Sometime after Chapter 11. Lon'qu

"Khan Basilio, has there been any word from Ylisse?" I entered Basilio's private study, eying the many pieces of paper in his hands.

The Khan looked up at me. "Unfortunately no. Everything is running smoothly for both of our kingdoms."

I hid my disappointment, bowing my head. "Yes. Of course. Sometimes no words are better than any." I cleared my throat, ready to head out.

Basilio smirked. "Oh, well that's a shame," he said. "Although I did not receive any letters from Chrom or Anna regarding the state of Ylisse, Princess Lissa sent you something." He waved a pink envelope in front of me.

I snatched the letter from him a little too quickly, my heart feeling warm. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?!" I could feel the tips of my ears turning red.

Basilio gave a hearty laugh. "Ah, your excitement for your little girlfriend never ceases to amuse me!" he smiled. "You two are day and night but you work so well."

I turned away from him, heading to the door. "Whatever. I'll take my leave."

...

I sighed, sitting down at my desk. The pink envelope had Lissa written all over it; well, besides her name written poorly in cursive on the front. Little hearts were colored on the parchment and there were a few spots of glitter.

I chuckled, turning the envelope over and using a knife to cut the wax seal of House Ylisse. I carefully withdrew the letter inside and a small piece of blue paper fell out the envelope. I picked it up to see a wrinkled origami butterfly. What's that about?

Dear Lon'qu,

Hi! It's me! I bet you were expecting a formal letter, but nope! You're stuck with me! I hope you're not complaining!

So much has happened since your last visit! For one, I'm going to be an aunt!!! Can you believe it!!! I'm so happy for Chrom and Anna, they've been over the moon since they found out. I can't wait to have kids of my own someday. Oh! I just realized that you're sort of this baby's uncle! Even though we're not married. Still, you're his or her's almost-uncle!

I really really miss you. I can't wait until your next visit. I'm counting down the days! Only 32 days! I really just want to hug and kiss you once again. I hate that we live in different kingdoms. I could never ask you to leave Regna Ferox, and I could never leave Ylisse. Especially right now. Ever since Emm passed, the thought of leaving Chrom absolutely breaks me. Not only that, but there are so many people here that need me. I promise that we can figure this out. I need you in my life and future.

Enough of that sad stuff. I made an origami butterfly! Ever since you told me about it in your last letter, I wanted to try it! I had to use a book to learn how and Gaius to help me, but I figured it out! Ta-da! This was my very first attempt. It's not the best, but I really wanted you to have it.

Anyway, I'm running out of page space, sadly. I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart and not a day goes by when I'm not thinking about you. It's hard not having you by my side. Plus, I worry about you. I'm not there to protect you, after all.

I can't wait to see you once again

Love,

The best girlfriend ever (that's me, by the way)

I smiled and read the letter over and over again. "Heart of my heart..." I muttered. It amazed me how just a silly letter from a silly girl could change my whole demeanor. No one has ever been able to do that. Not since Ke'ri...

I shook the thoughts of my old love away. No, I have Lissa. I will never forget Ke'ri or the love I had for her, but Lissa has brought me more joy than ever she has. Lissa is the one who owns my heart.

I reached for a piece of red paper and began to fold it. "Hope I still got the hang of this..." Within minutes, the plain sheet of paper was turned into a beautifully folded crane. I took a regular piece of parchment and a quill, beginning to write.

Dear Lissa,

I miss you tremendously. The cold of Ferox never bothered me before, but now it is unbearable without you here. I miss your bright smile and kind spirit. Even though you have been to Ferox plenty of times before, I wish to truly show you my home. You need to visit during the holiday season, it is truly magical.

That's wonderful that Chrom and Anna are having a baby! You'll make an amazing aunt. Children have always taken a liking to you. As for our future, well, we'll leave it to that: the future. We will figure this it out with time. No matter where we go, we will build a happy home.

Thank you for the butterfly. It's very good for a first attempt. I'm sending you a paper crane in return. You know, there is a myth in Chon'sin that if you make 1000 paper cranes, the gods will grant you a wish. I tried it once, but I gave up about a quarter of the way there. I believed that my wish was something related to my friend Ke'ri. I honestly cannot remember.

