A/N:

This is a longer one – almost seven pages.

The wind was tousling Hinoka's short hair as she stood on a large boulder, gazing eastwards.

She could only see mountain range after mountain range after mountain range, however, Hinoka thought she was able to glimpse the plains of Hoshido in the distance before the scenery blurred into the sky.

Hinoka felt a pang of longing – she wanted to go home so bad, back to her siblings – if they were still alive after all this time. Just because Kamui had promised to keep Sakura and Ryoma safe didn't mean she would be able to. Hinoka wouldn't believe they were well until she had seen them with her own eyes.

However, going back was not an option – it was simply too risky. Hinoka had no idea just how Kamui was planning on keeping Sakura and Ryoma safe – if Sakura was still alive. The Nohrians might have lied about it for all she knew.

And Hinoka still had no idea what had happened to Takumi. But, since the Nohrians hadn't mentioned him, Hinoka feared the worst.

She turned her back on her homeland and carefully climbed down the boulder, then made her way back to camp. They had stopped on a small plateau to rest and eat a bite before moving on.

A strange noise suddenly caught Hinoka's attention – the sound of beating wings. Big ones. She spun around to the left and saw a huge shape approaching from the south, the sun at its back.

For a moment, she stood there, paralysed, as the winged creature descended towards her, before realising the wings weren't leathery and bat-like, but feathered. And the rider didn't seem to be wearing a Nohrian uniform.

As the pegasus dropped lower, she finally recognised the man, and her heart lurched.

"Subaki-san!"

"Hinoka-sama."

He dismounted quickly and bowed to her. Hinoka ran over to him, needing to ascertain herself of the fact that he was truly here.

"Why are you here? Is Sakura safe? What happened?"

"Sakura-hime was alive and well when I last saw her. I'm here to escort you home."

"Home? Subaki-san, what in the world is going on?!"

Subaki closed his eyes for a moment.

"We lost. Ryoma-sama and Takumi-sama are dead. King Garon is dead, also. Sakura-hime, Yukimura-sama, Hana-san and myself were being held prisoner by the Nohrians, but they freed the three of us to go looking for you."

"So you're working for the Nohrians now? I'd never thought that you, of all people, could turn traitor!"

Subaki took half a step back, alarmed by the fire in her eyes, but refused to back away any further.

"Hinoka-sama, with all due respect, you should know me better than to call me a traitor", he replied, his eyes glinting. "While it is true that the search parties were organised by Prince Xander, I am here on Sakura-hime's behest. She wished for us to find you fearing that you might start another war if left to your own devices. Prince Xander wants you to become queen, and Sakura-hime chose to believe him."

"And you trust his word?"

"It seemed like the best option. We could have refused to participate, or try to flee while on the road – but we all agreed that you might attack pursuing Nohrians on sight."

"That's certainly true", Hinoka admitted.

"The Nohrians also pointed out that they could have killed you, if they had wanted to. That makes me believe they are being sincere."

Hinoka frowned.

"What of Sakura? What do they plan on doing with her?"

"I do not know. We left the following morning, and never learned their plans regarding her. She might still be a prisoner, maybe they are using her as a hostage to keep the people in line."

"I wouldn't put it past them", Hinoka growled. "Am I supposed to be their puppet, too?"

"I honestly do not know – the Nohrians I am travelling with were quite eager to share information, but I cannot say if that information is accurate or not. Also, Laslow-san – the leader of our team – said that he doesn't know Prince Xander's plans. However, he did vouch for his character – he is one of Prince Xander's retainers, you see."

"Hm. What about Yukimura-san and Hana-san? Are they with you?"

"No – they are on the two other teams. Each team is being led by a royal retainer – the others are with Princess Elise and Princess Camilla."

"What kind of person is this Laslow?"

"Well-mannered. Courteous. A bit shy, really. A capable horseman and swordfighter – we sometimes sparred on the road."

"This whole thing doesn't make any sense", Hinoka said, her brow furrowed. "They've finally conquered Hoshido – something they've been trying to do for years – and now they don't want it? I have a hard time believing that."

