*Goron City (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time OST)

**Lion King Caineghis (FE9 OST)

***Puzzling Truth (FE9 OST)

****At the Pub (Remix) (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance OST)

*****Condemnation (FE14 OST)

After three-and-a-half weeks of tracking and backtracking across occupied Hoshido, It proved another hike of three days and halfway up another peak to the main village of the Flame Tribe; a considerable settlement carved out of the side of a great mountain was incredible to both of the Hoshidan women, but this was tertiary to Hana's main concern.

"Ugh, it's so freakin' hot up here!" complained Hana, wiping the sweat from her brow using one of the last dry patches on her overshirt. "How do you people live like this?!"

Rinkah gave the swordswoman an odd sort of glance. "What are you on about?" she inquired. "It's a little warm at worst. But then again, you're wearing that armor, so that might have something to do with it."

"And don't forget." piped up Sakura. "If y-you don't mind me, saying so, Hana's from the north as well, so she's probably more comfortable in the cold."

Hana beamed at the princess. "Of course not, milady!" she replied, her tone somewhat more energetic. "You've actually got it exactly right!"

Rinkah glanced back at the pair quizzically. Not that she really cared either way, but exactly what kind of relationship did Sakura have with her retainer anyway? Granted, she knew them to be childhood friends, but they were just a bit too close and generally touchy-feely for Rinkah to have left it at that.

"Anyway, it's not much further to the village." she informed. "If you're hot out here, don't worry; it's a lot cooler inside."

*With her luck with the area, as they entered the mountainside, Hana half expected the village to be more molten hellscape than habitable settlement. While the abundance of rock-based architecture was slightly off-putting at first, any structural curiosities were quickly put to rest by Rinkah's promises; it was inexplicably quite comfortable in here in comparison to the mountain's exterior.

"Lady Rinkah! Our princess has returned to us at long last!" cried one particularly effusive tribesman.

The air in town was naturally festive at the return of their future chieftainess, particularly seeing the rumors which had spread like wildfire across the tribes about Nohr's deeds. Sakura actually having some passing familiarity with the tribe's customs, Hana simply took in the sights and sounds of the town, becoming particularly fascinated with the wealth and diversity of blacksmithing techniques on very prominent display.

"It's so lively..." marveled Sakura, noticeable sadness in her tone. "Everyone seems to have their place and purpose, not worrying about the world around them."

"Looks can be deceiving." Rinkah reminded. "Notice all the weapons being forged? Anyway, we're almost to Father's place."*

Another few minutes of traipsing across narrow pathways and parapets bought the trio to a small, artificially-carved mesa in what would have been the town square, a great, earthen, spherical dwelling situated at its center. Rinkah bowed her head as she entered the domicile, her two companions following suit, shortly emerging in a large, circular, open-air chamber, a great flame at its center, overseen by a large, proud-looking man of fifty or so, his flame-red hair trailing behind him like a lion's mane. Standing up with some effort, his stony expression cracked somewhat to give his daughter and heir a smile.

**"Ah, Rinkah, my daughter!" he said. "I knew you would return to me in good health!"

Rinkah flashed a knowing smile at the pair. "Well, I had a bit of help, to say the least." she informed. "Father, I know you've met Princess Sakura once as a child, but this is the retainer of hers I sent word back about."

"I am Hana of Mutsu, Lady Sakura's retainer and protector." the swordswoman introduced with a light bow. "Daughter of Musashi and Akiko; it's an honor to meet you."

The chief gave a toothy grin, followed shortly by a jovial bellow. "A warrior of Mutsu!?" he exclaimed. "It truly is Tomokane's niece! Welcome, courageous warrior. I am Kikai, chief of the Flame Tribe! You are already acquainted with my daughter, for which you and your liege both have the eternal gratitude of myself and our people."

"No need to thank me." Hana said humbly. "I was just protecting my homeland and my liege."

"Hm, something wrong, Sakura?" Rinkah inquired, taking notice of the princess' shirking body language.

"N-no, it's nothing." she protested meekly. "It's just-"

By this point, the princess was almost in tears. "I am eternally grateful for your hospitality, Chief Kikai." Sakura resumed. "B-but I just couldn't bear to cause you and Rinkah any more trouble than I a-already am. I-I've heard what many of your people have to say about us. A-about me."

At this Kikai's expression settled somewhere between one of concern and one of confusion. "Whatever do you mean by that, my child?" he inquired, turning his head slightly.

"A-about how they'd b-be better off with Nohr and that w-we just want to enslave you for ourselves! I swear on Mother's grave, sir, it's not true!"

