Thank you all so much for your patience. I'm finally posting this chapter! Hurricane Harvey has wrecked Houston, so please keep those victims in your thoughts. I was fortunate enough that we had no damage other than our dirt road getting more pot holes.

Thanks to SIGF for being my beta! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it and I've been looking forward to posting!

Rushing off hadn't been the wisest choice, Leo realized. For one, it left bad blood between a royal and a powerful man, even if the man didn't have as much power as Leo. Money talks, and the nobleman could have been a powerful ally. But Leo found he didn't want to ally himself with such a vile man.

The second reason rushing off was an utterly stupid mistake was that they both forgot their supplies. Sure, they had the bit that was left, but the supplies the nobleman offered had been left and Leo cursed himself inwardly for such a rash decision. How would he and Kazahana survive? This trek would be at least a week long, and they had barely enough rations for this trip. It would be a struggle, and they'd have to stretch as much as they could. Hopefully, nothing would befall them that would wear them out more so than they already were.

Kazahana knew this as well. She was caught up in such an emotional maelstrom that she didn't realize it until it was too late. They couldn't return like two dogs with their tails between their legs, begging for the scraps they were offered. No. They still had their pride. At least, Leo did. Kazahana was mostly afraid, but she forged on.

His confession had taken her off guard. It was exciting, sure, but it was dangerous ground to walk on, like a field full of mines. A wrong step could destroy her.

Maybe they could just end it before it went too far, but she felt that for now, that was neither here nor there. She needed to focus on surviving.

They mostly stayed silent during the trek away from the estate. Leo was too angry at himself to speak, and Kazahana was too worried. She never was one to show her worries unless they were pried from her. Takumi was the only one that ever understood that behavior.

No. She wouldn't think of him. Now was not the time.

They had to traverse around rocky, mountainous terrain that gave very little coverage in terms of forestry. If there were a fight, there would be no cover. They both hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

For the most part everything was peaceful. They had spent the day in quiet company, focusing on forging ahead. It was almost nice, if it weren't for the fact that the nobleman's words still stung Leo, and Kazahana felt almost ashamed for putting Leo through that. But of course, it wasn't her fault she was Hoshidan, and she would never be ashamed of her heritage, even if she had to try and hide it at times.

It was nearing dark when Leo finally spoke.

"We should make camp, unless you want to continue going. I don't think our mounts would appreciate that though."

She hummed in agreement. "You're r-right. They w-wouldn't."

They stopped near the base of a small mountain. There were no trees around to make a campfire, so they were stuck with eating bear jerky and sipping on water. The sky was clear though, and Leo hoped for agreeable weather the rest of the way. This night sky seemed promising.

"You know," Leo finally said after swallowing the last bit of his food, "I know only so much of Hoshidan culture."

Kazahana wasn't sure what he was getting at. "Yes? And?"

"Well, I'd be interested in asking if you knew any folk tales. You've told me a little bit, but I'd like to know more. I know talking about it must hurt you, but if you could humor me…"

"I'm proud to be Hoshidan. Talking about it isn't so bad." She fiddled with her hair nervously. "I knew a few. Some forewarning bad things, others just silly little fables. I can try and remember one."

He smiled at her in the starlight. "That would be wonderful." He found that finally coming to terms with her, that her lying was merely a survival technique, didn't bother him anymore. He was being unthoughtful and rude, and that was unseemly of a prince. Leo felt he could be better than that, or at least try. Perhaps it was time to shed the coat of the cold reputation and bask in the warmth of kindness, should he deserve it. He felt he didn't, and his old insecurities came back. He didn't show it though. He was more interested in her.

She was quiet for a few minutes as she gathered her thoughts.

She told the story of a stonecutter, who at first was happy to be himself, but soon after carrying a gravestone to an older gentleman, wished he had been a rich man and could sleep his troubles away. A mountain spirit had overheard this and granted the wish. As the story progressed, the stonecutter had wished to be a prince, but then as the days went on he had also been turned into a cloud and even a rock, all due to wishful thinking and the spirit's powers. He eventually became a man again and was thankful to finally be at peace with himself.

The moral of the story was to be content with who you were no matter your struggles, something that Leo realized he needed to learn.

"Thank you for telling me that," Leo expressed. "It's interesting to learn of others' legends and stories."

"I'm glad you enjoyed," and she bowed politely. "It's been a while since I could share my culture. As I've said before, I felt that the Nohrians didn't really care…"

"Nohrians… We're a blunt sort. I apologize on my people's behalf."

