000000000000

Ch. 7- "The Road Not Trekked"

000000000000

The journey to the plains near the Hoshidan side of the border was a long, arduous one. The majority of the army, led by Ryouma, had gone ahead, setting up defensive positions and awaiting the Nohrian troop's advance. Nerr traveled in a smaller retinue, with her other Hoshidan siblings, as well as Azura, Rinkah and Suzukaze. She had not been able to find a scabbard to fit Yato on such short notice, so she carried it, her hands growing clammy on the hilt. Her leaden steps provided a suitable backdrop for her grim thoughts. It would only be a few more minutes until they reached the plains. There would be Nohrians there, but on the wrong side of the battlefield. It was her nightmare all over again, standing amidst the enemy... Only, if she was Hoshidan, then that meant the Nohrians were the enemy.

It felt blasphemous to even think such a thing, that the brave soldiers who's ranks she longed to join might be deserving of death. She stopped suddenly, feeling out of breath, despite the fact that she wasn't even working up a sweat. Takumi and Hinoka were well ahead of her, disappearing into the brush, with Sakura hot on their heels. If they noticed she was lagging behind, they'd probably send guards after her to drag her to the front lines. She didn't want Xander, or any Nohrians, to see her in such a humiliating position, but she could not force her legs to move anymore. It felt as if a large hand had closed over her chest and, no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't draw another breath. For a long time, Nerr stood there, gasping for air that would not come.

Reaching into her breastplate, she pulled out the cerulean stone Azura had given her. It was the only place she could keep the rock without worrying too terribly about losing it. This newfound ability, this new draconic form, only added more questions to her already muddled brain. Had Father known about that, too? Had it been part of his plan for her to turn into a mindless, rage-fueled monster? Nerr didn't know what to think about King Garon. She remembered now, more vividly than she ever could've cared to, the day he 'adopted' her.

She remembered being thrown into a dark, putrid cell, staying in there for what felt like years, at the mercy of the cruel guards and servants who's duty it was to protect her. How could her father, the only one she'd ever known, be so cruel? And to what end? What was the point in taking a prisoner, only to declare her a legitimate princess? Why devote so much effort into training her to be a capable warrior, a charming noble, a skilled politician... only to send her to her death? The cool stone in her hand calmed her breathing, soothing her. Reluctantly, she took off in the direction of her other siblings.

When she finally caught sight of them, they had stopped at a clearing near a river, just beside a copse of thin tress. It seemed that the majority of the Nohrian army had not yet advanced, a small vanguard of lancers and cavaliers the only forces at the base of the mountain. It didn't seem that there were reinforcements along the mountain slope yet, and Nerr wondered why the Hoshidans didn't charge in for an easy win. Surely, even if there were reinforcements, they would not be able to advance quickly enough to provide any aid, and would be swept up in the swarm of oncoming forces. Even malig knights and wyvern lords would not be helpful, given the sheer number of archers. There had to have been something staying heir hand, and for a long time, Nerr could not figure out what it could've possibly been. Suddenly, she heard a clang of metal on metal coming from a few hundred feet away.

Pushing past her other sisters, she dashed towards the sound, stopping short at the sight before her. On a small inlet, cut off from both sides by a fork in the river and only accessible by a broken bridge, the heirs to Hoshido and Nohr faced off, their blades drawn. There was Xander, like a magnificent mirage, his short cape billowing in the slight breeze. Tears, so sudden she could not halt their flow, burned her eyes. Only the other day, the princess had been convinced she would forever be locked away in the bowls of the Hoshidan castle, waiting for death. Now, there was hope for life, not matter how small and fragile the spark.

It would've been so easy to run to him, to throw her arms around his neck and laugh in relief, as she had so often back at the Citadel, but she retrained herself. She was, after all, on the Hoshidan side of the battlefield. The last thing Xander need was for some Hoshidan grunt with delusions of grandeur charging towards him in a suicidal blitz. But then, how could she make herself known? The problem seemed to sort itself out as Asmodeus, her brother's black destrier, caught her scent on the breeze and whinnied loudly. Following his steed's gaze across the river, Xander locked eyes with her. His brow furrowed so deeply Nerr could practically hear it grinding from where she stood. All at once, his face turned from bemusement, to shock, to a joyous relief. The elder prince smile warmly.

"Nerr! By the gods, you're alive! All this time, we thought... But it matters not. You're not hurt, are you, sister?" Sister... It seemed impossible that Xander of all people would not know her true heritage- he knew everything that happened in Nohr... But it didn't matter, none of that mattered now. He thought she had been dead, but she was alive and standing before him... on the wrong side of enemy lines.

"I'm fine, brother. But what are you doing here? Why are you invading Hoshido?!" Certainly that raised suspicion, the Hoshidan princess calling a Nohrian brother, but Nerr ignored the scathing looks the nearby soldiers and royals gave her. She wanted answers, answers that made sense, and she trusted Xander above all others to speak plainly to her, and the truth. Perhaps because of her tone, or else, because he noticed the Hoshidans closing ranks on her, the prince's warm smile vanished, leaving his usual, stern face. But, if she were being honest with herself, even that was a comforting sight in it's familiarity.