"Things are a lot more complicated than we thought. You see, apparently, King Garon died a while ago – the man marching into our capital and slaughtering our people was nothing more than a puppet. The creature controlling him – please bear with me, I can only repeat what the Nohrians told me – was also controlling Takumi-sama, and was planning to destroy both Hoshido and Nohr."

"That's utterly absurd!"

"I understand how you feel, but – please, with your permission, hime-sama, I will tell you everything that happened after the fall of Fort Jinya – though I must warn you that I didn't witness all of these events, and have to refer to the accounts given to me by the Nohrians in many cases."

"Very well. Let's get to the bottom of this mess."

"Oh, before I forget – the Nohrians I am travelling with should arrive soon – they are not hostile, please tell your men to stand down and not engage them."

Hinoka bit her lip.

"You do realise I am taking an awful risk here, don't you."

"I swear to the kami that this is not a trap."

"Fine."

"Hinoka-sama."

One of her ninja materialised nearby.

"Would you like me to pass on Subaki-san's message?"

"Yes. Tell the men that a group of Nohrian soldiers is headed our way. They are not to engage them unless the Nohrians ready for battle. I will be with them shortly."

"Very well."

The ninja took off, and Hinoka turned back to Subaki.

"Well then. Tell me what happened. And leave nothing out."

"As you wish. We were still at Fort Jinya when part of the Nohrian army led by Prince Xander arrived. There was not enough time for us to leave, and so Sakura-hime ordered us to fight alongside the soldiers. Yukimura-sama assumed command in her stead, but she did her share of fighting, and she did rather well, I'd say."

"Wait, what? Sakura was fighting? How?"

"She's learned how to wield a bow", Subaki replied, frowning. "I assumed you knew."

"Takumi", Hinoka sighed. "He must have taught her. Oh dear... Someone like Sakura shouldn't be on a battlefield."

"I agree, but she would not be deterred. Anyway, the Nohrians had far greater numbers than we did, and they were very well-organised. We were fighting a losing battle when Prince Xander offered to spare all of us if Sakura-hime yielded the fort to him. So she surrendered."

"No... She's far to gullible."

"She was trying to save as many lives as possible", Subaki replied quietly. "I respected her wish – though it was not easy for me to let them bind me and drag me off. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there – just as we approached the enemy camp, more Nohrian troops arrived, led by King Garon. They – they massacred every single one of our men. They only spared the four of us."

"No! Those bastards – to kill unarmed prisoners is just vile! I'll never forgive them for this!"

"The ones responsible for the slaughter have already paid for their evil deeds, I was told", Subaki replied. "Prince Xander was not happy with the stain they put on is honour. Laslow-san tells me he killed one of those men himself."

"Is that a normal thing for Nohrians to do? Just kill people?"

"Patience. I shall get there. The four of us were separated and kept apart whenever camp was set up. I quickly realised that there was tension within the Nohrian army – there was one faction following King Garon – the more violent men, for most part – and the ones following Prince Xander. Under orders from Princess Kamui, that part of the army held back with killing as much as possible, offering enemies the opportunity to surrender or flee whenever possible. I did not see this happen with my own eyes, but I heard them talk. King Garon's men thought the other ones were being too soft. Laslow-san confirmed my observations later on."

"Where you mistreated while you were prisoners?"

"I can't speak for the others, but – they left me alone for most part. I know that Prince Xander placed Sakura-hime under his protection, but he didn't dare do the same for us, fearing that this might anger his father. However, some of his men were always nearby, and their presence seemed to be deterrent enough."

"I see. So they possess at least some understanding of decency."

"Some of them, yes. After the battle at the Great Wall, word made round that Takumi-sama had refused to surrender, and instead thrown himself off the wall."

"No!", Hinoka exclaimed, horrified.

"The Nohrians made fun of him for having been a coward – it was not until I set out from Castle Shirasagi that I learned that his 'death' had been a very strange one – for when the Nohrians searched for his body, they found nothing. Not a single trace. He was pronounced dead, but – he somehow survived the fall and made it back to the capital.