By now, the chief's countenance had turned kind and fatherly, Kikai merely chuckling softly. "Oh, let such slanders against our dear friends trouble you no longer, daughter of Sumeragi." he reassured warmly. "They are merely the grumblings of a small, but vocal minority. No one can tell precisely when or where this whispering campaign started, but rest assured, the vast majority are not deceived by any means."

"Three guesses where it came from." Hana whispered bitterly to Rinkah. "First two don't count."

"Truly?!" replied Sakura, having regained a good deal of her composure.

"Yes, truly. In fact, probably now more than ever, we understand fully well what Nohrian mastery would mean for us. Which reminds me, you two will have been without news for some time now. Rinkah, retrieve our guests some cushions!"**

Rinkah returning with cushions, the tribe's heir gave her father an abridged summary of her findings; knowing her father well, Rinkah did correctly report his state of mind and lasting concerns to Hana's uncle.

"How long as it been since you two escaped the castle?" the chief asked, his tone noticeably grimmer.***

"Let's see, it was back in the summer." began Hana, recalling their itinerary. "But we first traveled to Mutsu...so about six months?"

"Yes, that sounds right." Sakura confirmed. "Why?"

Kikai shut his eyes in meditation. "The world has changed a good deal." he informed. "And not for the better."

Sipping some piping-hot tea he'd set aside, the chieftain took a deep breath. "Alright, first of all, let me start with this, since it concerns all of us the most." he prefaced tiredly. "Nohr has a new king, Leonard. Goes by Leonard the Thirteenth, to be precise. His father died under...murky circumstances after the capital's fall. Personally, I don't give a damn if a dragon ate him, I'm just glad the bastard's dead."

"Wait a second, Leonard..." Sakura piped up, apparently unsure whether to be worried or guardedly optimistic. "That name sounds familiar..."

Kikai downed some more tea, this time quite a considerable amount of it. "It should. He and his older sister were the only two survivors of Garon's biological children, those actually eligible to succeed him, after Shirasagi, said sister waiving her right to the throne pretty early on."

Upon hearing this name and familial situation, a part of Hana wanted to kick herself. "Dammit!" she swore. "He was right there, almost dead! I knew I should have cut his fucking throat when I had the chance!"

While Rinkah glowered at Hana for this outburst in front of the chief, the man for whom she took offense was nonplussed. "I can't say I disagree with you there." remarked Kikai. "And that gets me to his minions; from what we've gathered, damn near all of Nohr is abuzz with the 'four heroes' Leonard has promoted to send to Hoshido and break any and all resistance to his rule, his Four Horsemen, his most powerful and loyal generals, one for each cardinal direction."

"Oh, my!" interjected Sakura, dreading the news of one figure in particular. "Do w-we know anything about them?"

"Let me start with the one we know the least about; supposedly from the east, one of his 'horsemen' is a wyvern knight named Rose. No one knows anything about her beyond her name and that she just showed up at Krakenburg one day a couple of months after Shirasagi fell, gaining Leonard's favor with her inhuman strength. Apparently, some Nohrians say that 'Rose' doesn't even exist, that she's really a demon trapped inside a suit of armor, made to do Leonard's bidding."

"Could they actually do that?" Rinkah asked, a skeptical eye cast upon her father.

"Honestly, I don't know, child. I would like to say it's impossible, but given that Leonard has reportedly been a prodigy at that kind of magic for years and our people invariably reporting tortured, horrible screams wherever she and her unit make camp at night..."

Kikai shook his head as if to expel the thought, diagramming a northward point in the accumulated ash. "Hailing from the north, we have Sir Gunter." he informed. "Their leader and commander of Leonard's royal guard. Once again, my sources weren't able to get much about him apart from being an older gentleman and veteran knight of some renown because he's just so damned reclusive, not even what he looks like. Although, we were able to find out something interesting straight from the horse's mouth and those of his adoring fans."

"Now that you mention it, I'd actually heard that name in passing when Kaze and I were captured, but didn't think anything of it." his daughter remarked. "What's so interesting about him?"

The chief gave a conspiratorial glance around the domicile, as if on some level expecting to be eavesdropped upon. "That Leonard credits him with saving his life after the 'massacre by wild savages' at Shirasagi's throne room. The exact details, of course, change depending upon who tells the story, but that element remains constant."

"I didn't see any old men there." interjected Hana, now able to be considerably freer about her role in the princess' rescue. "At least as far as appearance is concerned, everyone there I killed or wounded ranged from about fifteen to thirty or so years old."

Carving a point in the westward fringes of the ash, the chief winced slightly before resuming his introductions. "From the western sands, we have Hans." he introduced with disdain. "We don't know anything about his past apart from him being literally a criminal of the worst sort before his being 'reformed,' but his present and immediate past are well known to Hoshidans."

