on her shoulder and lightly jostled her. The girl let out a muffled groan in protest.
“Oh, come now. I’ll carry you there if that’s what you want,” Arete offered. “Do you want me to carry you?”
Azura wordlessly nodded and was then scooped up and held against her mother’s hip. She limply rested against her, cheek innocently nuzzling her bosom.
The tiny princess must have fallen asleep again because, the next time she opened her eyes, they were in a completely different part of the castle. A much colder part of the castle.
“Wake up, dear,” Her mother whispered directly into her ear. “We’re here.”
Azura opened her eyes - it was a lot easier than the first time her mother woke her up that night. It was little wonder that it was cold; they had gone outside. But why? There’s no surprise here.
“Where’s the surprise?”
“Right above our heads,” Arete gently grabbed her by the jaw and guided her to look up. Azura’s eyes widened and she let out a high-pitched gasp.
“The stars!”
The beautiful night sky. An assuring constant. There was very little that Azura could remember from the days before she and her mother had come to live at Castle Krakenburg. What she remembered most was that they moved around a lot, never staying in one place for too long. But, even when she moved somewhere new, the stars were in the same spots in the sky. Like friends that stayed with her no matter where she went.
“So, do you like the surprise?” Arete asked.
“Mama, I love it!” Azura cheered. She looked down from the sky at her mother’s face and beamed.
“Happy birthday, my girl,” Her mother smiled back. After a moment or two, she pointed back up to the sky. “Now, why don’t you make a birthday wish?” On her fifth birthday, Arete told her that if she saw a shooting star after making a wish, her wish would come true.
What Azura would wish for this year wasn’t even a question. The blue-haired girl closed her eyes and wished with all her heart. I wish someone would come save me from the bad people in the castle.
She opened her eyes just in time to watch a brilliant flash of light streak across the sky. Again, Azura let out a high-pitched gasp.
“Oh, it looks like your wish will come true!” Arete said. “But not if you tell anyone!” Her mother had seemingly read her mind, stopping her from sharing her wish.
“O-oh. I’ll keep it to myself, then...” This was a wish that the tiny princess needed to come true. Moments like this, where it was just her and her mother, had become increasingly rare. Meanwhile, the other kids were only getting meaner, and even some of the adults had started to join in. Castle Krakenburg was full of bad people and she was desperate for someone to save her from them.
With bated breath, Azura pressed herself against the wall and peeked around the corner. The coast was clear. There was no hesitation in her heart or her legs as she made a mad dash down the last corridor. After she crossed the threshold at the end, she was outside at last. She didn’t stop there. The little princess kept running until she reached the banister of the terrace. She braced her hands against the cold stone, let her neck droop, and panted.
As soon as she caught her breath, the blue-haired girl kept as still as possible. She listened for anything that might sound like someone following her. Aside from her heart in her ears and the wind howling high above her, she heard nothing.
This was the first time Azura had left her room in days. Her left leg was still covered in bruises from the last time she had dared to venture out. Running hurt, but she pushed herself anyway. To be out here tonight, under the stars just after midnight on her ninth birthday. Just like that night three years prior. She had done this on her seventh and eighth birthdays, as well. Nothing had happened then, same as back then. Yet still, she wished. Wished for a better life, for safety. But, most of all, she wished-
I wish my mother would come back. Azura clasped her hands under her chin, squeezing until her knuckles turned white and her fingertips an angry red. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I don’t want to be trapped with all these evil people. I wish for my mama to come back. Tears pricked in the corners of her golden eyes until her vision swam. She squeezed her eyes shut in a desperate bid to keep those tears unshed. I wish for Mama to come back for me!
Hot, fat tears streaked down the girl’s cheeks when she looked to the heavens. There were no shooting stars that night. Not that she still believed, but she couldn’t even lie to herself that her wish could come true.
In the end, that shooting star from all those years ago had granted Azura’s wish, just not in the way she had originally imagined. Someone had indeed come to take her from Castle Krakenburg, but not necessarily to save her. Since then, Azura had lived an oddly comfortable and free life for a so-called political prisoner.
