Author's Note 1: Now it's time to take a step back and see how our avatar got into this mess.

Chapter 1: Nohr

Kingdom of Nohr: Northern Fortress...

"Time to wake up, Lord Ivan!" A calming voice said to me while I slept. Sure enough, my eyes slowly opened to find the two maiden sisters Flora and Felicia standing over me. Flora had blue hair and brown eyes while Felicia had brown hair and blue eyes. Fraternal sisters at its finest.

"Hey, wake up, Lord Ivan! Up and at 'em!" Felicia said as she nudged me. Yawning a bit, I sat up and saw that my head butler Jakob and my bodyguard Gunter were also standing in my bedroom. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I noticed the lack of sunlight coming through my windows.

"Is waking me up at this godforsaken hour necessary?" I said as dryly as I could.

"You were the one who insisted you needed more time during the day, my prince." Gunter stated. This great knight had dark silver hair, black eyes, and a scar running down the right side of his face. That and the well-maintained black armor showed his dedication to combat and his years of experience. "Also, you have practice today."

"I have taken the liberty of readying your armor, and, er, pounding out the dents." Ah, Jakob. Always so blunt. You would almost never guess that his tongue would be as silver as his hair just by looking at him. "Your brother is a fearsome opponent, is he not?"

"That he is," I said as I stepped off of my bed. "I still have bruises from our last sparring session."

I stepped towards the full-length mirror next to my wardrobe. As always, my brown hair seemed to have a natural spikyness (I know that's not a real word) to it no matter how much I attempted to style it. My eyes were a dark crimson, my ears were pointed, and the familiar scar I got from a rather intense sparring session ran horizontally across my nose & face.

"However, I think today may be the day I finally best my big brother." I declared as I started to unbutton my sleeping shirt. Felicia gave out a mouse-like squeak and ran out the room with a bright blush on her face. I smirked at how easy it was to rile up the brunette maiden.

"Please, Lord Ivan. Show some dignity." Flora said as she turned to exit my bedchamber.

"Why are you leaving, Flora? You've seen the naked male body before. Isn't that right, Jakob?" I teased the two with a mischievous smirk on my face. And the blushes and subtle shock my head butler and maid gave out was just delightful. And Gunter's chuckling showed that he agreed with me.

"My lord, how…"

"The walls aren't as thick as you think." I said to Jakob as I started to strap my armor on. Indeed, I had been aware of Jakob and Flora's midnight rendezvous' for quite some time. In fact, I believe the entire staff was aware of the relationship the two were very poorly attempting to keep secret.

"Indeed." Gunter said as he patted the still blushing butler on the back. "Everyone in the castle has known quite some time."

Anywho, I was fully adorned in my armor in a matter of minutes. It was a mostly silver suit with black details (which included my gloves) that covered most of my body. The only parts of me that were uncovered were my head and feet (long story there). And a majestic dark blue cape adorned my backside. From my wardrobe, I grabbed my fateful bronze sword and headed for the rooftop and to victory.

Later…

"SON OF WYVERN!" I yelled as I violently rolled on the floor, dropping my sword in the process.

"That's our brother for you." Leo stated as he stood next to Xander and his mount. "You won't beat the strongest knight in Nohr by charging head first, Ivan."

As I struggled back up, Xander asked me, "Giving up so soon, Ivan? I expect more of you. You are a prince of Nohr! Pick up your sword and try again."

And hearing this only brought a cocky smirk to my face. "Why the rush, big brother?" I then picked up my sword and pointed it towards Xander. "Are you that eager to lose?"

A similar smirk also appeared on my older brother's face. "That's the spirit! But try to actually land a hit on me before your head swells with pride."

"More like arrogance." Leo whispered under his breath.

There was no sound besides the wind as the two of us sized each other up. As we started to circle around each other, I keep thinking back to my previous bouts with Xander. His skill with a blade was far above my own. And unlike me, Xander had experienced real battle. This had sharpened his skills and reflexes to a level I could only begin to comprehend. Not to mention that we had crossed blades so often that he had a firm understanding of my attacks and movements. So I needed to do something unpredictable. And a tad underhanded, I'll admit it.

And so, I charged again with a furious yell and a leaping strike. As expected, Xander used his short shield to block my attack and the vibrations of the clinging metals pushing me back. But as soon as I landed, I quickly regained my footing and spun in a circle. My target this time was not Xander, but his horse. While the normal mount of a paladin is usually well armored against arrows and magic, there were places where the armor would hinder the horse's movement. And one of those was the neck, which my sword managed to slice.

Naturally, this unforeseen killing shocked Xander enough already, but his loss of balance is what truly gave me an opening.

"Prepare to feel my wrath!" I exclaimed before leaping and swinging my sword upward. The strike not only left a significant cut on the left side of Xander's armor, but the force of the attack also managed to knock him onto the ground. Finally, I had won.

"Well...that was...something." Leo said, shocked by the whole exchange.

Xander on the other got back up and looked down at his now deceased horse. He keep a stern expression as he turned to face me. "That was a dirty move, little brother." But soon enough, a small smile appeared on his face. "But regardless, you did manage to land a blow on me."

"If you strike the pillar, the entire foundation will crumble." I stated, pretty much giving a perfect metaphor for a tactic. "I knew I stood no chance if continued to attack you, Xander. So I figured that attack your horse would throw you off enough for me to strike. And it seems it worked perfectly."

"So it did." Xander said as he walked past his dead mount. "Father's going to be agitated about getting me a new mount, but I believe he'll be more than happy that you passed the test."

Hearing this made me raise an eyebrow. "A test? What test?"

"You see, Father has been keeping track of your training for the past few years. And he told me that until you had proven that you could both defend yourself and think up an unorthodox strategy, you were not to leave this fortress."

