October, 2013 AD

"Send word to the King," Xander solemnly told the messenger. "Do not let word of this spread. My father will decide when to inform the people."

"Yes, milord," the man replied. "I'll depart at once." Without delay, he went to ready his horse.

The Crown Prince clenched and unclenched his fists several times as he walked back to his siblings. Their caravan was camped out just half a day's walk from the west side of the Bottomless Canyon, where Sir Gunter had met his doom in the unknowable depths, and where Corrin had fallen into the custody of the High Prince of Hoshido. Several Malig knights patrolled the sky, and attentive archers formed a defensive perimeter around the camp, which consisted of the circle within the sixteen parked wagons. Noting that each soldier was in position, Xander was again pained by his failure to mobilize them when Camilla slipped away to spy on Corrin. He and his siblings, with only their retainers for security, had followed her to the developing battle over the Canyon; and in their pitiful state, the Nohrian troop had stood no chance against the advancing Hoshidan brigade. While their brother crumpled to the ground and was dragged away, they had fled with their godforsaken tails between their legs.

The full moon was still hidden from sight by dark clouds, but the air had grown calm. Leo, Elise, and Camilla were sitting around a small bonfire, their retainers scattered about the wagons. Camilla sobbed into Leo's shoulder, but he just stared at the fire with a scowl across his face. Elise's tears flowed freely as well, and she did her best to avoid letting them fall onto the wounded creature under her Heal staff.

Xander took a seat on the ground next to his youngest sister and her patient. He placed a gentle hand on Elise's shoulder, but got no response. "Lilith," he said.

The dragon turned her head, her amber eyes reddened from crying. "What is it, milord?" she asked quietly.

"It is quite a few things," he replied, his tone betraying some hostility. "Who are you, really?"

Her thin body, almost as long as Elise was tall, squirmed under his gaze. "A shape-shifter, of moderate talent, milord. I hail from a land far to the west, across the Great Wasteland."

Xander's accusatory frown remained. "Tell us about your homeland."

"My kin can all transform as I can." She spoke loud enough for the others to hear, and Leo leaned close to catch every word. "I meant to journey into this land with a party of mapmakers—our tribe uses the old material you call papyrus, and fruit pastes for ink. In any case, a sandstorm struck one night while we slept in the desert, and we were separated."

"And you continued to Nohr?"

"I didn't have one of the maps, nor any surviving supplies, and the storm turned me around. I just knew I had to leave the desert. As fate would have it, I ended up in the mountains of the Frozen Cauldron, near the Northern Fortress."

Elise gasped, shaking lose a tear from her cheek. "The bird Corrin rescued...was you?!"

"And that's why you took the name Lilith?" Leo suggested. "Because it was his name for you?"

The maid nodded. "Yes. I took the form of a bird, figuring that I wanted to guard my identity in case you humans were hostile."

"Does your tribe have a name?" Xander inquired.

"Manakete," she answered. "It translates roughly to 'the people' in our rather limited language."

"And does your tribe know of other intelligent races?" Leo asked.

"There are primitive humans in the lands bordering ours. We call them Beorc. 'The others.' Our tribes stay well away from each other."

Xander withdrew his hand from his sister and folded his arms. "So why did you return to the Northern Fortress? Why not fly home?"

Lilith shook her head. "When I left the fortress, I was still too weak to make the journey home. I usually stayed near the fortress, continuing to watch you humans interact. I was fascinated—entranced, even—by your complex culture. I regularly practiced speaking your language. Sometimes I flew to Windmire and beyond, learning more and more about humanity. Eventually, I realized that I no longer wanted to return home. I wanted to be a human. And when I noticed how close the Ice Tribe twins, Flora and Felicia, were to Corrin, I decided to be as much like them as possible."

"You stole some clothes on your way to the fortress," Leo guessed.

She eyed the ground, her pointed white cheeks growing red. "I didn't have much of an option," she said defensively. "I would've raised quite a few questions if I'd shown up naked at the gates."

Xander nodded. "As it was, you raised some questions. When I next visited the fortress after your hiring, four years ago, I was told to bring along a handful of new guards specifically to keep an eye on you."

"You spent six years alone?!" Elise exclaimed. She set aside her staff, having done all she could for Lilith's wounds.

