The voice had gone quiet. Despite the circumstances, I wasn't concerned about it's legitimacy. In fact, when I opened my eyes, I became even more sure. I still had on the dark clothes from earlier, but now a deep black cloak and scarf had been draped over me. The cloak itself wasn't long, the fabric only reached my waist, but the scarf that wrapped around my neck hung farther, nearly to my knees. Similarly colored gloves were now on my hands as well, and made from a thin but tough material.
After observing myself a bit more, I realized I now had a belt on as well. And sheathed on that belt were twin daggers, unlike anything I had ever seen. I held one in my hand and turned it around to inspect it. The entire blade was made from some kind of rainbow glass that's color seemed to constantly shift and change with its position. It was oddly light, but it felt so natural to hold. I normally wielded a sword, but these daggers seemed to top that be tenfold.
I twirled the blade in my hand and took a few steps away from the tree I had been leaning against. I did several tricks with the weapon that I knew I couldn't do before, but felt like second nature. Once I had gotten a good distance from the tree, I threw up the dagger, caught it by the blade and sent it flying at the tree, the sharp blade sticking firmly into the bark. It had found its mark easily.
I stood still in the silent field, wondering how I was able to do such things with no training. I thought to walk to the tree and take out the stuck dagger, but something in my subconscious stopped me. Rather than walking to retrieve the blade, I reached my hand toward it and as soon as my hand had fully extended, the blade shattered into a fine dust and flew toward me. The dancing shards of color circled my hand before materializing back into a dagger. In a motion that felt practiced, I sheathed it again.
"Well, that will certainly be useful." I knew I should have felt suspicious of a power like this, but it gave me the chance to save my home. I thought back to my journey and created a mental checklist of things I needed to do. I wasn't quite sure where I had run to, but the sooner I found an entrance to the underground, the better. And so, it was time to start walking. It was almost always cold in Nohr, but that didn't mean everyone was used to it. After spending most of my life so far in my much warmer deeprealm didn't really help either. The cloak and scarf did make it a bit better though. I tugged at the ends of the cloak and pulled it around me. I kept walking past the tree and away from the castle, as I knew going there now even with my new advantage would be certain death.
As I kept walking, the hours blended and blurred together. It was always hard to tell what time it was, and the ever consistent landscape made the scenery do the same. Sometime in the middle of my walk, I had eaten some of the fruit I had brought, but made sure to save some. I did this whenever I got hungry, and as my small meals marked my hunger like clockwork, I kept walking for what I knew was probably days. Eventually however, I reached a change in the path. That being an actual dirt path had shown up at my feet. The fog was still thick, so I couldn't see what it led to, but right now, something was better than nothing. And thanks to that decision, I was able to find the first friendly face I'd seen all night.
"Hello? Who's there? If you're tryin' to steal my produce, you won't get it!" The voice was a deep one, and reminded me somewhat of Ryoma, the head authority in Hoshido. Of course, this one had a Nohrian accent and was less dignified.
"Please, don't worry. I'm not here to steal anything. I'm just a bit lost. Do you think you can help me find a place to sleep?" I raised my hands in the air, and slowly made my way to the voice. Finally, the silhouette of a muscular man holding what looked like a hoe. His face was covered by a dark beard and untamed long hair. He still looked on edge, but he lowered the gardening tool and approached me.
"You're not a thief?" He asked, still uncertain.
"No sir. All I need is some directions to the nearest village. Do you think you could-"
"Paul? Did you find out what that was? Are you okay?" A light haired woman emerged from the fog, holding a frying pan, most likely for defense.
"Martha, I told you to stay inside! He could have been dangerous." The petite woman looked at me, and scanned me up and down.
"He looks harmless, Paul. But what, pray tell are you doing out here at this hour?" She asked, addressing me.
"Well, back home, there was a bit of a skirmish, and while running from it, I managed to get myself lost." Saying it back like that made me feel more foolish than I had at the time, but that was essentially what had happened.
"Oh, poor dear. Come on Paul, you know the next village isn't for miles. Let's give him a bed until the fog clears." She looked up at her husband, and he caved surprisingly quickly.
"You're too trusting, you know that? Alright. Come on. I'll take you to the house." And with that, he turned quickly and speedwalked down the path. I continued in silence, not sure what to say. Diplomacy lessons hadn't quite gone this far. When we made it to the quaint house, the couple opened the door and let me inside the candlelit walls. I immediately noticed how warm it was inside and took a deep, comfortable breath.
Finally able to see the couple clearly, I observed them a bit closer. The man looked gruff and unkept, but considering the now apparent hour, that really wasn't his fault. The woman was smaller, but just as messy, if slightly less than her husband.
"Thank you for doing this by the way. I'm not sure how much longer I could have kept walking." Martha looked at me with kind and tired eyes.
"Don't worry about it dear. We- Oh my goodness!" Her exclamation surprised me.
"Ah, miss. Are you alright? Did something happen?"
"I'm so sorry. We really didn't mean to be rude earlier." She immediately bowed with a hand over her heart.
"Wha- Martha, what's gotten into you? He's just- oh. Oh!" and with that, Paul assumed a similar position.
"Yes, we're sorry for our rudeness, Prince Siegbert. We will be of whatever service you need of us." I knew I shouldn't have been as stunned as I was, but I really couldn't help it.
"Please, rise. There is no need for formalities. As of now, simply treat me as your equal." Both did as I said, albeit uncertainly.
"Uh, of course. I'll get a bed ready." And with that, Martha left.