"I s-suppose it's just the way things are…" She admitted wistfully. "I didn't think living here would be so hard."

He mused on this. "Why didn't you eventually return to Hoshido? I know you said you didn't want any part of a Nohrian Hoshido, but surely you'd have felt more comfortable there, or at least in Izumo where your talents would be more appreciated."

She shrugged. "I g-guess I g-got too comfortable. It was too late to return…"

"It's never too late to pursue your own happiness," he stated bluntly. "Wouldn't you have been happier?"

"Do you want me to leave?" she returned. He was taken aback.

"N-no… I mean… Agh, you make this difficult." He blushed and looked away. He hated how small he suddenly felt.

Maybe that's what he did to her the entire time. He found his hypocrisy staring him straight in the face.

"I'm really sorry for what I did to you, Kazahana," he finally apologized. It was time to let the bad out. "It was most base of me, and I had no right questioning your decisions. I should have accepted you from the start."

She averted her eyes. "I can't really blame you… I know your reputation. You're cold and calculating. You have a br-brilliant mind, so I've heard. You'd be the first to suspect something was off."

"You are correct. I am all of those things, if I do say so myself." He felt almost narcissistic, but if she could admit to them, then so could he.

"I shouldn't have lied, but I just wanted to put it all behind me. Start anew. I wanted to live a pure, free life, away from all the pain." He heard her take a shuddering breath.

She was about to cry. He couldn't have that.

"Please don't," he begged gently. "I know you're hurt, but I couldn't stand to see you cry."

She sniffled, but held back her tears. "It just hurts…" She thought of all the family and friends she lost to the war. But, again, he could never know that. No one could. It was all death, buried underneath the ground in her heart, and she didn't have said heart to unearth it. Memories of her loved ones had to be forgotten, lest they tear her apart with their sweetness.

"Gods, I really did a number on you…" He admitted. "Kazahana, I was, forgive the term, a jackass to you." He got up to lift her chin. Tears streamed down. He wiped them away.

"I swear to you, I will protect your honor. I will not tell my siblings what you have told me. I swear to you I will be better, that I will no longer question you, and that I will no longer pain you." She nodded in response.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He felt the need to kiss her, but held himself back. He just didn't have the heart to do so, and besides, it was inappropriate. She was sad, he was sad, and the whole situation was absolute madness. They were two young people who developed odd romantic feelings for each other on the grounds of shallow means, and yet they held each other from a distance, neither one willing to embrace the other in hopes of chasing those feelings away.

Leo never felt this way before and he found it frustrating, yet wonderful. He realized his feelings for her began in shallow waters, yet he had waded in deeper, admiring her kindness and resolve. Despite everything he had done to her, she had stayed. Either out of duty or fear, he didn't know, but he appreciated it. He didn't deserve a girl so kind, and in this moment, he realized that he needed to let her go. He was too cruel for her, too awful. They were opposites. He had no issue with dealing out cruelty, as he had done to her, and she was too easily hurt, still scarred from past events.

Likewise, she realized, she was too weak to like such a stately young man, someone whom she could never reach in her current state. She had resigned herself to claiming to be a commoner, and no matter what, she could never allow herself to be more infatuated with him. He confused her, had hurt her even, and though Kazahana could never admit it, she deserved better. But she had always seen herself as worthless and meek, as someone who was a burden and had kept to herself, even to her family, so to feel deserving of anyone's love was foreign to her. She had always thought she would follow the ways of a priestess and never allow herself too close to a man.

Yet she found herself longing for an embrace, something that had stirred in her a primal thing. She didn't think she had it in her, and yet here was this young man, who was just as riddled with confusion as she was, dealing with foreign feelings. In that moment, even though she too saw each other as opposites, she felt they could relate that both had no idea how to deal with these feelings.

"Kazahana," he said, interrupting her thoughts, "I don't think…we should pursue each other."

He was right, gods was he right, but she felt her heart fall anyway. He was speaking her very thoughts.

"I've only hurt you. It's taken until this part of our trip to even realize that, but I truly did hurt you. I never thought of your wellbeing, I never thought of your feelings, and I never thought of what happened to you to cause you to lie to me, to cover yourself up from the truth. I was being most undignified and had lost all sense of kindness. I treated you poorly. As a prince, this is unforgivable."

She pulled her face away from his grasp. "I…agree."

He felt his heart drop too, but he knew it was for the best. "I'm glad you see it my way."

She shook her head. "I've been having these thoughts for a while now. I don't honestly know why I like you. You've treated me so rudely, like a d-dog, and I heeded your every command. I'm so stupid!" She burst into tears.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "You are absolutely not. You are a courageous young lady, and I failed to see that."