"Well...yes. But not the whole time; not exactly." Lilith flexed out her body, wincing a few times but still pleased by her recovery. "I once ventured far south of Windmire, to the Eli Forest. There, I happened across a peculiar young girl in mage robes who could somehow tell I wasn't a normal bird. She called out to me while I was observing her, so I landed. After some convincing, I showed her my human form. She got a little huffy then, for some reason, but she told me not to worry about it." She realized she was rather off-topic, and cleared her throat in the same way a human would, startling her companions. "Anyway, I met her a few times in those woods. But even when I was by myself, I rarely felt lonely because I devoted my attention to studying your civilization. It paid off, I suppose." Tears returned to her eyes. "Though I've proven a lousy caretaker."

"No," Xander said quietly. He sighed. "You're the best we could have asked for. You abandoned your assignment in Krakenburg just to risk your life for him."

"You believe her, then?" Leo asked.

The Crown Prince nodded. "I do. Do you, brother?"

Leo shrugged. "I guess it makes sense."

Lilith sniffled. "Thank you, milords."

A minute passed before anyone saw fit to break the silence. "So," Camilla ventured, "in your village, did no one wear clothes?"

"Erm... Yes, that's correct."

Leo's cheeks became faintly colored, and his eyes started to dart around the dragon rather than settling on her. Elise jumped slightly, evidently registering for the first time that a...bare woman was sitting in her lap.

Lilith seemed to realize this, too. "Oh, goodness, Princess! I'm terribly sorry if I've bothered you."

"It's...fine," Elise managed, her face resembling a steamed lobster. "Uh, but maybe, if you'd want to, you could turn human and borrow one of my dresses?"

"Thank you, milady. I...shall do that now, perhaps. Excuse me, Your Highnesses." With considerable effort, the manakete levitated into the air and made her hasty trip to Elise's wagon.

Camilla gave her sister an apologetic look. "Sorry I had to point that out, dear."

Elise giggled. "Better now than later, right?" Her cheer faded quickly as images of Corrin filled her mind once again. Camilla evidently felt the same, having become equally crestfallen.

Xander stood up, the fire warmly illuminating his noble visage. The sight of his sisters in such pain twisted his heart. "They won't hurt him," he said softly. "They'll heal him, and comfort him. They'll bring him to their capital."

Elise held her knees to her chest. "He's gonna go with them, isn't he?"

"Elise..."

"Tell me I'm wrong!" she snapped. "They're his real family. Why shouldn't he go with them..."

Xander suppressed a groan. "We'll return to Windmire and discuss this with Father. He'll call for negotiations, and Queen Mikoto will return Azura to us."

"You're not answering me," his sister complained quietly.

"Corrin loves us, Elise." The Crown Prince was acutely aware that he was on the verge of tears himself, but he kept his voice flat. "I can't say what will happen afterward, but I know that he would never stand before us on a battlefield. Nor would I be willing to fight him."

She stared at the fire, weighing Xander's words against her own fears. "Okay," she said meekly.

()

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Odin muttered. He paced alone outside his and Niles' carriage, the latter having fallen soundly asleep shortly after supper. Corrin's capture threatened to subvert a prophecy of redemption and invite eternal darkness upon the world. If harm befell the chosen hero while his guardians were absent, then all would be lost as chaos reigned in a maelstrom of—

"Odin," Laslow called, interrupting the mage's train of thought. "We need to talk." Xander's retainer was adorned in a set of blue, studded leather armor that played on a design popular among Nohrian mercenaries. His unremarkable attire stood out next to the mage's eccentric getup, which consisted of black tights, a translucent cloth top with a waist-deep V-neck, and a flamboyant yellow cape.

"Indeed," his friend agreed. "Corrin's capture threatens to subvert a prophecy of redemption and—"

"Please stop."

"...Sorry."

Laslow brushed a stray hair out of his face. "This could spell doom for our entire mission, yes. Or, it could provide an opportunity."

Odin raised an eyebrow. "You have my attention, friend."

"We've been operating under the assumption that protecting Corrin meant serving the Nohrian royal family. But—and I readily admit, this will seem very much at odds with my previous urgings—if he and Kamui are both with the Hoshidan royal family, then we have a new possible plan of action."

Odin glanced around, then put his ear up to the wagon. When he heard Niles snore loudly, he turned back to his inter-dimensional ally. "'Tis a dangerous time and place for such talk, Laslow. The night has many ears, all leaning in close to uncover the dark secrets of men."

