Wolf Unchained

In the outskirt of Windmire, a squad of Nohrian soldiers was patrolling around the capital. A post in the city was both a curse and a blessing. While it came with the most stomach-fulfilling ration and outpost that greeted the guards with constant warm, they also more often than not deal with the internal politics of the Nohrian court which can be…very deadly, for the lack of better word.

"Captain, can we just go back to the post now?" One soldier complained to his superior. "I mean, I am pretty sure that we don't need to do it five times."

"Shut up! We received paid leave as a reward for what happened a week ago. We need to catch up with the workout that we neglected during the leave." The captain immediately retorted.

"That's the captain for you." Another soldier commented.

"Maybe that's why she hasn't found someone." A dark mage stated before laughing, who was soon joined by others.

"Shut your god…" Whatever the captain wanted to say was cut short when her hand immediately went to her sword. Seeing that, the soldiers and the mage became stiff, thinking that she wanted to lash out.

"Err, okay, captain. We might have gone over…" The dark mage tried to apologize but was immediately silenced by the captain with a finger over her mouth.

The captain drew her sword and walked away, deviating from the patrol route. Confused, the rest of the squad decided to follow their superior. It didn't take them long to find out where their captain led them to; a cave with an entrance big enough for even the heaviest armored Nohrian soldier and still leave enough room to wield a weapon.

"I don't remember a cave existing here." The dark mage stated.

"Neither do I." The captain said in return. "Louise, Cormack, watch our rear! The rest of you, follow me!"

The two soldiers with spear and shield nodded their heads and did as ordered. The remaining patrol followed the captain as they went in to inspect the cave. For some reason, no torch was needed as while it was darker compared to the outside, the inside of the cave was as bright as the sky of Nohr during a bad cloudy day.

The soldiers walked cautiously as they went further in. Who knows what would await them inside the cave? The place could be used by a Faceless to hide. With only one way in and out, the monster could simply charge at them to escape from its lair, not something that the Nohrians wanted to happen.

After what felt like two minutes had passed, the soldiers finally encounter someone. It was not the Faceless, causing them to let out their breathe in relief. Instead, they encountered someone sitting on the floor with an attire completely unlike the ones used by even the poorest Nohrian. From the sword on his back and the clothes on his body, there was only one place where he could come from.

Hoshido, the sworn enemy of Nohr.

"Drop all of your weapons and show us your hands, Hoshidan!" The captain demanded. When it was ignored, the captain stated her demand once more. "I said, drop your weapons and show your hands!"

Still not receiving any response, she patted the shoulder of her subordinate with a spear and gained his attention before pointing at the Hoshidan. The man stepped forwards a little by little until his spear could reach the stranger. The soldier slowly poked him and saw the man fall sideways due to said poke.

Gaining some confidence, the spearman walked towards the man and checked him. Not seeing any wound, he checked the pulse and nodded at his captain.

"He's alive." The soldier stated.

"Get something to bind him." The captain ordered as she went towards the Hoshidan.

One of them gave the captain a rope, which was immediately used to bind the unconscious man's limbs through a distance was given for the feet. That way, if he woke up on the way to the prison, he could walk on his own.

The squad departed from the cave and headed back towards Windmire. On their way back, the captain couldn't help but wonder how a cave somehow suddenly appeared out of thin air and why this Hoshidan was found unconscious inside. She might need to do some investigation.

But first thing first, getting this man into his cell.


Inside a prison cell, Kaze and Rinkah did nothing but sitting on the floor. Sometimes, they looked around, thinking of the possibility of escaping. They didn't have much hope of succeeding though. Still, it was better than just sitting around, completely doing nothing else.

Both of their attention went towards the door when the guards suddenly open it. It didn't take them even a second to find out why the door was opened.

"Hey, guess what? We found one of yours." The Nohrian guard said as he dropped a ninja into the floor.

As the door was locked, Kaze went towards the man and inspected him. One thing that stood out the most was the fact that the ninja was wearing an orange haori, which was rather unusual. Not that he never wore one himself but that was not something ninja wear during a mission.

Another thing that he noticed was how some of the ninja's hair has gone white, indicating advanced age. Probably around the late 40s to early 50s. It made Kaze somewhat impressed that they could capture a ninja as experienced as the man but then again, everyone has time when they slip up.

Then there was another thing else, which was noticed by Rinkah.

"Hey, don't you think this man's left hand is rather strange?" Said the Fire Tribe woman as she inspected said hand.

Kaze looked at the hand and figured out what Rinkah meant. The left hand of the ninja was a prosthetic. He inspected it closer, noticing the number of cuts and how it was stained thick with blood and oil. Despite that, it was impeccably maintained.

