Chapter Text
Xion, was, as always, up at dawn. Kishi was human again. He was still sleeping when she left her room. She made sure he was well tucked in and covered before heading downstairs.
Ven was already there dressed nicely for the day and cleaning up dinner while breakfast cooled on the table.
"Good morning," she said, "Do I need to wait for Kishi to eat?"
"He's not awake yet?"
"Not yet."
Ven sighed and went upstairs to get him while Xion waited at the table. Kishi stumbled downstairs a few minutes later with a hungover expression.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"Coffee," he said quietly and Ven came up behind him with a mug already prepared. Xion started filling a plate for him anyway.
"You have a big day today, sir," Ven reminded him, "You both need to get going soon."
She put Kishi’s plate down in front of him before filling her own and said, "We do. Have any plans changed?"
"Not that I heard," the servant reassured them. Kishi looked like he'd rather die than leave the house.
"We at least have time to eat, then."
"Highness?" Ven asked, but Kishi was zoned out, "Highness? You should eat. ...I will feed you if you don't eat, sir." Kishi sipped his coffee but didn't notice Ven until the servant was actively trying to feed him the potato pancake.
"Whoa hey, I got it." Ven nodded, pleased that the Prince was finally taking care of himself and seemed more alert.
"Kishi, are you feeling alright?" Xion asked.
"I feel hungover."
"From your time with Miss Naminé, probably?"
"So, you were with Miss Naminé?" Ven asked.
Kishi went stiff as a board and grumbled, "I would prefer not to speak of it."
"Try something greasy," she said between bites.
"Did something happen?" Ven asked with concern.
"Nothing terrible,” Xion reassured him, “what are you and Roxas doing today?"
"We are working the events. Ushering, directing, and serving."
"Do you get to participate at all?"
"Isn't helping a part of participating?"
"I suppose it is." She finished her plate and went upstairs to get dressed.
Kishi seemed determined to just go up to the school in his pajamas. He waited by the door with more coffee until Xion came down in her coat.
"We're just going to be dressed up when we get there you know," he huffed.
"I do, but I was told I'd be wearing the coat."
He grunted and they started walking together to their changing rooms.
"Is there anyone I should look out for today?" she asked.
"I don't think so."
"Good to know. Any friends among the delegates?"
"I'm not allowed off the estate. I don't know anyone aside from your family."
"I didn't know if you'd met any in the past. Looks like we split up here," she said, turning to go to her dressing room. He waved to her and walked off.
Kairi and Roxas were already in her waiting room to help her get ready. They were chatting amicably and smiled when she entered the room.
"How much makeup do I have to wear today?" she asked on arrival.
"More than you want to," Kairi admitted.
Xion sighed. "Do I need to get re-dressed?"
"Yeah, we have a dress for you."
Her brow furrowed a moment in thought, and she argued, "Aqua said I was supposed to wear the coat..."
"Yes, it goes over your dress."
"Oh." She started stripping.
The dress in question was lean and light. It went down to her ankles but not so far as to hide her silver sandals that were as much a hassle to put on as they looked. The dress was a pale cream, not quite white, as a sharp contrast to the gold and black of her coat.
"It's pretty." Not as pretty as Xion’s wedding dress, but there wasn't much that could compete with the feeling behind that. She shimmied into the dress and sat patiently through the makeup.
They waited awhile until Kishi was done and then he met up with them in her room with a soft knock on the door. He was wearing a nice coat too, navy blue, not quite black, but he was also wearing partial armor that matched. They were just show pieces, a too shiny pauldron, greaves, and armguards. Instead of a hood on his coat it had a high collar, a loose scarf around his shoulders and a half cape.
"We're going to be introduced in a minute," he told her.
Just smile and be pleasant, she thought.
Kishi was taking deep breaths and fiddling with his hands a bit while he found his composure. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. He froze and looked over at her. He couldn't completely hide his anxiety. Honestly, he seemed younger, more like how he was when they first met in Terminus. There was a timidness there now that his confidence was in question.
"You're going to be fine. We don't have to do much today, and you're more than up to it," she reassured him. His expression softened for a second and then he remembered they weren't alone and he scoffed.
"Of course I am," he huffed, "I'm a Prince of Daybreak, there's nothing in the world I can't do."
Except ride Donald.
"That's the right attitude," she said with a small smile.
There was a knock on the door and Aqua let herself in.
"Are you two ready? Oh, oh no, you did not brush your hair." She fussed over Kishi's brushed hair for a second until she was satisfied.
"Is it time?" Xion asked.
"It is."
Aqua led the way to the open doors of the big hall to say, "Just like we went over yesterday."
