Co-Author: Orichacos
Zola woke up to the rays of dawn, squinting his eyes blearily at the bright sunshine. Groaning loudly, he closed his eyes again and tried to get more sleep. His body felt like it was forcibly stretched apart by dark magic, and he had a bit of trouble feeding air to his lungs. And more importantly, his head felt like the one time he had a hangover after his first successfully planned raid against the Hoshidans.
So in other words, he felt like shit.
Ugh… he moaned, turning over so that the sun didn't hit his eyes anymore. Why did Hoshidan architecture have to be so different from its Nohrian counterpart?
Ultimately, the sun won out and he forced himself to get up grumpily. Stretching with an audible yawn, he readjusted his hat into its usual manner before sitting up fully. He wanted to stare ruefully at the sun for its victory, but thought better of it.
Vengeance isn't worth going blind.
Zola thought back to last night... of how he was almost choked to death by a naked Hoshidan man. He rubbed his throat in a grimace as he remembered Takumi's smug face, and then pictured setting him alight with a fire tome.
"What I wouldn't do to have a fire tome right now…" he sighed.
He observed his surroundings, and noticed his clothes folded neatly by the door, alongside a basin of water and a towel. Atop his clothes was a note. Crawling over, he took the note into his hands and read its contents.
Zola,
I have taken the liberty of having your clothes washed and delivered to your room, alongside a water basin to wash yourself with. No thanks are needed, as being perfect is its own reward.
Subaki.
… Who the hell is Subaki?
Brushing his teeth with his own brush and toothpaste, Zola dampened the towel and washed his face. He felt somewhat refreshed, then moved on to his clothes with a gusto.
Standing up, he began to slip on his clothes gingerly, wincing as his sore muscles complained loudly. First, was his courtesan's garb - a smooth purple fabric that covered his front. Then his cape - a decorative piece that adorned his shoulders like a mantle. After that, he pulled on his tights and boots.
He sat down and let his mind wander, as it was wont to be… Master Iago had often scolded him for daydreaming sometimes. Or at least, whenever he could be planning out someone's demise rather than idling around foolish thoughts.
No, focus, his mind scolded him.
He sighed and began to think about what he had outlined yesterday. Now that he'd gotten the Hoshidan's trust (or at least some of them), it was time to be proactive about it, rather than reacting to everything around him. At the very least, he owed that to Prince Xander, for the failures that he'd incurred over the last day or so.
An assassination? Zola immediately thought of the shuriken that he'd found buried in his pillow before the sun had even risen. He shivered a little, and looked around nervously, just in case he was under surveillance. No, you have to do this.
Ryoma? Out of the question. Even considering his, ah, "security detail", he was way out of Zola's league. Even if he could reach him, he wouldn't be able to plant a knife in his back. Not with his reflexes. And definitely not with his goddamn retainers. He didn't want to know how that "Saisoh" ass would kill him.
No, it had to be the others.
Hinoka? Sakura? Takumi, definitely. He'd have to put careful thought into this. Lies upon lies, plans upon plans. Layer, Master Iago had told him. The more lies you layered on top of one another, the less people would be suspicious of the lies underneath. And an assassination definitely needed more thought into it than just a simple hit-and-run.
A knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Who is it?" he called.
"A servant of Lord Ryoma. He asks if you would join him for breakfast."
Zola opened the door to see a normal servant, dressed in much poorer clothes than the girl from last night. He was rather unremarkable, but Zola smiled. It was always the unassuming ones that were the most deadly. Filing away his visage for later use, Zola stepped out into the corridor and slid the door behind him closed.
"Why yes, that would be lovely! I'm quite famished as it stands."
The servant bowed respectfully, then turned on his heel. "Then please, follow me. I shall guide you to Lord Ryoma."
As Zola followed the servant, he noticed a few bystanders whisper as he passed.
"Isn't that the Nohrian Lord Ryoma has taken in?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it."
"Did you hear that Prince Takumi has taken him as his lover?"
"What!? Prince Takumi!? No, It can't be..."
Zola could feel the bystanders' gazes lingering on his form as he followed the servant down the hall. Ignoring their words as best as he could, he chose to smile and wave a hand instead, trying to look as confident as possible. His smile began to sour when he heard them go back to whispering amongst themselves.
The first Hoshidan leaned in to the other. "Did you see him leer at us like that!?"
"I know, right!?" the other spat, "Wasn't one lover enough!? Now he needs two!? How depraved are the Nohrians!?"
"I've heard someone say that the king has as many as eight wives…"
"Eight!? Are you kidding me…?"
