Archive of Our Own

Scarlet hurried through the hallways of Nestra’s Palace with an armful of scrolls.

It was a few days before the World Summit, where all the leaders of the world met to establish diplomatic relations. Scarlet had been told that this event used to happen annually, but stopped when tensions became high after King Sumeragi’s assassination.

Now, a year after the war, after the dust had settled, it was decided to bring back this meeting as a sign of goodwill. This year, as one of the neutral nations, Nestra was chosen as the host.

The summit hadn't started yet, so it wasn’t as busy as it could be, but Scarlet was careful not to disturb the few nobles and other important-looking people around, wouldn’t want to cause an international incident after all. 

She was here as part of Cheve’s envoy, as an assistant to the current, and newly elected, leader of the duchy. Some people said she should be the leader, but she politely declined. As much as she wanted to see the city be independent and prosper, she would much rather patrol the streets than rule it.

Currently, she was on an errand, fetching some documents from the store room.

She paused at an intersection of hallways. Hmm, which way do I go again?

The palace was way too big, and complicated, for her to navigate. She shrugged and decided to just pick a direction. She closed her eyes and turned….left.

She took a few steps, and immediately bumped into someone walking from that way. The scrolls went every which way as she fell back.

Scarlet’s heart sank. She should’ve been watching where she was going…stupid, stupid. This was exactly the international incident she didn’t want to cause. She probably bumped into some important noble from another country, and now Cheve will have to pay for it. She sighed and braced herself for being berated, and prepared to apologize profusely.

“Are you alright?”

Instead of the voice of an angry noble, a familiar voice spoke up, concerned. Startled, she looked up, and met the eyes of the person she ran into, looking equally startled.

“Oh, it’s just you Ryoma.” Her legs gave way in relief as she sank to the ground. “I thought I bumped into someone important,” she blurted out.

Ryoma paused and blinked a couple of times, before erupting into hearty laughter. “I’m not someone important eh. I see.”

Scarlet’s face warmed as realization dawned on her how absurd her statement was. She had bumped into the prince–no, the king–of Hoshido, one of the biggest countries in this summit…and she had just called him “not important”.

“Th-That’s…. I mean, you are important, but you’re not like, a noble or…” she stammered, only making it worse. Not only was he a noble, he was royalty. But to her, he had always just been Ryoma. A comrade, a close friend; someone she admired, someone she– 

Luckily, her words amused him more than anything. 

“It’s nice to see you too, Scarlet,” he smirked as he offered his hand. She grabbed it and let him pull her up.

Scarlet cleared her throat and dusted herself off, feeling embarrassed. “I um… I mean, hi, Ryoma,” she mumbled, feeling that she may have offended him after all.

“Heh”, he let out what sounded like a chuckle. “I’m glad you haven’t changed.”

The bemused look in his eyes told her that he was just teasing her and not actually angry. She sighed in relief internally. “Sorry about that… I just meant that, of all the people to run into, I’m glad it was you.”

She bent down to pick up all the scrolls scattered everywhere. Ryoma bent down beside her and started helping her.

“Wait, don’t do that!” she exclaimed, stopping him.

“Why not?” he asked as he handed her a scroll.

“Because you’re the king. You shouldn’t bend down to pick up stuff like this!”

He laughed in response. “Oh? I thought I wasn’t anyone important.”

“You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you,” she sighed.

He laughed again, “Sorry. I haven’t laughed like that in ages. Thank you for that.”

Ryoma opened his mouth to say something more, but before he could, his retainer Kagero appeared from the shadows and whispered something to him. He sighed and turned to Scarlet. 

“Sorry, I have to go now,” he paused, looking regretful, “Though, I would like to speak with you some more, would you like to join me for a meal later?”

She paused for a moment, then nodded. She hadn’t seen him for a while, it would be nice to catch up.

“Then come to my room later.” He handed her a slip of paper with a hastily drawn map on it, in addition to a seal that she was told to show the guards to gain access.

Ryoma gave a small wave, turned, and walked away. Scarlet stared at his retreating back. She hadn’t realized that her heart was pounding. She wasn’t sure whether she was nervous or excited to see him again. She gripped the paper in her fist. There’s so much she wanted to tell him about, so much she wanted to ask him.

—---------------- 

The day went by fast, as Scarlet helped the Cheve team set up. Her mind kept on wandering back to her encounter with Ryoma. Her heart started racing; she couldn’t get the image of his warm smile out of her head. 