The myrmidon also scanned the area, figuring that if each of them looked for eavesdroppers, they'd be twice as likely to catch one. "I know, but we need a plan as soon as possible. What I'm thinking is we wait for the inevitable negotiations and make sure we're in attendance. Then, we drop the name 'Valla' on the good queen and see what she makes of it."

"And if she would hear and believe our plight?"

"We jump ship for Hoshido on the spot."

Odin put his hand on his chin and hummed. "I suppose it's our only option." He sighed and gave a sad smile. "Though it shall pain me to abandon my lord and Niles, and to break our unholy trifecta of incomprehensible power, I agree to your plan. I'll discuss with our other partner as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Odin." Laslow crossed his arms and chuckled. "Frankly, I shan't miss Peri one bit, though I feel guilty about leaving Lord Xander alone with that wild she-devil."

"If I'd never met her," Odin said with a wry grin, "I'd know she was awful because Niles has never tried to bed her." The pair chuckled. "You know, you've got quite a bit in common with him!"

"What?!" Laslow's cheeks flushed a deep crimson. "H-Hey!" he protested. "Not every advance I made was so blunt!"

"A good many, then."

"No!" A moment of silence passed. "...Perhaps." Odin snorted and launched into a fit of hysterical cackling, his face contorting with the effort of keeping quiet in the solemnity of the night. This, of course, did nothing to quell Laslow's agitation. "Hey! Stop laughing!" he demanded shamefully, receiving only more laughter in response. "In any case, I don't do that anymore."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really!" Laslow sighed. "Once upon a time, yes, I tried my luck with anything female that had two legs and a beating heart. But my behavior is much more chaste now. I shan't need to tell you why."

"Of course, friend," Odin replied. He hesitated a moment, realizing that his teasing had come a touch too close to mentioning his cousin, whose memory rarely failed to dampen the mood. "You're not the same young fool you once were. Your spirit yet glows with the fire of youth, but has grown to defy the vicious winds of rash naivety—and the allure of a billowing skirt—and now follows closely the guiding light of wisdom."

Laslow laughed and shook his head. "Meanwhile, you haven't changed at all, Odin."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

()

Farther along the caravan, Camilla's retainers were seated across from each other on smooth rocks near their wagon. "How could those Hoshidans be dumb enough to pick a fight with Nohrian royalty?" Selena complained. She was of average height with a lean build, and her thick crimson twintails fell just past her shoulders. Her armor resembled Laslow's somewhat, but was brown instead of blue and notably added a short skirt. "They would've killed him, too, if Lady Camilla didn't step in! Unbelievable."

Her white-haired companion, Beruka, was sharpening her axe with a whetstone. The smaller girl wore the steel plate of a Nohrian wyvern knight. "The soldiers might not have recognized him," she said. "Or it might be that Hoshido didn't instigate the conflict."

Selena cocked her head. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Without looking up, Beruka gestured to the nearby medical wagon, where the two injured survivors of the battle were presently housed. "Hans might have been responsible. He acts the part of a savage."

"I guess." Selena absentmindedly flicked away an insect by her side. "The King trusts him, though. And besides, what would he have to gain?"

Beruka simply shrugged and returned to her work.

"And what about the maid, Felicia?" Selena demanded. "She couldn't hold on to her master for one second? I think that's suspicious."

"She is clumsy; that is known. She also suffered a blow to the head from a pegasus hoof. It is not unreasonable that she would be unable to keep Lord Corrin on the horse, since he was dazed and injured as well." Beruka raised her axe, satisfied by the gleam of its edge in the limited moonlight. "In any case, Lady Camilla instructed me not to kill her."

"You asked?"

"On the chance that it might improve milady's mood. Her judgement often shifts when Prince Corrin is involved."

"Not to the point of executing people."

"This seemed to be a special case."

"I guess." Selena stretched her arms over her head. "We've gotta work on that monotone of yours."

"It doesn't make sense to devote effort to something as meaningless as my speech pattern."

"I was kidding. Gawds." The redhead put her hands out behind her and leaned back. "You think the Prince will stick with Hoshido once he knows the truth?"

"Yes." Beruka nonchalantly leaned closer, lowering her voice. "He will be weighing his true family against an aggressive kidnapper. And even if he wanted to return, Queen Mikoto would never allow it."

"Yeah. Thought you'd say that." Selena laid back on the rock with her hands behind her head. She inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh, staring up at the dreary sky and wondering how she'd let herself get dragged into another gods-damned war.

