Yikes I haven't updated for something like three (or four...?) plus weeks. I'm sorrrrrry! I know I said I'd be aiming to update once-twice a week but wow, I see now that that was definitely a goal I couldn't stick to. I don't wanna make excuses; I'll make obtainable goals from here out... Hopefully you haven't lost hope in me!

Chapter 3- Interlude Between Battles

"Elise, please, you can't be here… If father finds out, he'll-"

"He won't! Did you forget that your little brother is THE Leon, THE magical prodigy of Nohr?! He'll just whip up some of those illusion thingamajiggies once he finds out." She happily replied, her blonde pigtails bouncing.

"Once he 'Finds out?' Finds out what?" I ask.

She quickly responds to the distraught look on my face. "Oh… I kindasorta didn't tell anyone in the castle that I was leaving with my retainers to find and help you… Big sister, it'll be okay. Xander and Leon know what their doing. They always do." She says smiling up at me. "Plus, with Effie, Arthur, and Cyrus by our sides, how can we fail?"

I think back to the battle in the Woods of the Forlorn. Effie wrecking everything that got in the way of the fierce swing of her lance. Her seemingly body armor seemingly making her immortal.

Cyrus. He's uncannily familiar. And his loyalty… So pure. He trusts me as much as my Nohrian family does even though he's aware of my Hoshidan blood. Trusts me just as much as Jakob does… And that's saying something.

And then there's Arthur. Gosh, I've never seen anyone with as bad luck as him. I swear, he barely knows how to wield an axe, and yet he throws himself into the midst of battle all for the sake of protecting Elise. He's very… underdog-esque. But I'm glad Effie's always beside him… I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have made it this far without her…

I smile at the thought of so many people coming in support of my endeavour, in support of the kingdom of night that I truly call my home.

That sappy sentiment must've been written all over my face and Elise smiles. "Awww, see? I knew you'd grow fond of my retainer's, I mean how could you not love them?!"

"Yes. I know, know..." I sigh. "It'll be a long day tomorrow Elise. Best get some rest now," I say, patting her light blonde hair.

She makes brief pouty face, but soon replaces it with a smile as if thinking I would tell on her to Xander if she complained about bedtime. Obediently, she swung her arms around my waist, giving me a drawn out "Okayyyyy. Goodnight big sister," before she trudged out of my room.

I sat on my bed after she left. My treehouse bedroom here in the astral plane was so different than my bedroom in Castle Krakenburg. It's so much more… warm here. There's no draft that comes from underneath the door… No shadows lurking behind every object… No deception...

Tomorrow we'll be facing the Ice Tribe. Felicia and Flora's homeland. How can I…? Betray… The homeland… Of the people who I grew up with? Of the people closest to me? What was I thinking? This isn't about my physical ability to suppress a rebellion single handed, it's about morality- people will perish in the coming battle- and for what? I can feel a stinging sensation in my eyes and shuffle towards the safety of the wooden headboard of the bed that offers some feeling of stability. If only I could outrun the tears. Oh, that's just pitiful, Kamui. Crying in the corner of your bedroom, my inner voice whispers, what's that going to do for you? Crying isn't going to solve your problems. I swipe the damp droplets away even though no one was there to see. This is all so stupid. Father's tasks. Me obeying. Haven't I sacrificed enough?And for what? Where can I expect his cruelty to stop? More burning in my eyes. "Felicia… Flora…" I whisper between the tears. "I'm sorry." How hypocritical of me. To turn my back on my own birth country. And to destroy someone else's. I had a choice to side with Nohr and fight my own blood… But what of them? The innocents of the Ice Tribe?… If I do this, I'm forcing a fate that I have the power to change, on so many voiceless people. Scared. Innocent. People. Who only fear- What father has already done- could do- will do. "I have no… right. To destroy something… As precious as...Family…" I'm so selfish… I want so badly to feel accepted in the only family I ever knew…Is this really the monster I've become?... A greedy, selfish, monster?

A warmth radiates above my head, gently stroking across my disheveled hair. "That's enough, Milady." I look startled at his voice. When did he get here? Did he see me like this? In this despicable state? I want to ask him, but he's staring straight ahead, avoiding my eye contact. I reach to swipe at the remnants of tears on my eyelids, but he catches my hand with his own. He's not wearing his gloves or armor, and I can actually feel the warmth of his hand. A human's hand. It brings me back to my childhood…

A silver haired boy. Gentle yet arrogant in his own way. At the time, I was around ten years old and he was fifteen. He'd grip my hand firmly as we'd walk through the meadow near the castle that bloomed with beautiful poppy flowers every Summer. After an hour of begging to sneak out of my isolated tower, he'd give in every time, grabbing my wrist and exiting Castle Krakenburg through the back. He knew where I'd ask to go, and that's where we always ended up. I could admire the red poppy flowers and lush grass forever. Even I knew places like this were rare to find in desolate Nohr.

Jakob was born to a family that had served the Nohrian royals for centuries, and when I came into the picture, it had already been ordained that his purpose was to serve any children of King Garon. I could never tell when he actually enjoyed being around me. I could never be sure if he was acting to play his role as "servant" or if he actually felt a bond with me.

Back then was the last time I had felt the warmth of his hand- on those trips to the meadow. It was around the time I had entered my teens that he started revealing another side. One that showed he was honing in dagger skills. He had begun wearing gloves lined with a metallic armor on the inside and outside so that the amateur mistakes he made in the process of training wouldn't result in wounds on his hands.

To feel his real hand again, and so near, I wanted to grasp it. To be reminded that he was human. Jakob seemed to act more subservient with each passing day, and I wanted him to act like the young boy I once remembered. The one that felt like being a butler would "be a waste of my skills" as he had once put it, and had to be reminded of his manners around royalty. The boy that called me "Kamui" and not "Milady." I missed the Jakob that had other things to look forward to, other than babysitting a mere child. Over the years he'd been molded to fit the role he was born for, and he became less real. And the hardest part was that I could no longer tell when he was being genuine, and when he was simply carrying out his duties.

"Please. If you're going to just cry more, there is no point in wiping them away." He still held my hand away from my face and refused to look me.

"What's it to you…" I groan. He's always right, I think, cracking a smile and sniffling to suck back in any tears.

"It makes your face look ugly." Now that was definitely genuine. I let out another giggle and another sniffle. I can only really tell you're being genuine when you say something snarky and brutally honest. "There. That's better." He says at last facing me. He pats my head and smiles. "I can't bear to look at Milady when she looks so sad. It rubs off on me." Jakob adds. Genuine? Or simple butler-kiss-up-to-the-one-you-serve commentary? "Get some sleep." He strides out of my room. As soon as he was here, he was gone. It's like he was never here to begin with.

I snuggle under the warm blankets of my bed. I take one last glance at the sheathed Yato that dangles from the bedpost opposite me, the metallic helm of the sacred blade catching the starlight of the astral plane that sparkled through my window. And.. drift...to….sleep…..

TO BE CONTINUED…

So I don't want to set a goal that is too hard to meet. :/ So updates… I will try my darndest to post a new chapter once every one to two weeks. Thank you so much for reading, and for your patience if you've been waiting for me to update. I'm sorrrry this chapter is so late!