The Road Not Trekked

by SilverShadow1711

We can only ever walk down one path in life... The coming of age story of a young princess as everything she's ever known and loved in life comes crashing down around her. Something of a retelling of Fire Emblem Fates

4. The First Step

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Ch. 4- "The First Step"

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It was decided that it was for the best if Nerr approached their father the next day, hoping that he would wake in a better mood. She was also grateful for the rest, taking the opportunity to bathe and trim her singed hair. The dried blood crusted to her skin had taken ages to clean, and it had been everywhere; caked around her cuticles and under her nails, between her toes, splattered across her face. As she stood up from the cooling bathwater, looking down at it's murky, rust-color, she realized she must've looked a fright. She felt a newfound respect for the brave soldiers of the land, enduring horrors such as this day in and out, for the good of the country.

Killing did not come easily to her, and she sincerely doubted she would be able to end someone's life once they no longer held a sword, but she vowed that she would do as much as she could for the sake of her country. It was her duty, it was what was expected of her. Xander and Camilla and Leo had fought and killed, and one day, even sweet Elise would be expected to. Nerr's hands clenched into tight fists. She did not want her little sister to endure what she had, to feel that crushing guilt and sorrow... She would do all in her power to ensure the war was over before it came to that. Perhaps one day, children like Elise could be friends with Hoshidan children... but that was a long way off...

000

Early the next morning, Elise walked with Nerr down the sprawling corridor that led to the throne room. She had only been this far into the castle once before, so she was grateful for the guide... not to mention, the support. She had to appologize to their father and pray he would forgive her. Personally, Nerr did not feel she should have to appologize, for as far as she was concerned, she was right and Father was wrong. But that was not the way the world worked- she had disobeyed the king. It was only by Leo's intervention that her head was not already on a pike in the courtyard, but that was still a possibility. As if sensing the path her older sister's thoughts were taking, Elise squeezed her hand tighter, beaming up at her.

"Don't worry, Nerr. Everything's gonna be fine. You heard what Xander said last night- if Father hasn't killed you already, he probably won't!" The older girl smiled weakly.

"Yes... that is a relief. But at this point, execution isn't what I'm afraid of..."

There were things that were worse than death, things that would leave one begging for death. Deep in the back of her mind, those hazy memories that she could never quite grasp played out, with no defined shape or noise, just... impressions. Darkness and pain and terror... She was grateful she did not clearly remember whatever had happened back then, but she did not want a new memory to replace it with. They stopped at a tall set of double doors, beautiful esoteric engravings running the length of them, the Nohrian royal crest all the way at the top. The youngest princess rocked back and forth on her heels, not looking the least bit worried.

" 'kay, Nerr. Let's go in there together. Try to look cute and pitiful, like you do when you want something from Xander." Nerr gasped, affronted.

"I do not look pitiful when I want something from Xander!"

"Sure you do! Your eyebrows get all scrunched up and you pout and you're all like, 'pleeeeaaaaseee?'" Elise pulled a rather ridiculous looking face, batting her eyelashes up at her sister, who scoffed, turning away in a huff.

"I do not look like that, under any circumstance."

"You look like that all the time, and now's the best time to look like that. Don't worry, I'll look pitiful too, so Father will be sure to forgive you." Nerr sighed, wondering, praying that any chance of this affront being forgiven wasn't just a baseless wish.

"I pray you're right, Elise..."

"Sure I am! Okiee doke, here goes!" She walked up to the door, taking the large bronze knocker and hitting it against it's metal base with some difficulty. "Father?" She called through the door. "Um, we wanted to talk to you about last night-" She was cut off suddenly by a loud burst of raucous laughter. It was so startling and unexpected that Nerr actually leapt back, her hand instinctively going for Ganglari's hilt. That voice... it sounded like their father, but surely it couldn't be. Nerr had never known him to laugh. She had never even thought it was possible. Just like smiling, it seemed his face simply wasn't made to move that way.

"Elise," she whispered frantically. "What in all the hells was that?!"

"I think it was Father." She whispered back, just as perturbed. "It sounds like he's with someone... Let's come back later..." They had just begun tiptoeing away when an angry voice called out to them, somewhat muffled by the door, but still loud enough for them to freeze in their tracks.

"Who dares disturb me?! Identify yourself!"

"Um... it's Elise and Nerr. We're sorry to bother you, Father... We didn't know you were busy..." Swallowing hard, Nerr spoke up as well, her voice even more uncertain than her sister's.

"Yes... please excuse us, Father. We apologize if now is a bad time."

"You two..." He growled. "What is so important that you feel the need to disturb the king?" Nerr was deeply tempted to say, 'nothing whatsoever!', and run away in the other direction as quickly as her feet would carry her, but Elise grabbed her hand once more, holding her in place.

"Uhm, Nerr came to apologize to you! Right, sis?"

"Y-yes, that's right. Father, I am so deeply sorry for questioning you last night. There is nothing that can excuse my behavior, and I only pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me..." The king was silent, and she wrung her hands, wishing he would hurry up and say something, anything, rather than leave her in suspense. Finally, after what seemed an eternity,

"...you may enter."

Letting out the breath she had unconsciously been holding, Nerr stepped forward, putting all her weight against the door to open them. The throne room was just as dark and dreary as the antechamber, the only difference was the deep red carpet that lead from the doorway to the throne. Built deep into the ground, the earth itself seemed intent on reclaiming the castle, thick tangled roots twisting along the walls, the stone cracking where they dug into it. It made the very castle seem as a living, breathing creature, and for one dreadful moment, Nerr wondered what would happen if the roots suddenly clenched, like a hand, crumpling the thick pillars and buttresses like a piece of paper.

She shook her head to clear it; she had no time for such silly flights of fancy. High above them, King Garon sat on his throne, slouched in a way that seemed very un-kingly, resting his chin on his palm, and glaring down at them. She spared a quick glance around the room, wondering who her father had been talking to before he was interrupted. As far as she could see, the vast room was empty... which meant he must've been laughing at something he'd thought of himself. She had no desire to know what kind of horrid thing could make him laugh like a madman.

"Nerr... you defied a direct order from me... Normally, the price for such treason is a slow, drawn-out death." That was exactly what she had been dreading. Breathing deeply, Nerr straightened her shoulders, meeting her father's gaze. If she was to die, she would not die cowering.

"Yes, Father. I understand."

"Noo!" Elise, on the other had, was not nearly as composed. She ran in front of her sister, as if to shield her herself. "Father, please don't!"

"Silence, Elise." Garon held a hand up, and the young girl clapped her hands over her mouth. He turned his attention back to Nerr, his glare loosing some of it's intensity. "That being said... you are my daughter. I have no desire to execute my own children, no matter how... impertinent they are. You have proved that you are capable of killing, to a degree, so there is one final test I would have you do. If you complete your task within the week, I will grant you a full pardon." Nerr felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Truly, Father? Oh, thank you, thank you so much. What would you have me do?" It didn't matter what it was, Nerr was certain that this time, she would not disappoint. Garon leaned back on his throne.

"To the east lies the border of Nohr and Hoshido. There were once many villages there, but as of now, it is but ruins and abandoned fortresses. I would have you go there and inspect the forts closest to the border, to see if they are still serviceable. The lands are long abandoned, so there should be no fighting- I only ask you scout the terrain and bring back a full report. I think even you should be able to do that much." Nerr cringed slightly at his bitter tone. She hated disappointing Father, it killed her inside. "Do you understand, my daughter? I will not tolerate being disappointed a second time..."

"No, Father, I understand perfectly. I won't let you down..."

000

The moment her father had dismissed her, Nerr had gone and begun making preparations, telling her retainers what their next mission was, having Lilith ready the horses, gathering supplies. She had never had so much responsibility before. Back at the citadel, her duties were always the same- combat training, and "character building" (practicing her violin and piano and needlework), and studying history and diplomacy and tactics. Training to be the perfect princess, that was all that was expected of her. Now, she made the plans and decided the schedule. It was daunting, but at the same time, she felt more alive than she had in years. Her siblings had all gathered in the throne room, wanting to speak with her one last time before she was set to depart. Father was off somewhere, so they spoke freely. Camilla had pulled her into a tight hug and, once again, Nerr was making a great effort not to be smothered.

"No, I don't like this at all..." The eldest princess bemoaned, stroking her sister's hair and paying no heed to her struggle. "How can Father expect you to go to the border and back in a week's time? It takes nearly four days just to get there when the weather is fair. Not to mention the roads are over run with bandits in the cold months... " Nerr chuckled.

"You act as if I'm going to the ends of the world all by myself. Jakob and Gunther will be with me."

"Yes, and if you were going with Gunther and another trained solider, I wouldn't be so worried. But a butler? What's he going to do, offer your assailants tea?" She thought about that for a moment.

"Well... if it was Felicia offering them tea, that would be a viable combat strategy. But it'll be fine, Camilla- Jakob's had the same training as me, he can hold his own. Now stop worrying, I'll be fine. It's just a few abandoned forts in No Man's Land. How scary can it be?" Leo sighed loudly, shaking his head in exasperation.

