Deliverer of Birthright

by romeoraiden

This is my First Story. Two Nations. One is desperate and the other does not easily trust outsiders, and at the center, a sheltered Princess is force to make difficult choices for the good of all and in her quest for what's right many will expect much of her and others will stand with her and among the latter there is only one she truly trust to help her save her homes.

10. Chapter 10: Into the Sea

Chapter 10: Into the Sea

"The sky is so wonderful." Corrin said gazing at the sky above. They are still traveling the seas and will no doubt be traveling for two days straight, not that Corrin minds, this whole thing is wonderful for her.

"You're enjoying this a little too much." Azura said standing next to her with a smile, seeing Corrin like this is pleasing, the Princess of two nations has a smile of her own that is quite contagious.

"As if I can help it, the Breeze feels so heavenly." Corrin said feeling refresh. "The Sunshine is what catches my attention the most."

"I supposed it would, I often think back to Shirasagi when I look at the sunshine and how it would filter through the leaves." Azura commented.

"Can't help but envy you there. In Nohr, we didn't have days filled with sunshine!" Corrin recalled but in a good way, not really bothered as she originally thought she be. But then frowns realizing something. "Wait is it okay to feel envy when a literal demon who embodies it is out on the loose."

"I think so, after all she is a spirit at the moment and could be anywhere." Azura wondered. "That aside, it was stupid of me to bring it up."

"Bring what up?" Corrin asked confused.

"That was thoughtless of me. I never should have brought anything of my time in Hoshido up. It should've been you in Hoshido all those years, basking in the sunlight!" Azura said, sounding remorseful for Corrin.

"There's no need to feel bad. It's not like you kidnapped me and took me to Nohr. You're as much a victim of this as I am." Corrin shrugged.

"I knew you would say that; however I cannot help myself but feel guilty. I lived with the royal family and received all the love that should have been yours." Azura continued to mutter with a guilt that she by no means should feel at all.

"Please, Azura, you shouldn't worry. My life hasn't been as hard as you think, happiness exists in Nohr." Corrin insisted.

"I know, as harsh as things were for me during my time there, I knew happiness too, especially when my mother was with me but at first those were few since she was originally just a member of the court, though neither she nor I originated from Nohr." Azura explained.

"You aren't?" Corrin asked surprised.

"No, I was not born in Horus, Canta or Fódlan perhaps, she never told me the place of my birth, nor do I know how a foreigner manage to join the Court of Nohr. She had impress the nobles enough that we were allowed to live in Krakenburg." Azura explained her story. "I don't know what I found scarier, the castle itself, the rude butlers and maids who seem uninterested in dealing with a foreign child and commoner or the fact that I was living in the castle built under a crater of all places where a Dark God allegedly lived in during his time living among humans."

"Yeah, I've heard several complaints about Krakenburg's specific location over the years." Corrin commented.

"My only real solace there was Prince Xander, he was always so nice to me and treated me like a little sister even then." Azura said reminiscing on happy times. "I also met Camilla but we rarely spoke, her mother had recently passed away and from what I heard, her demise was not a pleasant one so she spent most of her time locked in her room until my mother befriended her and got her out of her shell."

"Neither Xander, nor Camilla ever mentioned their mothers to me, only that Xander's mom was Garon's first wife but died when Xander was two, and when he was four, Garon decided to get back out there and find new love, but nothing went well, except for having Camilla, Leo and Elise into his life, and… at the time me as well." Corrin said, still trying to wrap her head around how twisted Garon really is.

"Things got even stressful when a year after Elise was born, Arete became Garon's second wife and I officially a Princess of Nohr and the other four my stepsiblings. Mother had many supporters but many more were unhappy since they haven't gotten over the loss of Queen Katerina, and for one reason or another the nobles pressured Xander and Camilla to stay away from me, and mother and stepfather were too busy to notice, however those two weren't as dutiful as they appeared and always made time for me to get me out of my tough spots, though not always in the nick of time." Azura explained.

"That sounds like them." Corrin smiled sadly. "Funny, I just found out today that I'm not really from Hoshido either, I mean, that revelation is old to me at this point but the fact that mother and I are foreigners of Horus, that part has me surging with questions that I can't even ask yet, the one surging through my head at the moment is that if perhaps… were we born in the same place."

"That is something to think about, however Lady Mikoto always seemed neutral whenever Arete was mentioned when I was around, no hostility to her popular reputation in the west but nothing kind to say about her either in Hoshido." Azura stated. "What about you, how were things for you in Nohr?"

"Of course! Well, let's see… I lived in the Northern Fortress. It was pretty remote. Hmm… I wasn't allowed to go outside or have any friends." Corrin tried to think of a more positive note of her time there but at the moment she can only think of the downside she's ignored for so long.

"That sounds terrible." Azura said with a furrowed brow.

"Thinking back, it was hard. However, at the time, I never felt lonely. The servants were like family, and my brothers and sisters visited all the time. Elise came by to hang out every single day." Corrin said now seeing the positives. "Though how was she able to come in and leave so quick I never knew until now that I know Warp Tomes exist. Why didn't we use them when I finally got out of there though, could've used those four hours of sleep."

"Seems like things were more convoluted than I thought." Azura noted with a smile.

"And there was a huge library! You'd never run out of books to read in Nohr! Felicia, Jakob, Lilith and I even had a little book club. You see? I was too busy to feel alone." Corrin cheered. "Not a day goes by where I don't regret trying harder to convinced Gunter and Flora to join in on the book club."

"I'm glad to know that the mundane hasn't yet left Nohr." Azura said, feeling like a lot of weight made of doubt just got lifted off her chest but there is still so much more inside her that she wants to remove. "What about my mother, how were things between you and her. Based on what that knight, Silas said, I would imagine everything was okay."

"They were, and… hopefully still are." Corrin smiled with such warmed and compassion. "Lady Arete is everything a mother should be, there was plenty of times where she was strict but she never held me at low regard, all those times she came to visit I carved those moments vividly in my mind. The last time I saw her was the day before I finally left the Northern Fortress, she said she was needed in Macarath, a town southern of Nohr known for its varied entertainment, gambling, and medicine, and where one of hers and Garon's personal villas reside."

"I've heard of Macarath, many claim it to be the most beautiful place in Nohr." Azura said.

"I've heard the same thing, but what was Arete doing there was not for me to know." Corrin said. "Looking back now, I'm shock that she never held it against me for what happened to you. Was she faking her affections all along?"

"Please Corrin, do not start to think lowly of her, I never knew what goes on in her mind but I know that she wouldn't hide her true feelings if she knew there was no point in hiding them, you being in a fortress so away from the rest of the royals." Azura pleaded for her to perish such thoughts while placing her hand on her shoulders.

"I know, I know. I hope to one day fix things but I know it will be a long and dark path." Corrin muttered.

"It's only natural, sadly."

"I can't accept that and yet I find myself wanting to go through with it, not like I can just spent the rest of my life in Hoshido and pretend that my time in Nohr never happened. All that time I spent there, it's all a part of me… like home."

"It almost sounds like you miss it?" Azura asked.

"I do." Corrin confessed, not caring that it would give her backlash from her new Hoshidan allies if they hear this. "I miss the Northern Fortress, life there is better than what I went through on that fateful day. I even miss Krakenburg. For all the Darkness there, being the Heart of Nohr, I felt no fear, no reason to believe my life was in danger, all I felt when I was there was safe, stronger than I ever thought I could ever be and like with the fortress, I wasn't alone."

"One day, I'm sure you'll get to go back there." Azura said hopefully.

"I'm not, with how things have turned out, I doubt I can handle living there now, Gunter has mentioned many times that Garon is not so forgiving and he made it very clear himself before he sent me off to the Bottomless Canyon." Corrin said sorrowfully but immediately tries to brush it off. "All of this switching between good and bad moments is really driving me crazy, I would rather bury my face in the sea, I don't care if a Leviathan or white shark bites off my face."

"It is tempting considering what awaits us."

"I always wanted to ask, is sea water safe for…"

"No! Drinking from it will make you more thirsty and mess with your mouth horribly." Azura already knew what she was going to say. "I knew your knowledge of the world was lacking Corrin but I didn't think you were this… I don't mean to say this in a bad way but… dumb."

"I think being locked in a Fortress within a Kingdom where daylight is a rarity speaks for itself." Corrin mumbled.

As the two Princesses continue to chat three of the ship's crew pass by, enjoying a conversation of their own but one of them spares a glance at the two ladies and makes a weak scoff at the mere sight of them.

"Hoshidan Trash and Deserter…" He whispered with contempt to the two that only his two friends and Corrin could hear as they pass by the two.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, man. The Captain said they could ride with us so don't even think of starting something." One of his friends warned as they walk faster to get away from Corrin and Azura.

"Well that guy was rude." Corrin murmured.

"Come again?" Azura asked oblivious.

"Right, I keep forgetting that other people's ears aren't as enhanced as mine. One of the three guys that passed us by seemed displeased to see us and whispered insults at us." Corrin explained.

"I'm not surprised, it's been already established that many Mokushujins loathe Hoshidans and since you and Robin are traveling with us they'll naturally mistake you for us as well, in spite of your uniforms resembling Nohrian Styles." Azura said unbothered by this. "At the end of the day, it was their Captain's greed that Robin was able to convince him to smuggle us to Nestra so we do well to try not to do anything to provoke them or at the very least try to stay on their good side. Starting anything that would spread negative thoughts is a death sentence in the seas now a days."

