...This way!
B-Big brother?
…
He's my brother!
...We're your family..
..
...My family...
…
"Time to wake up, Lord Corrin!"
Corrin opened his eyes. A dream huh? In front of him were Flora and Felica with Gunter and Jacob standing off to the side of his bed.
"Hey, wake up, Lord Corrin! Up and at 'em!" Felicia said cheerfully.
"What are you talking about? It's still dark outside.."
"Listen well, Prince. It may be dark, but it is indeed in morning." Gunter replied smiled. "You have practice today."
"I have taken the liberty of reading your armor, and er, pounding out the dents," Jacob said speaking up. "Your brother is a fierce opponent, is he not?"
Yeah, he is.. "Ugh. Fine. I'm not completely awake though..." said Corrin yawning.
"Oh, we can help you with that!" remarked Flora. "Felicia, would you please assist me?"
"Sure thing!"
He knew what was coming next, and he could tell this was gonna be a long day..
There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know...
Give me your hand...
….
….. "Chrom!"
Robin sat up abruptly. Fresh tears fell silently down his face but he couldn't remember why.
"Where.. where am I?"
"Stand down, Corrin." Xander had a serious expression on his face. "If you don't, I will be forced to-"
"No, Xander. I won't let you do this!"
"Why do you refuse, Corrin? You know the Hoshidans are our sworn enemies."
"I know but... this is different." He grimaced continuing. "These people can't fight anymore. Why not show mercy?"
Worried Camilla spoke up. "Please, Corrin, don't fight him.. My dear, sweet Corrin..."
"No no no! Leo, what should we do?" Elise pleaded to Leo.
Leo grimaced and sighed. "Why does this fall to me?" Corrin's eyes flicked over to his brother.
He watched in horror as the stoic blonde beat up the two Hoshidans with his Brynhildr. Anger slowly bubbled inside of him as he watched his brother turn to face their father.
"Father, I have dispatched our enemies on behalf of my softhearted brother."
Garon simply grunted. He's still upset I didn't do it.. thought Corrin to himself. That didn't mean you had to Leo. He glared angrily at his sibling.
"I only ask that you would be merciful in your punishment of him..."
Garon rolled his eyes at that "Enough! I will consider the matter later." With a flourish, he took his leave. Sometimes father could really be a dick..
No one was there in the snowy surrounding. For some reason, he vaguely remembered this happening before..
He stood looking at his surroundings. It was quite beautiful actually, cold slightly but beautiful. But no use just lying here in the cold snow. Standing he shook the cold snow off shoulders and put his hood up. Nowhere was colder than it was at the longfort. The longfort..what was the longfort? A few images passed through his head but he couldn't seem to remember as they were too blurry.
He started forward in the snow. No use just standing here trying to remember.
"Gunter, have you seen Felicia? She was here a second ago..." Gunter didn't look down at him.
"I'm sure she's right behind us. Now hurry up." He looked down off the edge of the bridge. "I can't stand being on this bridge a moment longer."
"Don't worry you won't have to stand there much longer." Hans rushed in out of nowhere smiling evilly.
"Hans!" Corrin stopped himself from snarling the name.
Gunter frowned. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Less talk more death."
He didn't waste any time attacking Gunter off the bridge. Corrin watched too shocked to move.
"Hans, no! Why are you doing this? Your own ally..."
"Aww, did I knock your babysitter into the ditch? Here- you can meet up with him the bottom!"
That's it. He felt his body react. Fingers forming into claws. "You'll pay for this!"
A look of horror replaced the smile on the other man's face. "What?! What kind of... freak... are you?"
He slashed at the man violently. Death would be too good for him. Shaking his head he thought better of it. No, answers first..
"It can't be.." the other man shrunk back in disbelief.
"I want answers, Hans! Why are you doing this? Why did you provoke the Hoshidans? And why did you kill Gunter? Answer me!"
"Just following orders. King Garon's orders." he cowered back horrified.
"What?! You lie!" he took a step towards Hans.
The other man backed away running away as fast as he could.
"Come back here!" before he could react he felt a push from an invisible force that hurled him off the bridge into the chasm.
Well, shit...
Robin squinted, he swore he could just make out a village in the distance. Civilization at last! Giddy slightly he sped up his pace toward the village before a large creature blocked his path. "Whoa! Excuse me." The hulking monster roared in response. "Great." he reached for his tome. "Guess I'll have to fight my way through.. you don't really seem like the talking type." Getting into his attack stance he realized the creature wasn't alone. A horde had surrounded him.
Great..
"Did…did you just say Lord Ryoma?" Corrin looked at Rinkah and back at the tall armored man in front of him. He stood in such a way that screamed powerful, his hair long, resembling a mane, with fierce brown eyes that showed no expression. I am so dead..
Rinkah smirked. "Yes, this is the high prince of Hoshido, Lord Ryoma."
Corrin lowered his head. "I understand." This is it.
"Hmm…" Ryoma looked almost quizzical.