The days until my visit are drawing very near. I cannot wait to hold you in my arms once more. 25 days, my love. By the time this letter reaches you, it'll be much sooner.

I look forward to then

Dear,

The greatest boyfriend ever (that's me, in case you were unsure)

P.S. Don't let anyone see this letter or I'll break up with you. (I'm kidding, of course. But seriously. Don't let anyone see it.)

I proofread the letter a few times before preparing it in an envelope, carefully tucking the paper crane into the parchment.

Soon, my love. My Lissa.

...

"Lon'qu!!!" Lissa ran into my arms.

"Lissa!" Normally, if a woman were to run up to me like that, I would swiftly run away. But with Lissa, I gratefully lifted her into my arms.

She embraced me tightly; like she would never let go. "I've missed you so much! I'm so happy you're here!"

I smiled against her hair. "As am I, my love."

She took my hands in hers. "Before we do anything else, I have something I was to show you," she smiled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Should I be scared?"

"Of course, not!" She slapped my shoulder. "I really do have something to show you!"

"All right, Princess," I chuckled. "Lead the way."

...

She led me to her study, which she never used for studying. It was usually filled with messes of previous skills she attempted to master.

"Ok, close your eyes," she said, placing a hand on the door handle.

Sighing, I did as Lissa told me. I heard her open the door. She took my hand and then entered the study with me in tow. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

"Open them!"

I couldn't hide my smile at the sound of her voice. I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight in front of me.

Dozens of tiny paper cranes littered the room. They were all different assortments of colors and patterns. Every free surface area was covered with the little decorations.

"Lissa...did you..."

"1000 paper cranes..." She leaned against my shoulder. "Well, it's not quite 1000. I've only managed to make 179, but I'm getting there!"

I was still in awe. I slowly stepped further into the room, picking up one of the cranes. The pile on top of her desk were sloppy and torn, but in the various piles around the room, they were neater and almost perfectly made.

"Wh-why are you doing this?" I muttered, examining the paper in my hands.

"I wanted the gods to grant my wish!" she explained in her cheery tone. "My wish is for you to be endlessly happy!"

My heart leaped at her words. What have I done to deserve her? I dropped the crane in my hand and rushed over to Lissa, sweeping her into a hug. "As long as I have you, that wish is already granted."

She giggled. "Still! I wanted to make sure it happened!"

I laughed, taking one more look around the room. "I hate to burst your bubble, but I forgot to mention a few more rules of this tradition," I smiled. "Has anyone helped you make these?"

Her brow furrowed as she thought. "Umm... Well, Gaius may have made a few to show me how it's done. Oh, and Anna wanted to try making one. And I have yours," she said. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Well, you're supposed to make all of the cranes yourself," I explained. "And you have to make them all within a year. It's almost October."

That seemed to take all of the wind out of Lissa's sails. "Really?! Darn it!" she cursed. "Is there any other dumb rule I need to know about?"

"...Well, you have to attach them all to a string."

"GAHH!!!" She smacked herself in the head. "I'll never get done at this rate!"

I chuckled, looking around the room for a ball of yarn. "Hey, don't worry. We can get through this together."

She looked up at me. "We? But I thought-"

"The rules never said that you have to string them yourself." Finally, I spotted the yarn and picked it up. "You fold, I'll string."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around me once more. "Thank you, Lon'qu. I love you."

I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "I love you, too, Lissa. More than you may ever know."

I thought that I would never feel love again after Ke'ri. I felt nothing but emptiness and cold for the longest time and I welcomed it. Now, I know that I can never live without this love. This light. I won't make the same mistakes as I did in my past. I'm going to protect this love with everything that I am.

Nothing will ever take it away.

*****

I will go down with this ship. I like to think of them as if a cat and a dog were to get married. Anyway, this story is inspired by the Japanese myth of 1000 paper cranes. I've always been fond of Japanese myths and folklore and I love implementing them into my stories. I would never have the patience to make so many cranes. XD Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!

Next Prompt: July 17th - Wedding

Link: https://youtu.be/8G46gZ52VKk

Note: sorry for this being late. The internet was weird.