()

Every centimeter of Hans' sliced-up arms and the shuriken wounds in his back ached with a vicious, throbbing pain. But all things considered, he supposed he was recovering marvelously. 'After all,' he thought, 'I really should be dead after the shit I pulled at the Canyon.' He was annoyed to find he was still unable to sit up, but he could turn his head just fine. The maid was in the bed beside his, trying to sleep off a nasty headache. 'Lucky bitch.' Her head injury, the only hit she'd taken in the entire battle, had been cleaned, worked on by a cleric's staff, and bandaged up. They'd even found the time to wash the blood out of her hair and get her into a fresh outfit, a plain white patient's gown. 'Aw, I musta been out for that part,' Hans mourned, his eyes lingering on the modest curves of her slim body. 'Shame. The Ice Tribe knows how to make 'em cute.'

"Mmm, murg," Felicia groaned incoherently. She was starting to wake, and was evidently feeling her head throb before she even became fully conscious.

"You up, Felicia?" Hans asked.

"Unh... Y-Yeah," she muttered, her eyes still closed.

"You, uh, feeling okay?" he ventured.

"Like...a total...mess."

He forced a grin. "Yeah, I took a hell of a beating, too. You look better than I do, tell ya that."

She frowned. "Thanks?" She held her head and propped herself up with her other hand. "This is the...medical wagon?"

"Bingo."

"He...He isn't here," she whispered, starting to sob. "Corrin! Ohh!"

"Hey, c'mon, pull yourself together," Hans encouraged, taking as much of the harsh edge out of his voice as he could. "Ya did what you could. He's still alive, anyhow. So no need for the waterworks."

"Okay," she moaned tearfully, wiping her face with her bare arm.

"Attagirl."

"You're..." She sniffled and turned her head his way. "You're being nicer than you were before."

He grinned. "Well, ya did some good work in that battle, Pink. I respect a dame who can fight."

"But you, with that pegasus rider..." She scowled at him. "You started that fight!"

"What?!" he exclaimed, feigning shock. He liked her angry face. 'Only way to make it cuter would be pinning it underneath me.' "You think... Shit, tell me what you think happened," he requested.

"Uh...um..." She retreated a bit, leaning more on her pillow. "You attacked that girl, didn't you?"

He snorted. "Only 'cause she was moving to hit Corrin!"

"Huh?!"

"Yeah," he continued. "Her lance arm, or whatever the hell those weirdos use, was twitchin' to attack him. I snuck in under it and did what I had to do."

"But...all your laughing..."

He shrugged. "I like violence. Won't lie about that. When somebody makes an enemy of me, I get off on making 'em regret it."

Felicia shuddered, remembering how Hans had gleefully hacked off Hoshidans' limbs and sent them tumbling into the Bottomless Canyon. "You're a scary enemy," she said.

"Thanks." He laughed. She sat silently, evidently not amused by the jest. "Just be glad I'm on your side. Or, y'know, tolerate me."

"Oh. Okay..." She thought harder about the start of the battle, wondering if there wasn't some hole in his story. "I...I couldn't really see you, since Gunter's horse was in my way. But...why was Corrin so angry at you when you...killed her?"

He waved his arm dismissively. "Poor kid's still green. He thought knockin' her off her pegasus ought to be enough. But when you're surrounded, ya gotta take whatever you can get. I'm sure he'd get that now."

"...Yeah, that makes sense," she admitted. "Sorry I doubted you."

"Eh, it's alright. I'm an asshole." He laughed again, but she still wasn't in the mood. She stared forlorn at the ceiling, occasionally wincing from the pain in her head.

Hans took a moment to pat himself on the back for lying his way out of a death sentence. If she wasn't so daft, he didn't think he could've convinced the maid of his innocence in provoking the bloodbath. In any case, since he was off the hook, he figured he might as well keep the conversation going rather than just lie there. "You ever kill anybody before?" he asked.

"What?!" she said incredulously. "Why would you ask that, at a time like this?!"

"Ya seem more shaken up than you should be; and besides, I'm bored. So, have ya ever killed anyone?"

She turned away from him. "I..." She wasn't sure if she wanted to relive that memory. "Yes, I...I've killed someone."

"Well, well, well! Come on, let's hear it!"

"No!" she snapped, her pink hair whipping around as she turned to glare at him. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a couple degrees, and a thin layer of frost began to form on the bed under her hands. She recoiled, covering her blushing face. "I...I'm sorry."