"You're being rather blasé about this, sister, considering you've already mucked up one of Father's orders miserably. Camilla's got a point; there are more ways that you can die out there than I can count. There's bandits, and slave traders, and wild wyverns-"

"Wait, slave traders? Why would you even-?"

"Truth be told, I'm not expecting you to come back in one piece... if at all." With a quickness one would not expect from her, Elise reached up and slapped Leo over the back of his head, with enough force to send him stumbling.

"Damn it, Elise, that hurt! What was that for?!"

"For trying to scare Nerr on her first mission, you bully!" She turned, smiling sweetly at her sister. "Don't worry, sis, Leo's just being a worrywart. He tries to act like he doesn't care, but deep down, he cares more than any of us." Nerr smiled at her younger brother, who scowled and looked away. Tearing herself from Camilla's grasp, she drew Leo into a hug, pressing her cheek against his.

"Awwww... you care about me...?" He scoffed.

"You act as if that's some big surprise. You are my sister... as embarrassing as that is, at times."

"I care about you too, Leo." Camilla stepped forward.

"I care too, Nerr, too much to let you do this alone. I'll have to come along, just to make sure nothing happens that you're not prepared for. Otherwise, I'll probably die from worry."

"Now, now, princess. We both know I can't let you do that." An unctuous voice called out, and the siblings turned to see a pale man seemingly materialize from the shadows of the throne. He wore a sorcerer's robes, the gold of his head dress and collar glinting in the torchlight. Camilla frowned at him.

"What do you mean, Iago?"

"You must keep in mind, Lady Camilla, that our king intends for this to be a test for our young princess, a trial by fire, so to speak. She is a member of the royal family; how can she hope to help govern the country if she cannot journey to it's borders without aid?" He spoke with a smirk that suggested the matter was closed, but the eldest princess would not back down so easily.

"The royal family does not deal with matters of the border without aid. That is why we have an army, in case you've forgotten; an army that should, by right, accompany Nerr. What if there are Hoshidans lurking about?" The minister scoffed quietly.

"I have coordinated this mission myself at King Garon's request. Rest assured, there are no foreign threats to worry about. You and your brothers have all done tasks without additional assistance, so it should not be too much to expect your sister to do the same. And truly, Lady Camilla, do you have so little faith in Princess Nerr's abilities?"

Nerr had only met her father's chief advisor, Count Iago, once before, during the fete three years ago. Even back then, she had not cared for him; his thinly veiled insults grating her nerves until she snapped and told him that if he did not have the testicular fortitude needed to insult her directly to her face, then she had nothing more to say to him. Even now, the sarcastic way he said Princess Nerr made her want to punch him in the throat, but even so, he did have a point.

"He's right, Camilla. The words burn my tongue, but he's right. I can do this on my own. I need to do this on my own."

"Not completely on your own, Nerr..." She nearly jumped out of her skin as her father's voice echoed through the room.

"Forgive me, Father. I didn't notice you come in." He had come back into the room, accompanied this time by another man. The man was bald and heavily muscled, wearing thick leather armor lined with wolf pelts. He was quite pale, much like her, even by Nohrian standards.

"I am aware of the treacherous conditions of the roads this time of year. I would not send you out there with no defense. This is Hans, one of my most trusted guards. He will ensure no trouble befalls you." The man, Hans, stared at her unsmiling, but nodded his head.

"...Milady." Nerr forced herself to smile at her father, though she could not shake the sinking feeling in her stomach. Why would he lend her one of his personal guards on a journey that she was supposed to take alone. What trouble could he possibly be worried about?

"Thank you, Father. You are most generous." As her father turned his attention back to Hans, Xander approached her, leaning low to speak in her ear.

"Nerr. Do not let your guard down around that man."

"Huh?" Her voice was just as quiet. "What do you mean?"

"He is a criminal. He's stolen, murdered... done countless other things I wish I didn't have to think about. I arrested him myself."

"I thought he served Father?"

"He does, which make me worry all the more. Perhaps Father can keep him in line, but you... Whatever you do, do not let yourself be alone around him."

"Trust me, brother; I have no desire for such a situation to arise."

000

The journey to the border was not nearly as enjoyable as the one from the citadel to the castle, though that might have stemmed from the smaller traveling party. Nerr and Lilith and her retainers... and Hans. She tried her best to forget he was there, and given how quiet he was, it shouldn't have been hard. But still, he was always there, every time she glanced over her shoulder, like some kind of gargoyle carved into the side of a church, lurking and watching. Nerr tried to keep her mind off the growing sense of unease she felt by taking in the scenery. It was nothing like what she had seen outside her windows. There were fields, and though they lay fallow now that the harvest was over, Gunther explained that, come summer, they would be overflowing with corn and fruit... given the drought did not continue into the next year. Eventually, the farmland grew sparser and sparser, overtaken by tall trees and dense forest.

Although Nerr had never been anywhere even similar to the lands near the border, she felt as if she somehow... knew of this place. It was like something from her fairytale books, and as they had to dismount and trudge through the denser undergrowth on foot, she wondered if she would hear quiet singing emanating from the depths of the woods. She'd heard of something like that, a long time ago, she was sure... but she couldn't be sure where she'd heard it, or when. It didn't matter, though. Other thoughts quickly distracted her. Like the ruins they sometimes passed. Though the land was all wilderness, occasionally, there would be a crumbled stone structure, trees pushing up it's foundation.

She had no idea what most of them were, having never seen any buildings beside the castle and citadel before in her life, but she was certain that one of them was an old church, a rusted bell amidst it's broken masonry and rotting beams. Jakob and Lilith had never been out this far from the capital, and she would rather lick a dirty boot than ask Hans anything, so she directed her curiosity to Gunther, as usual. Much to her dismay, he did not have much to say on the subject, other than that these lands were "dead", and were no place humans had any business being. The old knight was unusually grim as he hacked through the brambles and thick vines that slowed their progress, his jaw tight, frowning much more harshly than she'd even seen from him before.

Nerr wanted to ask what was wrong, to try and comfort him, but she was afraid that if she pestered him any more that he would snap and turn the hatchet in his hand at her. She did not like this Gunther; this sudden change reminded her of her father, and scared her. Sensing her distress, Jakob and Lilith kept close, occasionally resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, but remaining silent. Nerr prayed they would reach the border soon, and was already trying to think of another way back, that did not involve any "dead lands".

000

Four days into the trek, just as Camilla had said, and the Nohr-Hoshido border was finally in sight. The sky was dark, even by Nohrian standards, and long jagged lines of lightning lit the landscape. Nerr inhaled deeply, and frowned. There was not even a distant scent of rain in the air, yet the loud thunder implied they were walking into a storm. That alone made her uneasy, the steep incline they'd have to venture up to get to the forts the king wanted them to survey doing nothing to help.

Horses that weren't familiar with the terrain would only pose a hazard, especially if they spooked at the thunder which was much louder at the top of the cliffs. Lilith stayed behind with Pollux and Bravane (and whatever Hans' horse was called, he hadn't said), whilst the rest of them began the arduous journey to the top of the crag. It was nearly impossible to keep her footing (she had actually put on her boots, terrified of what the jagged rocks would do to her feet), and several times, she slid back down the embankment, digging her fingers into the rough stone and dirt to try and keep from falling off entirely. Her muscles screamed in protest, and sweat ran down her face and into her eyes, blinding her. These were not the conditions she was used to operating under.

She was not weak, not by any stretch; she could run laps for hours and swing a swords until it's hilt came loose, but she'd never had to climb like this, pulling herself up desperately with her nails which she could feel breaking through her gloves. Panting, and wishing she could just collapse on the side of the cliff and rest for a bit, she swore loudly as a large hand grabbed her bicep and pulled her back up to her feet. Wordlessly, Gunther half pulled, half carried her over to an narrow ledge where Caractacus was standing.

"I suggest you ride him, at least until we make it to the top, lest you end up back at the bottom."

"What? No, I don't need to- I can manage on my own-"

"No, you can't, Lady Nerr." Jakob had been sitting on the ledge as well, breathing just as hard as Nerr was, but still managing to look effortlessly prim and proper. "I admit this is hell in it's utmost, but even I'm having an easier time than you. I swear, every time I glance back at you, I expect to see a tiny speck tumbling down the side of the crag."

"...thank you, Jakob, for that vote of confidence."

"My lady, swallow your pride this one time, and let me help you. The faster we survey this fort, the faster we can leave this gods forsaken place..." It was not like her retainer to sound so bitter, and Nerr suddenly felt like a small child about to be scolded. Silently, she put her foot in the stirrups and mounted the horse, with greater ease than she used to. She kept her eyes fixed on the ground as Gunther took the reins and continued leading the trek upwards.

Though her throat was tight, Nerr swallowed her tears. It was bad enough she was a worthless burden, the last thing she needed was annoy anyone by crying like a- bitterly, she remembered how Leo had described it- little bitch. She was pitiful; certainly, if any of her other siblings had been sent on this mission, they would not need help. They probably would've been done already. It was these times, when she was made to realize just how utterly worthless she really was, that Nerr wished she had never been born into the royal family. They deserved better than her blundering disgrace to drag them down. She wished a wild wyvern would swoop down and send her tumbling back down the embankment, out of her misery...

