With morning came mourning.

The Nohrians had not truly achieved anything substantial. All that benefited them from the attack was that they suppressed yet another rebellion. It didn't make a difference, really. It was not as if a few dozen rebels could ever hope to stand up to Nohr's vast army, even with Scarlet's leadership.

Much to everyone's relief, they were able to recover almost everyone that had been lost. Saizo and Orochi embraced, Hinata and Hana kissed, even Rinkah and Hayato joined hands. They were all safe, all except one.

To Corrin, Ryoma was one of the best fighters he had ever seen. He swung his sword without a second thought and called forth lightning as if it were nothing. He never let his emotions get the best of him, he thought logically, and was a generally grounded individual. However, Ryoma was also a man, and all men are susceptible to being overwhelmed by their emotions.

After he put Shiro to bed for the night in a nursery that Lilith had conjured up, he walked off into the tall grass and did not come back. Those who resided on the outskirts of the area—namely Saizo and Orochi—said that they heard weeping in the middle of the night.

It was truly a travesty. The woman who was set to be queen of Hoshido had given birth to a child and had not even gotten the opportunity to spend a month with him. After they were certain that the Nohrians were gone, they had all scattered around the battlefield desperately searching for something—anything. Azama was the one to find her, and even he found it difficult to break the news to everyone. Ryoma did not react. Instead, he simply nodded and said that they had to move on.

"I think it only hit him when his responsibilities for the day were dealt with," Rinkah suggested. A handful of the fighters were gathered around Corrin's round table, which had a map of the land displayed on it. Currently, there was a small flag stuck in Cheve, a marker which Azura discretely removed.

Sakura sniffled, holding back tears. "This is terrible…Scarlet…"

"Now what?" Takumi asked, his arms crossed and his eyes concealed by his hair. "We've lost the entirety of the Chevois rebellion. It's a miracle that we all made it through that, but we're not completely unharmed."

Orochi pulled her black shawl down further, intently looking at the lower part of her arm to make sure that the burns were not visible. Next to her, Saizo put his arm around her and pulled her close. He was not an affectionate man, but he knew that Orochi needed it.

Hayato's arm was in a sling that Sakura constructed while his hand was in a cast. He had been attacked head on by a faceless and held out his arms to defend himself, which only resulted in one being crushed.

Lastly, Oboro was wearing a temporary white eyepatch over her right eye. While Sakura and even Orochi had tried their hardest to heal it completely, they could not mend the nerve that had been severed by the slash of a sword, and as such she had lost usage of it. Azama had told her that it would certainly scar, which she seemed to actually look forward to. Despite her initial optimism, she now stood next to Takumi leaning against the wall with her face turned to a scowl.

"Well…" Corrin began, tapping his fingers along the table's edge. He stared at the map before him, his eyes running along the path that they had taken to get to Cheve as well as all of the landmarks they had gone to thus far. "We wait."

"What?" Hana asked, squinting. "What do you mean we wait? There's no waiting in war."

"There's plenty, actually, but that's besides the point. Look, Hoshido is in no condition to make an attack right now. Ryoma is grieving and we've suffered a heavy loss. Some of us are injured." Corrin placed his finger on Shirasagi and tapped it twice. "We should return to Shirasagi and collect ourselves there. You'll all still be considered to be on active duty, but we won't be making any big moves."

"Why?" Saizo asked in a gruff tone. "I understand that we're not in the best position right now, but we shouldn't stay idle. Nohr can't be far from us right now. If we split off into small groups, we can ambush them and get the upper hand in the war."

Corrin shook his head and took a brief look at everyone present. "No. It's too risky. With Iago among them…you all saw what he did."

"Then we take him out first." Saizo slammed his fist into his open palm. "Setsuna could hit him from a distance. Then Kaze, Kagero or I can come out from the shadows and assassinate the king or your sister. After that—"

"No." Corrin put firmly. "We're not doing that; I refuse to put any one of you at risk. If Kamui or Camilla get a hold of you, you're done. Killed right on the spot."

"So we're just going to give up?!" Hana took a frustrated step towards Corrin. "That's ridiculous! We have to keep fighting!"

"We're not giving up! We're being smart about this!" Corrin shouted as he slammed his fist into the table. "If you want to desert the Hoshidan army and go to take on Nohr all by yourself, then fine! Be my guest! But I refuse to be the one responsible for your senseless deaths!"

A heavy silence filled the room for the next several moments until Azura cleared her throat, placing both hands flat on the table. "I understand your frustrations. It makes sense that you would want to move forward with the fighting and end the war as soon as possible. However, that is not a tactically sound plan. If we were to pursue Nohr right now, it would be like a wounded animal attempting to attack its predator while it's fleeing. I assure you, Corrin only has the best intentions in any decision that he may make."

Hana crossed her arms and grumbled, finally sighing. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just want us to try, you know?"

"Yes, but we must keep a level head," Kaze chimed in. "Corrin, I accept your judgement."

Kagero spoke next. "We all live in Shirasagi or the surrounding area. Would we be returning home for the time being or will we continue to reside in the Astral Plane?"

"I think that the Shirasagi residents can return home, but those who live elsewhere should remain within the city. Don't worry, I'll be sure to make it so that you can see your families frequently. I'll have to discuss this further with Yukimura, but what I have in mind is for you all is that you'll essentially replace the current military police. That way you won't just be sitting on your hands waiting for something to happen."

"So we stay active," Hinata added, slowly nodding his head. "It's not as if Shirasagi has a ton of crime, but it's better than nothing."

Corrin let out a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, propping his head up on his hand while his elbow rested on the table. This was all very stressful to him, but he knew that he had to plan for the future as opposed to only living day by day. He was a leader now, and that meant that difficult decisions had to be made.

"Are there any other objections to this course of action?" Corrin inquired. When he received no response, he gave a small smile and stood up straight. "Good. In that case, you're all dismissed."

