"C-Cadros!" the hooded figure shouted, "No! Please, no!"
"Patria," he replied, blood streaming down his face, "It's going to be all right." His left eye was stuck shut by his blood, but the right tensed up, as did his cheeks, into a smile, of all things. "This is the course of things. I asked them to stop… it's only natural that they'd retaliate. We have to be prepared for that sort of thing, and we have to show that our ends can be accomplished… without violence."
"No, Cadros! This isn't right! You only asked them to stop attacking each other, and they turned their weapons on you! This is outrageous! It's… It's… I'll kill them all!"
"My friend, please, I beg that you don't." Cadros's smile had been replaced with a frown." Fighting and killing can only beget more of the same. You have to take the high road. You have to end their squabbling by reason, not by force, or it will never hold."
"Cadros… there's something I need to tell you, in case you… In case this…"
"Please, go on."
"Cadros, as you may have suspected, the name 'Patria' was a false one, as is this body—although this form has taken on a certain life of its own. In truth, I am a fragment of the dragon known as Anankos."
Cadros smiled again. "Incredible. I had always suspected you were someone significant, friend, but to be the great and wise Anankos… I'm humbled to have received your favor. It also explains why you were so interested in human culture…"
"My friend… it is I who feels humbled by you. My brothers and I created humanity… fundamentally as a race of servants. Mindless drones meant to do our bidding, with power that, compared to ours, was like a grain of sand in a vast ocean. And yet, over time, you all found a thirst for knowledge and understanding that none of us expected. It was a thirst I was, at first, glad to slake, but now… I fear this is the consequence for my arrogance."
"Please… humans may pass, but there shall always be more of us to live on."
"I don't know that that will continue to be the case, but I'm not talking about humanity, Cadros… I'm talking about you. You, who accepted me into your home so warmly when others reacted solely with suspicion. You, who turned rancor into peace throughout Valla. You… a human who stood against dragons while another dragon hid behind you. I always had a fondness for humans, like a group of infants under my protection, but you… you've proven yourself noble beyond even me."
"I shall have no need of medicine for my wounds, friend, for your words are the finest balm."
"Cadros… I'm so sorry."
"Anankos… no—my friend: all is forgiven."
Anankos embraced the blue-haired human as he fell. It was immediately clear that all of the energy had passed from this body, as it fell lightly and delicately, like a scrap of cloth moved by the wind. There was no great noise from Cadros as he fell, nor from Anankos as he eased his friend down. They did not cry out, they did not tumble to the ground with a thunderous clash; Cadros simply slumped over into his friend, and was calmly lowered to the ground. Anankos shed exactly one tear over his friend's lifeless body before rising.
Then, away from this silence, there came great stomping sounds—the sounds of his brethren approaching. Anankos stood to meet them, though in this form they towered over him. They spoke to him in the ancient language of the dragons.
"Anankos," said the one the humans had called the Dark Dragon, "Grieving over the death of this human? This assassin you sent against us?"
"He was no assassin," Anankos replied, "He brought only words of peace."
"And yet he was armed," said the Dark Dragon, indicating the Yato that now lay beside Cadros's body.
"He needed to be able to protect himself," Anankos said, "But I suppose it was insufficient protection from your inconceivable bloodlust."
"Don't take that tone with me! You would stand with a human before your own brethren?! We are noble, refined creatures, and they mere puppets! Low and filthy savages, scrambling to overpower one another for a taste of the authority we hold over them. They are despicable."
"This human, Cadros… he was more noble than you could ever hope to be. If anyone's behaving like a savage, it's you!"
"Anankos, brother," said the one the humans called the Dawn Dragon, "I share your sympathy for these poor creatures. That said, they are… imperfect, as our brother pointed out. Normally, I would detest having to agree with him on any point, but… perhaps it's time we began anew. Time to admit that we made a mistake."
"Even you would see them die?" Anankos started, "No… No, you're both mad. I won't allow you to harm them. They deserve to live."
"Anankos…"
"NO! They… they deserve to live! More than we do! You don't know what I know of them! Of love and art and oratory and companionship… You all! You are the pestilence! You are the filth!"
"Have you gone mad? Hold your tongue!"
"No, I'm far from mad. I'm the sanest I've ever been. I will… I will preserve these humans, even if I must stand against you all. I foresaw, once, that we would all go mad and annihilate each other in time, and I fear that that time has now come. I will not allow you to ravage all that which is good in this world!"
The other dragons exchanged glances.
"Could… could he be right?" asked the Dawn Dragon.