"I do not know how Sakura-hime took the news, but I imagine not well. We soon continued on our march, and the Nohrian army at last set up camp just outside the capital. In the evening following the attack, Hana-san, Yukimura-sama and I were fetched by Nohrian soldiers and brought to the castle – Sakura-hime was already there when we arrived. She seemed well, from what I could tell. Prince Xander then told us that they had spared you and sent you into exile, but that he planned on bringing you back so you could become queen – he said that he had no ambition to rule the world and would instead wish to focus on improving the situation in Nohr, which seems to be dire. He wanted our help with that, as he believed that it would be easier for us to track you, and, as I've mentioned before, because he hoped that seeing familiar faces might stop you from attacking his search parties. Yukimura-sama was, understandably, suspicions of their intentions, and Prince Xander vowed that no harm would come to you, Hinoka-sama. They also mentioned the imposter who had been pretending to be their father. Naturally, we didn't believe a word they said at the time – however, I must say that Laslow-san's account has made me less sceptical."

"And so you set out to look for me."

"Yes. We tracked you to the spot where the trail split. We picked three at random and split up. During our travels, Laslow-san was quite willing to answer any questions I might have, and tried to shed some light on the strange events taking place on the day the war was lost. It was from him that I learned of Ryoma-sama and Takumi-sama's deaths."

"How did they die?"

"Ryoma-sama was apparently defending the throne room. He duelled Princess Kamui, but lost. Laslow-san swears that she was trying to spare him, but – he – he stabbed himself."

"No!", Hinoka exclaimed, hands flying to her mouth. "Why?!"

"King Garon had ordered Princess Kamui to kill Ryoma-sama", Subaki replied quietly. "The Nohrians assume that he realised she would be unable to refuse the order with the king looming behind her, so he wished to spare her the pain of having to kill him herself."

"No... she promised to keep him safe... Ryoma – why? Why did you do that?!"

Subaki closed his eyes briefly before continuing.

"Apparently, one of King Garon's henchmen had seen you leave, and confronted Princess Kamui about her betrayal while King Garon was alone in the throne room. A fight broke out between his men and Princess Kamui's, and I believe that everyone involved in the massacre at Fort Jinya was killed. After that, Princess Kamui and Princess Azura revealed their reason for pushing the invasion of Hoshido like they had – they had wanted to literally place King Garon on the Hoshidan throne to reveal his true nature to the others."

"The throne – mother said it had magical properties", Hinoka breathed. "This actually makes sense in a way. So – you mean to say that these two knew about the imposter?"

"Yes. No-one knows how Princess Azura found out, but she was the one to tell Princess Kamui, and together, they came up with a plan to stop him. Revealing his true nature to the others was necessary, as they feared that no-one would believe them."

"Plausible. So I assume it worked?"

"Indeed. I didn't see King Garon's body myself, but Laslow-san assured me it looked monstrous. The imposter wasn't happy when he realised that his 'children' knew about him and attacked them. They could not afford to let him live."

"So – they killed the one they had called 'father' for the last couple of years?"

"Yes – Laslow-san said it was particularly hard on Princess Elise, as she had never known the real King Garon... And then, just as they thought it was over, Takumi-sama appeared. He, too, attacked them, and Princess Azura realised he was being possessed, as well. She apparently tried to save him, but failed. So they killed him, too."

"This is – this cannot be! Takumi – possessed? That's utterly absurd!"

"I reacted in much the same way as you did. However, I did notice changes in his behaviour as of late – I thought they were related to the war, or the death of Mikoto-sama. But, if we accept the possibility of King Garon having been possessed, we must accept the possibility of Takumi-sama having been possessed as well."

"But – I've never heard of anyone being possessed before – who was that person? And why did he want to destroy both our countries?"

"That's the big mystery. No-one knows. Maybe Princess Azura and Princess Kamui will be able to tell us more once we get back, but this is all we know at the moment."

Hinoka bit her lip, her brow furrowed.

"Give me a moment to myself, please. I'll join you in camp shortly."

"As you wish, Hinoka-sama."

Once Subaki was out of sight, Hinoka wrapped her arms around herself and crumpled to the ground, restraining herself only enough not to starts sobbing like some little girl. Tears blurred her vision as she battled her raging emotions while trying to make sense of everything Subaki had told her.

It was a small comfort to know that Sakura had still been alive after the fighting had ended, and that Garon was no longer around to endanger her life – she didn't know much about Xander, but she did think him clever enough not to kill a potential hostage, especially if he wanted her to come back and take the throne. If he killed Sakura, he'd have nothing to keep her in line with. If he let her live – he'd probably drag her off to Nohr, like Kamui had been.