One by one his companions exited the room. He was never the best at reading people, though he was able to gauge a general reaction from the expressions of his friends as they left. People like Orochi and Subaki were relieved while Saizo and Rinkah were not too pleased. Felicia seemed more concerned about him than anything else and as usual, Azama had not a care in the world. Eventually, the only ones left were himself, Azura, and Kagero.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Corrin. I can tell what you're thinking," Azura advised.

The young man grimaced and looked down at his feet, tracing the tip of his boot against the hardwood floor. "Of course, I know you can. I understand that leaders need to make difficult decisions, and I'm okay with that. I have to be okay with that."

"You can confide in us, you know." Azura put her hand on Corrin's shoulder and gave a soft smile. "You are not alone."

Kagero smiled as well. "Azura is right. If you ever feel like talking about anything, anything at all, then I'll always be there for you."

Azura raised a curious eyebrow and gave the ninja a sly smirk. "Will you now? My, Kagero, sometimes I forget that you're supposed to be retainer to Ryoma and not Corrin."

While Corrin forced a slight chuckle, Kagero's face began to burn and she pulled up her bright yellow scarf to hide her expression, turning her head so that the lock of hair that hung down over her eye concealed her whole face. "Of course I am still devoted to Lord Ryoma, but…the well being of his little brother is also important." There was a moment of silence before she continued. "In addition to that, I consider Corrin to be a close ally of mine. This is no different than if Hinata were to give Hinoka his attention."

"I'm curious as to the kind of attention you have in mind, but I won't ask." Azura gave a mischievous smile and stepped back, walking towards the door. "I'm going to go catch up to Kaze. I'll leave you two alone now. Toodle-oo!"

Before either of the two could say anything, Azura was out of the room with the door shut behind her. Corrin cleared his throat and smoothed his hair back. "…Have you ever heard her say 'toodle-oo' before…?"

Kagero shook her head, her eyes still not meeting Corrin's. "I can't say that I have."

Corrin could not think of anything to say in response and silently cursed Azura. He never took her for the scheming type, but Sakura had once told him that she liked to play pranks as a child. Apparently she never grew out of that.

He subtly stepped to the side to get a glimpse of Kagero's face. Her blush seemed to have only grown now that the two were alone, the red hue now overtaking the entirety of her face. To Corrin, she looked absolutely stunning. She moved her eyes to the side and caught a brief look of the satisfied expression on his face only to look away once more. Neither of the two spoke for what seemed like forever until Corrin gently moved Kagero's hair aside, finally making clear her alluring visage. She bit her lip and stared at the floor.

"I am…waiting for you to kiss me."

"I know," Corrin responded. He took a step closer to her, both their hearts pounding in their chests. "But…we just suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the enemy. My brother is grieving his fallen wife. It would be inappropriate."

Kagero frowned. "I understand, you're right. Forgive me, I—" She was cut off by Corrin wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She was initially shocked from being suddenly embraced, but she soon found her mind to be put at ease by his comforting touch. She melted into him, resting her head against his chest.

"For now, let us simply be together. The remainder of the war will be a difficult time for Hoshido, and…I want to spend that time with you by my side. Promise me you'll always be there, Kagero."

The ninja gave a satisfied breath and a slow nod, raising her arms and wrapping them around Corrin. She closed her eyes and leaned into him further, listening to his beating heart.

"Always."


"I do not wish to talk about yesterday."

Silas stared at the back of the princess of Nohr herself, Kamui. The undergarments she donned were black and made of lace, something that he found odd. He never took Kamui for someone to dress particularly sexy, especially since before last night, she had never shown her body to anyone but him and occasionally Corrin.

Kamui slipped her leg into her bodysuit and paused, looking back at the knight lying in her bed. "I want to know that you heard me, Silas. Acknowledge what I said."

"I heard you. You don't want to talk about last night, that's fine." He uncovered himself and stood, stretching his arms skyward with a yawn. As a knight, his body was incredibly well defined and hardened, though he still maintained a relatively light frame. On Kamui's end, all of the fighting she had been doing had earned her some muscle in her arms and legs as well as barely visible abs, though anyone who took a quick glance at her would assume that she gained her shape from doing manual labour instead of training.

"Not just last night, you fool." Kamui's leg came forth from the opening meant for her thigh window and she rolled her eyes, proceeding to remove it and start the dressing process once more. "Everything. The battle, what happened during it, and what happened after. I want you to pretend that nothing happened yesterday. As far as you're concerned, you've lost a day of your life. Can you do that for me?"

Silas frowned and picked up the shirt that he had discarded the night before, a simple tight fitting sleeveless top made of black cotton. "My father always told me that a man's time is all he has. You would want me to give up an entire day like that?"

"If you're going to be difficult, then think of it as not a request, but an order," Kamui said in an assertive tone. She reached back and buttoned her bodysuit at the neck, pressing her lips together. "We're marching today. You should put on armor."

The knight ignored her suggestion and approached her from behind, draping his arms over her and interlocking his fingers at her stomach. She tensed up at his touch but almost immediately relaxed.

"You're giving me orders outside of the battlefield? I know you're my superior and all, but don't you think that we're past ranks at this point?" He smirked and placed a single, gentle kiss on her cheek. "Especially now that we've slept together."

"Stop it." Kamui shrugged him off and stepped away, scanning the floor for her waistguard. "You're being childish."

"You know, I had my suspicions that were a lesbian and were just pretending to like men to save face, but I guess I was wrong."

Kamui stopped moving and drew in a sharp breath. Silas took note of her body language and his smile slowly faded away. He thought that perhaps he had gone too far.

"How do you do that?" the princess asked.

Silas blinked. "Do what?"

Kamui quickly turned to face him, gritting her teeth with tears welling in her eyes. "One moment you are kind and gentle and loving, but the next moment you tease me like a schoolboy with a crush. It's as if you're two completely different people depending on your mood, and I'm sick of it. Gods, Silas, what is the matter with you?"

Immediately, a wave of guilt washed over the young knight. "Gods, sorry." He quickly approached her and put his hands on her shoulder, looking down into her scarlet eyes. "I was only joking, I didn't mean to actually make you feel bad. You know I'd never say anything to hurt you, right?"