"I'm actually almost surprised that Hoshido has enemies besides Nohr." Corrin said.

"It really isn't so shocking, Hoshido is a Kingdom after all and no country last for as long as it does and thrives so well without making moral compromises and have hidden a mountain of skeletons locked in a closet. It's a horrible fact of reality, and Hoshido is no exception." Azura said sadly.

"Right, I never learn about their beef with you guys, did I? Rob called it the Riots?" Corrin noted.

"That's just what most called it because the civil war he mentioned started out as just a riot in the Mokushu Capital before it escalated out of proportion. You see, the Southeastern Cost of Horus used to inhabit two Kingdoms; the first was Mokushu and the other was once called Kohga. The two coexisted for centuries and Kohga was the one closest to Izumo and owned the most lushes of fields that we saw in the south border of Izumo that we were to crossed before the incident with Sloth." Azura explained what she knows of the Kingdoms. "Kohga was well known or it's green mountains and Ninja Dojos, in fact, Ninjutsu originated from that land and introduced the art to both Hoshido and Mokushu. Kohga have had a long friendship with Hoshido by offering their best warriors to serve as the Dawn Bloodlines Royal Guard, such as the clan of Ninjas that Kaze and Saizo belong to."

"Really, something like that must've made them crazy popular in the East." Corrin said intrigued. "But then what happened to Kohga, why is Mokushu all that's left?"

"Because War broke out between the two nations decades ago, and it was when King Sumeragi's reign was still young, the two had a falling out, some say that it was because of political dispute that went way overboard but the masses know that it was because the previous Daimyo of Mukushu, Kotaro was an ambitious man with a horrible lust for power and attacked Kohga without warning, razing its towns and then annexing it all, and said war barely lasted a month, Kotaro has been planning this invasion for years and bid his time well and prepared." Azura explained. "Unable to defeat them, the people of Kohga cried out for Hoshido's help to push back Mokushu but… unfortunately, their cries went ignored as Hoshido refused to help."

"What, why?!" Corrin uttered in shock.

"According to Lady Mikoto, Sumeragi's advisers pressured him to do so as he was still inexperienced as a King due to his heart being more focus on being a samurai at the time and long have the Hoshido Nobility sought to keep themselves away from the troubles of outsiders as such Kohga was no more and became annexed into Mokushu." Azura continued, angering Corrin over this revelation but she said nothing and waited for Azura to finish. "For ten years those that remained in Kohga hid themselves well, forming a rebellion to fight back against Mokushu and restore their homeland until they amassed enough forces to start a civil war in the capital of Mokushu that lasted for a year before Hoshido finally intervened."

"Why would Hoshido bother with helping when they didn't before." Corrin scowled.

"That's where things get even worse." Azura said not especially fond of this part. "Mokushujin Ninjas would out of the blue attack Shirasagi one night and attempted to kill your entire stepfamily but only succeeded in murdering Sumeragi's first wife and mother of Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi and Sakura, the late queen Ikona."

"What…"

"You can pretty much guess how things would turn from there, with the Mokushujins's resources exhausted so they didn't stand a chance and Kotaro was slain by the vengeful King." Azura said. "However, even with the corrupted Daimyo killed, the war continued due to Kotaro's Loyalists being just as ambitious and arrogant as him, and fortunately for them, before he was slain, Kotaro sent a message to Nohr, requesting aid from them to fight off Nohr, in exchange for an alliance since he had previously refused Garon's attempts."

"And Nohr managed to turn the tied in their favor." Corrin surmised.

"They could've, however Garon had his spies survey the war for him ever since it's started and after what happened in Shirasagi, he suspected that Kotaro would never had done something as stupid as pick a fight with Hoshido while his country was falling into disaster and his suspicions were proven true when his spies uncovered a dark truth that the people who killed Ikona were actually desperate people from Kohga, posing as Mokushujins to trick Hoshido into helping the rebels destroy Mokushu once and for all."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Corrin growled in shock over how dark this tale is.

"Even after learning the truth, Sumeragi still became adamant on continuing the fight, blaming himself for all that's happened for not acting when he should've and was now keen on destroying Mokushu for their own actions but Garon's army stopped him in a vicious surprise attack and forced him into the peace treaty they have now. What was left of Kohga were forced out and into the West as refugees while fewer were lucky to have been allowed shelter into Hoshido in spite of what happened. I imagine it was Sumeragi's way of atoning for his inaction but he couldn't help all of them." Azura finished.

"Sumeragi… father…" Corrin mumbled, hard to swallow what she has learned and can only focus her gaze at the seas.

"I think it's safe to say that neither of us understand the burden of being a king or queen, after all while refusing to aid others isn't right, wanting to keep your people away from battles isn't wrong either." Azura commented. "I honestly don't think there were any right decisions in that period."

"Really, because the right decision seemed pretty clear to me from the start." Corrin muttered. "If Sumeragi had pushed harder and gotten involved than Kohga wouldn't have fallen so low and I would've never been kidnapped with his first wife still living and it being just me and Mikoto in Hoshido."

"That's a pretty way to look at it, Corrin but one thing I know for certain is that a true king is always ready for war but never seeks for it. Hoshidans are seekers of peace, and a warrior spirit is best reserve for sports and maintaining law and order, otherwise it serves only to create monsters." Azura lamented.

"Monsters? That's something Nohr excels well as of late." Corrin cursed.

"Garon has helped save many lives but they always seem to be out of personal gain than being a Saint, I really don't know what to make of father yet, at least until I see him again." Azura said.

"There's really no need to tell you how you'll sorely regret it when that does happened." Corrin uttered.

---

"I'll never understand women and their redundant need to force their way into a man's business." Robin sighed in frustration, coming back from his cabin and fully dressed, still sore from the untimely surprise of the girls and their inability to close the doors and mind their own business. "Just because guys have our scary dark sides doesn't mean we should be treated like animals." Right now he's in the left side of the ship, away from Corrin and could really use the privacy. But sadly, he doesn't feel the soothing sensation of solitude but the dreadful one of a stalker. This is one sensation he is all too familiar with.

"You can come out now, Saizo, your class can't hide from my sight, even if it's still hard to pinpoint your exact location." Robin demanded to the Ninja and in the blink of an eye the right hand man of the High Prince shows up from seemingly nowhere.

"Impressive, if this was the battlefield and we were truly on opposite sides, I wonder which of us would end up dead first." Saizo commented.

"Last time I check, the guy with magic would be the obvious winner." Robin stated.

"Bah, Magic is but one of many tools for death, no different than a blade that needs to be mastered." The Red Ninja scoffed.

"A Wise man's words, if not crude still." Robin partially agreed. "Any particular reason why you would be spying on me still, I understand the distrust but if I wanted Hoshido dead, I'd severed Lilith's head from her body without her realizing it to make sure there was no escape and sank this ship the moment we were far enough away from shore from everyone in it." Robin commented. "And electrocute the ocean just to be sure or draw the attention of all the sea-Grimm that has been passing us by for hours."

"You're not the first Nohrian turncoat to swear their allegiance to my people and not all of them proved genuine while the rest do nothing to contribute to Hoshido, and we all heard the way the Nohrian Royalties reacted to your choice, felt the intensity of their rage and their grief when you turned on them and took Corrin away from them. It's obvious that they have given you enough of a reason to remain with them, regardless of their malicious desires. It matters not that you now fight for the good of Hoshido, that kind of betrayal is disgusting." Saizo scoffed. To the naïve it sounds like Saizo actually feels a level of sympathy for Nohr, but that's not it at all. Robin's actions are seen by many as those of a man who harbors no real loyalty to anyone but of a man who looks for profit.

Truthfully, Nohr is the wealthiest country in the continent, possibly the world, however their resources are so lacking, some find it laughable how they have to rely so often on neighboring nations just to get by and too many people, noble and commoners alike have abandoned it, many more seeing no point in profiting from it, making siding with Hoshido all the more reasonable, and Robin, claiming to be a man with no past, who conveniently has deep ties with one of the Princesses of the most prosperous kingdom in the world and is the one who brought her back from her decade long 'imprisonment', that just makes him look more avaricious, dangerous and untrustworthy.

Nohr has tried for centuries to fix the state of their lands through the use of immense magic but nothing bared fruit, even with Leo's Sacred Treasure, who's dark magic primarily works to give him free control over nature itself can't seem to fix it. There is something really wrong over there, and Robin doubts it has anything to do with the Dusk Dragon.

"Your distrust for me is sound, if you and your comrades started trusting me right up the bat because of a few good deeds I might start to wonder if there was something wrong with your society. Paranoia has its moments at being a virtue in disguised." Robin said, not holding anything against Saizo. "But it's not just me who you feel so much distaste towards."

"Naturally, it wasn't long ago that your Mistress lived as royalty of Nohr. Kaze and Rinkah even told me on how King Garon used them as guinea pigs to test her strength and it was only out of a whim of hers that they were spared, even if Kaze believes otherwise. How convenient that we should be drawn into her orbit now, and at the same time yours. She too is guilty of the same low as you when it comes to treachery. The moment you both try anything; I'll be the first to know." Saizo declared.

"You're welcome to do as you wish if you deem it necessary for the Royals you serve but don't be surprise when you find nothing that will make you throw your blades at us." Robin replied. "I don't know if it was Mikoto, Yukimura or Ryoma who put you up to this but I'm sure that what you'll tell them of Corrin are none of the bad they dread."

"This has nothing to do with my Queen or Prince, I'm doing it on my own initiative. Though we fight side by side at times, I'm not prepared to trust you yet."