The mere thought made Hinoka feel sick.

In that very moment, she realised just how utterly and completely she had failed – she'd trained all her life to become strong enough to protect her family and bring Kamui back home.

She had not been able to protect anyone. Ryoma was dead. Takumi was dead. And Sakura in the hands of the enemy. And Kamui – Kamui had chosen to side with the Nohrians, and betray Hoshido. Hinoka well remembered her parting words – but Kamui's dream seemed nothing but a fancy, an illusion – how should they ever be able to reconnect as siblings after all that had happened? Kamui could dream all she wanted. Hinoka thought it impossible to come true.

After she had calmed down a bit, Hinoka dried her tears, stood and dusted herself off. She desperately hoped the others wouldn't be able to tell that she had been crying – she was their princess. She had to be strong for them.

Upon approaching their campsite, Hinoka noticed that the Nohrians had arrived – the two groups stood facing each other, watching each other warily. However, so far, no-one had drawn a weapon.

Subaki was standing next to his pegasus, watching both groups closely. Hinoka stopped next to him and crossed her arms.

A few of the Nohrians glanced her way, but most seemed to think it better to keep an eye on the others instead.

"Nohrians!", Hinoka called out. "I was told you come in peace. Who is your leader?"

"That would be me, Hinoka-sama", a dark-haired horseman replied.

He swiftly dismounted, handed the rains to the man next to him and approached Hinoka, his movements graceful and determined. Once he stood before her, he bowed with a flourish.

"My name is Laslow, I am one of Prince Xander's retainers. Prince Xander sends his regards, and asked me to assure you that he means neither you nor your sister any harm. He asks that you return to Hoshido and take the throne as the next queen."

"Do I have any choice in this matter?"

"I suppose you could keep running, if you like – but that would mean abandoning your sister, who, as I've been told, is desperate to have you back. Besides, don't you have a duty to your country?"

Hinoka glared at Laslow, hating him for being right.

"When you put it like that, I suppose I don't have a choice. Fine. I'll go back with you."

"Splendid. You there", he said, spinning around to address one of his mages. "Send the following message: 'mission complete', 'retreat', 'regroup'."

"Yes, sir."

The mage looked around before levitating onto the highest boulder near them, then, he fired a succession of flares. After a while, he did it again, only this time, he got two "replies" within a short amount of time. Apparently satisfied, he dropped off the boulder and caught himself with magic before hitting the ground.

"Done."

"Very good."

"So those flares were yours. We figured that there were two teams after us, but we didn't notice the third one."

"We knew there was a risk you would see the flares, but we needed to keep each other up-to-date. Um – with your permission, Hinoka-sama, I would suggest that we rest for a bit before turning back. My men are just as tired as yours."

"Fine by me."

The Nohrians immediately began tethering their horses to the ground or rocks and settled down on the ground before starting to hand out food. Laslow picked up a share and brought it over to Subaki, who had made himself at home among Hinoka's men.

"Thank you", Subaki said with a smile.

Hinoka decided not to comment on that and went over to sit in between Setsuna and Asama. Most of her men were already done eating, so they just sat there and waited for the Nohrians to finish.

Though Hinoka couldn't really say she minded the prolonged rest – her men were exhausted, both mentally and physically, and she couldn't really say that she fared any better.

"So, Laslow-san. Tell me more about this 'imposter' I've heard about", Hinoka said at length. "Subaki-san already told me that no-one seems to know much about him – but do you have any idea as to how long he's been controlling King Garon?"

Laslow chewed on his food, looking thoughtful.

"Hm... No-one really knows for certain. I did toss ideas around with Selena and Effie – the leaders of the other teams – while we were on the road, but, since none of us have been working for the royal family for long, this is mostly just guesswork. We know that Prince Leo remembers a different, kinder Garon. We also know that Princess Elise only ever knew the same Garon we knew – which makes us believe he must have become possessed sometime between the births of these two. Additionally, Princess Azura knew about the imposter – and she couldn't have found out about him while being in Hoshido. Princess Azura was kidnapped before Princess Elise was born. So it must have happened around that time."