"Yeesh," he remarked. "Forget I asked."

"No, no, it's okay," she hurriedly assured him. "For distrusting you...it's the least I can do." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "On our sixteenth birthday—me and Flora, my twin sister—Prince Xander came to the Northern Fortress with a prison wagon. He told Gunter to bring us out behind the fortress. Some guards brought two men out of the wagon." She was starting to tear up again. "They were both convicted rapists and murderers, sentenced to death. King Garon had sent them to us, so we...so we could..."

"He wanted you to kill them," Hans finished. "To prove that you could. That you could kill anyone who attacked Corrin."

"Y-yeah."

"Eh, it ain't so bad," he said. "The first time sticks with ya. Long as they were people worth killin', you'll get used to it eventually."

"...I don't want to get used to it," she said timidly.

He tried to fold his arms behind his head, but found it hurt too much to put any weight on them. "Well, that's the way it goes, Pink."

()

"...hit his head harder than I thought."

"Can't be too long, now. He'll wake up soon."

Corrin's eyes twitched, but remained shut. The two voices he was hearing—a man and a woman—were definitely Hoshidan, which immediately set off alarm bells in his head. He willed his breathing to stay low and his body to be still, quickly recalling the events that had led to his current situation. His mind raced, his thoughts chaotically shifting from Hans' crime, to Lilith's bizarre revelation, to the Hoshidan blood on his own hands. The whole ordeal was stranger than any novel he'd ever read, as surreal as a bedtime fairy tale, and...just, painful. On his body almost as much as on his psyche.

Pushing the gruesome images of his dead opponents as far as he could from his mind, Corrin tried to determine his immediate surroundings. He was careful not to move, knowing that a guard might still be inside the room with him, or perhaps on the other side of a thin screen door, like he knew the Hoshidans to employ. He was laying under a soft quilt on a thick, cushioned mat, which seemed to be sitting on the floor. He was wearing only his undergarments, which were no longer damp with sweat as they had certainly been when he was captured. A significant period of time must have passed since he was taken—hours, judging by the tone of the pair he had heard upon waking. It was dark, he could figure that out with his eyes closed; but he could also detect the flickering of candles, which meant he must be indoors, and that any guess as to the time would be random. He wasn't moving, but he doubted he had been housed in either the contested canyon fortress or some nearby building, so he reasoned he must be in a parked wagon.

"I know you're awake." A new woman's voice abruptly broke the silence, and Corrin cringed before he could stop himself. Figuring there was nothing left for him to do, he opened his eyes to see a female ninja seated across from him on a cushion. Her long, dark hair was tied back neatly, and her gaze was sharp and attentive.

"So I am," he replied, flattening most of the terror in his voice. He glanced around the room, confirming that it was indeed the inside of a wagon. The only light came from a pair of candlesticks burning in bolted-down holders on the walls. He'd been correct about the mattress and the quilt, and he found he was lying near the middle of the room. A white robe and a pair of wooden sandals rested on the floor beside him. "When, and where, have I awakened?"

"Nearly dawn," she answered. "Well into Hoshido."

He swallowed, paining his dry throat. "Might I meet with your commanding officer? I...know I have some explaining to do."

"Lord Ryoma will hear all you have to say, when you are ready," the woman said, not skipping a beat.

Corrin blanched, his already pale face going completely white in the candlelight. "P-Prince Ryoma?"

"Yes. I am His Highness' retainer, Kagero."

"Oh, gods," Corrin muttered. "I shall do all I can not to offend your lord, Dame Kagero."

"'Dame'?" she questioned.

"Oh, ah..." he fumbled. "'Dame' is the title given to female knights in Nohr. It's, uh, also thrown around in slang a bit, but..." He let the thought dissipate.

"No title will be necessary," she informed him.

"Okay." He glanced about uncomfortably, shifting under the blanket. "I am... Gods, this is so pathetically inadequate, but—"

"Save your apologies for Lord Ryoma."

Corrin flinched. "Er, is that a...threat?"

"A warning." Kagero kept her expression neutral, but her voice developed a noticeable bite. "Don't try my patience with apologies."

'What to say to that?' he wondered incredulously. 'I'm sorry I killed your friends?' She was clearly taking the attack personally on some level. He decided that it would benefit him to drop the subject entirely. "The robe is for me, then?" he inquired.