Blinking away her tears, Kamui brushed his hands aside and turned away, then picking up the waistguard at her feet. "Silas, I want you to know that last night meant nothing to me. I was vulnerable, I needed companionship, and you were there. That's all. Don't think too much into it, lest your ego grow even larger than it already is."

Silas cocked his head to the side; he wasn't convinced. He could not believe that after sharing an incredibly intimate moment with him that she would invite him back to her bed when it meant nothing to her. Though, it was not as if anything scandalous took place. In reality, Silas had walked with her to catch up to the rest of their party and issued an order on her behalf that they would rest for the night. Hans had protested, but Garon acquiesced to Silas' order and after Kamui opened the portal, everyone went off to bed.

Once the two were alone once again, Silas had walked Kamui back to her home whilst consoling her the whole way. When they were near her bed, she slowly stripped herself of her armor, weakly crawled into bed, and asked him to stay with her for the night. As her friend as well as as a knight, he obliged without protest and slept with her.

Truthfully, Silas had half expected her to try and have sex with him, but nothing of the sort occurred. As far as he knew, she was a virgin, and it would have been odd for her to give that up after such a traumatic experience. It was the way she put her arm over him and cuddled him in bed that convinced him that something was to occur, but nothing ever came. He gave up on the very idea once he felt her body cease its trembling and stopped hearing the occasional sniffles, indicating that she had drifted asleep.

Regardless of the fact that nothing happened between them, Silas still felt far closer to her than he had before. After all, a knight sharing a bed with a princess is nothing to scoff at. To him, it meant something. Perhaps she was being truthful in that she thought nothing of it, but that ultimately did not matter.

"Daughter!"

Kamui jumped in surprise and immediately turned her head to the window. She scurried over to peek out and spotted her father standing at the tree's base directly on the sigil, Iago at his side as usual. Kamui bit down on her tongue and marched over to Silas, beginning to shove him away.

"H-hey! I can walk, you know!"

By the time he finished talking he was already in the closet. Kamui put her finger to her mouth and glared daggers at him.

"Not. A. Peep." She shut the door in his face before he could respond, then running around her room to collect her armor pieces and haphazardly putting them off before sitting at her vanity and quickly brushing her hair. It was still frazzled after a few strokes, but she tossed the brush aside and frantically ran over to the sigil on the floor, touching her finger to the outer ring.

In a flash of light, her father and his right hand man appeared in her room. Iago wore a sly smile while Garon seemed to be giving a genuine one. The larger man stepped forward and put his hand atop his daughter's head.

"I did not get the chance to say this yesterday, so I will say it now. Excellent work on the battlefield, Kamui. While it may have been Iago's spell that wiped the enemy out, your leadership paved the way for us to obtain the upper hand. You've grown into a wonderful woman and an even better general. Congratulations."

Kamui cracked a small smile, blushing. Her father's praise always made her feel happy. "Thank you, Father. I appreciate your gratitude."

"Of course. I only wish I could have said this to you before we returned to this place. Tell me, why were you so vexed when that knight took you to us?" Garon asked. "You didn't speak a word and even struggled opening the gateway to this plane."

The princess grabbed one hand with the other to stop her trembling and forced herself to maintain her smile. She couldn't tell him the whole truth of course—she didn't want to seem like a weak little girl who broke down over the death of one person—so she went with a half truth.

"Well, to be honest…forgive me, but I'm just not quite used to the reality of battle yet. I can do what has to be done, but still. Seeing all of those people suffering, burning to death, screaming…it is rather macabre, don't you think? I couldn't help but feel a little dreadful."

Iago scoffed. "Really? Come now, Kamui. How do you expect to lead an army if you lose your nerve over a thing such as that?"

"Now now, Iago." Garon removed his hand from his daughter's head and placed it at his side. "She's still young. She only fought her first battle a handful of weeks ago. Allow her ample time to get used to things."

The king walked over to a chair that Kamui had set by her bed and sat down, huffing as he did. "These bones have gotten old…Kamui, you may not be of my blood, but you certainly have my heart. I was a cowardly fighter when I first took up the sword in the name of Nohr. Your grandfather wanted me to defend our kingdom against invaders just like he and his father before him had done. However, I was not the prodigy he wanted me to be. After my first battle, I was demoted from commander to just another soldier. I simply couldn't handle all of the blood and killing. Over time, however, I grew numb to it. Once I no longer feared the smell of blood, my skill as a soldier increased tenfold and I regained my position in no time. Now, fear not. I won't demote you—you've proven yourself much too capable for that. Simply heed my words and take your time. I'm sure that you'll get used to it in no time."

Kamui couldn't help but frown. She wanted to reject his words, but really, he was right. Her first battle without Corrin had made her vomit, but she had been getting used to seeing corpses lying around a battlefield. She was having an easier time taking the lives of her enemies as well. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Yes, Father. I promise you that these feelings will be gone soon. I can't let my emotions get in the way of my leadership."

Garon nodded proudly. "Just as I taught you, good." The old man turned his head to look out the window, staring up at the clouds. "I only wish that your brother could have been by your side fighting with you. It's a shame that he turned traitor."

"On that note, your majesty," Iago chimed in. "After the battle last night, why did we not pursue the Hoshidans? I had been under the impression that we had intended to capture Corrin, but you let him go without a second thought. Might I ask why?"

The king waved the question off. "It would have been a hassle wading through all the corpses as well as his companions just to get to him. Worry not, Iago. He'll be ours once again in due time."

"Um," Kamui bit her lip and held her hands behind her back, a single bead of nervous sweat rolling down her forehead as her heart rate began to gradually increase. "Once we do capture him, what do you plan on doing with him? That is, what will his punishment be?"

Garon put it plainly. "Why, kill him, of course."

Immediately, the color drained from her face and her hands began to shake. She had the urge to grab her sword right then and there. Iago could warp away whenever he pleased, but Garon was trapped in the room for as long as she wished for him to be there. She could take hold of the Yato and quickly dispatch the mage and then attack her father, who had no apparent need for a weapon in the home of his own daughter. Better yet, she could call for Silas to attack Iago from inside of the closet and then take care of Garon right away.

