A/N: There is a Support to be had, and oh look… another double Sky Knight! However, this time it's less about Pegasi and Naginata training and more on… name chart! Yes! Due to the increasing amount of 'custom names', and since it was pointed out in the past, I will now be including a name chart reminiscent of the one in 'Corrin, of the Wolfskin'! Though, do note: I will be including the names introduced in this chapter, as well as names of Mounts who haven't been named yet, since I don't consider them 'spoilery' enough. However! You might be surprised at where the names come from for some! Except maybe for Leo, because he just has to show off his Intellect and choose the most absurd and hard to pronounce name ever… actually, none of the Nohrian Royals picked any 'easy' names… oh well, that's what the (Translation) part is for! Go ahead and refer to them by their Common translation!
Also do note that Hinoka is the only one who both named and calls to her mount… in Common.
Name, Language (Translation) [Notes]: Yasei, Vallite (Wild) [Corrin's name]. Purotekutā no Kyōdai ai, Vallite (Protector of Sibling Love) [Corrin's custom-made Naginata]. Hoshizora Seiza, Vallite (Starry Constellation [Lilith's Mother]. Firechaser, Common [Hinoka's M!Pegasus]. Jiyū, Vallite (Freedom) [Lathna's F!Pegasus]. Kanpeki, Vallite (Perfection) [Subaki's M!Pegasus]. Katáktisi, Nohrian (Conquest) [Xander's Stallion] Ouranós Trómos, Nohrian (Skyterror) [Camilla's M!Wyvern]. Μαύρο άλογο, Nohrian (Dark Horse) [Leo's Stallion, though his siblings call him Alastor). Baranotsubomi, Hoshidan (Rosebud) [Elise's Mare].
Consort: Ooo, the mysteries of foreshadowing… and the smaller details! Aw, I know… I wanted the Best Human Husbando there too, but not this time. Don't worry, he's still out there, just not this battle. Besides, don't forget that the First Contact Battle this time brought in an extra three units (Lilith, Lathna, and Ignis), so I kinda needed to balance that out a bit. Oh! I'm sure you noticed that the Flying Units were… Dismounted! Yes, just like in Three Houses, Mounted Units can Dismount!
Daddy Anankos done made 'His Yasei' quite angry from the lack of communication with Lilith, you bet she's going to set him straight! Family is a huge thing with Yasei… maybe even moreso than a certain Red and Silver Scaled Dragonborn?
I knew you would! But… yes. Festals are strictly Utility and Healing based… or are they? Maybe Hoshido still does have the Hexing Rod, but it's kept under 'lock and key'? Hrm...
Antex: Yes… soldiers that were dead and… resurrected? Now! Keep in mind that there are two different types of 'dead rising' spells. There is turning them into Faceless (as in canon), but now there's also a more classic 'Zombie' style resurrection.
In one corner, we have a retainer who has served Corrin for 16 years straight! Jakooob! In the other corner, we have a man who trained for 16 years straight to become Corrin's retainer! Kaaaaze! Erm. Also, move aside Azura, you aren't the only one who can have singing in their Supports!
A big (and almost lethal) oof there. After that first strike, Yasei was slowly bleeding out. It's a real-good thing that those Nohrian Soldiers crumpled over like wet paper, or else she would've succumbed to her Wound! Remember to never 'brave face' such high-risk areas, as she went from smoothly assuring her Sister to probably sending her into a worried panic, and Jakob!
Namu Rosutoai: The 'Retainer Feud' is just between Jakob and Kaze... Felicia has no part in this competition, she's just happy to be here!
It made total sense! Though, despite Rinkah, the brute force truck that she is, being in an area stuffed with magic and first aid equipment, at least she had something to do.
Exactly! And it doesn't have to be an 'extra turn' boost, with what we saw, it could be Felicia making an ice patch on the ground, creating a hazard for the enemies!
