The Road Not Trekked: The Rising Dark

by SilverShadow1711

Thinking returning home to Nohr would be the end of her troubles was foolishness on Nerr's part. Rebellions, massacres and foreign invasions on both sides of the continent chip away at what little sanity remains to her, but perhaps there is a silver lining amidst the darkest clouds. After all, realizing the darkness holds nothing to fear makes it easier to walk through it...

10. The Narrow View

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Ch. 10- "The Narrow View"

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Nerr stood at the outskirts of Cyrkensia, leaning against one of the trees that lead to the forest. It seemed that the singers that had followed the Garou into it's depths had escaped, given that Hans and Iago had returned hours later, their clothes ragged and torn, covered in dust and leaves. Garon had been sorely disappointed in their wasted efforts, and chastised them for getting lost on a wild goose chase. If they hadn't wasted so much time playing in the woods, they could've helped the princess apprehend the true culprit. Nerr had brought the king the torn, bloody dress, telling him that she'd fought tooth and nail to try and kill the wretch, but the woman had begun singing that horrid, cursed song and the next thing she knew, her siblings were picking her up off the ground.

"I wouldn't worry about her, though, Father. That whore singer is bleeding to death in a gutter somewhere. People don't live long without their kidneys. I'm just sorry I couldn't do more... I failed you, Father."

"Your efforts were valiant, daughter, and your zeal in slaughtering the others has not gone unnoticed. At least there are some people I can count on to do what is necessary." He shot a withering glare at Hans and Iago before storming away.

She had been very pleased that, not only did their plan work, but that she was convincing enough to even fool someone as suspicious as the king. It had been Leo's idea that she present the king with their "proof" and take the credit, hopefully to earn her way back into his favor after their last... well, "argument" implied she'd had a retort after he struck her. She truly wished she could've done more, wished the death toll had not climbed as high as it had, but at least with the evident "death" of the guilty singer, the rest in the surrounding villages would be spared as Garon called off his hunt.

Nerr had been patrolling, putting on the air of a dutiful soldier, but in reality, all she'd wanted was to clear her mind. Watching people drag the charred and bloodied corpses from homes had been too much for her to deal with, so she'd retreated to the woods. As she walked, something rustled in the depths of the dark forest, giving her pause. Her pulse quickened as she scanned the area, one of the shadows darting out of the corner of her eye. Instinct alone let her raise her sword, blocking the silvery blade that aimed for her throat. A Hoshidan ninja stood before her, using both hands to bear down on the kunai he held. He was stronger than most of the shinobi she'd encountered before, and it was taking all of her strength to hold him back.

"You've breathed your last, Princess Traitor..." With a loud grunt, he broke her defenses, driving the blade down. It would've sank between her ribs had she not twisted out of the way just in time, instead, slicing into the tender flesh between her shoulder and collarbone.

Screaming in pain and driven with fear, she knocked him back, the kunai digging deeper, causing more damage with the jarring movement. She succeeded where he failed, driving her Yato into his chest, between his ribs, all the way to the hilt. He groaned shakily, bloody saliva gathering at the corners of his mouth. With a sound of disgust, Nerr pulled her blade free, the sucking sound it made as it withdrew from his body nauseating. The ninja fell to the ground, blood blooming over his chest as it was sucked in by the thirsty ground below him.

"Nerr!" The princess turned, wincing as the movement set her nerves aflame. Azura was running towards her, the horror on her face increasing as she came closer. "Gods, what's happened to you? What's going on?!" She glanced down at the ground. "That's a Hoshidan soldier!"

"He just tried to slit my throat."

"He came close! You're bleeding so much! I'll go get a vulnerary..." The songstress was about to run off again when a sudden noise caused her to jump. The shinobi, despite his injuries, was still clinging to life. He'd grabbed Nerr's ankle, his bloodshot eyes wild with hatred even as they glossed over.

"Y-you... killed my whole family...! You and... all of Nohr...! Retribution will come... for all of you...! Just wait... Just- GRAUGH!" He was cut off as Nerr drove her blade into his stomach with both hands, pulling down. Blood and entrails oozed onto the ground as he finally went limp. She stared at his body, his hand still on her foot. She could see the bloodied sword rattling violently, but did not feel herself shaking.

"Nerr..." Azura rested a light hand on her arm, her touch almost imperceptible. "Are you alright? We-we need to tell someone; more assassins could be sent after you. You should have more guards-"

"NO!" Suddenly snapped out of her shock, she rounded on the singer. She could barely feel the pain in her neck, only the sudden lightheadedness that accompanied her movements. "No one can know about this. You stay here and guard the body, I'll be right back." Before Azura could protest, Nerr ran back into town, sheathing her blade. Her head was spinning, only some half-formed idea of what she needed to do in her mind. She spotted one of the Nohrian soldiers, an ax hooked to his belt. She grabbed for it, paying no mind to the lance that had come down to kiss her throat before the man realized who he was about to attack. He quickly stood at attention while Nerr pulled the ax away. "I need this," was all she offered by way of explanation, running back to the outskirts. She hoped the solider wouldn't get any ideas and follow her.

As she ran, she looked at the ax. It was a peculiar kind, with a serrated blade. She'd seen the soldiers using them in Chevalier to cut apart the bodies of the rebels while they were still alive. As horrid as it was, it was perfect for what she needed to do. Azura was still where she'd left her, staring down at the Hoshidan soldier's body, her mournful expression changed to utter confusion as she noticed the weapon in Nerr's hands.

"Nerr? What are you doing with that?"

"Containing the situation. Now that I have this ax, I just need to dismember him."

"What?!" Azura's voice came out as a high pitched shriek. "You can't mean that!"

"I do mean that! Nobody can know that this miscreant tried to kill me; I will not have my siblings worrying needlessly for my sake. They deal with enough without having to always look over my shoulders." Before Azura could protest again, Nerr knelt down, raising the ax high above her head and bringing it down on the shinobi's arm, right at the elbow. It met the bone with a sickening crack, but cut deep enough that she could see slivers of white. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked back at the other princess. Her eyes were wide in fear, and tears were beginning to form in their depths. "Go back to the others, Azura. Tell them I'll be back soon."

Without waiting to see if the Hoshidan girl would listen to her advice, she continued chopping. It was amazing how sturdy the human body was; even with her draconic strength and a weapon designed especially for hacking things apart, it was still a hell of a job. By the time she had finished, a pile of bloody, ragged limbs in front of her, Nerr was certain she now knew everything about how a person was put together, as well as exactly how much blood they contained within them. Gathering up the limbs in shaking hands, she took them into the forest, throwing them about in different directions. The head and torso she covered with the dead leaves and branches. Eventually, the wild animals would take care of the disposal, and no one would be any the wiser.

She stumbled back out, aware of just how bloody she was, and recalled the assassin's final words to her, gasped out with his last breath. She'd killed his family... did he mean the Nohrian army, or had his family been present the day of the explosion in Shirasagi? This was no political attack, it seemed- he was not trying to strike a blow against Nohr; all he'd wanted was justice for his family, and she had denied him that. For a moment, she paused, her head throbbing in time to her pulse. She wanted to be sad, she felt that she should at least mourn for the man, since he had no one else to do it for him, but the sorrow would not come. Her pity, her misery, was not an infinite resource, and she'd been expending it nonstop since the Rainbow Sage's death. Try as she might, all Nerr could feel was relief that this was one less thing for her siblings to worry about, as well as the knowledge that, since the ninja's family was already dead, there would be no one to miss him. He was with his family now; she'd done him a favor.

000

Several days later, after the unpleasantness, they'd set out to leave Nestra. They were headed back to Dia. One pleasant surprise, the only one thus far, was that Camilla had taken it upon herself to procure a new suit of armor for Nerr. Father had paid for it, and the eldest princess had gone to the smithy that had created her own armor, returning with a suit of ebony plate with gilded, raised engravings. The bevor bore the Nohrian royal crest.

It was beautiful, and the fact that it was so similarly designed to her siblings' armor as well made it all the more touching... The only problem was that it did not cover much. Her breastplate barely covered that, and there was no gorget to protect things like her throat... and heart... In fact, when she first tried it on, she was appalled to see how much of her bosom was left exposed, not to mention her legs. Yes, she had cuisse, but no faulds, not even tassets. Her old armor, though it had been designed mostly as light-weight practice armor, still provided more protection than this. When she brought her complaints up to her sister (trying not to sound ungrateful, for she really appreciated the thought), the older princess just laughed.

"That armor will serve you just fine. Look at me; I've never suffered a killing blow."

"...you ride a wyvern. Anyone other than an archer would have a hard time aiming for your chest."

"Hey, I don't ride nothin' and I'm doing just fine." The buxom border guard, Charlotte, spun around a little, showing off all of her feminine assets. Many of the male (and quite a few female) soldiers pointedly turned to look. "Trust me, princess; these," She cupped her breasts, pushing them up even higher. "Are your greatest asset on the battlefield. Men are stupid; they think with their cocks more than their brains. When you're bouncing around in front of them, they'll be too busy thinking about fucking you to try and stab you." Nerr stared at the blonde woman. Her manner was appalling, but also, strangely refreshing. It was nice to hear someone talk about seduction in blunt terms that she could clearly understand. Camilla chuckled slightly.

