I kicked around ideas for how to start this story for a while; the first, most important part, obviously, was making someone interesting and different from Aurora. I had to consider the name, the design, whether they should originally be Hoshidan or Nohrian, and eventually this was the result. I don't know if it's final, and I could retcon this and rewrite the whole damn thing (already have once), but for now, let me know.

To give you an idea, the first character I designed was a Nohrian man who was frankly something of a bitter asshole. He wasn't very likable. Interesting, but no fun to write for.

And, as a heads-up, unlike Awakening which I have played back-to-front many times, Revelations is a bit murkier for me, and I'll probably be doing runs of it while I write this, so waiting for new chapters might be a bit long once in awhile (as if that's any different from normal).

TL;DR: I don't know Fates as well as I do Awakening, so this might be less cohesive.

I might add a few Xenologues I missed or bonus chapters to the original Quartermaster Story, if the mood strikes me, so just a heads up. That one might still update as well.

As usual, I'll try to reply to reviews in here unless they're just "Good story" (or otherwise not interesting or useful enough), or if you specifically ask me not to.

I might try naming chapters as well, if I can remember to. I usually don't do that, it's just something new.

Okay, enough babble. Enjoy.

Chapter One

Happenstance

Excerpt from the diary of Belladonna Rocha

It seems like every step I take towards having my life sorted out nicely, lady Fate comes around and deals me a quick blow on the back of the head, rifles through my pockets and tosses me elsewhere. Things were going smoothly as someone in, what is, granted, a morally questionable profession such as my own could have been expected.

Information is such a valuable thing. People pay good coin for dirt on others. Hire a street rat to tail a husband for a suspicious wife, grease some servant palms for gossip about their lords and ladies, and suddenly you have a whole pile of notes that people desperately wish for you to share. And in this case, talk isn't cheap. So long as I avoided outright blackmail, I was hoping things would be alright, especially so long as I was focusing my efforts on the shadier dealings of the nobility.

And then my information gathering skills get me shipped to a village in the backwaters of Nohr. Right up against the mountains. "Mayoress" my arse, I bet some local nobility found out I had "somehow" uncovered some information they'd rather keep hidden and "recommended" me to be in charge of a settlement right smack up against Hoshido. I would have tried to weasel out of it but what could I do? The order was signed by King Garon himself, so whoever I pissed off must have a hell of a lot of pull. Now, if war breaks out, this little town (I don't even know if we can call it a town, it's so small) will be one of the first places to get taken over if Hoshido gets a foothold... Still, nothing to do but start I suppose.

Running a town isn't as tough as I thought it would be. It's mostly a lot of bookkeeping. Numbers and math and such. Organizing who builds what and where. Fortunately the ground here is pretty fertile- it's a surprisingly safe little patch of good growing dirt smack up against the border, as close as we can get without border guards of either country from harassing us. (Believe you me, if we were closer the Nohrian guards would be worse than the Hoshidans, they've become so paranoid as of late). Now if only we weren't so close to Bottomless Canyon, I'd feel a bit more at ease. That place has always unnerved me. Never been there myself, but, well, people must say it's bottomless for a reason, right?

The Faceless have been roaming. Bad sign. I've been keeping my axe close at all times and had the local smith start production on some simple spears and swords. We've only got one trained soldier and a militia of maybe ten or so. We're gonna need more in case those nightmares approach.

Trade caravan. Merchants are always a good sign. We got a bit of extra food and some salt to preserve meat so we can start a stockpile. They didn't spend much here, just enough for some food and beds, but anything's better than nothing. Seems like the Faceless are quiet for now.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing. We've got the militia running some drills and training, getting stronger. This job is surprisingly better than I expected. The pay isn't quite as much as I made before, but it's still decent wages and I still have a nice little nest egg from my brokering work.

...I almost wrote down where I'd stashed it, but I think it might be imprudent to write where I keep my personal savings, since I can remember it myself.

Visitors today. A few looked like fancy castle-types. They were pretty cagey about what they were doing here. I'm suspicious. The bald one looks like trouble, and I know most of the noble Nohrian faces pretty well and I've never seen the white-haired girl before. Her getup was quite unusual as well. Not like any armor I'd ever seen.