Kishi took a deep breath and offered Xion his arm. She took it delicately, keeping her eyes on the floor ahead and a pleasant expression on her face.
He led the way into the hall and across the big rug that was laid out. The room was packed with people all wearing dramatically different styles of clothing from their home countries. It was a colorful sortie and people bowed respectfully to the teenagers as they worked their way to the Emperor. Kishi bowed to his father first, keeping it deep but brief and then sat down in a chair beside the dais. Xion waited until Kishi had his turn to complete her own bow and find her seat.
Thus began the most boring day of their entire lives.
Most of the delegation and guests mingled with each other, treating this as a social event. There was a lot of coming and going and one by one, at their leisure and in no particular order, dignitaries and representatives came before the Emperor and the couple to present their gifts and tithes. Any time someone came to present what they brought; the room would get just a little bit softer so people could contemplate whatever was presented.
Xion was silently trying to analyze the gifts to assign each kingdom a 'specialty' they provided the empire, but it was difficult with some places bringing similar items. A lot of what was brought was practical but there was a definite air of smugness from delegates that brought things that were perceived as better than the prior presenter. It took maybe four presentations for Xion to realize this was more of a competition for the guests than a thoughtful gift for the couple. This was especially obvious with the sets of five clearly meant for the Emperor and his sons. Not that her brothers had done differently.
Lunch was served in the form of appetizers and small snacks that were served over the course of the morning and early afternoon. Kishi and Xion didn't get to see much of that as they didn't want to appear impolite. As such, the countries started to blur together and Xion had to blink a couple times after Terminus was announced to realize it was their turn.
Isa stepped up and bowed before once again announcing what they had already shown the Emperor, but this time, they showed the room too.
"In addition to these gift, we present to his Excellency and this lovely couple, this star that fell from the heavens." He motioned to a chest that was being carried by Lea and Elrena. They opened the lid to show off the rock and lots of people leaned forward for a better look. The trunk glowed faintly with the light of the star. It looked not unlike a sponge, pockmarked, and melted, but mostly smooth. It was the size of a gryphon egg and warm to the touch, just shy of being painful.
Xion's eyes got wide at that news. A fallen star was an exceedingly rare treasure, that was its own magical anchor. It could be smithed, but star metal was difficult to work with even with dragonsfire. They created weapons of light, and only five fallen stars were ever discovered in Terminus. Two had been used. For one to be given away like this...it was a gift fit for an Emperor indeed.
The Emperor was immensely pleased. Of all the people in the world who could properly appreciate such a wonder, he was chief among them. His perpetual smirk widened with some measure of glee, and he rose to approach the gift and personally feel it. There was a ripple of chatter through the room, but Isa stayed his usual stone-faced and composed.
Emperor Xehanort slowly drew a portion of the magic from it, making the glow a bit brighter like a celestial flame that clung to his hand for a moment before dissipating as he clenched his fist.
"A Kingly gift," he acknowledged. Then he turned to address the room. "Nothing is more pleasing than to see the newest part of our Imperial family so graciously prove their worth and generosity. I encourage our partners and allies to engage with this young man. We have high expectations from Terminus in both the heir to their throne, and the daughter that is to wed my youngest son on the morrow." He turned and walked back to his throne to sit.
Xion stayed in her seat, but her mind was racing with possibilities. This was likely part of the reason it was given in the first place. If Xion hadn't been given a chance to prove her skill as a smith, this would have proved it.
The rest of the afternoon passed with many of the guests leaving to change. With the room a little thinner and all the gifts presented, the couple were excused for dinner. The guests were permitted to eat in the hall, but servants still came to set the room up carefully and softly for the dance.
Xion watched them come and go with some interest. She knew with the ball coming, she'd be presenting Kishi his sword soon. She wondered if there'd be time to say anything with it, or if it would just be the formalities. Probably the latter.
Honestly, Kishi was happier to be out of public view. The second they were back in her dressing room to eat and change, he flopped on a stiff couch there.
Xion wolfed down what food she could fit in her belly so the outfit change wouldn't have to be rushed. Having it rushed was worse, with all the pinching and prodding to get her positioned right.
"I want a nap," Kishi complained.
"Me too," Roxas huffed.
"I want a real drink," Xion added.
"We don't really do drunk here."
"And it's a tragedy. Your drinks don't even do buzzed."
"Good. We're not supposed to ever put ourselves in a position to be compromised."
Xion blew a raspberry.
"How long of a nap?" Roxas asked.
"How long do I have?"
"Like, ten minutes," he responded. The Prince groaned.
Xion offered, "I'll wake you in thirty seconds if you want." He glared back.
