A Cold Reception

The moment they stepped through the gates, the twins were surrounded by neighbors and friends, welcoming them back home.

Felicia had been crying on their way towards the village and now seeing old friends and neighbors made her cry harder. They confused her tears for those of happiness and the younger twin didn't bother to correct them as they hugged her and patted her back. Flora just stayed silent, occasionally returning smiles and kind words, but didn't cry.

Her tears only came when her Father, Clear, pushed through the crowd; he was still the same, but his face had aged and his blue hair had turned completely white. He spread his arms wide and hugged his daughters close, murmuring into their hair that he was so happy to see them again as the crowd cheered.

They were home.

Finally, after years of wishing and wanting, they were finally back!

"F-father…!" Felicia cried, hugging him tight as he let out a small laugh. "…I…I…we…we missed you so much!"

"And I missed you, my sweet child…" Clear said, squeezing Flora's shoulder who smiled, even as the tears fell.

"…Father…" Flora began but Clear shook his head.

"My children…you took great pains to come back…and for that, I'm grateful…and now, we must prepare…the sooner we leave Nohr…the better…"

"Father! Lis-listen!" Flora cried, making the older man give her a look.

"What is it, my child?"

Flora was silent for a second, unsure of what to say, before the crying Felicia answered, "Nohrians…the Nohrians have sent someone to stop us…Father…"

"What!?"

"W-we…tried to keep them away…but…"

"…they are coming…we should…we should get ready for them…"

"I see…ah! You coming here wasn't without troubles, hmm…I should have known they would try to stop you…but do not fear in this wind, they don't stand a chance!" Clear turned towards the people. "My friends prepare yourselves! We would not let this Nohrian scum use us any longer!" A cry of approval rang as Flora and Felicia flinched; if only they knew. "They want a fight…then they will get it!"

The sisters exchanged a look as their Father took them away and mentally asked for forgiveness for what they were about to do.

Kamui and her group moved slowly towards the distant Ice Village—the storm had stopped minutes ago and now they could see the village clearly.

The princess let out a sigh as she and her group moved slowly through the snow.

Kamui should have seen this coming a mile away; Flora and Felicia had told her many stories about their home and about their ability to control ice and snow but that had been happier times back in the fortress and now this happened. Had she had a plan to fall back on, Kamui would have immediately took the girls aside and told them that she didn't mean any harm but she knew at this point it was absolutely pointless.

They had assumed the worst was coming for their people and acted accordingly and frankly when Kamui thought about it, she would have done the same.

"Kamui…" She felt a slight tap on her shoulder and looked back. Cyrus and Joker stood nearby, staring at her with worry in their eyes.

"Cyrus…Joker…"

"Are you well…my lady?" Joker began, only for the princess to shake her head.

"I wish I could say I was…"

"Don't beat yourself over this, Kamui," the knight told her only for Kamui to sigh again.

"And how can I not, Cyrus…? You heard what Flora said…if only I had been thinking straight this wouldn't have got out of hand…"

"Perhaps that is true…but they were the ones that didn't listen."

"…how did they even know about me…going to deal with their tribe anyway…?"

Cyrus laughed nervously as he muttered, "Perhaps that was my doing…I…when…when Prince Marx was asking for volunteers…I might have let it slip to the sisters of what you were doing…" Kamui was silent before letting out a chuckle.

"Ha…hehehe…hah…"

"Kamui?"

"My lady?"

But Kamui was not listening. She let out another miserable laugh before she shook her head and wondered, sadly, if the girls had actually thought this through and why they didn't kill her when they had the chance. Felicia had her at her mercy then and Flora could have easily strike her down but they didn't. They just ran back home as she watched them go.

They should have killed her when they had their chance…

"…Hah…it can't be helped now…" the princess muttered, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall in her frustration. "Hopefully things won't get worse…" Not that we need them to…

"Well…if they are willing to listen perhaps we can…"

"I doubt it." Joker replied interrupting the young knight as Kamui turned to stare at him with a lost look. "Master Kamui…as it stands…those two have already warned the tribe of your presence and knowing them…well…I doubt they'll be willing to listen."

"So…we are stuck, either way…huh…?" Kamui wondered, staring at the village in the distance and then turned towards the reminder members of their group. "Listen…all of you…if the leader of the Ice Tribe cannot be reasoned with…I want you to prepare yourselves…please…Arthur, Effie…keep my sister safe…"

"But of course, princess!" Arthur cried out, slamming a fist on his chest. "No harm shall come to our fair lady!"

"Agreed!"

"Good! Now…Elise…"

"Keep out of harm's way…I know that, sister!"

"Now…I know this will be difficult…but unless you have no choice…don't kill anyone, please…"

"Are you sure that is wise, Lady Kamui? What if—"

"I'm sure, Joker…I just want to talk…if they want a fight, they'll get one, but I'll rather no one came to serious harm."

"Well…you have my word, Kamui," Cyrus told her, nodding. "I'll just have to be careful when I thrust my spear…"

"I still think it would be unwise…but you have my word as well," her retainer told her with a small bow. Arthur and Effie nodded as well while Elise looked uneasy.

