Author's Notes: This piece contains story spoilers for Conquest - Chapter 16.

A Sense of Duty

Corrin's army of troops, having finished a pitched encounter with pirates atop a drifting vessel, have returned to the Ebon Roost to enjoy a moment of respite before the invasion of Hoshido can truly begin. The army has enlisted two new recruits, one of which is named Shura. In spite of his status as the leader of the pirates that attacked the army on their ship, Corrin commit to an act of mercy, allowing this former ninja of a fallen clan to join his cause. Though Shura's hardened gray eyes do not support the notion of him being trustworthy, his gratitude is no less clear.

The army's other newest addition is none other than the Crown Prince of Nohr, Xander. His stern expression, accentuated by his brown eyes and platinum blond hair, gives him an overwhelming disposition that is only reinforced by the skill he displays in combat. With the battle over, Cyrus has taken to lounging on the castle grounds, staring up at the sky as he contemplates a means of incorporating these two new allies into the army's strategies.

'A Paladin, huh? Sir Silas mentioned that he wanted to use a Master Seal to promote to that very status.' He lingers on the thought for a moment; long enough to see a flock of birds overtake a drifting cloud. 'I haven't the faintest idea how I should go about using all of those Seals; there must be a trick to getting the most out of them. We'll require the funds to re-class everyone, too.' He sits himself up, pulling out his combat log from his coat pocket as he stabilizes himself on the ground. Flipping through the pages, he finds that each member of the army fills a niche, but lacks a means of ignoring any glaring weaknesses inherent to that niche. 'Unless we can find the time to invest in that much training, we can't feasibly work out the kinks of everyone in the army.'

Perplexed though he may be, Cyrus is not given enough time to contemplate this matter for very long. He soon hears the sound of approaching footsteps; turning his head to acknowledge the visitor, he quickly realizes that Xander is approaching, and rises to his feet to properly address the man. For a moment, Xander's eyes attempt to study the notebook in Cyrus' grip, though this proves to be a failed venture since he can't see any of its contents from his current position.

Xander's face eases into an expression that can be considered at least somewhat less severe than the one he usually wears. His soft smile is the only aspect of this eased countenance that gives a clue to any sort of relevant change. "I've been searching for you, Cyrus."

"My apologies for the endeavor, Lord Xander; is the matter urgent?"

"Not pressingly, no; I simply wished to exchange a proper introduction. The previous battlefield was not the right location for such things." He extends his hand, prompting Cyrus to follow through with an amiable handshake. "The little prince has spoken quite highly of you in the letters he sent to me. I lacked the opportunity in the past, but I thank you for choosing to stand at his side on that day."

"Your gratitude is humbling, my Lord, but I deserve no thanks; I merely made my decision based on what I felt was right."

Xander's smile shifts to become some sort of smirk, one that Cyrus can't identify at present. "I must say that your tactics in battle are very different from what we Nohrians are used to. It was rather refreshing to mount a defensive play, rather than one of hyper-offense. That said…" It is at this moment Cyrus finally realizes what Xander's smirk was supposed to imply. Looking to Xander's hip, he can see that the Crown Prince is subtly tapping his hand against the hilt of his personal sword, the divine blade called "Siegfried". "Though I have seen your tactical prowess, I wish to test your combat skills as well. You are from another world, yes? I should like to test my mettle against an interloper."

Cyrus snaps his fingers, creating two separate pools of darkness that hover in the air at either of his shoulders. Before anything can emerge from these portals, he asks, "Are there any rules or handicaps I should be aware of before we begin, Lord Xander?"

His forward response gets a chuckle out of Xander, who merely draws Siegfried and assumes an offensive stance. Readying his shield for any sudden attacks, Xander replies, "No; this will be a spar of chivalry between knights. We shall both conduct ourselves honorably and provide a good fight to the best of our abilities. Use whatever you may have to defeat me; that is, if you can defeat me."

Cyrus' response is a silent nod; a swift motion of his hand causes a sword to emerge from each dark portal before clicking into a pair of scabbards resting behind his waist. In spite of the brief moment these weapons were visible, Xander has already reached a conjecture concerning the specs of one. 'The sword resting at the top of the pair looks to be about a meter in length, an entire foot shorter than Siegfried. It appears to be in the style of a Gladius, so perhaps it is meant for speed and mobility. Its black blade could be trouble; I wonder what sort of material comprises it…'

'Considering Lord Xander is a Paladin, his defensive prowess is probably too much for me to handle head-on. I'll scout out his limits and capabilities using the Hastebrand first.' Cyrus then draws the sword at the top of the pair, meeting Xander's expectations. "Let us begin, Lord Xander."

"Very well; come at me!" Cyrus heeds this order by disappearing from sight, causing Xander's eyes to widen in momentary shock. Tightening his stance, Xander raises his shield to guard the left side of his head. 'His speed is impressive, but not more so than that High Prince of Hoshido; I can handle this much.'

As Cyrus reappears, he is surprised to hear the Hastebrand clash against steel, causing a resounding cling to ring throughout the area. It is even more telling when he realizes that his feet have yet to touch the ground, suggesting that his resulting clash has left him vulnerable. He just as quickly realizes that Xander has blocked his attack, and has his sword arm reared back for a counter-offensive. His surprise is only compounded as Xander bashes his shield arm forward, sending Cyrus landing on the ground in a stumbling manner, which gives the Crown Prince his true moment to retaliate.