Choking back a flood of tears once more, Sakura nestled herself in Hana's grasp as the swordswoman scowled. "That fucker's sorry life is mine." Hana growled. "It won't be soon, but I promise you all that the last thing he sees is going to be my blade cutting or stabbing some vital organ of his."

"Let's hope the spirits smile on your efforts, daughter of Musashi."

Finally, Kikai diagrammed yet another point, southward relative to the others. "Now the only reason we in the tribes have this much information about the guy is because we've dealt with him the most." prefaced the chief. "But lastly, from the south, we have Pietro, a Nohrian general who's known as the 'Savagekiller.' You can imagine how he received such a title from his countrymen. And he apparently loves his job just as much as he hates us 'savages."

His expressions and tones betraying either contempt, curiosity, or a combination of the two when introducing the other "horsemen," Hana noticed something interesting; the Flame Tribe's chief seemed to express an ever-so-slight hint of fear when introducing the general. Sakura, on the other hand, was troubled by something else.

"Wh-what exactly do they mean by, 'savages,' Chief Kikai?" inquired Sakura sheepishly. "And why does he hate them so much?"

"Basically, any non-Nohrian; means their humanity is, shall we say, flexible, meaning you can do whatever horrible shit you feel like to them depending upon their position." informed Rinkah bluntly, gesturing as if to mimic a descending hierarchy. "Supposedly, it's not official, but you've got Nohrians at the top obviously, people like Nestrans and Chevois a good deal below them, way further down, you've got Hoshidans, and at the very bottom...well, you guys are higher up than us, but not by much. They don't all think like this by any means, but enough Nohrians do that it's an actual threat to our people's survival."

Kikai nodded sadly. "Sharp as her tongue is, my daughter speaks the truth, more or less." he conceded. "And as for Pietro, there are many theories behind his hatred, but we cannot be certain about any of them. Perhaps it's a coincidence, but his very first command posting, which he volunteered for, by the way, was one of Nohr's 'punitive expeditions' against the Ice Tribe about twenty years ago saw he and his men slaughter some three hundred men and boys in cold blood, but as I said, it could be nothing."

While still noticeably distressed, the red-haired princess' visage showed a trace of outrage. "That's horrible..."

Kikai exhaled sharply. "You speak the truth as well, child." he said heavily. "Which brings me to my final point. Rinkah has surely bought you up to speed with what we know about the mass disappearances among ours and other peoples. The scale and consistency of said disappearances leads me to no longer believe that these are mere coincidences, nor merely the actions of rouge elements within the Nohrian government. Whatever vile purposes these abductions serve, I cannot say, but it is clearly something of great value to Windmire."***

"Father, wait!" Rinkah began, her expression betraying her grave concern. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"

The chief sipped some more of his previously-neglected tea. "Not necessarily; I'm not Lupina after all. I'm well aware that Nohr has coveted our homeland's resources for ages now and would relish the excuse to destroy us. No, I'm saying that I'm going to call a conference of the other tribal leaders, and then if and when we decide-"

"If you do decide in favor of punishing Nohr, let me know and I'll join you." interrupted Hana brazenly. "We and a lot of other people have got some unfinished business with the bastards as well and my brother still has a good number of men and materials at his disposal in the north."

Kikai chuckled fondly, said chuckling growing into joyous, bellowing laughter before long. "Oh, I like you, Hana of Mutsu!" he conceded, almost in tears of joy. "After everything you've been through, most people would have already turned and run with their tails between their legs, and I could scarcely blame them! It takes a special blend of confidence, power and reckless courage with just a hint of madness to take Nohr on head-on like you do! In fact, your deeds and friendship with Princess Sakura remind me of back in our day when my shadow single-handedly held off seventy-five raging Nohrian axemen so that I could get my wounded self to safety!"

"W-wait, your shadow fought Nohr?" inquired Sakura gently. "I don't understand."

"Father's right-hand man and bodyguard, Amagi." explained Rinkah, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "He's been such for so long, that he's often compared to-"

"-a shadow trailing a man." boomed a voice from the dwelling's shadowy corners.

At this, Hana and Sakura reflexively sprang from their cushions, turning behind them to find a hulking, middle-aged man with a wild mane of black hair obscuring most of his head. "I apologize for startling our honored guests, but duties are duties."

"No, you needn't apologize." Hana answered cordially. "Like Chief Kikai said, I'm exactly the same way with her!"