She pulled away. "Let's just forget this conversation happened. Let's go to sleep. We have much to do tomorrow."

He sighed and agreed. He said he'd keep watch and he allowed her to set up her bedding. He heard her sob quietly, but said nothing of it, merely staring into the distance as he realized he robbed himself of a glorious thing. Had he treated her differently, he would have allowed himself to like her more, to be more chivalrous. But, as he expected of himself, he screwed it up. He was always the screw-up. His siblings never noticed his accomplishments and it took lashing out for them to notice anything. He was prone to being undignified and always had to apologize later when he realized he was in the wrong. He, in a fit of raging emotions, never held back his tongue and always paid the price. His siblings always reassured him that they loved him, or at least they tried to. He felt that no sweet words from anybody would heal the pain of being the middle sibling, the invisible sibling. He was alone and he knew he had only done that to himself.

But he chose not to wallow in self-pity. He had dug his own grave and he would rot in it, a mourning Kazahana above him.

They had more run-ins with bandits. Small groups, but it proved annoying nonetheless. Leo and Kazahana dealt with them appropriately, and though she said nothing, he knew the killing was getting to her.

One night, after a most grueling battle, he decided to address it.

"I don't mean to be crass, but I can tell the fighting has bothered you for some time now."

She fidgeted under his calculating gaze. "I just thought the violence would be over after the war."

"Nohr has always been cruel, Kazahana. I'm sorry that you haven't seen that side of it."

She held her breath, then let it out with a loud whoosh. "I just wasn't made for this."

He patted her shoulder awkwardly, when in reality he wanted to embrace her. Damn these feelings. "You've done well, honestly."

"You think so?"

"Yes. You may be one of a more gentle spirit, but it takes great strength to put personal feelings aside and make a hard choice, in this case taking the lives of evil men."

She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "Yes, I suppose…"

He felt slighted when she pulled away from him, but he couldn't really blame her. They were trying to throw away the feelings they had, though Leo felt he was failing in doing so. They were just so damn confusing.

"We'll be there soon though. It's been, what, five days now?" She nodded. "We're almost there. Then, the worst will be over and we can relax. Things get better the closer we are to the castle. Crime has lessened over the past two years."

"I hope you're right." She felt nervous. "I'm just tired, Prince Leo."

He understood. "Then sleep. I'll watch over you."

She felt reassured at that. He was more than capable of protecting her.

"Okay," was all she said and she readied her bed and went to sleep.

That was how their nights went. He stayed up a lot and he knew eventually he would pass out. He hadn't had proper rest in days now. It was only a matter of time where she would have to stay by his side as he dealt with the exhaustion, and they couldn't afford to be in such a vulnerable position, not with these bandit attacks at the very least.

Plus, they were close to losing all their rations. There was very little left, and Leo knew she was rejecting to eat to try and preserve them for him. She was too selfless. He found it nice to be cared for, but he couldn't let her do that. She needed her strength too.

He didn't realize it, but he fell asleep.

When he awoke, Kazahana was staring at him, pushing his hair back, feeling his forehead.

"You have a fever," she diagnosed. "Prince Leo, you're sick."

"I can't be! We're so close…" He went to get up so he could pack up their things, but he fell. She caught him, but his weight proved too much for her in her weakened state (Leo was right, she was starving herself) and he collapsed on top of her.

He felt he couldn't move and she couldn't either, and not because of his weight. One was exhausted from lack of sleep, the other from a self-induced fasting. Kazahana was dizzy and Leo felt himself go in and out of consciousness. Neither one even acknowledged the fact that they were in such a compromising position. They were sick.

Leo passed out and Kazahana lay there, hungry and weak and knowing she had to get her healing supplies to take care of Leo. They wouldn't last much longer if he fell deeper into his illness. But she couldn't push him off and she felt herself yell in frustration. She never did that, and it felt good to somehow let it all out.

Then, she heard a cackle.

"My, Lord Leo really has proven bold," said a sinister voice from the trees. Kazahana froze in fear.

"Indeed he has! Our Lord Leo has finally pushed aside his cold heart and embraced the joys of love!"

Kazahana managed to turn her head to see a man with white hair and an eyepatch shift in the trees, cloak and bow with quiver adorning his back. Another man, blond and in armor, was on a horse, tome at his side.

Kazahana had no idea who these men were, and felt frightened, but somehow they knew who Leo was, and seemed to hold him in high regard. She prayed they were friendly.

