The Price Of Oblivion

For Nohr

     Mornings were always the hardest.
Though it was the same thing, day in and day out, Leo always craved for a little more excitement. The usual days were quite a bore, unless he were able to find the time being cooped up with a good book. Other than that, he was forced to train with the embodiment of perfection he called his older brother. His sword hand wasn't rusty, but there was a reason why Leo chose to dabble in the dark arts: He wouldn't be overshadowed by Xander. Brynhildr was a match made in the heavens themselves, so there wasn't much room for complaints. But he had to admit, Leo had always been sadistically envious of him, as he was Father's favorite. Xander this, Xander that. Leo had heard enough. For once, he wanted to be the Prince whose name would be shouted throughout an adoring crowd. For once, Leo wished to be acknowledged by the gloomy kingdom he so dearly loved.

     But not like this.

     The kingly cape was heavy around his shoulders, and it was unbearably hot and uncomfortable. Leo had to force himself to stand up straighter than what he was normally used to, and was to, at all times, keep a monotone expression. He wasn't relatively copious with bright emotions, but attempting to reduce fidgeting and facial matters in the presence of the entire kingdom was easier said than done. Did Father feel this way on his coronation day?

     Camilla stood a little off ways from Leo's position. Leo was just at the top of the stairwell leading to the throne, and Camilla took her place on the far left, hidden from some peripherals. She had dressed appropriately for the occasion, adorning a long, frilled black dress, with white lace stretching over from the hip area to her upper back. Her hair was significantly curlier, making it appear shorter than what it truly was. She was happy for her baby brother, as Camilla had previously said. But Leo certainly knew better.
This crown is not supposed to be his.

     Leo slighted a bittersweet glance at Camilla, who quickly caught on. How desperately she wanted to hold him in her arms, and place his head into her lap as she had done countless times as children. Everything would soon settle, and Leo and herself could grow accustomed to this change. It had only been a couple of weeks since then...but it felt like years.

     The whoops and hollers emanating from the crowd slowly died down, and Leo knew this to be his cue to stoop down, close his eyes, and wait. The moment of truth lay in a satin pillow, carried by a trusted advisor that Leo had handpicked. He hadn't much time to go through and analyze each and every candidate, but the woman was of virtue. She wasn't much younger than Leo, yet her wisdom and kindness extended past the solar system. When Camilla was unavailable, it was her that Leo sought to empty out his frustrations and damning thoughts.

     "Lysandra," Leo whispered to her, his eyes darting out to the base of the stairs. He didn't have much time before he would be named the King of Nohr.

   "I hate to do this, my lord, but we must talk at another time," Lysandra answered sharply, waving her arm down to signal Leo for preparation. Leo grimaced, and he bent down to his knee, an arm slung over the surface of his thigh. The people of Nohr were dead silent now, and Leo could've sworn that they'd be able to pick up his heart rate. With obvious trepidation, Leo fluttered his eyes closed, awaiting for the additional weight upon his head.

     "I, Lysandra, daughter of Augustus and Calliope of Cyrkensia, hereby bestow this crown upon not Prince Leo, but the new King of Nohr..."

Thump. Thump. Thump.

     "May we all be blessed in the new age of perseverance and harmony."

     It had been done. The crown glistened in the dimmed lighting of the castle throne interior, blinding all who looked directly at it. Leo's eyes opened, and he stood up and faced the crowd, eliciting claps and whistles. He sighed, raising his arm to silence them. Now came the speech he hadn't bothered to work on.
It's now or never, King.

     "Kingdom of Nohr," Leo's voice boomed, surprising himself with such confidence. Wherever that came from, he needed more.
"I stand before you today with hope and ambition in my heart. My father and the kings before that have left behind a legacy for us to follow. We have bettered ourselves as we explore this vast world and experience life's many lessons. I am no longer a child of the royal family, but a man who promises to give you the best I have to offer. In the name of my father, and my late brother and sister, Prince Xander and Princess Elise, I..."
Leo stopped.

     His eyes had fallen to the middle front of the gathering, and Leo couldn't tell whether his heart was lurching in rage or happiness. Camilla had tilted her head a degree or two in confusion, and followed Leo's fixed gaze. Her lips parted in shock, and her entire demeanor had went from cool composure to high alert.

     Leo's chocolate eyes grew glassy, and the energy had been sapped clean out of him.

     In that mass of thousands of people stood Corrin, the woman who had broken his heart and betrayed her family. The woman who secured two early graves adjacent to each other in the courtyard.
The woman who Leo couldn't stop loving.