Chapter 14: Sakura Nohr Elise…

Back in Nohr, Garon and Iago journeyed to a chamber and entered. Wearing tattered undergarments and chained to a wall, Camilla lifted her bloodied head to the two. "I told you repeatedly that I don't know where Elise is!" she weakly stammered.

"Nonsense," Garon denied. "For awhile, Iago and I watched you snoop around the city when I told you the news."

"Liar! I know you couldn't kill Ash!"

"Then explain why he's not here." The scowl made Camilla flinch. Just then, Xander entered with his eyes blank. Camilla gawked to seeing her brother.

"Xander?" Despite his name called, Xander had no reaction.

"I should explain what I did to poor Xander," Iago sneered. "Soon enough, you'll be under the same thing." Xander approached to Camilla's feared face. She let out a scream that could be heard from within the city limits. Meanwhile in Hoshido, Elise started to wake up after passing out on arrival. Sakura helped her in getting to a bed and she was there with a damp cloth onto her forehead.

"Ash?" she whimpered. Sakura heard the Nohrian princess and reached her.

"You need to relax…" she warned. "You were sick and had a wound that got infected. I applied medicine to treat the wound." Sitting up, Elise looked around before looking to Sakura. "I said to take it easy!"

"I can't help it, especially if Ash is still alive." Sakura smiled to the belief as Elise found Sakura's koto. "What's that?" Sakura turned to where Elise faced to find her koto.

"It's my koto. It's not an easy instrument to play."

"With that many strings, I can bet." That's when Sakura spotted her engagement ring.

"Oh, you're getting married?" Hearing Sakura's belief, Elise revealed a smug.

"Ash is the perfect husband for me." The news made Sakura gasp. She couldn't believe the detail.

"WHAT!?" Recalling her time with Ash, there was an item she noticed. "But I didn't see a ring on him! Even more… I'm engaged to him!" That shocked Elise as she started to have many thoughts.

"D-Did you seduce him!? I bet you did something to make him grovel at your feet!"

"Don't get started on that when you couldn't give him anything! You probably came here to raid us and get Ash back!" Elise's face looked like she couldn't comprehend the thought of Sakura's accusation. "But if what you're saying is true, why didn't he say anything?" This made Elise wonder about Ash's location.

"He needs to clear this up. Do you know where he is?" It made Sakura recall Ryoma's mission.

"Big brother sent Ash to find our other Big Brother and Azura." Elise had a guess to the "other Big Brother."

"You mean… Corrin? He's alive?" A nod from Sakura gave Elise hope. In the canyon, Ash and Pikachu found Corrin and Azura and waived to them.

"Corrin!" he called out. "Azura!" Corrin and Azura heard Ash's call as he and Pikachu appeared through the fog.

"Ash, you're back!" she praised. Reunited, Pikachu leaped from Ash to Azura. "You too, Pikachu."

("Hey, Azura,) Pikachu greeted. Corrin exchanged a fist bump.

"How is Hoshido?" the manakete asked.

"It's great," Ash smiled. "Far different from Nohr." Corrin shrugged to the answer while laughing.

"It's like day and night between the two cities," Azura compared.

"So I've noticed…" shrugged Ash. He now focused to his situation. "Anyway, I'm now unsure of what to do." This made Corrin and Azura blink.

"What do you mean?" asked Corrin. Ash sat down while Azura petted Pikachu.

"I'm now engaged to Sakura… and now, I'm not sure what to do." Corrin and Azura awed and looked to each other.

"I was not expecting that but…" admitted Corrin. "I guess when I took the ring away, it made you a free man." Azura nodded with her own thoughts.

"I may imagine if you'd taken one of those girls from either family, then bring them to-"

"Azura…" The naming made Azura stop. "My method of peace isn't that. Besides, we're from different families brought to other families on murder and deception." Corrin now focused to Ash's dilemma. "So now… you're not sure if you want to stick with either Elise or Sakura, right?" Ash shook his head.

"It's a little more than that," Ash added. "I'm not even at that age to think about marriage, and now I've got two girls who want my hand and I don't feel ready to fulfill one happy life, let alone two!" To Corrin and Azura, Ash felt force to choose between the young princesses: Elise and Sakura, let alone so young in his life.