"I'm sorry, my lady..."

"Huh? What?" She started at the sudden, unexpected voice. For a minute, she wondered if it had just been in her head, and was about to dive back into her self loathing, when he spoke again.

"I said, I am sorry, Lady Nerr." Gunther's eyes remained focused on the jagged trail, and his voice was so quiet, nearly drowned out by the thunder, that if he hadn't called her by name, she never would've guessed he was speaking to her.

"...sorry? Sorry for what?"

"My behavior these past few days has been unacceptable. I've made you upset." It was deeply embarrassing that he could see through her that clearly, but, Nerr reminded herself, he had known her longer than anyone else, so it was hardly surprising that he could read her like a book. She forced herself to smile, hoping it would mask the misery she truly felt.

"It's fine, Gunther. Really."

"No, it isn't. I've been short with you-"

"And I can hardly blame you. I'd be short with me too if I had to babysit me..." the princess could not help the bitterness she felt creep into her own words. At this, her old retainer stopped suddenly, looking back at her. The sight of his brow furrowed like that left a pang in Nerr's heart. She wished she could reach out and stroke his head until he relaxed, like he used to do with her.

"My lady, you have done nothing to contribute to my foul mood during this journey. It is my duty to care for you, and I relish it." Poppycock, she wanted to huff, but in her heart, she longed for those words to be true, to know that she wasn't a terrible burden on him (and everyone else, but mostly him). Wringing her hands uncomfortably, Nerr forced herself to ask the question that had been eating away at her for days.

"Then... why are you so upset? What's wrong?" Sighing, Gunther turned away from her, leading his steed once more up the embankment.

"I do not care for this place, Lady Nerr. I've come out this way many times during my years of service, and each time, I prayed it would be the last." Technically, that answered her question, but it was not the complete answer she wanted.

"But why don't you like it? What's wrong with it?"

"Heh. I forget you grew up in desolation. You do not know anything but. These lands were once alive. Now... only ghosts live here."

Nerr still wanted to ask more, but something about Gunther's tone told her to let it go. Biting her lip to keep silent, she raised her eyes for the first time since they'd begun climbing. The top was finally in view. Sighing in relief that she now had something else to occupy her thoughts, the young woman dismounted from the saddle, taking it upon herself to climb/crawl the few remaining yards to the top. She stopped suddenly as she reached the top of the ravine. There were bridges, rickety and falling apart, threaded between high peaks that jutted out from the canyon. It seemed that when lightning crashed above her now, it was so near she could almost feel it's heat. Glancing down, she felt her stomach clench painfully. The darkness below reminded her of her last nightmare. Shaking her head, she backed up a bit, straight into Jakob, who grabbed her arms lightly to keep her from starting.

"Easy, milady. We don't need you falling down either way."

"This must be what Hell looks like." she whispered to him. The butler shrugged, his ever present smile never faltering in her presence.

"To each his own. As far as I'm concerned, Hell is the courtyard of the citadel on training days." Nerr smiled, for the first time since they had left the castle. Gunther and Hans appeared behind them shortly, the knight astride on his horse once more. She approached him, keeping a close eye on her footing.

"Gunther, are you sure you should be riding here? Didn't you say yourself this is no place for horses?"

"For horses unfamiliar with the terrain, yes. But as I've said, I've been out this way many time, and so has Caractacus. I dare say I trust his footing around here more than my own."

Slowly, they made their way over one of the bridges, the way it creaked and swayed in the wind as they crossed it making Nerr's heart race painfully, especially every time she glanced down into the darkness below. Whimpering, she backed up, freezing for a moment as Jakob caught her once more and gently pushed her forward.

"Keep on ahead, Lady Nerr. Surly we have to be near this bloody border soon..."

"We're on the border, Jakob." Gunther called out from the head of the bridge. "The Infinite Chasm is the natural divide between our lands."

"In- infinite?" Nerr asked weakly. "That's... that's just a name, right? I mean... it can't go on forever; there has to be a bottom... right?"

"Let the darkness below be your answer, my lady. If there is a bottom, I sincerely doubt anyone's ever lived to see it. Gods above, I hate this place..." Nerr tiptoed forward, desperate to get off the bridge as quickly as possible.

"Couldn't we have found another route?"

"Certainly we could, but we are on a schedule, and the forts we came to survey are just on the other side of the ravine." A sudden gust sent the bridge swaying violently, everyone (aside from Gunther) grabbing onto the fraying, weathered ropes that held the bridge up to keep from falling. Nerr dropped to her knees, shutting her eyes tightly as if to block out the horrors around her.

"Oh gods, I don't want to die out here on a rickety bridge! Mortals were not meant to tread these grounds!" Clutching to the rope just as tightly as she was, Jakob slowly made his way over to her, his smile looking just a bit strained.

"Haven't you always said you wanted to go on an adventure, Lady Nerr? Somewhere far from the citadel?"

"Not where a dilapidated rope bridge is the only thing standing between me and certain death! Adventure be damned, I want to go home where it's safe!"

"Then we'd best finish up here."

Shaking, and refusing to take her hands off the worn rope, Nerr forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She could see one of the forts in the distance, and there was a piece of solid land not ten feet from her. Sighing in relief that the nightmare was almost over, she quickened her pace, stopping short as a man in Hoshidan garb, the same as the prisoner she'd killed, ran over from the other side of the ravine, stopping in front of the bridge she and her companions were on, his sword drawn. It felt as if her heart had turned to ice as she scanned the area. All over, from seemingly nowhere, Hoshidans were appearing, armed with swords and bows. Behind her, Gunther cursed under his breath.

"It would appear these forts aren't as abandoned as we were led to believe..."

"What's going on?" She asked, as if anyone would have the answer. "Why are there Hoshidans here?" The solider before her stepped onto the bridge, his sword level with Nerr's throat. Her hand went for the hilt of her own blade.

"Halt your advance, Nohrians!" From the other side of the ravine, a louder, gruffer voice called out to them.

"Crossing that bridge is a direct violation of our border treaty! Turn back now, or we will attack!" Nerr backed up, never taking her eyes off the blade in front of her.

"Lady Nerr? What should we do?" Jakob asked, his voice barely audible over the howling winds and thunderclaps.

"...we turn back. We didn't come here to violate any treaties. Father wanted to know about the fort? Well, it's crawling with Hoshidans." Raising her voice, Nerr hoped it could carry across the ravine. "We're leaving! We did not come here with the intention of fighting, so let us go in peace!"

"Very prudent, my lady."

"Yeah... I'm afraid I can't let you do that..." For a long moment, the princess could not figure out who had spoken. It was too close to be one of the Hoshidans... she turned to see Hans push his way forward, a cruel smile twisting his face, as he unhooked a large ax from his belt.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Hans?"

"None of your business, old man!"

There was a feral look in his eyes as he ran forward, knocking Nerr out of the way. She hit the bridge hard, her arm breaking through the rotting wood, and by the time she had pulled herself free, Hans had descended on the Hoshidan solider. He barely had time to scream as the ax tore through the air, connecting with his neck and slicing through it with the greatest of ease. The soldier's head went flying, with an arc of brilliant red blood, bouncing onto the barren ground before rolling into the ravine. For a moment, the headless body stood upright, blood gushing from the neck like a fountain, before it collapsed onto the bridge.

Such a thing was undoubtedly a common sight on a battlefield, but to Nerr, it was new and horrible. She screamed, scrambling back to get away from the blood as it ran down towards her. Jakob pulled her to her feet, pushing her behind his own body as Hans laughed manically.

"Nohrian bastards! You'll pay for this!"

"Damn you, Hans!" Nerr broke away from her retainers, unsheathing her sword as she went and leveling it at the bald man's throat. "I said we were pulling back! What the hell have you done?!" The other man merely scoffed

"I did what I do best." Feeling rage build up inside her, she pressed the tip of her blade into his skin, drawing a bead of blood.

"You dare disobey my orders?! I don't know who the hell you think you are in the castle, but you are nothing out here but a peon!"

"Ha! I could say the same for you! It's cute, that you think you have any power over anything. Gods, the rumors were true- you really are naive. And now you're going to die without even realizing just how stupid and insignificant you are."

Still laughing to himself, Hans rushed off, towards another group of soldiers, his ax glistening with flesh blood. Nerr turned away, but could not block out the screams of the slaughtered soldiers. Across the ravine, she could hear the man she assumed was the commander yelling to his troops.

"Soldiers! Do whatever it takes and slaughter every one of those Nohrian savages!"

"What should we do?" Nerr asked, feeling her heart thundering. "Can we run?"

"I'm afraid not, my lady. They'd be on us before we made it halfway down the embankment." Jakob sounded nearly as grim as Gunther.

"Well, we can't face them. We're outnumbered; they'll slaughter us!"

"Well... uh... maybe we don't need to deal with all of them." Nerr tried desperately to organize her thoughts, but it was impossible when they were being interrupted by screams in the distance. "If we can subdue their commander, they'll probably fall back to regroup. He's over by the fort, he has to be."