"Yes. If you feel well enough, dress yourself, and I will take you to Lord Ryoma."

"Well, I feel sick to my gods-damned stomach," he admitted. "But my body feels fine. I've been healed?"

"Two medics were assigned to you once you were secured."

Corrin noted that Kagero never nodded, keeping her eyes locked on him at all times. Her grim, calculated mannerisms were in line with what he'd read about Hoshidan ninja in his studies, but the real thing was more unnerving than any book could have conveyed. "I shall thank Prince Ryoma for that," he said, pushing the blanket off him and grabbing the white robe. He dressed quickly, his thoughts not too preoccupied to realize that he was nearly bare under a woman's particularly scrutinous stare. Upon knotting the ties in the front and looking himself over once, he stepped into the sandals and nodded to his captor.

She stood gracefully. "Let's be off, then. You go first," she instructed. "The door isn't locked."

He walked past her and placed a hand on the doorknob. "You won't bind my hands?"

"There is no need."

"If you say so." With a deep breath, Corrin turned the knob, feeling the chilly night air on his face as he pushed the door open.

The Hoshidans' camp felt almost comfortingly normal. The caravan was larger than the one that had brought him to the Bottomless Canyon, but was arranged in the same way, with the wagons parked in a circle around the camp in close proximity to each other. Two bonfires blazed in the center, illuminating the whole place and largely succeeding in driving out the autumn cold. A few soldiers occupied the area around the fire pits, but the majority were either asleep in their wagons or on patrol.

"Prince Ryoma is in that coach," Kagero said, pointing without looking at a carriage identical to the others a short way around the perimeter.

"Okay," Corrin acknowledged, starting toward the man who, he supposed, would decide how he ought to be punished for his attack on the border fortress. He perked up a tad when he realized that, if he cooperated, he might at least be reunited with Azura in Hoshido. His sister had been kidnapped when they were only eight years old, and he had always shared his older siblings' longing to see her again.

He sighed. 'Silver lining,' he thought grimly, knowing that it was equally possible they'd lock him in a rotten, isolated cell underneath Castle Shirasagi.

He reached the High Prince's coach and placed a hand on the doorknob, glancing one more time at Kagero. "Enter," she directed, still refusing to nod her head.

Corrin didn't bother responding, instead taking a breath to steel himself before briskly pulling the door open and stepping inside.

Prince Ryoma was seated cross-legged atop a cushion on the floor, on the far side of a low, polished wooden table in the middle of the room. Despite this, Corrin could immediately tell that the man was tall and broad-shouldered, and he held himself with a kind of tangible dignity that only Corrin's father and older brother could match. A thick mass of dark brown hair spilled out over the back of his scarlet kimono.

"Have a seat, Prince Corrin," he instructed in a deep voice. Corrin could read no emotion from his captor, which only served to unsettle him further. He was beginning to wonder if Hoshidan nobles simply lacked any sentiment at all.

The room was better lit than the one in which he had awakened. Four candles lined each wall, and another stood in the center of the table. Two plates of rice, chicken, and a white vegetable he did not recognize were set, along with two glasses of water and two pairs of the thin wooden utensils he knew to be chopsticks. A pillow waited on the floor just in front of him, so he tentatively took his seat and placed his hands on his knees. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness," he said, hastily bowing his head when he realized he hadn't done so upon entering. "I deeply regret the circumstances surrounding this occasion."

"Yes, I'm afraid you have some explaining to do, as do I. But I welcome you to eat before, or during, our conference, if you wish."

Corrin nodded. "I should like to eat while we speak. I cannot thank you enough, showing such hospitality to an enemy." He picked up the chopsticks and stared at them a moment.

"I'm afraid this is hardly fine Hoshidan cuisine. Are you familiar with chopsticks?" Ryoma inquired.

'Still no emotion at all.' "I understand the concept," Corrin replied. To demonstrate, he clumsily lifted a slice of chicken and managed to nibble it before dropping the whole thing back onto his plate. "Er, I'll manage." He cleared his throat. "But we've more important things to discuss."

"Go on," Ryoma said, taking a bite of his own meal.

