Guest: I did mean to keep it ambiguous and I think it can still be since Severa is the most emotional of the bunch and they could just be close friends. But yes, in my headcanon of my fic, since my Robin married Cordelia, Morgan and Severa are siblings. I thought different people will have different canon so I'll avoid them explicitly calling each other sisters and referring to their parents too much. As far as readers are concerned at this stage they can believe whatever they want about Robin but in my mind at least Severa and Morgan are sisters.
MoeeoM: Unless I can make a plot point out of it, I intend to keep their parentage ambiguous. I do have a headcanon as to who their parents are but since it's not completely relevant to the plot I intend to let the reader fill in the blank there. I do get what you mean about Odin Dark and I was worried about that while writing too. The only excuse in my head is that he was a bit overwhelmed and didn't have too many lines. Also, thanks for the review and the word of support!
Author's Note: Elise is one of those characters I'm not entirely sure how to write. I hope I did alright cause it's kind of important. This chapter moves things along eventually but other than that is another character-focused one.
Chapter 4
Silas
"Hey Silas." A soldier makes his way toward my table. He's a friend of mine, back before I was taken into Corrin's service. A good lad, older than I am. A bit meek by Nohrian standards but other than that a typical soldier.
"Evening, Jason." I greet back.
"Didn't think we would see you again so soon. You know, after you started working for royalties." Jason pats me on the back. "Congratulations, by the way."
"Thanks, Jason."
"Actually what are you even doing here?" He jokes. "You should be drinking tea and attending party with your lord! At least wear a fancy robe or two!"
I chuckle. "That's not how retainers work and you know it."
"It's not? Thought it's all glitter and glamour up there."
"It's nice enough and everything…"
"Has to be… all the shit and piss flow down here. Them lords dunk their heads in a river of shits and it'll still smell better than ours down here."
This is what I was afraid Corrin would see. The common people… aren't especially fond of Garon's rule. "Jason…"
"Sorry, sorry… You work for one of them now. Can't talk like that here, at least not on your second day. So who was it that you are working for?" Jason changes the subject, noticing my discomfort.
"Corrin, the third child... or was it the forth?"
"Sorry… who?"
This is rather typical. Due to being kept in his keep his whole life, Corrin isn't exactly well-known among the common people. "That one friend I talked about. Remember? I snuck him out of his keep while we were young? Nearly lost my head for it."
"Oh! Him. Whose son is he again?"
And there's the elephant in the room. "No idea. No one knows. When he was born no one made a fuss over it either so his actual age could be false for all we know."
"Huh. That's weird… Any chance his mother is that foreign whore?"
"Jason!"
"Yeah… yeah… LADY Arete." Jason concedes, before mumbling under his breathe. "You'll excuse me if I refuse to call her 'queen.'"
I sigh. Queen Arete holds the unenviable position of being both a foreigner as well as the successor to the beloved Katerina. Words are that it's her influence that corrupted the king. I was too young to tell but apparently King Garon used to be pretty fair as far as Nohrian kings go. I also hear that things started going downhill even before Lady Arete arrived in Nohr so who knows.
"I don't know." I answer. "Judging by his age, it's possible. Princess Azura arrived around the same time and was the same age so maybe Corrin is another child of the queen but not Garon's. Maybe that would explain why the king cares so little for him. Still, it's odd that he made a big thing over Azura being a Nohrian princess but not Corrin."
"That's certainly odd… Well anyways, congratulations. You seem very fond of this Corrin guy so I'm happy you got assigned to him, on top of all the benefits of being royal retainers."
"Thanks, Jason." I say. "Actually, I'm here on my Liege's order."
"Yeah? Whatever for."
"I hear princess Elise has been coming here, is that correct?"
Jason visibly stiffens. "Yeah… she has. Did the king find out?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Thank the gods… The king seems like the volatile sort. Wouldn't want that poor girl to get in trouble."
"For someone so cynical about the royal family, you are awfully sympathetic to lady Elise."