"You're not ready for commitment…" she believed. Ash sighed in fluster.

"Pretty much…" Nodding, Corrin believed Ash with his problem.

"I see," he understood. "I can't imagine the struggle you're having… but then again…" That's when there was laughter. Corrin and Azura, Ash and Pikachu looked around for the laugh.

"So, this is where the manakete of both families resides," he mocked. All turned to find Iago entering. "And the beau to little Elise is here as a Hoshidan? Oh my… Elise will be so heartbroken…"

"Iago!" snapped Corrin. "What are you here for!?" Iago sneered and licked his sword.

"Oh, you know… To make sure you don't come out alive!" He drew his sword, forcing Ash and Corrin to draw their weapons.

"Azura, stay in the back." Azura nodded, letting her protect Pikachu.

"Your quest for peace will fall to pieces!" Iago charged and slashed at Ash, with his glass sword, and Corrin, with Yato. Iago charged and slashed at Ash, but he blocked it with his sword, which began to crack. Corrin stepped in and began his attack, but Iago parried one swing and slashed back, only for Corrin to go on the defensive. "Once you and the prince-squeak's done, nothing can stand against Nohr!" Corrin looked to Iago's sword and nearly skipped a beat. The sword had several hooked blades on one side. They broke away and Corrin's face read dread.

"A Wyrmslayer!? Now I see… Father wants me elimiated so that the war will be eternal."

"It's a good thing you won't tell either side of the war the truth once I plunge the Wyrmslayer into your heart!" That's when Ash had an idea and pulled the javelin from his back. He charged as Iago swung down. With a thrust, Ash smashed his javelin to the Wyrmslayer, knocking its trajectory to the side. As Iago looked, he found Ash's fist meeting his face for an uppercut. This staggered Iago as Ash twirled his javelin.

"Now, it's on, Iago…"

("Do it, Ash!") cheered Pikachu. Using his fast feet and the dense fog around, Iago lost Ash before getting slapped a few times with the javelin. When Iago spotted Ash, he sneered.

"Fancy footwork won't save you from my might!" he grinned.

"That's what you think, Nohrian!" sounded Hinoka as she charged in on her Pegasus. It hoofed Iago off his feet and toward the edge where a wyvern clasped its talons onto him. Iago shook as he saw the Wyrmslayer fall into the canyon.

"What the-!" he gasped as he looked up. Pain on her face, Camilla rode on her wyvern with Iago in trouble. "You bitch! Backstabber!" Even Hinoka seemed a little surprised to see a Nohrian helping her.

"Takes one to know one!" she stammered back. "Hoshidan, let this killer have it!"

"You don't need to tell me twice!" replied Hinoka. She flew in on her Pegasus and pierced her spear into Iago's chest. He let out a scream as blood sprayed from the wound. After a few seconds, Camilla's wyvern dropped Iago's bleeding body into the canyon's depths. The wyvern landed to where the rider fell, only for Corrin and Azura to catch her.

"Easy…" warned Corrin as he laid her down. Hinoka landed too before she approached with her spear with Iago's blood staining it. They discovered she bled from her stomach and had bruises over what wasn't covered in her armor.

"Ash, thank gods you're okay," she winced.

"Let me heal her wounds," Azura offered. That's when Hinoka got suspicious and pointed her spear at Ash.

"You dastard!" she snapped. "You betrayed us!" Ash felt taken aback before Corrin came in.

"Stand down, Hinoka!" he spoke up. "He betrayed no one!"

"But-"

"Hinoka!" Hearing his shout, Hinoka stood frozen and lowered her spear. "I got the full detail… That Nohrian you and Camilla slew? He attacked Ash while in Nohr after Iago attacked to protect Elise, no doubt on 'Father's' request." That made Hinoka think as Camilla sat up.

"I suspected this as well," she groaned. This took Hinoka by surprise. "I'm… just glad my little Ashy…" Her wyvern came to her side for comfort as she ached in pain. Hinoka turned to Ash, feeling unaware.

"So that story about you being attacked at Nohr…" she recalled. "You were telling the truth." Ash nodded to Hinoka's realization.

"I'm not a person who lies to get out of situations," he confirmed. Camilla smiled before noticing the engagement ring missing on Ash's hand.