"I suppose that's the best plan we have..." Jakob sighed, looking over to where Hans' massacre was taking him, this time another fort that was teeming with Hoshidans. "What should we do about Hans? He's outnumbered- they'll kill him." Nerr followed his gaze, taking in the sheer number of archers training their bows on the evil man. Her lips twisted into a hateful scowl.

"Good. His corpse can buy us some time."

Unfortunately, it seemed that the only way over to the fortress was across another rickety bridge that led straight into the archer-filled death trap. Breathing hard and panting, Nerr tried to see if there was another route across. She stumbled over a tree root sticking out of the ground and fell, much too close to the edge of the ravine for her liking. As she scrambled to get up, she felt a familiar tingle through her arms. The ground at the edge of the ravine... the same energy she had felt in Castle Krakenburg flowed through it. Calling her retainers over, she got to her feet and channeled the energy through her hands. She had no idea what would happen, but hopefully, it would be something useful. There was a loud, thundering sound, much like the one she'd heard in the castle when she'd used the Dragon Vein there.

This time, she saw what was happening. Large stones from the depths of the ravine floated up, joining together tightly as if they were being laid by an invisible hand. Within a matter of seconds, a bridge had formed over the ravine, as if it had always been there naturally. The Hoshidans on the other side, drew back in terror, and in that moment of uncertainty, Nerr and Jakob ran over, blades flashing as they sank into the flesh not covered by their armor. Wryly, she wondered why they even wore armor when it covered so little. As she pulled Ganglari out of some poor archer's gut, she twisted the blade to make sure he would stay down. Sometimes, Gunther told her during training sessions, people lived for quite a long time after being stabbed, as long as it did not tear their organs. Which was why she needed to ensure that she did that. As the body fell to the ground, coating her armor in hot blood, she looked over at Jakob. He had twisted his own opponent (that sounded better in her mind than 'victim') into a painful looking hold, and was currently stabbing him repeatedly in the abdomen, completely unfazed by the spray of blood staining his clothes and face.

It was disheartening to think that yesterday, she had been willing to die to spare others their lives, and today, she was killing in cold blood and barely felt anything. She was becoming cold, and she did not like it. But Nerr forced herself to focus on the issue at hand, which was getting herself and her retainers out alive. She turned her attention to the fortress, which was being guarded by a single man. It seemed odd at first, until she remembered that all his comrades had either been killed by her party and Hans, or were guarding the other fort. The Hoshidan was dressed in a garb similar to what Suzukaze had worn. She fixed him with a cold stare, pointing her blade at him.

"We don't want to fight. Call off your troops and we can avoid more unnecessary bloodshed." The shinobi laughed darkly.

"You either take me for a fool, or you're a fool yourself. You come out here, instigate a battle, slaughter my men, and then call for a truce?! Do you even realize what you've done here today!? Hoshido will not stand for unprovoked attacks like this! You have brought destruction upon your country, and you will all be made to pay us back in blood!"

Before Nerr could even think of a retort, he began throwing the same metal stars that the prisoner had unleashed on her. And just the same, the ones that hit the chinks in her armor and exposed flesh sunk in deeply, leaving her weak and dizzy. Growling in frustration (why would nobody just agree to talk about things with her?), she dashed forward, slashing at the man with her blade. It tore through his clothes and skin, but she could feel that it was not deep enough to kill him. Grunting in pain, he pulled out a strange looking dagger and lunged at her. Fear, rather than any conscious thought, sent her hands up, Ganglari forgotten, leaving them cut and bloody rather than her throat, but he continued pressing the blade further down, and she was not sure how much longer she could hold him off. In the distance, she could galloping hoof beats, that steadily grew louder and louder until-

"Urk!" With a noise that sounded like a cross between choking and gurgling, the shinobi dropped his blade, slumping against Nerr. Something sharp scrapped against her armor, and she chanced a glance down to see the point of a spearhead protruding from his chest. Blood gathered in the corners of his mouth as he gasped for air. "This isn't... over..." he rasped at her, bloody flecks spittle landing on her face. "This... means... war..." With those last words, his full weight fell against her. Whimpering in disgust, she heaved him off of her, cringing as he hit the ground loudly. The shaft of a lance stuck up from his back, and Gunther rode up, tugging on it until it came loose with a sickening squelch.

"My apologies, my lady. I would've come sooner, but I was ambushed a bit back." Nerr looked back to the other side of the ravine, feeling her stomach turn at the sight of at least three corpses piled up at the foot of the new bridge.

"No, I'm sorry you had to deal with that alone."

" 'twas nothing I haven't dealt with before. Lady Nerr, you're bleeding."

"Huh?" She looked down to see blood coursing down her legs where, once again, those wretched metal stars had embedded themselves in her flesh. Her gloves had also been ripped to shreds, and her palms were bleeding quite profusely. "Gods, I didn't even notice."

"Yes, well, fighting for your life has a way of making everything else seem unimportant. Jakob! Bring that healing staff over here and make yourself useful, boy!" The butler trudged over, his once pristine uniform now stained a hideous shade of rusty red. He glared up at Gunther.

"I hope you don't expect me to heal you, because I'm not wasting a staff on someone with one foot already in the grave."

"Jakob!" Nerr could not hide her affronted tone. Yes, her retainers often needled at one another, but that was crossing a line. Jakob looked over at her as if just noticing her for the first time. His eyes widened comically and his jaw fell open.

"Lady Nerr! You're hurt! Oh gods, I'm so sorry, I didn't notice- oh, how could I leave you in this state? I am a failure as a butler!"

"It's fine, Jakob, really. Just a few scratches."

Certainly it was a bit more than scratches, but if one went by the way Jakob went on as he healed her, they would think she had been dismembered. Planting her sword in the hard soil, she sat on the steps leading up to the fortress. Jakob leaned against the stone wall, gazing back over the ravine.

"What do we do now, Lady Nerr?"

"Isn't it obvious? We go back to the capital and report this."

"What about Hans?" The revulsion and hatred Nerr felt at the mention of that... man, if one could call him that, was unlike anything she'd known before.

"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. I hope the Hoshidans got their pound of flesh from him and hurled him into the ravine. That... that dastard! This is all his fault!"

"Don't fret, my lady." Gunther's voice was as calm as ever as he adjusted his spearhead. "What's done is done; there's no reason to dwell on it."

"How can you say that, Gunther?! We're at war now! True war, not just little skirmishes!"

"We're always at war. Sometimes there are just breaks in the fighting."

"How can you be so nonchalant about this, old man?" Jakob asked wit a touch of incredulity in his voice. "Are you honestly trying to tell me the thought of total war doesn't scare you?"

"War and I go way back." Was all he gave by way of response.

Nerr breathed deeply, letting her eyes fall closed for a moment. She wondered how late it was. It was so cloudy that she could not see the stars and moon the way she could back home. It felt late. They had started climbing sometime around dusk. She hoped Lilith was alright all by herself. They needed to go soon, but gods, it would probably take at least four more days before they got back to the capital. That would be more than a week, but once she explained what happened, Father would probably allow her leniency. She intoned to her retainers that they needed to go, the faster they could leave, the better.

Nerr lingered for a moment longer, opening and closing her hands. The flesh was healed, but they were still sore, and would be for quite some time. She was not looking forward to the trek back down the crag. Just as soon as she had gotten to her feet, the sound of fast approaching footsteps set her on edge. Dreading what she'd see, she turned towards the dark forest that bordered the fortress. Her worst fears were confirmed as three Hoshidans appeared from the shadows, weapons drawn. Two held swords, and another, a man with deep red hair, was apparently another shinobi.

"Son of a bitch..." he muttered, his voice low, but dripping with malice. "You're the leader of these troops? Pfft; you're just a fucking kid..." Grabbing her sword, she raised it, fully intending to fight.

"Who are you..?" She whispered. Jakob and Gunther were already on the other side of the bridge; they probably hadn't even heard reinforcement coming, there was no way they could reach her in time. She was on her own now, well and truly. The shinobi pulled a dagger like the one the commander had used against her from a belt, twirling it between his fingers with such skill Nerr would've been impressed had she not been terrified.

"I am Saizou. And I am the one who will end your life."

Nerr took an attack stance, but in the time it took to blink, this Saizou was gone. She looked around frantically, trying to spot some movement in the shadows, but to no avail. She could hear hoof beats once more thundering towards her, but this time, it would be too late. The air behind her suddenly warmed, and she turned on her heel, coming face to face with the shinobi. From so close, she could see one of his eyes was badly scared, a milky film covering the iris. He could still see her perfectly fine with his other eye, unfortunately.

"...die!" He snarled at her. She could see the blade glinting in the lightning, it was coming down to fast, she couldn't stop it.. In the last seconds, she shut her eyes, not wanting to look this death in the face.

"I can't allow that!" She felt something collide with her, hard enough to knock her to the ground, and then the sound of metal clanging. Not feeling dead, Nerr opened her eyes, blinking in disbelief as Xander, sitting high upon his steed, filled up her range of vision. It was like a fairytale, a prince arriving just in the nick of time to save the princess (Nerr had never considered her brother to be the 'Prince Charming' type, though). The Hoshidan drew back, his expression unreadable due to the mask that covered the lower part of his face.