"We all are. Not one of us is saying a thing. She's a good girl, way better than our kingdom deserves." Jason answers solemnly. "… way better than any of us deserves."
"Don't say that…"
"So why are you here anyway?" He starts, clearly attempting to change the subject.
"My liege fears for his sister's safety. He sent me here to watch out for her in case anything happens."
"What? You think we're going to hurt her? We would lose our heads and probably the heads of all our loved ones!"
"It's a legitimate concern, you have to admit." I say. "Regardless of how nice you are, having a young girl in such an area would worries anyone."
"If you say so… You're not the only one by the way."
"Hmm?"
Jason nods to my right. "The building across, on the rooftop. There's this creepy woman lurking on the rooftop. I think I caught a glimpse of a wyvern once too. Scary as hell… she's there every time Elise arrives. We used to think she was waiting to cause trouble for the princess and someone was going to have to take one for the team and get rid of her before anything happens. But she just showed herself to us first, out of nowhere, and warns us to treat the princess like a god and we wouldn't have any problem. Hasn't gone back on her words yet…"
Wyvern? Could it be someone under Camilla? That would make sense.
"There's also this creepy fellow…" Jason continues. "He got the most crooked grin and wears an eyepatch. Not as creepy as the other woman, but he's still sinister as hell. He doesn't lurk, just shows up occasionally, basically says the same thing she did. There's also this younger lad who more or less did the same thing but this guy was way nicer about it. Moot points though, we would never hurt the princess. Not after the kindness she showed us."
"Speaking of that…"
We are interrupted by the sound of a pair of footsteps, one loud and strong, clearly someone in full armor, the other light and giddy, no doubt belonging to lady Elise.
"Elise! Slow down!" A female voice says.
"I'm fine Effie!" Elise's voice rings out as she bursts into the building. "Effie, wait outside please! Heeey guys!"
"G-Good morning lady Elise!" The soldiers answer, almost in unison. This looks rather comical…
"No 'lady'!" Elise chides.
"Y-Yes Elise!"
"Good, let's start where we left off!" Elise darts to a nearby sword before a nearby soldier hastily grabs it and hand it to her carefully. I almost jump out of my seat before noticing that it's a blunted sword. Still, considering her size, it could really hurt her.
Elise proceeds to swing the sword around, making exaggerated whoosing noise, causing a few of the men to chuckle alongside her. She then walks up to a nearby captain and asks. "Hey, Jacob! You're going to teach me how to use this thing right? Right? I have to at least start catching up to my brother! Did you hear did you hear..."
"Lady Elise… I don't think…" The captain visibly hesitates, despite the conversation implying that this wouldn't be the first.
"Whaat!? But you promised!"
"I know… I know… but still, I really don't think this is appropriate. Lady Elise shouldn't be here…"
Jacob's hesitation ignites a concern in the rest of the men, whom despite their previous joy of having someone like Elise coming to spend time with them, now seem regretful of indulging themselves without a concern for the young girl.
Elise, for her part, looks legitimately hurt, causing Jacob to nearly immediately retract his words. "You're just like the rest of my siblings... Little Elise, cutie Elise, innocent Elise… Don't worry, you'll grow in a few years… Just bear with being a burden a bit longer okay?"