"I get it."

"If either of you take even one step out of line, I will act accordingly. Remember that before you get any cute ideas." Saizo warned. "Your powers are no more than an inconvenience to me."

"I don't intended to. Still, isn't there anything I can do to win your trust?" Robin asked, not feeling threaten by the Ninja Master but more annoyed, and to be truly honest, hurt.

"Prove yourself to me." Saizo began.

'So, saving an entire Royal Family from a Dragon, stalling the first invasion of this inevitable war and saving you from a shameful death from a Lazy Demon is not enough.' Robin noted. 'Earning people's trust might as well be a poison, cause this is hard.'

"I'm keeping thorough surveillance notes on you, you know." Saizo said, conveniently holding a notebook that says, 'Surveillance Notes – Corrin & Robin'. Him holding that feels comical.

'At least he has a sense of humor hiding somewhere in that headstrong and serious exterior.' Robin mused.

"I'll be watching the both of you thoroughly. Always." Saizo swore.

"Always? Even when…"

"ESPESSIALLY then!" Saizo snapped before disappearing again.

'I better convince Corrin to take a group shower with her sisters today as an excuse to have sisterly bond, no way he go as far as to peep at all three Princesses, four due to Azura's adoption into the Hoshidan Royalty but Kagero might be in this as well.' Robin noted. 'I should think of a way to do it discreetly so as not to have the wrong impression. Hana already thinks I'm kinky. If only things would stop getting complicated, except that they won't.'

Robin sighed, as with Saizo now put on 'hold' for now, he can now focus on the other nuisance, which is the monk Azama, he was walking by at the same time as Robin, not really following him but he did not mind his own business and kept to himself at a distance while he was having the discussion with Saizo. Normally people like Saizo would keep moments like that as discreetly as possible but they both know the rude monk won't say a word for whatever reason, likely wanting the Tactician's problems to remain as such for as long as possible. Either that or it's that everyone feels the same way and they won't fault Saizo for the hostility.

"Is there something I can do for you, Monk, you've been quiet back there and staring at me enough to make me very uncomfortable. Is there something you want to say? Saizo already had his turn and you seem to be next in line." Robin said, not wanting to put up with this but avoiding the issue may make it worse, though hearing Azama any time is problematic even when he goes easy on you.

"Well, now that I got your attention. There is something I've been meaning to ask." Azama finally spoke.

"I'm listening." Robin said, almost sounding displeased as he turns to meet the Great Master, face to face.

"It's undeniable that you play a rather significant role in our band of misfits." Azama stated.

"I wouldn't see it as significant, true that a Tactician is important to ensure the team is alright and have a better chance of victory but I myself don't see me as entirely necessary." Robin said, expressing self-doubts due to not taking Corrin's praises to heart.

"Ah, but there is truth in my words, even though Hoshido have yet to fully trust you, you've so far shown diligence in your efforts to bring us victory based on what I learned about what happened in Fort Jinya and Aikawa. If it wasn't for you we would've started a fight against the Wind Tribe, failed to save the Royals from Envy and you made sure to stay behind to confront Sloth with the orders to leave you. I say that in truth we should already trust you." Azama said, like he is praising Robin but the Tactician knows there's more. "Yet I wonder, don't you harbor something… different in the depths of your heart?"

"Something different?" Robin repeated, not liking where this is going.

"Yes, something very dark and very deep in your heart. Something most would not even begin to imagine just by looking at you." Azama remarked and confirming Robin's suspicions on how this was going to turn out. "You wish to help your master, yet there's also this secret corner of your soul… there, you feel nothing can be done to help, and that the future can't be altered. Sometimes I'm quite sure that you and I are similar in that respect."

'Did Takumi or Azura told the others about my condition?' Robin wondered. 'Takumi certainly but it is also likely that it was Lilith, she's an Astral Dragon, beings who are all about the spirit, and she too has her doubts about me, from the moment we met I knew she felt wary of me, meaning that she always knew of what I was going through.'

"That's the feeling I get when I look at you. Tell me, am I wrong?" Azama asked most curious.

"It matters not, as I really have no obligation nor inclination to discuss my issues with you, or anyone for that matter." Robin said lowly as he walks away, leaving the Monk behind.

"Oh my, he's run off. Well, I guess it's just me now." Azama said not looking or sounding disappointed. "Oh well, better luck next time."

---

"I really can't deal with this right now; I need something to cheer me up and not make me furious." Corrin muttered, not wanting to think about Mokushu and Kohga anymore. "Tell me something that's more lighthearted."

"Well… " Azura tries to think of something else to talk about, though she won't have to think much as the two begin to hear someone make a heavy sigh to their right and see that it is Kaze, walking to them but doesn't seem like he notices them and is carrying a bag of radishes.

"There's always something to talk about with Kaze." Azura suggested.

"Good enough for me. Hello Kaze, is something the matter? And what's with all those radishes?" Corrin asked, getting the attention of the ninja.

"Ah, Lady Corrin, Lady Azura. Greetings. A young lady, one of the sailors here, gave me these radishes as thanks for helping her find a family pendant she dropped by mistake in the interior." Kaze said somberly for some reason. "I assured her I had no need of these but she was very insistent."

"Looks like we're having a radish feast tonight! Lilith said that the Astral Plane can only create inanimate objects with water as the only exception so we have to come here to get food, though there is already plenty of food with Lilith in her realm that she brought with, but having more never hurt anyone, so this is pretty great, right?" Corrin asked positively.

"I must disagree. It is not 'great'." Kaze said disdainfully.

"Why? You have something against radishes?" Corrin wondered confused.

"No, it's just that Kaze has always had trouble with women, same as Saizo." Azura explained.

"I can assure you that is not the case, it's just that it feels wrong being rewarded for such simple kindness as returning a family heirloom I found by chance. This is not the first time something like this has happened, either." Kaze muttered.

"Really?" Corrin wondered.

"I can't figure out why, but… I find I'm often approached by women who wish to speak with me or give me things." Kaze explained.

"Oh, is that so?" Corrin said growing intrigued.

"It gets worse. If I speak even a few words, they'll often start shrieking or hugging me. Sometimes, they'll give me letters or garments of clothing or, like today, food. None of our allies act that way, of course. Just strangers. It's… frustrating." Instead of feeling sympathy or say anything helpful to him, Kaze gets playful chuckles from the two Princesses. "What?"

"It sounds to me like you're just popular with the ladies!" Corrin winked at the Ninja, who can only look in confusion.

"Popular? With… the ladies?"

"Exactly. Women are just… well, they're curious about you. It's because you're kind yet mysterious. Being a ninja doesn't hurt either. In fact, when we were still in Izumo and about to leave, I noticed some women staring directly at you and I overheard one of them say, 'That sorrowful look on the green man's gorgeous face is waaay too dreamy'!" Corrin repeated what she heard playfully.

"I heard that too." Azura smiled.

"Argh, I wish you hadn't told me that. I appreciate the praise, but… I would prefer to focus on my duties and keep such silly distractions to a minimum." Kaze said, feeling down on himself. "You're sure you didn't heard them wrong, our group is full of impressive men, maybe they were referring to one of them, excluding Azama perhaps. Like Lord Takumi or Robin?"

"Probably but I didn't pay too much attention." Azura said. "You shouldn't be so gloomy about it Kaze, most men dream of that kind of attention, Hinata especially."

"I'm simply behaving as any self-respecting ninja should. That's all there is to it. In any case, they are mistaken. I'm not a good man." Kaze said now having a hint of sadness.

"Oh, you Ninjas and your habit of darkening any mood, I sometimes question why you people aren't soldiers of Nohr instead." Azura said but not in a rude way but more of a curious one.

"I wonder that myself sometimes." Kaze confessed.

"Either way, Kaze, you shouldn't think so lowly of yourself, much less take your looks for granted, handsome men should be kind, helpful and sincere after all." Azura lectured, regarding her personal opinion of men. "The less of your twin brother the better."

"H-Handsome!" Kaze become speechless, not sure how to respond to that and begins to blush.

"Aww, you made him blush." Corrin laughed in amusement. "Don't take it the wrong way Kaze, it's just that like it or not, we're only going to see you for how great you are so try not to be so sour."

"I… guess."

"Wait a minute, what was that you said about Saizo?" Corrin asked Azura, only now grasping on the last thing she said.

"That the less of his twin brother the better." Azura repeated.

"Kaze and Saizo are twins?" Corrin said mildly surprise. "You two are so different and you don't even have the same voices and your hair colors are different, so fraternal twins maybe."

"No, Saizo and I are identical twins. I can't say for certain why we ended up being born with both our parents' hair colors, him father's and me mother's but we are definitely alike in looks."

"Wow… the more you know."

"It's not really that big of a deal." Kaze said.

"I disagree, Saizo is such an asshole in comparison to you who are such an Angel. Of Death, if you still want to be so sour about who you are and your profession." That made Kaze chuckle a little bit.

"Anyway, I must be off now Milady, Saizo, Kagero Reina and Orochi are patrolling the sea for danger and I would like to join them." Kaze said.

"Sure, don't let me keep you from anything." Corrin replied.

"I promise to be at your side if you're in need of anything." Kaze bowed with respect as he departs.

"You think I was too hard on Kaze?" Corrin asked in concern. The loyal retainer seemed okay but Corrin can't help but wonder if she went too far when she laughed at his embarrassment from Azura's comment.