Both Kikai and Amagi shared a good, nostalgic chuckle at this, the former finally rising from his cross-legged stance. "As I said already, we are eternally in your debt that my daughter has not ended up, at best, as a pelt for some Nohrian noble." the chief confirmed cordially. "Princess Sakura, Lady Hana, you are welcome to refuge with us as long as long as you please."

"Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Chief Kikai." Sakura said, bowing at the waist.

As Rinkah escorted Sakura from the dwelling, intent on giving her guests a complete tour of the city, the shadowy giant Amagi spoke up just as Hana was about to join them. "Wait, daughter of Musashi." he began.

"Hm, something wrong?" inquired Hana, her spirits noticeably higher.

"I can tell already that's a fine blade you carry with you, but if you truly wish to forge a weapon truly effective in protecting the princess, against King Leonard's sorcery, and especially one that will make short work of his pet bandit, ask Rinkah to take you across town, ask for an older woman named Kirigamine, my sister. It will not be exactly easy, but seeing what you've gone through already, I've no doubt you could do it."

"Alright, Kirigamine, got it! So your sister is a blacksmith of renown?"

"She is very skilled, but not exactly. In our culture, the blacksmithing arts are passed down from mother to daughter, but my niece- But that's a story for another day; one I've no right to tell."

"Of course! I'll make your sister and niece proud!"

At the young ladies' departure, the old warriors shared a knowing, nostalgic smile. "It really is just like old times, isn't it?" inquired the chief fondly.

"It could end up better, it could end up worse." his shadow replied. "But we've got to work tirelessly for the former and prepare for the latter."

"And who says young people these days lack initiative?!"


In spite of all her new (often rather frustrating) duties, Leo's responsibilities as king, and the sheer tension and awkwardness of his rejected marriage proposal hanging over their heads, Corrine found Leo's adjustment to his new role and his resulting comfort (at least in his study) in it quite fitting. While it did not hurt that the time apart had apparently been good for his earlier passive-aggressive sulking, the princess could not deny that his hair slightly lengthened and new penchant for fine white garments made him rather attractive. Not that she would have sex with him, of course, but she could certainly understand why he would have all of these women throwing themselves at him; and not simply due to his status either.

Leo however, seemed to be more interested in the gift which he was presenting to her, proudly displaying the slightly-curved, obsidian-hued, silver blade before sheathing it and presenting the weapon to Corrine. "I had been meaning to give you this earlier, but you know how things are." he said with a dapper smirk.

"Thank you, Leo, it's wonderful!" thanked Corrine. "But you shouldn't have gone to all this trouble. This can't have been exactly cheap."

"Nonsense! Only the best for my dear sisters! Of course, this should do until I get you your Yato back. And I will get it back, I promise you that."

Given that the legendary Hoshidan sword had been with her for so long and through so much, it was not surprising that its chosen wielder felt somehow exposed without it, making do with whatever was available at the time and place. While she wished to (if only as a formality) dissuade the king from going to the trouble, some instinct of hers told Corrine it wise to drop the topic, taking her leave of Leo's study.

After a few minutes (well outside earshot of Leo's study), Corrine could not shake the feeling of somehow being watched. Well within the confines of the castle and with her new blade, the princess chose to write it off as nothing until a voice knocked her from her figurative trance. "Milady, I've news from Hoshido." came Kaze's voice from nowhere apparently detectable. Corrine let out a yelp as she turned around to find Kaze mere paces from her.

"Kaze, you scared the hell out of me!" she scolded.

"I apologize, Lady Corrine, but stealth is as natural as breathing to me by this point in my life." the ninja responded. "You still wish to hear of my findings, yes?"

"Oh, go ahead."

"I was unable to determine whether or not the king was engaged in anything, shall we say, unusual, during his recent sojourns to Hoshido. But given the extent of the country, personal involvement on his part appears highly unlikely."

Awaiting the news with bated breath, the princess mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good news." Corrine responded with a smile. "You sound as if you had something more to say, Kaze."

"Unfortunately, yes I do." the green ninja confirmed. "At one or more sites in Hoshido, there are apparently a good number of individuals, civilians from what I could tell, still being held in captivity for some unknown purpose. Whatever it is, it is far from pleasant and, if one of the inmates was to be believed, probably fatal more often than not."

"What! The war's been over for months! I'm sure once Leo hears about this, he'll-"

"Before you confront him about that, milady, I also heard of a man described as a, and I quote, 'creepy, greasy little bent-over fuck' who seems to have some high-level involvement in these activities. His name supposedly begins with a 'Ko-' but I was unable to determine anything further than that."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, that description DOES sound at least kind of familiar."

"I can investigate the matter further for you, Lady Corrine. Perhaps the source I spoke with was mistaken?"