The white-haired man jumped from his position in the tree and helped Leo off Kazahana. The other man dismounted and helped her up.

"Lovely maiden, may I have thy name?" He bowed to her deeply and she felt he was odd.

"My-my name is Kazahana… Prince Leo has appointed me to be court mu-musician." She felt herself shake.

"Nothing to fear, milady! For you see, we our Lord Leo's retainers! I am called Odin and my companion is Niles. We heard of the disaster that had befallen Lord Leo in Nestra and King Xander had directed us to go find him at once, by horseback as you can see." Another horse emerged from behind the tree, probably belonging to the man called Niles, Kazahana guessed.

She shook her head. "Prince Leo has a fever. I must attend to him at once."

Niles agreed. "Do what you need to. We'll watch over you both." He slipped back into the trees. Odin stayed by her side and prodded her with questions.

"Court musician! How exciting! The castle hasn't had a proper entertainer in two years since the war! How perceptive of Lord Leo to notice this slight to our lovely Castle Krakenburg."

Kazahana found that despite the odd behavior, she liked Odin. He was earnest and kind.

"Th-thank you. It is quite an honor." She waved a staff over Leo's head and saw the redness in his face lessen.

"You are certainly most skilled in healing, Miss Court Musician. How does one like you learn of such talents?" Odin seemed genuinely interested.

All she could say, though, was, "I learned during the war."

He accepted that. "Then I am glad Lord Leo has you, Lady Kazahana."

She blushed yet said nothing, just focusing on her task.

Odin continued watching her, intrigued, when Niles returned. He told Kazahana they were less than half a day's march from the trading town. She sighed in relief.

"Finally, we can have a proper meal and rest." She caught herself. "Oh, drat, that was so selfish of me!" She stopped what she was doing and bowed, begging for forgiveness.

"I am merely a retainer, milady. No need to bow. And besides, you probably deserve the rest, after what you've been through." Niles was perceptive and could see the dirt and sweat on Kazahana's and Leo's faces and clothes. He noticed a few nicks here and there too and knew just by looking that they saw many a scuffle.

"Yes indeed!" agreed Odin. "The lady needs proper rest as does our lord. Soon, it will be upon you."

"I am relieved," she affirmed. "Thank you for coming."

"Frankly, Lord Leo should have taken us with him. But alas, our prince can be quite brash when he wants to prove himself," Niles chuckled. "Even better, he has a lady to watch after him. Surely such a predicament would have needed two capable retainers."

"You're…not wrong. It's been quite hard." It was harder in more ways than she could have imagined. Being interrogated, having a crush, fighting for her life… She just wanted to sleep and forget it all.

Niles took her state in, a young maiden in threadbare clothes, long hair in her face, unkempt and tangled. This was a girl who had learned very quickly to have some survival skills. He saw she had persevered and saw the quiet strength in her.

Such a girl was a good companion for Lord Leo, he surmised. He was sure Odin saw the same.

So they spent the evening having quiet conversation, the two retainers asking about Kazahana's adventure with Leo and she asking about how life was serving Leo. She thought they were nice men, despite Niles sometimes having a go at inappropriate comments and Odin almost obnoxiously over the top. Still, she felt safe.

Leo's fever had lessened, but he was still asleep. She knew he needed it. Then, her stomach growled loudly.

Niles smirked. "I have some meat for the lady if she would partake in it," he drawled.

She blushed at the innuendo. "Um, please tell me it isn't bear," she whispered desperately. Anything but the gamey taste of the predator.

"It's some of the finest beef jerky Nohr has," Niles assured her. Jerky. She couldn't escape it but at least it wasn't bear. Niles handed her some from his pack and she tore into it voraciously, forgetting all manners. She was starving after her fast.

Niles laughed at her fervor and Odin patted her back when she started choking, offering her water. She gladly accepted it and the three sat in companionable silence as they awaited Leo's awakening.

Fevers always led to strange dreams and Leo found himself reliving times from his childhood.

Leo's childhood was not a pleasant one. His mother used him to usurp power from the other concubines and had tried to get him to kill his other half-siblings. It was impossible for him as a child to comprehend such killing, but he knew this was where the cruel streak had begun. He had hurt his half-siblings, but only two spared him, and the third born just after the conflict ended.

Xander and Camilla saw a strength in Leo that they admired. They saw a guile and precociousness that Camilla found cute and Xander promising. They took him in and protected him after his mother was murdered. Then, Elise was born, the last of the remaining siblings that hadn't fallen at the hands of their own parents and siblings.