What am I thinking? She bit down on her tongue and squeezed her hands together. I can't kill my own father! That makes me no better than Corrin!

Kamui could not assassinate a king in her own home, let alone her father, but she also could not let them kill Corrin. Regardless of his loyalty, he was still her brother. She wished to fight and defeat him herself, but…she did not want him dead. She did, however, want him kneeling before her with her sword at his throat. He was still a traitor, and he had to answer for that one way or another.

The young princess was abruptly jerked out of her own head by the next words her father spoke. "Would you like to do it?"

She blinked once, unsure of exactly what he was asking. "My apologies, but…what do you mean?"

"Would you like to be the one to put an end to his life?" Garon asked. "It would be fitting. You two grew up together and in the end, he made the wrong decision and committed the ultimate act of betrayal. I'm sure he would kill you if you got the chance, so you should feel no remorse about doing the same to him. I should do it myself as king, but I want to give my daughter a chance to enact her retribution. Do you have an answer for me?"

With her throat tight and dry, Kamui shuffled where she stood and scratched at the back of her hand. "I'm not entirely sure right now, Father. May I answer at a later date?"

"Of course you can. We're in no rush."

Iago put his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, tapping his foot on the outer ring of the sigil on the floor. "I do not wish to rush you, my lord, but remember we said we would discuss the future with Hans this morning. Shall we be going?"

"Yes, yes." Garon placed his hands on the armrests of the chair and huffed as he pushed himself up, then making his way to Iago's side. "Kamui, we'll be marching in about an hour. Our current plan is to arrive back in Cyrkensia and then take a boat directly back to Krakenburg. Once there, we'll hold a war council meeting with the other generals of the army to discuss plans for the future. I'll tell you now that they're all men much older than you, so try not to be intimidated."

Kamui was almost certain that she could face any one of those in a duel and emerge victorious, but she knew better than to say so in front of either her father or Iago. "Yes, Father. We'll be ready to march within the hour. I will see you then."

Both the king and his advisor nodded at Kamui, though Iago's expression was much more annoyed. Taking great pleasure in banishing him from her presence, Kamui knelt down and touched her fingertips to the sigil and left herself once again with Silas. She let out a deep breath and knelt in silence for a few moments before Silas came stepping out of the closet with a very irked look on his face.

"Gods, why do you have so many dresses? You don't even wear any of them!" He closed the closet door behind him and walked over to Kamui's side. "Your dad seems a lot nicer than the last time I talked to him. Iago is still an ass, though."

"Did you hear him?" Kamui asked, ignoring his comments. "We're marching. Like I told you. Get your armor on."

With a heavy groan, Silas gathered his armor pieces from the ground and shuffled over to the dragon vein sigil. "Yeah, I've got you. Do you mind sending me out of here?"

The princess knelt down once more and gave her knight a hard and serious look, staring him directly in his green eyes. "Remember. Not a peep about any of this. Not the events of yesterday, not the events of last night, not my father's visit. If you disobey, I'll have your head on a pike. Got it?"

"You are way too worried about this stuff, but yes, I've got it."

"Good." Kamui sent him away at once as he rolled his eyes. Finally, she was alone. She still had plenty of time before they were scheduled to leave the Astral Plane and begin marching, so she stepped over to her bed and threw herself onto it, smothering her face in her pillow. It was miraculously dry; she figured that it would have been damp with either tears or drool or perhaps both.

Rolling over, Kamui stared at the ceiling with a frown and dark eyes. She tried to push the thoughts out of her head, but always seemed to fail. The sound of that woman screaming as her final sound she made and the sight of Hans' ax cutting through her neck and severing her head from her body would forever be etched into her mind. The way her body stood without a head for a moment before crumbling lifelessly to the ground…Kamui felt bile rising in her throat and forced it down. She was finding it easier not to get physically sick over these things, but the thought of it all haunted her still. Who was she? Did she have a family? Why was she fighting? What was even her name? She was the leader no doubt—Hans would not have made an example of her had she just been a random soldier—so how did she come to attain that position? The fact that she would never know did not sit quite right with Kamui and only made her feel even worse.

Every soldier that she had ever killed had a life. They weren't just a nameless body in a uniform, they were people. They were people with families, friends, loved ones, aspirations. The first time that she had ever thought about this was when she spared Yuzu in front of the Sevenfold Sanctuary weeks ago, but she felt as if she had shoved those thoughts aside in order to perform better in battle. All of those corpses that had once been people that were burned by Iago's final attack had people that were waiting for them to come home who would never see them again, and if they did, all they would get would be an unrecognizable charred husk of a human body.

Kamui had thought that she had cried herself dry, but apparently she was wrong.


"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Days later, Kamui was pulled into a warm hug from her older brother in the halls of Castle Krakenburg. It had been so long since she had stepped foot into the castle that she had almost forgotten how at home she felt within its walls and how at home she felt within Xander's arms. Once the two stopped hugging, he went to hug Camilla and Kamui took Leo into her embrace.

"Yes, it has. I've been making quite the progress in my studies, if you're wondering. I can cast most of the spells I've learned without even having their tome! Impressive, isn't it?" Leo put on a smug expression and waited to receive praise from his siblings, but was utterly disappointed when none came.

"Have you gotten taller?" Camilla asked, placing her hand flat on Leo's head. "I feel like you've gotten taller. Oh, my baby brother is getting bigger and bigger by the day. Soon you'll be taller than me! Can't you just stay this height forever?"

Kamui snickered. She and Leo were practically the same height, but he was ever so slightly taller. The aforementioned mage crossed his arms.

"Absolutely not! I'm a growing boy, after all."

"But for how much longer?" Elise asked with a giggle.

Xander held up his hand and shook his head, trying not to laugh. "Now now, let's not tease him. We've only just reunited and already we're getting on Leo's case. It's just like when we were kids, isn't it?" The eldest child began to walk forward and beckoned for his younger siblings to follow. "So, tell us. What have you been up to since we've seen you last?"