"Thank you, Kaze. I will keep an eye out for him as well. But I do know that this whole affair has Duke Toscana's stench all over it."

"Would you like me to, er- 'take care' of him, milady?"

"Well, I WOULD like it, but no, he's not to be touched. I feel naming-and-shaming him and his cronies would be the best course of action; as the evidence acquired would force Leo's hand."

"Your wish is my command. He shall not be touched. With that, I shall take my leave: I dislike lingering around the nobles for too long."

"I could say the same, Kaze."

Corrine feeling somewhat better than she had since arriving in at Krakenburg several days prior, her remaining strong emotion was not so much relief (which was also present) but puzzlement at the note affixed to the door of her chambers by a dagger:

- Be at the Horsehead tavern, just outside the slums, at midnight tonight. Make sure you aren't followed. If you can't memorize this note, take it with you. If so, destroy it. I'll be sitting at the bar pretty much all night.

Unsigned and with the ink still fairly fresh, Corrine was able to deduce fairly quickly that its author must be one of the castle's long-term residents, as no one else would be allowed direct access to this area without her or possibly Azura's approval. Extremely confident in her martial abilities, even venturing into the slums was not a terrifying prospect for the princess; contrary to many nobles, she adored interacting with the common people, but with the deadline a mere two-and-a-half hours away, Corrine decided to respect the wishes of the note's author.

Even in spite of her rather mysterious origins, her deeds during the war and service to Nohr had unsurprisingly earned her widespread acclaim among all classes of people, common and noble alike. However, unlike her brother had lately taken to doing, Corrine did not revel in regaling the common people with lurid tales of her exploits against the Hoshidans, for a number of reasons.

"Princess! Tell us all about how you cut down five hundred screaming savages trying to cross the border!" begged one boy.

"No, tell us about the time you slew the evil banshee who ate Nohrian babies then killed a savage war chief by throwing him from their wall!" plead another.

"Princess, thank you so much for saving my papa from the savages! He and mama both swear they were seconds away from roasting and eating him alive!" thanked a little girl.

"Princess, are all the horrible, disgusting things savages do to their women true? Gods, I'd sooner take my own life than have one of those beasts even look at me!" a young woman said melodramatically.

"What does it feel like to kill one of them, milady? My brothers over there tell me savages don't have souls, so does it feel different to kill them?" asked a young man, adolescent but not old enough for the army.

Hard as she may try to avoid many of these inquiries, some occasions and audiences were simply not conducive to this approach; at such times, evasive non-answers had to suffice. Corrine understood that they had been enemies with Hoshido for some time now, but was such language truly necessary? The princess pondered this for some time, arriving at the tavern's entrance before she knew it. Judging by the rancor inside, her mystery contact's fear of being overheard would be largely assuaged.

****The air heavy with the din of conversation (some rowdier than others) and some sort of smoke or another, as Corrine, unfamiliar with the location, took in the rustic sights and sounds of the tavern as she searched for the bar. Little did she expect, that at least one of the conversations would actually relate to her mystery contact's business as well.

"What was with those fires a couple of weeks back by the castle? Is everything alright?"

"The king and Duke Toscana will burn for what they've done and we'll be lucky if the gods don't take us with them!"

"Oh, shut up! You can't really believe those stupid rumors spread by bleeding-heart savage-lovers?!"

"Civilized or not, there's not a people on the continent, and probably the world who don't honor the right of hospitality. Harming guests you invited, let alone killing them simply isn't done."

Several seconds of scanning the room saw the dragon princess locate a familiar face looking even surlier than usual, giving her a nod of general acknowledgement from the only occupied stool by the bar. Taking the stool to the redhead's left, Corrine waited awkwardly for some sort of confirmation or denial.

"So you showed, huh?" Selena said distantly. "I'm actually a little surprised."

"Well, why wouldn't I come?" the princess asked, shooting her a perplexed glare.

"Because you're about to hear some things you aren't going to be exactly thrilled by."

Turning to the barkeep, the prickly retainer scowled at him, placing a hundred gold's worth of coins onto the bar. "Hey, here's a hundred gold." Selena insisted. "Get lost for a few minutes, would you?"

"How dare you, wench?!" sneered the bartender in return. "Last I checked, this is MY establishment, not yours!"

The inter-dimensional traveler smiled with all the sweetness of a hungry lioness toward a wounded gazelle as she removed several more coins from her pouch. "For five hundred gold, you'd let me fuck your wife on this bar right in front of you; better than you ever could at that." Selena barbed confidently. "Would half of that convince you to get lost?"