"No, it's impossible," replied the Dark Dragon, "I… I feel fine. I am sane, I am certain of it."
"Your authority over these humans has intoxicated you both," said Anankos, "You have presided over insular groups of them for so long that they have revered you as deities, and you have spared so little thought to the contrary that you now believe their worship."
"That's not…"
"No, it couldn't…"
"You," Anankos said, indicating the Dawn Dragon, "have grown fat on the tributes they provide you. You listen and laugh as they sing songs praising you, but exact murderous vengeance on those who disobey or desire to leave." Now, he pointed to the Dark Dragon, "And you: you force them to make sacrifices, to cull their own numbers, at first for your insensitive designs, but now you take a sick pleasure in it, watching the despair in their eyes. You are both scum who have forgotten your places."
The dragons examined their own forms before returning their gazes to Anankos.
"Anankos… you may be right."
"But… if we have already gone mad, what hope do we have?
"I will speak to another of our brothers," Anankos told them, "I will formulate a solution to this problem, too. However, it will take time, and it may see us separated. You must try to mend your ways, brothers."
"We will… endeavor to do so."
"Perhaps we truly have gone too far…"
Anankos turned as did his brothers, and the two dragons quickly fled from sight. Anankos picked up Cadros's body and began walking back to the town where he had lived. He would build for Cadros a palace worthy of his being. He would be honored as Valla's master—its first king. None would ever surpass him in glory, and he would be revered for all time as the greatest of humans. So Anankos told himself. Humans could save themselves by following his example, so he went on. I will protect the humans, a voice echoed inside his head, growing steadily louder, My brothers are insane. I will protect the humans. My brothers are insane. I will protect the humans…
[*]
Shigure tried to sit up, but was quickly reminded of the pain all over his body and only managed to rise a few inches before collapsing back down.
"Finally awake, huh?" a familiar, deep voice said, "You ought to take it easy. I used some medicine, but those wounds aren't going to go away quickly."
"W-Who…?" Shigure muttered. His mind was racing, but his jaw couldn't quite catch up.
"Oh, right," the voice said, drawing nearer, "Let me just take care of this, and then I think all will become clear…"
After saying this, the figure leaned over Shigure and placed something that he quickly recognized as a damp rag over his eye. He winced and groaned a little as the man looming over him rubbed the rag roughly along his forehead and eyelid, but afterward, the figure stepped back and Shigure blinked, finally able to open his other eye. He was startled to realize that the voice and form that had rescued him belonged to none other than Ryoma. "R-Ryoma, you…?" the aqua-haired boy stuttered, "When last I saw you, you were being buried at sea by Aunt Sakura. What madness is this?"
"My death was a work of deception," Ryoma answered, "and while I'm sorry to have put you through such distress, it was necessary so that I could leave Hoshido—leave your Uncle Takumi, more specifically. Shigure, it was your mother who spared me."
"Mother? Ah, so she did follow my suggestion."
"Your suggestion?"
"Oh, the idea of faking your death was entirely hers, but she came to me when Takumi was rounding up extra troops from the castle's staff. She wanted to explain some things to me, but I told her to seek you out instead. Certainly anything I could do, you could do better."
Ryoma smiled. "I think you give yourself too little credit, Shigure. In any case, I want you to know what your mother told me, so that you can be an ally to us in the conflict to come."
"'Conflict to come?' I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think the conflict is already well underway."
"No, Shigure, a different conflict. One neither you nor I could have even fathomed until a few days ago."
"All right. I'm listening."
[…]
"Is that the city you were talking about, Ms. Morgan?" Kana asked, pointing over the horizon.
"You can drop the 'Miss,' sweetie," the redhead replied, "but yes, that's the town of Shotenmachi. Its population is mostly merchants. Not the biggest trading hub in Hoshido, but an important one for sure. I expect it won't be heavily defended, but we should be prepared to encounter resistance regardless."
"And we'll snag some of the merchants' supplies before we leave town, is that it?" Liam added.
"You got it," Morgan said, nodding at him, "Elise, anything to add?"
The blonde princess hummed and cupped her chin. "I can't help but notice our diversion force isn't here, and the town seems to be unscathed," she said, "But this town was right on our troops' path. Either they decided to go around it for some reason, or they were routed here. Either one doesn't bode well for us."
"Well spotted," Morgan concurred, "Still, we don't have time to fall back and reconsider. What do you think is our best option for attacking?"