"That makes sense", Hinoka agreed. "But how come she was the only one to come to this conclusion? Moreover, how did she do that? I mean, we did notice that Takumi-nii had started acting strangely, but no-one would have ever guessed possession as a possible cause."

"Honestly? I don't know. But, according to what I've heard, Princess Azura has always been a mysterious one – nobody knows where she and her mother came from, you know."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Late Queen Arete arrived many years ago in Windmire, little Azura in tow. King Garon, who had recently lost his first wife, Queen Katherina, married her. Azura is not a blood relative of King Garon – she's his step-daughter."

"I never knew", Hinoka breathed. "And no-one ever found out where they came from?"

"No. They refused to speak about it."

"Wait a minute!", Subaki chimed in. "You said that the imposter is from a place nobody knows, a cursed country whose name you mustn't utter. What if Queen Arete and Princess Azura came from the same place? It would explain why they never told anyone of their origins, and how Princess Azura came to know of the imposter!"

Laslow blinked, while Hinoka stared at Subaki open-mouthed.

"This – this actually makes sense", Laslow said slowly. "I'll discuss this theory with Prince Xander once we return – he was there when it all happened, and he might remember something that might help us figure this puzzle out."

"Agreed", Hinoka said. "We have to little information to go on, especially if you didn't witness any of those events. But it is an interesting theory."

"Indeed. Maybe we can question Princess Azura, too – even if she can't tell us where she came from, she could at least confirm if the imposter came from the same place as she did."

"Yes. Let's do that", Hinoka replied, feeling some of her usual determined nature returning.

"All right, then. Should you have any more questions, Hinoka-sama, I'd be more than happy to answer them. But for now, I think we should get going – we have a lot of ground to cover."

"Two more questions before we leave."

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you bring any wyverns?"

"Because we feared that you might spot them too easily. If I were on the run, I'd be on the lookout for enemy flyers. We figured that using ground troops would allow us to move stealthier."

"I see. Makes sense. Who taught you how to use Hoshidan suffixes?"

"Subaki-san did. I accidentally offended Hana-san by addressing her just by name – I had no idea this was considered rude in Hoshido. So I asked Subaki-san to teach me."

"I see. Well then, let's be off."

The men scrambled to their feet and began packing away their stuff. The Hoshidan soldiers swarmed Subaki, eager to find out more about the imposter and what had happened after their flight from the castle. Hinoka tuned them out as she mounted her pegasus, not really wishing to hear all that again.

The plateau was large enough to enable her pegasus to take off, and she took to the skies, determined to put everything behind herself for a while.

Subaki didn't join her, instead, he remained with the others. Hinoka guessed he wanted to make sure the two factions didn't end up killing each other on the road.

Once again, the future is filled with uncertainty – I am to be queen. How am I supposed to do that? I don't even know how to be a proper princess!

However, Hinoka decided there and then that she wouldn't pass on the burden of the crown to Sakura – sweet little Sakura had already suffered enough. Hinoka would figure this out somehow.

A/N:

So Hinoka's finally headed home.

A note on clothing: As a whole, I really liked the designs in Fates, especially those of some of the Hoshidans. However, what bothers me (and this is not just about Fates) is the distinct lack of trousers on most female characters that ride horses/pegasus/wyverns. Camilla's design, for example, is a joke. Now, one could argue that units like pegasus and draco knights don't need much armour as they are out of range of most enemies, and that too much armour might slow down their steeds. Fair enough. However, that does not excuse the lack of trousers. When I had my first riding lessons as a kid, I was wearing jeans and trainers since I didn't have proper equipment yet. I don't remember it very well, but I remember it being rather uncomfortable, and so I asked my mother to buy me some proper riding trousers soon. For those of you who don't know – riding trousers are fastened around the calves to keep them from moving up your legs due to friction, and the insides of the legs are reinforced with leather – nowadays, the entire inner part of the leg is made from leather, actually – to protect the rider's legs. If anyone were to sit in a saddle for an extended period of time wearing nothing, he would soon be very sore.

Welp, that's enough ranting for today. Hinoka's return home is going to lead to some interesting conversation and situations, so you can look forward to that.