Before she knew it, it was dinner time. She excused herself and headed to the location on the map. She left the main building of the palace and entered a wing she didn’t even know existed. Each country was given some rooms for the diplomats to stay in. Apparently Hoshido, being one of the biggest countries, was given its own space.

Scarlet felt out of place in such an opulent building, but she wasn’t about to turn back now. She was glad she was given the seal, as there were many guards who stopped her along the way.

Finally, she was escorted to a door. The guard knocked, and opened the door for her. She took a deep breath and poked her head in.

Ryoma’s room wasn’t as lavish as she had thought. It was much bigger than the one she was staying in, but it was actually quite simple. She smiled to herself, it was just like Ryoma to forgo the extravagance and stick to the essentials.

The king of Hoshido was at his desk, deep in thought. Instead of the formal clothes he wore before, he was wearing a simple haori, although upon closer inspection, she could tell it was still made of high quality silk. He looked up from the piles of paper in front of him, a bit surprised, before smiling warmly. “Ah Scarlet, come in!”

She gingerly entered the room and closed the door behind her.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he gestured towards a set of plush chairs in front of a table. A tea set was on the table, the teapot steaming with freshly brewed tea.

Scarlet hesitantly walked to the chair and sat down. Why was she so nervous? He was the same guy she had always known. They had dined together all the time in the mess hall, joking and talking about nothing in particular.

But he was also…different. He was the king now. Even though he was in his casual clothes, there was an aura about him. Or maybe, she simply didn’t know how to act around him anymore, after being apart for so long.

“So, how have you been?” he asked, getting up from his desk, sat in the chair across the table from her, and poured her a cup of tea.

“Busy, I suppose,” she replied. “You wouldn’t believe the number of papers and books I have to deal with everyday! Though…” she glanced around Ryoma’s room, and the stacks of paper on his desk, “I suppose you would…”

He laughed, “Trust me, I know how you feel.”

“What about you? What is it like being king?” she asked as she carefully sipped her tea.

He looked surprised at her question. “Well, stressful,” he gave a wry smile, “And busy. It took some getting used to.” He looked into her eyes, his smile looking more confident now. “But I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

Scarlet smiled back, “I’m so happy for you, Ryoma.”

Ryoma was a natural leader, and it was clear to her that he was born to be king. They had spent many nights discussing the state of the world, and he had shared with her his dreams for the Hoshido he wanted to build. She was so happy he finally had the opportunity to do it.

“I’m happy for you as well, Scarlet. I know how much it means to you that Cheve is finally free.”

“Oh, right, I wanted to thank you for that,” she leaned forward. Now that they were in the midst of conversation, she forgot how nervous she was before.

“What do you mean?”

“I know you helped with the negotiations.” 

After Garon was dethroned, Hoshido, represented by Ryoma, and the newly crowned Nohrian King Leo, signed a series of peace treaties. One of the conditions was to return Cheve to its people. There was no doubt in her mind that Ryoma helped secure a favourable outcome for Cheve.

Ryoma simply smiled. Scarlet found her heart beat faster. She was so grateful for everything he had done for her. 

They were interrupted briefly by a knock on the door, as someone came in with their meal. Scarlet swallowed to stop her mouth from watering. If there was one thing she missed about Hoshido, it was their food.

It seemed that her efforts did not go unnoticed by Ryoma. He chuckled, “Please, help yourself.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Any sense of self-consciousness she might have felt was overridden by the heavenly smell, and the realization of how hungry she was.

They continued their meal, conversing naturally as they caught up. Ryoma shared anecdotes of his trials and tribulations of his kingly duties, while Scarlet belayed her adventures in her newfound role.

After finishing their meal, someone came in to clear away the dishes, and replaced dinner with dessert.

Before they realized, it was dark outside.

“Oh, I guess uh…I should go now,” she glanced at the sky through the window, and got up. “Thanks for the food,” she smiled as she moved toward the door.

“Wait, don’t go!” he called out, catching her hand. She turned to look at him, a bit startled by his sudden movement. His eyes were serious, and he looked like he had more to say. Scarlet froze as she contemplated how to respond.

“Sorry,” he let go of her hand, and cleared his throat. “Tonight has been very enjoyable. I don’t usually get to talk to anyone like this. And I.. I would like to speak with you more…If you’re ok with that.”

“Oh,” she sat back down. Ryoma was either a leader, or an older brother, to everyone around him, he didn’t really have anyone he could call a friend. “Of course.”

A moment of silence passed between them.

“Let’s go to the balcony, I want to show you something,” he offered. She got up and followed him outside. The cool breeze felt nice and refreshing.