"Dammit... I guess this is the real commander..." Xander smiled down at her as she got back up, rushing over to his side to put as much distance between herself and the Hoshidans as possible.

"Looks like I got here just in time. Are you alright, Nerr?"

"I've been better..." she answered truthfully. "But... what are you doing here? How did you...?"

More hoof beats, along with the swish of beating wings, distracted her from her chain of thought. Her retainers had come back, but they were not alone. Camilla, Leo and Elise rode beside them. Leo pulled up on Nerr's other side, his destrier, Faust, rearing up slightly as he came to a stop.

"Heh. Your luck never runs out, does it, Nerr?"

"Are you alright, dearest? I've been worried sick..."

"Leave my sister alone, you jerk faces!" She breathed a sigh of relief, once again feeling at ease. At least she wasn't outnumbered anymore. But this was no time to get sentimental.

"Um... you know I really appreciate you guys being here and looking out for me, but maybe we should leave before even more reinforcements show up?"

"Reinforcements?" Camilla scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "What do I care about reinforcements? You're hurt, Nerr; who did this to you?"

"It's not important..."

"It is to me. No one hurts my brothers and sisters and lives to tell the tale..."

"But Camilla-!"

"Don't worry, darling. Big sis will take care of this."

She drove Theodoros straight into the Hoshidans ranks with such speed, Saizou was barely able to throw himself out of the way in time. The other soldiers were not so lucky. The wyvern clamped it's iron-like jaws down on one of them, the screams of pain and fear ending abruptly as it bit hard, the Hoshidan's head exploding in a shower of gore. The other soldier tried to escape that grisly fate, running back into the woods as his comrade lay twitching in a pool of his own blood. Unfortunately for him, the wyvern was the least dangerous thing that had come after them. Camilla pulled a throwing ax from it's sheath near her saddle and took aim. You could hear the blade cut through the air... until it met it's mark, deep within the Hoshidan's spine. He fell down, dead before he hit the ground. Nerr recoiled in horror. The Camilla she knew was sweet and gentle and nurturing... nothing like this cold blooded killer who was smiling serenely as she rejoined the others.

"...who the hell is that, and what has she done with my sister...?" Elise giggled, as if that had been anything but a serious inquiry.

"Hee hee, I forgot. You haven't seen what sis is like on the battlefield, have you Nerr? Isn't she great?" Great at killing? Yes. The remaining Hoshidan cursed under his breath, still clutching his dagger, seemingly torn between staying and fleeing, pride and prudence. Nerr continued stepping away, until she felt something solid against against her back. Stifling a scream and hoping it was not more shinobi (they appeared from thin air!), she turned to see Caractacus looking down at her. Fleet footsteps from the other side of the fortress drew her attention back once more. How many Hoshidans were in this supposedly abandoned place? It did not seem to be reinforcements this time, thankfully, but rather a scout, a lone woman. Her weapon was drawn as well, but she did not rush at the Nohrians, coming to a halt at the red-haired man's side.

"Kagerou reporting. Saizou, what is our situation?" Her voice was quiet, but the wind had died down, if only slightly, and Nerr's hearing was said to be better than most. Saizou cursed under his breath, some strange word she'd never heard before. It must've been a Hoshidan word.

"I miscalculated the Nohrian's force. We're outnumbered. Tell me reinforcements are on their way..."

"They are. Ryouma-sama is leading them." The princess did not know who 'Ryoma Sama' was, but he must've been a Hoshidan general at the least, given the way Saizou chuckled.

"Then this battle is all but won."

"Xander!" She called out, feeling her nerves start to get the better of her. She did not want to fight anymore, not here, not when it was so unnecessary. "They have reinforcements coming!"

"What? Damn it all..."

"What should we do, Xander?" Unlike her, Leo's voice betrayed no emotion. She wondered how it was possible for her younger brother to be so much calmer and more mature than she was.

"We did not come here to fight unnecessary battles. Nerr is safe, the forts have been surveyed. We pull back and report to Father." Xander turned his attention to her. "Nerr, you and your retainers take the lead. We'll follow shortly." She nodded mutely, feeling her heart pound. What if the reinforcements were already nearby, what if they were on them before they made it down the crag? Nerr stumbled a bit as she turned around, the sight of the fallen Hoshidans swimming before her. She was still light headed; it had to have something to do with those metal stars- she'd felt like that back at the castle to.

"You should ride with me, my lady. You're not stable on your feet." Gunther offered her a hand, and she took it without thinking, letting him pull her up into the saddle behind him. Digging his spurs into the courser's sides, they turned and took off at full gallop back across the ravine. Nerr shut her eyes tightly, gripping the knight so tightly around the middle it seemed a miracle that his armor wasn't crushed beneath her hands. The lightning sounded like it was getting close, but there was still no scent of rain. Only cold air and blood, on her clothes, on her hands, so much blood... She recalled where most of it came from, the archer she'd sliced from end to end, that seemed to be the easiest way to deal with the unarmored Hoshidans.

His face had frozen into a grimace of pain and shock, and then the light had gone out in his eyes. She had stepped over his corpse to get the the commander, as if he were nothing more than a piece of trash by the side of the road... Her head was pounding, and everything was spinning worse than ever... but as she opened her eyes a crack, she realized that was just the rotting bridge they were galloping over. It swayed violently, and it defied all reason that the ancient, splitting wood and fraying rope was holding under them. But it mattered not; Nerr could tolerate the rocking no more.

"Stop! Stop please! Let me off!" Pulling hard on the reins, Gunther brought his steed to a halt, and Nerr took the first opportunity to jump off, collapsing to her hands and knees and shaking violently.

"Are you alright, Lady Nerr?"

"No, I'm not alright! Gods, if I knew this was what he meant when he said 'survey a fort', I'd have just let Father execute me!"

"Surely it isn't that bad, my lady..."

"It's horrible! It's so much worse! And this is only my second mission!" She got to her feet, slightly unsteady. She glanced up at Gunther, concern over her sudden outburst plain on his face. A wretched thought came into her mind. "You've been doing this for, what, forty years? How do you do it? How do you survive it?!" He was quiet for a long moment, waiting for her breathing to calm down a bit.

"Active duty for twenty-five, reserve for five. I know it is hard, Lady Nerr, I know that all to well. Sudden skirmishes on the border, ambushes... the memories of those things still give me nightmares to this day." Nerr did not want to know that, she did not want to know that her unassailable protector was human. Sighing, she pressed on.

"But how does it not crush you? How do you make yourself keep going on? I've only just begun, and already I want to give up..." There was a distant look in Gunther's eyes as he spoke, as if he were not seeing her, but something far, far away.

"I keep going because I have to, my lady. It is my duty, it is what I do. Doubts are to be expected, but one day, you will find something to fight for, and then you too will realize that you have to."

Something to fight for? She was already fighting for something; her country, her family, her honor... what more could matter? Nerr was about to ask him what more he fought for, but the sudden sound of footsteps in the distance made her heart jolt painfully. She looked around, unsheathing her sword just in case. There did not seem to be any Hoshidans about (though, not seeing shinobi apparently did not mean they weren't there...), but then again... neither did her siblings. Xander said they would follow, but they weren't there. And neither was Jakob, even though Nerr was certain he had followed her and Gunther closely.

"Gunther? Where's Jakob? He was right behind us..."

"And I'm sure he still is. I was going at a full gallop; it's unsurprising he was unable to keep up. Perhaps that was wrong of me, but I wanted to get you back on solid ground as quickly as possible." A slight smile managed to creep up on Nerr's face, despite her heavy thoughts and malaise.

"It is a bit mean, but I appreciate it. You're always so solicitous when it comes to me..."

"That's true, but I confess, I'm not that selfless. It's taking every ounce of self-control I possess to not go on without you."

"What!?"

"Forgive me, my lady, but you are not the only person who doesn't want to die on a rickety bridge. I understand that you're going through mental turmoil, but I desperately wish that could wait until we were on solid ground..." It struck Nerr painfully to realize that, yet again, she was being a horrible burden. Because of her problems, because of her discomfort, everything else in the world had to stop. Tightening her grip on her sword, she forced herself to start walking.

"You're absolutely right, Gunther. I'm sorry, I had no idea how selfish I was even being..."

"It's not... you weren't... It's fine, my lady, but please, do hurry up. I can't stand being on this god's forsaken bridge a moment longer..."

The edge of the ravine was in sight, the dark forest that lay below stretching on for miles. If there wasn't a high probability that she would die, Nerr would've run and launched herself off the edge, so as to not have to climb all the way back down. The thought of that steep climb seemed even more daunting the other way. Again, she heard footsteps, but this time, she was certain they were not coming from behind. A shadowy figure appeared from a thin copse of trees near the crag's edge, dashing towards them, the bridge swaying violently once more.

"Don't worry... you won't have to stand there much longer." A large bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, and in that second, she caught a glimpse of a shining ax head, coated in dried blood. An unpleasant, unwanted figure stopped before her and her companion, and Nerr felt anger start to overtake her previous fear and misery.

