Prologue
The Bottomless Canyon; he never thought he would be back here of all places, in such a predicament no less. Corrin tightened his grip on his steel sword; there was no escape, all of his troops have been killed and all that remained was him and Felicia against the Hoshido army. He stood at the edge of the cliff the tip of the blade Yato pointed at his heart. He stared into the eyes of his twin sister, Kamui; the sadness in her eyes was all he needed to see. She was hurting, war has changed her, she wasn't the same girl he knew from his childhood.
The fate of the twins was split in two, having to choose between Hoshido and Nohr. It was a choice that changed their lives and everything they knew. Kamui had chosen to side with Hoshido in order to enact justice for their fallen mother. He however, had sided with Nohr; not because he supported King Garon and his reign; no, he sided with Nohr because he could not bear the thought of betraying the family that raised him. Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise; they were the people he loved and cared for, as they did the same for him, they were his family whether blood connected them or not. He was also aware of the condition of Nohr; more so than his twin who focused her duties training to become a better fighter; he on the other hand focused on his studies; politics, culture, language; everything he needed to have a better understanding of Nohr. Darkness, disease, death; they are what make up the current state of their kingdom. The people were starving and dying, doomed to live under the darkness forever; it was something he couldn't bear to think about.
His arrangement was difficult; he may have managed to maintain his position as a prince of Nohr, but there was still tension between himself and King Garon. Corrin knew that what the king was doing was wrong, in fact he would even go as far as saying that it was evil. But he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. As a child, Xander, Camilla and even Leo have told him stories of the old king; they described him to be kind and caring, nothing like he was now. But that only got Corrin thinking; what could have caused such a change, something must have changed the man, his siblings seemed to know the reason, but they refused to tell him. Never the less, Corrin was determined to find out the truth, he could see the small glimmer of hope and that was enough for him to know that there was a chance to change Nohr for the better.
Corrin turned to look down; any further and he would plummet to his death, either way he was doomed to die. He looked back to his twin, though he could see the pain, he could also see her determination. Kamui has always been his better, always the more social one, always the more active one. Her combat prowess far exceeded his own and though their Nohrian siblings loved them equally, he couldn't help but feel inferior to her; maybe that was the reason why the Yato had chosen her over him. He knew her reasons for siding with Hoshido and he didn't blame her for joining their blood family, but he couldn't help but feel betrayed, the thought that she would turn her back on the very people who loved them as their own, the same people who celebrated all those birthdays with them, the same people who taught them how to read and write, the same people who were there for them when they were sad. He couldn't help but feel that Kamui was being ungrateful.
"You can still change your mind" Kamui told him, her blade not wavering from its mark. Corrin could only smile sadly at her.
"I'm sorry Kamui, I can't. I can't turn my back of them" he said. Kamui gritted her teeth.
"I know what you are saying; but can't you see the suffering Garon has caused! He needs to be stopped!" Corrin didn't say anything at first, only glancing slightly to the side where Felicia was being restrained. The maid watched him, terrified. She didn't know what to do; ever since the twin's path separated, everything has gone downhill for Nohr. Skirmish after skirmish, they have lost; their military was withering away; they were losing this war.
"There is more than meets the eye sister" Corrin says, his response only angered Kamui.
"There is nothing more to it! King Garon is evil he needs to be put down! Only then can we achieve peace!" staring blankly at her, Corrin frowned.
"What of the people?" he countered. "The resources in Nohr are already scarce; even with Leo's Brynhildr, the land in Nohr cannot support such life. After this war is over, there will be nothing left to feed the people"
"Hoshido will help Nohr rebuild, and with Xander on the throne, a peace treaty between the two kingdoms will actually be possible" Kamui countered. Corrin eyed her.
"Will it? The Hoshidan's already hate us Nohrian's, do you honestly think they will help us willingly?" Kamui wanted to counter but Corrin cut her off. "If peace is to be achieved for both Kingdoms, there must be an understanding between the people. Yes, the Hoshidan's can learn to cooperate, but it is a slow process, the same with the Nohrian's. However you must understand, Sister; time is not something Nohr has. Right now, at the way this war is going, Nohr will be no more. It won't matter if we get a new king, our kingdom will collapse".