"There was no plan to attack your border fortress, nor did I have any intention of doing so." Corrin's face twisted into a scowl at the memory of Hans' betrayal. He tried a bit of the white vegetable, finding it to be rather plain on its own, before continuing. "A soldier of mine—and not one I elected to accompany me—savagely killed a sky knight who landed on the Nohrian side of the canyon. And then..." He shuddered, recalling the way the woman had clutched at her gaping neck and spasmed as she choked to death on her own blood. "And then he just ran ahead to engage your samurai, and we were either to follow him, or to die fighting the other sky knights." He lowered his gaze and wiped away a tear, burning up with embarrassment over losing his composure so quickly. "I know, it may seem absurd..."

"I believe you."

"What?" Corrin stared at the Hoshidan prince, at once baffled and relieved. "Truly?"

Ryoma folded his arms. "It lines up with recent reports. Are the names 'Kaze' and 'Rinkah' familiar to you?"

Corrin's expression remained incredulous. "The ninja and the Flame Tribe princess?"

"Indeed."

Corrin leaned closer. "Please tell me: are they alive? Did they reach Hoshido?"

"Yes, they're both fine." Ryoma hummed and put a hand to his chin. "King Garon must have been preparing you for this. But why send you, now?"

Corrin set down his glass. "Excuse me? My father didn't know the fort was occupied. The intelligence was bad."

"Ah, but I forget myself." Ryoma let his arms down. "Corrin, I'm afraid I am not the best speaker, particularly with such sensitive matters. But I must tell you something that you are...unlikely to believe." At last, the stoic royal seemed to be experiencing a feeling—apprehension, or guilt, or else something that would give him pause.

The Nohrian cocked his head. "Well, you believed me without hesitation. At the least, I have to give you a chance."

"Very well. Corrin, King Garon...is not your father."

Corrin frowned. "What?"

Ryoma held up his palm to silence his captive. "Your mother is no wife or concubine of Garon, either. She yet lives in Hoshido, as its queen."

"That's—"

"Mikoto is your mother. I am your brother."

"Stop!" Corrin said firmly, his annoyance granting him newfound confidence. "This is preposterous!"

"Corrin..."

"No!" Corrin pushed off from the floor and stood, clenching his fists and staring down his so-called brother. "You capture me, heal me, and immediately start feeding me such outlandish lies?! I won't be subjected to this!"

"Please—"

"Your Highness, spare me these absurdities!" The albino put his clenched hands together and held them out in front of him. "Just bind me in chains and lock me away with my sister, Azura. Be done with it! None of these disgusting falsehoods!"

"ENOUGH!" Ryoma boomed. His voice carried such a strong impact that it nearly knocked Corrin off his feet. "Did I not warn you that this would be a hard revelation?"

Corrin scoffed, though his confidence wavered somewhat. "Yeah, you were right to think I wouldn't believe you. You Hoshidans are just as underhanded as I was taught!"

Ryoma shot to his feet. "Do not mock our people!"

"Don't you mock my father!"

The door of the carriage opened, and a voice that was somewhat scratchy but decidedly feminine yelled, "Stop it!"

Corrin whipped around to face the newcomer, a thin woman with short scarlet hair in the armored dress of a sky knight. He recognized her from the battle at the Canyon, but despite the fact that she must have seen him at least once since their skirmish, she appeared totally dumbstruck at his presence. Her mouth fell open, and tears came quickly to her eyes.

"What?" Corrin demanded before she threw her arms around him. "H-Hey!"

"Oh gods, Corrin!" she sobbed. "I'm...I'm sorry. I couldn't keep myself away!" The latter part seemed to be directed at Ryoma, whose mien communicated something between frustration and pity.

"Would...you..." He grabbed her wrists. "Get off me!"

She froze. "Oh." Slowly, her hands fell away.

"Corrin," Ryoma cut in, "this is your sister, Hinoka."

"A pleasure," he spat.

The woman looked over his shoulder at her brother. "Ryoma, you told him?"

"Yes, but he doesn't believe me."

"And why should I?" Corrin continued glaring at Hinoka, guiding her by her hands to take a step back.

"B-Because it's true!" she blubbered. "Please, Brother, you must hear us out!"

"I mustn't do anything!" Corrin's gaze leapt back and forth between the prince and princess. He could hardly wrap his head around the idea that the Hoshidan royal family could behave in such a disgraceful manner.

Ryoma strode around the table. "Corrin, hold a moment, and consider something." He took the younger man's lack of a response as a cue to continue. "You may have already been told, truthfully, that Kaze had a hand in Azura's kidnapping."

"That's Princess Azura," Corrin hissed.