"The element of surprise is always good," Elise answered, "Plus, it's a town full of merchants, so there's bound to be a lot of them running scared if we attack suddenly. If we can cause a lot of confusion, then we might be able to render whatever defenses this town has null."
"Brilliant," said Morgan, "Your ability to analyze civilian populations is uncanny, princess."
"Oh, stop," she said, rubbing the back of her head.
"All right, then. Let's prepare for combat, everyone," Morgan announced. Those around her began to unsheathe their weapons and walk back toward the collection of soldiers behind them to disseminate the order.
The preparation didn't take long—having fought one battle not too long ago, most of the soldiers under Morgan's command were now adequately prepared for a second. They split into five subdivisions to approach the town without drawing too much suspicion—each was led by Morgan, Laslow, Elise, Soleil, and Kana, although they all had primary orders from Morgan to direct their advance.
Morgan's group, naturally, was the first to advance so that she could analyze her enemies' defenses. When she breached the perimeter of the town a few paces ahead of her group, she noticed there were several samurai and mages stationed at strategic points near corners of each street. Additionally, she noticed archers pacing the roofs of several buildings, scanning the streets carefully—she could hear their boots tapping on the roofs and the several seconds of anxious silence that followed. Taking care of them would be a priority to ensure the success of this advance, but why did the town seem so prepared? Could they have been forewarned?
Morgan had to stop thinking about the town, because she noticed an archer was leering down at her. Had this been a solo operation, she would've disguised herself, but war allowed no time for such things, and so she was standing around in distinctly Nohrian-looking clothes. This was a tricky position: if she didn't react, the archer might alert someone, but if she bolted, he would be even more suspicious, and she certainly couldn't afford to alert the whole town by attacking him now. She decided she had to do something, and so she returned her observer's stare, looking him up and down, then winking at him while putting her finger to her chin. The archer gave her an embarrassed smile in response and quickly looked along the rest of the street to make it seem like he was busy. Jackpot, Morgan smiled to herself.
She crawled along the darkened corners of the street, away from as many guards as she could, and, when she was sure she wasn't being observed, she pulled herself up a pole holding a tapestry and used it to transition to a windowsill, and then grabbed the roof of the building, finding her footing, and pulling herself up yet again.
Now she could see all of the archers, and damn, there were quite a few. She heard the boots of one approaching her, and she scrambled back down the ledge, waiting and listening. She heard the boots draw right near the edge and stop. Psyching herself up, she released the roof with one of her hands and threw it forward, grasping one of the boots she had heard. When she was sure of her hold, she yanked the body as hard as she could. He didn't fall forward, but tripped over himself, falling loudly onto the roof and breaking a few tiles. Morgan pulled herself back up and saw the man's eyes squinted as a trickle of blood oozed out from behind his head and onto the tile. He wouldn't be getting up for a while.
Morgan had made it onto even footing with the archers, but what would be her next move? She needed to remove as many as possible, but magic would probably be too loud. She could try to use the archer's bow, but she wasn't well trained in archery, and even a single misfire would lead to suspicion. She supposed it was her only option and pulled the bow out of the man's hands, then grunted as she had to lift him to pull the quiver off his back. She nocked one arrow and aimed at an unsuspecting archer two buildings over, but, before she loosed it, she whistled in a way that imitated a bird's call. This was her signal. The arrow snapped forward and ripped through the air.
"That's the signal," Soleil correctly identified, nodding to the men at her command, "Okay boys, let's make this one quick!"
They surged into the streets, several of the Nohrians shoving the roaming merchants and civilians against walls while others readied themselves to meet with the guards who began to approach. Morgan's group had rushed the main gate to the town as well, and were currently threatening the frightened merchants and squaring off against the guards in the same fashion, meaning they had succeeded in causing a panic on at least two fronts.
Two samurai ran up to engage Soleil as he moved with her group. She blocked one's strike, shoved him back, and punched the second in the head before he could complete his attack. Since he was dazed, she stabbed this samurai in the gut and kicked him down, ready for the other to attack. She parried it again and elbowed him into a wall behind him. "Smile!" she told him, thrusting her blade into his stomach, "You're dead."
Elise charged onto the street atop her horse, her husband seated behind her. They both stood on the creature's back, holding one another's hands for support, and held out their tomes. "O ancient and nebulous forces who grant us our power…" Odin began.
"Fail us not as we call upon you. We ask for your dark energies that we might grant our foes a taste of oblivion," Elise continued.
"Spare none who would raise a hand against us—protect our beloved, and vanquish all those who stand in our way!"