"Hold on!" she spoke up, aggravating her wounds.

"You need to be still," Azura warned. Camilla's finger pointed to Ash's hand.

"Where's the engagement ring from Elise?" That made Corrin, Ash and Hinoka jump and the Pegasus Rider raise her spear again.

"You didn't tell me that you're already engaged!" she snapped. Ash palmed his face.

"Because I told him not to say it!" told Corrin. That made Hinoka and Camilla pause as Corrin pulled the mentioned ring out.

"I see…" Camilla studied as she was helped up by Azura. "After being chased out of Nohr, if Ash wore it to your family…" Hinoka realized the ordeal and smiled.

"Corrin, I wanna hate you and love you at once for that," she sighed. That's when she remembered something as she came to find Ash and Pikachu. "AH! I almost forgot! I saw Nohrian forces going to our home and nearing there when I heard yelling and saw you fighting that Iago guy!" Now everyone was shocked to the news… except for Camilla.

"The torture they put me through a couple of days ago was that our little sister didn't believe Ash was killed and did her own snooping, as did I," she explained through the pain. "They left me to die when my wyvern broke me out." This made Corrin think as Ash and Pikachu hug Camilla to apologize for the torture.

"This war wasn't about Nohr and Hoshido," he began to conclude. "It was about Garon's warmongering and my wish for peace!" The riders heard Corrin but weren't sure about his guess.

"If that's true, his kidnapping of you was to use you for mass destruction as a manakete!" believed Azura.

"And he's probably leading to Hoshido to lure you out," Ash guessed. Now the mission was clear and Hinoka had a plan.

"Let's call his bluff and take Daddy down for good… for Mikoto!" she roared. Corrin quickly organized a plan after nodding.

"Ash, ride with Camilla," he ordered. "Azura, you ride with Hinoka. I know men and Pegasi don't get along."

"Corrin, what about you?" asked Azura.

"I can get there fast with the Dragonstone." Holding the stone, Ash trusted Corrin's plan. Meanwhile back at Hoshido, soldiers came running for help as Garon led the Nohrians to enemy territory. The Hoshidans began to take up arms as Ryoma came out to engage the enemy.

"You dare enter this place for a fight!?" he scowled. "You must want death… and I'll gladly offer!" Xander came forward as more solders from each family came to war. Elise and Sakura also emerged from Sakura's room.

"I guess they know where I am!" gulped Elise. Takumi spotted Elise and aimed his Fujin Yumi in her location.

"Sakura, behind you!" he warned. Sakura heard Takumi, but stepped in his path. "Sakura!?"

"She came to ask for our help!" replied Sakura. This made Takumi blink, unsure what he heard. He didn't see Leo about to attack. Sakura did. "Behind you!" Takumi turned and fired a bolt at Leo who blasted it with wind magic. Takumi growled to the sight and Elise gulped in fear. Looking at Leo, there was no light in his eyes.

"They're under Father's control!" she alerted.

"And you're not!?" questioned Takumi.

"I ran because I didn't believe Ash was dead! I had nothing to do with this!" Garon heard Elise's claim and located her as Ryoma and Xander clashed Siegfried and Rajinto. Ryoma also saw the emotionless Xander's eyes.

"Wake up, Xander!" he shouted. Garon reached the girls and Takumi.

"I found you, little Elise," he scowled. "You're such a naughty girl, running from Nohr when I told you finding your betrothed was pointless…" Seeing Sakura, Garon's face grinned to thoughts while observing her figure. "Although, I can take you back with the Hoshidan for something special…" Sakura cringed, sensing his malicious mentality.

"I'd rather die than be stripped of my dignity!" she stammered back.

"That won't matter. Another healer will be beneficial to my conquest…"

"That's what you think!" snapped Ash. Garon looked back as Dragon Corrin, Azura, Camilla, Hinoka, Ash and Pikachu arrived with Ash and Pikachu leaping from the wyvern and by Corrin's side. Elise and Sakura were excited to see Ash alive.

"Ash!" they cheered in unison. Ash looked on to Garon as Hoshidans battled mind-controlled Nohrians. What could Ash do as he faces the father who wanted him dead?

TO BE CONTINUED…

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!