Slowly sliding his gaze away from the two gossipers, Zola's smile twitched. He smacked a hand against his face, moving away from the two as fast as possible (or as fast as he could while allowing the servant to guide him). I see the Hoshidan's gossip community hasn't changed a bit.
Soon enough, Zola and his guide arrived in Ryoma's quarters. Zola vaguely noted a few decorations here and there, the usual stuff that most important rooms had. In the center of the room was a table with Ryoma's family sat around it. Takumi and Hinoka flanked him, Lady Corrin sat beside Hinoka, and…
Wait, that servant girl was a member of the Royal family!?
Ryoma waved him over. "Zola! Good morning! Come, take a seat." He gestured to the pillow opposite of him.
Zola strode forward, taking note of the furious glare that Takumi sent his way. The tomboyish red-head grinned as she glanced at her brother.
"Hehe, I guess the rumors were true about our dear brother's hobbies." Hinoka chuckled.
Takumi directed his glare towards her. "For the last time, I'm not into men! I had no other tools besides a towel to defend myself with."
"Takumi," Ryoma began comfortingly. "We've talked about this. We'll love you no matter what you fancy. But I must stress that you need to know when no means no."
Zola smirked at the prince. "Yes, please do. I'm afraid I'm not used to such rough treatment. Hopefully you can control your urges and learn to take rejection a bit better?"
"Yeah Takumi." Hinoka interjected, holding back a laugh. "Learn when you've been friend-zoned."
"I did no- I have not been rejected! Or friend zoned! Or any of the above!" Takumi burst out in anger. "And besides, it'll be a cold day in hell before I mount this idio-"
"U-Um… Takumi," the ser- Princess Sakura interrupted quietly, a gleam shining in her eyes. "M-Maybe, um… you should admit it?"
"I have nothing to admit! No comment, nothing at all!"
If anyone had bothered to look at Zola at that moment, they would have seen a shit eating grin adorning his sallow face. Eat it, dastard!
Hinoka snorted. "Sorry, little brother, but I don't buy it. You usually carry your bow around with you all the time. I don't think you'd have left without it if you were anticipating an attack. Orrrr…" she leaned into Takumi's face, almost tickling the underside of his chin with a finger, "...You didn't want to give off the wrong message."
"I," Takumi spluttered, "For the last time. You - I, he…"
Eat shit and die!
Zola stepped forward, deciding to hammer the last nail in the coffin. "As honored as I am, Prince Takumi, I'm afraid I must decline."
He made sure to blush before continuing, "I… simply don't swing that way. Perhaps a simple royal dinner would suffice, ah… next time? I wouldn't mind a ring or a bouquet either. Perhaps a love letter?"
The glare that Takumi directed at him could have turned Zola into ashes.
The Nohrian smiled innocently, "Well, either way, I expect a shopping trip next time. And with less towels and washing basins."
"Don't kink shame me!"
"Wait, so you do swing that way!" Hinoka pointed at him.
"Oh for…"
"My face has wooed the ladies in Nohr's courts. It's only natural that it would extend to the more gentille men as well." Zola smirked.
Ryoma narrowed his eyes. "Hm? I thought you only just visited Nohr? How could you have built such a rapport with their nobility?"
Zola smiled as sweat beaded on his brow. "A-Ah, well… perhaps that was a bit of an embellishment on my part. I didn't actually go to their courts, more like I sold them trinkets as they passed by us. A few did take a liking to me, however: That much is true."
"Yeah, right." Takumi agreed sarcastically. "I'm sure they fell for your lanky, meek physique."
"Now, now Takumi, don't be a hypocrite. You did just say not to kink shame." Ryoma chided. Takumi's frustration was clear as day, but it seemed that he could form no words to show just how appalled he was.
"Ya know, you wouldn't look too bad if you just packed a little more muscle on ya." Hinoka noted, mildly intrigued. "What do you think Kamui?"
"I-I'm not going to be brought into this!" She said adamantly, her face cherry red.
"Tch, fine. What do you think Sakura?"
If it were possible, Sakura grew even more flustered than her sister. "W-What!? W-W-Why would I-I, I mean, h-how c-can you-WHAT!?"
"Aha! Looks like Takumi isn't the only one with the hots for Zola!"
Zola nodded absentmindedly as he looked around a bit more. Where are their retainers? I half expect that ninja to pop out from their shadows.
"So," Zola began. "Why did you request my presence, Lord Ryoma?"
Ryoma blinked at him blankly, lost in thought. And then with a sudden movement, he rose from his throne and then reasserted his expression, a stern emotion blanketing his face. The other royal siblings disciplined themselves the same way, he noticed. Of course, with the exception of Takumi, who was glaring at him in suspicion, and Sakura, who was still stammering, her face a cherry red.