"Ooh ooh, I'll answer!" Elise volunteered. "We went to the Sevenfold Sanctuary in Notre Sagesse, we met the Rainbow Sage—he died, though—and then we went to go see a singer in the Cyrkensia Opera House! But uh…we never got to see anyone sing. It was a trap, I think. Corrin and his soldiers were there. He tried to assassinate Father…in the end, we wound up leaving on our own."

Xander's expression darkened, as did Leo's. "So you fought Corrin, did you…"

"No," Kamui blurted out. "That is, Elise didn't. Neither did Camilla. I had Jakob protect Elise and had Camilla escort Father to safety. Azura…they had us under some sort of illusion spell. She sang a song that made Father ill. He wasn't the only one affected—a few people in the audience were, too. I assume that it was magic. Leo, do you know anything about that?"

Shaking his head, the scholar let out a disappointed sigh. "No, I can't say that I do. If I were to take a guess, I would say that whatever type of magic it was targeted something specific about someone and affected them based on that. Did the audience members have anything in common that you noticed?"

Kamui placed her finger on her chin and thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I can't say that I do."

"Then it likely was looking for something that isn't immediately apparent. Maybe something about their past or…well, if they have darkness in their heart."

Camilla frowned. "Why would you suggest that?"

"Oh come now, Sister. We all know that Father isn't the most noble or valiant man; I'm only pointing out a possibility."

"Father is fine!" Kamui interjected. "Recently, he's been much more kind than he used to be. He treats me like I'm one of you now—like I'm his own blood. He talks to me like a normal father would his daughter. I'm not saying that he's a completely changed man, but…he's turning over a new leaf."

Leo shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll believe it when I see it." He gestured to his blood siblings and smirked. "I know that you three don't like it when I badmouth Father, but I didn't expect Kamui to join you. Let's see if I get ganged up on even more now."

"Leo, you know we're only teasing you." Xander gave a reassuring smile to his brother and shook his head. "We don't mean any harm by it. If it genuinely hurts you, then we'll stop. We're not cruel."

"It's fine, it's fine," Leo said as he waved it off. "You all take pleasure in it, so by all means carry on."

They could all tell that the young boy was not truly fine, but they thought it best not to pry any further. After walking for a minute or two more, they finally arrived at the doors of Castle Krakenburg's throne room. Kamui naturally tensed up, as something good rarely happened whenever she stood before the double doors.

"I wonder why he called all of us here," Elise said. "Hm…now that we've had a pretty major victory in the war, he wants to brief us on the next steps? Ooh! Xander, Leo, maybe he's going to let you two fight with us now!"

The eldest son gave a chuckle, knocking twice on the door. "We'll see, Elise."

"Enter." Garon's voice sounded from past the doors. Kamui did not like the tone of his speaking. In the one word that left his mouth, she sensed that he was extremely tired. Garon was not a very kind man when he was tired.

Xander pushed through the doors and wiped his smile from his face. He was greeting his father, after all, and had to show proper etiquette. The rest of the children did the same, walking down the carpeted red path and standing before the throne. Garon rested his head on his hand, propped up on the armrest. His eyes were low and his mouth partially open, his breathing slow and heavy. Next to him stood Iago, a small smile on his face. Kamui looked concerned and tilted her head.

"Father? Are you alright? You don't appear to be well."

The king did not answer. Instead, he gave his children a weak smile. "You are each so strong. I want you to know that I am proud of you." He spoke slowly, every word taking a bit of effort. The siblings frowned at each other, clearly sensing that something was wrong. The king grunted and groaned as he forced himself to stand, taking a small step forward towards his children.

"Xander, my firstborn. You are one of the finest fighters I have ever come across. You are strong and passionate, qualities that any ruler must have in order to succeed. You will make a fine king one day."

He turned to Camilla, who clasped her hands together over her chest. "Camilla, loving and motherly Camilla. You are a fearsome warrior and yet such a tender sister. I want you to take care of your brothers and sisters for me."

Next up was Kamui, who began to anxiously grind her teeth. "Oh, Kamui. How I wish I was better to you. It was wrong of me to seal both you and Corrin away in the fortress for so long. It was wrong of me to steal you away. But I do not regret doing so. I would not know you and you would not be the person you are not if I had not. You have grown so much, and I am very proud of you. Win this war for Nohr."

Then came Leo, who refused to meet his father's eyes. He was not used to such praise and loathed waiting to receive it. "Leo, I believe that you have worked harder than anyone else to get where you are. You are an admirable mage and a man deserving of respect. Know that you are much better than you believe yourself to be."

Finally there was Elise, who Garon sighed upon coming to. "Sweet Elise. The kindest heart in the country and I've squandered it making you fight a war. I implore you to continue to use your natural talents to heal those in need, and maintain your positivity for everyone's sake."

Elise bit her lip and kicked at the carpet nervously. "Thank you, Father, but I'm not sure I understand. Why are you telling us this now?"

"Can a father not praise his children simply because he wishes to?" Iago asked with a snicker. "You should be grateful, little girl. It's not often the king gives out compliments."

A sense of uneasiness came over Kamui as her father stepped back and returned to sit on his throne, slowly closing his eyes. "I put my trust in you all to ensure that our country prospers. I lo—" The king suddenly jerked straight up and his eyes snapped open, his mouth hanging low. His children all stared frozen in awe as the whites of his eyes glazed over black like a bowl being filled with ink.

Xander managed to pull his attention away from his father long enough to catch Iago with a pleased smile, his hand raised stiffly in the air. "Iago! What is the meaning of this?!" he shouted, stomping towards the mage. With a snap of Iago's fingers, the man was suddenly forced back and flew through the air briefly before sliding across the carpet, his cape being torn up in the process.

"Oh, only getting what should have been mine in the first place. Watch it now, Xander. I'd rather not kill any of you, but I will not hesitate if you force my hand."

"Stop this at once! This is treason!" Camilla barked with an enraged look on her face. "How dare you use your magic on the king? I'll have your head for this!"