"Maybe a little but I'm sure he won't hold it against you, after all this isn't the first time he gets embarrassed like that, despite what he said Orochi, Reina, Hana and Oboro have unintentionally done worse to make him resent his good looks." Azura commented.

"Poor guy, I should really make it up to him." Corrin wondered.

"Doing that will only make him feel inadequate if you are the one cheering him up, when that's his job." Azura pointed out.

"Good point." Corrin chuckled as the two go for another walk around the ship and eventually notice young Mozu carrying four tall boxes in her arms with a smile on her face, and they look heavy for someone so small to carry alone but that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Hi Mozu, good to see you in high spirit. Wow, those boxes sure look heavy." Corrin said, getting a better look at the boxes she is carrying.

"Hello Lady Corrin, Lady Azura." Mozu replied.

"Any particular reason why you're carrying them?" Azura asked.

"Oh, these are just some things that the ship's crew need below deck and me, Hayato, Hinata, Oboro, Subaki, Setsuna, Kagero and Lady Hinoka volunteered to help." Mozu explained. "Mister Robin may have paid for this ride for the rest of us to rest easy but we agreed to contribute some more."

"That's great to hear, I better do so too." Corrin declared. "Here, those must be hard on your arms so I'll carry one for you."

"That's not really necessary Milady, but if you insist." Mozu said as she is really not bothered by the weight of these boxes, Corrin on the other hand does because as soon as she takes three of the boxes off of Mozu she nearly drops them, caught off guard by the surprising amount of weight they pack, if it wasn't for the fact that she had higher strength than most humans, she would've dropped them on the floor the moment she grabbed them.

"Qliphoth! What's in these things, it's actually hurting my back!" Corrin cried in surprise, also surprising Azura and Mozu.

"Yipes! Just set them down careful, and I'll take care of it!" Mozu insisted and Corrin reluctantly places the boxes down to allow Mozu to pick them up by first placing the one she was left with on top of the three and then carries all four of them as a whole with total ease, that she would be mistaken for instead lifting a bag of vegetables, making Corrin and Azura feel more inadequate in comparison to the younger girl. "Whew… You had me going there. You're weaker than you look, Lady Corrin."

"I don't think it's that I'm weak, so much as that you're shockingly strong." Corrin corrected.

"Just what are you implying?!" Mozu questioned, somehow seeing that as an insult.

"She meant it as a compliment young Mozu, truly Corrin is physically stronger than most men and even she has trouble carrying these boxes and yet you don't seem to have such problems despite having no warrior prowess." Azura spoke up next to ease the young Villager. "Quite honestly, you seem to be more physically gifted than even the Hoshidan Royals, the way you handled walking up the Eternal Stairway with no issue and took down three of those Invisible Soldiers of Envy."

"You mean the Veiled Monsters?" Mozu replied.

"I know what I said, and for some reason Rinkah seems convince that you weren't that scared when we confronted that Nuckelavee in the Wind Tribe Village." Azura added.

"Gush, you two are going to make me blush." Mozu mumbled flattered by the compliments. "Though I do have some practice."

"You do?" Corrin asked.

"Well, I worked the fields every day back home, so I'm used to putting in some elbow grease but my father, who was a soldier for Nohr would occasionally practice with a spear and bows and wanted to teach me to one day defend myself so I know the basics." Mozu explained.

"That explains a tiny bit of why you SEEM to be stronger than me." Corrin added, putting a bit too much emphasis on 'seem', showing that she's more baffled than she appears over how a village girl seems so much more physically capable than a Princess who's been training to become a Top Commander her whole life, Azura would understand if this causes a rift to her pride, but that just makes Corrin look petty, and if so, then she has more in common with Takumi than the Songstress initially thought, or perhaps it is Nohr's Second Prince who she has in common with, she's heard some sad rumors about Leo.

This conversation seems to lower the mood on Mozu as she starts to frown, no doubt because of thinking back to her parents.

"Is something wrong Mozu?" Corrin asked with concern.

"Nah, it's nothing." She assured her but neither Princess is convince.

"Do you miss your old life?"

"Well… yeah, but… please don't get the wrong idea. I'm grateful for all you're doing for me, Lady Corrin. And you know I'm no weakling, so don't worry about me, OK?" Mozu insisted more upbeat. Sakura could learn a thing or two from this shooting star.

"Point taken." Corrin smiled back.

Close by to the three girls, one sailor is mopping up a part of a floor that is all dirty and smells like vomit, probably another sailor who drank too much and is nearly done but people have better steer clear as the floor is quite slippery. Unfortunately, one Hoshidan, who is infamously known for getting into bad situation fails to notice the slippery floor while carrying boxes of her own as Setsuna draws close and the man mopping the floor doesn't bother to warn her on time as he finally finish and walks away, not noticing Setsuna stepping on the slippery floor and starts to slip, however the Retainer to the High Princess struggles hard to keep herself straight, despite her face showing any indication that she's actually trying, putting herself in a very tough situation as she starts to rapidly move her legs like a madwoman in a vain effort to keep her footing but ends up tripping nonetheless and falls off the ship, along with the boxes she was carrying.

"What the hell just happened?!" Corrin gasped in shock, along with Mozu.

"Setsuna happened." Azura sighed, quite used to seeing this happened.

"Setsuna!" Hinoka cried out for her retainer as she quickly starts to remove her armor before jumping off the ship to go rescue her.

"That woman gets herself into dangerous situations, possibly on purpose more times than Takumi upsets everyone around him." Azura explained.

"So like always." Corrin and Mozu concluded at once.

"Yep."

"Oh, hey, I think I see a shark heading this way." Setsuna said casually and unconcern as she does notice a shark heading their way while Hinoka holds on to her retainer as she swims them both back to the ship.

"OH SHIT!" Both Corrin and Hinoka cried out at once, with the former rushing to the rescue, with her Dragonstone in hand to face the shark to protect her sister and retainer but doesn't jump into the water and just partially transforms her right arm into that dragonic-like spear, that stretches rather far and easily impales the predator, killing it rather easily and spilling its blood to the sea. Hinoka then wastes no time to grab a hold of the spear to allow Corrin to lift both women back up into the ship.

"Oh, Sephiroth, not again." Azura uttered in horror over the same situation happening again but to someone else and relief that it was resolved much quicker.

"Wow, that was a close one, thank you Miladies." Setsuna smiled gratefully to the two Princesses who helped her while she lies on the floor so wet like Hinoka. "I'm happy!"

"Don't mention it, Setsuna. You alright too, Hinoka?" Corrin asked her older sister while offering her a hand up but Hinoka quickly stands back up on her own while also looking away from Corrin.

"I'm fine, I better get myself dry." She replied emotionless as she walks away from the four women without batting an eye to them.

"What's gotten into her?" Corrin asked, feeling offended by the sudden malcontent.

"That is so unlike her." Azura said just as confused.

"Oh… that is weird, she's probably having one of her 'I'm worthless' moments." Setsuna said raising her hand for Corrin to grab and help her up, which the Dragon Princess complies and helps her.

"What'd you mean?"

"Oh, you should already know, Lady Hinoka has been desperately trying to get you back ever since you were taken by the Nohrians but everyone is always getting in her way and when you finally come back it wasn't done by her own hands like she hoped but because an actual monster showed up, beat you down and left you almost dead for our soldiers to find. You have an emotional breakdown in the first battle but she was so focus letting her hatred run loose to even notice your pain so it's up to the new guy that nobody completely trusts to protect you. She gets tricked into fighting Wind Tribalists and almost dies by Grimm, only for you to do the rescuing instead of her and now I trip and fall to be eaten by a shark, she tries to help only for her to be shark food too but again you do the rescuing." Setsuna explained easily, knowing how her Mistress feels way better than her own family, truthfully. "Like Takumi, she has an inferiority complex, though personally I think hers is more understandable, Takumi is just petty."

"I HEARD THAT DUCK FACE!" Takumi cried indignantly from seemingly nowhere but only Azura and Mozu seek to find out where he is while Setsuna just goes and locks herself in her thoughts while Corrin contemplates what she just learned before soon following after Hinoka to talk to her.

"You're a wet mess." Rinkah said as she walks by and notices the wet Princess.

"You mine." Hinoka requested for the Fire Princess to dry her up with her magic.

"No problem." Rinkah replied as she extends her hand to Hinoka, heat beginning to rise up around her, feeling completely warm and quickly dries up, with no side effects whatsoever.

"Thanks." Hinoka said before walking to the front of the ship where her Pegasus along with Subaki's and Reina's Kinshi were left stationed, and Rinkah pays her no mind and minds her own business, even as Corrin walks pass her.

By the time Corrin makes it, Hinoka is already beside Rukia, comforting the delicate animal and offering her an apple, and also to Yuzu. Hinoka looks like she wants to be alone and though Corrin really doesn't want to open up any wounds she wants to leave this in suspense even less so here goes nothing.

"As gentle as usual when there is nothing to do, eh, Rukia? It's been a while since I gave you a clean brush, hasn't it. I shouldn't get your feathers all ruffled, otherwise brushing you will get hard, and I wouldn't be too much of a partner if I didn't keep you all clean and ready for any dirty conflicts." Hinoka smiled with compassion to the lovable Pegasus. "With all that has happened it actually feels like ages since I chose to be a sky knight among the pegasus riders." Rukia seems to agree and appreciate her rider's words but before she could reply she turns her head right as she sees Corrin get closer, prompting Hinoka to do the same and see her sister again.

"Corrin?" Hinoka spoke first.