"He must have the right connection or very skilled to be able to have a prosthetic this…intricate." The green-haired ninja commented. "A loss of limb tends to be a career-ending injury."

"If you're that curious, then why don't ask him?" Rinkah stated as she looked at the man's face. "He's about to wake up."

True to her words, the man gave a sign that he was about to wake up. He let out a grunting voice from his mouth. It was followed by several coughs before his eyes opened up. The ninja took a look on the cell before focusing his sight on both Kaze and Rinkah. The former offered his hand to him, which was accepted.

"Are you alright? Can you tell me what happened?" The younger ninja asked as he helped him sat up.

The man coughed up a few more times before setting his eyes on Kaze. The latter recognized the look immediately; one that was filled with cautious and suspicious. He had heard it from Saizo on how old ninjas tend to be wary of their surroundings due to experience. In fact, the safer a place is the more likely they're to be suspicious.

"It's alright. You're among friends." Kaze said before letting out a small laugh. "Well, not really since we're inside a Nohrian cell."

"Nohrian…?" The man said in return.

"Yes, that's where we are." He looked at the man warily. "You…know that, right?"

"I think whatever or whoever caused him to get captured by those Nohrians caused some problem in his head," Rinkah suggested.

"That's a possibility," Kaze replied as he thought on how to gain the ninja's trust.


It has been two days since the newest occupant of the cell arrived. So far, the only thing that Kaze and Rinkah managed to get from him was the word "Sekiro" when they asked him on how they should refer him. Either that was his name or a title as in Hoshidan, "Sekiro" could mean "One-Armed Wolf." A fitting title, if the younger ninja had to be honest.

In any case, Sekiro kept any information regarding him close to his chest and was unwilling to share. He had been asked about which clan he belonged to, what was his mission before being captured, how he managed to gain his prosthetic, and many more. Yet he always kept his mouth silent except in some rare cases, like when Rinkah talked about the Flame Tribe.

Suddenly, the door of the cell was opened and a Nohrian guard walked in.

"Alright, you Hoshidans. You have received the honor of being able to meet with His Highness King Garon himself. You are expected to be in your best behavior." The guard announced.

"Oh, we will be in our best behavior. No doubt about that." Rinkah replied with a thinly-veiled sarcasm.

The three of them were escorted out of the cell. Along the way, they met up with four more Hoshidan prisoners. Many were wondering why they would come face-to-face with the King of Nohr himself. They then encountered a surprise; the guards were giving them back their weapons.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kaze asked as he picked up his shuriken.

"You'll find out soon, Hoshidan." The guard replied with a cruel smile.


"So, this will be fine, right?" Elise asked her siblings. "Corrin will not get killed, right?"

"Of course not, little sister," Leo replied. "Do you have that little trust in our sister? And to Xander who has been training her for years?"

"No, that's not what I mean!" Elise shook her hands. "It's just…"

"Now, now, calm down, you two," Camilla said as she laughed a little. "Leo, it's not good to tease your sister, you know?"

Leo merely turned his head around but it was undeniable that there was a hint of a smile on his face. The three of them decided to put their conversation away and focused on their sister that was currently the center of the attention, Corrin.

"But seriously, how dangerous this test could be?" Elise asked again.

"Not that dangerous, Elise," Xander answered. "After being released, prisoners are – more often than not – not in their optimal condition. Plus, Father will not bring a prisoner that the guards can't neutralize."

"When you said it like that, yeah, I agree with you, Xander." She said in return with him smiling a little.

When the trial began, the Hoshidan prisoners immediately charged towards Corrin who was accompanied by Gunther and Jacob. True to Xander's words, the prisoners were not in their optimal condition; one was having trouble holding his weapon, one was swinging his iron bat around like a drunkard, and many more. There were two that showed competency above the rest, who were a green-haired ninja and a dark-skinned oni savage. Then there was one who remained in his position.

"Huh, why does that man do nothing?" Elise asked when she noticed the man.

"Hmm?" Xander and the other two siblings focused their attention at him. The man already had his katana unsheathed yet he stood still and watched as his fellow countrymen fought Corrin and her…temporary retainers, for the lack of better term.

"That's strange." Leo put his hand on his chin. "Hoshidans are well-known to prefer death before dishonor. In fact, they have a ritualistic… Wait a minute."

"Do you notice something, Leo?" Camilla asked.

"The Hoshidan that Corrin fights…he's using a katana, right?"

"From what I can see from here, most likely," Xander answered before realization came upon him. "Wait, are you trying to say…"

"The man is observing Corrin so that he knows her movement when fighting against an opponent with a katana, which is the weapon that he uses." The second prince stated.