With his armor still donned, Ryoma observed him keenly, standing in silence for a while. Zola felt like he was about to be eaten by an abnormally large lobster.
"I called you here to inform you of an invitation of sorts," Ryoma said, "In the light of our recent victory over the Nohrians, we are holding a banquet, henceforth a day from now. Given your vital part in our victory, I want you to be there as our guest of honor."
Zola stepped back. "G-Guest of honor!? I… uh, I mean I'd be honored to be there. But wouldn't there be some sort of political strife if I was the…"
His brain smacked him over the head. No, you idiot! A feast is the perfect opportunity to kill someone! And if you kill a royal in front of that many people…
...Maybe Nohr will place their trust in you again.
"I'd be happy to be there, Lord Ryoma!" Zola simpered, kneeling down in front of him. He considered for a moment whether or not he should run over and kiss Ryoma's feet, but refrained.
That would be weird.
"It is no problem. That brings me to my next point." Ryoma stood and gestured to his siblings. "You'll be spending time with the rest of my siblings."
All but Takumi gave him a small wave.
"I'm considering bringing you into the fold, perhaps enlist you as one of my own. However, I want the approval of at least three of my siblings before I do so."
"Three? Why only three?" Takumi asked.
"Because you will undoubtedly say 'no'." Ryoma quipped.
Zola nodded in understanding. "All right, then what am I to do?"
"You'll be spending a few hours with each of my siblings until the day of the feast, at which I shall tell you if you've made the cut."
Hinoka rose from her seat in a somewhat intimidating manner. "You'll be spending time with us from oldest to youngest. That means you and I get to have some fun while you're still fresh!"
Zola gulped audibly.
"I'll be in the courtyard at noon. I'm expecting to see you there!"
He whirled around until he faced Ryoma, "Can you suggest someone different?"
No matter what anyone said, he refused to believe his voice cracked when he demanded that Ryoma chose someone different.
Ryoma raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
"Yeah, I'm a little…"
"Chicken?" Hinoka laughed, "C'mon Zola, pal. I ain't as scary as those rumors make me out to be."
"And from what I have gathered, you charged into the midst of a warzone by yourself," Takumi cut in, a smirk playing at his lips, "A little light exercise like this won't kill you, will it?"
Like the workout you had last night?
Under everyone's stares and looks of anticipation, Zola quailed under the pressure. It looked like he had no choice but to…
"Alright, alright, I get it," he laughed, adjusting the cap on his head.
...Accept.
"Wonderful! In that case, you will spend this afternoon with Hinoka, sunset with Takumi, and tomorrow with Kamui," he paused, "From what I have heard from my little sister, it seems that you already have her approval. And you have mine, as well."
Hinoka leaned in, like a predator about to pounce on its prey. Zola shied away, leaning back from the gleam in her eyes.
"Hey… how do you feel about a little ride in the skies?"
"So, are you ready?" Hinoka laughed, patting the hind side of the pegasi.
"Y-Yeah…"
Zola had spent the morning getting acquainted with the castle, now that there was no risk of any random ninjas or princes attempting murder on his person. He'd wandered from room to room, casually talking with any servants or soldiers that he happened to come across… even that Subaru guy, who still weirded him out on occasion.
Eventually, he found the pegasus stables, where he was to meet Hinoka. While he waited for her to arrive, he even got to feed one of them.
"Hey, come on!" Hinoka said impatiently, "Snap out of it. We ain't got all day, ya know."
"R-Right, sorry!" He called back. He turned back to his waiting mount, a black pegasus who stood patiently before him. It was a foreign breed, a species that commonly bore mages as riders, apparently. Hinoka figured that this would probably be the most suited to him, but it didn't make the beast any less terrifying. "O-Okay, buddy. Nice and easy now…"
He slowly mounted the majestic beast, holding a death grip on the reins. Hinoka strode in front of him on her own pegasi. Zola smirked: It was the same pegasus he got to feed.
"You ready, then?" Hinoka asked. Zola nodded meekly, still unnerved at the prospect of being so high up. "Great! Don't worry: if you fall off, I'll be right there to catch you. Better hang on though, just in case. That one likes to buck her riders off."
"Wait, wh-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Zola screamed as his steed sudden took to the skies at mach five. He instinctively lurched forward to wrap his arms around the pegasus's neck, and closed his eyes. Below him, he could faintly hear Hinoka laughing at him.
Just you wait. When you get up here, you'll be the one screaming.