Ryoma leaned on the railing and gestured toward the view. Scarlet gasped. From their vantage point, they could see the ocean; the moonlight danced on the waves. Lights from Nestra’s entertainment district twinkled in the distance. This wasn’t her first time to Nestra, but she had never seen it like this before.

“Nice view, right?” he smiled. “This isn’t my first time here. I used to come here with my Father.”

“Yeah…” she replied.

They stood in silence for a bit, admiring the view. Her gaze shifted to look at him instead of the ocean. His hair was gently tousled by the wind as he stared at the view, deep in thought. She wasn’t sure if he was thinking of his father, or something else, but there was a sadness in his eyes.

“Ryoma…have you been lonely?” she asked gently, breaking the silence.

He turned to look at her, surprised. Then he looked away, “I…I missed you,” he said softly, casting his gaze down.

Scarlet felt her chest tighten. She missed him too. But she didn’t have the courage to reach out to him. He felt so far away. Not just physically, but also in terms of social status and the world he was part of. He was a king, and she was just a knight. It was by happenstance that their paths even crossed in the first place, and that she got to know him not as a prince, but as Ryoma. She would treasure that fact forever, but she would not dare to hope for anything more.

“Why did you… why did you leave without saying goodbye?”

He wasn’t accusing her, but she could feel the sadness behind his words.

I’m sorry.

She bit her lip. “I…I had some business to take care of, so I had to… leave.”

No, that wasn’t the reason.

He seemed to know that was a lie, but he didn’t call her out on it. 

It was the day of Ryoma’s coronation. The war had finally come to an end, after long-fought battles. The whole city of Shirasagi was in celebration, as guests from all around came to the three-day banquet.

Throughout their campaign, Scarlet had been with him, close to him, as they fought back-to-back. But ever since he was whisked away to be crowned king, she hardly had any opportunity to see him, much less talk to him. She wasn’t part of his family, or his retainer, or an important noble or official.

When she saw him walk onto the balcony to greet everyone in his new outfit, emblazoned with gold and jewels, looking regal, it was then that realization hit her that he was a part of a different world than her, and she felt the gap growing between them.

There was an endless stream of people who wanted to congratulate him. People surrounded him; women who perhaps wanted a chance to become queen surrounded him. Scarlet felt herself growing jealous. 

She wanted to be there, next to him. And then she felt stupid for feeling jealous. It wasn’t like she was entitled to be there or anything…

She still had fun at the banquet. There was lots of food, it was great to see smiles on everyone’s faces, and she had other friends to hang out with.

But she felt… out of place. It could be because of all the stares she got when she accidentally called him just “Ryoma”. It could be because she didn’t move out of the way fast enough, or lower her head enough, for this important-looking noble lady and her entourage. It could be because of all the whispers she could tell were about how out of place she was. Or it could be  because she felt the Ryoma she knew was getting farther and farther away from her.

She wanted to go home. Home to Cheve, to see the city she had freed from Garon’s grasp. They had passed by there on their way to Hoshido, and they were given a hero’s welcome.

More than anything, she wanted to go back to being regular Scarlet.

So she tucked away her unsaid feelings, and left, giving an excuse that she had some business to take care of. She knew he would be disappointed if she left without telling him, but she was scared seeing him would break her resolve.

When she was chosen to accompany Cheve’s leader to this Summit, she didn’t even consider that she would see Ryoma again, which in hindsight, was so obvious. Of course the leader of Hoshido would show up at a Summit for the world’s leaders.

Maybe it was good that she literally ran into him. It caught her off guard, and all the tension that would’ve been an awkward reunion didn’t get a chance to paralyze her.

“There were so many times I wanted to tell you about my day, to show you what I accomplished, to ask your opinion on things.” Ryoma looked away, “But… since you left without saying anything, I thought you were angry with me… that I did something to upset you.”

Scarlet’s heart sank. She knew she had hurt him. This was the last thing she wanted. “That’s not it at all! I’m not upset with you, I just…” She struggled to find the words, the thoughts jumbled in her head, and she wasn’t sure how much she should say. He turned and watched her silently, patiently waiting for her to organize her thoughts.

She clenched her fists. If she told him the real reason she left, would he be disappointed? Would he find it unreasonable?

No, Ryoma wouldn’t judge her like that, she reasoned. 

She took a deep breath. “I am so sorry,” she started by apologizing. She was selfish and ran away that day. Ryoma deserved better; he deserved to know.

So she told him everything, about how she felt out of place that day, about how she felt she didn’t know how to approach him anymore, and about how she felt there was a growing rift between them.