As if on cue, Corrin defeated her opponent the moment her brother finished his words. It was during that moment that the Hoshidan dashed towards her.

The Hoshidan's movements relied on speed, agility, and skill. It was evident by how he fought. He aimed at the openings that Corrin made, relentlessly attacking to prevent her from counterattacking, and if she managed to do so, he simply evaded the attack.

"This is…not good." Leo stated, trying to find a word that wouldn't cause a panic. "Corrin's sparring partners to this point are Gunther and Xander with Camilla and me one time or two each year. She never faced someone who is speed-based."

"Furthermore, since she's not as strong as me or Gunther in term of physical strength, she based her movements of speed and agility. And now she's fighting someone that is more skilled than her in that department." Xander added.

It seemed that Corrin realized that. She no longer tried to attack the man and instead focused on defending herself. As both of them fought, Gunther and Jacob slowly but steadily defeated their opponents. If nothing goes wrong, then when they were done, both of them will assist the princess in defeating the Hoshidan.

But of course, something went wrong.

"Aah!"

Jacob, who was fighting a green-haired Hoshidan ninja, received a scratch on his cheek. It was only a flesh wound and his voice was barely audible. But it was enough for Corrin to heard it. She looked at her butler in worry, which caused her to be distracted. And because she was distracted, her movement became sloppy. That created an opening for the Hoshidan.

The entire room went silent. Many of those who observed the trial looked in shock at what had just happened. But none of their shocks was comparable to Corrin, who suddenly found herself missing an arm. A left arm that the Hoshidan had just dismembered.

Almost immediately, Corrin held her new sword, the Ganglari, harder and stabbed the Hoshidan at the chest with it. She pulled the sword back and the man took several steps backward before falling to the floor.

"Lady Corrin!"

Both Jacob and Gunter threw their current combat and immediately went towards their liege. The remaining Hoshidans gave a chase but they managed to reach her first. Gunter acted as the shield of the two of them while Jacob healed Corrin, who was now sitting on the floor. She didn't show any pain due to the adrenaline. It wouldn't last long though.

Seeing what happened to their sister, both Camilla and Leo almost went towards the trial ground when their father, King Garon of Nohr, prevented them from doing just that.

"No, the trial is still ongoing. Until I say otherwise, Corrin will receive no help from the outside." He told them.

"But Father, look at her!" Camilla exclaimed, barely holding her anger. "Corrin has just…she just…"

"Something that can happen out there as well. At least this way, she will know exactly the taste of battle."

"Camilla." Xander put his hand on her shoulder. "Do as he says."

"But…" She was about to convince her brother when the princess looked at his hardened face. She decided to reluctantly follow the order. "Fine."

"Elise, I think you better call the castle's healers," Leo said as he calmed down his little sister. "We're going to need the best of the best."

"O-O-Of course," Elise replied as she tried to control her breath before going to get the healers.

During all of that, Corrin, Gunther, and Jacob managed to defeat the remaining Hoshidans. The princess, covered in sweat due to shock and fatigue, leaned on her butler. With that, the trial was over.


At the outskirt of Windmire, a trio of soldiers was escorting a cart full of corpses. They were corpses of the prisoners that died due to various reasons like disease or execution. The former tended to be more common, especially among the Hoshidan prisoners, due to the low quality of food served for the prisoners. Then again, it wasn't like the common people eat much better food.

"Hey, is it just me, or the number of the corpses that we have is lower than it supposed to be?" A soldier asked.

"Doesn't matter. We do this job then return back to Windmire." One of his friends replied.

"OK. Fine by me." The soldier looked at the cart and noticed something. "Huh, some of them have weapons."

"Probably those who participated in a combat trial. If I am not wrong, there was one for a princess. Don't remember who. Hoshidan weapons are crap anyway, so it doesn't make a difference."

"But what if…"

"Already checked. All of them dead. A stab in the chest has been given for extra guarantee."

After that line was delivered, silence fell upon the group. The leading soldier found it rather strange as he knew one of his friends couldn't stand a quiet situation this long and would often make an attempt to start a conversation. Feeling suspicious, he decided to turn his head around…

…and found his throat met the sharp end of a katana.

As the soldier fell to the ground, the shinobi inspected his surroundings. The other two soldiers were lying on the ground as well, suffering a similar wound. While the cart driver was still in his place, a stab in the back of the head ensured that no alert was given.

He looked at the desolated place of his current location. He turned his head towards the light that came from the capital city. He then turned his head to see the less bright light on the horizon. He sheathed his katana and went towards the light, leaving the corpses of the Hoshidans that were never his countrymen and the four soldiers.


And the prologue is done.

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