Chapter Text
Morning in the castle usually began peacefully.
Today was not one of those mornings.
King Chris stood in the middle of the corridor leading to the residential wing and looked like a man who had been trying for several minutes to maintain royal dignity… but was succeeding less and less.
“You’re telling me…” he said slowly. “That the princess is not in the castle.”
The maid standing opposite him looked as though she would rather be anywhere else.
“Your Majesty… we… we haven’t seen her since dawn.”
Chris closed his eyes for a second.
He counted to five in his head.
It didn’t help.
“And the guards at the gate?”
“They didn’t see her leaving the castle, sir.”
“The stables?”
“Her horse… is still there.”
Chris slowly exhaled.
“Fantastic.”
Behind him, someone laughed quietly.
Chris turned his head.
Queen Jill stood leaning against a stone pillar, watching the scene with her arms crossed over her chest. A very familiar look of amusement rested on her face.
“You look nervous.” she observed.
Chris looked at her.
“Jill.”
“Yes?”
“My sister has disappeared again.”
“That happens.”
“That happens too often.”
Jill shrugged lightly.
“It’s Claire.”
Chris sighed heavily.
“That’s exactly why I’m worried.”
Jill stepped closer.
“If her horse is still in the stables, that means she’s still in the castle.”
Chris looked toward the corridor leading to the private chambers.
“Or somewhere nearby.”
Jill raised an eyebrow.
“Did you check her chamber?”
Chris stopped.
A look appeared on his face like that of a man who had just realized something very obvious.
“…I’m going there.”
Jill smiled faintly.
“Good idea.”
Chris walked down the corridor with quick steps.
The Redfield castle was enormous. The stone walls remembered generations of rulers, and tall windows let in the morning light, which reflected off the marble floors.
Usually Chris liked these quiet hours.
Today he had no time for them.
He had something important to tell his sister.
Something that would probably make Claire even more stubborn than usual.
When he turned into the side corridor leading to her chambers, the guards standing by the door straightened immediately.
“Your Majesty.”
Chris nodded.
“Is the princess inside?”
The guards exchanged a brief glance.
Chris felt something begin to pulse dangerously in his temple.
“…No?”
One of them cleared his throat.
“We haven’t seen her since morning, sir.”
Chris closed his eyes for a second.
“Of course.”
He pushed the door open.
Claire’s chamber looked exactly as it always did.
A large window overlooked the castle gardens. Sunlight poured inside, illuminating the red curtains and the heavy wooden furniture.
Several books lay on the table.
A leather riding jacket hung over the back of a chair.
The bed was… unmade.
Chris stepped inside and looked around.
“Claire?”
Silence.
He walked to the table.
A wooden horse figurine lay on the surface, one Claire had once won in some archery competition.
Chris picked it up.
Then set it back down.
“Claire.”
Silence again.
He sighed.
“Fantastic.”
He walked to the window.
Outside stretched a view of the castle gardens. The morning sun shone brightly, and the air looked calm and warm.
Chris rested his hands on the stone windowsill and leaned out slightly.
And then he saw her.
On the branch of a large oak growing right beside the castle wall.
Claire Redfield sat comfortably several meters above the ground, leaning her back against the tree trunk.
One leg dangled loosely.
In her hands she held an apple.
And she looked absolutely satisfied with life.
Chris stared at her in silence for a moment.
Then very slowly said:
“Claire.”
Claire jumped slightly.
She turned her head.
When she saw Chris in the window, her eyes widened a little.
“…Hey.”
Chris looked at her.
“What are you doing.”
Claire looked down at the branch she was sitting on.
“I’m sitting.”
Chris closed his eyes for a second.
“Claire.”
“Yes?”
“You’re sitting in a tree.”
“Technically on a branch.”
Chris opened his eyes.
“This is the same tree you used to climb as a child.”
Claire shrugged.
“Good memories.”
Chris looked at her with an expression of absolute resignation.
“You are a princess.”
Claire bit into the apple.
“So they say.”
Chris rested his forehead against the window frame.
“Claire…”
“Mhm?”
“I’ve been looking for you all over the castle.”
“You see? All you had to do was look out the window.”
Chris sighed.
“Do you realize we have guests today?”
Claire tilted her head.
“What guests?”
Chris looked at her seriously.
“A delegation from the northern kingdom.”
Claire frowned slightly.
“Valdelion?”
Chris raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve heard of it.”
“A little.”
Chris straightened.
“Their prince has arrived.”
Claire looked at him suspiciously.
“And?”
Chris took a deep breath.
“And he came to ask for your hand.”
Silence fell.
Claire looked at him for several seconds.
Then she snorted quietly.
“Great joke.”
Chris did not reply.
Claire slowly stopped smiling.
“…Chris.”
“Yes.”
“You’re serious.”
Chris nodded.
Claire looked up at the sky.
“Of course.”
Chris crossed his arms.
“It’s an important alliance.”
Claire looked down at him from the branch.
“Do I look like a political treaty?”
“Claire.”
“Chris.”
“Listen to me for a moment.”
Claire rolled her eyes.
“Is this prince at least old and terrible?”
Chris frowned.
