Corrin pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders as he slowly rocked upon the back of his horse. He looked on with some curiosity as his breath condensed into an icy fog as this was his first journey in the harsh winds of winter. His trip was for the sake of visiting his sick father in the capital. When he received the news of his father's illness from his courtiers he rushed out with a handful of guards with the intention of arriving as quickly as possible. The winter was a hindrance, but it would not stop him from seeing his father.

"How much further until we reach the capital?" Corrin looked towards the cavalier riding an armored steed on his right.

"At the current pace we should reach the capital by evening my Prince," the cavalier looked towards his fellow men in arms that rode slightly behind the Prince.

The guardsmen slightly nudged their horses to move at a quicker pace, not wishing to be responsible for any potential delays. Their young Prince was a boy driven to reach his father and it would be their responsibility to get him safely to the capital. One of the guardsmen increased his pace to meet the Prince on his left side.

"My Prince, if you should permit it I would like to ride ahead to see if the path is clear."

"Ride as quickly as you can. I want to go faster, but if a tree has fallen we need to know," Corrin wished to drive his steed to it's very limits if it meant he could reach his father quicker. Unfortunately, he could not risk the speeds he envisioned in this weather. He was not familiar enough with riding in snow to risk the journey without a scout.

The guardsmen rode off without any hesitation as the boy Prince continued to frown in thought. Corrin did not plan the journey out as his regent Gunter had suggested and even left behind his more seasoned guardsmen in favor of those that could come with him as soon as possible. He did not heed the words of Gunter and was starting to regret it as he tried to remember his recent lesson on leading troops. He had just begun to be tutored by Gunter on being a commander for the sake of helping the kingdom, yet here he was commanding the band of his guardsmen at the young age of ten.

The journey continued forwards as the winter winds grew harsher. Corrin's face felt as it were being burned as the wind whipped around him. They would soon be entering the final stretch of forest, so he found it hard to control his urge to drive his mount even faster. He could barely make out snippets of conversations from the band behind him as he strained his ears.

"...Taking long?"

"Should have been back..."

"Damned cold..."

Corrin turned his head to his side to ask the closest guard how much longer until the capital would be in sight when he suddenly made out a figure in the nearby overgrowth.

"Who is-"

His question was interrupted as he felt himself suddenly flying from his saddle. His face scraped against the cold snow floor as he violently tumbled. Sounds of horses panicking and men screaming filled the winds as the trap was sprung. Corrin moved his neck slightly off the ground to see what had just happened. Blood blurred his vision as he saw men in white cloaks rush his downed guardsmen pinned underneath tripped horses.

One of the guardsmen grabbed for a dagger from his boot, but was only greeted with a blade meeting his side. Corrin watched on helplessly as he felt the cold creeping throughout his body. His vision began to dim as the massacre continued.

Crackling embers heralded Corrin's return to consciousness as he slowly began to grow aware once more. He remembered what had occurred, yet not what had taken place since. The sounds of fire was welcomed considering the unpleasant cold that would not leave him. There was no hesitation in his decision to open his eyes to see where he had ended up. His surroundings were dim except for a slowly burning fire pit in the corner of the dark room. The embers of light allowed him to see the cage he resided in and finally notice the binds around his hands.

"Damned brat is finally awake."

"Shame he didn't break his neck aye?"

Two white cloaked figures moved in front of the embers to look closer at him.

"First time I've gotten a good look at the freak's ears."

"Take a good look at them. They'll be going to the king tomorrow," one of the men chuckled.

Corrin shifted in the cage as he silently glared at the two men. His head pounded in pain as he wished the fire was closer to his prison to ease the cold. Soon the cold increased as a door was opened signalling the arrival of another cloaked man from the outside. Moonlight from the door had allowed Corrin to briefly see how tiny the wooden room was.

"Found nothin, but a stupid bird," the new arrival opened a small latch on the cage cell to push the bird in.

"He can eat it or starve. Not like he will be going home in a single piece anyways," one of the others shrugged at the new arrival.

Corrin brushed against the bird only to hear what sounded like a small whine of some sort. The three seemed to have lost interest in him as they disappeared into the corner with the embers. With some effort, he managed to sit up in the cramped cage. This new position allowed him to take a better look at the animal in his cell. Through the darkness, he was able to make out a blue coat of fur smeared in blood.