Old habits die hard. I've been nosing around trying to find out who they are. Our resident veteran told me the older one with the heavy armor is a knight by the name of Gunter. The stuffy one is a servant- a butler. If we were anywhere else but Nohr I'd be less interested, but servants here are rather skilled at just about anything. Sure, a good servant can make your bed and cook you a meal, but an excellent servant can bury a dagger into a would-be assassin from ten paces away.

I'm curious. I can't help myself. Intrigue has always been alluring to me. I may be risking my neck, but I'm going to follow them- just a short way past town. I'll leave John in charge while I'm gone. He's inexperienced, but has an excellent head on his shoulders and has helped me prevent this place from running itself into the ground. He'll manage for a few days.

Or until they send a replacement for me in the event that, gods forbid, I don't return.

Belladonna sighed as she adjusted her clothes. She should have worn pants instead of this skirt. Fine Nohrian clothing certainly looked wonderful on those who could afford it, but it was hardly the most practical. She had been following the strangers at a distance, taking a slightly more roundabout route. They seemed to be investigating the Bottomless Canyon, which caused her to feel even more suspicious. Disguised Hoshidans, or bandits. Either would be dangerous if they knew where the village was.

Bella was a tall, powerfully built woman. She was also rather soft and pretty looking, so when she responded to threats by picking up a huge battle axe, it had a tendency to startle people. Even more so when she started swinging it. She carefully stayed low, brushing her curly blonde hair from her eyes, frowning a bit, crouched low and wary.

Then, quite suddenly, as things often do in situations like this. Without much warning there were shouts- confrontation, and before Bella knew it, there was a full-blown skirmish breaking out. Hoshidans apparently- patrolling the canyon. One of the Nohrians rushed to attack, seemingly against orders. He rushed in, killed a nearby Hoshidan, before rushing blindly forward.

Oh hell. She slipped from her position behind the rocks, intending to return swiftly to the village to relay the alarming news- this was an act of full-blown war if she had ever seen one, and she needed to warn their tiny border town before-

She stumbled, as the cliff suddenly rumbled, a huge burst of light emanating from the Nohrian side. Belladonna squeaked as the earth below her shook and rolled, eyes wide. "What the-?" She squeaked, diving behind some rocks and holding on for dear life as the entire cliff proceeded to roll and shift, closing a gap in the chasm and dumping Bella off in some rubble. She lay there for a moment, hidden by the rocks and boulders that miraculously had not crushed her, head spinning a bit.

Bella was trapped. The rocks had fallen around her, forming a little cave. She could only watch the skirmish- the Nohrians, in spite of their lesser numbers, on the defensive, managed to route the small force at the border, and began to retreat. A full-blown battle was brewing, as troops on both ends arrived- however, neither side attacked outright after a brief clash and withdrawal from one another, hesitant to advance further.

From her raised position, above the two armies on the bridges, trapped in what was practically a cave formed haphazardly on the cliffs, Bella could only watch, cursing her luck. She could try to clear some of the rubble, but she couldn't tell how much rock might be above her. There was no sense trying to push out when it was possible there was a half-ton of cliff sitting on top of the boulders that had crashed around her, and the only hole she could see through was too small to fit herself through.

Turning, Belladonna spied the strange, silver-haired girl and the knight, on one of the bridges, apparently separated from the rest and ordered to retreat. Several other Nohrians from the main force to the east were also retreating, slowly, facing the Hoshidans. Both sides were pulling out at least.

When Bella glanced back at the silver-haired girl, she uttered a startled sound. The big, untrustworthy looking man was backing away from her, axe in hand. He looked startled, as if something frightening had happened. He bolted away from her, and then-

Honestly, Bella had no clue. Something… Exploded? There was a resounding crack, and a flash of light, and the girl was gone as well. The shockwave from the blast shook the bridge violently, blowing it apart.

What in the name of all the Gods and Goddesses? Bella shuddered- it seemed no one else had seen that. Which of course meant nobody would believe her.

I need to get out of here.