"Look, lady E…"
"Shut up! SHUT UP SHUT UP! I hate that word! I HATE IT! I'm not a lady… Camilla is a lady, beautiful, smart, mature. Camilla is a lord too, strong… and… mature… just like Xander… And Xander… Xander is the biggest, kindest brother I could ever hope for… so big I feel I could drown in his shadow even as I laugh myself to tears in his arms. Leo understands how I feel… he understands even when he's so far from where I am… he must be so smart to be able to understand all that. He must be so good. And Corrin… I thought Corrin was the same as I was… and then I hear he's all grown up… I hear he beat my big brother! I was so happy for him but I was so scared! If even Corrin leaves me behind, what chance do I have!? I asked him to come here with me tonight too! Stupid, so stupid, stupid Elise! Can't even swing a toy sword, what am I going to show him when he comes!? I want to show him that I'm getting better, getting stronger! Maybe then father would acknowledge me… Maybe then my brothers and sisters would see me as one of them… I…"
"Lady Elise!" Jacob interrupts her, too afraid to hear the rest. "It's not you… it's us. We… don't deserve this…"
Elise looks like she's about to start wailing but quickly shallows her tears. "I… guess… you have… d-duties… and I'm bothering you aren't…"
"NO! No… Gods… No… We could never think that… I swear to you… I swear to the Dusk Dragon himself… There is not one of us here who doesn't relish in your presence… Lady Elise is bright like the sun itself and with you here it feels as if Nohr is blessed with all the light that it was denied…"
Elise sniffs, but blushes at the compliment regardless. "Thanks…"
"It's us la… Elise… For a living, we do things we could not tell you… When lady Elise left the other day, we felt like we were good. We felt like the world is good. We felt that… if we could make you happy… we must be good. And then morning comes and we put on our armors and we pick up our weapons and we do our jobs and… The things we've done, Elise… I fear that once you grow up, you would never look at us the same way again…"
Listening to him, I could immediately tell what he meant. As a Nohrian knight, I did not have duties as a foot soldier would. I do not have to follow strict orders. But I do get the gist of it. Nohr is a violent kingdom and even though we were not the initial aggressor of the conflict with Hoshido, it's difficult to see ourselves as the good guys.
We are not at war with Hoshido exactly, at least not a full-scale war. But we are in conflict all the same. If it wasn't for the Hoshidan's queen magic, I have little doubt the king would have begun a full-scale invasion. Instead, we have to fight them indirectly. We have to harass and hurt them in order to draw them out. Without being able to enter their domain, we are spared the obligation of committing the classic Nohrian "burn-and-pillage" duty. Instead, we murder any who has the unfortunate fate of leaving their home and send the only survivor back with the corpses of all his loved ones. This tactic has aggravated enough Hoshidan that they make the mistake of disobeying the queen's order in favor of getting revenge. We dealt with those brave fools too.
I have the luxury of independence. I am usually the one who gives orders rather than take them. I am proud to say that I am able to sleep at night and look myself in the mirror the next day. The common soldiers are less… fortunate. The higher-ups tell you to kill, you kill. The higher-ups tell you to hurt, you hurt. The higher-ups tell you to, you burn and pillage.
If you are a Nohrian soldier for a long period of time and you go through this routine on a daily basis, sooner or later your mind is going to have to make a choice: To break or to bend. To be unable to live with yourself and unable to bear the proud look your family gives you, or to do what Nohrians do best.
Burn. And. Pillage.
Elise, for her part, just makes a difficult expression. "Elise doesn't really get it…"
"That's okay… but…"
"But aren't we friends?" The Nohrian princess looks up to the captain, the sincerest look on her face.
Jacob stares at her, not knowing what to say.
"Am I… wrong again?"
"I… if lady Elise thinks so… then we're friend…" The captain reassures her cautiously, too afraid to display open friendliness to a Nohrian royal.
"I hope so… But if Elise is your friend, shouldn't you trust Elise? If Jacob is feeling sad, Jacob should talk to Elise. Elise will do her best! Elise promise! Elise is sad if her friends are sad and if Elise goes home tonight knowing Jacob is crying himself to sleep Elise can't help but do the same…"
"I…"
"I'm sorry… Elise has been so selfish, like a child. Jacob plays with Elise whenever Elise visits but I never thought to do the same."
"It really isn't…"
"Really isn't nothing!" Elise says, appearing more cheerful than ever, and I find it hard to see that joy as disingenuous. "Help me practice Jacob! Show me your sword skills! I'll tell you some of the tricks my brothers used, you'll improve too! Then we'll talk! Not about the things you didn't want to talk about. We'll talk about anything! The other guys here too, if they're unhappy, they can join in! Then Elise wants to drink those things you guys always drink! I promise, when I leave this building not a single one of us will be sad! And when Elise comes back tonight with Corrin, it'll be even more fun! Corrin is the nicest guy! You'll all love him! Come on, Jacob!"