"If you don't eat, there's no way you'll be able to dance," Kairi cautioned. Kishi huffed but got up anyway to eat a sandwich.
"...we never got to practice,” remembered Xion.
"You'll just stand on my feet."
"I can?"
"Or you can trip or guess and make a fool out of both of us and we can both be tortured by my father for making him look like an idiot in front of the whole Empire."
"...I was just making sure you were okay with it. Sorry."
"I'm the one who offered," he reminded her.
She didn't say anything to that, just focused on getting ready.
"...Sorry, I'm just, this is a lot. There's just a lot going on," Kishi admitted when the mood of the room obviously changed.
"It's okay. This whole thing is stressful… What kind of dances are there?" she asked.
"They'll mostly just be slow dances."
There was a knock and Aqua poked her head in to request, "Xion, may I talk to you?"
"Yes, in private or is here, okay?"
"In private, just step out here please." Xion followed Aqua out into the hallway.
"We have the gift you were going to give Kishi. You're going to present it to him just before the dance and he will present his gift too," Aqua instructed. It was one of the things they had only loosely reviewed yesterday. It was hard to plan events when parts of them were so unstructured.
"Am I supposed to take it now?"
"We'll have a servant hold it, but we wanted to offer for one of your retainers to do so."
"Sora, can you help?" she said to thin air, expecting him to show up but he did not. Things were still a little different here.
"I will ask Sora for you," Aqua promised, "Go get changed."
Xion bowed and went back to the changing room. The dress that they got her for the evening was a ballgown without the coat this time. She did have a top that covered her scars and heels that corrected her posture, and they were frantically redoing her hair to create a little french braid that went from one ear to the other to support a tiara. The braid was tiny, and the ball gown was nice to look at, but stifling to wear and move in. Not a dress she would have picked herself.
Not one Kishi would've picked either, he made a face when he looked at her dress. At least he was just swapping out his diadem and taking off armor.
"It could be worse, but it's pretty bad," she complained and fingered some of the fabric. It looked so easy to stain.
"You look like a cake."
That got a smile out of her. "Will everyone be wanting a slice, at least?"
"They better not be," the Prince responded very seriously.
"Wanting. I wouldn't let them take any."
"...Maybe," he agreed.
Xion put her hand below her ribs and observed aloud, "It's hard to breathe in this."
"Is it too tight?" Kishi asked with concern.
She nodded. "The stylists said something about shaping."
"That's stupid, your shape is fine."
"I don't think we have time to do anything about it."
"Not that we could." There was a knock again.
"Are you two ready?" Aqua asked from the door.
"I am."
Kishi offered his arm to Xion in answer, and he led the way back to the hall. Everything had been shifted and moved to make room for an open dance floor in front of the throne. There were still standing tables and a bar brought in with lots to drink and a live band setting up near the front.
She really wanted to go over to the bar and get wasted, but that wasn't the image the night needed. She stayed on Kishi's arm, a pleasant, relaxed look holding her face, and she tried to spot her brothers in the crowd.
They had the room's attention here at the beginning, as they walked back to the throne to sit. Things didn't really kick off until the Emperor returned a moment after they did. He called for silence in the room.
"In honor of our newest allies, we have sought the opportunity to share in their customs, one of which is a presentation of handmade gifts given from the bride to the groom and from the groom to the bride. We honor that tradition now." He motioned to Xion.
Sora gave her a little wave from off to the side. He was holding a long wrapped up bundle.
Xion made her way over to Sora, away from Kishi.
"Thank you," she said to Sora quietly before returning to Kishi's side.
"You got this," Sora whispered as he handed her the sword. The whole room waited and watched.
She brought the bundle over, unwrapping it upon arrival.
"I made this sword for the man that would one day be my husband. May it serve and defend you well." She wanted to say a lot more with it, but this got the point across without taking much time.
Kishi stood up and took it reverently, balancing it gently in both hands. A certain weight left her when he took the sword. A little uncertainty, a little adventure. It seemed...bittersweet. In a fluid, single movement, he drew it from its sheath. For a few long moments, he just studied it in wonder, then he thanked her awkwardly, returned it to its cover, and put it on, by the belt, determined to wear it the rest of the night.
"I have something for you too." Kishi took her hand and guided her to sit.
He took a breath and then walked over to the band. Roxas handed him his violin and he nodded to one of the band members. It took Kishi a second to breathe and set up, then he closed his eyes to play. The acoustics in the hall were unparalleled. The echo was mitigated by the number of people, but it still carried a muted cathedral reverberation as he played solo.