"Oh, sorry, Hinoka. I didn't mean to interrupt you." She apologized.

"It's not a problem at all. What can I do for you?" Hinoka asked more friendly.

"You know, most people who just come back from a flipping shark attack don't shrug it off as you have to quickly go and pet their Pegasus as if nothing happened." Corrin muttered, questioning her behavior towards all that has transpired.

"Corrin, with everything that's happened this week I think death by a sea predator of mindless pure gluttony is mercy compare to the rest. Besides, Chief Fuga said so himself that I'm screwed even if I survive this war." Hinoka shrugged.

"I get it but you could show a little bit more of a reaction. Don't get me wrong, I find it incredible how brave you are to not take danger like that seriously to let it get to you but even still, I expect this sort of thing from Leo, and he's not this unconcern for his own wellbeing." Corrin expressed her concern.

"Corrin, if I had a coin for every time someone complained about my attitude I wouldn't need to be Royalty to buy the entire Flying Unit of Pegasus Knights in Hoshido." Hinoka again shrugged, but this time with a little bit of humor, and Corrin got the joke.

"Alright, I supposed we have it in common when it comes to being stubborn to the point of being scolded endlessly. I just wish you would consider more on how it would affect those around you some more." Corrin added.

"Setsuna opened her big fat mouth and told you how she views me." Hinoka scoffed.

"She's obviously worried about you, she is your Retainer. And so is everyone else who makes you stop to think before acting."

"You wouldn't understand Corrin, After you were kidnapped, I was so mad, I didn't know what to do with myself. On several occasions, I snuck out of the castle, thinking I could save you." Hinoka stated.

"So I've been told."

"But I was always stopped, either by castle staff, Ryoma, or even Mother herself. I was just so angry that you were stolen away from us… And I was mad at myself for not being able to do anything about it." Hinoka growled while tightening her right fist. "Those damn Nohrian abominations took you and father from me."

Corrin knew that she wasn't referring to the Grimm but Nohr as a whole, and this triggered something in her as she can feel a fraction of her dragonic powers manifesting in her right hand, vaguely glowing blue but she is able to suppress this sudden spark of irritation, after immediately picking up her Dragonstone without Hinoka taking notice.

"Hinoka, you were but a child same as me and Ryoma, there was literally nothing that could've been done to save me, much less Sumeragi, nor were you really expected to." Corrin insisted.

"It was difficult for me to accept that at the time. Ryoma felt the same way, he was just more composed about it, at least when he wasn't alone." Hinoka remarked. "There's a saying our father used to say; 'In time all men and women will know what it's like to lose, to feel so desperately that their right about the choices that were made, yet to fail all the same. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives, but does that mean we should submit? Does that mean we've lost the right to determine how our lives should be? The strong may devour the weak but that doesn't mean they have the right; any more than our lives being dictated with cruelty'. I didn't know what he exactly meant back then, I started out believing that things would turn out great because we were royalty and father was such a powerful Swordmaster but when that night happened, I knew exactly what he was talking about, or at least I think I finally do. As I got older, I realized that I was trying to do the impossible. I was so young; there was no way I could walk through all of Nohr and save you. And then one day I witnessed the Pegasus Knights sparring so graciously."

"So that was when you decided to become a Pegasus Knight?" Corrin concluded.

"Indeed. That decision has driven almost everything I've done since then. It's really made me into the person I am today, much stronger and determined." Hinoka said more determinedly. "As odd and bad as it sounds, I should thank you, Corrin, even though I wish you'd been spared. Father also once told me that there are bright sides to tragedies, no matter how unacceptable they are."

"I know I haven't behaved as fair as I should've to you when we first met but I really want you to know that I am grateful for the support you've shown me." Corrin said with more compassion.

"What support? I haven't done anything I swore I would do. Ever since you came back, one hardship after another has been thrown your way while I remained in the sidelines like I never existed while you had to depend on others for help and when things get out of hand, I'm the one who needs saving." Hinoka cursed under her breath, the weight of her frustrations coming out into the open, though not as loud as she expected, and also places her head on Rukia, feeling bitter. Yesterday and today was a massive disaster for her with blows to her honor as a Princess of Hoshido and an older sister. "I can't even keep Setsuna safe from her own self-destruction without ending up the damsel in distress instead."

"Hinoka…" Corrin muttered, not sure what to say about this except offer her comfort by placing her hands on her shoulders.

"It's pathetic, for me to break down like this, especially now when I should be thrilled. I finally got my sister back and even when growing up in enemy hands she's come back as someone so strong and kind, and yet I…"

"Enough, Hinoka, it's not right to feel this way, we all need you at your best after all, so please don't do this to yourself." Corrin pleaded with her. She's going to be here for a while.

---

"And that's the last of them." Hinata said as he places the last of the boxes below deck with Oboro, Mozu and Hayato beside him.

"Could've sworn there were supposed to be three left." Oboro noted.

"Oh, that's going to be a problem since miss Setsuna…"

"Say no more." Both Oboro and Hinata interrupt Mozu, knowing what's become of the remaining boxes.

"Remind me again why we let her help us." Oboro asked.

"I don't know! She comes along and people just let her do as she wants!" Hinata protested.

"You Hoshidans are as colorful as they come, I'm surprise there's not a single rumor of you guys originating from a freakshow." Hayato mocked.

"Hey, if they aren't broken, don't fix them." Robin said as she steps in.

"Yo, other boss man, how's it hanging." Hinata greeted.

"Just passing by, I was told by the captain that you guys were volunteering with helping the crew with the daily work. Nice to see not all of you are slacking off." Robin praised.

"Well considering that the whole crew are Mokushujins and they're all soar about having us here, we either keep our distance or earn a bit of their respect by helping out, and we chose the latter. Plus, we of the Royal Guard of Hoshido have to stay in top condition, in fact I could go for some sparring right about now." Hinata said, feeling like swinging his blade around and clashing with another.

"Hana always seems eager to clash swords." Robin offered.

"Oh, I know she will, always eager to grow stronger for our lovely Lady Sakura's sake." Hinata replied.

"Just try not to bicker while you two are at it, every time you two argue, chaos spreads and chaos makes negative thoughts and Grimm are attracted to that." Oboro warned. And she spoke truth, one of the many abilities that all Grimm have in common is that negative thoughts, like anger, resentment, sadness, doubt, violence or despair are like perfume to them, they can smell it from so far away and seek out the source. Even though the Grimm among the seas will not attack non-hoshidan ships, they could become drawn to it and want to investigate what's all the commotion, either out of curiosity, they are animals in not just appearance but in based instincts as well, or as an excuse to attack ships and snuff out any Hoshidans being smuggled at seas to Nohr. In Nohr, the Royal Family use the Grimm to regulate and enforce their laws, whenever the Grimm sense negativity in their soil they are sent to investigate and there are any sort of violence going on that is unwarranted, the Grimm stop them while avoiding any casualties, unless there was no choice, subsequently reducing the need for Soldiers. Using fear tactics to prevent the populace from succumbing to aggression often sends a bad message that could denounced the Nobility, however because Nohr has been preparing for war against Hoshido for fourteen years, it's understandable why they don't want any hindrances amongst themselves.

"We'll be fine, Hana especially knows better than to blow a tantrum when it wouldn't do Lady Sakura any favors." Hinata shrugged. "How about you Robin, we have yet to see your swordplay yet, Lady Corrin says you can hold your own against Nohr's beast of a Crown Prince fairly well."

"I like to think I'm gifted when it comes to all manner of combat." Robin agreed. "While we're added, we should start training Mozu as well, just in case she gets caught in a fight again since she refused to run off during the last one, it's best to ready her for the worse."

"Certainly."

"I don't know how useful I can be but I promise I'll do my best." Mozu swore, agreeing to Robin's idea.

"Just don't push yourself so hard, too much training can be as bad as no training at all." Robin advised before turning to Oboro. "How about you Oboro, Mozu seems to prefer polearms so I could use your help in training her."

"Pass, I don't want to get involved in anything that literally screams out, 'come get us you stupid blackhearts'." Oboro declined.

"Since when do you back out from training?" Hinata questioned.

"Hey, I'm trying to keep us safe, the seas are more terrifying then ever."

"Don't be a baby, it takes the negative thoughts of more than two people for even Grimm so close to feel it."

"You're the only baby I've ever laid eyes on Hinata. Fine, just don't come crying to me when a Kraken pulls you under."

"Pardon the intrusion, my friends." Kaze said as he comes in as well.

"Hey, partner, anything worth noting?" Robin greeted.

"Yes but I'm afraid it's nothing good." Kaze said somberly, worrying the rest of them.

"Grimm?"

"Yes, it's best you see for yourself." Kaze said as the five of them follow the Ninja to the west side of the ship. "Saizo, Kagero and I have notice that Sea-Grimm have been showing up more frequently in the seas, they have been discreet about their presence that most sailors wouldn't notice but not for our eyes. Most of them would pass by and not pay us any mind except for brief glances, however this Leviathan in particular has been following us for seven minutes now, quiet and cautious as any true predator."

"And seven minutes is as good as any indication that it's looking for an excuse to sink us." Robin said as he uses a telescope he borrowed to investigate the southwest part of the ship that Kaze pointed and he notices a large dark creature underwater that can barely be seen following them.

"It hasn't attacked yet so it must suspect something, any chance any of the sailors are doing something twisted without our knowledge?" Hayato suggested, thinking of something that someone his age should never even think about.

