heartfiction:

“Now, stay still, little one…I’ve got you, I promise.”

Ryoma, by all accounts, was a good big brother. Even despite being taken away from your family, and not remembering the little snippets of memories that you did have of them, he was one of the best older siblings you could have-which was a hefty compliment, considering you had four of them. 

He was kind and gentle, and yet he still fought hard for his family and his kingdom-and most difficult of all, he took care of you, even when you were being stupid. You couldn’t even defend yourself for your actions-trying to jump across a collapsed bridge, to finish off the enemy’s commander? It was an idiotic venture, even by your standards. And it had earned you a one-way ticket to Sakura, slung over the shoulder of your big sister as the rest of your unit took care of the battle for you. You still had plenty of apologizing to do to your friends, who had endured the brunt of your mistake-and you? You’d earned yourself a broken leg, an even bigger handicap that would surely set you back months of planning. It was awful, and it was all your fault.

“Ow-!”

“A-Apologies, Corrin! Here, I’ll set you down.”

Unfortunately, due to your accident and your injury, Ryoma had made it his mission to personally see to your recovery. Not that it was, in itself, a bad thing-but having him worry about you so closely made you feel guilty about the whole situation. He had even taken it upon himself to carry you to your bedroom, where he could lay you down comfortably among your sheets and blankets, and you could hopefully get better even faster.

“How do you feel? Would you like some water, or another pillow?”

You shifted your position to alleviate the pressure, and Ryoma tucked a folded blanket under your leg to prop it up. It was being held together by some tight bandages, as well as a splint, and along with Sakura’s healing abilities, you just hoped to recover as fast as possible.

“I’m fine, brother, really. You’ve done so much for me…I really couldn’t ask for anything more.”

With just a flash of that soft, warm smile of his, you suddenly felt at ease. Ryoma chuckled, and sat down on the edge of your bed, a hand reaching out to pat your head.

“It is my duty to protect you, Corrin. Like it or not, I’m here for you-even through your mistakes. It could have been worse, you know.”

He wasn’t wrong. Your miscalculation could have cost you your life, had Hinoka not grabbed you out of the river, or even the lives of your comrades had the enemies numbers been greater. Either way, you were just lucky to be alive…but, still, a thought plagued you….

“Brother…you’re right. But what if the next time…what if I make another mistake? What if I mess up so badly, it can’t be fixed?”

As it swirled about in your mind, you could feel the possibilities starting to snowball.

“W-What if I miss something-I make a mistake-and someone dies? W-What if…what if Jakob, or Silas, or Azura, or Takumi, or you-!”

As the tears sprung to your eyes, they were dried away by Ryoma’s tunic-he had pulled you into his chest, his hand coming around to hold you close. You had started to cry and panic, but Ryoma was warm, he was steady. His heartbeat soothed you and his embrace made you secure, and even his breathing had a calming effect, that brought you down from your tearful high.

“Shh. It’s all right, my dear…I’m going to tell you a secret, little one. Would you like to hear it?”

Raising your chin to look up at him, you nodded slowly-you must have looked so teary and flushed, and yet he still had such a kind expression on his face. Any sort of advice was greatly accepted-even aside from being strong, he was also one of the wisest men you had ever met.

“My dear, little Corrin…even with your guidance, people will still act on their own. Soldiers will turn their coats, children will be orphaned, and your allies will sacrifice themselves for what they believe in. People kill, and people die. It is the way of the world.”

Ryoma brushed a strand of hair from your face, and wiped away what remained of your tears with his thumb. He looked so thoughtful and so sincere, that you couldn’t help but hang on to every word.

“It’s upsetting, to know that you can’t save everyone…but what matters is that you’ve done your best. You’ve made plenty of difficult decisions, too many for someone so young-but you’ve saved us more times than I can count. How many times have we prepared to die a losing battle, and you turned the tides in our favour?”

He gave you a nudge, and his smile was infectious-with a small, trembling grin, you answered.

“A..A few..”

“A few? I could name off a dozen! You give yourself too little credit-you’re far too hard on yourself, little one.”

With a kiss on the forehead, Ryoma released you from his tight embrace-and his eyes softened.

“If there’s nothing I can do to heal you, then I will at least stay by your side. You must learn to forgive yourself-and if I must assist by listing your accomplishments, then I will!”

“Oh, Ryoma, please-!”

Though you were awkward about your brother naming every one of your victories, you still laughed along with him, as he counted on his fingers all of the times you had done right by your comrades, even down to helping peel potatoes in the kitchen. He was so apt to tease you, and he could be downright embarrassing-but Ryoma was your brother, and he cared for you more than nearly anyone else. And truly, that was one thing you never, ever wanted to risk losing.

tacticianfiction:

Ryoma x Corrin commission
(I just couldn’t resist, this one was so cute I had to post!)

To say the prince was in a state of disbelief was definitely underselling the situation. He wanted to jump for joy and exclaim all sorts of things, but he had to keep quiet.

He was on a serious mission, after all. One that had required he leave you with his siblings for a couple of weeks, so that he could try to help repair the remains of Valla, Hoshido and Nohr. It wasn’t easy leaving his bride, but it wouldn’t last forever.

He thought he was handling it well. Then he received your letter, one that had been hastily delivered by a breathless, pale-faced Kaze. It appeared to be a lot more serious than anticipated. 

Saizo had tried to glean the information from Kaze; if it was something very serious, then they would need to know. But it was for Ryoma’s ears only. Not even Saizo could know about this, not until Ryoma decided to tell him. The poor prince wasn’t sure if he should be worried or not.

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