"Perhaps I wouldn't have used such crude language, but my point has been made. You're so beautiful, Nerr. You should let that beauty work for you."

"And if I'm facing a woman, or a man who isn't 'affected' by my charms?" Charlotte scoffed.

"Then stab 'em in the face and call it a day. That's what I do."

"Oh, I do like you..." Camilla grinned at the other woman. The younger princess sighed and shook her head.

"When someone cuts my heart out, I want my epitaph to read, 'I told you so'."

As the the regiment settled down to make camp for the night, Nerr wandered away. Thick copses of trees were scattered about, many of them playing host to the tangled branches of other trees, from whom clusters of of pale lilac flowers hung down like grapes. Despite how late in the year it was, the air was surprisingly mild down south. There was nary a cloud in the sky, and the stars shone brightly. She'd found a beautiful place to be miserable in.

Leaning against one of the trees, she unsheathed her sword. The now purple stones reflected the dim light from above, the lowest one still glowing faintly. She had cleaned the blade, spent hours rubbing away the last traces of dried blood from every groove and ridge. It now shone as brightly as when the Sage had first cast his blessing on it, but in her mind's eye, she could still see the blood that splashed across it's golden surface. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw blood. On her hands, on the ground, pouring out of people- soldiers and civilians alike. Buckets of it.

It had been several days since she'd last slept without night terrors jolting her awake every hour, and though her eyes burned and her head felt as if someone had put it in a vice, her mind was strangely alert. She had been like that during her endurance training (gods, how long ago had that been? Four, five months?); after she'd pushed herself past that first hurdle of exhaustion, everything became so clear, as if the world around her had slowed down, and she was still moving at normal speed. Back then, she'd thought that would be the hardest part of combat. Re-sheathing the Yato- the Grim Yato- the princess closed her eyes. Was that why the Sage had called it that, because he knew it would transform under such grim circumstances?

She couldn't understand what was bringing about these circumstances in the first place. Nerr was not opposed to conquering Hoshido. Yes, she felt bad for the Hoshidans, but Father was right; they weren't sharing their resources. The drought had been going on for three years thus far, and this was only the most recent one. Every decade or so, a famine spread across Nohr, and the population plummeted as people died of starvation, or were killed by marauders and brigands. The nobles, even the royals were not exempt from the hardships.

Nerr had never seen the riots that occurred in the capital when the people were hungry, but she knew all too well those times when the supplies brought to the Citadel dwindled and eventually stopped. She would always smile, always telling her servants- her friends, her family- that they'd have more food next week, next month. She ate whatever was put in front of her at those times with gusto, ribbing Flora and Felicia for their disgust and joking that it could be worse. She could only imagine how the poor peasants lived, when they lived at all. No price seemed too great to put an end to such terrible living conditions, but...

"Does he not realize that if he keeps this up, he won't have a kingdom to rule much longer...?" The princess asked herself aloud, having no one else to pose the question to. None of her siblings agreed with his methods, but not one of them would stand up and tell him that. He would not listen to her because she was not his true child, but it one of them spoke up... If Xander or Camilla said something, the king might have been willing to change a bit. Then again, each and every one of them was terrified that, if they incurred his wrath, he would have the executed just as surely as he would do with her. It seemed unlikely, for she knew how much Garon loved his true children, but it was not within the realm of impossibility. As Leo had told her, all that mattered was what the king wanted- everyone, even his own children, were slaves to his desires. That was simply life in the monarchy. Groaning, Nerr raised her fingers to her temples, trying to massage them in a vain effort to counteract the stabbing pain there. Her thumb brushed against her hair pin, bringing about a knot in her stomach on top her her headache.

If Gunther were there, she could talk to him. She could've poured out all her worries, all her fears, and known that she would not be judged for it. Her dear retainer would've just listened to her and, had she looked sympathetic enough, taken her into his arms and stroked her hair, telling her that it would all be alright. It wouldn't, of course, but she missed having someone lie to her to try and protect her from the awful truth. But it had been, what? Three months since he'd died (been murdered, she reminded herself bitterly). Now all she was left with was the awful truth and no one she felt she could burden with it... 'It's good to know that you've come to terms with your crippling loneliness...' She thought bitterly to herself.

A twig snapped in the distance, a quiet sound, but loud as a ballista to Nerr's ears. Her head snapped up, so fast she felt her neck crack, and the princess looked around wildly for the source of the noise. Was it another assassin? Oh, it better not have been... As she squinted, she could make out a pale figure of blue and white, almost ethereal as they moved between the trees.

"Is that... Azura? Oh gods, she looks so creepy like that..." Nerr shuddered, remembering the tales of the Crying Woman that Gunther used to tell her and Jakob as children, a woman in a white dress who lurked around rivers, luring children to their deaths. Having never seen a river at the time, the young Nerr had delighted in those stories, but now... She could hear the babbling of a brook somewhere not too far off...

"Oh, gods, why does she have to be so creepy...? Where's she going?" Feeling a twinge of fear run down her spine completely unrelated to the horrors of war, Nerr pushed herself away from the tree, moving to follow the songstress. Azura had asked her many times to open up to her; maybe she could unload some of her problems onto the other girl's ears. If nothing else, it might get her to stop pestering her. But as the Nohrian princess stepped into the woods, trying to move as quietly as possible, she lost sight of the other woman. 'Like a fucking ghost...' She thought fearfully. She was just about to turn around and run back to the camp when a quiet voice rang out, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach... Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time; the path is yours to climb..." Such a familiar melody... Any and all traces of fear Nerr might've felt were burned away in the wake of the rage coursing through her.

"That's the same damn song..." She hissed to herself, moving towards the voice. "Son of a bitch, I knew that was her in Cyrkensia! How dare she lie to my face like that?! Oh, I will have words with her..." That was what Xander called it when he meant to yell someone down for their wrongdoings; having words with them.

Finally, she found the other woman. The trees opened up into a clearing, with a pristine lake in the center of it. It reminded Nerr of the lake she'd first met Azura at, so long ago in Hoshido. The singer was walking into the water, still wearing her long dress. Did she not realize how much that was going to weigh her down? For a moment, Nerr wondered if she wanted to take a swim or a bath, but then realized that there was no one around for whom she'd need to preserve her modesty. 'What in all the hells is she doing...?' the princess wondered. She was tempted to just run out and yell at her not to run away, but suddenly, the other woman's head sank below the surface. Nerr felt as if she'd just swallowed a block of ice. Maybe she was just wetting her hair...? But after thirty or so long seconds, Azura did not resurface. Her mouth fell open in terror. She only wanted to yell at the other princess, not watch her die!

"Azura!" She screamed as she ran towards the lake, splashing into it. "AZURA!" Of course there was no answer; if Azura were drowning, she couldn't pop up to say she was there. Her armor clanking, Nerr waded out to the waist-deep water. Inhaling deeply, she dove in, trying to see if the other princess was somewhere further. She could see nothing, however, save for a blinding light.

She tried to swim back to the surface, but the current was pulling her down, like a vortex. It was as if someone were dragging her through the water, her hair and cape tangling around her. Covering her mouth and nose with one hand so as to not be tempted to inhale, she continued trying to struggle with the other. She even reached for her dragonstone, but it was whipping around so wildly in the current that she could not grab it. Her lungs burned for air, and though she tried so hard to keep her mouth closed, her body acted of it's own accord, inhaling deeply out of desperation. Mouthfuls of water surged down her throat, into her stomach and lungs. She would die here, that was all there was to it. Why did it always seem that every time she tried to help someone, it came back to haunt her? Xander's voice echoed in her mind, 'As the gods are my witness, Nerr, your soft heart will be the death of you one day...'

000

For a long time, she remained still, lying on some hard surface. She knew she was dead, but didn't want to open her eyes just yet and see what kind of hellscape awaited her. Disembodied voices echoed in her mind, most notably her older brother, telling her to stop being lazy and wake up. Groaning, and coughing violently, Nerr opened her eyes. She felt as if someone had beaten her like a rug, her clothes sticking to her, wet and cold. The first thing she noticed was the lake, water lapping against the shore. Only, it was not the sandy shore she'd stood on before. Thick grass, dotted with tiny white flowers, carpeted the area. With a whimper, she pushed herself to her feet, stumbling and falling back to her knees.

A few feet away from her stood the crumbling remnants of a fountain. In fact, ruins stretched on as far as the eye could see, stone structures that resembled a child's block tower after a fit of pique more than whatever they had been in the past. A once well worn trail, now beginning to sprout grass, wound it's way towards the mountains. At least, Nerr had thought that was a mountain. The longer she looked, the more it seemed that the land just turned up at the end, like a dog-eared page. Which was to say nothing of the mountains floating in the sky. On second thought, they looked more like chunks of land ripped up like dirt clods. Breathing hard, she let her eyes continue scanning the sky. Yes, those had to be pieces of the ground she stood on, for she could even see houses on some of them- the ones that floated upside down. Whimpering, Nerr felt her strength leave her. What kind of hell was this? Her voice sounded pitifully weak and shaky even to her own ears.