"I…" Jacob starts, likely forming a dozen ideas why this is a poor idea. But none of it matters once he took one look at Elise. His face eases into a warm smile, and it looks as if all the years he spent as a Nohrian soldier never happened. "That sounds lovely, Elise."
And they did all that and more. Elise trained, hard, and she did better than I could ever expect. She isn't a fighter, not really, but by the end of the day she could swing a sword and parry one too. Then they play, kids games mostly. Most of the soldiers joined in. It was a rather comical sight, but no one cared. They were having stupid genuine fun with their princess… no… friend. At one point Elise tried drinking the soldiers' beer, but thankfully Jacob managed to trick her into drinking some fruit juice instead. I can only guess the disparity between royal fruit drinks and soldier fruit drinks are so great that she's completely convinced it's something else entirely. Then after that they sit down in circle and just talk. Nothing specific that could scar the princess forever, but enough that she gets the gist of it. Despite failing to understand the specific, she succeeds in telling them that they're fine, that they're good people, and that they deserve to be happy too.
I wonder why I'm even here. I'm not needed. If anyone needs help it's these men, and now that Elise is here they got all they could ever need. Oh well, it's a pleasant scene to be sure. And being a Nohrian knight, I could use some of her pep talks.
Corrin
"My lord!" Flora calls out after me. "As your retainer, I cannot allow you to carry your own things around!"
"It's Corrin!" I laugh. "And as your lord I order you to allow me to carry my own things around!"
"T-That's an order I cannot comply with! On my pride as your servant I insist you set down your things this very instance!"
I laugh more loudly. I never expected to hear that sentence out of Flora.
"Fine, you can carry half of it." I set down some of the lighter stuffs. Flora is stronger than she looks, but I want to carry my own things for now.
"Thank you my lord." Flora promptly picks up everything I set down.
Right now we are currently out shopping for things, mostly books, clothing and sweets. I was so thrilled to finally be allowed to leave the North Fortress that I couldn't get a wink of sleep last night. Didn't need it! I feel like I could carry a wyvern out of sheer adrenaline right now. Woo! All hail freedom! Long live the great outdoor!
"Teehee…" Flora giggles next to me, keeping up perfectly despite the fact that she's carrying half my shoppings.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing, my lord. Your sheer enthusiasm is just very infectious."
"Heheh… Thanks! Sorry about making you carry my stuffs while the rest of my retainers are having a day off by the way."
Flora shakes her head. "Trust me my lord, they are the one who got the short end of the stick."
"How so?"
"My liege has the brightest, warmest smile on his face I have ever seen. I almost feel sorry about robbing my colleges of this sight."
A blush creeps up my face. "Haha… Thanks!"
The conversation with Gunter from yesterday morning leaps into my mind and I feel my face flushes. Considering father's position and consider the metaphorical leash around my neck still, she is so off-limit.
A moot point anyway. Flora's practically taken. Curse you Jakob, you fabulous manservant!
Then something catches my eye.
"Hey Flora." I say. "What's that building over there?"
"My lord…"
"Corrin!"
"C-Corrin… ahem… it's a tavern, Corrin."
"That's the place where you drink alcohol right?" I ask. "I read about them. Never had alcohol, though…"
"How old are you, Corrin?"
"Old enough!"
Flora giggles. Gods I sounded like Elise.
"It's still early right?" I continue. "I'm going out with Elise later. But if there's enough time I'd really like to try going into a tavern."
Flora takes an unusually long time to consider this. But just as I was about to press on, she turns toward me and says. "This tavern is unworthy of royalties, Corrin. Let's go somewhere else."
I was about to object but managed to stop myself in time. Flora doesn't object to the idea, just the place. I wanted to try the common people's tavern first, but if Flora wants to go somewhere more high-class for my first time I'd happily oblige.
"Leads on, Flora." I beam.