"Unlikely, anyone who travels anywhere should beware negative thoughts otherwise they'll attract Grimm, I'm afraid its reason for following us is because of Lady Corrin." Kaze revealed. "Setsuna had an accident that resulted in her falling off the ship and Lady Hinoka and Lady Corrin provided her aid but a shark was nearby and so she had to use her dragonic powers to stop the attack."

"Great, and the strongest Grimm are able to sense magic, like this big beast, everyone in Nohr has to know by now that the only person in Horus that can turn into a dragon is her and every Grimm is out to get her." Oboro muttered. "But why hasn't it attacked yet?"

"It probably felt her power for only a brief moment enough to earn its attention but it's not sure if it's really Corrin, so it's just going to wait for anything that would cause her to unleash her powers again and knowing our rotten luck we can't take any risks and hope that she won't let loose." Robin surmised.

"And we can't pick a fight with it here, we'll endanger the sailors and attract more Grimm. Sure, we have Lilith who can pull us out into that pocket dimension of hers but still, we can't tolerate any more delays to find Lord Ryoma." Hinata said.

"We have many solutions to this problem, the one I deem the second safest for the ship, at least is that we draw it's attention elsewhere." Robin concluded as he puts the scope down.

"What, are you going to fly up to it, electrocute the ocean and get it to follow you." Hayato questioned.

"Not exactly but we are close to the three southern islands, I wager that thing's fast while underwater in spite of its size and the best solution is to get it to leave the ship alone. The hard part is convincing it to chase after me." Robin said.

"It will be difficult to fight it; a Leviathan's skin is the same as a Wyvern's in the sense that the best way to deal with it is with the use of Wyrm Weapons." Kaze noted.

"I'm aware, but I believe I can pull it off, after all, if the Leviathan is chasing us because it senses powerful magic that it believes a threat to Nohr, which is the case should Corrin lose control again, and even though my magic reserve is still low from my fight with Sloth I can still muster up enough of it to get it to turn away." Robin said.

"Hey now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Hero, you can't expect us to just sit around and do nothing while you go fuck off and get yourself eaten by one of the biggest weapons in Nohr's arsenal." Hinata argued against the idea.

"Can you fly?" Robin asked sarcastically.

"No, but we have three others who can do good."

"No can do in sending Hinoka, Subaki and Reina, I've read the reports in all your battles at sea, every sky unit sent to so much as stall a Leviathan have been decimated rather easily. Leviathans have excellent aiming that Kinshi have to push their reflexes to their limit and it's not much without a human partner who's perfectly synchronized with its movement, and their fire breaths are mix with electricity, that's a combo no animal deserves to experience." Robin calculated. "Trust me, this is for the best, we may all work better as a team in an open battlefield but like you said, we can't tolerate any more delays in reaching Ryoma."

"The last time you set off on your own to fight a big evil monster, Lady Corrin sucker punched you and blew a tantrum, you do this you might end up as dead as a smelly goat." Mozu warned, knowing what awaits him if he comes back with Corrin waiting as there is literally no way to keep this event a secret from her.

"Hell have no fury like a woman's scorn, which is why being eaten by a giant sea-creature doesn't sound so bad." Robin replied as he jumps off the ship and dives down into the ocean and swims, well, fly towards the Leviathan underwater.

"Smart, that's why he's the brains of the operations." Hinata agreed playfully with Hayato nodding in agreement. Kaze remains silent not sure how to respond, especially when he notices Oboro give her famous demonic glare in offense, and even Mozu is also offended.

"Men!"

Robin gets closer to the giant Grimm and is able to get a closer look at it, and it is a true behemoth; a bipedal, reptilian-like sea creature with four humanoid limbs and a long tail. It has four gills on each side of its neck and a collection of dorsal plates protruding from its back, with red webbing between each plate. It has a dolphin-like head with a mouth filled with sharp teeth and three yellow eyes on each side of the head. Like many other Grimm it has external ribs.

The Leviathan turns its head to stare at the puny human that dares get close and can be squashed easily with its barehand and he would barely be noticeable. Robin again channels the power of Ignis, and even though the power takes the form of fire, it doesn't seem like water can extinguish it as they form into an aura around his body, and this definitely gets the monster's attention, as it can feel a vile surge of intense rage, destruction and power.

'That's it, follow the horrid flames.' Robin mused as he goes left, towards Notre Sagesse and as he expected, the Leviathan starts following him, and rather fast as Robin has to go full throttle, else it would've already caught him, though considering how exhausted he still is after fighting Sloth, he won't be as fast as he normally can, but enough to reach one of the islands rather quickly.

'Okay, this thing is faster than I initially thought but I can still pull this off.' Robin cursed as he almost gets caught by the Leviathan's mouth as it is gaining on him. He manages to evade again by going upward, briefly getting out of the sea with the Leviathan raising its head, continuing to try and eat him but only exposed its head for a brief moment as well before Robin went back underwater and goes deeper with the Grimm in hot pursuit.

"Damn, he's fast, their already so far away." Hayato noted as he, Kaze, Mozu, Hinata and Oboro are now in the southeast side of the ship, and he uses the telescope to see where he's going and if not for the Leviathan raising it's head they would've never noticed the exact location.

"Okay, great, he managed to get the Leviathan off our asses but what are the odds that his stunt won't cause other Grimm to come after him?" Oboro questioned, nervously.

"Very high, though I sincerely doubt he didn't think that part through, though how does he intend to truly get away from the Leviathan and rush back here safely is something I wish he'd briefed with us before rushing in like that." Kaze cursed his 'partner' for his latest reckless stunt. "Lady Corrin will go berserk again once she finds out about this."

"Yeah, but look on the bright side, as long as it's not towards any of us, its all well and good." Hinata pointed out.

"Was that a Leviathan's head from afar?" Questioned Takumi as he, Sakura and Lilith arrive at the scene and they caught a glimpse of the Leviathan but are more surprise on what his retainers and rest doing here like they're looking out for something. "Didn't we agreed to remain in contact in case a storm came raining down on us? The Nohrian kind."

"Apologies, Lord Takumi but the whale problem we just got was one Robin seemed adamant on dealing with alone." Oboro explained, wearily.

"WHAT?!" Sakura and Lilith cried in horror.

"And why would that suicide bomber want to bother with Grimm when they usually leave Mokushujin ships alone?" Takumi asked, irritated.

"That one specifically has been tailing us for seven minutes now." Kaze explained.

"And seven minutes is as good as any indication that it's waiting for an excuse to sink us." Takumi hissed, coming to the same conclusion as Robin but still annoyed.

"W-We… we can't let him fight that monster alone, he could die!" Sakura begged dreadfully.

"Fighting that thing at its element is asking to be killed so he must be planning to lead it to the islands nearby." Lilith guessed.

"Forget the Leviathan, Corrin will do the killing when she finds out about this, especially with how she reacted after seeing how he turned out with that stronger Deadly Sin." Takumi hissed.

"Should we tell her?" Hayato asked.

"Yes, even if he does make it back safely, it won't be without getting a wound and I get the feeling that she'll find out about this one way or another." Takumi said. "She and mother are alike in that regard, making a big deal about everything, even when there's nothing."

---

"So, you're sure that they fed you right, not a single day went by without nourishment in your system?" Hinoka asked Corrin, wanting to verify that she was fed well during her time in Nohr.

"Yes, Hinoka, I know it might be hard to grasps but happiness in Nohr is easy to find, at least from how I saw things, my only real problem aside from the frustration of being trapped in a fortress always is that my servants were all overbearing, one of them being constantly paranoid and taking every minor issue I have as if it would bring about the end of the world. The real challenge was finding real solitude." Corrin explained to her big sister, pretty much everything she told Azura about her time in Nohr and more.

"Good, that checks out of my to do list on the number of paybacks I have in mind for Nohr." Hinoka noted relief to hear that things weren't as bad for Corrin as she feared for so long. "Listen, Corrin, now that you brought it up and considering all you first went through, I'm really sorry about what happened in the Canyon, I'm sure your servants were pretty great if you're mourning for them as much as you are."

"That means so much coming from you, Hinoka. You're Retainers are alright all things considering." Corrin said.

"Are you kidding! Those two numbskulls are nothing but trouble." Hinoka scoffed over her two retainers. "You can count on them when a fight is involved but with everything else, not a day goes by where I wish I had recommended Kaze to be my retainer instead of Azama at least. Don't get me wrong, those two are the type of friends you slowly warm up to until you're perfectly happy when you admit that you don't mind having them around but as Retainers, let alone members of the Royal Guard is serious work that those two take for granted too often, Azama thrives on insulting people for kicks and giggles while Setsuna had a boring silver-plate childhood that she no longer appreciates her noble life and kept wishing dying of boredom was possible, now she goes out of her way to throw herself into danger on purpose just to feel something. I lost count on how many traps I had to pull her out of. You think her tripping off a ship and into a shark is bad, you should've seen what she did when she fought a Grimm for the first time, you swear then and there that she was suicidal."

"Wow, this war must be a dream come true for her." Corrin said, immensely concern for the Sniper.

"She'd never admit it but yeah, she's been looking forward to this level of violence for a while, hence why she's always volunteered to guard our borders from Grimm attacks with me. But that's why she's my favorite of the two, I respect a person who thrives in combat for fun but still values the lives of her comrades enough not to go overboard when they're nearby." Hinoka said, now smiling in regards to Setsuna. "Azama as well, it's easy for me to say I hate him, especially if what Mozu said about him is true but I owe him a debt from all those times I almost got myself killed and he was the one to pick of the slack, I wouldn't trade them but I'll never feel shame in admitting how much I envy, Ryoma, Takumi and Sakura for having better retainers. Especially you now that you got Kaze."