"Hello? Hey! Someone?" She called, to no avail. She was just a bit too high, and the Nohrian forces both too distant and too noisy to be able to distinguish her shouts from their own. "Damn!" She cursed, falling to a seated position with a huff, crossing her arms. At least her small provisions and her axe were unharmed as well. She sipped carefully from her waterskin, only taking a little bit to sate her thirst. Might need to ration this all out for a while. She thought, studying her supplies. Enough food and water to last two days. Four if she was stingy. "...Hellfire." She grumbled. "...This is going to be absolutely miserable."

For a good long while, she sat and pondered, until the canyon was silent, both armies having fallen back. She tried calling for help again, but gave up, deciding to rest for a moment, a bit dazed from the ordeal.

Hours later, the stubborn urge to yell overcame her, and Bella sat up, deciding to call out one last time. "Hey! Can anyone hear me?! I need help! I don't even care whose side you're on, I'd rather die quick then starve slowly in here! Hello?!" Silence, just her voice echoing out into the mountains.

Bella sighed, falling back. She wished that something would happen. Someone could pass, or the rocks could shift and scare her, but nothing was happening and it was driving her slowly but surely mad.

She curled on the floor, exhausted, and using her food pouch for a pillow, fell into a barely fitful sleep.

Bella was jarred awake late, as the sun was setting when she heard a shout from below.

"Die, Nohrian scum!"

Well, that wasn't very welcoming. Bella sighed, glancing at her filthy, dirty clothing. Perhaps she could pass as a commoner who simply got swept up and conscripted, though her axe was a bit too ornate for that. Thinking fast, Bella gave another shout.

"Hello?! Hello?! I'm trapped here! In the name of all that's good, help!"

Then, she smeared some dirt and gravel on the tip of her battleaxe's metal-ended handle, hiding some of the fancier metalwork. She leaned back, hoping that the Hoshidan heard her. She also scrubbed some more dirt on her hair and popped off her earrings, pocketing them. Might as well fully play the part.

A moment later, she heard the voice but closer.

"Who goes there?" Barked a deep, but unmistakably female voice.

"Here!" Bella called, coughing a bit as some dirt got in her mouth. "Agh… Hold on!" She shifted close to her airhole and shoved her arm through, flailing it, before pulling back. "I'm trapped here! I don't know who you are or where you came from, but I've been here for a day and a half, maybe more."

There was a pause, then the voice was closer. "Hmph. How did you manage that?"

"Search me!" Bella replied shrilly. "I was on one of the cliff faces and suddenly they started… moving, like- like nothing I'd ever seen! It sounds mad, but-"

"Dragon Vein." The woman on the other side of the rock grunted. "Pushed the cliffs together."

"Well, whatever it was, it proper gave me a bad sort, didn't it?" Bella growled a bit, shuffling a bit closer to her air hole and peering out. She winced at the bright sky, lit by the sunset, and adjusted her gaze a bit. "Ah. Hello."

Standing on the other side was a woman, clad in what looked like furs, with a stocky, muscular build. The woman glowered at Bella's eyes, the only part of her that was visible. "...Fine. Step back. If you make a wrong move, I'll crack your head."

"Fair!" Bella backed up, away from the rubble. "I am armed, so long as we're being upfront. Got an axe on me."

"Rrgh. Of course." Even through the barrier of rocks, Belladonna could sense the annoyed glare. Bella inhaled in shock as suddenly several rocks were drawn aside.

"Hold up!" She squeaked as the large, flat stone shifted. Thinking fast she rolled several rocks to support the large, perilously positioned "roof" of her cave. "Okay, okay… It's clear. Keep going."

It was slow work. Bella would do her best to support the cave from the inside, while the woman outside slowly pulled and dug the rocks away, piece by piece. Soon, there was a sizable hole, just a little too small to squeeze through.

The rock shifted and made a soft grating sound as it slid down an inch or two, causing Bella to panic a bit.

"Oh Gods above- This is stupid!" Bella gritted her teeth, lunging and slamming her axe into the wall, smashing through what thin rocks remained. She internally winced. That's gonna nick up the blade.