"You underestimate Hoshido's resources, once this war is over, there is enough to feed the people, we can help them rebuild what is lost. Sure the people may be hostile at first but I'm sure with Ryoma, he can persuade them to help"
"And Nohr will forever be in Hoshido's dept, they will be a slave to another kingdom" at this Kamui didn't say anything, she remained silent. But that was all he needed to hear.
"Kamui!" he heard Takumi call out in the Hoshidan language. "Just tie him up, it's obvious that he won't listen to what you have to say" Corrin turned to his sister, to see what she would do.
"Corrin; lay down your weapon and come with us" she said. "You may be our prisoner but you and Felicia will be treated well. I promise" lowering her sword, Kamui approached him. This prompted him to raise his sword stopping her in her tracks. He shook his head.
"No, I won't be a prisoner that can be used to bargain with. If you truly want to get rid of me, you will have to kill me" Kamui stared in shock, this was very unlike her brother. He was normally very quiet and did what he was told.
"Don't make this difficult Corrin, think about our family, how would they feel" she eyed his feet knowing any minute her brother could just step back and fall to his death.
"Then I guess it is my turn to be selfish. I won't be used as a bargaining chip"
"Don't you see! If you die, how will Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise feel? You and I both know Xander; if he finds out that you've been killed, who knows how long this war will continue to last. If you are alive at least there is a chance that it will force Nohr to lay down their arms and end this bloodshed!" Corrin halted his step. His sister was right; but then again, the one with the most influence was Garon, and he knew the king would not give in to such weakness; but there was choice that needed to be made. If there was even a small chance that his capture would put his siblings out of the war, that would be a major hit on the Nohrian military, it could convince Garon to admit defeat. He knew the aftermath wouldn't be pretty, but the main priority was to finish this war. He was hesitant but he finally lowered his sword, he saw Kamui smile with relief. He started to move forward; when there was a flash of blue and a pain on his chest; looking down he saw a magic arrow stuck in his chest, he looked up and saw Takumi with his bow raised. He saw the emptiness in his eyes, they were possessed.
"Iago..." he whispered; he should have known something like this would happen. Ever since he returned to Nohr, the snake of an advisor has always resented him, doing everything in his power to disrupt his success; why would now be any different.
"Lord Corrin!" he heard Falicia scream.
"Corrin!" Kamui looked horrified as she quickly tried to grab his hand. He was just out of reach but she was close enough to hear his last words.
"Protect everybody..." Corrin whispered before falling into the abyss below.
Corrin felt like he was floating; it was odd, the pain in chest was gone and the last thing he remembered was falling into the Bottomless Canyon. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a world of white. He sat up looking at the ground; it was solid yet was not.
"Is this the afterlife?" he whispered.
"No" a booming voice echoed. Corrin scrambled to his feet. His gaze met a man's own.
"Xander?" he questioned, but immediately knew it wasn't him. The man certainly looked like him but he could see some vague differences.
"I would certainly hope I look like my son" Corrin's eyes widened when he spoke those words.
"King Garon?" the man chuckled at his surprise.
"That's right" he stepped forward. "And you are Corrin; my adoptive son" Corrin stepped back; he didn't know what was going on. The man he knew as King Garon was an old man sitting on the throne back in Castle Krakenburg. The man before him was young; probably only older than Xander by a few years, added, there was an aura of power and authority emanating from him; very different from the Garon he knew who had an aura of evil and hatred. The man here felt more approachable.
"What did you mean this isn't the afterlife?" Garon grunted turning away looking around.
"Something has bound us together, to this place; the border between life and death. A boundary for those who have been banished from death" Corrin didn't know what to say. "You have been cursed, Corrin, cursed with eternal life".
"What? Are you saying I'm going to be stuck here for all eternity?" Garon shook his head.