Ryoma shook his head. "We consider her a sister, unless you call your Nohrian family by titles?"

"Azura is no more your sister than I your brother."

Hinoka smiled through her tears. "You're technically right about that."

"You know what I meant." Corrin sighed. "Continue, High Prince."

"Kaze's mission was never to seize Azura; it was to rescue you." Corrin moved to speak, but Ryoma raised a palm to silence him. "King Garon was holding you as leverage, to force us to surrender the Great Plains."

"Bull shit." Corrin was beginning to doubt that a single sensible thought would ever emerge from either of his captors. "Even with his own innocent little daughter locked up by you brutes, Father only ever thought to do what was best for his people."

Hinoka moved between them and glared at Corrin. "'Best for his people?!' That monster—!"

"Hinoka!" Ryoma yelled. His sister clenched her fists tightly and took a step back. He cleared his throat. "Corrin, what were you told of King Sumeragi?"

"Your father?" Corrin thought back to the lessons in Hoshidan politics he had received from Gunter and Xander. "You mean about his death?"

"Indeed."

"There were negotiations in Cheve," Corrin remembered. "Father attended, too. Nohr, Hoshido, Nestra, Mokushu, and Izumo all had representation." He paused, allowing Ryoma to confirm his recollections with a nod. "Talk was heated, tensions were high. Late into the night, fighting broke out, and Sumeragi was killed."

"That's all correct," Ryoma affirmed. "But it isn't the whole story."

"Of course it isn't," Corrin remarked bitterly.

"Father didn't go to the negotiations alone. Besides a company of soldiers, he brought along his two older sons." He paused. "Myself, and you."

"Look, Your Highness, I'm sorry you lost your father, but..." Corrin groaned. "But this is just absurd. My father, cold as he may appear, is not a kidnapper."

Hinoka scowled. "How well do you really know your 'father'?" she demanded.

"I know that he loves his children!" Corrin countered. "All of his children, including myself. Just how well do you—" Stumbling over his words, he realized he had forgotten himself in his frustration. "—Your Highnesses—know a man you've never met?"

"I met him in Cheve," Ryoma reminded him. "He took my father and my brother from me."

"Have you a single legitimate point to make?!" Corrin exclaimed. "Our negotiations have been held by proxy since that incident. You can't base your argument on the account of a child!"

Ryoma winced. He paused a moment, deciding whether the conversation was worth continuing. "You're right."

Hinoka stared at him, eyes gaping. "Brother!"

"I know, Hinoka. Corrin..." The High Prince looked over his prisoner once more, wondering what the Queen would feel if her own son rejected her. "We shall meet Kaze before we reach Shirasagi. He will give you his account of our father's death, and you may judge for yourself whether it is true."

"Will I be brought to Azura?" Corrin asked.

"Of course."

"Then I shall go with you without struggle."

Ryoma nodded. "I am relieved to hear you say so...if not exactly satisfied."

Hinoka gave Corrin a pained smile, holding her arms loosely around her midriff as if simulating the hug she knew he would not provide. "Please, give us a chance, Corrin. Even if Kaze doesn't quite clear your doubts, Azura surely will!"

"I'm afraid I can't take your word for that. If you'll excuse me." Corrin made for the exit without any farewell gesture, stepping out into the red light of dawn and closing the door behind him.

Ryoma glared at his sister. "What in the Dawn Dragon's name was that performance?!" he demanded.

"What? I'm not allowed to be emotional?" she snapped back.

"Don't be coy, Hinoka! You can't pressure Corrin into accepting us by acting like a blubbering mess."

She growled in frustration. "Alright, I hammed it up a bit, but how is it fair to criticize me for wanting my brother back?!"

"Sister, that's not what—"

"Am I supposed to act like I don't give a rat's ass?!"

"Of course not!" He put a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged away. "But 'hamming it up' risks driving him away. The truth is more compelling than Garon's lies, even without Kaze and Azura's own accounts. Corrin's cooperation is merely a matter of time. And, of course," he added, "his love, as well. So, please, be patient."

She sighed. "I know. I...I'll try."

"Thank you." He gave her a reassuring smile. "In all likelihood, Kaze will have convinced him by the time Mother has him in her arms again."

"That's a nice thought," she remarked with a chuckle.

"Indeed." Ryoma placed his hand on her shoulder again, and this time she allowed him to embrace her. "Finally, our family will be whole again."