"Alright then…let's go…" And hope for the best…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kamui silently cursed her luck as she stared at the leader of the tribesmen, with Flora and Felicia standing nearby, glaring back at her with all their might.

Her small group was facing off against another group of very angry looking people; most held spears and swords, while others held tomes and staves. They were at least, ten or twelve, battle ready people versus her small crowd of four—Elise was a healer and the most vulnerable of them all.

Perhaps they should just turn tail and run back to Nohr but Kamui knew that wouldn't solve anything.

If she didn't end this now, they'll send someone else to deal with the Ice Tribe and it could end badly. She didn't want to think of what would happen to Flora and Felicia if things had been differently.

But now, she stood face to face with the leader, who was glaring daggers at her as if waiting for her to speak before he took her down.

"…you must be…"

"I am Clear…leader of the Ice Tribe…and you must be…Princess Kamui…" His voice was calm but even in that calm, Kamui could feel the hate dripping from his voice.

"…Sir…I…"

"I know why you have come…you are here to destroy my people…my home…" he went on, ignoring what Kamui had to say.

"Please…listen, I…"

"No! You listen! The last time I was told to listen my children were taken from me! No! I will not listen to what you have to say! You Nohrians are liars and schemers and filth!" He didn't notice Kamui's shocked expression as he went on. "If Garon wants my tribe, he'll have my head first! MEN!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kamui and her allies. "DO IT NOW!"

A powerful gust of wind appeared from nowhere, clouding Kamui's vision, as Cyrus cried out to keep her distance.

She couldn't see anything anymore; Clear, Flora and Felicia and the tribesmen were behind this storm and she couldn't—

Another gust of wind blew in front of them and then the snow stopped.

Clear and the others were as clear as day once more, but they had spread out in that short of amount of time. Some of them seemed shocked that the storm had ended when it did but Kamui heard a few steps behind her and took out her sword as she heard a man cry out,

"I hope we are not late to the party!"

The man appeared next to her almost in an instant; he was an archer with an eyepatch, an odd combination. He had white hair like herself but was fairly dark skinned and wore a cloak that concealed modest garments.

"Lady Kamui, I presume?"

"Yes…and you are…"

"My name is Zero…and by Master Leon's orders I'm here to please you…"

"Wh-what…?" Behind her, Cyrus let out a loud "HUH!?" while Joker cried out an indignant, "EXCUSE ME!?"

"Please ignore him!" A new voice made Kamui blink, as a small girl, probably about Elise's age, smacked the archer, Zero, on the head with a tome. Ah! It had been her that had put an end to endless blizzard. "Prince Leon sent us to aid you, Lady Kamui…and it seems we arrived just in time…" She was staring at the tribesmen who were moving fast towards them.

"Umm…thanks…um…"

"Nyx…" the girl, Nyx, replied.

"Thank you, Nyx…now, listen…please don't…"

"Kill any of them…do not worry…we heard you the first time, princess," Zero told her with a grin as he took aim. "I'm not use to being so merciful but I'll take it as a challenge."

"…huh…?"

"He has good ears…now, focus princess," Nyx told her, as she pointed a finger towards the approaching tribesmen. "The sooner we finish this fight, the better."

Iago let himself smile as he watched the conflict from nearby; a pack of Nosferatu wondered behind him, waiting.

…why do you seek to oppose her…? She is not your enemy…

"Ha….! She would be if I let her…" the advisor said, glaring as he noticed new people joining the princess's side in the fray. "Sometimes I wonder if having you around was worth it…"

…you are nothing without my power…the voice whispered. Why do you seek to end her…? Do you not realize that she's not your enemy…?

"She's too soft…too soft to be of any use to me…she doesn't see the bigger picture…perhaps she should have remained in the dungeon all those years back."

…she is important…she is the key to your throne…

But Iago wasn't listening.

Once, Iago would have listened to the voice; the voice had seen into his future and had assured him that the throne of Nohr would be his someday. And Iago, young and inexperienced, had listened. He listened closely as the voice whispered plans and fortunes and spells and secrets. He learned a lot from the voice and with this new knowledge; he became a trusted member of the Nohrian court.

Back then, the King had had a wife. The woman, Shenmei, had been the wife of an old general that had died years ago leaving her alone and with a girl to take care off. And the King had courted her. He had managed to win her heart with kind words and assurances and gifts and love.

But the women in his life were unhappy.

They hated the new Queen and made it known throughout.

They sneered and insulted the Queen and her brat behind Garon's back and had even used their own children to traumatize the Queen's daughter with nasty pranks but even throughout all this, Shenmei tried her best to guide Garon away from his conquest and towards improving the lives of the Nohrian people.

The voice had whispered to him about how the Nohrians would face many troubles, mainly food shortages, drought and terrible weather. It foresaw how the Nosferatu, soldiers created out of clay and stone, would turn on their Masters and be used by their enemies in the war. And then, the voice told him that the Queen would die.

Iago had not warned anyone of what the voice had said, not like he used to when he warned the King of plots against him back then, no. He had let events play out slowly as the day of the Queen's predetermined death arrived.