Queen Mikoto had treated Azura like family since she had arrived, and it wasn’t long before Prince Ryoma and Princesses Hinoka and Sakura - all three of whom had told her to dispense with the formalities - took a liking to her, as well. She was...welcomed in Hoshido, even in the face of what had brought her there. For the first time since she was a little girl, Azura actually felt wanted.
But feeling wanted only made the pang in her chest worse. It wasn’t enough. That, in turn, made her feel ungrateful, and therefore undeserving. It was a vicious downward spiral and, at the very bottom, awaited the crushing weight of the burden she was born to bear. And she couldn’t tell anyone about it.
All Azura wanted was to be free. Free from her torturous memories, from her implacable fear, from her loneliness, from the all-consuming silence in her heart. Free from the yoke of her destiny. Free from the curse of her mother’s pendant. And, in her despair, the wayward princess could only see one path to the freedom she sought.
And so it was that she had thrown the sliding door to her balcony wide. Standing dead center of the threshold and silhouetted against the full moon, Azura blankly watched the night sky.
The stars above Hoshido were almost wholly distinct from those she had seen above Nestra, Cheve, and Nohr. None of the constellations her mother had taught her to find could be found. These were not the same stars that she had wished on as a girl. Something about that made a bitter feeling rise in her throat like bile.
Now sixteen, it was almost in mockery of herself - both her naive past and her powerless present - that Azura closed her eyes and clasped her hands in prayer. “I wish...” She took a deep breath. “...for my soul to be lost in the waves.” When her wish left her lips, the blue-haired girl once again fell silent. Her arms dropped limply. Several tense seconds lapsed before she opened her eyes again. When she did, there were no shooting stars to be found.
Sighing, Azura turned and stepped back inside. “Must be because I said my wish out loud.” The smallest of smiles pulled at the corners of her lips. But only for a moment. ”It’s for the better, in the end. I don’t want to come back as one of those... things.” Water in the shape of soldiers. They hadn’t dared to try attacking her outside of that place . They still watched her, however. Sometimes, she could feel their presence from the aura of rage and hatred. Yet something about them seemed sad. Lonely, even.
That lonely presence might have held meaning, but the blue-haired girl was too tired to ponder what. Still frozen in the doorway, she roused herself enough to pad deeper into the room, toward her futon. The balcony doors were left wide open. I just hope I get some sleep tonight.
Behind her, a faint light streaked through the night, unnoticed.
When the war council meeting drew to a close, Azura was the last to leave. When Corrin finished reviewing the materials that had been left for him, he left the large tent that served as their war room with a very obvious lack of coordination. She almost had to break into a run to catch him when he stumbled.
Corrin turned to smile at her. His lips twitched in a wince and the way he tried - and failed - to smile through it made her heart hurt. “Thanks...” He said. His voice was so much flatter than Azura ever wanted to hear.
“Corrin, have you been sleeping alright?” There was much more of an edge to her tone than she meant. Just listening to herself, it sounded more like nagging than genuine concern. She almost had to physically stop herself from grinding her teeth in agitation with herself.
“I-” Red eyes looked as if to be searching her face for something and his mouth hung slightly agape. The bright-haired prince pursed his lips and sighed through his nose. He turned his head away from her and she could see his Adam’s apple bob - trying to swallow his anxiety, if she had to guess. “No. I haven’t.” Corrin admitted.
“You should turn in early for the night,” Again, she sounded more nagging than concerned. Why did she have to be so bad at showing concern? “Why don’t I walk you to your tent?”
Corrin righted himself and gave his head a shake. “Oh, come on. I’m not that tired. And don’t get all smothering on me. I already get enough of that from Camilla.” Such a sharp reaction only furthered Azura’s consternation. She was used to being rejected by now but, coming from him, it stung. No, stung was too mild. It hurt.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” Golden eyes closed and she started to withdraw her arm from his shoulder. Her mouth was readying to form the words I’ll leave you alone when his hand found her forearm, stopping her retreat.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that,” Corrin turned to look at her, eyes big and almost shining. “But, I’m not ready to turn in. I don’t think I would sleep, anyway.”
“Sakura knows some herbal remedies for insomnia,” Azura suggested. “They’ve really helped me. I don’t know if they’ll work on dragons, but I’d say it’s worth trying.”
“Oh, her medicines work fine for me, but that’s not what I meant.” Corrin laughed. “Here, come with me.” He shrugged her arm off and took her by the hand.