"Dark Dragon—Royal Talon!" Elise finished, and as she did, bolts of lightning scattered along the streets, burning and knocking down groups of soldiers who had just begun to hear the commotion. The pair's accompanying soldiers took to the streets after their initial strike, and they both began firing bolts of flame and dark magic along the streets ahead of their troops to blow away the enemy.
"Don't forget about me!" Ophelia shouted to no one in particular as she ran up behind her parents. "Pale Star Beam!" she shouted, and dropped sparks of dark magic onto even more soldiers who had begun emerging from neighboring streets.
"Nice!" Odin shouted down at her, "Er, I mean, well done, Ophelia Dusk! Your luminescence is laudable!"
Morgan dropped the bow, having run out of arrows. She had succeeded in felling at least four or five archers—hardly the entire town's worth, but enough that there would be fewer interruptions and less cause for concern among her ground troops. Plus, she went on, as she saw Nohrian soldiers overrunning the streets, she could afford to use her significantly louder and more powerful magic now. She began scaling back down the roof, but she felt her heart sink when she heard a powerful metallic noise rush through the streets—someone had managed to reach an alarm bell, and a big one, which meant that even neighboring villages or towns might know what was happening. They would have to hurry before Shotenmachi was reinforced.
[…]
Shigure and Ryoma had both turned their heads to the ringing making its way over the hill. "That's an alarm bell, isn't it?" Shigure asked.
"No doubt about it," Ryoma agreed, "Judging by how far it sounds, I'd guess it's coming from Shotenmachi."
"We should help," said the aqua-haired prince.
"I don't think that would be wise. You're still injured, and I… I can't show my face, or else my deception will be revealed too early."
"But… those people must be under attack. What if they're all killed?"
"Shigure, we can't—"
"After all you told me about what you learned after my mother spoke to you? What was all that about being afraid to act?"
"It's not quite so simple."
"I think it is. There are Hoshidans under attack over there. You, as the rightful king of Hoshido, can choose to sit here and do nothing, but I'm not going to let them suffer and die when I can provide help."
"Shigure, you don't understand what you're doing!" Ryoma shouted at him, but it was too late. The prince had sprung up and raced in the direction of Shotenmachi. "Dammit," Ryoma sighed to himself, supposing that he now had no choice but to follow Azura's stubborn child.
[…]
"Watch out!" Kana shouted to Liam as he was approached by spear-wielding Hoshidan.
"Working on it!" Liam shouted back. He grabbed a fig from a crate at his side and chucked it at the charging enemy, who took it straight to the face, grunting and falling down. Liam cocked an eyebrow at the box of fruit. "Huh. Surprisingly effective projectile. I'll have to make a note of that."
"Aren't you supposed to be protecting me?" Kana asked, locking swords with a samurai.
Liam looked at them and then up at a cloth-covered support beam over them both, accompanied by lanterns on either side. He grabbed another fig and lobbed it overhead. "Stand back!"
Kana blocked another strike from her opponent and then complied, hopping back a step. She watched as one of the lanterns fell from the roof and crashed loudly several feet away, belching a few flames before dying out. She glared at Liam, who shrugged.
"Nice aim on your buddy there, Nohrian witch," the samurai said, swinging at Kana again. She tried to turn the tables and press the attack, but his block was too quick, and he struck back at Kana quickly, grazing her vambrace as she doubled back. She swung again and they clashed, but the samurai's arms were a bit stronger, and he began to push over the fatigued Kana. She braced herself to roll away, but was distracted by a flapping sound. At once, a white canvas sheet fell onto her foe's face, knocking him over. The bottom of the sheet was singed and smoking. Kana took advantage of her good fortune and finished off her enemy before turning to face Liam. "So, you were aiming for the sheets and not the beam or the lanterns, huh?"
"Y-Yeah," he said, sweating, "That's… definitely how I planned for that to go. It was like clockwork!"
Kana was about to say something else, but she heard approaching footsteps, as well as a conversation.
"Damn," said one voice, "they've practically got the whole city in a riot."
"Word spreads slowly in chaos," said another, this one deeper, "Whoever's leading them is quite cunning."
The footsteps turned the corner and Kana's eyes widened when she saw Shigure and Ryoma racing up to meet her.
"K-Kana?!" Shigure sputtered out on seeing her, "What… you're leading these forces?"
"Not leading, but I am a part of them," she replied.
"Oh, I remember you," Liam said, walking up behind Kana, "You're one of the Hoshidan royal family, aren't you? Planning to take us out, is that it?"