"U-unhand my father right this instant!" Kamui quickly drew her sword and wrapped her hands tightly around the hilt, aiming it at Iago. Her entire body was trembling, evident by the way the tip of the Yato was pointing in a different direction every second.

Iago gave a hearty guffaw and smiled sinisterly at the girl, shaking his head. "Oh, Kamui, you foolish little girl. Your father is no longer with us. What you just witnessed were his last moments—how tragic! What you're seeing now is nothing but an empty vessel. Now, feast your eyes upon his true form!"

A morbid groan escaped Garon's mouth as his muscles relaxed, his arms going slack and his head hanging to the side. He was too relaxed. His youngest daughter stared in horror and screamed as his flesh seemed to melt off of his body, turning into a sickly grey slime-like substance that eventually made up his entire being. His cloak slipped off of his shoulders and his crown sank into his head as several thin openings appeared in the area that used to be his chest, a bright red glow peering through them and moving around randomly. The monster that was once the king weakly raised his arm and stared Kamui directly in her eyes, heavy droplets of sludge dripping from his fingertips. Where his eyes would be were instead a pair of small, glowing violet dots.

Kamui's legs gave out and she fell to her knees, still pointing the Yato at Iago. "N-no…change him back…what did you do?"

Gritting her teeth, Camilla turned towards the door and began to sprint towards it only to have it slam shut when Iago snapped his fingers. She tried and tried to get it to open, but to no avail.

"They won't open! We're stuck!"

"Father!" Elise cried, reaching out to the monster before her.

Xander rose to his feet and drew Siegfried from its scabbard, aiming the blade at Iago. "Die!" he shouted. From the tip of the sword, a sinister looking beam of what appeared to be a dark purple aura shot straight out and towards Nohr's grandmaster. Iago simply swatted the attack away and redirected it into a pillar, causing it to dissipate upon contact.

"Illusion magic," Leo told himself in a hushed tone. "It must be. Father can't…"

"I'd love to stay to watch this, but I wouldn't want you to focus your attention on little old me. Have fun dealing with dear old dad, now!" Iago turned his head towards the beast and his smile fading, shifting into a dark scowl. "Kill them."

Iago vanished in a puff of purple smoke as the beast closed its liquid fists and roared in a guttural tone, screaming towards the ceiling. From its arm emerged Bölverk, Garon's ax. The weapon had a long handle pointed with a gold tip and the blade resembled the fin of a sea serpent, the sharp edges being plated in gold while the rest of the blade was a dark onyx. Instead of walking, the monster simply leaned forward and advanced, leaving a trail of its sludge behind.

"Kamui, come on!" Xander grabbed his sister by her underarm and pulled her to her feet, making sure that she was standing before letting go. "Sister, you have to focus! It's life or death here!"

"B-but…Father is—"

"He's gone!" Xander shouted. "Didn't you hear Iago? That's not our father anymore! Now go!" He shoved her to the side as the beast slammed its ax down, embedding the blade into the stone floor before removing it with ease.

After squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head in a panic, Camilla ran over to Elise and took her by the shoulders to pull her as far from the monster as she could. "Elise, we have to stay safe. I don't have any weapons; I can't fight. Don't let it touch you, okay?"

Instead of giving a verbal response, the young princess simply looked up at her big sister with tears in her eyes, sniveling before giving a nod and running to the wall with her. Witnessing this, Leo grinded his teeth in anger and charged his hands with lightning.

"Begone, monster!" he cried as he extended his arm out. The electricity jumped from his fingertips to the beast's body, but seemingly had no effect aside from agitating it even further. It extended its free hand and suddenly its arm extended out, the massive open palm slamming into Leo and forcing him into the wall.

"Leo!" Kamui looked to her little brother before looking back to the monster, shaking her head. How had this happened so quickly? Not two minutes ago she was smiling with her siblings, and now she was supposed to fight the being that was once her father. You can't choke now, Kamui. If you do, you die. They die. You have to fight.

With rage in her eyes, Kamui let out a war cry and rushed towards the monster with her blade at the ready. She raised her weapon and swung it forward as she ran past it, cutting clean though its body. Looking back, she was shocked to find that she had only succeeded in slicing through its liquid form and had not actually damaged it at all. The red glowing sphere within its body spun in circles, seeming to taunt her.

"Hyah!" Xander attacked next, delivering several diagonal slashes to the monster with the light dodging each of them. Once again, there was no effect. The beast raised its ax and brought it down heavy, landing a direct hit and cutting through Xander's armor. The prince shouted in pain and fell to the ground, dropping his weapon weakly.

"Xander!" Elise immediately sprinted towards her brother and slid across the carpet to his side, beginning to heal him despite the monster being right before her. Kamui knew that she had to get the attention off of Elise, so she shouted to distract it.

"Hey! I'm not done with you yet!" she shouted with confidence, her red eyes burning with passion. Turning its neck at an unnatural angle, the miscreation leaned forward and began to quickly rush towards Kamui with its ax raised. Her eyes glinted briefly and her wings sprouted from her back, wrapping around her body to protect her. She winced in pain as the sharp blade cut through the membrane of her wings, but forced herself through it and pulled them back before grabbing the ax's handle close to the blade and jerking her arm backwards, managing to free it from the monster's grasp. The weight of the ax and the way she was holding it was too much for her to handle, however, and she ended up falling down.

Miraculously, Camilla appeared at her side and picked the weapon up with ease, then pulling Kamui up. "Our attacks aren't doing anything to him!"

"I can see that." Camilla pressed her lips together and stared at the monster, who stood still now that it was disarmed. Xander rose behind him and Leo arrived at his side moments later. Now with adversaries both in front of and behind it, it slowly raised its arm in the air before beginning to expel its own body, covering the area around it in sludge. The siblings managed to avoid being covered in it, as they knew that that would significantly slow down their movement.

Leo manifested a large spike of ice in the air and sent it flying forward through the creature's body. It would have made direct contact with the glowing light in its body had it not moved out of the way at the last second.

"I'm certain of it. It's the light. You all see the circle in its chest, right?" Kamui asked, her siblings nodding in response. "It hasn't been touched once; it moves out of the way any time we get close. Try and damage it. That may be the only way to hurt it."