"What the-"

"Tell me-"

"FUUUCK!" She screamed, louder than she ever had before, at the voice that spoke behind her. Scrambling back to her feet, she unsheathed the Yato, knowing full well she could not have swung it if she tried given the way her hands were shaking, but hoping to at least scare off her attacker. Said attacker was a familiar, blunette songstress, standing beside the lake with a distraught expression.

"...why are you here?" Lowering her sword, Nerr shook her head helplessly.

"I don't know! Maybe because I killed so many people! I don't know what kind of hell this is; I was just trying to help you! I saw you go in the water, but you didn't come back up, so I dove in, but it sucked me in and I couldn't breathe and-"

"Calm down." Azura reached out, placing her hands on the other girl's shoulders. "Just breathe." That was a lot easier said than done. Nerr was breathing, but the more she gasped for air, the more light-headed she felt. The singer's golden eyes were stern. "You shouldn't be here, Nerr. I don't know how you managed to follow me, but you shouldn't be here. You need to go back while you still can."

"Go back to where?!" She screamed desperately in the other princess's face. "Where are we?!" Rather than give an explanation, Azura's eye's widened.

"Nerr, look out!" She pushed Nerr to the ground, just as a kunai cut through the air where she'd just been standing. The Nohrian princess could just make out a humanoid figure, hunched over and readying itself to strike again. Violet flames that gave off no heat licked at it's feet, as it seemed to distort before her, like water, like... It was the same as those things that had appeared after the attack in Shirasagi.

"Who the hell is this?!" Nerr screamed as she climbed back to her feet. "What is this? What is going on?!" Azura had picked up a naginata that lay on the ground. When she looked around, Nerr could see there were weapons scattered all about, most broken and decayed. Where were their owners? The lance the singer held was in fact quite rusty, but it served her well enough as she brandished it before the creature, keeping it at a distance.

"Nothing I have time to explain. We need to get out of here, now. These things aren't human. They look human, but they're just like Faceless; if they get close, they'll kill you. We have to run."

"Run to where? We're surrounded!" She had not noticed it before, too dumbstruck by the impossibility of the location she'd ended up in, but as she scanned the area now, she could see more of the watery figures slink from the shadows, all of them holding weapons. As they flickered in and out of sight, changing between liquid and solid, she could see that some of them looked like Hoshidan soldiers, while some looked like Nohrians. Even a few peasants stood about, holding roughly cobbled spears. For the first time, Azura looked afraid too.

"Oh, gods... We'll have to fight our way through. I- I won't let you die, Nerr. You're here because of me; I at least owe you an explanation." The way she raised her weapon was admirable, but silly. Breathing deeply, and trying to calm her furiously pounding heart, Nerr stepped in front of the singer. "Nerr? What are you-"

"I appreciate the gesture, Azura, but there's only one person here who knows how to wield a lance, and it isn't you. Just stay behind me, and if I get overwhelmed, then run. Don't look back, just run and get out of here." She glanced over her shoulder, shooting Azura a weak smile. "Don't worry; I always protect my family."

In such life-or-death matters, everything else became unimportant. With her heart pounding in her ears and her vision blurring, Nerr could barely remember what she'd wanted to yell at Azura for. She could hear the thundering of hoof-beats, the fear that she'd have to deal with more of these monsters on horses swelling within her, but she would not falter. Steeling herself, she charged at the watery shinobi, her battle cry echoing through the valley, growing louder, deeper... It was almost like another person was yelling with her. There was another person yelling with her, a dark figure barreling towards her, their steed's barding a deafening clatter as the ground seemed to shake. She could not take on two monsters, but she would try.

Nerr slashed at the ninja before her as the charging knight thrust their lance... but it did not strike her, did not graze her. The ninja arched from the force as the steel tip of the lance exploded from it's chest, drops of blood splashing across her face, cool like water. Drawing his lance back, the knight dismounted, landing with a repressed groan of pain. His clothes were ragged, as was the cloak he wore that concealed his face. The only reason Nerr assumed it was a man was because his battle cry had sounded deep, and she had to crane her neck back to look up at him. Breathing hard, he addressed her, in a voice she thought she'd long forgotten.

"My lady. Are you alright?" Nerr's lip trembled as she backed away, colliding with Azura.

"N-no... no, i-it's not..." She could speak no more, her mouth still moving but no sound other than the occasional strangled whimper. The knight lowered his frayed cowl, revealing a familiar smiling face, albeit one far more haggard than she had remembered.

"Indeed it is, Lady Nerr. Or did you think you were rid of me for good?" How long had Nerr dreamed of such a thing, of turning around and seeing her beloved retainer standing there, smiling the way he always used to?

Now that it had become a reality, her dream felt more like a nightmare. Her exhausted mind and raw nerves could take no more. The misery and heartache she'd been forcing down, burying deep in her soul, created it's own outlet. Gagging, the princess dropped to her knees and retched, her whole body heaving, expelling little more than the water she'd swallowed on the way to this fresh hell- she hadn't eaten a proper meal since before arriving at Chevalier, she just realized, having had no appetite after those horrors. Azura knelt beside her, pulling her hair away from her face (given how filthy it was, that seemed unnecessary) and rubbing her arm, for her back was covered in wet plate. Gunther took a step towards her as well, she could see his boots, but she flung herself away from him.

"Oh gods, no! Stay away from me!"

"Nerr? What's wrong?" Azura sounded so worried, but she could not think to answer her, instead staring up at the phantom before her; what else could he be, looking so ragged?

"Why are you doing this to me!? Why are you punishing me...?! I'm sorry!" Nerr wept, half blinded by her tears. "I know it's my fault you're dead; I'm reminded of it every day! I'm so, so sorry! I'm already plagued by your absence; why are you haunting me now? Why are you doing this?! I'm sorry!"

She curled into herself, whimpering a mantra, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, as tears burned her eyes and throat. A pair of strong hands grabbed her by the arms, forcing her to her feet. For the shortest second she saw Gunther staring down at her... before he slapped her. Hard. Almost as hard as her father had done back in Cyrkensia, definitely harder than Leo. She staggered back, Azura catching her before she could fall. For a ghost, he certainly was solid... The veteran knight frowned as he looked at her, the furrows on his cheeks looking deeper than ever. For the first time, she noticed he had a beard; she'd never seen him anything but clean shaven.

"Stop this blubbering at once, Nerr. You're embarrassing us both, shrieking like a harpy... I'm not dead yet, and I'll cut down anyone who says otherwise. Nor will I tolerate being called a ghost." Nerr simply stood still, swaying a bit. Not dead. Not a ghost. Could she even dare believe such a thing? How could she, when she'd watched him fall into the Chasm, seen the darkness consume him...? While she was lost in thought, Azura spoke up, still steadying the other girl.

"What are you doing here?" Well, the fact that songstress saw him meant he was either telling the truth, or else, she was seeing ghosts as well. Gunther sighed deeply, leaning back against his steed (could it possibly be Caractacus?). It seemed like even standing exhausted him, a far cry from the knight she knew who could run her into the ground.

"I heard a commotion. I thought they'd found me, but when I looked out, they were running past me. I thought perhaps some other unlucky bastard had fallen in, and went out to see if I could help. It seems I can, though I'm both overjoyed and terrified to see my lady-liege here." Nerr blinked hard, trying to shake herself from her doldrums. She did not know what was going on, but she needed to do something. There were still enemies about, still... None of that mattered, all the danger falling away in place of the confusion. She looked back up at her retainer.

"Why are you here? How are you here?" The princess reached out, still not convinced that she wasn't just looking at some delusion brought on by sleep loss and hunger. Before her fingers could brush the ragged hem of his cloak, Gunther had put his foot in the stirrup and was already saddled again. Grabbing hold of his lance (with his left hand, she noticed; his right was holding the reins rather loosely), the knight turned about.

"We've no time to discuss that, my lady. We must dispatch these inhuman cretins before we return to pleasantries!"

"How right you are." Azura nodded, pushing Nerr forward slightly. "If we can make it across this field, we should be able to escape." The Norhian princess had no choice but to move, as another watery shinobi was gunning for them. Dashing forward without any conscious thought, she knocked aside the shuriken it threw at her with her Yato before driving the sword into the monster's stomach.

She remembered fighting these creature in Hoshido; regardless of what they were, they disemboweled the same as everything else. She could hear fleet footsteps running towards her and looked up just in time to see another ninja leaping up, it's kunai knife drawn. It was suddenly knocked from the air by a javelin, the well-worn wood puncturing it's gut before it was pulled back. The shinobi landed hard on the ground, twitching for a moment before going still. As Nerr watched, she could see it's flesh begin to melt; not off it's bones, but with them, as well as with it's skin and organs. Within seconds, all that was left was a pile of wet, bloody clothes. She stared at the muddy ground, praying it would not reconstitute itself. The clank of armor drew her attention back up, and she saw Caractacus (she couldn't believe it was another courser) trotting up to her.

"Are you alright, my lady?" After so many long months of not hearing his voice, it sounded foreign to Nerr's ears. She nodded stiffly, looking back out over the battlefield.