"You!" She growled, her sword hand twitching in anticipation. He was covered in long, deep gashes, and she was certain she saw the shaft of a few arrows lodged in his prominent muscles. "Why the hell aren't you dead?"

"Aw, you don't sound like you missed me much. Trust me, it takes more than a handful of nobodies to take me down, Hoshidan or otherwise." He stood in the middle of the bridge, blocking either of them from passing easily, but Nerr would have none of that. She approached him, drawing her blade back and fully intending to finish what the Hoshidans started. She'd already killed people who didn't deserve it today; at least she could make it up to them by ending the source of all the trouble.

"Stand down, Hans. And this time, I will cut you down if you don't obey."

"Pffft, I'd like to see you try, princess." He charged at her, and she swung. But unlike the Hoshidans who went down in one blow, Hans was stronger, faster, better. The bright spurt of blood didn't even seem to faze him, and he returned her blow, swinging his ax. His arc was wide, and that was the only thing that prevented her head from flying off the way the Hoshidan's had. She pulled back, enough to avoid a fatal injury, not enough to avoid being struck. The blade hit her in the middle, sparks flying off as the metals collided. Much like with Xander's blows, it felt like there had been nothing protecting her, the metal caving in and sending the force of the strike through her. She was knocked to the ground, her sword skittering across the bridge and landing a few feet away. The breath had been knocked out of her, and her ears were ringing, which must've been why Gunther sounded so far away even though he was right beside her.

"Hans! You dastard, you dare attack a royal?! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Well, what it means is you're a shitty retainer for letting it happen in the first place. So I guess that means you've outlived your usefulness."

Just as he had charged at Nerr, so too did he run at her retainer, swinging his ax wildly in broad arcs. As a veteran knight, Gunther did not panic in the face of such an onslaught, but unfortunately, Caractacus did. It was hardly surprising, and the wretched brute used it to his advantage, swinging at the poor horse's legs rather than face it's rider in true combat. Blood splashed onto the bridge, the courser rearing up on it's hind legs, neighing loudly, it's eyes bulging in terror. Still Hans continued swinging, forcing both horse and rider further back. There was a loud cracking sound that made Nerr sick with fear. One of Caractacus' hind legs had gone through the rotting wooden planks. As the horse thrashed in fear, the surrounding wood began to crumble as well. The princess knew what was happening, she could see it in her mind already, but she could not bear to watch it play out in reality. She threw herself forward, perfectly aware that the entire bridge could give in at any moment, but not caring in the slightest. She wanted to grab the reins, but that would accomplish nothing, she was not that strong... Instead, she reached out, trying to take Gunther's hand; she could pull him back to safety at least, she was certain she could...

The wood beneath her feet shuddered, and with a horrible crack, the entire section of the bridge gave way. The scream felt as if it had physically been torn from her, "Gunther, nooo!" Nerr could still hear the panicked whinnying, and a loud cry (that sounded terrified, but she could not bring herself to admit that) echoing in the ravine, but almost at once, the sounds were swallowed by silence. Her heart had stopped, she could not breathe, she could not think. Her body acted of it's own accord as she fell to her knees beside the gaping hole, paying no mind to the fact that the wood was still crumbling beneath her as she looked into the depths of the abyss. Certainly it could not be infinite, but it that moment, it seemed as much. All she could see was darkness, darkness stretching for an eternity, but still her eyes darted back and forth, as if she would be able to make out a shape, some sign of him, something that could give her hope that he wasn't gone-

"Awww, did I knock your babysitter into the ditch?" Hans cooed from behind Nerr, smiling as he ran his thumb over the blade of his ax, making sure it was still sharp. "Don't worry, princess; I'm sure he'll be waiting for you at the bottom."

Tears stung Nerr's eyes, blurring her vision... It hurt, it hurt more than she could have ever prepared herself for, an actual physical pain... a burning, stabbing sensation running down her arm, her heart feeling as if someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing it until it exploded. Ganglari was only a foot away, and she grabbed it, not intending to die at the hands of this monster without a fight, but truly, her vision was blurring more and more. Everything had taken on a sickly, gray tone, and the edges had gone black, pulsing in time with her erratic heartbeat. The girl forced herself to her feet, staggering and gasping for air that would not come. The hand in her chest was tightening it's grip, and her arm felt as if someone were tearing it off.

She wanted to swing her sword at Hans, but she could not force her other arm to obey, her fingers locked on the hilt as her entire left side burned. Nerr cried out in agony as every joint in her left arm seemed to wretch itself loose from it's socket, pulling more and more until she was certain it was going to rip off. It felt as if her bones were being shattered and reformed, her skin cut off in long ribbons and rewound. The pain was too much, and the screaming grew louder until it sounded distorted. In that moment, everything went black, and she was certain she'd passed out, but only seconds later, she awoke. Only... she was not herself. There was no fear, no doubt, nothing that had bothered her so much minutes earlier. The only thing left within the depths of her soul now was hate.

"You killed Gunther..." she seethed, accusing the man before her of the most unforgivable sin. He had not just killed her retainer, her oldest and most trusted companion... he had killed her happiness, and light and hope... and apparently, her mercy. "I'll kill you!"

"Wh-what kind of freak are you?!"

Nerr let her actions answer that question. She ran at Hans, unconcerned for her safety or the consequences of attacking her father's person guard, or anything but making him suffer. He tried to defend himself against her vicious swings, but Ganglari's blade cut through the wooden handle of his ax with ease. The blood spraying over her did not bother the princess this time. Rather, she reveled in it, taking it as proof that the wicked monster who destroyed her happiness was suffering. But even that was not enough. The pain in her arm had subsided enough that it no longer distracted her. In fact, it now felt as if she held a sword in her left hand as well, with as much ease and skill as she had with her right arm, even though such a thing was impossible. Where flesh and plate armor had once been, she now saw a horrifying lance, but rather than let fear consume her, she the voice in her head that said I know what to do, trust me take over.

The lance she'd sprouted was more effective than anything she had ever seen during arms training. As Hans tried to scramble away, bleeding and terrified, it grew, like a plant in rapid time, stretching out until the razor sharp tip impaled itself into his muscular thigh. The bald man dropped to the bridge like a sack of bricks, trying in vain to stem the flow of blood from his leg. Just as quickly as it had grown, the spear receded back into her arm before morphing into something else. The closest metaphor Nerr could think for this new appendage was a cannon, something she had seen pictures of in her books, but never in person. The biggest difference was the head. In the pictures, cannons were small and with a hole for whatever it was shooting.

This one, this thing, looked like a monstrous jaw composed of huge, interlocking teeth. It was awful, and she was beginning to think 'freak' was an apt word for her, but she didn't care She could be scared and disturbed later. At present, she wanted Hans dead, or at the very least, wishing he was. Once again, a sharp pain shot down her arm, but this was traveled quicker, down from her shoulder to her fingertips (or where they would've been if she'd had fingers). The jaw at her wrist opened wide, and what seemed to be a blast of water shot out, splashing across the man's face and chest.

She had no time to wonder what had just happened, for in less time than it took for everything to happen, her vision went back to normal, as did the feeling in her arm, no longer burning. Too furious to care what was going on, she turned her attention back to Hans, a grim delight in her chest as she watched him writhing on the rotting planks in agony, clutching his face, his cries of pain muffled by his hands. His pale skin was now an angry red, and Nerr could see steam rising from him in the cold air, only to be blown away by the wind. It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of boiling hot water at him. She only wished she could do that too. Taking a step forward, she put her foot on his throat, digging her heel into his windpipe.

"Why? The Hoshidans, Gunther... why have you destroyed everything?!" He made an unintelligible choking sound, but that wasn't good enough for Nerr. She pressed down harder, wondering if she would feel a pop soon. "ANSWER ME!"

"I was... just... following orders..."

"Who's orders?!"

"K-King Garon's...!" Hans went limp beneath her, and the princess felt her mind go blank. What? What kind of lies was he spouting, did he honestly expect her to believe her father ordered this? Her father... who assured her there would be no fighting, no Hoshidans... who sent her straight to the Hoshidan border... Consumed with uncertain thoughts once more, she didn't notice the brutish man open his eyes. He reached up and grabbed her ankle, pulling her down. The back of Nerr's head hit the rotting wood with a dull thump, and by the time she came back to her senses, Hans had gotten to his feet and was running back towards the edge of the crag.

"Coward! Get back here! Gods help me, I'll kill you!" He was too far for her threats to carry much impact, and soon, he disappeared over the side of the precipice. Gods, where were her siblings, where was Jakob? She was all alone, well and truly alone...

She closed her eyes as the tears came back once more, spilling down the sides of her face as she blinked. Lightning still streaked across the sky, but it seemed far away now, too far away from her to provide any light. This was the darkness she had dreamed of, bleak and hopeless and all-consuming, only it was not below her. It came from inside, from where her heart had once beat but now lay shriveled and dead. It would pull her in, and this time, she would not fight it. Why bother, when she was alone and could feel nothing, only sorrow and Ganglari's hilt in her hand. She tightened her fingers around it unconsciously.