"Right." Xander responded. Him and Camilla both bolted towards the mired monster and swung their weapons at once. The light moved out of the way to avoid Xander's slash and had to immediately adjust its position in order to not be struck by Camilla. Leo sent a bolt of lightning through the monster's chest and managed to strike the red orb, causing the beast to cry out in pain. Its yelling was loud enough that Elise had to cover her ears for the duration, only lowering her hands when Kamui tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excellent work, Leo!" Xander called as he continued his onslaught of sword slashes. "Kamui, assist us!"

"I'm on it!" Kamui pat Elise's back twice before kicking off of the floor and took several long strides towards the creature, spinning on her heel to cut through its body and then transforming her arm into a lance, giving another slash.

Camilla was knocked to the ground when the monster slammed its arm into her back, then turning its attention to Kamui and Xander. The siblings dashed back to avoid the swinging arms of the beast and paused to catch their breath. Kamui was about to dive in and attack once more when Xander drew in a sharp breath, loud enough to get her attention.

"Your sword…" he said in awe, his brow furrowed and his eyes focused on the blade in Kamui's hand. The princess looked down at her hand and her eyes widened upon seeing the white glow emitting from it. She then noticed that the very same glow was coming from Siegfried.

"What's happening?" Elise asked, moving closer to her siblings along with Leo. "Why are their swords—"

Elise's final words were drowned out as a loud piercing sound reverberated throughout the area out the light flashed, temporarily blinding those present. When the sound died down and the light faded, Xander looked at Siegfried and found it unchanged. Kamui, however, now held a new blade in her hand.

The blade of the Yato was now much wider, as was the crossguard. A dim purple light now surrounded the blade's edge and the bottom indentation on the blade was filled with a small gem of the same hue. Kamui's eyes squinted at this new development.

"What is…?"

"The Grim Yato." Leo moved his hair out of his eyes and stared at the blade, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. "When the Yato is in the presence of another weapon forged by the First Dragons, it has the potential to transform into another state…I'll explain everything later. Let us keep fighting!"

Now with a new weapon at her whim, Kamui was fired up and fully prepared to carry on her assault on the creature that was once her father. "Grah!" she cried, lunging forward and stabbing into its liquid body. Xander followed suit, using the length of Siegfried to maintain his distance as he attacked. Anytime there wasn't a blade in the monster's chest, Camilla swung forth her father's ax in an attempt to hit its life source. The light's movements grew smaller and more precise in scale, as it was no longer able to move around freely without being hit.

From beneath the velveteen carpet sprouted a small tree with sharp branches, tiny twigs with equally tiny leaves sticking out from it. The tree sprouted directly beneath the monster, who roared as its dripping sludge was spattered across the ground. It reconstructed itself immediately, however, each droplet coming together to reform the monster in all its glory.

Camilla raised her weapon high and prepared to swing down, but was stopped suddenly when the beast's arm elongated and its hand wrapped around her neck. The heavy ax fell from her grip and to the ground with a loud clang as she was raised high in the air, the monster's hold on her tightening.

"No!" Xander began to frantically swing his blade in a panic, the normally composed man now desperate to release his sister from the grasp of an abomination. "Unhand her, foul miscreation!"

Kamui took a split second to take the situation in and time seemed to slow down. Xander's slashing, the kicking of Camilla's legs, Elise running towards them—they all appeared to be happening in slow motion. Right then and there, she knew what she had to do.

"Xander, move!" The young princess sheathed the Grim Yato and took hold of her left arm, raising it in the air as her eye glinted. Scales spiraled down her arm and her hand was transformed into a giant black maw with jagged razor sharp teeth. Xander put his trust in his little sister and dived to the right, giving her enough room to shove her arm forward with the maw wide before snapping down, taking a large portion of the monster's body with it.

When Kamui returned her arm to its original state, she found herself to be holding a small glowing red orb. It was warm and wet, remnants of the grey sludge still desperately clinging to it. Looking up, Kamui found that the monster had released Camilla and was now slowly losing its form. It was now evident that the orb was what held the mire together, and now that it had been removed, the monster was falling apart.

It weakly outstretched its arm towards Kamui and gave a pathetic groan, like the mewl of a dying cat. As the pieces of its body fell to the ground and instantly evaporated, it grew smaller and smaller until eventually came to no longer be. When all was said and done, all that remained of the monster was the orb and the king's crown.

Camilla coughed and rubbed the reddened area of her neck, wistfully looking to the crown on the floor. "It…it's over, isn't it?"

With solemn countenance, Xander helped Camilla to her feet and slowly nodded. "I believe it is, Sister. It seems that our father is—"

Xander's words were interrupted by the sound of slow clapping. Each of the siblings turned their attention to Garon's throne, where Iago sat with his legs crossed and an amused expression upon his pale face. "Why, bravo, children! Truthfully, that's exactly what I expected of you. Why, I'd be rather disappointed if the four of you were not able to kill something as weak as an empty vessel. It also would have proved problematic for me if I had to explain exactly what happened to one or more of the former king's children, so I thank you for your effort."

"You killed our father!" Kamui screamed, drawing the Grim Yato once more and stepping towards him. "You'll die for this, Iago!"

"Ooh, I wouldn't get close if I were you!" The mage wagged his finger and chuckled. "You saw what I did to your brother earlier, didn't you? Know that I'm not afraid to do a bit of damage, girlie. Just be a good little princess; stand there and listen."

Kamui tightly clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms and threatening to draw blood. She wanted to lunge at him and rip him limb from limb, she wanted him to feel the most intense pain imaginable, she wanted to eviscerate his very essence. Unfortunately, she knew that she would not be successful if she were to try. Instead, she contented herself to verbal attacks.

"Off the throne, jester," she said through tightly gritted teeth. "The king sits there."

"How witty! But I'm afraid that there no longer is a king, is there?"

"What are you on about, fool?" Xander asked, stepping forward. "If my father is no longer with us, then I am automatically appointed as the king of Nohr. As for my first decree, you can be sure that I'll put you to a hasty execution."