Sweeping up and pocketing the coins, the barkeep sulked away, muttering something about reviewing his stock in the cellar and something about Selena's mother Corrine didn't catch. "That was kind of harsh of you, wasn't it?" she inquired.

"It's the truth, isn't it?" the redhead replied. "Besides, I don't need him listening in on this."

"By the way, what was so important and secretive that you couldn't just approach me in the castle to talk about?"

Selena's expression turned grave, absolutely devoid of the slightly-malicious playfulness shown with the barkeep. "Alright, you've said it yourself you've noticed your brother has changed since Shirasagi, right?" she began.

"Well, of course." the princess confirmed. "Wouldn't something like that change anybody? And to say nothing of having all that new responsibility thrust upon him."

"Ugh, that's not the point! The point is that he's changed even more than you could ever imagine and not for the better. You know that delegation of Hoshidan nobles that passed through here a few weeks back? The ones trying to wave a white flag?"

"Yes, it was shameful. I understand their pain at all their country has been through, but using the cover of a peace conference to carry out an assassination attempt against Leo is just unconscionable."

Perhaps from herself more than she cared to admit as well, Severa never reacted well to people being intentionally obtuse and Selena was no different in that regard. But due in no small part to the imminent threat posed by the king, this particular instance left her increasingly angry. "Hmm, from what I saw, an awful lot of unarmed men, women and children were slaughtered for foiling an 'assassination attempt." she said, her tone almost mocking of Corrine as took a sack she'd bought with her and emptied it onto the bar.

Spilled out onto the bar was a considerable collection of obviously-Hoshidan daggers and knives in varying states of repair, notably blood-stained. However, contrary to Corrine's expectations, it was the handles which were bloodied as opposed to the edges and very few of the edges were in such a state.

"That...could be anything." Corrine reassured herself as much as Selena. "And how do you know that they're from those nobles anyway? They could be war trophies for all you know!"

"Oh, really?" said Selena with disbelief. "Checked the great hall as of late? Just ask the maids, or better yet, your brother's slaves about just how much blood and how many organs they had to clean up after the king's minions got done with his 'guests.' Why else do you think he made damn sure that both you and Lady Camilla were away from this 'peace conference' of his? Hell, it took literally weeks to get all of it from the walls and ceilings!"

The dragon princess shot Selena a horrified, offended expression. "Selena, I'm disappointed in you." she scolded as if telling off a rumormongering schoolgirl. "I know you were never Leo's greatest fan, but to slander him with these vile, gutter rumors at a time when both he and Nohr need it least-"

"Princess, I need to ask you a question."

"What is it?"

Resting her chin on her right fist, the redhead continued. "So when he finishes in your mouth, does he make you swallow too?" Selena deadpanned. "You know, just out of curiosity."

Shocked, dismayed, and offended by the retainer's assertions and insinuations about the character of both herself and her adoptive brother, Corrine reacted instinctively, slapping Selena with considerably more force than she'd intended. "How dare you!" she raged. "Leo was right, you ARE disgusting!"

Beginning to sweep the weapons back into her sack, to the surprise of both women, Selena (perhaps mostly satisfied having got her quip in) remained fairly calm. "I was being kind of facetious, but the point stands." she insisted. "That you either can't or won't take his cock out of your mouth long enough to notice that there's something seriously wrong with this man!"

"Don't be absurd! There's nothing wrong with him! He's just under a lot of pressure right now, as I said! In a few month's time after he's settled in, he'll be back to his old self and this will all be a bad, stressful memory."

Having finished recollecting the weapons into her sack, the redhead rose from her barstool with a huff. "Fine, be that way. I'll just get to the bottom of this myself, without your help." Selena insisted before taking a few paces. "By the way, the crack about you sucking him off isn't as facetious as you like to think it is. You know when he's with his wenches, half the time he's fucking you in that inflated head of his, right? Only reason it's not all the time is because the other half it's Lady Camilla he's fucking up there."****

As Selena took her leave of the tavern, struggling somewhat to bring the sack through the doorway, Corrine felt her cheeks flush in indignation. How dare she, the princess thought. How dare she drag her out here and attempt to poison her mind against some of the only family she had remaining with the worst lies possible?! Simmering and fuming all the way back to the castle, back in her chambers, Corrine even paid Azura little noticed, merely stripping off her armor and crawling into their bed with nary a word. The songstress, at last looking up from her dusty and quite-hefty tome, turned to the sulking Corrine, her golden eyes filled with worry and concern. "Is something wrong, Corrine?" she inquired gently. "Something to do with that note on the door?"