The next surprise arrives when Cyrus intentionally commits to falling backwards to avoid the blade that is quickly drawing near his face. Xander's expression shifts to one of abject bewilderment as his opponent kicks Siegfried's blade, offsetting his stance and causing his instincts to conflict. Though he is in a prime position to take a gamble and simply swing Siegfried downward to win the battle, he is naturally inclined to assume a defensive form to fix the stance Cyrus just ruined.

Ultimately, the decision of which stance to take is made for Xander by his opponent, who regains his balance just as quickly as he lost it, and charges forward. Curiously, he has sheathed the Hastebrand, but keeps his hand grasped around its hilt. 'He can't move that fast unless he's holding that sword.'

As Cyrus draws near Xander, he slowly sinks lower towards the ground, readying his next attack. 'I'll have to switch to the Runic Blade at the last second; his magic resistance can't be that high if he's anything like Sir Silas.'

Feigning a defensive stance, Xander readies his shield to commit to the ruse. 'The moment you let go of that sword to draw the other is my chance; you shall regret your momentary weakness.' Upon seeing Cyrus disappear from sight again, Xander readies Siegfried for a diagonal rightward slash. Cyrus, in the brief moment he can't be seen, performs a spin while drawing his second sword, which roughly runs the same length as Siegfried. Xander failed to notice the runes engraved into the blade of this sword due to the darkness swirling around it when it emerged from the portal.

Knowing this, Cyrus fully commits to a head-on attack. Appearing into view once again, he tightens his focus, as well as his grip on the Runic Blade's handle, and thinks to himself, 'You're prepared for a physical hit, not a magical one; it's my win, my Lord.'

Both combatants are proven to be incorrect as their blades are swung. The two run parallel to each other, causing both Cyrus and Xander to receive their hits at the same time. They both take a step back to address their injuries, though Xander is surprised to find he does not have one. In spite of this, he can definitely feel a slight pain in his chest where the Runic Blade struck. He looks to Cyrus to find his opponent bleeding from the chest wound caused by Siegfried.

Cyrus lets out a pained chuckle and sheathes his sword before bowing to Xander. "The victory is yours, my Lord; I miscalculated just how strong your attack would be." He winces, holding his hand just over his chest in spite of his urge to press his hand to the wound. "I misjudged your magic resistance too; you look more confused than injured." He pulls a gray bottle from one of his coat's hidden pockets and drinks a portion of its contents, which somehow causes his injury to be completely healed. Holding the bottle out to Xander he says, "There's still enough to heal your wounds as well."

Xander accepts the bottle, though he refrains from drinking it. "I am afraid I do not understand. Why…"

Drawing the Runic Blade, Cyrus shows the sword to Xander in greater detail. "The Runic Blade is different from other swords; I forged it with the express purpose of striking at a target's soul. By your world's laws, this translates to exclusively dealing magic damage, though it lacks the ranged option a Levin Sword has. Consequently…this also means that I can't use the Runic Blade against enemies without souls, of which there are a fair amount in your world. On the plus side, the Runic Blade can actually make critical strikes."

Xander takes a moment to reflect on this, his expression returning to its usual stern demeanor. "Your sword rang true, Cyrus; it was a firm reminder that my defensive abilities are limited. I have a ways to go if I am to protect my family and my people."

"Perhaps I can help." Xander gives no verbal reply, instead choosing to give Cyrus an expectant look. "I don't think I can temper your soul while I'm in this world, but I can definitely teach you how to raise your magic resistance." He smirks, pulling out his combat log to open its pages to Xander. He reaches a section of pages dedicated to Paladins and points out a Skill learned by this class. "This Skill here, the one your world calls 'Aegis', I can help you learn this; I believe it shall be a great boon in your endeavor."

"You need not set aside your other duties to assist me, Cyrus."

"Bah, I shall have none of that, Lord Xander. If you won't accept it as a kind gesture, perhaps you will if it is considered repayment for a debt."

"A…debt?" The confusion in the Crown Prince's voice is palpable as he asks, "For what reason could you owe me a debt?"

"Facing you has given me an idea of how to optimize all of these different Seals. Why, with proper application, a single unit could match against one bearing the blood of the First Dragons you all keep speaking of."

A loud laugh escapes Xander when Cyrus finishes his claim, though the laugh does not sound condescending. "You are truly as eccentric as the little prince claims; it even extends to the battlefield. It was my pleasure to be your opponent, and I should like to have your assistance with this training in turn."

"If you think I'm off the handle now, you should have seen me when I still had my left arm. I was quite unorthodox with spears not too long ago."

"Oh? Have you considered picking up the short spear as a substitute?"

Closing his eyes, Cyrus tilts his head towards the ground to reflect on the suggestion. "I have, yes, but the decrease in range would take some time to acclimate to."

"No time like the present, Cyrus." Drawing Siegfried, Xander assumes a combat stance once more, catching Cyrus by surprise. "Now then, let us continue; my schedule is open for awhile yet."

"Heh, I should have you know that I face off against nefarious monsters and dragons for a living; if you intend to use attrition to defeat me, you may be in for a nasty surprise."

Another confident smirk traces itself onto Xander's lips. Unlike before, he is the one to charge forward to initiate the encounter. "We shall see; en garde!"

Author's Notes: I enjoyed writing "One's Thoughts" enough to write this one. Hopefully you found enjoyment in this brief read as well.