'This is no bird. These fiends are fools if they think I'll eat some living creature. My father will have their heads if Xander doesn't hear of this first,' Corrin lifted the animal into his lap to take a closer look.

The binds made his job more difficult, but Corrin was able to place the creature on his lap. He ran his hand through it's fur as he felt the matted hair caked in blood. It was soothing in a way to have something he could place his attention on while thinking of what he could possibly do.

"You lost, so you keep watch."

"Come on! Don't give me that shit, I was on watch last night."

"Both of you shut up! I'll keep first watch, but you two owe me when this thing is done and we get back to the tribe."

Corrin did not know how long he had been imprisoned, but it seemed that his jailers had finally decided to rest for the night. He did not miss the mention of a tribe, there were only a few he could think of from his lessons and even fewer of those could be found in Nohr. He was broken out of his thoughts when he felt the creature move in his lap. Without much thought, he placed his hand on the head of the creature and continued to pet it. A single yellow eye met his red.

Kin... You are kin.

An unfamiliar voice caused Corrin to pause as his eyes looked at the creature's sharp gaze.

"W-what? Is it you speaking to me?" he whispered to the creature with some hesitation.

Like me... Broken? Caged? He would not wish it.

Corrin's desperately reached for his head as the creature's sharp gaze grew painful. A dull throb grew into a thunderous pounding pain as the creature stirred even further.

Hurt... He would not wish it. He would not wish it. HE WOULD NOT WISH IT.

His forehead burned as he desperately scratched at his temples. His flailing in the cage alerted the cloaked guard to take a closer look.

"Aye, you sit still now or I'll make you sit."

The creature's eyes increased in intensity as the cloaked man spoke.

Simmering... Stirring... Hungry

It leaned it's head into Corrin's chest. The cold that invaded his body disappeared as a burning nothingness took its place. A black flame erupted from his chest as the creature snuggled closer to him. The flame hungrily spread around the two before rapidly expanding outwards. The watch guard panicked as he fell backwards in a rush away from the ever growing flames. He desperately reached for a tome hooked to his belt.

"Fimbulvetr!"

The ice met the black flames only to disappear as the flames hungrily sapped the magic into it's ever growing form. He only managed one last shout before the black flame fully engulfed him.

Lesser ones... We are the Divine Blood...

It burned. It burned. It burned.

He felt nothing as the creature nuzzled his neck. The flames burned out of control around him, yet did not burn him as he had expect it to. The flames felt like a gentle stream running down his limbs as they gently flicked against his skin. Corrin felt drawn to the creature in his arms, pulling it even closer into his grasp. As the building slowly collapsed around them.

Kin... We shall protect you forever more.

The forward scout had desperately ridden to the capital after returning down the path to find his dead brothers in arms. His panicked alert to the local guards had ensured a large force of wyvern riders to sally out under the command of the fourteen year old Princess Camilla. She had not taken the news of Corrin missing well and neither had her older brother. Xander's forces were slightly slower, but the seventeen year old crown Prince rode his horse to it's limits to reach the scene of the attack. The two royal children met at the scene of the attack only to discover the remains of the guards wearing their brother's coat of arms. Camilla stirred in silent anger as her fingers dug into her palms. Xander barked out orders to his men to spread out as he discovered the large abandoned rope in the brush.

It didn't take the wyvern scouts long to report a large burned clearing deeper within the woods. The two royals headed immediately to the location only to be met with an unexpected sight.

"What happened here...?" Camilla felt a loss of breath as she viewed the singed ruins of what seemed to once be a building of some form.

Xander studied the ruins for a few seconds before hurriedly speaking, "Somethings moving in there."

He rushed forwards with Camilla quickly following him. The two reached a pile of rubble before they heard a soft muffled voice.

"Y-you came..."

Camilla's breath hitched as she shouted, "Corrin is in there!"

Both of them clawed at the collapsed rubble of the building before they were greeted with their little brother covered in ashes. Unexpectedly, he was not the only person in the rubble as the two saw a little girl with golden eyes and long blue hair covered in ash holding him with desperation as she wearily watched the two.