“No.”
“Ugly?”
“No.”
“Arrogant?”
Chris hesitated for a second.
“…I don’t know yet.”
Claire sighed.
“Fantastic.”
Chris looked at her with a faint smile.
“You should at least meet him.”
Claire scraped a bit of bark from the branch.
“I’m not going to marry the first prince who shows up at the castle.”
Chris raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t say you had to.”
Claire looked at him suspiciously.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Claire was silent for a moment.
Then she sighed.
“Fine.”
Chris looked slightly surprised.
“Fine?”
Claire shrugged.
“I’ll meet him.”
Chris smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
Claire pointed a finger toward the window.
“But I won’t be nice.”
Chris snorted.
“That I didn’t expect.”
Claire smiled faintly.
“So where is this prince?”
Chris glanced down at the courtyard.
“He’s probably talking to the commander of the guard right now.”
Claire leaned slightly, trying to see through the leaves.
“Down there?”
Chris nodded.
Claire shifted on the branch to get a better view.
The branch creaked quietly.
Chris straightened immediately.
“Claire.”
“Relax.”
“Claire.”
“I’ve done this a thousand times.”
Chris frowned.
“That is not an argument.”
Claire shifted a little more.
“See? Nothing’s—”
The branch moved suddenly.
Claire froze.
Chris straightened instantly.
“Claire.”
“I’ve got it under control.”
The branch creaked louder.
Chris stepped forward.
“Claire.”
Claire tried to regain her balance.
Leaves rustled.
The branch bent.
Claire suddenly leaned too far.
“…Oh.”
Chris felt his heart leap into his throat.
“CLAIRE—”
Claire lost her balance.
Her hand slid along the bark of the tree.
For a second she tried to grab hold.
She failed.
And then she fell.
Straight down.
Into the courtyard.
Claire was falling.
For a fraction of a second the world became strangely quiet.
Leaves rustled above her head, air whistled past her ears, and the red fabric of her dress spread around her like a flame.
In the courtyard several people looked up.
One of them was Prince Leon.
Just moments earlier he had been standing calmly beside the commander of the guard, listening to explanations about the castle walls and the watch system. His posture was relaxed, hands clasped behind his back, light hair stirred slightly by the morning wind.
Then someone shouted.
“Watch out!”
Leon looked up.
And saw that something was falling from the tree.
No.
Not something.
Someone.
Instinct acted faster than thought.
Leon stepped half a pace forward.
A second later something heavy crashed into him with force.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
He lost his balance.
Both of them staggered violently.
For a moment it looked as though they would collapse onto the stone floor of the courtyard.
Leon instinctively wrapped his arms around the falling person, trying to hold the weight.
His boots slipped on the stones.
The commander of the guard took an instinctive step forward.
But Leon managed to stop himself.
One foot slid back, his shoulder tensed, and his hands tightened.
He kept his balance.
With considerable effort.
For a moment everything froze. For a fraction of a second, the world existed only in that touch. Claire felt his hands on her – warm, strong, sure. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other gripped her shoulder, holding, steadying, not letting go. Through the thin fabric of her dress, she could feel every finger, every point of pressure, every breath of his chest against her back. It lasted maybe a second.
Then Claire stepped away quickly.
“Ugh—”
Leon let out a breath and instinctively stepped half a step back.
Claire was already on her feet.
She stood up immediately, as if falling from several meters was something entirely normal.
Her red dress was wrinkled and lightly dusted with courtyard dirt.
Claire briskly brushed it off with her hands.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
As if that were the most important thing right now.
Leon watched for a moment.
Then cleared his throat lightly.
“Is… everything alright?”
Claire was still brushing off the fabric of her dress.
“Yes.”
Short.
Dry.
Without looking at him.
Leon frowned slightly.
“You fell out of a tree.”
“Yes.”
“Onto me.”
Claire finally lifted her head.
Their eyes met for the first time.
Leon saw bright eyes, a little too stubborn for a princess, and a face that looked far more like someone used to riding horses and fighting… than sitting at a royal table.
Claire saw a tall man with a calm face who looked far too composed for someone a princess had just fallen on from a tree.
“I said I’m fine.” she stated.
Leon was silent for a moment.
Then he looked up.
At the tree.
At the branch.
Then back at her.
“Is this… part of the daily routine in this castle?”
Claire narrowed her eyes.
“No.”
“Good to know.”
Claire crossed her arms.
“I usually fall in other places.”
Leon blinked once.
As if he wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.
The commander of the guard, standing several steps away, looked like someone trying very hard to remain serious.
From above came someone’s voice.
“CLAIRE!”
Claire sighed.
“Oh no.”
Leon raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Your brother?”
Claire didn’t even need to look.
“Yes.”
A second later the doors leading into the courtyard burst open.
Chris Redfield stepped outside, followed by several guards… and a medic carrying a bag full of bandages.
Chris stopped suddenly when he saw the scene in front of him.
Claire standing in the middle of the courtyard.
Leon beside her.
And the tree branch slowly swaying above them.
Chris closed his eyes.
“Claire.”
Claire smiled innocently.
“Good morning, Chris.”