Flora then proceeds to make her way toward our destination. She usually doesn't take the lead in just about anything so I'm kind of happy that she's willing to assert herself little by little. Flora is rarely seen walking in front of anyone and apologizes for every conceived slight so it's refreshing to see her physically leading the way for once.
I try to make small talks once or twice during the way but her response seems a tad short and technical. Is she nervous? Gods that thought makes me nervous too.
Eventually we arrive. The place seems nice enough, definitely nicer than the tavern we saw before, but it falls a bit short of the "high-class locale" standard I had in my head. I suppose I'm in for a lot of childish disappointment if I'm going to expect everything to sound like how they usually are in my books.
Flora steps forth and holds the door open for me. "After you, my lord."
"Thanks, Flora." I enter and pick a seat near the windows. Flora promptly does the same.
"Gods I'm a bit nervous." I say as Flora takes her seat. "Is my mannerism suitable for this place? What should I order. What's the proper etiquette around here?"
"You are doing splendid, my lord. If you would permit me, I can order for us."
"Oh, that would be lovely, thanks!" I answer, leaping on the chance to prevent me from embarrassing myself through my lack of experience. "Oh but get something light… and preferably non-alcoholic."
Flora lightly taps the table a few times. "Of course my lord… Excuse me?"
A male waiter arrives quickly. Wow he's precise and to-the-point, just like an actual butler. I didn't even see him until he was right in front of the table. Maybe I was wrong about my impression of the place.
"Two 'night shades' please." Flora orders.
The waiter simply nods and walks away.
"Didn't think you'd be familiar with a place like this." I say. "I always worried your duty leaves too little time for personal hobbies. I'm glad you could find the time to enjoy yourself in a place like this."
Flora casts her gaze downward. "Y-You are too kind my lord."
"S-So what are you meant to do here? Am I doing good? What if people stare?"
Flora giggles. "There's no one around to do so in the first place my lord."
I examine the room carefully for the first time. "Huh… guess you're right. Wonder why that is."
"Must be one of those nights." Flora says. "Establishments like this have the occasional down times. Moreover, the price here is a bit steep for the common populace."
I wouldn't know what price is affordable for the common populace. Still, it's odd that they build this place here when most people around can't afford to drink here.
"Here is your order." The waiter returns, startling me. He promptly sets down a glass for me and a glass for Flora.
"Thank you." Flora answers, before she takes a sip from her glass.
"H-How is it?" I ask.
"Hmm? Oh sorry… It's good my lord. I think it would suit you."
"I see… That's good to know. Gods I'm not going to pass out and get a hangover when I wake up am I? People keep doing that in tavern in the books I read."
Flora chuckles. "No, my lord, I made sure to get something non-alcoholic. I wouldn't dare allow you to drink actual alcohol without Gunter's permission."
I'm not sure how I feel about that, but sulking would just make me look like Elise again. I take a sip.
"It's sweet." I comment, before taking a bigger sip. "Not what I expected from a tavern… I expected the drink to be rather nasty."
If anything it was a bit plain… tasteless even. I suppose Flora must have picked the safest of the drinks.
"So Flora, what…" I cough lightly, before taking another sip. "Sorry… what are you meant to do in a tavern again?"
Flora does not give me an answer and just looks out the window. It's almost as if she didn't hear what I said. She then turns toward me and asks. "Hey Corrin, family is important right?"
"Yeah… of course it is. Why do you ask?"
"And so is familial duties?"
"Yeah… yeah… they're… excuse me…" I cough again, harder this time. "Yeah… of course they're important…"
Flora nods. "I think so too… I think your personal wants and desires take a backseat to what is truly important: family and duty. But I wonder whether there is cowardice mixed into that thought…" She shakes her head, clearing the thought. "No matter. What's done is done."
I open my mouth to say something, but fail to get a single word out. Instead, I begin shaking clutching my chest. It doesn't hurt… not yet… but I wish it did… The numbness is unbearable…
"Sorry about that." Flora continues. "I thought I picked something quick. You must be stronger than you look. I'm also sorry that I couldn't explain everything to you. But I have no doubt this is for the best, for both of us."