More shinobi were charging at them, and while Azura had likened them to Faceless, they had much more than an animal intelligence. Each and every one of them threw their dastardly shuriken at her, aiming for the places her armor did not cover. Nerr winced as the metal sank deep into the flesh of her thighs and chest, cutting her tights and blouse as if she wore nothing. Oh, if she got out of this alive, she would have words with Camilla. Trying to pay the pain twinging throughout her no mind, she forced her way forward, hacking and slashing at the imitation warriors. Another lake stood in the center of field, separating them from the other warriors out for their blood, but as the small group pressed on, it was obvious their progress would be impeded by the thick undergrowth and spindly trees cropping up. Large mountains jutted from the ground, forcing them to detour even more. Groaning, Nerr leaned forward, trying to pull the hateful stars from her skin.

"Are you alright, Nerr?" Azura had finally caught up to the two more capable warriors.

"Fine. I just wish Jakob or Elise were here. Not because I want them to endure this gods forsaken hell, but because a healing staff would be wonderful right now." The songstress handed her a vulnerary, looking around, her thin eyebrows furrowed.

"I think I sense a Dragon Vein around here."

"Really? Maybe it can kill all these things, or warp us away."

"I don't know, but I doubt it would make things worse. I'll try to tap into it." Azura left her, stepping a few feet away, trying to clear away the fallen leaves with her foot.

Stepping onto the ground she'd cleared, she closed her eyes for a moment, before raising her hand high. Nerr could see the tendrils of primal energy surge up from the ground before exploding from the singer's hand. At first, it didn't seem to do anything, but suddenly, she felt as if a cold fog had enveloped her, going down her throat, sinking into her bones. It did not hurt, but it felt so unpleasant that she doubled over. She was not alone in her discomfort. She could hear Gunther groaning beside her, and even Azura shuddered violently. Just as quickly as it had come, the horrible sensation was gone. Nerr straighted, looking around. It didn't seem that anything had changed.

"I don't understand; what happened?"

"Nerr. Over here." She walked over to where Azura stood, backing away so quickly she slipped on the leaves.

"OH, GODS! There's nothing down there! This is a very tall cliff!" She had followed the songstress's gaze, only to see that the trees and ground petered out into nothingness. All she'd seen when she looked down were the clouds and sky.

"This is no cliff, Lady Nerr. This island floats the same as all the others." She looked back at Gunther, who was hacking away some of the tangled bushes and vines with a large ax, dried blood rusted onto it's blade. He winced with every movement. Swallow hard, she tried to find her voice.

"What are you talking about? You- you've actually seen this?"

"Seen it... nearly fallen off a few times... Sometimes there are other pieces of land beneath, but I'm not ready for another long fall. These islands, for I can think of no better term for them, move about."

"He's right." Azura said calmly. "There's one down there. That's what I wanted you to see." Inhaling sharply, Nerr pushed herself forward, trying not to swoon at the thought of being so high up.

A tiny voice in her mind reminded her that she could fly, if she so wanted, but that didn't make her feel any better. There was another island below them, rife with flickering monsters and ruins. If she squinted, she could make out something in one of the ruins. The dusty, cracked stone floor seemed to glow, indicating healing magic, but as she continued looking, the bright mist that hung in the air congealed, solidifying into humanoid figures. Nerr thought she was seeing how the water monsters were being made, until she realized that the now very substantial forms looked familiar. One of them wore her very same inappropriate armor.

"That's us. Gods above, we're standing down there."

"I think this Dragon Vein made dopplegangers of us. I've heard of that before. And do you feel that?" She wasn't sure what the singer was talking about at first, but suddenly, she felt it as well. Healing magic flowing through her veins, closing up her wounds, reinvigorating her. The Nohrian princess sighed deeply, relieved. There may be hope for them yet.

"We need to get out of here before those creatures down there wisen up to what we've done. If I can feel that Nerr getting healed, I can probably feel her getting beheaded as well."

With the near constant surge of healing magic, Nerr found herself able to fight twice as hard. It was necessary too, for she was used to having many more allies at her back. While Azura could finish off their enemies well enough, her greatest asset came in the form of her song, the cooling drops of water that accompanied the warbling tones splashing on her face, keeping her alert. And though Gunther could send enemies flying with a swing of his ax, she could see the way his face tightened with pain every time he moved. She did not know what was wrong with him, but clearly three-odd months in this hellish land had not done him any favors. She could see that they were approaching the edge of land, for it simply dropped off into a void.

"Azura? Where are we supposed to go!? There's nowhere left!"

"We just need to make it to the edge. They won't follow us." That didn't make any kind of sense to Nerr, unless water monsters were afraid of heights as well. As she ran, a sudden pain shot through her gut. Crying out, she stumbled and dropped down to one knee.

"My lady!" Stabbing his lance through one of the water shinobi's face, Gunther dismounted, rushing over to her. "Lady Nerr, what's happened?" Groaning, the princess tried to speak, but could utter nothing but pained moans. Panting hard, she removed her hand from where it had instinctively moved to clutch at the pained area. Her gauntlet came away damp, crimson smears barely noticeable against the blackened steel. Her shirt felt wet, too.

"Ohh... I think Other Me just took a blow to the gut. It hurts... It- AUGH!"

She doubled over as she felt her joints tear apart, her neck stretch painfully, her skin hardening into plates, only... nothing was happening. She could feel it happening, could feel herself transforming, and it hurt, it hurt as badly as the first time, but she remained small and weak. Her retainer called out to her again, his voice like a pike being driven through her skull with her heightened senses. In her pulsing, monochromatic vision, she saw Azura run over to her as well. And just as soon as the pain began, it dissipated. With a loud groan of relief, she collapsed, right into Gunther's arms. It would've been a nice scene, the kind of thing she used to fantasize about when she was supposed to be studying, had she not been in such excruciating pain. The older man was in a panic.

"Lady Nerr! My lady, say something! What's wrong!?"

"Ugh... dragon..."

"Dragon? What dragon?"

"Ah... I think she means her other self transformed."

"Transformed? Into what? What are you talking about?" Swallowing hard, despite her mouth feeling like sand, Nerr forced herself to stand up again. She was being healed even now, the wounds in her stomach closing up, not even as deep as she'd first thought. She could see ax fighters in the distance, hacking away at the brush to speed up their approach.

"There's no time to explain... with words. Just... don't be afraid." Nerr grasped her dragonstone, the same stretching, burning pain coursing through her, but so quickly she had little time to dwell on it. She wondered if her doppleganger was screaming in pain down below her. She could hear Gunther swearing in shock behind (very disconcerting, indeed; she would have words with him about that later), but did not have time to dwell on it.

Taller and stronger, she ran forward, half climbing, half leaping over some of the rubble, and landing hard on the shoulders of one of the warriors come to kill her. She could feel the bones beneath her feet crack as the man-shaped monster collapsed. It's companion did not even notice it's grisly fate, swinging it's ax at her blindly. Even in such a bulky form, she easily dodged such wild blows, spreading her wings to glide back and put some distance between them.

"This ends now...!" She hissed, more to herself than the unthinking creature before her. Running forward, she slammed into the fighter, her horns piercing him like an insect. As she neared the edge of the island, she stopped abruptly, snapping her head and sending the monster flying off her horns, over the edge.

Nerr turned around, finding Gunther and Azura following her trail, but paying more attention to the few lingering warriors. Breathing hard through her nose, she pawed at the ground. In her mind, it felt like she was tapping her foot. Were they going to charge, try the same tactic she had used? She was ready for them- she would destroy them all. Pacing like caged animals, the creatures seemed to be trying to figure out how to reach them, before coming to the conclusion that they couldn't. They slunk towards the lakes scattered around the land, sinking below the surface.

"Is that it? Is it over?"

"It's over. I told you, they won't come towards the edge."

"Oh. So they ARE scared of heights..." Nerr did not blame them in the slightest. Exhaling deeply, she mentally unclenched her fist, returning to her normal self. She could no longer feel the surge of healing magic within her. Perhaps their dopplegangers did not go to the edge either.

Leaning against the broken base of a statue, the princess rested her hand on her chest, as if that could somehow calm the erratic beating of the heart beneath her skin. She heard the clanking of armor approaching her, but could not bring herself to look up, keeping her gaze focused on the tiny white flowers that cropped up.

"I used to think I was crazy when you broke into a rash after touching wrymslayers... but I wasn't. You truly are one of the manaketes, my lady, aren't you?" Nerr said nothing, letting her hand slip away from her chest, but not taking her eyes off the flowers, as if they were suddenly the most interesting thing in all the world. "Lady Nerr? Have I angered you? I apologize for not being there to aid you, my lady..."

She remained silent, the flowers growing blurry. She didn't want to make a spectacle of herself, or anybody else. She needed to regain control of herself, to behave in a manner befitting a princess; wasn't that what she was always told to do? That was the only way to survive in Nohr... The cold steel of a gauntlet brushed against her cheek, the same one that smarted from his earlier slap. The leather gloves Gunther wore beneath the armor were warm and soft, just like she remembered from their early training days, when he would enclose her tiny hands in his large ones to show her how to properly wield a sword. Dead things were cold and stiff, not warm and soft... He swiped his thumb across the bruised flesh, wiping away an errant tear.