He waited a few moments until he felt stabilized, then opened his eyes. His fear left him for a moment as he sat up straight and looked at the scene before him. His pegasus hovered high in the air, giving him a breathtaking view of Castle Shirasagi. He stared in awe, his mouth slightly agape.
Dusk, this is beautiful! Is this what wyvern riders experience?
"Nice view, ain't it!?" Hinoka yelled, coming up beside him. Zola could only dumbly nod in response. "That's only part of what makes flying so great! Let me show you a few tricks!"
With that, Hinoka darted below him, and then performed a few complicated maneuvers involving barrel-rolls and other tricks that would have upset his stomach.
Though it's not like I alone would share the sentiment. He thought, watching her pegasus intently.
Suddenly, Hinoka's pegasus slowed down, dipping its head against the wind brushing past. Its wings folded in on itself, with one wing stretched outwards and the other wing hunched down. It neighed weakly, stopping mid-flight at first, and then bucking wildly against the clouds and the blue sky.
Zola watched on in glee.
"Hey… Hey! What's wrong, girl!?" stammered its rider, holding onto the reins for her life. "C'mon, this isn't like you!"
"I-Is something wrong!?" Zola cried out, making sure to inject a proper amount of concern in his voice.
He edged closer to her position - not intending to catch her of course, but a little bit of caution and concern would serve him well (not that he expected for his plan to be foiled). Hinoka's wild gaze caught his eyes, and she frantically shook her head back and forth. He could smell the fear emerging from her form.
Gritting her teeth, she held onto the reins. "No! Don't come closer! If you do, it'll be even more dangerous - for the both of us!"
Content with his current position anyway, Zola nodded until he could feel the tip of his cap bounce off the back of his head. It wasn't as if he intended to catch her anyways. Nobody could blame him for being too inexperienced at riding a pegasus, could they?
No one could. And no one would know of the deceit he'd planted at that very moment.
He rolled his eyes, "Hold on! I'll… find someone to help you!"
Without hearing her reply, he descended from the clouds and onto the dragon's lush earth below. Not expecting a response he began to send forth cries of help into the air… it wasn't as if anyone would be in the woods at this time of day, after all.
"Help! Help? Anyone, please! He-"
And then someone heard him.
"Huh!? What's going on. Wait… you!"
Oh, joy of joys. Zola rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Not this asshole again… and him of all people!? For the love of the Dusk Dragon, why would he be here!? A soldier from the boonies…? Sure. But a member of the fucking royal family was not in his grand schemes.
Well, not this, specific part anyhow.
"Yes, me! Your sister is having some trouble with her pegasus, and I don't know what to do! We need to get her help!" He said in a concerned voice.
Takumi crossed his arms and stared. "Hinoka? Having trouble with her pegasus? Yeah, okay. How do I know this isn't a scheme to lure me into a trap of some sort?"
As soon as he finished his sentence, an ear-splitting shriek came from above them. Both men looked up to see Hinoka, pegasus and all, barreling straight for them!
"Oh Dawn." "Oh Dusk"
Luckily for Zola, he was just out of range of the red rocket falling towards them. Instead, Takumi took the full brunt of the impact. The body of the pegasus hit him in his midsection, launching him into the ground with an "oof!". He left a skid mark for a good few feet before coming to a stop.
A loud groan of pain could be heard from the two siblings, but it mostly came from Takumi.
"Owww…" Hinoka said as she righted herself. "Thanks for breaking my fall little brother."
"Ugh.." Takumi moaned. Zola cursed internally.
Damn it, I was so close to getting a two-for-one deal! Well, at least that asshat got his comeuppance.
"Are you all right!?" Zola asked, faking concern.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Takumi's fine too, he's just being dramatic."
"Not… dramatic." He mumbled in defense. To his credit, Takumi was covered in scratches, and his clothes teared at some intervals.
"Well, you make a great cushion anyhow." Hinoka patted him on the shoulder and laughed.
Takumi groaned in pain.
Zola hid a grin, and then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He eyed Takumi for a moment, deciding what to do, and then leaned on the back of his pegasus. Takumi groaned, and… if he shot a baleful glare at Zola, the mage didn't see it.
There, you bastard. We're even now.
He looked to the side in faux-embarrassment. "W-Well… I'm sorry that didn't go as well as planned, Lady Hinoka. Perhaps next time…?"
She waved a hand dismissively, "Nah. It's fine. You did what you could," Hinoka turned to study him more deeply, "But… more importantly, I see that my brother was right."
"Y-Yes?"