It had been a normal day and then, disaster struck. In the cover of night, assassins from Hoshido infiltrated the castle with one goal: kill the King. They had succeeded in killing the Queen before they were captured and executed.

The once fearsome King had been reduced to a grieving mess after his knights had brought him Shenmei's lifeless body. For weeks, the King was inconsolable meanwhile the women around him tried to win him over in his time of grief but he ignored them all. In his grief, the women were able to get away with their plots easily. Children were poisoned and stabbed while their Mothers were chased down by vengeful sons and daughters until only four remained—the crown prince, and his half siblings and the brat Shenmei left behind with another child on its way.

One day, Iago remembers the King disappearing on an expedition with a group of loyal soldiers, the best of the realm, for two whole weeks.

The voice did not speak to him during those two weeks and it made Iago nervous: what would happen now? What was the King plotting…?

Eventually, days later, the advisor got his answer when the King threw a child dressed in Hoshidan garments to the floor of the abandoned fort and ordered his men to send her to the dungeons. He remembered thinking that the child was an odd one, with long, deformed ears, white hair and red eyes and then he remembers how the voice howled in delight upon noticing the child and cried out,

SHE IS HERE! After all these years…yes…yes…she is important…she will lead you to your throne…yes…yes…

And Iago had listened.

He had tried to convince the King to use the girl for the war effort but Garon had not listened—not then. The man instead sentenced the girl to the dungeons and ordered her to be beat and starved if she cried or misbehaved.

Iago had, in turn, ordered a few servants and soldiers to take care of the child while he tried again and again to convince the King to have the child trained to become a tool for Nohr to no avail. The voice just told Iago to wait and Iago, once again, did.

In the months that followed, Hoshido and Nohr's conflict had escalated, the death of the King had sent the neighboring nation in an uproar…and then, Shenmei's child was taken.

Like the assassins, they had arrived at the cover of night and took the child leaving behind a message that they wanted to negotiate.

Garon was livid the moment he discovered what had happened and had called his most loyal soldier, Gunther, to the throne room. He had taken out a whip and presented it to the man and told him to whip the Hoshidan brat over and over until she fell over dead.

Gunther had argued, of course, as had Iago.

The advisor tried to make him see reason but the King had screamed that the Hoshidans were nothing but liars and their attempt to negotiate was just a façade and that his child was already dead…and so, he would pay them in kind.

He wanted the girl beaten to death and then returned back to her Mother to show to the Hoshidans that he didn't want to negotiate.

And then, the voice began to whisper to Iago, telling him that the King could do better; the advisor told the King that if he really wanted the Hoshidans to suffer then he should use the girl instead. She could be an obedient soldier. She could be his weapon to bring Hoshido down and despite his misgivings, Gunther had agreed to his plan.

Why kill such a young child if they could raise another soldier?

The King, after a few days, relented and ordered Gunther to begin the girl's training.

And Iago had breathed a sigh of relief as Gunther began the girl's education. Eventually, as the years passed, many things began to change and Iago began to doubt the girl's use.

He remembered hearing about a nobleman's son visiting the old fortress with his father at the insistence of Gunther and years later, he heard of the boy's exile from the fortress and he grew concerned. Then, she met her 'siblings'.

By chance, they had spotted the girl training with Gunther on the abandoned grounds when they were out in a family outgoing with their father and soon the question and after question surfaced. The King—poor fool—had panicked and explained that the child was their sister…a sister that had been kept hidden from the world for her own protection. Garon did end up revealing the truth to his oldest son, believing that it would serve a greater purpose and that Marx would learn to hate the Hoshidan outsider who had become his sister. But he did not.

Soon, the lonely girl was surrounded by a loving family and then Iago began to doubt.

She had been softened by the love of others and by her own curiosity of the world around her. She had learned values and honor from that wretched Gunther. And she had been loved and in turn she had loved back.

He had wanted a loyal soldier not a foolish one with noble intentions.

But the voice had whispered back that the world would teach her and that she'll soon become that soldier he craved but by then, Iago was not listening anymore.

The girl became a liability in the years and eventually even the King grew tired of her presence. She was constant reminder of that tragedy and when he had had the chance had ordered her death because he no longer wanted her alive and Iago had gone along with it.

Yet the plan failed and now he was here, watching as the girl faced off against the Ice Tribe and its leader.

He knew the King had sent the girl to her death…he had sent her alone, after all! But he had not counted on the prince and his siblings. He had not counted on that 'love' that made her weak and now he was here to clean up after her.

The advisor didn't care for what happened to the Ice Tribe. Many rebellions like this had been crushed in the recent years but lately many and many more had risen and the King had not cared to stop them. But Iago couldn't simply ignore them not when he was so close to the throne.

He would put an end to the Ice Tribe here and now. If the girl died then he wouldn't have to worry about what came later.

"Oh…what sad fate awaits you …"

…what sad fate indeed…

A/N: Gah! This chapter got a little too long...but I finally got it done.

A little bit of background info on the whole kidnapping plot and a little information on who this voice might be.

Next chapter, the battle continues!

Please read and review and catch you later!

Guest: If you mean I won't be including the Awakening trio, you are quite right. They won't be appearing in the story and other characters from the game would take their place like Nyx for Odin.