"Oh, my poor little ladyship..." That was as much as she could take. Like a dam that had long been cracking beneath the pressure, so too did her resolve and self-control utterly break away. Gasping, Nerr blindly stumbled towards her retainer, sobbing in earnest as he wrapped his arms around her. She did not care that she was trapped in some hellhole, or that the armor she pressed her cheek against was grimy with blood and dirt and who knew what else. She did not even care that Azura was standing right beside her. In that singular moment, all that mattered were the arms wrapped around her.

"Gunther... I thought you were dead...!" She wailed, incoherent even to her own ears.

"Shh..." He soothed her, stroking her hair and rocking her the way he used to when she was young. "There there, my lady. It's alright. I'm here now, that's all that's important. I know how strong you've been all this time now. You just cry for a while..." Nerr was more than happy to heed his advice.

000

She could not tell how long she'd stood there, just sobbing inconsolably. Judging by how badly her head and throat hurt once the tears had dried up, she'd say a good few minutes. Even once she'd finished, she felt no better, just exhausted. She was too confused to be happy, too afraid. What if it was some illusion? What if he disappeared the moment she looked away? Still, licking her cracked lips, Nerr hazarded a glance up. Gunther was still there, looking down at her, his stern face a touch softer than usual. The princess wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it probably wasn't that.

"Feeling better now, my lady?" He asked quietly. She nodded, even the slight motion making her nauseous again. Nerr stepped away a bit, trying to get a better look at him. She definitely noticed the beard this time, such an unnatural addition to a familiar face that he almost looked like a stranger. His hair, normally neat and slicked back, was tangled and greasy. There were deep gouges in his armor, several of the ebony plates missing, the black arming coat visible beneath threadbare and stained. He looked horrible... but he was alive, and that was more beautiful to her than a presentable corpse.

"You're alive..." She whispered, her voice breaking though she had no more tears to cry. "How can you be alive?" Sitting down on one of the broken stone walls, Gunther sighed deeply. He looked so tried... so old. Her heart bled for him.

"I've often asked myself the same thing, my lady. After that whoreson Hans knocked me into the Chasm, I thought I was dead for sure. I hit solid ground, and all I remember for a while after that was pain. When I came to... I was here. Of course, I had no idea where 'here' was; I thought I was in hell." Nerr chuckled humorlessly; so she was not the only one.

"You may laugh, Lady Nerr, but it's no joke. I always knew I'd end up in hell for my sins... Even so, when those demons appeared from the water, I wouldn't go down without a fight. Every time I thought I'd killed them all, more showed up. I tried to fight, then to run, but there was nowhere I could go. I saw my life flash before my eyes more times than I can count. One of those times, when I knew I was on the verge of death, Lady Azura appeared-"

"Wait, what? You know Azura? How do you know Azura?" The songstress, who had been standing with her back turned to them the whole time, humming quietly, looked back over her shoulder. It seemed she was deciding if she should interrupt their moment. Turning back to face the pair, she approached them.

"I come here often. At least, I did when I lived in Hoshido. When I felt lost and lonely, I would come here and... stare into the abyss, so to speak. Sometimes, I'd contemplate if peace was possible... sometimes, I'd curse my existence. A few months ago, I saw those creatures attacking someone. Occasionally, people fall into the Chasm, but they usually die on the way down, so I was surprised that the knight I found was still alive. Just barely, but alive nonetheless." Gunther smiled at the Hoshidan princess, and Nerr felt a knot of angry jealousy in her stomach.

"Were it not for Lady Azura, I would be dead. She took me to safety and patched up my wounds. I thought that I had died when I first saw her; she looks so much like our dearly departed Queen Arete... Once I came to, she taught me where to hide, and how to stay safe. Truly, I owe her my life. I am forever indebted to you, milady." Azura looked away from the older man, her brows furrowed as she shook her head.

"Your kind words are appreciated, Sir Gunther, but I don't deserve them. After I left you that day, Hoshidan forces captured me and took me back to Nohr. I wanted to come back for you, but..." She trailed off, letting her eyes shut. "I'm so sorry I left you alone. No one should be left alone here..."

"Think nothing of it, milady. I'm just happy to see you again, alive and well." Nerr watched their exchange without hearing half of it. Her head was killing her, bright spots of light bursting before her eyes. She had only focused on one thing Azura had said, holding onto that and letting everything else fall away. Her fingers twitched at her side. So caught up in their happy reminiscing, it seemed, Gunther and Azura had completely forgotten her until that moment. They both fixed her with concerned looks.

"Lady Nerr? You're being awfully quiet..."

"Are you alright, Nerr?" Was she alright...? How many times had she been asked that in recent months? And every time, the answer was a resounding "No", but she could never say that. No, she had not been "alright" for a very long time, and she was not alright now.

"You knew he was here..." She whispered hoarsely. Azura frowned in confusion.

"What?"

Without even thinking about it, Nerr finally acted on the impulse she'd wanted to for nearly three months, leaping up and punching the Hoshidan princess standing before her in the mouth. The blunette woman cried out as she hit the ground, doubling over and clutching the bottom half of her face in pain. How her face did not explode from the impact of the gauntlet that stuck it was beyond her... It was almost exactly like the scene that had played out after the attack in Shirasagi, only this time, Nerr was acting on pure loathing, rather than instinctive fear and anger.

"You knew he was here and didn't tell me! All this time, you knew! You let me grieve for a man you knew was alive!" She aimed a kick at the woman, but by that time, Gunther had jumped up and pulled her back, holding her tightly to restrain her. She didn't stop struggling, trying to get at the woman on the ground, to bite and kick and claw at her until she felt all the pain Nerr had been living with. "You monster! Do you enjoy watching me suffer?! Is this your way of getting back at me for turning the Hoshidans against you!?" Slowly, Azura looked up at her. Her lip was swollen, the tender flesh split and dipping blood onto her once pristine dress. Just like before, the very sight of her, sitting there and looking pitiful, sent the Nohrian girl into a frenzy.

"Nerr... I-"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your excuses! This is just like what happened in Cyrkensia; you let me risk my life for you and didn't even have the decency to confess to what you had done! First Hoshido, then Nestra, now this! Does your betrayal know no bounds?!" Her struggling proved ineffective against Gunther's grip on her arms, and slowly, she gave up, utterly exhausted. Azura watched her, her golden eyes impossibly huge and glazed with unshed tears. She sniffled slightly. Tired or no, that tiny sound raised Nerr's hackles again.

"Don't you dare cry." She hissed venomously. "I swear to the gods, Azura, if you cry, I will punch you again and this time, you will not get back up. Don't test me."

"Lady Nerr, what has gotten into you?" Gunther sounded distraught behind her. "You never used to be so cold..."

"Gods damn it, Gunther- you don't know the half of what's gotten into me, starting and ending with her." She jabbed an accusing finger at the singer, who flinched. "Every time I turn my back on that slattern, she stabs me in it! I try to be nice, I try to be a good sister, but at every turn, betrayal, betrayal, betrayal!" Azura slowly got to her feet, brushing the dirt from her dress. Inhaling deeply, she wiped away the tears threatening to spill, meeting Nerr's eyes.

"I didn't betray you, Nerr. I've never betrayed you."

"At every turn! I can even forgive what you did in Hoshido, you didn't know me then. You had no reason to care. But you didn't say a word about what happened in Cyrkensia; if Hans and Iago had caught me, you'd have just let them kill me without opening your damn mouth. You could've at least told Leo and Camilla; they're your blood, for the gods' sake! You let all those people die; that massacre was all your fault! And worst of all, you didn't tell me Gunther was alive!"

"I couldn't!" The songstress shouted back at her. Nerr had never seen her look so angry. "I couldn't tell you! You think I enjoyed watching you drift about in a fog, like a corpse?! Don't you think if I could've done something to help you, I would have? If I had said, 'Oh, you know your retainer that died? Well, he's alive; just jump off this cliff and I'll take you to him!', would you have followed me?!"

"Yes!" Nerr shouted back. "Yes, I would have followed you! I would have jumped off a cliff, or into a lake if you told me to. Because you're my sister- I love you, I trust you; haven't I made that clear yet?! Didn't I prove that in Cyrkensia?" At once, the anger faded from her eyes.

"...sister?"

"YES! I know I'm not as affectionate with you as I am with Camilla and Elise, but frankly, you infuriate me most of the time! But I try! I try to show I care, I try to show that I trust you, that you can trust me, but it's not enough! It's never enough for you- you hate Nohr, and you hate me for siding with Nohr and ruining everything for you, and nothing will ever change that!" She broke away from her retainer, her throat too tight to swallow, stalking past both of them to stand at the edge of the island. She could see a thick fog below her, the peaks of a mountain poking through it.

"Nerr... I don't hate you. Not at all." Azura's voice was small, almost lost on the wind. "I couldn't tell you about this place- about anything- you have to believe me. I couldn't tell anyone about it. ...I would die if I did, and so will you if you ever speak of it while you're not here."

"What? Lady Azura, what are you talking about?" It was a good thing Gunther was there to ask, because Nerr was still too upset to pose the question, even though it was on her mind. The singer exhaled sharply.

"This place we are, this 'hell' as you two call it... is another kingdom. The Halidom of Valla. It lies beside Nohr and Hoshido, yet completely apart from it, sunken between, invisible."