"H-Help…" I manage to squeeze out between painful wheezes.
Flora looks at me, a bit concerned, before steeling her resolve. "You'll understand soon. I hope we meet again after this… but in case we don't… You've been a kind liege and a great friend despite your misplaced allegiance, Corrin, and I'm glad I met you."
I hear the words but I could not decipher the meanings. Flora's words flow right through me, not a single one registering in my mind. I clutch my chest, tumbling to the floor. A few more painful wheezes escape me. At least I thought they were painful… I can't… I can't...
Flora
I was told the drink would work quick and painlessly, but then I suppose these things can't exactly be completely precise.
"It is done, lady Flora." The ninja states as Corrin loses the last bit of his consciousness.
Lady Flora... That's a title I haven't heard in quite a while. It's always Flora the maid, Flora the Ice Tribe captive, Flora the obedient. Well, how obedient am I now, Garon? You must have thought you were so clever, ripping me away from my family to keep them in line. No more. Both Corrin and I will return to our rightful place, away from this hellhole of a kingdom, where the sun dares not show its face and where the snow dares not bless the land.
"Thank you for your assistance, Kaze." I answer plainly, setting aside the glass of coloured water Kaze served me. "I trust the Hoshidans will uphold their end of the bargain?"
"Of course. Weapons and supplies will be delivered to the Ice Tribe immediately." Kaze answers.
"And?"
"We will also begin launching some large scale attacks to distract Garon from the Ice Tribe's involvement in Corrin's rescue, until your tribe is ready to launch a full-scale rebellion."
I nod. "Thank you…"
The Hoshidan ninja is professional and acts exactly how one would expect a ninja to act. When I sent words that an opportunity to rescue Corrin arises, Hoshido sent him. Considering what an important task this is for their kingdom, I can only assume this man to be a ninja of the highest caliber. I hope he's as good as I think, Corrin better be in good hand. I would be worried as he is the only ninja I've seen around here, but then I remember they are ninja. They would be doing a poor job of it if I could spot them.
"Your father must be blessed to have such a devoted daughter." Kaze comments unnecessarily, uncharacteristic of a ninja.
My father must be blessed to have an heir without a backbone. He asked me to send letters as soon as an opportunity arises and I did so dutifully as the heir of the ice tribe. Then I stayed up all night, going through his many letters detailing plans to have Corrin rescued. This was simply the most convenient one. This "bar" has been a Hoshidan hideout for a long time now and at father's order I familiarize myself with the place years ago in preparation for an event such as this. At least I didn't have to betray Corrin. Both of us can now escape from Nohr, back to our family. Let's hope his treats him with more love than mine does. Whatever his real family happens to be, they have to be in a better place than Nohr.
"What about Felicia?" I ask.
"We can extract her from the North Fortress today if you wish."
I shake my head. "No… Felicia is clumsy and foolish, but she is also surprisingly strong and insightful. Using force would be too risky. I will draw her out myself. Kaze, can you do me one more favor?"
"Depends on the favor, lady Flora. But I hope I can."
"Lend me one of your men. Do you have anything that would allow you to knock her out at a distance?"
"I believe our dart blowers can accomplish that task."
"Good… Neutralize her once we leave the castle. When she wakes up, I'll convince her that we are being hunted and that Corrin was kidnapped and we have to escape from our pursuers to help our liege. She will listen to her sister and we will return to the Ice Tribe first and foremost for safety and an opportunity to plan our next course of action. I'll worry about the rest when we get to my tribe. Can you assist me with this, Kaze?"
Kaze bows. "Of course, lady Flora. This is a small favor in return for rescuing our prince. We hope all goes well for you and your tribe."
"Thank you, Kaze. And likewise."
I take one last look at my liege. He looks so peaceful. Corrin wears this face whenever we come to wake him up. Such innocence, such purity… I hope he can keep them for longer than I could.
