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That boy who I’ve befriended, a red string appeared on my finger when he gave me that flower crown before leaving with his father. The string led to him as he left then disappeared when he was gone. I believe that the boy's father and my father had a meeting to try and make peace between our two kingdoms but with how that father took away that boy, it failed. He seemed protective and worried, he was holding his son’s hand and leading him over the border to their country. Why does Father have to be so fixated on taking over Hoshido? My father heard about the string’s connection to that boy and he punished me for it. Yelled and screamed, I still feel the pain I felt that day. Day after day I tried to cut the string whenever it showed up when I was close to that boy. But each time it reappeared connected to that same boy. For years I’ve been doing that, concealing the string’s connection and trying to cut it when it wasn’t concealed enough. Years later. That Hoshidan boy has now become king because of my father’s war. Ryoma, you and I both know Corrin and Camulus’ betrayal to the both of us will be punished. But father’s orders are clear, I must kill you and them.On the battlefield I stood and Ryoma across from me on the other side of the battlefield, we stared at each other. Glared at each other. Hatred burned in our hearts. The string reappeared as it did each time. I tried to cut it again. I saw no string attached to him. We face off in battle, fighting, then Corrin and Camulus get on the battlefield and we fight until we can’t fight anymore. We were beaten by Corrin and Camulus and we decided to follow them reluctantly, having our armies begin to work together. Against our better judgment.Half of the camp are my Nohrian troops and the other half are Ryoma’s Hoshidan troops. At the very top were Corrin and Camulus’. Months of working together, winning and losing battles together, the string gets even stronger and sharper than it ever was. In my tent as I was desperately trying to cut it, I was breaking each sword, knife and dagger I used against it. In my vain attempts to cut it, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder and one on my hand, a finger lightly petting both. I felt safe and decided not to fight it. I was tense, but the tensity soothed with the soft pets I was receiving. I heard a soft voice say, “Give it up, Xander… it will never cut, not until you accept the soulmate it chose.” I look at the hand, my string connected once again to the man behind me, Ryoma. I jumped and pushed him off. “I cannot accept the soulmate it chose! You know I can’t!”Ryoma held his hands up in universal surrender, I saw my string on his finger and my own, “If you keep denying the choice, it’ll keep returning. Mine snapped years ago, but yours has connected you to me once again. I already accepted the soulmate it chose, expecting to never see the feelings be returned. But here you are, struggling with the same string I struggled with.” He laughed a bit and said, “I’ve always found stories about this to be so interesting, but dealing with it myself is a pain.” He sighed, “My father wasn’t thrilled that my string connected my soulmate being you but that gave him hope that one day our countries could at least be allied and we can stop killing each other—”“My father was enraged when he found out! The servants told him because they saw it as did I that very day when you gave me that damn flower crown! Told me to cut the string each time it appeared, not caring how much pain that put me in! I’m glad your father didn’t do that to you but my father is still alive and I MUST get rid of it! So don’t tell me to forget it!” I snapped.Ryoma sighed, “Xander… Marx… Listen to me real quick, our mission is to execute him because of what he is doing and what he has already done, you don’t have to worry anymore. I know it to be easier said than done, but understand that he won’t do anything to you or your siblings. We’ll stop him before he even gets the chance. That’s what we’re supposed to do.” He smiled partially.I felt an invisible force pull me toward him and he hugged me close, “Nothing has to come of the acknowledgement if you do not wish for it to but just… acknowledge who the string chose for your soulmate. So you can just stop struggling with it. It distresses you too much.” I felt myself holding Ryoma’s shirt in my hands. “I… I didn’t say I wanted nothing to come of it.” I spoke without thinking and when I did, the string disappeared with a snap of freedom. Ryoma nodded and said, “I’m going to act like I never heard that unless you want me to acknowledge it.” He grinned mischievously and I pushed him off of me, “Okay get out of my tent now, thank you.” I turned around and went to work. Ryoma laughed a bit and said, “Okay Xander, whatever you say.” He said and he left.I never said that, okay? Act like that never happened. - Xander