"An invisible kingdom?" The princess turned around, scoffing. It was easier to believe she was in Hell. "I can see it just fine."

"Because you're here now. Go back to Nohr, or Hoshido, and it will be like it doesn't exist."

"Go back to here, go back to there; you still haven't told me how we got here in the first place! Gunther fell in through the Chasm, but I got spat out here by the lake, and I'm assuming you did too."

"A place can have more than one door." Was all she offered by way of explanation. Nerr was resisting the urge to punch her again.

"You're doing this on purpose; you're being obtuse just to piss me off, and it's working."

"Lady Nerr, please, calm down. I'm sure Lady Azura is telling you everything she knows-"

"No, she's not! She's clearly not, don't you see that? Why are you taking her side!?" Gunther placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, my lady..." He said quietly, in that tone of infinite patience. She always hated that tone...

"Don't speak to me like I'm a child, Gunther..." She seethed, turning back on Azura. "I know you're lying to me. I know you're not telling me everything. How in all the hells do you just know you can get here through a lake? You said you've come here before- how did you even know this place existed? How do you know it's a kingdom, and not just some crazy astral plane? How do you know what it's called- what the fuck is a 'halidom'? How can you possibly know any of that; what, am I to believe you're from here?" Azura gasped slightly, and Nerr frowned. That was a strange reaction indeed. "Son of a bitch... you are from here, aren't you? How is that even possible; there's no one here but monsters!"

"...there used to be." The songstress whispered. "A long time ago. I don't remember it, but... but my mother told me about it..."

"I do recall Queen Arete said she came from a distant land, but she would never speak the name of it."

"She couldn't. She would die... that's what killed her." She closed her eyes, looking wounded. "The power in this land is so strong, but it's become unstable, rendering it void. Trying to bring something that doesn't exist into a world that does is impossible. It will be unmade. That's how my mother explained it to me. That's why this country has been erased from ours, and why we will be erased if we speak of it. My mother... she tried to tell him about... King Garon, but she..." Azura broke off, her voice choked. Nerr wanted to dismiss her, to say this was all some crazy lie, but when she saw the other girl looking like that, so miserable... How could she not believe her?

"Azura..." She suddenly felt guilty for yelling so harshly before. Sniffling, the singer opened her eyes. They were dry now.

"We've lingered here too long. Follow me, you two." Azura stepped past them, heading north. Nerr was tempted to stop her, to insist that she actually explain these things to her, but a firm hand on her back pushed her forward. Biting her tongue, the princess began walking.

000

Azura came to a stop at the base of a mountain. After glancing up to it's peak, the singer looked back down, off the edge of the island. She glanced back over at Nerr and Gunther, both of whom were giving the edge a considerable berth.

"If we jump off here, we can get back to the Infinite Chasm." Both Norhians looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Jump off? Are you mad?!"

"Oh-ho no! No no no no no! I'm not jumping off of anything. Where's that damn lake?" The singer frowned deeply.

"We can't go back that way. We have to go like this."

"Why, is that door closed now or something? Don't tell me this is how you've been coming back. It takes days to get from the Chasm to Hoshido; I'm supposed to believe you walked back every time?"

"No. I've always traveled through the water." Breathing sharply through her nose, Nerr glanced up at Gunther.

"You see? You see what she does? You just can't get a straight answer from this-" Nerr cut herself off, inhaling deeply to try and calm herself, though she still scowled at the other princess. "So why the hell can't we go back through the lake, then?"

"You and I can." Azura responded shortly. "If you can get here through the water, you can leave through it. I just thought you'd like it if Gunther could come with us, but if you want to leave him behind, fine." The Nohrian girl's blood ran cold. Leave Gunther behind? No, never, never again- she'd die first. But still, it made no sense...!

"Why the hell is that? I didn't fall in the Chasm- well, almost, but I never hit the bottom."

"What do you mean, you almost fell in the Chasm? When? How?" Gunther asked her sharply. Oh, she had so much to fill him in on, so many horrible things... She patted the older man's hand.

"We'll discuss that later. But really, Azura, what are you not telling me now? Why is that just you and I can use water as a conduit, or bridge or what have you?"

"That's, um.. I can't-" Once again, the songstress looked uncomfortable, but Nerr would have none of it. She stepped forward in a threatening manner.

"Gods help me, Azura, I will push you off this cliff if you don't tell me why, and I promise, you won't make it to the bottom in one piece. Sister or not, you are grating my last nerve with your secrets, and I will rip you limb from limb..." It was very clear that she was not bluffing, and Azura realized that. She sighed deeply, running a hand through her long hair.

"I think... only those with a strong connection to the First Dragons can use water as a channel. I'm not sure; my mother never explained it- you have to believe me. Now, please, we need to go before those monsters come back. They won't come to the edge, but their weapons still can. I'll see you on the other side." Taking half a step back, the princess dashed forward, leaping off the edge of the cliff and plummeting into the dense fog. Nerr gave a choked cry of fear.

"Oh gods... If she's lying about this, she sure is committed. She didn't even hesitate..."

"Then let us show the same strength of will. In order to ensure your safety to the best of my ability, I will hold the rear, my lady." Nerr glanced over her shoulder at her retainer, noticing that the older man was actually backing away from the edge.

"...you're telling me to jump first, aren't you?"

"Not in so many words." The princess frowned, feeling her stomach sink to the ground.

"You're not planning on staying here, are you? You are coming back, right?" If Gunther had said no, if he had even hesitated for a moment, she wouldn't have even considered jumping. But the older knight reached out, resting his hand on her shoulder, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Of course I'm coming back, my lady; how could I not? In truth, had I known this was all it would take, I'd have returned months ago. When I became your retainer, I swore I would follow you to Hell and back. I intend to make good on that promise." Nerr smile slightly herself, an honest smile, the first one she'd cracked in ages. She'd missed hearing things like that. True, Jakob proclaimed his loyalty daily, but... it just wasn't the same.

"If I don't see you in five minutes, I'm coming back for you, and I will drag you back."

She turned towards the cliff. The mere thought of being so high up made her light-headed, but she could not be afraid. Azura had jumped too, after all. And even if it was a trap, even if she eventually hit some solid ground and broke every bone in her body, at least now she could die happy. Inhaling sharply, Nerr ran as well, jumping as high as she could. For the briefest instant, it seemed like she was floating, suspended above the clouds, but just as quickly, she began plummeting, her hair and cape whipping about her. She closed her eyes against the sting of the wind, the freezing cold cutting into her. She did not want to see where she would land.

000

Nerr had landed on something hard. She could feel gravel and sand under her neck, a rock or root digging into the small of her back. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but not even a tenuous whiff of rain accompanied it. She had hoped that she would never again come to this wretched place for the rest of her days, but here she was, back once more. Groaning softly in disgust, she opened her tightly shut eyes. Azura's face, haloed by her sweeping lazuline hair, hovered over her. A slight smile curved her lips.

"Welcome back, Nerr."

"Ugh. How long was I gone?" The Nohrian princess sat up, patting herself to ensure everything was where it was supposed to be; her scabbard and dragonstone still hung at her waist, her hairpin was still firmly in place.

"You showed up about a minute or two after I got here. Time flows differently between here and there- it was probably only a few seconds for you." Oh, so it was an astral realm... Climbing heavily to her feet and wincing at the pain in her back, Nerr looked around. They weren't where she remembered being. More forts, in slightly better shape, stood like sentries around the forest of gnarled, dead husks of trees. If she squinted, she could make out, far in the distance, a fort that looked more familiar. As she looked around, taking stock of her surroundings, one thing in particular stood out, by virtue of being conspicuously absent.

"Where's Gunther?!" She nearly shouted, her voice echoing through the ravine. If there were any enemies about, she would've surely alerted them to her presence, but Nerr could not care less as she whipped around on the spot. "He didn't get lost or something, did he? What if he landed somewhere else, what if he fell back into the ravine?!"

"Calm down." Azura rested her hand on the other woman's shoulder, trying to still her frantic searching. "If he jumped, he'll show up here eventually. I told you, the flow of time is different in that place. That's why there's a bit of a lag between leaving there and arriving here. While we wait for him, I want to talk to you about something." Calming ever so slightly, her eyes still darting back and forth as if there were something she had missed, Nerr stopped her hectic movements, fixing her attention on Azura.

"Something like what?"

"Like the war." The songstress cleared away a bit of debris from the ground and sat down, looking up at Nerr. "I'm not trying to start an argument, Nerr. I know you'll take the things I say as inflammatory, but please know that I'm not trying to offend or insult you; I just want an honest answer. You don't like it when I keep secrets, so I don't want you to keep them either." Sighing deeply, the other princess sat back down as well, stretching out on leg as she rested her arm on the other knee.

"I already know I'm not going to like where this is going..."

"Why are you fighting this war? Why are you spilling blood in Nohr's name?" At once, Nerr was ready to jump down the other woman's throat, but she restrained herself, albeit with great difficulty. Azura wanted an honest answer? She would get one.