The whole time, Ryoma quietly listened as words spilled out of her, his face not betraying any emotions.

“So that’s why I left. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything,” with a shaky sigh, she finished talking.

Ryoma didn’t reply right away. It seemed that he was processing her words. She waited nervously for him to reply. Was he angry with her?

“I…understand how you feel,” he finally spoke up. “It makes sense, yes, I see. But Scarlet,” he looked at her straight in the eyes, “I’m still me. Even though I’m the king now, I’m still Ryoma.”

Scarlet inhaled sharply, she wanted to cry. He was right. Presently, as they stood together on the balcony, just the two of them, it was like the old times again.

“So if it’s alright with you,” he continued, “I would like for us to remain friends.”

“I…”

“Why, do you not like me anymore?” he smiled wryly.

“Of course I do, I love you!” she blurted out. “Ah…” she covered her mouth with her hand, but it was too late, the words were already out.

She heaved a deep sigh. Since she was telling him everything else, might as well come clean.

“Ryoma, you’re special to me… and to tell the truth, I wanted to be more than just friends. But…you’re royalty, and I’m just a knight from another country, so I.. I never said anything.”

She expected him to be surprised. She always thought he was oblivious to her feelings, and she wasn’t sure if she ever intended to share them.

Instead, he smiled wistfully, “I know.”

Scarlet’s mouth fell open. “Wait, you do?”

He nodded. Why does he look so sad though?

“I’m fond of you as well, Scarlet. If I were not the king of Hoshido, I think we would’ve been married by now, perhaps living in a small cottage in the countryside, raising our children together.”

Scarlet’s mouth fell open wider. The back of her eyes started to sting as she processed what he had just said. She was happy that he felt the same way. In fact, she should be over the moon…but that “what if” attached to it made her heart break.

“I…I had no idea…”

“...I’m sorry. I want to acknowledge your feelings and return them. I just…” It was his turn to be at a loss for words, as he took a moment to compose himself. He took a deep breath and continued. “But, the reality is, I AM the king of Hoshido, and if you were to be with me, you’d be the queen–”

“Yeah, and I’m not exactly qualified for that position, I know,” she interjected. It was exactly as she had thought back during his coronation..

Ryoma looked surprised at her outburst. “That’s not true at all,” he replied. Then, sensing this was a sensitive subject for her, his voice softened. “I think you would make a wonderful queen.” Scarlet’s heart skipped a beat at the way he gazed softly at her. “You’re charismatic and a great leader. People follow you naturally.”

“Oh.” She blushed at the praise. “Then why….?”

He looked pensive for a moment, as if debating on whether to share his thoughts or not. Then he sighed, it seemed that they were putting everything in the open now.

“As you know, my mother, Queen Mikoto, married my father after she arrived in Hoshido. She was not a native of Hoshido, and as such, she had some… difficulty adjusting.”

“But people eventually loved her, right?”

“That’s true, but…I’ve seen first hand the difficult path it took for her to get there. She hid it well, but I will never forget the day I saw her sobbing in her room when it became too much.”

“Ryoma…”

“I don’t want to see the same thing happen to the woman I love,” he smiled sadly. “Besides, I don’t think you’d want to live in the castle with me, it’d stifle your freedom. And you would have to leave Cheve behind.”

Scarlet’s head was spinning. She felt like she was being rejected, but not for any of the reasons she had assumed… How ironic.

She felt a lump in her throat and fought back the tears she could feel were coming. Ryoma was kind, almost to a fault. She had no idea he had even thought about any of this. But she also felt anger bubbling up. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t anger, more like frustration; frustration that he had assumed all of this on his own, without even asking or talking to her about it.

Is he wrong though?

She thought back to the feeling she had felt the last time she was at Castle Shirasagi. 

Well, no. His points are all valid. It was true that she didn’t want to leave Cheve behind. It was true that she would feel pressured and stifled by a role she had no idea how to fill. And being a foreigner on top of a commoner, she would be sure to be criticized by all sorts of people. Besides, even though Ryoma had full confidence she would make a good queen, she didn’t know very much about the history or politics of Hoshido, nor the etiquettes of being a noble. 

Still.

Still, she was frustrated that he didn’t talk to her about it first.

She wanted to yell at him for that. But as she opened her mouth to do so, the voice in her head told her “it’s not like you talked to him about any of your concerns either.”

Scarlet stopped herself. That’s right. She had no higher ground. A year ago, she left him without saying anything. She had also made assumptions about him, about his feelings for her.