Iago's smile shifted from one of amusement to one of smugness. "Will you now? Well, before you do that, I implore you to take a gander at this for just a moment." With a flourish of his hand, purple flames appeared before him and from them came a large document with the official seal of Nohr stamped onto it. Iago sent it forward to the siblings with confidence.

Elise took hold of the document when it reached her and Leo began to read it aloud. "...To the people of Nohr, the leaders of all other nations, and my children, I, Garon II of House Disendra, in the event of my passing hereby bestow upon my grandmaster tactician and close friend, Iago of House Desdemona, the royal crown and with it the title of King of Nohr."

A heavy silence hung in the air for several moments before it was broken by Elise. "You…you forged this! It's fake! Father would never do something like this! What's stopping us from tearing this up right now?!"

"Aha!" Iago loudly laughed, leaning forward and covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "I assure you it's real, little one. Feel free to rip it to pieces, there have already been several copies made. The High Council of Nohr has known about this for weeks anyway, so it's not as if it matters."

"How could you ever get him to write something like this…?" Camilla inquired in a breath. "It must have been a spell. You tricked him or, or something! If he were in his right mind, he never would have written this!"

Iago waved the question off and rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't mind the details now, Camilla. All that matters now is that I have finally obtained the position I've deserved all along. King!" He raised his arms high in the air and gave a joyous laugh once more. "Me, Iago, king! Ah, it's such a wonderful feeling!"

"We'll tell people!" Leo spat. "We'll tell every last soul in the country what you did— what we had to do! Don't think that this will last!"

"Tell people?" Iago repeated. "Do you not realize how worthless you are now? You're all the old king's children! Three of you born of whores, one of the former queen, and the last is not even of Nohrian blood! Do you sincerely think that the people of this country care about you? Now, it would look bad of me to kill you all so soon, but if you were committing treason…well now, that's another story."

Kamui opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. Once again, she was unable to speak out. She couldn't tell anyone of Hans' actions at the Bottomless Canyon nor could she tell anyone the truth behind her father's murder. Here she was, standing powerless once again.

"Oh? No response? Excellent! You all understand!" Iago gave a joyous clap and stood, flourishing his hand once more. The holes, cracks, and dents that had been created in the throne room mended themselves at once. Then, he stared directly into Xander's eyes with a victorious yet devious smile as he drew the Nohrian crown towards him. All hope within Elise's heart was lost and Leo despairingly tracked the crown as it floated towards Iago. Camilla had to use all of her willpower in order to force herself to not chuck the ax in her hand at him with all of her might when it came to sit atop his head.

"Now this, this feels good." Iago snickered. "Now then, children. I'm off to inform the High Council of the former king's untimely demise. Worry not, I already have a story in mind and I possess ways to procure a body. All you five must do is corroborate whatever I say and we won't have an issue. Do I make myself clear?"

"You're going to die." Xander declared with more confidence than anyone could have ever hoped to speak with. "Whether it be by my blade, Kamui's sword, Camilla's ax or Leo's book, you, Iago, are going to die. For years upon years you've done everything in your power to make things difficult for us. You've fed our father false information, you're the one that sent Kamui to the Ice Tribe where she nearly froze to death, and you…" He looked to his sister with apologetic eyes before turning back to Iago. "You are the one who stole her memories away. You are a horrible, wretched creature, and your death will come swiftly."

Iago's smile faded and was replaced with a look of disgust, though he simply shook his head and sighed. "Oh, Xander. Hubris. That will be your downfall, little prince. I bid each of you farewell, and a good night. Expect to attend a funeral in the next few days, followed by a coronation. Don't mess anything up. It will only mean your heads."

With a final flourish, the mage disappeared in an inferno of purple flame. Kamui felt her knees begin to wobble and her legs threatened to give out under her, but her trembling was halted by Xander's hand on her shoulder. Camilla put her arm around Kamui's shoulders and Leo stepped forward as well, wrapping his arms around his siblings. Finally, Elise did her best to hug as many of her siblings as she could, more tears welling in her eyes.

"We'll put an end to this," Leo said. "Together. The five of us."

"I'm sure of it. We're all strong. Somehow, someway, we'll fix this. We'll put Xander rightfully on his throne and everything will work out just fine." Camilla nodded as she spoke, her lip quivering.

Kamui closed her eyes and prepared to cry, but nothing came. She did not have any thoughts on her lack of tears. There was not much that she cared about at that moment. At this point, she had no more tears left to cry.

"Let us pray that fate wills it so."


A/N: And thus ends Part I of If Fate Wills it So. I truly do hope that everyone that's been reading has been enjoying their time with this story so far. It's something I've put a lot time into over the years, and while it's certainly not perfect, I'm happy with it if I can give a couple people some joy.

Now, let's give a little background real fast, shall we? I started writing this story in mid 2016 on a whim just because I wanted to adapt Fire Emblem Fates, a game that I loved at the time. However, combing through the game in preparation for the story made me like it...a lot less. Like, a lot less. It's my least favorite game in the series now, and this is coming from someone who's played every game outside of the Jugdral titles. So, I continued writing it with the goal of making the Fates story better, which I hope I've done a decent job of so far, though the major changes have yet to come.

You'd figure I'd have this done by now considering the fact that it's been almost four years, but note that I was a freshman in high school at the start of this and now I'm a freshman in college. Through nearly five years of school, struggling with depression, numerous rewrites, and a lot of other life issues, this story hasn't really been given the attention I should have given it over the years. To make a long story short, we're nearly caught up to the point where I haven't written any further.

Now, there're still a few chapters until we get to that point, but in the interest of keeping up a consistent update schedule, I'm going to go ahead and put this story on a short little hiatus. It'll only last a month, and seeing as how this story is updated bi-weekly, you'll only be missing two updates. Don't fret! I promise it's all just to make sure that the coming chapters are the best that they can be. As always, don't forget to leave a comment if you have any thoughts you'd like to be heard, and I hope you all have yourselves a good one~!