Jakob will learn, and Jakob will not be happy. Yasei is going to get quite the earful when she wakes up... not just from Jakob, but also Sakura, Hana, Felicia, and... pretty much everyone who cares for her.
Subaki watches with an interested smile as this… Kitsune Sky Knight, Lathna, performs some 'highly-specialized' aerial tricks for those in Fort Jinya as a sort of… motivational boost. He's already caught wind of her 'daring attack' against Princess Camilla of Nohr, where she apparently pounced from her mount, to Lady Camilla, knocking her off, and then jumping off of Lady Camilla and back onto her own mount. Even knowing that she's a Kitsune, Subaki had a hard time believing it…
Until now, because Lathna is now doing her 'signature trick', which goes like this:
Lathna and Jiyū gain a fair amount of altitude, probably more than what most Sky Knights deal with, though Subaki is sure he could go that high. She then rears Jiyū into an almost free-fall, and once they are a few dozen feet from the ground, she guides her up into a massive loop. As she's nearing the top of the loop, she shapeshifts into a Kitsune, as she apparently has these small 'hook-holes' carved into her saddle that allows her to remain mounted as a Kitsune, even when Jiyū is banked completely to the left, right… or upside down. However, as they are about to reach the top of the loop, Jiyū straightens out so that Lathna is on top, and then…
Lathna pounces skyward, directly up and Jiyū continues his loop. Each and every person watching goes into a stunned silence, while Subaki observes with a critically perfect gaze. Time seems to slow down as Lathna falls from a more than lethal height to any standard Sky Knight, and right as it seems Jiyū was too late…
She lands on her saddle, with Jiyū giving no more than a few inches from the impact, seemingly unbothered by her 'insane rider' landing onto her after falling for over five seconds. She shifts back, guides Jiyū to the ground, and gives the entire audience the single most beautiful smile, adorned with flashing a few of her canines. Her hair has obviously been windswept from this.
Subaki sees it in her eyes, too… freedom. With the show over, and after she receives 'wow' and 'how long…?' and other such questions, Subaki walks forward… head high, posture perfect. "That was spectacular, Lathna!" He smoothly bows, "You as well, Jiyū."
She glances him over, her sharp Vulpine-style eyes undoubtedly catching details most humans can't do, she then smirks. "Enjoyed yourself, huh?" Her attitude is undeniably chipper and good-willed… Subaki's would be too, if he could, even for five seconds, defy all expectations for the laws of nature and free-fall safely. "Don't think we had a proper moment to chat, have we? Name's Lathna, befriended Lilith on the way over here." She grooms Jiyū with her… claws. However, they seem to be working as well as any brush, so as long as her Pegasus is being maintained, and if anything, Jiyū seems to appreciate the light scratching.
Subaki won't point it out or complain, she and her Pegasus are clearly bonded on a level of the most Expert of Sky Knights. "I'm afraid not, but… shouldn't the man go first?" He smiles, a tinge of humor in his voice. "My name is Subaki, retainer to Lady Sakura, the youngest Princess of Hoshido." He gives a second, and far more formal, bow. "My Pegasus, [Kanpeki], is currently in the stables."
She quirks an eyebrow up. "You named your Pegasus 'Perfection'? My my, isn't someone a bit confident?" She giggles afterward.
"And you named yours 'Freedom'." He counterpoints with a smile.
She tilts her head, "Indeed, I have. Though, I'm surprised you are aware of that term… it is an older form of Hoshidan, after all."
"For the sake of preparation, I have studied any and all forms of Hoshidan, Common, and for what I could find, Nohrian. I can speak and form sentences in Archaic, Old, and Current Hoshidan. There always has been, and still is only one form of Common, due to it being the 'binding language' between Nohr and Hoshido. My Nohrian is lacking, if only because I cannot secure a book here in Hoshido. Once she recovers and is willing to spare the time, I'll likely ask Lady Corrin for lessons."