Despite the fact that she had been holding it for quite some time, it still felt cold, her shredded glove offering no protection. Truly, it was too cold, colder than it ought to have been. Nerr tried to open her hand, but despite her greatest effort, her fingers were locked in place. Panicking a bit, she tried to pry them loose with her other hand, but they would not release. The sword's hilt was so cold, it felt as if it were burning. Once, long ago, she had been sparring with Flora. The maid's dagger, infused with ice magic, had pressed against her cheek, the cold steel feeling like a branding iron. It had frozen to her skin, and only came loose when it pulled some of her flesh off with it. That was exactly what it felt like was happening now, only it was not nearly that cold... Her fingers tightened once more, of their own accord, until her knuckles had begun turning white.

The sword's glowing aura intensified so suddenly it blinded her. Shutting her eyes against the blinding glare, she realized she was moving, as if someone had grabbed Ganglari's blade and was trying to pull it from her grasp. She would've welcomed the help had it not been so futile... and if she could see who was 'helping' her. There was no one there, there was no one anywhere, but still the blade pulled. Nerr tugged back, unsure of who or what she was fighting, but not caring either. Without warning, the sword jolted, the force of it knocking her back onto the bridge. It pulled her along the wooden surface, large splinters tearing at her clothes and digging into her flesh. She continued trying to prize her hand free, but there was no time, the invisible force was dragging her straight to the broken section of the bridge where Gunther had fallen through. Crying out in terror, she did anything she could to slow herself; clawing at the planks, trying to dig her toes in, but it didn't work nearly as well with shoes on... Her nails breaking off and the sudden snap she felt in her foot were barely noticeable through the fog of horror that consumed her. It only took seconds before she reached the gaping hole, but it seemed to drag on for a lifetime in her mind. Whatever force had been dragging her let go at once, but it was too late, her momentum sending her hurtling headfirst into the canyon with one last cry.

For the first few seconds as she fell, Nerr flailed about wildly, still trying to find someway of saving herself. Large stones jutted out at every angle, and she scrambled to grab hold of them, but they were too slick and she was falling too quickly. All she succeeded in doing was smashing her arms and legs against the rocks. As the futility of struggling finally sank in, she went still. She could not save herself; she could do nothing by herself. It was a pitiful way to die, but the truth was, she deserved a pitiful death. She wished she could have at least explained to Xander what had happened at the border, so that when war truly did break out, the blame and hatred would not be all on her. She would not be able to fight alongside her siblings, or defend her country... She would never know what "more" she could fight for, or what Gunther fought for... She remembered Hans' words, feeling as if she'd been punched from the inside as his mocking voice rang clear in her ears. Don't worry, princess; I'm sure he'll be waiting for you at the bottom... The chasm could not be infinite, there had to be a bottom... and she'd find it soon enough, though she was certain she would not be able to say anything to her retainer then. Maybe she could see him in the afterlife and appologize- it was her fault he'd died on a bridge.

Unfamiliar words in a familiar tone echoed around her. Nerr had never heard such a language before, but at the same time, she had. It just took a moment to translate into the dialect she was familiar with in her mind.

"My kin, my gods, my blood... Dragons, grant me strength! Great Moreau, I beseech you!" Something swooped past her, catching her hard in the stomach before pulling her up. Winded and dizzy from the blood rushing to her head, It took Nerr a long while to realize she was no longer falling. In fact, she was quite still, laying on her stomach across something solid and warm. Hazarding a look down, she saw the darkness of the chasm, as well as the broken bridge. She was floating high above everything.

My lady, Nerr... The princess started, nearly falling back into the ravine. There had been a voice, but it felt more like a thought than anything she had heard. It came from inside her head, how could it be anything but? Lady Nerr... Again, the thought of a voice, but this time, she was certain it was not one of her own thoughts. Her senses finally catching up to her, she remembered that tone, the same as the voice from the ravine. Nerr took a better look at what she was laying on. It was about the size of a small cat, but much sturdier, covered in fine, fish-like scales in a motley of red, blue and white. A long blue and red tail, also fish-like, swayed back and forth, as if the strange... creature? was swimming in midair. It was the oddest creature she'd ever seen, and the princess was tempted to throw herself from it lest it decide it was not friendsly, but that voice...

"Lilith? Is that you?"

Yes, milady, it is I.

"But... what- what are you?!" A quiet sigh filled her mind.

I always knew this day would come. The truth is... I am not human.

"I can see that! I have eyes! What are you?!"

I am a dragon... An astral dragon Nerr's mind raced. Dragon? That wasn't right. She had seen pictures of dragons in her books and the tapestries within the citadel. Dragons were huge, with large wings and horns and claws... they did not look like baby cat-lizards. It was plain as day that whatever... this was, it was not a dragon, but all the same it seemed a bit... familiar.

"I... I've seen you before. Like this..."

Yes. You saved my life once, years ago. I had been injured in this form, and hid myself in the citadel's stables... you found me there. I thought you would flee in terror or try to kill me, but you didn't. You fed me and comforted me and hid me from the other's eyes... Even though it was all in her mind, Nerr could hear the tears creeping into Lilith's voice.

"Anybody would've done that."

No. They wouldn't. I know that all to well. And that's why, when I recovered and could take my human form once more, I vowed to serve you for the rest of my life. But I'm afraid I can no longer serve you in that capacity.

"What do you mean?"

I've used the extent of my powers. This is the only form I have now. But that's fine; the only thing that matter to me is that you're safe.

A large bolt of lightning cracked right beside them, so close that Nerr could feel the heat of it coursing through her, making her hair stand on end. Lilith cried out- in her mind, at any rate- and suddenly dropped, nearly plummeting back into the ravine. It seemed to be taking all of her energy to stay afloat. Nerr realized that she was the problem; she was too heavy for the tiny creature to support. Just like always, someone had to come in and save her. She grit her teeth.

"Lilith, I'm too heavy! Let me go and save yourself! I'll be fine, just... tell my brothers and sisters that I love them..."

Don't worry, Lady Nerr. You can tell them yourself. Again, she spoke (thought-spoke?) in that strange dialect that gave the princess pause. First Dragons, I call on you. Let us return home! Home... Nerr's heart ached to go home, but truly, how much of a home could it be now? Such thoughts seemed unnecessary as Lilith pointed her nose down towards the ground, instinct alone keeping the girl on her back from sliding off and back into the ravine.

There was a flash of light at the end of the bridge, and as it faded, she could see arcane runes glowing on the ground. Lilith dove head first into the middle of the runes, paying no heed to Nerr's panicked cry. Gods, what horrid luck- she had avoided one death only to fall victim to another. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact... but it did not come. It seemed like once again, they were simply floating. Lilith bucked a bit, sending Nerr off her back. But there was no infinite darkness for her to fall into this time. Instead, she landed (rather hard) on her backside on what felt like a stone floor. Opening her eyes, she felt as if the breath had been squeezed from her. She was no longer at the Infinite Chasm... but she certainly wasn't home, either.

All around her lay a familiar scene of twisted trees and tall mountains, but the sky was much too bright for what she was used to in Nohr. The clouds were puffy and white, and Nerr actually had to bring a hand up to shield her eyes from the harsh light.

"Gods above..." she whispered. "What is this place?"

This, Lady Nerr, is what's known as an astral realm. Planes parallel to the world you live in, that were once where the ancient dragons dwelt.

"Ancient dragons? You mean the First Dragons, the gods?"

Yes, and these lands are protected by those same gods, so you will be safe here.

The lands of the gods... it was all too much for Nerr to take in, much less believe, but even so, she could feel power radiating through the ground beneath her, the same that she felt with the Dragon Veins. With solid ground beneath her once more, her breathing began to calm, but with fear no longer serving as a distraction, the pain of her broken, battered body hit her full force. The hilt of her sword no longer burned her skin, and she found she could now pry her fingers loose, though with some difficulty, given that they had cramped in place. She was covered in bloody scrapes and riddled with splinters, her fingers torn, several nails ripped clean off. A burning, throbbing pain shot up her leg, and all the while, the blinding light overwhelmed her senses. She swooned, reaching out towards Lilith without thinking, forgetting that her equerry no longer had hands. Her fingers grabbed at the air, and she collapsed back onto the hard ground, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as everything around her went black.

000

Nerr could not tell how much time had passed since she'd closed her eyes. She was exhausted, physically and mentally, though that was hardly a new sensation. The surface she lay on was still harder than the featherbed she was used to, but softer than bare ground. Blinking slowly, she opened her eyes, surprised to see that it was darker. She was looking at something like a stone ceiling, but not the cut stone of the citadel. This was rough and jagged, like the walls of the Infinite Chasm. It seemed that she was laying in some sort of cave, brilliant sunlight streaming in from an opening a few feet away from her. A small fire burned off to her side, and as she rolled over with more difficulty than she felt it should've taken, she noticed the ground beneath her was green and spongy. It must've been moss, she thought, having seen the same green carpeting rocks and trees as she journeyed to the border.

I'm glad to see you're awake now, Lady Nerr. The princess jumped a bit, wincing as pain shot through her body, before remembering the source of the voice in her head. Lilith hovered on the other side of the fire, her scales shimmering in the warm light. For the first time, Nerr noticed an opalescent orb clutched between the dragon's... feet? Hands? It glowed ever so slightly, and she wondered if orb held Lilith aloft, or if she just carried it as she floated on her own.