My heart almost stopped as I heard this. "So...you mean?"

Xander smiled still as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Congratulations, Ivan. Starting today, you are free to leave and return to the fortress as you please."

I said nothing for a moment as I held my head down. Finally, after years of being told I could not leave my home for my own safety, staying the same place for over a decade, I was finally free to go. There was only one way I could express my joy.

"YEEEEEEEESSSS!" I cheered, making a few birds fly off in the distance.

"Calm down." Leo said, interrupting me. "Just because you're sneaky with a sword doesn't mean you're automatically the top prince of Nohr."

"What do mean, little brother?" I asked. "Are you talking about those spells of yours."

"Precisely." Leo stated, with a high-strung tone in his voice. "You may be able to handle a blade with enough skill to challenge Xander, but you're still no match for my magic."

"A sword is the true man's weapon." I said with a smirk of my own. "It shows that I have the courage to face my enemies head on while you stay back and launch spells from a distance. Like a coward."

The two of us shoved our foreheads against each other and glared into each other's eyes. "You want to test that theory, you barefooted troglodyte?"

"Anytime, you inside out collared runt!" I yelled back.

"Enough!" Xander said sternly, making the both of us stop. If there was one thing that could stop Leo and I from squabbling, it's Xander's 'I'm disappointed in you' glare. "You're princes of Nohr, not common school children. Act like it."

And before the three of us could say anything, we heard footsteps heading towards us and turned. A genuine smile came onto my face as I saw my big sister Camilla and my little sister Elise.

"Are you alright, Ivan?" Camilla asked, concerned as always. "Did you get hurt at all during practice? If you did, let me know right away so I can take extra-special care of you…"

"I'm fine, Camilla." I replied with a smile. While I loved my big sister, there were times where I felt she was too smothering. "Although I can't say the same about Xander's horse."

The two sisters were confused at this before Elise decided to speak up. "I was worried about you too, Ivan!"

"I know, Elise." I said with a chuckle as I rubbed her head, making give out the most adorable giggle. "You wouldn't visit me all the time if you didn't care so much, right?"

In return for this, Elise gave me one of her usual hugs. "I love you so much! I love you more than anything in whole, wide world!"

I swear that this girl was a literal ray of sunshine.

"Elise, when do you intend to behave like the adult that you technically are?" Leo asked, obviously annoyed by the recent display of affection like the grump he always was.

"Well, I for one think her cheer is a good complement to this gloomy kingdom, Leo." Camilla stated with a smile.

"Well said, Camilla." I said as Elise and I finished our hug. "Anyway, I have excellent news!"

"You passed the test and now you can come and go from your home as you please." Camilla said, surprising me. Then again, she tended to know what Xander knew as the oldest daughter.

"But...how did you…"

"You were pretty loud, Ivan." Elise giggled while Leo and Xander chuckled. I could just feel my cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

"And Father said to bring you to the capital as soon as you passed." My eldest sister stated. "You can finally leave this drafty fortress."

"Isn't that wonderful?!" Elise excitingly asked.

"It is." I stated before looking at my siblings. "So does this mean I can join you guys on the front line?"

"There will be plenty of time to discuss the details with Father." Xander stated. "Let us depart."

Soon enough, the five us were down by the front gate, ready to depart for the capital (Xander also taking one of practice horse from the castle stable as a ride). All of the servants had gathered to see me off. One, in particular, was a blue-haired, yellow-eyed maiden named Lilith.

"I hear you can finally leave the fortress. You must be very happy, Lord Ivan." She said with a kind smile. "Gunter has asked me to go with you to the capital so I can look after your horses."

"Glad to hear it!" I replied. "I'd miss you if you weren't coming along too."

"Lilith, are the horses ready?" Xander asked.

"Yes, milord. Everything is ready, and the horses seem excited for the trip." She replied. "They are all very fond of Lord Ivan. Probably from all his time in the stables…"

"Our Ivan does love animals." Camilla chimed in. "Such a kindhearted soul. Why, he even nursed an injured baby bird back to health one time!"

"Ah…" Lilith said. Although I noticed that hearing that seemed to make her uncomfortable. At the time, none of us thought anything of it. In fact, I had theorized that perhaps Lilith had a bird as a pet when she was a child that died. Boy, was I ever wrong.

"Come now. We mustn't keep Father waiting." Xander stated as he headed towards his mount.

"Agreed." I replied as the five of us readied our steeds for the ride ahead.

"Flora, you and Jakob will remain here to watch over the fortress." Gunter said to the head maid and butler respectively. "Felicia and I will accompany Lord Ivan. We may be gone for some time. Take good care of the place."

"Of course! You may rely on us." Flora said with a bow.

"I wish you safe travels, Lord Ivan." Jakob said, bowing as well.

"Thank you, Jakob." I said as I gripped the reigns of my horse. "Oh, before I forget; sorry about the mess on the roof."

Jakob and Flora turned to each other before facing me again and raising an eyebrow. "What mess?"

But before I could answer, Xander kicked his horse and took off past the castle gate. The rest of us followed shortly. And as the wind flew past my ears and I took in the sights of the wilderness around my home for the last fifteen years, I truly believed that this was beginning of a grand tale. That this was the stepping stone of my journey that would be chronicled for future generations.

History would later prove me right. But not in anyway I could have predicted.

To be continued…

Author's Note 2: As you may have noticed, I removed or altered some of the dialogue from this chapter. Not anything important, but just bits I believed to be superfluous or meant to exploit something the characters would already be aware of.

Also, I needed to alter the dialogue of the siblings and other characters to respond to my Avatar's personality, which I hoped you all enjoyed.

P.S. Sorry if the horse scene made anyone uncomfortable (probably the only time anyone has said that without anything sexual having happened).

Anyway, please remember to read, favorite and review! See ya next time!