"Because I have to. Because it is the only way to make it stop. Do I enjoy it? Of course not! I would do anything to make the fighting end and bring about peace. But wishing for things does not make them be. I do not want to hurt Hoshidans any more than I want to hurt Nohrians. But Hoshido must be conquered and it's resources divided. I confess, in the beginning, I did not know this. I fought, or trained to fight, simply because it was my duty. Because I had nothing else to live for. But when I spoke to the people, the peasants and tenant farmers... I know this might be hard for you to believe, after seeing places like Dia and Nestra, but Nohr as a whole is not so blessed. All my life, I've heard nothing of but how our people suffer for no sin other than having been born here. And not just in my lifetime, but for generations- since our country was founded...

The soil is poor, we're plagued with droughts and storms that ravage what few crops we can grow... Hunger and poverty drives the people to crime, which brings about more hunger and poverty when the farmers and merchants are killed by marauders." She looked up at the other woman, who was listening to her story grimly enraptured. "Have you ever been hungry, Azura? I don't mean just missing a meal or two; I mean, haven't-eaten-for-days, physically-weakened and can-think-of-nothing-else hungry."

"No... I haven't. I always had three square meals in Hoshido, and snacks whenever I wanted them." Nerr nodded.

"I understand. Most of the time, it was like that for me, too. But not in the winter... Not during the famines... You see, even the noblest of the nobles aren't spared here; all the coin in the world does you no good if there's no food to be bought. In the winter, when the blizzards raged for weeks and no supplies could be brought in, we would run out of food quickly in the Northern Citadel. Even when we just ate once per day, it wasn't enough. Hunger will drive a person to madness..."

"Well... h-how did you survive? Clearly, you ate something; you haven't starved to death."

"Rats." She answered simply. "Bugs. Tree bark. It didn't matter to me- food is food, and I've lived on less. And worse. I cannot speak for our siblings, but that's how I grew up. But that's no way to live. I don't want my people living like that, and it seems clear that Hoshido is not prepared to help us willingly. My mother put a barrier over the damn kingdom to keep us out! And Ryouma shows nothing but contempt for us. I know Father killed Emperor Sumeragi, but this is not a new plight. It had been like this for centuries, and it will continue to be the same unless Hoshido's hand is forced. If I have to deny a few people liberties to ensure that many more live, then it must be done, and I will not regret that. I've chosen this path, and I intend to walk down it with my head held high."

Azura had grown very quiet. It wasn't hard to see why. Nerr had only been in Hoshido a week or so, but had glimpsed enough of it to see that it was a veritable Zion. Someone living in a lush paradise for fifteen years would not so easily grasp the torment of living in such hardship. It was possible that the singer simply didn't care, refused to believe any cause was just enough to ravage her home, but Nerr wanted to believe Azura was not so inhumane. Inhaling deeply, the songstress finally spoke.

"I see. Thank you for telling me all that- I didn't mean to make you relive any unpleasant memories. You were right, though; having seen these prosperous duchies, especially Nestra, I assumed Nohr was at least as well-off as Hoshido. I do know that the animosity between the kingdoms is well chronicled in the history tomes, but like most Hoshidans, I honestly thought this was just a means to increase King Garon's power. His reasons are surprisingly noble, but... that makes his methods so much worse. Surely you agree with me."

"I do. I've thought that from the start, ever since he ordered me to execute unarmed prisoners. I know there can be no peace- no true, lasting peace- as long as he is on the throne."

"You're right." Azura's face had become steely. It was rather disconcerting to see her with such a cold expression. "So the only thing left for us to do is remove him from the throne."

"What?!" Nerr pulled back in shock. It wasn't that she thought the other princess wrong, or even disagreed with her, but to hear those words spoken aloud, rather than a barely cohesive thought in her own mind was startling. "Are you mad, Azura?"

"It's the only way, you know that. King Garon was once a kind man. I remember when I was little how he used to pick me up and carry me around on his shoulders... He could be stern, but he was warm and loving to his children." The singer's eyes misted slightly as she brought those memories to the surface. "But that man, the one that might've been a father to us once, is dead. And in his place is a soulless monster who only spreads hate and evil." Nerr brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as best she could in her restricting armor.

Her siblings had been right; Father had been good to them, once. Even Azura admitted it, and she clearly resented him for leaving her to the mercy of the Hoshidans. Where had that Father been that she'd never seen him, though? Even when she was little, when by all accounts, he had been kind and loving, she only remembered him as being cold and terrifying...

Once, so many, many years ago, he'd come to visit her at the citadel, to inquire about the progress she was making in her studies. She'd run to him, delighted to see her father, and thrown her arms around his leg, hugging him. He'd responded by slapping her across the face so hard it knocked one of her teeth loose (granted, it was a baby tooth, but still), snarling that she was never to act so familiar with him, before storming off. The little princess had remained weeping on the floor for hours until Gunther came to wipe away her tears. Even now, he was (mostly) evil and hateful towards her, but still showed kindness to his other children, his real children.

"There has to be some goodness left in him. Monstrous though he may be, he's still human. He still loves you, and our siblings. He's even kind to me at times... Perhaps there's something wrong with his mind; after all, when he starts talking to Anankos-"

"Anankos?!" Before Nerr could blink, Azura got gotten to her knees, grabbing the other girl by the shoulders and forcing her to look at her. "What do you mean, 'Anankos'?"

"...you actually know what that is?"

"What do you mean, he talks to Anankos?!" The Nohrian girl's mouth worked silently for a moment before she could gather her thoughts.

"He- he prays to it... I think. When I first returned from Nohr, he said he would leave my fate up to Anankos. Then he started chanting in some strange language that I'd only heard once before, when Lilith saved me here at the Chasm. And when I returned from dealing with the rebellion in Freesia, Father said Anankos declared that I be formally adopted into the royal family. I- we all assumed that he was just putting on airs or, at worst, getting senile. You mean to tell me this Anankos is a real thing?"Azura nodded, her lips pressed into a tight frown.

"A very real thing, and a very bad thing. This is not good, but it explains so much. I thought the same as you, that there was still a shred of the man he used to be within him. That's why I performed that exorcism in Cyrkensia-"

"Finally! Finally you admit it! Gods damn it, Azura, why didn't you tell me that's what you were doing?" The singer lowered her gaze, backing away from Nerr and sitting back down.

"Because... because I didn't think I could trust you. I see how wrong I was. You were right; you did risk your life to protect me, and I'm sorry. But that song- which I also learned from my mother- has restorative powers. You know how it revitalizes you in battle?" Nerr nodded. "Well, that's just a fraction of it's power. Unfortunately, the more power it has, the weaker it makes me, so I was loathe to use it, but I had to try something. I thought if I could cleanse him of whatever malignant force was in his soul, he would return to his old self."

"...I take it that it didn't work?"

"He responded by ordering a massacre. Make of that what you will. I honestly thought he was just evil, just an evil, soulless person, but this is much worse. Anankos is like a plague; he infects everyone around him, spreading everywhere and contaminating everything he comes in contact with until there's nothing left that hasn't been destroyed. If Father is actually communing with him, then he must have a tie to him."

"Then if we sever that tie, he'll go back to normal!"

"It's not that easy, Nerr. Even if we could kill Anankos, which I doubt we could, it's most likely too late. Being in his presence causes one to deteriorate. Forming a link with him? You'd end up more monster than man. It's like killing a cancer; you've stopped it, but the damage is already done. How do you stop a god? You don't; you just pray it gets tired of killing people..."

Nerr frowned deeply. She did not know what this Anankos thing was, but the way Azura spoke made it sound more like some kind of demonic pestilence than any god she'd ever heard of. She had a difficult enough time dealing with corporeal threats; she could not take on something insubstantial. But Azura was right- demon or no, there was clearly not enough humanity in the Nohrian king to be salvaged. Once Hoshido was annexed into Nohr, things would only get worse. The Hoshidans would not simply bow down to him; they would rise up and rebel at every chance, and Garon would meet their insubordination with force, killing them in droves. Fear and outrage would spark more rebellions in Nohr, and the cycle would continue until there was nothing left. There was only one thing to do, a horrible, unforgivable thing that was the only way. Feeling surprisingly calm, the princess got to her feet.

"So we must kill him. Very well."

"Nerr." Azura got up as well, moving to look her in the eyes. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

"All too well. I've thought for a very long time that the only way Nohr would prosper would be to remove Father from the throne. But he will not allow his power to slip away easily; he would never graciously bow down and allow Xander to rule as he ought. No, he will not give up his crown until it is ripped from his cold, dead hands. So that is what I must do."

"You plan to kill him yourself?"

"Were you planning some alternative route? I can think of no one else who would be willing to, save some resentful Hoshidans or Nohrian rebel, and I doubt they would make it far. Once Hoshido is conquered, I will cut him down." It was amazing how confident she sounded to herself, like a child proclaiming they were going to fly...

"Nerr! That's too late!" The singer's brows were scrunched together in dismay. "He'll have killed most of the country by then."

"No; he'll have sent us to kill most of the country by then. Father has no intention of going near Hoshido until he's sure there are no threats to him; if he intended to take anything by force, he'd have come out himself after the attack in Shirasagi, instead of sending Xander to do his dirty work for him. If the king were to die now, in the middle of the war, it would through the country into chaos, and you can believe that Xander would be just as revenge-driven as Takumi is. Hoshido must come into Nohrian control, it must, for the good of all the people suffering. And once it has, once I know Xander can handle matters... then I'll deal with Father." Azura shook her head in stunned silence.