You gave me quite a scare, passing out like that. I had to make a place for you to rest.

"Make?"

Yes. I was afraid to move you- I didn't know how injured you were- so I made this shelter where you lay. Sensing the other girl's confusion, Lilith floated over to settle beside her. This realm is the dragon's natural home. The power humans call 'Dragon Veins' is simply the realm's life force. It flows through every rock and blade of grass. They're much more powerful than the ones you use in your realm. Nerr frowned a bit, laying back down. Thoughts collided in her head, and it took some doing to untangle them.

"You said this is the home of dragons, but it seems deserted. Aren't there others like you? Where is everyone?" The dragon remained quiet for a long time, and when she spoke her voice in the princess's mind was quiet.

No. There is no one else like me. And there is no one else in this realm. Once, it was full of life, but now... I'm the only one left. Despite her own misery, Nerr felt her heart go out to Lilith. She remembered how, one day, the girl (she had been a human, then) had appeared at the citadel, looking for work. She had pleaded to stay, insisting she did not even need to be paid a wage, and was happy just working for room and board. When they questioned her, she said that she no longer had a place to live, no family or friends, nothing. Looking back on it, Nerr wondered if this was what she had been talking about even then.

"I'm sorry, Lilith..." she said quietly. "I didn't mean to bring up something painful." The dragon turned to her. It was hard discerning any sort of emotion of what could only be described as an animalistic face, but within the depths of her large, golden eyes, it seemed that she was happy.

Don't be. I may have been alone before, but not anymore. As long as I can be near you, I'm perfectly happy. Nerr wanted to protest, to say that that wasn't enough, what good was she when the poor beast had nothing else, but she held her tongue. She had felt like that herself, safe and content and blissful in the presence of a single person. Regardless of whatever terrible things might await her in the future, she was certain that she could overcome them and be happy so long as he was there... All at once, tears sprang into her eyes and just as quickly, a choked sob tore itself form her throat. She needed to be strong, she needed to be a proper princess of Nohr, who held her head high and did not suffer from 'an excess of emotion', as Xander called it.

The people expected them to be calm and level-headed at all times, and it was required on the battlefield. Ever since she had reached maturity, her eldest sibling had taught her how to behave in a manner befitting royalty, and on the subject of emotion, of anger and sorrow, he always gave the same advice- 'Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show'. But how could she not let it show, how could she feel anything but the painful void borne of loneliness and fear and uncertainty within her. It was a shameful thing, she thought, to be reduced to a blubbering mess in front of one of her servants, but she could not care. Lilith's voice in her head was barely audible over her own sobs.

Please don't cry, Lady Nerr. Everything will be alright.

"No, it won't!" She whimpered in between her tears. "Gunther... it's my fault he's dead. If I hadn't been such a weak coward, we'd have been off that bridge and I would've seen Hans coming... Oh gods, it's all my fault. I wish I were dead!" She threw her arms over her eyes, as if to block out the world of the living, but it was no good.

Lady Nerr... She felt something brush against her cheek. It was surprisingly soft, like the feathers that sometimes trimmed her gowns. Cracking an eye open, she realized Lilith was stroking her cheek with her long tail, in lieu of the hands she no longer had. Please don't cry, Lady Nerr. What happened is not your fault. You know Sir Gunther would never blame you.

"He wouldn't blame me if I drove a knife in his chest! I blame myself, and that's all that matters!"

...he wouldn't want you wasting tears over this. He'd want you to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward, like a strong warrior-

"I! Don't! Care! Don't you understand that?! What does it matter to me what a corpse wants?! He's not here to care any more, so why should I?!"

Nerr rolled onto her stomach, not caring how much pain she was in, and buried her face in her arms, crying hysterically. She felt like a child throwing a tantrum, but just as she had snapped at Lilith, she did not care. She was exhausted and miserable. Like cutting open a vein, once her sorrow and vexations started flowing, it had been impossible to stem, and so she let it flow, pouring out of her like blood until there were no more tears left within her. Feeling sick and terribly guilty, she closed her eyes, falling into a restless sleep. Once again, she could not tell how much time had passed when she opened her eyes, but all things considered, it felt like too much.

Cried out and already working to bury this new unhappiness away with all her others, a thousand more concerns began chasing themselves in her mind. She never did find out what happened to her siblings. Or Jakob. While the princess was fairly certain Hans would not be a great threat to them in the state she left him, there were still the Hoshidans to contend with. There had been reinforcements coming; what if they outnumbered her family? Or even if they didn't, even if everyone had gotten back down the crag safely, there was still the issue that they did not know what happened to her. She could just imagine her brothers and sisters crossing the bridge, seeing the blood and broken planks and assuming that she had fallen to her death. If she were dead, that would not bother her so much, but the fact was that she was alive. And what's more, she did not want anyone thinking that she (or Gunther) simply fell in.

She wanted everyone to know that everything that transpired on the bridge was Hans' doing. She wanted him to pay for what he had done, and she would not be satisfied with anything less than the pound of flesh she was owed. After she'd had her vengeance, then... then she would figure out what to do. Continue fighting for Nohr, take her newfound freedom and run somewhere far away... Or perhaps do nothing at all, just lay down in some dark corner and wait for death. But that was all well in the future. For now, she had to get back to her realm. After flexing her toes for a moment (the pain was mostly a phantom, but the toes on her left foot still felt stiff), she got to her feet, taking stock of her appearance. Her clothes were filthy (and her shoes missing, probably laying at the bottom of the Chasm), covered in dried blood and dirt and torn to shreds, as was her skin, though the largest wounds had closed up, leaving only mottled bruises in their place.

It looks like you're feeling better. She did not jump this time, though her heart did skip a few beats. Feeling very awkward, Nerr cleared her throat slightly.

"Yes. I must have been asleep for days, the way my wounds have healed."

Oh, about a day or so in this realm. In yours, I'd say it's probably been less than an hour. Time flows at a different rate here than the human realm. That's why it's warned that humans shouldn't stay here very long.

"That's just as well. I should go. I need to make sure my brothers and sisters are okay."

I understand. Lilith sounded as genial as she always did, which only added to Nerr's guilt. Her fists clenched as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Lilith... I am so sorry for the way I behaved earlier. I was cold and cruel to you when you were only trying to console me. I am... a horrid person, and if you never forgive me, I would understand perfectly."

Lady Nerr... A bright laugh rang out in her mind, throwing her for a loop.

"Why are you laughing? I'm being sincere!"

I know! That's why I'm laughing. Lady Nerr, you exaggerate too much. If anyone else heard you, they'd think you whipped me for breathing in your direction. The dragon's voice became much more solemn. Your outburst was not born of malice or cruelty... You have just lost someone dear to you. There is no one in this world who would fault you for your pain. I know you weren't trying to be mean, so if yelling at me made you feel even a tiny bit better, then I'm fine.

"Lilith... you are much too forgiving, but I thank you nonetheless. That guilt had been eating away at me."

Well, now you can put it behind you. I know you wish to get back to your world, so I will open a portal, but let me warn you; I can only return you to the place you came from, so you will go back to the Infinite Chasm. There may be Hoshidan troops still lurking around the border.

Nerr breathed deeply. The chance of being drawn into another battle daunted her much less than the thought of going back to the Chasm, but she had no choice. She could not stay in this empty realm for the rest of her days, not while her siblings wondered after her and Hans continued to draw breath. She nodded, more to steel her nerves than anything, and stooped down to grab her sword, sheathing it.

"I understand. But I have no choice; running into hostiles is a risk I'll have to take."

Alright then, I'll open the gate. But Lady Nerr? Please be careful.

"I will, Lilith. I don't intend to die yet." A bright light appeared at Nerr's feet, and she covered her eyes against it. It took a while for anything to come into focus, but once the world returned to it's normal colors, she realized she was standing at the base of the drawbridge, where the skirmish against the Hoshidans had taken place. She could see the fort just across the ravine.

Blood had soaked into the ground she stood one, but there were no bodies in sight. The Hoshidan reinforcements must've taken them away. There were no enemies in sight, but her siblings were nowhere to be seen, either. They must've already gone down the slope. The thought of having to cross that damn bridge all over again made Nerr's heart pound against her ribcage as if it were trying to flee. Behind her, a twig snapped, and she turned on her heel, sword raised against whatever threat it could've been. There was nothing there, and though she lowered her blade, eyes scanning the bleak landscape fervently, her ears were perked. Again a sound, rustling this time, footsteps in the grass. She looked back and forth, desperate to discover their source, but it seemed to be coming from all around her. Suddenly, a voice, loud and scathing, came from right behind her.

"Die, Nohrian!"

She wanted to turn around, to confront this enemy, but before she could so much as move, something heavy struck the back of her head, sending her face down in the bloody dirt. Black spots spread across her swimming vision, and she was certain something hot and wet was running down her neck, but she could think no more. Darkness consumed her yet again.

000

A/N- Wow, that just took forever, didn't it? If you've read this far, then you deserve a pat on the back.