He knows… Archaic Hoshidan?! Lathna pauses for a moment, taken aback by that claim, though her facial expression remains primarily upbeat and happy. "I didn't realize there was a form of Hoshidan older than… well, the Old Hoshidan." She neutrally states, no… he couldn't. It has been far too long since Valla had any influence on this world.
Oh, she's interested! 'For the sake of preparation' indeed! With such interest, Subaki has to demonstrate. [Indeed there was, with the permission of my liege, I had taken to the Royal Libraries of Hoshido, where I found a tome containing a language of Hoshidan older than any other, and within but a year of reading it, I had managed to decipher every last word.]
Th-that's not… Hoshidan. H-he's speaking… Vallite. Lathna is… at a loss for words. He's speaking Vallite! Lathna is… at a loss for words, and it's showing on her face, jaw slightly agape. "Hm? Ah, you must be wondering how I managed to decipher it?" He smoothly smiles, and… yes, that is a question on her mind, "Well, Old Hoshidan actually shares a number of words, phrases, and roots within Archaic Hoshidan, and after some particularly well-thought out assumptions and extrapolations, I managed to figure it out." Lathna slowly nods, "Impressive, yes? I'm so fascinated by how the words and letters seem to..."
"Flow together, like a river at calm." Lathna mutters.
"Well, I was going to suggest a 'gentle ocean ripples', but that works, too!" He smiles.
He… he spoke Vallite. Lathna is still partially trying to register that. How?! The only way she could think that he could reasonably decipher it is if… the late Queen Mikoto had tutored him, but even if that were true, why would she open the knowledge of the Vallite language to him? If anything, Lathna would assume that the late Queen Mikoto would share that with her children, not a retainer.
Because there's no way under her liege's name could he figure that out on his own.
She blinks her eyes as she continues to pet Jiyū. "That must've taken quite the number of hours, since I would expect this 'Archaic Hoshidan' to have stopped being used for some reason or another… how did you do it?"
He chuckles, "I don't see why it was abandoned, there doesn't seem to be any missing phrases or words, but…" He pauses, and smirks. "Full-on determination and a need for perfection. I saw this book in the Royal Library, and I knew I had to learn it. I need to be prepared for any situation that Lady Sakura could ask of me, even if it never happens, such is the duty of a retainer." His eyes are shining…
Devotion, determination… could a Human truly accomplish such a feat? Unlike her and her liege, Humans are incredibly restricted by their life spans. Even if they were born years apart, Subaki would succumb to age before her… and Lathna will be thousands of years gone before Lilith even remotely comes close to dying of age. Lilith's mother, Hoshizora Seiza, is still up and thriving, despite being over ten-thousand years old.
Lathna resolves to speak to her liege soon, she needs to bring up the topic of the 'Benefits of Humans'... again. Maybe with this bizarre exception known as 'Subaki', she'll see more reason… and maybe that will help her grow closer to Lady Yasei. She can only hope...
A/N: Two more name drops… Subaki's Pegasus is named Kanpeki, which is Vallite (Japanese) for 'Perfection'. Lilith's mother… *gasp*, Lilith's mother is now named! Hoshizora Seiza, which is 'Starry Constellation'... I was going to go for having 'Dragon' in there, but… nah.
Wait… did Subaki read the… yes, he did! And now we enter the more specifics of the (new) Vallite Curse. So, when someone speaks of Valla, then the other person, who isn't afflicted by the Curse, will be clouded with magic and unable to believe the existence of it, however! Since Subaki went into the Royal Library on his own accord, since he went out of his way to translate it himself, the Curse wasn't as strong… he only didn't believe the direct usages of 'Valla' and 'Vallite', and since the Old Hoshidan/Nohrian languages have fragments of the Vallite/Hoshidan/Nohrian languages in them, he 'rightfully' assumed that the tome he read was from a time even before Old Hoshidan was used.
Thus, Subaki can read, understand, and speak Vallite, but since the Curse still affects him, he believes that any usage of Vallite is actually Archaic Hoshidan. *boom*.