The song itself was slow and gentle, perhaps a little sad and definitely a little haunted. It carried all the feeling of a lullaby, of a desire to rest. The melody stayed soft and gentle until the harmony joined. The kalimba's plucks added a measure of hope that blended with his violin, bringing the string instrument's tone and melody up, rather than meeting him down low, until the song spoke the music of a peaceful sleep. The kalimba slowly faded out to just the occasional note as Kishi got softer and softer until he too, faded out entirely.
The applause was respectful, no hoots or hollers, but still a deafening chorus of claps.
Xion had tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure clapping was quite appropriate. She didn't love Kishi. Not all of him, at least. She liked him, but the first part of him she'd loved was his music, and having this part of him, gifted to her, and with the instrument she was learning, it was a lot to process and take in. The song itself was a thing of beauty, of both pain and joy and hope and— and she loved it enough to not cover her face as a tear fell.
The orchestra and band began playing music for the ball to begin and several couples were already getting started on the dancing. Kishi handed off his violin away and then went to Xion.
"Um, dance?" he asked.
She wiped the tear away and stood to take his arm again.
"I'm sure at some point, your brothers will want to dance with you," he said to her quietly as he guided her to take her hand, setting them up in the proper pose.
"I promise neither of them are any better at dancing than I am, but if they come up, I'd like the time," she said quietly.
He lifted her gently onto his feet. Her dress hid it well enough that they didn't look like they were cheating.
"I'm sorry my gift wasn't better."
"It was amazing. I love your music."
"But it wasn't tangible or practical."
"It was beautiful, though."
"Sometimes things can just be pretty huh?"
She smiled at the reference to their earlier days not that long ago. "Yeah. Sometimes they can."
"Yeah, but your gift is really special. I can feel it," Kishi told her with a compelling reverence and firmness.
"Kishi. Your gift made me incredibly happy. There's nothing better than that."
He beamed, an honest, genuine smile, and spun her around. They danced the rest of the song in a comfortable silence while he pulled her along and worked through the steps. Her stomach dropped any time he pulled her off his feet. She really didn't know how to dance, and she was absolutely relying on his skill until, eventually, he set her down and bowed politely.
"You probably don't have to dance anymore," he teased.
"I think I'd prefer your company for the time being, if I may." She made a bow back. Curtsying wasn't really a thing she'd ever learned.
"I'd love the excuse to not have to dance with some other nobleman's daughter."
"Hm. I'd prefer not to share." She stepped back up to his side.
"Now you know how we feel," Isa said from behind them.
"I wondered when you'd come for her," Kishi grumbled.
She turned with a grin to say, "I can't imagine you want to dance."
"I want an excuse to spend time with my sister."
"Kishi, do you want to get drinks?"
"Yeah, I can go get us some."
"Just enough time to talk," she said to Isa.
Kishi excused himself to leave them alone.
With the Prince gone, Isa said, "Well, you were right that he could play."
"I wouldn't lie about it. It was one of my first good memories here." The first was the crab dinner.
"Do we have to pretend to dance?" Isa asked.
"I think if we stand off to the side it will be fine."
He walked with her over to the standing table where Lauriam was watching the dancing and sipping a drink.
"Despite how political this all is, we've gained some notable allies," Isa admitted, "The Emperor liking our gift was a big deal to a lot of these other countries."
"Why did Grandfather decide to send the fallen star?"
"Our kingdom's primary export is ore and precious stones. It made sense to send something that showed who we are but would still impress the Emperor."
"I don't think I've ever seen him smile quite like that," she admitted. The snake sword was close, but both instances left a bit of fear behind in her.
"Being that close to him doesn't feel great. I see where the rumors started. The ones about the imperial family no longer being human."
"Don't speak that so loud," she warned, "even the flowers have ears here."
He tensed up ever so slightly. Only she and Lauriam probably even noticed. "Most of these politicians are more interested in the exhibition the day after your wedding than the wedding itself."
"I've heard that it's happening, but I'm not sure what it is."
"They didn't tell you?" he asked with mild, unanimated surprise.
"It's...a competition of some sort, I was told. I was also told I didn't need to worry about it."
"It sounds like most of the big countries brought champions to compete but it's mostly so the Princes can show off their physical and magical prowess."
"You could probably compete," Xion suggested.
"Me?"
"I've yet to see anyone match you in terms of raw physical strength. ... maybe Lexaeus, actually."
"I'll consider it. We didn't bring a champion of our own," Isa said.
"Don't enter if you don't want to. It might be worth it to study the fighting styles of other countries instead."
"That may be part of why these contests exist, so the Emperor can analyze his allies."
"He is a clever man."
"It's horrifying."
"The games are all in good fun," came a slimy voice behind them. Ansem was holding a drink in one hand. "Please, participate, I would love to compete against the Terminus heir."