"Why did you even come here? You're a pretty good ways away from the castle you know." Paul asked. I suppose his confusion was justified. After all, the crown prince of a kingdom didn't go wandering around on the surface where bandits were sure to be near.
"Well, I wasn't lying when I said there was a skirmish. As of right now, I'm trying to stay alive and take back the throne if I can. I don't think the people are in any danger though." He had to know what was going on, but making him and Martha scared would not fix anything.
"So, the castle was taken? What happened to king Xander?"
"He's safe and in hiding. There's no need to worry. He might even take back the castle before I can do anything about it. It is my father after all." Were it not for that mysterious voice, I would not have known this, but for the sake of looking sane, I decided against telling the couple about it.
"Will you try to take back the castle anyway?"
"Well I… well…" I honestly had been too tired to think in detail to this point, but Paul's question made me realize that even with this new power, I likely didn't stand a chance against the invader. What was her name? The voice didn't give me her name. It did call her the Iron Chain though. I suppose for convenience, I'd call her Iron.
"Do you not have an answer?" Paul stayed calm, but I could see the panic in his eyes. I had forgotten about his question.
"I do. Apologies. And yes, I do plan to assist in taking back the castle. I assure you it will be back under my father's rule shortly." Paul looked at me closer. The panic had disappeared, but he still looked concerned.
"You don't think you'll be able to do anything, do you?" This caught me by surprise. What did he mean?
"I… don't understand." Paul sighed at my response.
"You're not confident. At all. You don't think you can help your father take back the crown, right?" What could I say? I was supposed to be a leader later in life, and yet this man could see what I was feeling just from looking at me. Before I could respond, Paul sighed and gave me a tired smile.
"You know, I've met king Xander while looking for some land that was sunnier than the rest for our crops. You're so alike, but so different too. He worries like you do, but you worry more. That can be a bad thing, but it can be a good one too. You're so empathetic. I can tell by the way you can't hide emotions like he does. It's alright though. If something took him down, then winning that battle won't be easy. I'm thinkin' that you really aren't wrong if you think you can't do it alone." My eyes drifted down, and I was unable to keep eye contact for any longer.
"I-" But he didn't let me finish.
"Hold up. I've got more. You obviously need help. Especially if His Majesty hasn't done anything yet, because that means he can't do anything. I've got a son that lives in the next town underground. He's the only one there who protects that place from bandits. The boy can fight. If you can learn things from him, then you'll have a better chance of getting the crown back, if even just a small advantage. His name is Manfred and he's very well known throughout the town. He'd be happy to give you some tips." I still didn't know what to say. This man had been so kind to me. Well, I was still royalty, but given my position, he and his wife could have just left me in the fog and kept themselves out of potential danger.
"I truly don't think I can thank you enough, Paul. I'll heed your advice and do my best to go about this wisely." Martha came up behind Paul and gave me a smile.
"You can thank us by seeing our son and making sure that you and whoever you ask for help will be a force to be reckoned with. We understand that Nohr isn't a stable country, but we also know that the king and the rest of the royal family is doing a very good job at keeping us in high spirits. There are those who are starving, but you and your father know that we must keep our alliances rather than go to war if we are going to get the support we need. We've learned that once. Our alliances with Hoshido and Valla are important, and I fear that with someone so aggressive on the throne as those who took the castle, that we just might have another war. By all means, prince Siegbert. Guide us the way you best know how." My heart melted at Martha's speech. This kingdom was unstable, no doubt, but she was willing to encourage me in this competition for the throne.
"Truly, thank you both. I will do my best to take back the crown like you said. It really does touch my heart to know I have your support. And thank you again for providing me with a place to sleep." Martha gave me a sweet smile.
"I made a good call, right, Paul?" She placed a hand on his shoulder and he let out a tired laugh.
"Come on. We'll take you to the room." The couple led me down some stairs into what looked like an improvised mix between a living room basement and a cellar. The air was musty and smelled of aging wine and cheese. A few cushions were placed on the ground, obviously taken from a couch upstairs. Bunched up clothes were stuffed inside a burlap sack and placed where a pillow would go, and a thin blanket was draped over the whole setup.
"Sorry we don't have another actual bed. We are farmers after all. We don't really have the highest income. I hope this will be at least a bit more comfortable than sleeping outside." Martha said, turning to me with an apologetic look on her face.
"It's more than enough. Thank you." Paul suddenly stretched and let out a long yawn.
"Well, I'm gonna go get our drinks from the porch. Make yourself at home." And with that, he and Martha left to go up the stairs. All that was left with me was a small lit candle to give what little light it could. After hearing a door close at the top of the stairs, I started to slip my gloves and boots off, eventually taking off my cloak and using it as another blanket. I also took off the scarf and wrapped it around the scratchy material of the family's makeshift pillow. Only then did I notice that under the scarf was a small teardrop pendant made from the same glimmering material as my daggers.
I felt it with my now bare hands, but I didn't try to take it off. The chain it was on was obviously too short to fit over my head, and if it really was made from the same material as my new weapons, then I knew it was durable. I decided to assume the voice had given it to me as well.
I lay down and cover myself with the thin blanket and my cloak. As I tried to rest, my exhausted mind drifted to my father. Was he really okay? He had to be. After all, the voice seemed sincere when it said that my request would be carried out. All I could do was trust it. Despite my trying and these people's faith, I still felt so powerless compared to him. He's probably already banding the soldiers together while I'm resting in a cellar. I finally drifted off to sleep, thinking about how the cold, Nohrian nights felt like home.