"You speak as if this will be easy, as if invading the land of your birth will be a stroll through the park. You know we will have to face our Hoshidan siblings this way."

"You mean I will have to face our Hoshidan siblings. I won't let you get involved in this mess, Azura. They have no reason to hate you; let's not give them one. Once everything is over and done with and I'm executed as well, I want you to tell them why this had to happen. They'll listen to you." Azura's eyes seemed to gleam in the foggy light.

"I don't know how you can talk about this so nonchalantly. I thought you would be more upset. I'm the one who brought it up, and I'm upset. Even though I hate everything he's doing, even though I resent him for all he's done... I don't want to kill my father... I don't want to ruin the lives of my siblings..."

"You should be upset; I'd be worried if you weren't." Nerr looked up to the sky, the dark clouds obscuring the stars, though it was occasionally lit up with jagged forks of lightning. She missed the stars, missed looking up at them through her window and dreaming of "one days"...

"As for me, it doesn't matter if I'm upset. That's never mattered. What I could do for my country, for my family; that was the only thing that was important. And now, I know exactly what I can do... Ever since I was a child, I was raised not to fear death- such is not the Nohrian way. And I don't. The only thing I fear is the moment when everyone will come to hate me, but... hopefully, I'll be long dead by that point." The feeling of arms wrapping around her came so unexpectedly that Nerr honestly thought she was being attacked, until she saw the mountain of blue hair beneath a white headdress. She could hardly make out what Azura was saying, as her face was half buried in her neck.

"You don't ever have to worry that everyone will hate you. I'll always be on your side, Nerr. I've been watching you fight while I stood off to the sides, but no more. I- I'll protect you, too." Nerr felt her heart melt a bit. The words were utterly meaningless- Azura couldn't protect a garden from a hungry bunny, but they meant so much. She had finally won the other girl's- her sister's- trust. She let herself stay in Azura's embrace for a long time, until her ears perked at the clattering of armor.

"Lady Nerr! Lady Azura! Goodness, I hope I'm not interrupting a private moment..." Despite the warm and fluffy feelings of before, Nerr practically pushed the other princess away in her efforts to get to Gunther. He was leading Caractacus by the reins. At least, he was until the Norhian girl all but tackled him, clutching his waist so tightly she heard the armor creak.

"Oh, gods! You're finally back! What took you so long?!" A low chuckle met her ears, truly the most beautiful, melodious sound she'd ever heard.

"You'll have to forgive my delay, my lady. I had a hell of a time trying to force Caractacus off that ledge- leading a horse to water, and all that... I wouldn't dream of leaving him behind in that horrid place."

"No... no, of course not." Her voice came out muffled as she pressed her cheek against his packart. The massive courser came closer, sniffing at her hair. Nerr pried one hand loose from around her retainer and reached up, patting the horse's snout through it's barding. She could hear Azura approaching, but was more focused on the dim pulse beneath her ear.

"I'm so glad you made it back safely. ...though clearly, not as glad as Nerr."

"A few months without my tutelage, and my lady has gone soft. I'll have to remedy that with extensive training." A few months ago, those words would've been synonymous with 'hang, draw and quarter' but now, a few extra training sessions sounded wonderful. Still, she knew she was being improper. Grudgingly, the princess pulled away, taking care to appear calm and collected, composed as royalty should be. Oh, Xander would have words with her if he knew how she was behaving, and towards a servant, no less... She did not like the look Azura was giving her as she turned to face her- it reminded her too much of the way Flora used to smirk at her after training back at the Citadel.

"We should probably get back."

"So late? Aren't you tired, Nerr?"

"I can walk."

"Get back to where?" Gunther looked between the two women. "Neither of you ever explained where exactly you came from. In fact, you never explained much of anything..."

"Ha! Well, get used to that; life has become a tangled web of lies and secrets. If it weren't for all the armed soldiers, I'd swear we were at court..." There was a bitter humor in Nerr's voice as she spoke. Back in the Citadel, she'd considered it a violation of her trust if there were cookies she was not aware of; how foolishly naïve life had been, then... Now, she was constantly wondering when the next massacre was scheduled. Gunther seemed taken aback by her morbid warning, and with a sidelong glance, Azura spoke up to try and ease at least some of the tension.

"We came from Nestra." The songstress said. "That's where the standing army is, but they were in the process of moving out to Dia, which is where we should probably head. Oh, I don't even want to imagine what kind of welcome we'll receive when we get there..."

"We can just say some Hoshidans kidnapped us." The older man was clearly lost in the direction the conversation had taken.

"I don't understand; what were you doing in Nestra, my lady? And with a regiment to boot?" Nerr looked up at her retainer, the concern on his face striking her in the heart.

"Oh, Gunther... there is so much unpleasantness I need to fill you in on."

"You can do that in the morning." Azura's words were spoken through a yawn (was it just her, or did that yawn sound rather forced?). "It's so late, and I don't know about you, but traveling between worlds exhausts me. I think we should set up camp here for the night and head to Dia in the morning."

"I agree wholeheartedly, milady. We're at the northern-most reaches of the Chasm; the cliffs here are treacherous even when one is fully awake, and we'd have to trek at least a quarter mile south to reach the usual trail. Hopefully, these forts are more abandoned than the last ones we dealt with."

Loathe as she was to admit it, both of them were right. Once they ensured that the fortress they'd chosen for their bivouac did not hide lurking enemies, they settled in. Though the winter months were beginning in Nohr, the southern regions still temperate while snow began dusting the capital, the weather at the Chasm was mild, not cold enough that anyone felt like bothering with a fire. Nerr had wanted to volunteer to keep first watch to allow Azura and (more importantly) Gunther a chance to rest, but all at once, her days of insomnia caught up to her.

She had become so drowsy that she could barely understand what she was doing, only that she had to lie down before she collapsed where she stood. As she gathered her cape up under her cheek in the semblance of a pillow, she could feel that her head was pressed against something cold and metallic. Her hand brushed against something worn and soft, that reminded her of her blankets back home, and she clutched it tightly. That was the last thought she had before she fell into a deep, dreamless, but content sleep.

000000000000

-Revelation Spoilers be past here-

A/N- So many things I'd like to discuss here, but I'll bite my tongue and only touch on the important things. So! Now we have covered all our bases kingdom-wise; we have a Kingdom, an Empire and a Halidom! And YES, the ruler of Valla is the Exalt in my head canon! Isn't it the BEST!? And relating to Valla, fucking Azura... "Oh, she's cold and stoic because she can't tell anyone about Valla and Anankos! It's totally okay for her to be a jerk because she has problems!"(yeah, I'm a little bitter about this...) Did you forget about this chapter, IntSys? Did you forget that she's IN Valla for a whole damn chapter with a literal captive audience?! How was there not enough time for her to explain?! Why did you even include this chapter!? And don't say anything about Gunther not being able to see slime!Garon in the mirror because that doesn't stop him from hearing an explanation in 'Revelation'.

As you can see, I made MASSIVE changes here. No more magic mirror, no more slime!Garon, no more plan that makes me want to set Azura on fire... Nerr doesn't need a deus ex machina plot to conquer Hoshido; she has a reason- a GOOD reason, a reason that should've come up somewhere OTHER than 'Birthright' and that should've been expanded on! And before someone tells me that she's a jerk because she doesn't feel bad about conquering Hoshido, allow me to remind you that being sympathetic to the enemy makes you a bad knight, not a good person. You think anyone felt bad about what they were doing during the Crusades? In fact, I'm pretty sure I mentioned in the prologue that she was raised to look forward to defeating Hoshido. Being a soldier is pretty much her reason for living. And I know, I know- "Hoshido hates Nohr because Nohr killed their king and kidnapped—blah blah blah". There's concept art of Nohr, you know. It looks like Hell. 'Birthright' shows us they have a literal river of fire running through there. It didn't get like that overnight- if Nohr and Hoshido had good relations, Sumeragi wouldn't have been in Chevalier to negotiate peace treaties in the first place. In my head canon, in THIS story, Hoshido and Nohr have been at each other's throats for so long, Garon's little ambush was probably just tit for tat- in fact, in the prequel I had actually started writing before this (a lot of stuff in here is based on that prequel), that actually was revenge for an attack the Hoshidans staged first. If this was the first war between Hoshido and Nohr, there wouldn't be that epic intro CG and Gunther wouldn't have a backstory.

Also relating to changes I made, I like the way Nerr deals with her problems, with anger and dismemberment. I'm sure some people don't like her reactions, but frankly, I don't like Cornflakes' reactions in the game. That's why I'm writing this fic, after all; it's how I wish the story was in the game, because Paragon!Corn bores me to tears, because I wish I had the option to NOT be a goody two-shoes and kiss everyone's ass, especially characters I don't like. Maybe it's because I grew up watching violent action movies, but I like heroes who are willing to shoot someone in the face, who, were they not staring in the movie, would probably be the bad guy (coughTonyStarkcough). Maybe that's why I usually root for the bad guys... that's probably why I like 'Conquest' so much...