The four were inseparable growing up and Leo at one time remembered being loved by his older siblings He had even taught a tiny Elise basic magic, something he found he had a gift for, even though he coveted his brother's skill with a sword. The four trained together, laughed together, ate together, played together, and simply enjoyed each other's company.

Then, Corrin entered the picture. Camilla was instantly smitten as was Elise, and Xander's big brother instinct took over and he became protective of the tiny girl with no memory. It was like Leo was suddenly forgotten and he didn't like it one bit. This was when he decided he wouldn't chase his brother's shadow anymore and pursue magic, which then led to Garon giving Leo Brynhildr knowing the boy would use it well in years to come.

Leo wanted their attention, but knew he would never get it. Or at least, so he told himself. This was where the insecurity began, and he had sunk into a deep childhood depression that never really left him. He practiced magic tirelessly, studied dutifully, and became what Garon once called a prodigy. He had his father's attention, but what of his siblings? They were always so busy with Corrin…

He resented her at first. He really did. But her energy and desire to play with her siblings and love them won him over, and he found she wasn't so bad. It was here that suddenly the attention came back to him. He never realized it was a self-isolation that he committed unto himself, as he was a child, but the sudden attention made him uncomfortable, a feeling he had grown accustomed to not having, and had pulled into himself again. At least he knew they loved him, but he preferred to be in the shadows.

He had read a lot as a child and was the one that had taught Corrin to read. Xander taught Corrin swordplay, Camilla taught her manners, and Elise played with her. Leo teaching her to read was something he was glad to have, and Corrin proved to be an excellent student. He wanted to teach her magic too, and though she didn't take to it as fast as the sword, she did her best and could use basic spells after a few years of tutelage.

The present-day Leo was swimming through these memories, and he found nostalgia to be an unpleasant thing. He didn't want to remember this. He wanted to move forward, yet the fever pulled him deeper into memory lane.

The war then entered his mind, and he remembered how Corrin was taken from him before the start of the war, how they found her on the battlefield, the first battle of the war that Garon had always wanted. He was relieved his sister was back and felt she was lucky to have returned from the nasty Hoshidans, four siblings he would never get to know. It wasn't until later that she had told them how the queen of Hoshido, Mikoto, was brutally killed, and how it hurt Corrin that her birth mother died in her arms.

Leo couldn't relate. He hated his mother.

Perhaps it was cruel of him, but he couldn't empathize in that moment, so he said nothing at the time. He knew some things were better left unsaid.

Then the war had come into full swing, and he remembered how he killed Zola and how he saved the singers in Nestra.

The travels they had… All the way to Hoshido itself. The battles were intense, and he felt some guilt for hurting the people there. As he thought, nostalgia was a nasty thing. He didn't want to relive these memories.

But then he remembered the battle where the youngest princess had escaped. He only caught a glimpse of her on that pegasus with her retainer. Pink hair. That was all he could see.

The future Queen Hinoka, who had accepted the throne unwillingly, not knowing how to exactly rule a country. Leo felt pity in this moment.

The late Princes Ryoma and Takumi… Their lives ended by suicide, and one being led to possession. It was a hard potion to swallow.

Leo tossed and turned at these memories, disturbed. The rectification after the war, trying to heal both nations, being appointed advisor to Xander, a position he was grateful for yet he felt he was unprepared at some point, but he grew into it well. This wasn't what he expected. Xander wasn't supposed to take the throne quite yet. And yet, the patricide that was committed led to Xander's rule.

Patricide. Such a nasty word. Most would shudder at the idea of killing their own father, but Leo had seen it done by Corrin's own hand. Worse yet, she killed her own brother.

Nothing good came from war.

His mind swam between all the Hoshidans he hurt, the royals and soldiers alike. Their faces… The pain on those faces…

Leo realized in his feverish state that he was paying for the pain he inflicted on Kazahana. The worst part? He knew he deserved it. So he let this painful reminiscence wash over him and all he could do was toss and turn and groan in his sleep.

Then, her face came into his mind. Kazahana's. Her sweet maroon eyes, those flushed cheeks, that pink hair…

Pink hair. Princess Sakura. Disappearance. Kazahana. Supposed Hoshidan spy. Musician. Skilled healer. Wasn't Princess Sakura a healer? He thought Corrin mentioned that at some point. Corrin mentioned too that Sakura learned how to wield a bow, from an observation during the battle.

And it was here, sick with exhaustion, that Leo placed all the puzzle pieces together and realized an incredibly important detail.

Kazahana was the lost Princess Sakura.