Cursing to herself about forgetting to destroy the note, the snowy-haired warrior shifted slightly. "It's nothing, really." she insisted bitterly. "Someone spreading vile slanders about Leo."

"About the Hoshidan nobles the other week?"

"Wait, how did you- Never mind, what are you reading? It looks ancient."

"It's a collection of old Nohrian folktales. Particularly about the First Dragons and their dealings with humans."

"I never took you for much of a folktale woman."

"I'm not, I'm just looking- Never mind, it's not important."

Not surprisingly, there was scarcely a closer pair of young women in the whole kingdom. Both Corrine and Azura, as a general rule, felt comfortable discussing almost anything with one another. However, for this one matter particularly, a potential minefield for both their bond and lives in general, both the lovers felt more than a little hesitant to discuss what was actually on their minds.


Apart from those who knew him closely, one talent of Saizo the Fifth which came as a surprise was his skill at amateur cartography, this particular hillside hideout in the hinterlands near the Nohrian border covered wall-to-wall in assorted maps and charts detailing known Nohrian economic installations erected since the capital's fall. As part of the "taxes" levied against their new charges, more often than not, Nohrian commanders and/or nobles had a series of farms and plantations erected and demanded tribute of "savage" men and boys from towns and villages across the countryside to work on said installations for sixteen to twenty hours a day; all for little-to-nonexistent compensation, of course.

Never a happy man by any means, at this, the ninja could not help but smirk. The last stand of Lord Tomokane of Mutsu and his men, despite all of the occupiers' attempts to hush it up, had already gone down in Hoshidan history as a symbol of defiance in the darkest night and cruelest winter. With this sort of ammunition, and his associates operating throughout the land, Saizo knew that the countryside would be blazing in revolt by this time next year, perhaps even sooner.

So engrossed in his plotting and planning, it was slightly unnerving for him not to have noticed his companion entering the hideaway, but even more interesting was the that eye-patched ronin was accompanying her. "What's wrong?" inquired Saizo. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's what I can't see that's bothering me." Kagero informed bluntly. "Or hear, for that matter. But every instinct I have is telling me that someone's observing this place. I even dragged this drunken sod up here since you didn't want to be bothered all day."

"No, I get that same sense too." confirmed Oishi, grip on his katana slung over his left shoulder ready to draw. "I'm obviously not as skilled at this as you two are, but yeah, I see what she means."

Saizo rolled his remaining eye. "Oh, fine! If it will keep you from losing your heads."

Emerging from the cavern, Saizo overlooked a scene of snow-capped, sloping greenery, heavily-wooded, but not so much that it was impossible to move without being heard. All his senses working in tandem, the ninja attempted to discern any other presence over the cold, bitter winds. "Now, where did you feel like you were being watched the most strongly?" he inquired. "Was it back towards the main path or-"

"If I knew that, I'd have wasted the fucker already!" snarled Oishi.

"Besides, if we are being watched, it's certain he's moving around." Kagero reminded.

The ronin scowled. "Fine, you two can play with the ghost or whatever it is. I'm going back to the village before I freeze up here."

Even in spite of everything going on in the world, strolling through these serene forests together with the moon brightly shining down on them, under any other circumstances would have been soothing, if not well... romantic. Still, Saizo was a business-minded man, through and through, something the pair both knew well. With Kagero having mentioned movement, his ears reflexively began to search for anything out of the ordinary. Oh, yes, Saizo was definitely feeling that exact same sentiment described by his two companions and after a minute of the wind blowing, then dying down, he got an idea.

At the next wind gust died out, Saizo reflexively threw one of his knives at the tree branch directly up and to his left, noticing a very familiar voice muttering pained curses as its owner dropped from the branch, stabilizing himself after a wobbly landing on his feet. "Well, well, look what the new masters dragged in." Saizo sneered, drawing his katana on the the figure staggering to his feet. "Surprised you had the gall to show your face here. What happened, did your masters get sick of your preening pet savage routine?"

Finally regaining his footing, Kaze assumed a defensive stance as he prepared to attempt reason with his twin. "Brother, you have to listen to me." he plead, being more careful than he'd ever been in his life not to make any sudden movements or reach for any of his blades. "Lady Corrine has me on an extremely important mission, it's about the king-"

Saizo scowled viciously, drawing a blade with his free hand. "You think I give a fuck about what that traitoress has to say?!" he raged. "Or the so-called 'man' who betrays both his country and kin just for pussy?!"

Whether simply from adrenaline due to the situation or actual offense, Kaze became slightly more belligerent as well, ready to draw at a nanosecond's notice. "Lady Corrine isn't like that!" he protested angrily, only afterward becoming aware of the double entendre. "It wasn't like that! King Leonard's acting strangely and we believe it has something to do with Duke Matt-"

"Why would you think I care about your masters' little errands or petty feuds either?!"