"What are you waiting for? If you're going to execute me, please get on with it." he stared at the red-clad warrior intensely. So much so he almost didn't notice the women who appeared suddenly. Her long dark brunette hair was held up in a ponytail with a crown that resembled the sun that matched rather well with the rest of her attire. She smiled giving him a loving look.
"I cannot believe it is really you…" He almost wanted to turn around to see if she actually talking to someone behind him. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"
Sadness flickered in her eyes before she moved up to embrace him within a warm hug. "Oh, I've missed you so much! Come here, Kamui, my sweet child!"
The shock was evident on his face, he knew. "Your sweet child?!" he squawked. "What are you talking about? That's not possible…"
"Oh, my poor Kamui. It's a sad story. When you were very young, you were abducted by forces from Nohr. I am your mother, Mikoto. All this time, I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!" The past week really had been full of surprises, this one took the cake. Was he to believe that was all true? He could feel himself gawking again, pausing before finally being able to form a sentence. "But King Garon is my father! None of what you're saying makes sense. And my name is Corrin, not Kamui"
"...Is that the name they gave you?" She frowned and looked down saddened.
"It must be quite a shock, but I assure you that she speaks the truth. I am your elder brother, Ryoma." He had the look of a truly honest man but even so, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No, no, no… Xander is my older brother! Leo, Elise, and Camilla are my siblings…" he trailed off.
Ryoma grimaced. "Are those the Nohrian royals? They're not your real family. I still remember the day you were taken. In those days, there was tension between Hoshido and Nohr, but no full-blown war. Not until King Garon lured King Sumeragi, our father, to Cheve under false pretenses. He said it was for a peace conference. Ha! His real plan was to murder our father in cold blood. And to make matters even worse…he kidnapped you."
Corrin's eyes widened. "No. That's just not possible…" .. But then why does it sound so believable?
"You really don't remember any of this? Not even a single memory?"
"No. Honestly, I have only the vaguest memories of my early childhood…" He closed his eyes trying to remember, something, anything. Images flashed by in his head but none he could remember clearly. "There are times when I can sense something beneath the surface… A blurry image. Like a stone at the bottom of a lake, shimmering and ethereal. But that's it. Nothing of substance."
Ryoma sighed. "Well, I can't imagine the Nohrian royals would share much of the past with you. I know this is a lot to take in."
"Lord Ryoma!" They all turned to look at the messenger who had appeared. "I have an urgent message. We're under attack from the north!"
"No! Hinoka and Sakura are in that area right now!" Ryoma shouted alarmed.
The messenger continued. "Yes, milord. I've been told that they're working to help evacuate the villagers."
"Very well. We'll need to provide support. I'll leave immediately. Kamui, will you come with me?" Corrin looked back at Ryoma confuzzled. Me? Why? "I want you to see the truth with your own eyes."
He slowly nodded. Yes, with my own eyes...
I must be out of shape .. thought Robin as another one of the creatures took a swing at him. Dodging, he ducked underneath it's arm and stuck it hard with Thoron from behind. He didn't remember much but he had his tome and he knew how to use it. Grinning he got ready to face off against the rest when he heard a scream. Turning he saw a young girl with reddish pink hair raising her staff over her head as one of the masked creatures loomed over her; she appeared to have a hurt ankle.
"No!"
Immediately the tactician reacted, running high speed over to her while readying Thoron. The girl screamed as she fell down on her back closing her eyes bracing herself. After hearing a large crack and a boom she reopened them seeing a strange hooded figure looking down at her. "Are you ok, miss?" They extended a hand towards her.
"Oh! Th-thank you so much. Yes, I'm ok... for now." she smiled weakly taking the offered hand.
"Excellent. I think I have control of the situation for now but please stay back for the time being." The girl nodded and Robin ran to attack nearby creatures lurking ahead.
"Yes, of c-course," she responded knowing very well that the stranger was out of earshot. "Oh. I didn't even get a chance to ask his name."
Robin rushed back to where the creatures were preventing them from getting any closer to the girl. Just as he was getting ready to attack he heard another shout, but this one seemed not a plea for help but more a battle cry.
"Nohrian Scum! Was it you who sent these beasts!?"
He barely had to dodge before a spear pierced the air where his head used to be. Whoa! The attacker had a look of pure disdain on her face. Her hair was fiery red, expression fierce and determined, even the Pegasus she rode on looked at him with disgust. Raising her spear up she readied another attack.
"Hinoka! Stop!" The pink haired girl shouted limping over.
"Sakura! I told you to stay where the enemy couldn't easily see you!"
"But sister, they did and he saved me!"
Robin stiffened as the amaranth haired Pegasus rider turned to look at him once more; her gaze purely judgmental. "Really.."
He nodded holding his breath before she relaxed slightly. "Well, thank you. But who are you?" her eyes still full of questions.
"I was in the area when I got attacked by these creatures."
"Yes. The faceless don't care who they hurt that's why we're here. We're trying to warn the villagers."
Faceless? They seemed to remind him of something, but he couldn't remember what. "Well, I'll help. I'm a decent fighter."
Hinoka nodded as Sakura spoke up again. "Sorry, I'm slowing us down. Of all the times to sprain an ankle..."