"Because Father says it is time, little princess. The Hoshidans are growing belligerent- attacking without warning, occupying Nohrian territories... We thought they killed you in that ambush... there are more reasons than I can list. But it matters not. We do this for the good of Nohr. Join us, Nerr, and we'll end this quickly. The faster we take the capital, the less bloodshed and senseless death there will be." Ryouma had been listening intently, almost calmly, to the exchange, but at that, the samurai unsheathed his sword charging at Xander. The Nohrian prince was too skilled to be caught unawares, and maneuvered his steed to leap aside nimbly, deflecting the blow with his own sword. He hissed something at the blonde man that Nerr couldn't hear, before raising his voice to her.

"Don't listen to his lies, Nerrida. That man is a Nohrian commander!"

"That man is my brother!" The words slipped her tongue before she even realized she was saying them. Behind her, her siblings gasped.

"What do you mean, 'brother'?" Hinoka scoffed in disbelief. "That- That's the prince of Nohr? Ryouma?!" She called out to her brother, the fact that he was not simply facing some nameless grunt now a pressing a concern. Ryouma's face mask an inscrutable mask of loathing as he turned back to Xander, the heated words between them drowned out by the murmur of the soldiers. There was a thundering of hooves accompanied by the beating of leathery wings. Across the river, Nerr noticed a small group break free from the soldiers. The invisible hand that had been clutching her so tightly freed her suddenly, at the sight of her sisters and younger brother. Camilla and Leo had come halfway across the bridge connecting Nohr and Hoshido.

"Nerr!" Camilla's voice washed over her like a warm tide. "I was sooo worried about you. Don't you ever wander away from me again, young lady!" Even Leo's smile was sincere, hardly a trace of his usual arrogance in his voice.

"It's nice to see you back in the land of the living, Nerr. You must have the devil's own luck!"

"Nerr! I knew you were okay, I told everyone you were alright!" Despite the fact that they were on a battlefield, Elise sounded as if they were reunited back at the citadel after only a few days apart. "Yaaay! We got our sister back!" It seemed like waking from a nightmare, that after so long and such uncertainty, her brothers and sister were within reaching distance. It was so easy to believe, in that moment, that every horrible thing that had happened so far had simply been some kind of awful fever dream. If only she were waking now, the faces of her family swimming above her... maybe afterwards she could go out and train with Gunther. She wouldn't even complain about being woken so early... A harsh voice, loud and hateful, right beside her ear, startled her.

"Nohrian scum! Bad enough you kidnap her, but you have the audacity to lie to her even now?! Nerrida is my sister; how dare you try and act like you care about her!?" Hinoka ran forward, pushing Nerr behind her, as she yelled at the other family. Camilla, never one to back down from a challenge, slid off her mount and onto the weathered bridge, the eye that wasn't hidden behind her lilac hair narrowed.

"Excuse me, little girl? I think you're mistaken. Nerr is my sweet little sister, and no Hoshidan whore is permitted to try and convince her otherwise." At once, the hateful expression dropped from the older woman's face and she peered at Nerr, her ever-doting smile back in place. "Come back to mommy, dearest. I know you must've been terrified, surrounded by those savages. It's okay now- everything will be alright..."

"Stay away from her, you harlot!" Hinoka's hysterical voice was tinged with fear as she pulled Nerr away from this new threat. "I won't let Nohr take her away again!"

"Ignore that chattel, Nerr. You just come back home and everything will be alright..."

"Don't be fooled by their words." Ryouma called out to her once more. "You belong with your true family in Hoshido!"

"True family? You don't know the meaning of it!" Xander shouted at the brunette man across from him, before turning his gaze once more to his sister. "We have loved you and raised you since you were a child. Come home, little princess. We can live as a family once more!"

It was her nightmare all over again. The Hoshidans on one side, the Nohrians on the other. Even the words were the same, Come back to Hoshido, Nerrida! No, Nerr! Nohr is your home! But this time, there was not the simple back and white that had permeated her dream. It was not her country versus the enemy, no matter how much she wished it were. Two countries, two families... Both, it seemed, cared about her choice. Pushing past Hinoka, Nerr trotted over to the inlet where her brothers stood. For the first time, they did not glare at each other, but focused their full attention on her. The icy water in the river only came up to her knees, but it was fast moving, nearly sweeping her feet out from under her a few times. After a slight struggle, she made it up to the embankment, standing between her brothers, her countries. The sun was setting quickly, the sky a deep gold. To the west, she could see the inky expanse of the Nohrian sky.

"This way!" She gasped quietly, the sudden voice breaking through her thoughts. Ryouma held his left hand out, his right still clutching his sword tightly. Quickly approaching footsteps from behind, and she turned to see the Hoshidan royal family approaching her, separated by the river. Sakura lead the charge this time, her sweet face tearful.

"N-nee-sama...?"

"No! She's my sister!" Nerr spun around, just in time to see the Nohrian royals stop at the bank. Elise clutched her healing staff in both hands, looking like she, too, was near tears. Xander offered her his hand as well, but he transferred his dark blade to his left so he could hold out his dominate hand.

"We're your family..."

'My family...' The thought grimly. She only had one family, but there was only one choice that she could make. Breathing deeply, she turned...

000000000000

A/N- So, that's all I plan on posting at the moment. Now, I've only been working on Conquest's chapters as of typing this, and while I plan on doing Birthright one day, it's at the bottom of my priorty list (mostly because I dislike it sooooo much). So, should I just continue posting the Conquest chapters here, or should I make a new file-dealy so that when I do get around to Birthright's, readers can just pick their appropriate branch of fate?