Xion said nothing but was already looking forward to a bath that night. She turned slowly and kept her eyes downcast.
"Now, now, don't look so down,” Ansem scolded, “it's a party."
Isa’s fists clenched but his expression didn’t change. Again, she didn't say anything, but she did put a hand on Isa's arm.
If it's a party, I shouldn't have to watch my tongue.
"I would like to dance with my soon to be sister-in-law," Ansem said sweetly. He set his drink on the table and then held a hand out to her.
"I'm sorry, but my fiancé is getting drinks, and it would be horribly rude to keep him waiting should he return mid-dance," she declined.
"It's horribly rude to decline," Ansem growled, "my authority exceeds his."
"And mine exceeds yours," Xemnas said with his slow, deep voice. At some point in their conversation, he had come up beside them like a ghost. The man had an aura about him that Ansem had to respect.
"Dance with me," Xemnas ordered Xion, "Kishi will not mind, he is otherwise engaged himself."
Xion slowly stepped away from Isa to Xemnas. She'd only had one interaction with Xemnas this whole time here, and it was mixed. She'd spent the time scared, was verbally reprimanded afterwards, but he wasn't ...mean.
He very gently guided her out to where they had space. Like his father, Xemnas had the 'give me space' vibe that cleared a path for them to move. He pulled her in close and they slowly waltzed to a slower song. If her lack of skill bothered him, he didn’t say or acknowledge it.
"It's been two months," he observed, "Did you settle on an opinion of him? Find happiness?"
"Yes, I think I did." She was very focused on not looking a fool, but the question still caught her a little off-guard.
"And? What's your opinion of him?"
"I think, for the most part, he is a good man. He has room to grow, he has flaws, but I don't think that takes away from him," Xion explained.
"My offer still stands."
"And I'm afraid I'll still have to decline."
"As I said before, you may change your mind as he reveals more to you." He dipped her and she could see Kishi dancing with another woman. Riku was dancing with Naminé nearby too.
Her heart sunk, just a little, at the sight, but she knew she didn't have all the information.
"I won't go back on my word to your father.”
He just smiled knowingly, bowed politely at the end of the song, and then walked off. Xion returned to Isa.
"What did he want?" her eldest brother asked.
"To ask my opinion of Prince Kishi and reaffirm an offer."
"An offer?"
"A dishonorable one."
"Then I hope you turned it down."
"Of course."
He nodded approvingly. "Kishi seems less inclined to do so," Isa noted, gesturing to the floor. The Prince was dancing with yet another girl, but at least he was a little closer to them this time.
She sighed, "Maybe he's having trouble turning them down."
"Or he's asking them," Isa grumbled.
"Maybe he wants to give us more time to talk."
"It's sweet that you want to give him the benefit of the doubt."
"He's shown me that he deserves it," she responded with affirmation.
"Please be careful little sister. This Empire only takes," he said very softly.
"I am careful. I do not say that uninformed."
He smirked a little at her. "You're starting to sound more formal."
"I have always been good at court speech."
"But not around me," he pouted. Pout being a generous description of his extremely subtle change of expression.
She smiled. "This is a complicated situation. You're still my big brother.”
"I understand. ...Speaking of complicated..." A short, portly man with a massive mustache and a huge, feathered hat came up to Xion to ask for a dance, introducing himself as a Sultan. Thus began Xion's hot potato dance experience. She was passed about from one dignitary to the next and even with a few treasured staff, like Captains of Royal Guards and close friends of dignitaries. Eventually, she ended up back in the arms of Kishi, who looked equally turned about and stressed from all the socializing.
"Long night?" she asked.
"I never want to dance again."
"Hopefully you won't need to."
Wishful thinking. They were passed around for another hour before many of the delegates left to rest. There wasn't an official ending time, but unofficially, most left around midnight. Until it was just the Imperial family left and Kishi was getting ready to head home with Xion.
"I would have my sons remain," Xehanort announced as the rest of the guests left.
"Should I stay and wait for you?" she asked.
"No, I don't know how long he'll keep us. Go get some rest."
She grabbed his hand and squeezed it before going. Sora and Vanitas were waiting just outside the hall.
"Hey! You looked good," Sora praised.
"I'm tired, and I might have embarrassed myself once I was dancing with other people."
"Dancing is stupid anyway," Vanitas said.
Sora disagreed. "I like dancing."
"You should ask Kairi then."
He blushed and said, "There will be time for nonsense like that later now that we're joining the house."
"Sure, but you have something to ask her for now."
He fussed with his coat. "Y-Yeah, come on, you should get to bed."
They made their way back to Kishi's house.