She clapped her palms on her cheeks, the sound startling Ryoma.

“You’re right Ryoma. Everything you said is true. I have no idea what it takes to be a queen, and it probably wouldn’t be very easy for me. But you forgot one very important thing–”

She closed the gap between them, and looked at him straight in the eyes, her determined gaze unwavering.

“Y-yes?” Ryoma was surprised by her movement, but he met her gaze unflinchingly.

“I’m in love with you.”

This was one of the very few times Scarlet had seen Ryoma being thrown off balance. He was usually calm and collected, but now he looked flustered. He opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find the words.

“I…I don’t think you’ll be happy being with me.”

“Hey, that’s for me to decide.” Scarlet furrowed her brows. There it was again, him assuming things.

“I…” he lowered his gaze, unable to come up with a response.

Scarlet placed a hand on his cheek, and tilted his face up so his eyes met hers. She smiled softly. “You’re always taking care of people, Ryoma. I love that about you. But I also want you to trust me. If you have doubts, talk to me about it.” she sighed, “And I will try to do the same. Will you let me do that?”

Ryoma nodded.

She was suddenly aware of how close they were. His face was just inches away. Scarlet’s heart started racing. Her eyes fell to his lips, they looked so soft.

Before she could even process it herself, Scarlet moved toward him and pressed her lips to his. She could feel him tense up for a moment, before relaxing and, somewhat awkwardly, pressed back.

She stepped back, her face flushed. She didn’t expect herself to be so bold.

“Ahem”, she cleared her throat to break the silence between them. She looked up to meet his eyes, not sure what kind of expression to expect. 

He gazed at her intensely, his face unreadable. Was he angry? No, that’s not it. Yet he didn’t say anything. A few seconds passed.

Scarlet opened her mouth to say something to break the silence, but before she could get out any words, she felt herself being pulled toward him by his arm behind her, and she barely had time to process before feeling his lips pressed to hers.

Oh!

She closed her eyes and kissed him back. His grip on her tightened, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Ryoma…

Her heart swelled. All those feelings she had carefully tucked away came flooding back. She could feel the warmth of his body pressed up against hers.

Ryoma… Ryoma… Ryoma!

She wanted to be by his side–no, she couldn’t bear being apart from him! Now that she knew he felt the same, there was nothing holding her back. Her chest felt like it was on fire, she couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t want to stop.

Though she did stop, as she pulled back to take a breath. 

“Ryoma, I–”

He didn’t let her finish, as he pulled her close into another kiss. She was taken aback by how passionate he was. She was expecting him to be shy, or cautious. But he was passionate, desperate, hungry. She smiled to herself. A new side to him she had never seen before, this was exciting!

After a few more breaks and continued lip-locking, they finally pulled away. Only now did Scarlet see how flushed his face was, though she surmised hers was probably just as red.

“S-Sorry,” he lowered his forehead onto her shoulder gently, “I…I don’t know what came over me.” He exhaled, and she could feel his shaky and warm breath on her arm.

She smiled and patted his back. “It was nice.”

“Yeah..” she could feel him smiling, “I never realized how good that would feel. I kept wanting more.”

“There’s plenty more where that came from,” she kissed his hair and ran her hand through it. It was surprisingly soft despite how spiky it looks.

He responded by squeezing her tightly, almost too tightly, as if he didn’t want to let go. His embrace was warm, and she could feel his heartbeat, which was racing as fast as hers. She didn’t want him to let go either. 

Any doubts or fears she had from before melted away. She felt like as long as she was with him, as long as he loved her, she could do anything.

They stayed like that for a while, both deep in thought. All they could hear were the sounds of the wind and lapping waves in the distance, punctuated by their own heartbeats.

Ryoma finally loosened his embrace, and enclosed her hands in his. He pulled back to look at her, his gentle eyes full of affection. It was then that she realized that all this time, he was holding back his feelings too.

“Scarlet, I…” he paused, carefully contemplating his next words, “I want to share my future with you. I know it won’t be easy, but I want you by my side, always.” He squeezed her hands. “Will you come live with me, and be my queen?”

Scarlet’s eyes widened as she gasped, her heart swelled and felt like it was going to burst. She blinked as she felt herself tearing up. This wasn’t a dream, right?

“Of course,” she managed to answer. “I will do my best to become a queen worthy to stand by your side.”

He smiled, no, grinned, she could tell he was as happy and excited as she was.

“Then I vow to you,” he caressed her cheek, “I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”

Scarlet gave him a quick kiss, before whispering in his ear.

“I’m already the happiest person alive.”