Luckily, the woman outside had cleared just enough away for Bella to plow through, tumbling out and gasping, sucking in deep breaths of fresh-air. There was a rumble, and the little cave that Bella had been trapped within collapsed with a heavy boom. She scrambled backwards as rock and dirt slid violently down the cliff face, nearly sending her tumbling into the canyon. She grunted, getting a foothold, grabbing the woman who had freed her, giving her a sharp push to direct her away from the sudden rockslide.

"Go!" She shouted, stumbling and diving to avoid a collapsing mound of dirt, panting for breath and coughing in the dust, crawling and stumbling to her feet as dirt and rock fell about her, charging to a safe side of the cliff. "Agh, all the gods above…" She stumbled over some jagged rock, before landing hard. "...Ow."

Then, silence. The rockslide the pair had inadvertently caused had come to a halt, the air still choked with dirt and dust. Bella slowly rose up, using her axe as a staff to stand. "...Oh gracious. That was quite a misadventure. Hope that woman's okay."

"You should be hoping I'm dead, Nohrian." The cold voice made Bella jump, and she turned, standing tall. She probably would look more intimidating if she wasn't battered and bruised, coated in a fine layer of dust and with her normally meticulous hair and outfit in a total mess. She sighed, leaning on her axe.

"Oh come on, now. You just saved me from a very slow and horrific death. No one would have even found me, I bet. Quite a pitiful end for a lovely lady like me, wouldn't you agree?"

"Shut up." The woman growled, brandishing a heavy club. Bella's eyebrows went up slightly. She had never seen a Hoshidan wielding a club up close before. A katana or naginata had a different fighting style, but at the end of the day would not be all that different from a sword or a lance. But a club was something she'd never really thought about, or had any knowledge of how to fight against it. All Bella knew for sure was to avoid the hefty brass tip.

Still, she'd rather not pick a fight with someone who had just saved her life. She kept her stance firm, but did not raise her axe towards the woman, keeping it low and on the defensive.

"Mm, afraid I can't fight you, ma'am." She said earnestly. "Wouldn't be right."

The woman glared, somewhere between anger, irritation and confusion. There was a touch of justifiable paranoia in there, too. "Your words mean nothing, snake."

"Ah, how sharper than a serpent's tooth are such distrusting words." Bella sighed, more to herself than to the Hoshidan. "Still, I suppose it's wise, considering the circumstances."

"You Nohrians have done nothing to warrant my trust." The woman snarled, giving her club a menacing spin, staring Bella down, ready to rush in the slightest provocation. Bella stood tall and firm.

"I suppose not…" She shrugged, sighing. "But I'm not taking this axe to someone who just saved me."

The Hoshian ground her teeth, looking more frustrated than she was angry now. "Then I'll just take you prisoner!" She lunged and jabbed the club at Bella's hands, who backed off sharply, looking mildly alarmed.

"Easy." She said sternly, shifting her grip on her weapon a bit, before relaxing. "I might not want to harm you, but I'm not going to let you break my fingers. Here, if you insist upon taking me with you- and who could blame you," She added with a mocking wink. I'll just make it easy." Bella hefted her axe and the woman tensed, until she casually twisted her grip, holding it out, offering the stranger the handle. "Go on. Take it. If that doesn't cement the fact I'm not up for chopping you in two," She chuckled grimly as the Hoshidan wrapped her hands around the hilt, snatching it back. "Not much will…"

"Walk in front of me, Nohrian. You have someone to carry." The Hoshidan grunted, shouldering the heavy axe, stumbling in surprise under its weight. Bella shrugged and let Rinka prod her along, until the odd pair reached the lower paths and bridges of the canyon.

"Well now." Belladonna hummed, as she saw the "someone" in question. "Aren't you full of surprises, little lady?" It was the silver-haired girl that had caused all of this. Bella crouched and lifted the fairly light woman in her arms effortlessly.

"You know this one?" Rinkah raised a brow.

"I saw her before everything went to hell." Bella replied, deadpan. "Although I was certain she died. Thought I saw her fall in the canyon, but I suppose I didn't have the best view." She shifted, cradling the woman carefully. "Huh, awful small up close. She seemed taller from a distance."