"What, you crushing on my Retainer?" Corrin teased.

"Don't get smart with me, little miss, I'm the one who should be asking that. Relationships between a Royal and their own Retainers is not unheard of, my Grandmother was a simple Shrine Maiden of common birth until gramps set his sights on her to name one example out of many in our history." Hinoka fought back on the teasing since many have noticed how Corrin obviously feels about Robin.

"There's nothing going on between me and Rob." Corrin argued. "Especially now since I'm all riled up with his apparent thoughts at suicide."

"C'mon Corrin, you saw the state, Saizo, Kagero, Rinkah and Orochi were in when he pulled them out of there, no way we could get near this Sloth abomination without meeting the same fate, and you especially saw the state Robin was in when Lilith pulled him out of there. His will may be adamantine but if anyone can do that to someone like him, the rest of us wouldn't had stood a chance." Hinoka insisted.

"All the more reason for Robin not to put himself in such dangerous situations."

"You sound just like mother and Sakura, guess it runs in most of the family." Hinoka smiled.

"You think so." Corrin smiled back.

"Sakura? Lady Sakura?!" Hana can be heard heading towards them, looking a little anxious.

"Hana, you looking for Sakura?" Corrin called out to the loyal Retainer.

"Eek!" Hana is somehow startled by Corrin calling out to her, even though she should have noticed her before coming here. "Oh, it's you two. Do you need me for something?"

"Wait, did you say "eek" when you saw me? That's not a reaction I get very often… Never mind. Sakura isn't over here." Corrin explained.

"Oh. Well, thanks for letting me know. Goodbye, then." Hana said about to take her leave.

"Hang on, just like that?! Wait a minute, Hana!" Corrin demanded for her to stop.

"What is it? I really need to find Lady Sakura?" Hana said, growing agitated.

"I can already tell where this is heading." Hinoka sighed, with hints of amusement.

"I feel like there's some pretty intense animosity coming from you. Did I do something to slight you in some way?" Corrin asked, it wasn't that long ago that she said she wanted to be fast friends with Corrin.

"Well… not to sound disrespectful but you kind of did." Hana confessed.

"I can't think of what it could be, but I apologize for it just the same."

"Lady Sakura has spent years being sad over your kidnapping. I've watched her try and hide the tears countless times. And I don't like someone who makes my best friend cry!" Hana said angrily.

"That is completely not my fault!" Corrin argued. "I was the one true victim in that scenario."

"Well if that's how you feel than why should I bother wasting more of my time." Hana hissed.

"Sheesh… you do know that poor girl will cry for just about anything right, even when she's very happy she still finds an excuse." Corrin protested.

"Oh, so it's Lady Sakura's fault that she missed you!" Hana snapped.

"Well, she's not wrong, Hana." Hinoka spoke up next.

"Not you too, Lady Hinoka."

"I can already tell that you two will be getting along in your own pace, so let's do Sakura a favor and not start a fight against one another, like EVER." Hinoka insisted while in a really good mood. "And regarding Sakura, she's probably with Takumi, who else does she want to be with when not with you, Hana, heck she's probably with Mozu or Hayato. Their new in the group and she likes meeting new people and they're nice, in spite of the boy's ego and the closest to her age. And then there's Lilith, she's a Dragon and Sakura is fascinated with them more than the rest of the family so she'll definitely want to become friends with her."

"Lilith is very lovable." Corrin agreed.

"And look, here she comes right now with the four I just mentioned and more." Hinoka said, noticing her other siblings and the others, along with Setsuna, Azama, Rinkah, Saizo and Kagero walk to where the three women are.

"Sakura! There you are!" Hana cheered.

"You guys look worked up, what's going on?" Hinoka asked casually.

"Yeah, we've got a situation, I mean, we're not in any danger ourselves, much less the rest of the crew but someone is definitely in big trouble." Takumi explained.

"Who's in danger?" Corrin asked, worried.

"We'll tell you, but you have to promise to stay calm, Corrin." Azura said, very insistent on Corrin remaining calm when they tell her.

"Why would I need to… w-where's Robin?" She quickly demanded.

---

Robin flies out of the ocean and takes to the air with the Leviathan still in hot pursuit, pulling its head out and from its mouth it fires a fire breath attack, mix with electricity, firing right at the two with incredible speed but Robin manages to avoid it and in retaliation, Robin fires a powerful Thoron at the ocean that in turn electrocutes the Leviathan, making it roar in pain but it is a mighty creature and recovers shortly after before diving back down to the water for a few seconds before coming out, literally jumping off the sea and going upwards towards the Mage Fighter. The beast nearly stomps on him but he manage to avoid it and quickly get behind it, where Robin makes the next move by creating an enormous bullet of concentrated wind streams and fires it at the back, forcing it down back underwater and causing an enormous splash of water.

"If I somehow didn't get the attention of other Grimm before I sure did now." Robin said as he notices some newcomers arriving not far from him. The next Grimm to reveal themselves are six of one new type that are the dragonic Sea Feilongs, enormous serpentine bodies with short arms with claws, a bone-scaled underbelly, and a spiked spine. They each have black skin and large external skulls, as well as red glowing gills on each side of their necks. At once they each fire lightning breath attacks at Robin that he is blocks by creating a barrier around himself.

"Everyone is in to lightning today." Robin said as he continues to fly off to Notre Sagesse. While three of them chase after him by swimming the other three take to the sky with large red wings coming out of the fins on their backs and begin to fly.

---

Frenzy hits Corrin hard once she learns what Robin is doing from the others, wrapping her hands on her head and starts screaming out of pure rage, while walking away from the rest of her hoshidan comrades, frightening Sakura as well as the Pegasi, while Reina's Kinshi looks at the mad princess warily.

"She's not calm at all." Takumi sighed.

"We can see that, Takumi!" Hinoka hissed at him.

"THAT BASTARD!" Corrin yelled as she slams her fists on a large box that was left there by one of the sailors, reasons unimportant and with little effort, breaks the box to smithereens, afterwards she reaches for her Dragonstone. "Forget the Leviathan, I'll kill him myself!"

"But didn't you say you hate your dragon powers?" Mozu muttered.

"Not as much as I hate him right now!" Corrin snapped as she does not hesitate to enter her Dragon Form, with the aim to fly towards Robin. She has no idea on the actual direction he is taking but she doesn't have the capacity to think clearly now. Unfortunately, the Princess finds that her wings don't seem to be working as they barely keep her midair the more she flaps them. "What's going on? They're not working."

"You don't have the experience to fly on your own, Corrin." Lilith revealed.

"Why, she could fly amazingly well when she first transformed?" Kaze asked.

"Yeah, her inner dragonic consciousness could fly amazingly well but while her humanity is in control, her true form can't work at full capacity, due to not receiving any training on how to be a dragon." Lilith explained.

"Oh, I get it, it's like a baby pegasus who requires a lot of time and training to develop decent enough muscle memory to even glide for a short time." Hinoka concluded.

"Precisely."

"For Qliphoth's… Fucking…"

"Please, calm down Corrin, I can help you. Just… don't destroy the ship." Lilith pleaded as she assumes her own dragon form and floats on top of Corrin and begins channeling magic from her Dragonstone, causing the immature wings to glow with an aquamarine aura and before anyone knew it, Corrin starts flying.

"This is more like it!" Corrin howled satisfied.

"Hold on a moment, Corrin, I'll go with you." Hinoka insisted.

"No, Hinoka! Robin's my loose bird, I'll put him back in his cage myself!" Corrin declared viciously as she flies off with Lilith towards Notre Sagesse, at least the little Astral knows the way.

"Did anyone else just shit themselves by her sudden monstrous attitude?" Hinata asked, admittedly scared by how Corrin just reacted. "Because I think I just did."

"We smell nothing so you're clean but I honestly wouldn't fault you if you did." Takumi muttered.

---

Robin makes it to the shore of one of the three islands south of Horus, arguably the smallest one and there is no one nearby to get caught in the fight and rushes into the forest to hide, shortly after the Leviathans and the six Sea Feilongs arrive as well. Robin hides among the trees closest to the beach to freely examine the Grimm who begin their search for him, such as the Leviathan who comes out of the water.

"All or nothing now." Robin muttered, breathing heavily as he really is reaching his limit as he uses Ignis yet again and does something spectacular as he pours the flames out of him and gives it a shape that makes it look like a fiery copy of himself and sends it out to face the Grimm, who waste no time in attacking with Robin doing everything he can to have his spell avoid any in coming attack thrown at it, especially as the Leviathan steps in and fires its own breath attack, already spreading destruction to the forest and nearly hitting the real Robin.

'C'mon! C'mon!' Robin cursed as he manages to get his fiery self out of harm's way and sends it flying away east with hopes of luring them away from him now and pushing his limits, makes the copy fly incredibly fast. The Leviathan makes one of the most furious and frustrated roar Robin has ever heard that it makes him cover his ears, before the great giant returns to the sea to catch up to the copy along with the other Grimm, leaving Robin alone finally.

"Finally…" Robin sighed in relief while breathing heavily and allows himself to fall from the tree branch he was hiding in, now that the threat is long gone.

'That fire should fade away in a few seconds but by then those things will be far enough from the others. Though, there is a chance that they'll come back here to investigate so I better book it too if they do.' He mused. 'But I could really use some rest right about now.'