His hand in hers. The way he was so casual about it. The blue-haired woman blinked. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew how he felt about her. She also knew that he knew how she felt about him. But they hadn’t found the opportunity to talk about it yet. Azura was completely silent as Corrin led her out of camp.
When they were far enough away that nobody would hear them unless they were shouting, the bright-haired prince stopped. He let go of her hand slowly - reluctantly, even. His fingers trailed against hers. Azura looked around, perplexed.
“Why did you bring me all the way out here?” As far as she could tell, it was an empty patch of grass the same as any other.
“Today’s your birthday, and I didn’t want to go to bed before getting to spend a little time with you, just you and me,” Corrin explained. He lowered himself to sit on the grass. Halfway down, she could physically see him realize what he’d said. It was only because of how pale he was that she could notice him blushing in the faint light. “Er, not like that. I just mean I want your attention to myself. Wait, no! Not like that, either!”
A little sound escaped her - it wasn’t a snort, but it wasn’t dissimilar. She covered her mouth with her hand, but that couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled forth. This is what she had fallen in love with.
“Gods, I’m making a complete fool out of myself.” Corrin covered his eyes with his hand and flopped over backward. “I just wanted to go stargazing with you. The sky’s been clear all day, so tonight would be the perfect night for that.”
Azura collected herself and looked down at him. A broad smile pulled at her lips - one of the biggest smiles she’d worn in years, but such smiles were becoming increasingly common when she was at his side. “That was very thoughtful of you, Corrin. I’d be glad to stargaze with you.”
She lowered herself to join him, lying down next to him. When his arm brushed hers, she knew it meant that he’d taken his hand away from his face. With just as little hesitation as he had earlier, she took his hand in hers. In little moments like this, it was easy for her to forget that they were embroiled in a war and that the fate of the world rested on their shoulders.
But that reality didn’t stay banished from her mind. Azura closed her eyes and held her free hand over her sternum in prayer. I wish that we can both survive to see the peace we’re fighting for. Even after making her wish, she kept her eyes shut for a few more moments. She opened them just in time to watch a brilliant light streak across the sky. Corrin’s other hand flew into her peripheral vision.
“Hey, a shooting star! Make a wish!”
Azura stood on the balcony, blankly watching the horizon. Her husband wasn’t with her, but she wasn’t alone. Her hands supported the swell of her stomach. Only three more months. Over the past six months, she’d gone through a variety of emotions. From joy to annoyance, fear, ennui, regret, and back to joy to repeat them all over again. Her mood had been unpredictable, but tonight was a night where she was joyed over her pregnancy. Never in her life had she felt more fulfilled.
A creak sounded behind her, followed by a slow, sleepy cadence of barefoot steps. Arms encircled her middle and a head came to rest on her shoulder. Almost entirely without thinking about it, one of her hands left her baby bump to reach back and ruffle through soft, platinum-blond locks.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Corrin asked.
“The little one woke me up, so I decided to get some fresh air,” Azura answered. Her husband replied only with a soft, acknowledging hum.
“Stars are pretty tonight,” He said - voice almost slurred with sleep - after a long pause. That brought her attention up from the horizon to overhead.
“That they are.” And, judging from the position of the moon, it was after midnight, making it her birthday. As it so usually did on this day, her mind turned to birthdays past and the wishes she’d made over the years. Now, she couldn’t think of anything left to wish for. She was safe, no longer lonely, free from the yoke of fate, and she lived through the war and was happily married to the one who had made her life worth living once again. She closed her eyes, smiling.
Then her thoughts turned to their yet unborn baby, and her hope that they would be born to live a happy, healthy life. From there, she thought of her hope that the peace they’d fought so hard to win would last, and her hope to stay with Corrin until they were both old and gray. She hoped for safety and security for their new kingdom. Azura was forced to admit to herself that, even though she had so much of what she’d ever wanted, she wouldn’t ever stop wishing for more.
“Wooowww...” Behind her, Corrin sounded well and truly awestruck - at least, as awestruck as he could be when she knew he was barely awake. She opened her eyes to see for herself what he was marveling at. Then, she too was awestruck. Almost the entire sky was lit up in a shower of shooting stars.