Which brother!? Takumi or Ryoma? Did she know that he poisoned her steed? Was he going to be murdered in cold blood, with his head mounted on a wall like some sort of trophy? Or was she referring to Ryoma, and his blatant approval of Zola and his "deeds" on the battlefield?
Zola didn't dare breathe, waiting for an answer.
"Man, Ryoma knows how to pick 'em!" Aaaaand breathe out. "Honestly, I wasn't sure if he was exaggerating. You know how he is."
"Y-Yes…" Zola stammered in response.
Hinoka winked at him. "Anyways… ya got my approval. And my pegasus as well. Thanks for finding a suitable landing pad!
"U-Uh… anytime?" he smiled.
Zola saw her pegasus glare at him from the corner of his eye. He ignored it and chose to be the more mature one instead.
"Can… anyone… get this thing off me!?"
"...And that's what happened Lady Co… Kamui."
"O-Oh, is that right?"
Evening. It was about four hours after Zola left with Hinoka, arriving back on the castle grounds. After he'd returned his pegasus to the stables, he'd gone back to his room after that spectacular disaster. But no matter - there were always plenty of opportunities later on. And even then, it was a hilarious sight to see Takumi get clobbered by an incoming pegasus.
He idly wondered if Hoshido had the same laws concerning aerial mounts as Nohr did. Nohr didn't allow their flyers to mount-up after drinking, after all.
Anyhow, because of Takumi's injuries, they decided to skip his event and move on to Lady Corrin. And now, here they were, going over the story that he'd purposefully caused a few hours ago. His version of course, which embellished him into some sort of legendary hero from the ages of yore. Definitely not as some sort of fantastic schemer that he could pride himself on. Now that he knew that Lady Corrin was a traitor to Nohr, he definitely wasn't going to trade secrets with her. But he definitely wasn't going to attempt to kill her either.
That way led to suicide. On both the Nohrian and Hoshidan fronts.
Lady Corrin brought a teacup to her lips, sipped from it, and then placed it back on the saucer. "...I see. So everyone is fine, right? No serious injuries?"
"No, no major injuries. Everyone is all right." Zola laughed placatingly, raising his hands in a soothing manner. "All Lady Hinoka sustained were a few scrapes and bruises. Prince Takumi was only slightly more injured, but nothing the healers can't fix. Magic is quite helpful, after all."
Of course, the prince did have a few stress fractures, but who cared? Definitely not Zola.
"Right…" She paused for a moment, contemplating something before speaking again. "Zola."
"Yes Lady Kamui?"
"The magic that you casted. Where did you learn it? I've not heard of anything like it."
"Ah, that?" Zola began, "I was experimenting with some of the older Anima magic. What you saw was Bolganone, or a variation of it."
She blinked in surprise. "Bolganone? I thought that spell was lost?"
Zola sat a bit straighter, preening at the praise. "Well, I found it again."
Master Iago won't mind. It was a failed copy, after all. "It took a bit of effort recreating it, and it still has some kinks to work out."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, I don't think it was supposed to be that volatile. And the tome which contained the spell disintegrated after a single use."
"The incantation must have been long and elegant. I can't imagine that nobody noticed you casting it, especially so close to the battlefield."
"Funny you should mention that, actually. A bird came out of nowhere and accosted me."
"Really?" she giggled, clearly amused. "What kind of bird?"
Zola thought about embellishing on his previous foe's appearance, to make his victory over that creature much grander; but decided against it. After all, Lady Corrin was his ruler, for a short time at least. He could grant her the truth just this one time.
"It was an ordinary bird. It was colored a burnt orange, and was about the size of my fist."
"Is that so?" Lady Corrin murmured, as if distracted. Zola slowly rotated in her direction, looking at the sudden epiphany that flashed on her face.
"Is… something the matter?" asked Zola.
She brushed some hair aside, "Ah, it's nothing really… but the bird you described sounds a lot like Sakura's bird, Yune."
Zola smiled crookedly. "Sa- I mean, Lady Sakura? As in the one in the royal palace right now. Short, pink hair, white dress? That Sakura, right? There's no other Sakura you're talking about?"
"No, that's the one." Lady Corrin laughed, waving a hand dismissively. She raised her teacup to her lips and sipped from it. "I don't think she'd bring her pet to the battlefield, though…"
But Zola had long since stopped listening to her. So… she was behind everything. Sakura…
On the outside, Zola laughed as well and changed the subject, telling Corrin of Takumi's blunders in the hot spring last night. He absentmindedly swirled a finger on the liquid left from the bottom of the teacup and pushed the saucer aside.
...Your days are numbered!