"Don't worry about it, Sis. We'll be ok. These stupid beasts don't stand a chance against me."
"I hope you're right..."
Robin smiled fondly turning back to the advancing Faceless. Time to get to work.
"Take a look around, Kamui. This is a treacherous region for battle. It's important to scout ahead and look for any troublesome areas." Ryoma advised. Corrin chuckled inwardly at that. Sounds like something Xander would tell me...
Rinkah, heeding his advice, looked up and around into the distance spotting a village. "Hm? That village… Not everyone has evacuated yet. We should warn them to stay out of harm's way!" she paused to look at Corrin before heading towards the village. He looked on after her when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking to see what it was met with Kaze holding Vulnerary in his hands. "I hope it doesn't come to this, but I've brought some Vulnerary for you. Please use it as necessary, Lord Kamui." Kaze said handing it to him. Smiled he accepting the gift and packing it away for later use. He turned back to where Ryoma was noticing that the man was already ahead laying into the enemies.
Whoa.. really glad I'm not on the receiving end of those blows..
Hearing the snow crunch he turned back noticing Rinkah had returned. "Warned the village," she said nonchalantly. "Now we fighting or what?"
"...Yes." He paused looking back up to where Ryoma was at. There were too many hills in the way to clearly see all the enemies. Scanning the area he found what he was looking for. Dragon Vein!Hastily, he ran up to it and focused hard, then used the power on the hills, pulverizing them within seconds. Kaze and Rinkah ran up next to him, amazed looks plastered on their faces.
"Did you see that? The entire hill just disintegrated! Is that the power of a Dragon Vein? I had no idea…" remarked Rinkah looked slightly uneasy.
"To harness the ancient dragon powers is truly a magnificent gift," said Kaze on the other side of him. "Yet I wonder if even the royals who wield that power can fully control it… Still, strategically using Dragon Veins could be the key to this rescue."
The key to this rescue huh? He mentally thanked Kaze readying his sword and searching for the next Dragon Vein.
Robin squinted his eyes. Something must be wrong with my vision... He could see tiny glowing lines throughout the terrain pulsing, flowing, and converging all over the area. Only when he really focused on them though.
"Hey, stranger.. I never got your name." Hinoka's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh, Robin. My apologies. I just woke up a little while ago I'm still kind if out of it I guess.."
"Just.. woke up?" Sakura questioned from behind him.
He nodded proceeding to blast an incoming Faceless with Thoron. "Yeah."
"It's around midday? You live around here?" The Pegasus rider looked skeptical again.
"I... don't know."
"You don't know? How do you not know?" she gave him a confused look.
"I.. I woke up in the snow.. I don't remember how I got there or anything really.."
"...Like amnesia?" Sakura asked quietly.
"Amnesia? That sounds like some lie that Nohrian scum would come up with!" Hinoka retorted jabbing repeatedly a Faceless and killing it.
That sounds... familiar... thought Robin.
"What if it's true?" replied Sakura wincing away from the Faceless remains while healing Hinoka.
So does that...
"Well, we'll see after I'm done with the dead meat here."
Robin looked off in front of him focused on the ground again. Those strange pulsating lines again.. Many of the lines met in a single swirling spiral near him then split off to swirl around the base of a nearby hill a little bit further off.
Slowly he walked up and stepped atop the spiral and it began to pulse. The ground seemed to pulsate faster until a powerful surge shot out towards the hill blowing it to rubble. Strong wind from the explosion, blew rubble back into his face, blowing off his hood and causing him to cover his eyes. Behind him, he could hear Sakura and Hinoka gasp loudly.
Hinoka was the first to speak. "How did you..."
"I.." That was all he got in with a confused look, before a few Faceless that had been hidden behind the hill appeared.
Robin smirked raising Thoron. "Time to tip the scales!"
Corrin slashed through a monster watching Rinkah and Kaze take down another one near him. On the hill in front of him, he could see a few of the monsters making their way up it. He ran over to the nearest Dragon Vein reaching it just as the hill blew up; Kaze and Rinkah ran up to him shielding themselves from flying rubble, Ryoma running up from the opposite direction, shielding as well.
"That was an impressive explosion Lord Kamui," Kaze remarked.
But I didn't do that... thought Corrin as he readied himself to face the monsters that had fallen down from where the hill used to be. They roared as they got up clearly upset. It doesn't matter at the moment. Running up the group of monsters, he raised Ganglari ready to attack when a fierce bolt of lightning with a powerful crackling boom. Everyone shielded their eyes consecutively from the blast. Nohrian magic? He asked himself mentally looking up when the light went away.
Near him, Ryoma tensed, face serious. The monsters were dead on the ground in front of them, their bodies fried, sizzling, and popping. Corrin ran around the bodies, through the dust in the air, almost straight into another person. He slid to a halt before running into them. Shit, shit, shit!
The man in front of him had hair as white as the snow, pure gold eyes, and a long dark coat on. He held a black tome in one of his hands and had a very confused look on his face.
"H-hello?" he stammered, eyes wide in shock.
And Corrin could manage to get out was "Pretty eyes..."