"Not exactly, you still possess a physical form. You have the power to return to the living, however, should you die once again; you will be taken here" Corrin got a good look of his surroundings. There was nothing but endless white; it was sort of trippy to him. "Then what about you?"
"As you may already have figured out, my real body is being controlled by another entity. The man you call King Garon is nothing more than a soulless puppet"
"Then you are the True Garon's soul?" Garon nodded solemnly.
"I'm afraid so" Corrin looked away, many revelations came to him; finally realizing the tyranny behind Nohr's leadership and the cruilty the current Garon had towards his subjects. He whipped his head around.
"Is there a way to bring you back?" Garon stared at the boy, he could see the hope in his eyes and that stirred something within himself; Determination.
"You wish for me to reclaim my place on the throne" Corrin nodded.
"If we can have you reclaim your body, you can put an end to this war. The bloodshed can finally end"
"I understand your excitement. I have seen the destruction and death the other me has caused and would like nothing but to put an end to it as well" Corrin frowned, expecting a 'but' in his words. "However it is not that simple. For me to reclaim my body we must eliminate the influence that inhabits it" Of course, Corrin thought; nothing was ever that simple.
"Do you know who?"
"Does the name Anankos ring any bells?" it certainly did; it was the dragon god that the other Garon worshiped. "Anankos the Silent Dragon. He is the one who rules over the Kingdom of Valla"
"Valla?" Corrin asked, this was the first time he's heard of such place; he has read many books, courtesy of Leo, who snuck him history books whenever he would visit the Northern Fortress. Many of them held reports of legendary battles and the fall of great kingdoms, the name Valla was never mentioned in any of them.
"Yes, a Kingdom hidden between the border of Nohr and Hoshido. A place filled with mystery; I do not know much about it, but it certainly exists"
"Do you know how to get there?" Garon shook his head "That is all I need to hear. We should learn how to venture there and once we do we can defeat Anankos" dumbstruck, the king stared at the boy like he was mad.
"And how do you intend to accomplish such feet? Anankos is a being of great power; no being has ever survived his wrath" Corrin however was not frightened.
"Everything has a weakness; we just need to find and exploit it" Garon folded his arms raising a brow.
"Oh? And who taught you that" Corrin chuckled.
"Your son, Leo" Garon let out a small grin, but Corrin caught it. "Then it is settled. We will leave this place, search for the secret to defeating Anankos and have you reclaim the throne of Nohr"
"We?" the king questioned finally catching Corrin's words.
"Of course, you said it yourself, we are bound. If I am leaving this place, then so are you. We will do this together" Garon couldn't help but stare. There was something about the boy that intrigued him. The determination and hope that drives him; though a little naive, but who wasn't during their life; it was something that experience can fix. Corrin was a boy who looked for opportunity rather than dwell in the past. A beacon of hope for Nohr; he could see it, Corrin would be the one that could lead Nohr to a brighter future. Garon watched Corrin stretch out his hand. "For the future of Nohr" smiling at the boy, he accepted his hand as they shook on their new partnership.
"For Nohr".
Some of you might have already realized; but I got this idea from Shadow of Mordor. This is going to be story about Corrin and Garon's journey to discover the history behind Valla and how to defeat Anankos (as he mentioned above); and if you do decide to follow this story, I will outright and say that some of the things will be heavily influenced by Dark Soul's (I'm a big fan of the series).
I felt like the games never went into depth with Garon. The Nohrian siblings say that he used to be kind and caring and I found that to be very interesting, it was never explored in the game and I think that was some missed opportunity. The change that Garon underwent would have made the plot line of the Fate's game better (at least for Conquest). In this story I hope to explore that side of Garon.
Upon reading the prologue you may have also realized that both Corrin and Kamui have distinct personalities. Kamui, being the more brash one, a warrior and Corrin the calculating one, a tactician. I wasn't a big fan of Corrin/Kamui's character in the game (found him/her to be too annoying; and I get that he/she was locked in a tower for all his/her life, but come on...). In this story their personalities will be different, so I guess you could say they will be out of character for the most part.
Review and tell me what you think and how I can improve.