"Because it directly concerns you too! If Prince Ryoma told you to-"

Normally quite severe in her countenance anyway, Kagero's subtle change in expression to the green ninja was perfectly described as one of you-just-fucked-up-big-time. As sure as the sun rose in the east, Saizo's eye flared at his twin.***** "You fucking DARE to speak that name?!" he roared, attempting to bring down the blade on Kaze's head.

Deftly dodging the overhead slash, Kaze momentarily considered attempting to continue reasoning with his brother before thinking better of it, what with Saizo almost immediately on top of him, the dragon princess' retainer narrowly avoiding three separate slashes and a thrust aimed at his abdomen. No, Kaze knew that he would have to inflict some not-insignificant wounds on his brother before he would even consider listening to what he had to say.

Retreating to a nearby sturdy branch some two meters overhead, Kaze took the brief reprieve as an opportunity to aim three of his knives at his attacker's lower extremities. Saizo however, hardened by years upon years of harsh physical training and sheer rage, was once again shortly in striking distance, dismembering a number of smaller branches far too close to his own feet for Kaze's comfort and fled up the improvised mountain path in search of more defensible terrain. "Brother, I understand how you're feeling, but you must listen!" he implored, gambling that at least one of his remaining knives would make contact.

Needless to say, the pleas fell on deaf ears; the green ninja was certain he saw one of his knives lodged in his brother's right thigh, yet continuing on as if it were not there. Cursing to himself as his one remaining weapon sank in, Kaze drew his own blade, a sword of fine Nohrian steel. "What, our 'savage' tools aren't good enough for you anymore?!" Saizo spat, throwing all the force he could muster at the other man, who nearly buckled under the pressure. Kaze knew damned well this could not continue indefinitely; Saizo was physically quite a bit stronger than him and always had been; no, his best chance was to find more manageable terrain and wait for the angry ninja to tire himself out, but this was easier said than done: His brother's slashes, thrusts, and blocks were not quite as quick as his, but he compensated with pure power behind the strikes.

It was not an ideal situation at all and he was (as he had been the entire fight) on the defensive, but for a few moments, Kaze was convinced that the altercation was settling into a semi-predictable rhythm. However, the terrain behind him did not feel like cooperating; the snow throwing off his footing as it was, the terrain sloping upwards was not exactly conductive to defending himself from his enraged brother. Parrying three more of Saizo's slashes, a momentary slip up of footing saw the next blow saw the Nohrian blade knocked from Kaze's hands through the frigid air, Kaze grunting in pain at the older twin's follow-up slash across his right leg and abdomen, sending him tumbling into the ravine below.

His clothing and light armor scraping against the ice and rocks below the surface, almost immediately after getting his bearings, Kaze found his brother's blade pointed to his neck, its owner wearing an expression of absolute rage and contempt. "Anything to say, traitor?" he said, the blankness of his tone contrasting unnervingly with his hateful countenance.

"Just make it quick." the younger twin requested contritely, scarcely able to blame his brother for his hatred.*****

Shutting his eyes as he waited for the finishing blow to come, Kaze was perplexed by its absence. His twin would call him somewhat naive, but he knew damned well that a man being stabbed through his throat sounded nothing like "Saizo, wait!"

Kaze opened his eyes to the puzzling sight of Kagero standing over him as well, stilling his twin's wrist with her own hand. Saizo however, was less-than-pleased with his companion. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" he raged. "Have you forgotten what he's done?! What his Nohrian masters have done?! All the horrible shit they've done to us 'savages' in the name of their 'birthright?'"

"Not for one second." Kagero answered steelily. "In fact, it haunts me. However, because of what he's been up to, he's more useful to us alive than dead."

While his hateful expression remained, Kaze could see the gears working in his brother's head. To his astonishment, the elder twin lowered and re-sheathed his blade. "Fine, see if I care." Saizo said angrily, turning away from the pair. "But when, not if, he betrays us again, you only have yourself to blame."

With his brother sulking away and Kagero applying a solvent to his wounds, Kaze gave her an appreciative smile. "Really, Kagero, you have my thanks." he said gratefully. "If you hadn't been here-"

"You'd be dead." Kagero interrupted coldly, beginning to bind his hands. "I didn't save you out of the goodness of my heart. If you didn't have something I want more than anything else, I'd have let him finish you off."

"Wait, what is that?"

"Information. Information about Nohr's high nobility and assorted power players. Information in particular about a specific noble involved in a specific atrocity of theirs."