"...Or perhaps you have a skewed sense of size." Her captor grunted, annoyed. The Hoshidan was not a small woman, by any means. In fact she was fairly tall and muscled, but Bella was easily taller and broader than her. Taller than some of the tallest people she knew in fact. Bella liked being tall. It made it easy to intimidate people she didn't like, and it was easier to tell when someone was actually making eye-contact with her and not staring elsewhere.

Strangely, her muscular bulk also made some people underestimate her. If it weren't for her predilection for fancy garb, she would likely be mistaken as someone in a very physical profession- and nobles especially tended to think poorly on those who performed physical lives. Bella possessed a keen and devious mind, and was perfectly willing to play the fool once in a while if it meant finding a bit of information to weaponize or pawn off.

But that was in the past, and now, Bella felt something she could call impending doom creeping in.

After a long while of walking, Rinkah (as Bella managed to discover was her name), slowed, approaching a distant village, cast in shadow as the sun began to fully dip behind the horizon. It was tucked into the valley, in a safe and defensible position.

Rinkah took Bella to a cabin near the outskirts, before gesturing to the Nohrian to lay the Noble girl upon a makeshift bed. Bella gently lowered her down, frowning thoughtfully. The girl was strange, that was a certainty. Pale and lithe, and also, oddly, shoeless.

"Huh." Was all she said, crossing her arms, glancing at Rinkah, who watched her warily. Bella slid to the floor against a wall. "What now?"

"We wait." Rinkah curiously tested Bella's axe, giving it a light half-swing. "Stay in here. I've someone to meet." And with that, the tanned woman turned and stepped outside.

Bella could have tried to run, but she had already tested her luck hard enough for a while. Lost in Hoshido, with quite a ways back to the border town… Well, it would be best not to risk it. For now, she'd play it by ear.

She leaned back and glanced at her small bag. Rinkah had searched it, and once she was confident it held no weapons or incriminating evidence to prove Bella was some kind of spy, she had allowed her to keep it. A small gesture of kindness, or perhaps it was just the Hoshidan woman's sense of honor.

With a sigh, she dug out her diary and pen, dipping the tip in her sealed inkwell and began to write. She needed to put her thoughts down on paper.

So, a full-blown war is starting to approach, and lucky me, I seem to have got my overcurious self caught right in the middle of the thing, and may be facing imprisonment, interrogation and if things go particularly badly, execution. Probably not torture, at least, that doesn't seem very much up this woman's alley.

Well, uh. Damn. I didn't expect this. I have to keep myself sharp though.

Alright, Bella, think. How can you avoid being stabbed by Hoshidans after being captured, and how would you avoid being stabbed back in Nohr for the mere suspicion of any kind of collusion... I'm between a rock and a lot of very unpleasant sharp places. Luckily, this woman, Rinkah, is being a little reasonable, if very aggressive and ready to bash my head in if I get out of line. She's got honor, though, so as long as I'm not holding a weapon I don't think she'll kill me. It's an acceptable kind of mutual distrust that we're sharing here. At least I'll get some sunlight and air and water before I die, if things do wind up going wrong.

I really don't know what the hell to do. I've never had much of an opinion on Hoshido. I never understood where the conflict with them even came from. I'm none-too fond of our King, or the Nobility, but I know literally nothing of Hoshidan politics or even culture. For all I know, it might be worse, or just the same. The most I know is that they're well-armed and well-supplied, but it's not like Nohr is much different in that respect.

There really is no "good" side in a war, is there?

For now, I'll just focus on keeping myself out of trouble and do as I'm told. Do what I always do best. Listen, gather, and utilize what I have. First thing I learned. Works for running a town, an army, being an information broker, and not getting myself killed.

With any luck, I'll survive this madness.

Belladonna Rocha, signing off.

THIS TOOK LIKE FIVE TRIES OKAY I DONT EVEN KNOW IF ITS GOOD

Okay, panic out of the way. I'll start re-playing Fates some more, just for the sake of refreshing memory. I like how you can skip to the Choice, but I need to actually play the chapters before the Choice because I, amazingly, remember them the least.

And wow. This chapter is huge too, compared to my usual work...

Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment, and either celebrate or curse my return, you know the deal. Goodnight everybody.