Chris opened his eyes.
“Did you fall out of a tree?”
Claire shrugged.
“Technically.”
Chris looked at her the way only an older brother can look at a younger sister who has just done something absolutely absurd.
“Claire.”
“Yes?”
“Why.”
Claire pointed at the branch.
“Because branches are treacherous.”
Chris slowly turned his head toward Leon.
“Prince Kennedy… is everything alright?”
Leon nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Chris looked back at Claire.
“Medic.”
The medic immediately stepped forward.
Claire took half a step back.
“No.”
Chris raised an eyebrow.
“Claire.”
“I’m fine.”
The medic stopped uncertainly.
“Your Majesty, we should at least check—”
“NO.”
Claire looked at him stubbornly.
“I said I’m fine.”
Chris crossed his arms.
“You fell out of a tree.”
“Yes.”
“Onto a prince.”
Claire glanced at Leon.
“It was an accident.”
Leon nodded.
“I believe you.”
Claire looked at him suspiciously.
“You sound like someone who doesn’t.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you thought it.”
Leon lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.
“Possibly.”
Claire narrowed her eyes.
Chris sighed.
“Claire.”
“Yes?”
“Prince Leon Kennedy came here with a very important proposal.”
Claire waved a hand.
“I know.”
Chris frowned.
“You know?”
Claire pointed upward.
“We talked about it through the window.”
Chris looked up at the window of her chamber.
Then at the tree.
Then back at her.
“Of course.”
Leon looked mildly amused.
Claire noticed it immediately.
“What?”
Leon cleared his throat lightly.
“Nothing.”
“You look like you’re laughing.”
“I’m not laughing.”
“You are.”
“I’m smiling.”
“Why?”
Leon looked at her calmly.
“Because it’s not every day a prince is greeted by a falling princess.”
Claire snorted.
“Next time I’ll aim better.”
Chris covered his face with his hand.
The commander of the guard turned slightly away to hide a smile.
Leon looked at Claire with mild interest.
“Aim?”
Claire raised an eyebrow.
“That was a figure of speech.”
“Of course.”
“I didn’t fall on purpose.”
“I didn’t suggest that.”
“But you sound like someone who would.”
Leon tilted his head slightly.
“You sound like someone who already doesn’t like me.”
Claire crossed her arms.
“I don’t know you yet.”
“That’s true.”
“But I have suspicions.”
Leon looked genuinely curious.
“What kind?”
Claire studied him carefully.
“That you’re a prince.”
“That part is true.”
“And princes usually have very irritating ideas.”
Leon nodded slowly.
“For example?”
Claire pointed a finger at him.
“For example they arrive in a foreign kingdom and ask a princess for her hand.”
Chris sighed heavily.
“Claire—”
“What?”
“That’s diplomacy.”
Claire looked at him.
“That’s pressure.”
Chris crossed his arms.
“That’s a proposal.”
Claire looked back at Leon.
“And you?”
Leon answered calmly.
“I came to propose an alliance.”
Claire narrowed her eyes.
“Through marriage.”
“Yes.”
“With someone you don’t even know.”
Leon looked at her for a moment.
“Now I know you a little.”
Claire raised an eyebrow.
“I just fell on you.”
“That’s a rather… direct way of getting to know someone.”
Claire snorted.
“Don’t expect that to impress me.”
Leon smiled slightly.
“I don’t.”
Claire looked at him even more carefully.
Chris watched this from the side.
And for the first time since the conversation began, he looked… interested.
Claire finally looked away.
“I’m still not going to marry you.”
Leon nodded.
“I understand.”
Claire looked at him, surprised.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to try to convince me?”
“Not yet.”
Claire narrowed her eyes.
“That sounds like a plan.”
Leon shrugged slightly.
“Maybe.”
Claire opened her mouth to say something.
But Chris raised a hand.
“That’s enough.”
Claire looked at him.
“I was just getting started.”
“Exactly why.”
Claire sighed.
“No one here has a sense of humor.”
Leon chuckled quietly.
Claire immediately looked at him.
“I heard that.”
“I’m not denying it.”
Claire opened her mouth.
Chris said quickly:
“Claire.”
“Yes?”
“Come with me.”
Claire crossed her arms.
“Why.”
Chris gave her a pointed look.
“Because we are not going to discuss political marriages in the middle of the courtyard.”
Claire looked at Leon.
“That’s a shame.”
Leon looked amused.
“I agree.”
Claire pointed at him.
“See.”
Chris shook his head.
“Claire.”
“Alright, alright.”
Claire turned away, but before following Chris she glanced at Leon once more.
“I’m still not changing my mind.”
Leon answered calmly.
“I didn’t ask you to.”
Claire narrowed her eyes.
“Yet.”
Leon smiled faintly.
Claire snorted.
And only then did she follow her brother.
Chris glanced over his shoulder at Leon.
Leon nodded slightly to him.
Chris returned the gesture.
But when he turned back toward the corridor…
…a very familiar older-brother smile appeared on his face.
Because for the first time in a very long time, someone truly hadn’t let Claire dominate them.
And Chris had a strange feeling…
…that this was only the beginning of the trouble.