Sadly, the Tactician is not out of the woods yet as another large Grimm arrives on the island; a skull-like creature with three pairs of eyes, a pair of horns, and several tentacles, and uses one of them to grab Robin by the leg by surprise.

"A Kraken!" He uttered in a panic as the octopus-like Grimm pulls him in closer and he quickly sets himself free from the tentacles with his Levin Sword and slices it off easily, angering the raging beast as it launches all of its tentacles at once to catch Robin and this time he will not be able to defend himself with seven of them to counter now at once.

But fortunately for him, or unfortunate, depending how one looks at it, Corrin and Lilith arrive at the scene and stump down on the octopus grimm from above, destroying it instantly, and the shockwaves from the impact pushes Robin a few feet away.

"Crap… this could've gone better…" Robin muttered.

"Woo, that could've gone worse fast." Lilith smiled as she flies off the Dragon Princess. "I've never gifted someone with the Power of Flight before but I'm rather proud to have pulled it off so well."

"Yeah, that was rather enjoyable and all, nice job Lilith." Corrin praised rather emotionlessly while returning to her human form as her thoughts linger to someone else. "You on the other hand."

"Okay, before you get angry…" Robin began as he gets back on his feet, trying to come up with some way to get her not to lash out on him. Corrin ends up lashing out on him anyway by furiously sucker punching him again, this time hard enough to knock him to the sands.

"Whoa!" Lilith cried out, even though she saw this coming but what she did not expect was for Corrin to continue her tantrum as she gets on top of Robin and proceeds to hit him some more.

"You son of a bitch! If you want to die so badly, I'll kill you myself!" Corrin goes crazy angry and won't stop hitting Robin.

"Lady Corrin, please stop! He has serious Magic Overuse and needs to be treated pronto." Lilith pleaded with her to stop.

"Get back to the ship and leave us alone, Lilith!" Corrin ordered.

"But…"

"I SAID GET BACK TO THE SHIP!" Corrin stops her assault and points menacingly at the faithful stable girl, causing her to squeal in fright and reluctantly leave.

"Please try not to die Robin. Also there are Grimm heading this way."

Corrin turns right to see the Grimm Robin previously chased away come back, probably because of Corrin's dragonic presence and just growls at them for interfering.

---

"So… are we just going to leave them in the island until she stops beating him up, they decide to kiss and make out." Takumi asked Lilith as she explains to the rest of the whole group what happened.

"No, I'm sure she stopped hitting him and is just going to yell at him for a while." Lilith said. "There's really no need to worry, I've marked the island and the ship as well so we can just pull them in when I'm sure their done."

"Why can't we just put them in the Astral Plane and their conversation can be done within minutes for us." Hana asked.

"I panicked, Corrin is kind of scary when she's angry, I mean she's certainly become scarier as of late but it's obvious as to why she would be like this." Lilith muttered.

"Where did she get that temper from, I thought she had happiness in that fortress prison of hers?" Hinoka wondered.

"Oh, she and Lord Leo have always had this playful and sometimes competitive rivalry that really riled her off over the years, combined with how frustratingly overbearing Lady Camilla and her butler Jakob can be, as well as her resentment towards Garon for only acting like a father when she shows more progress as a knight, so yes, she's had a lot of suppressed pent-up aggression, just not the one any of you expected." Lilith explained.

"Oh, well that doesn't sound so bad, and no real excuse for her to be so hostile, either." Orochi said.

"I know but I'm sure things will work out and we should be safe for now."

"That's a big if, why was that Leviathan following us anyway?" Hinoka questioned.

"That was because of Corrin using her dragonic powers. Grimm are drawn to all forms of negativity and us Dragons are chaotic in nature, even the most peaceful and levelheaded of our kind represent a form of danger due to the power surging through us having both positive and negative qualities." Lilith explained in regards to the previous incident. "Even though it was only for a brief moment, her using it drew the attention of the Leviathan, we're just lucky that it didn't attack immediately and it was the only one of its type around at the time."

"My bad, guys, I should've been more careful, especially with the dangers lying on every corner." Setsuna apologized and taking responsibility for this.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Setsuna, I should've known that the aquatic life were going crazy with all the Grimm and brought along something to be ready for the worse." Hinoka stepped in next, also feeling responsible.

"Take on a shark underwater with just a Spear? Don't be delusional Hinoka, the fault is all Corrin's so let's not deny the truth." Takumi objected.

"Hey, I'll have you know that a scratch from a Beast Killer is all it takes to kill a shark."

"I bear some responsibility since I should've warned all of you of the risks of her becoming a dragon when in the presence of the Grimm." Lilith intercepted.

"Ladies, please, putting the blame on someone doesn't solve anything but encourage others to hold grudges that the rest of us don't have time for." Kaze intervened. "This was an isolated incident, just like everything else that's happened today, so let's leave it at that. Grimm attacks will happen no matter how hard we try to avoid it."

"He's right, like it or not this was bound to happen, the amount of times that we can actually rest in Horus is sorely limited, it will be a miracle if we go through the rest of the ride unscathed." Azura surmised.

"That much is undeniable." Takumi added.

"T-That's right, what matters is that everyone got out of it okay, no need for anyone to feel responsible." Sakura insisted, with mostly everyone agreeing.

---

Nighttime had fallen and Corrin and Robin still remain in the island, both lying down on the sand, Corrin had disposed of every Grimm that showed up with her dragon form on her own but it wasn't easy and Robin was in no condition to help, because of him recklessly overusing his magic and her beating him. Robin is now staring at the night sky with the stars more visible due to the lack of clouds tonight, though he can only see clearly with his left eyes since his right one is now black because of a punch Corrin delivered, and a few more bruises on his face, while the attacker in question lies next to him, staring right, refusing to look at him and they've been dead silent for hours because she warned him not to speak to her, much less leave her side until she did not specified. She especially didn't let him talk while she was abusing the poor man.

"Am I allowed to talk now?" He finally asked annoyingly to the berserk princess but she remains quiet, causing him to sigh for the fiftieth time. "You can't stay mad at me forever, you know, I know it wasn't a smart idea at all but it's not like any of us would've wanted to risk starting a fight in the ship with everyone in danger, so I chose to take the path that put everyone in less danger."

"Less danger Pegasus dung, Robin. The way I see it you were just trying to make an impression so that the others will trust you more." Corrin scoffed.

"You know that's not true, Corrin, I don't care enough about Hoshido to be friends with any of them. All of this has been for your sake alone." Robin countered.

"Not at the expense of your life, dammit!" Corrin scolded as she sits up straight. "I never asked you or anyone else to be my fall guy, nor do I want one! EVER!"

"There's almost always going to be a fall guy in war, Cor, and I'm the outsider that barely anyone knows so it's quite appropriate that I be the one carrying everyone's weight for as long as possible." Robin declared.

"Forget about the others!" Corrin protested and gets on top of Robin again but no punching this time. "Don't forget that I'm an outsider too and it's obvious that not all of them are ready to truly trust us yet. Kaze, Azura, Hinoka and Sakura aside, you, me and Lilith are all we really got now. I don't want either of you getting hurt."

To make sure she fully remembers her own hypocrisy, Robin points a finger on his black eye.

"Could've fooled me." He muttered sarcastically.

"You're missing the point!" She snapped.

"No, Corrin, I do see you're point of view, and I'm sorry I worry you, when worrying can be the equivalent to torture for those who hold those they care for deep in their hearts but you have to understand." Robin began solemnly. "This is how I do things. I can't possibly begin to understand myself but deep down I know this is who I've always been before I lost my memories."

"Really, does that mean that being berated and punched for such actions give you Deja Vue frequently?" Corrin questioned.

"Pretty much." He sighed.

"Then I'll keep doing both until you get it into your thick skull that I'm not letting you die for me!" Corrin continues with her endless berating. "Don't you dare ever forget that you once told me, on your first night in the Fortress while Xander, Camilla, Jakob and Gunter expressed concerns of you being a danger to me, you assured me, and me alone that you'd never hurt me. You promised!"

"DADDY, COME BACK! You said you'd never hurt me. You promised!"

Her words caused a sort of flash to surface into Robin's thoughts, a painful memory buried deep within not his mind but his heart.

"I know I did, and I told you, I'm made of adamantine, I'll find my way back to you if the worse does happen, so just smile and let's get back to the ship." Robin insisted with a genuine smile, and somehow, that smile is enough to calm Corrin down and smile back at him.

"Alright then, as long as you learned your lesson, we can get back to the others now."

"Wonderful, but how exactly do we get back, I know Lilith marked this place before she left but how do we call her?" Robin asked, causing Corrin to groan.

"We… never bothered to ask her that important detail…"

---

This chapter was purely conversational and give the characters time to relax and enjoy themselves, and support with each other and boost their morale and trust, and if you read all the support conversations, I'm sure you notice that Robin's conversations with Saizo and Azama were actually C-Supports that Corrin and Azura have with them respectively, and while I felt that they fit right well with Robin considering the level of distrust everyone has and deemed them appropriate. The shark joke seemed out of place and a lame subplot to start the fight but I needed an excuse to introduce more Grimm since I want to get them out in the early chapters.

Anyway, this is all for now and don't expect any more chapters next week or the next, it's not that I have finally hit writers block, is that I have some family drama to deal with, one of my uncles had an accident. He's not hurt physically but he is going through a very tough time and my mom wants the whole family to be there for him so we'll be staying with him for a while and I've always been a team player so I'll try to do what I can and I'm not sure when I can get back at this.