(Just as a reminder, it takes me a while to finish a chapter. So often times, you'll be given parts of it little by little. Thank you for your understanding.)

It was amazingly easy to ward off the attack on the castle now that Askr had Kiran. Anna and her previously mentioned quiet friend had managed to catch up with the royal siblings, as they were in a duel with Xander.

"Impressive. But you simply must try harder if you are to succeed." Xander stated as he nonchalantly threw Alfonse's sword back with his own. Veronica watched from afar. Casually sipping a cup of tea, as if to expressly mock their efforts.

"You underestimate our drive, prince of Nohr!" Alfonse shouted, going in for another blow only to have it deflected by Xander's shield. "If what you say is true, then prove it! That's what I've always told my younger sister." Xander easily dodged Sharena's lance before knocking her off her feet.

Xander used his sword to send Alfonse's flying out of his grip and into the ground nearby. As the prince did his best to fake composure, the stoic prince pointed his dark blade at Alfonse. "It was a good fight. But you're just not good enough."

Alfonse was outraged that someone would willingly side with Veronica. Especially someone like Xander, who'd show him respect during the fight. Veronica was about to step forward and declare her judgement on the fate of the Askrian royalty, when the four of them heard a strange sound.

Out of nowhere, a flash of rainbow light was flying directly toward Xander. He raised his sword to defend himself as everyone else looked on in shock. When the light had reached him, his sword made a metal clang against it. Then as the light died down a bit, he saw what his sword was blocking: another sword. A gold one in fact.

There was only one person Xander knew who wielded such a sword. "Could it be...?" But when he could fully see his attacker, he noticed he was gravely mistaken. It was a young woman in black armor and a coat she wore as a cape. Her dark green hair went down to her shoulders.

Veronica just looked on, a look of frustrated confusion on her face. "Who is that? A mercenary?" The emblian princess inquired, noting that her attire made it unlikely she was a normal member of the Askrian army. Xander and the stranger proceeded to trade blows as Alfonse and Sharena got back to their feet. "Hey Alfonse! Glad to see you're safe!"

The two siblings turned to see exactly the person they expected: Commander Anna. But... who was that with her...? They immediately connected the dots upon seeing Breidablik in her hand. Sharena immediately rushed to them.

"Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh! She's so cute!" The cheerful princess exclaimed before hugging their new tactician. Alfonse approached more calmly, "The legends are true then...? You're an overseer!?" But they all realized she wouldn't be able to answer that question yet on account of Sharena crushing her windpipe. Anna tapped her on the shoulder. "Erm... princess?" Snapping back to reality, she immediately let go and blushed. "Eeheehee. Sorry, I just like meeting new people."

Kiran then gestured her head towards Xander and Byleth, reminding everyone that they were still in danger. "Oh, right. Well milord, milady, ready for round two?" Anna asked, getting out her trusty axe. The two of them retrieved their weapons and nodded.

The four warriors fought it out against Veronica's most trusted warrior, but it didn't take long for everyone to notice that Xander was losing footing. Veronica growled under her breath. Who was that woman? Some sort of mage? And how dare she swoop in and steal her victory from her!? Seeing little other choice, she cast her hand to her side.

"Xander. That's enough. We are outnumbered. Let us regroup." Despite being exhausted from the fight, Xander was amazed. This is the first time Veronica had ordered a retreat. Seeing his train of thought, the princess tried to hide her motives from her opponents. "You're of no use to us if they capture you. Do as I command."

Xander looked back at the heroes he was just brawling with, and then back at her. Hesitantly, he follows her as the rest of the emblian soldiers flee the area.

Byleth faded back into light as Kiran obtained the peace of mind to realize the gravity of her situation. She was in a world where magic was real, thrust into a war she barely knew anything about, and is apparently regarded as the one thing standing between a foreign kingdom and multiversal conquest! To say that it was a hard pill to swallow would be an understatement. But she quickly regained composure, for she noted panicking wouldn't help her much.

"-And don't come back, you hear!?" Sharena snapped Kiran out of her trance as she noticed that the blonde was shouting confidently into the distance where the emblians left. "Sharena, they're already gone. The wind probably isn't going to harbor much fear." Alfonse stated, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh come on, Alfy. we managed to repel Xander! Gotta milk this for all it's worth." Alfonse just smirked. "I guess you wouldn't be you if you couldn't make the best of grim times." With the threat now gone, they turned their attention back to their new ally.

"Alright, so introductions..." Anna said, clapping her hands together. "This here is Kiran. Girl of few words, but I'll give her credit for keeping a cool head in a crisis." Kiran put her hands in her pockets and avoided making eye contact, being shy about being praised so highly.

Alfonse walked over and smiled. "Peace, friend. You're safe here. I am Alfonse. And though I am a prince, don't feel that my status is a barrier. You've already met my sister." They both looked to Sharena who gave a friendly wave.

Despite her face being obscured, they could tell she had plenty of things on her mind right now, and rightfully so. Anna put a hand on her shoulder. "It's a lot to take in, I know. And I'm certain you're not used to your powers yet. But don't worry, no one's ever really prepared for war. We don't really know if it's possible to even send you back, so all I ask is you put your trust in us a while. Can you do that?" Kiran paused, her hesitation easy to see. Especially since she just saw what they were up against. But after a minute of internal debate, she slowly nodded.

"Then it's settled. We're now siblings in arms. You won't regret your choice, I promise. Now let's get back to the castle, you'll no doubt want some time to digest it all." Alfonse suggested. As they walked, a smile grew on Kiran's face. It would take plenty of getting used to, but if she truly did have incredible abilities that would garner such amazement, she might just make this work. As Sharena held Kiran's hand and ranted on about how they were gonna be best friends, Alfonse and Anna discussed some last minute thoughts.

"So it looks like you were right all along. I owe you a debt for making this happen." Anna just smirked. "Oh believe me, this comes with its own rewards. I can tell you right now that everyone in Askr is gonna want Kiran's autograph when we're done. That girl's gonna make me some bank." Alfonse just shot her a cold look. "At the very least I'll win the king's blessings...?" The two of them laughed as they made their way back from a brilliant victory.

But meanwhile...

"...You have your orders. When the time comes, don't disappoint me." Princess Veronica declared to the soldiers in her camp. She went back to her tent only to find a familiar face. A dark skinned man with white hair. He wore a mask and a very eye catching outfit. He was nonchalantly reading in his spell book. "Troubled?" Veronica sat down on her bed. "Not troubled, per se. More-so vexed by curiousity." The man closed his book. "The woman, I take it?" Veronica's eyes widened. "How did you guess?" The man took a deep breath before pacing about the tent. "I'm always poking around Askr. You know that. I was actually here to to inform you." The pragmatic royal fluffed her pillow. "And how did you know this would be information that would interest me?" The man walked up to her with a blank expression. "I only saw Commander Anna go in. Yet she and our walking mystery came out." Veronica put a hand on her chin. "Yes... I intend to keep tabs on that merry little band of theirs..."