"I'd watch your tongue, Nohrian," Ryoma said, also drawing closer, "I'd rather not hurt Kana, but I won't take kindly to any of your ilk making a move on me or my kin."
"K-King Ryoma?!" Liam started, "Or… wait, is it Prince Ryoma now? Ex-King Ryoma? Anyway, what are you doin' here? I figured after what we say Prince Takumi would have you under lock and key."
"Circumstances have changed. I don't know what you have planned, but Shigure has decided to protect this town, and I with him."
"We're stuck on opposite sides again, huh?" Kana said with a sigh, "Shigure, you know I'm not really interested in fighting you again."
"I do, and that's why I think it's important that I explain that I'm not interested in fighting you, either. I heard things, Kana—about our mother and father."
"What things?"
"Things that helped me to understand why our father said what he did to Lord Takumi. We shouldn't be on opposite sides, Kana. We should be helping each other."
"I agree, but you're here with Hoshido, and I'm with Nohr. Neither of us want to abandon our families. We've been down this road once before."
"You're right, but I think I've found a bend in this path we're following: you know about the enemy our father was facing, right? The big one?"
"You mean—er, right, shouldn't say it, but yes, I know what you mean."
"And you're familiar with Nohrian history, right? What happened to King Garon?"
"He was deposed by my father and my aunts and uncles."
"But there was something more about that, wasn't there?"
"Huh? Um… some people said he was possessed. My understanding was that he'd just lost the will to go on living with all of the bad stuff that had happened to him, and so he went insane."
"There's some truth to that. Now, Uncle Ryoma, do me a favor and tell Kana what you once told me when I was little about the Hoshidan throne."
"The throne? Well, it was built back in—"
"No, the superstition."
"Oh, right. It's said that one who sits on the throne will regain their 'true form.' Their purest self, in other words. What does that have to do with anything, though?"
"Now we're getting somewhere," Shigure said, clenching his hand into a fist, "Kana, maybe you can deduce the same thing I did: what was the last thing our father said to Lord Takumi?"
"Um… he asked to look into his eyes, I think."
"And is there something unusual about Takumi's eyes?"
"He… wears an eyepatch, doesn't he?"
"Yes," Ryoma agreed, "Corrin cut Takumi years ago in the war and struck out his eye. I still don't think I see your point, Shigure."
"Consider these two facts in conjunction, then: when was the last time Lord Takumi sat on the throne? And why did our father ask to look into his eyes just before he was killed?"
"He… thought something was off with Takumi?" Kana guessed.
"And… he wanted to look into his eyes not just because he was behaving strangely…" Ryoma continued, "But… ah!"
"Wait…" Kana said, blinking rapidly, "If I'm hearing you right, it sounds like you're saying the guy our father was facing had something to do with King Garon's death and… you think the same sort of thing is happening with Takumi?"
"Just so, sister," Shigure said with a small smile, "I'm glad you caught on. It makes enough sense, I think: King Garon was only deposed after he tried to spark a war with Hoshido, now the Hoshidans have provoked an invasion by Nohr. Don't you see? All along, there's been someone pulling the strings."
"I don't know what you're on about, but it sounds whacked out to me," Liam said, frowning at Shigure.
"No, he's right, Liam," said Kana, "Based on what papa told me, it would make sense if someone wanted another war between Hoshido and Nohr, and they would have just the means to do it through Takumi."
"International conspiracy," Liam resumed, "Not exactly how I thought this whole thing shook down, but it makes about as much sense as any reason for starting a war."
"I wonder, though," Kana continued, "That doesn't resolve our conflict of loyalties, Shigure."
"I had a thought about that: maybe, if we stand together, we can convince both sides to resolve this conflict peaceably."
"You really think that'll work?"
"I do have the rightful king of Hoshido with me."
"And then what? We'll still be marching toward Shirasagi."
"I'm not so concerned about all that. The people around Shirasagi are mostly those loyal to Takumi, so they can fight for their cause if they like. I just want to end this conflict as quickly as possible so that we can reveal the truth. In the meantime, I'd only like to ask that we don't harm my cousins, the Princes Shiro, Kiragi, and Asugi."
"Well," Kana said, looking over her shoulder, "Asugi is already somewhere back there in the prisoner convoy, so I'd say that's a reasonable deal."
Shigure sighed, but not out of frustration. Rather, his face showed a relieved smile. "So, no more fighting, then, sister," he said offering his hand.
She took it, "In this, we're joined, brother."
