The Hoshidans who had been gathered there weren't any different from the Nohrians that they had fought. They had certainly led different lives, and perhaps not all of them were good people, but they had dreams, they had families of their own and they were fighting against a threat that, for all they knew, was out to completely annihilate their proud nation, burn down their culture and ensure the eradication of their race. They weren't simple faceless mooks who thought of simply killing Nohrians, to put it plainly. Each of the hundred people that had been gathered in the court had someone waiting for them at home, or had made their goodbye to them at the very least.
They were all going to die in the very hour. And only five could be saved and end up grasped away from the jaw of death. And the person who had to make that choice was none other than Corrin. Sakura, Yukimura and the others hadn't been put in front of the group for some reason, despite their prestigious ranks, but Garon had prevented Corrin from taking in anything more than an initial look. He could hear them though, but he was forbidden from opening his eyes, and Garon was standing near him to ensure that he wouldn't try anything.
"What's the reason behind this?! I was led to believe that Nohr would take us all prisoners! Let us go at once!" Yelled Yukimura, having recovered from his fierce battle (and healed, apparently). He struggled, as if trying to break free, but a nearby soldier decided that she has had enough and approached the tactician before punching him in the mouth, throwing the man to the ground. Xander approached quickly and then grabbed the woman by the shoulder so as to pull her away.
"Soldier!" He said. "Do not act unbefitting of your rank!"
"Apologies, milord! But that bastard." She almost spat but then remembered who she was talking to and decided to forgo that. "That bastard killed my friends at Macarath, and so many of my countrymen as well!" The woman pointed. "And yet he dare to criticize us for having mercy?"
"Your wrath towards Yukimura is shared by all of us Nohrians, but pointless violence such as this will not help." Xander said, watching Yukimura recovers. He was still wondering why the tactician would get himself in such a complicated situation. Had something happened between him and other high-ranked members of the country of the dawn? Either way, he had the soldier go back to her ranks but was approached by Iago.
"Funny how the grand general of Hoshido is reduced to being so easily touched by a mere soldier." He threw a fairly unintimidating-like laugh at Yukimura's way. "At the very least, I want to make it clear to you that you'll probably be spared, but you probably would rather kill yourself in some complicated ritual, am I right? Instead of seeing your country burn." The powerful dark mage put his hands behind his back. "You may find a new purpose as a slave though. That may seems disgraceful, but I can guarantee that after spending a few months in our prison, you'll find a slave's live to be more confortable."
"Hoshido will not fall!" Said Yukimura. "Especially if the invasion is carried by one as short-sighted as you. Tell me, Iago, how far would you be in if it weren't for those royals of yours? How well are your other units holding up?" It was Yukimura's time to shine. "How does it feel to have to put your trust in the people who hate you and who will certainly strive to remove you from power once they've secured their position? Had it not been for them, Goemon's trap would have been the end of the invasion." He said, bitterly. "But instead, the conquest of Hoshido will be put on your mediocre tactical skills, when it was carried out by the raw power of those princes and princesses." The tactician glared harshly at Xander. "But for all their power, they were too weak to refuse Garon's orders of annihilation! Behold Nohr's pride! The broken children of petty low-lives and mere concubines! Behold those who would ruthlessly murder their own siblings for power, yet refuse to stand up to their genocidal father!"
Xander frowned but ultimately walked away with as much dignity as he could muster, and Iago followed suit. "I wasn't told that the great tactician was here, and he's brought a princess with her. Why haven't you told us?"
"…. In the past, ninjas have been able to assume false identities. I was assuming that those were fakes." He glanced backwards. "And the real Yukimura and Sakura would then act later, after we've been convinced of their absence. After all, why would Yukimura be present in this place?"
"… Hrmph, that is a good enough excuse." He said. "But I wonder if they'll be saved by our dear Corrin. He has only a limited amount of people to save, doesn't he? The poor thing… Very eager to beat down on a fellow Nohrian for following orders, yet desperate to save a bunch of Hoshidans who would have all of us burned on the pyre. Isn't that wonderful, my prince?"
"Corrin has snatched victory away from the jaws of defeat many times by now. He will make his decision. Now, begone." Xander waved his hand away. "And return to my father. I've heard that his boots need some cleaning."
Iago did so, but only because that brought him closer to Corrin. The eminent mage threw a side-glance at Xander and joined up with his king. "My king, we are done with the preparations. If I may have one idea to propose." Garon coldly glared in his direction. "We… We could tell Corrin to pick only one person between Yukimura and Sakura. After all, it would be all too easy to know who he'll save." Corrin heard this of course, and turned at Iago to say something. However, a heavy hand set on his head and Garon took over. "You would want to have only one be spared between Yukimura or Sakura, you say?"
"Yes. That way, it will be harder for our dear prince to decide who live. If the choice…" Iago was about to say more, but the King sighed heavily and wrapped his hand around the vizier's throat with speed similar to lightning, promptly shutting up the greasy-haired magician and lifting him off his feet with casual ease. He did so before Corrin could react: That's how fast it happened.
"Any monkey could see why I would give him the possibility to save both, but I guess that such thinking is beyond even you." He waged the tall man around, as if holding a doll. A doll that was glowing blue and desperately trying not to have its eyes pop out of their sockets. "In the future, Iago, I want you to think carefully before making any proposal, is that alright with you?" He stared at his vizier and remembered that the man couldn't quite speak with a gauntleted hand around his throat, so he let go. "Is that alright with you?"
"O… of course, milord!"
"Good. Corrin." Garon glanced at his "son" and held his hand out. "Go. Choose who live." He said, and Corrin advanced, taking a good look at everyone. He winced at the numbers of people who had been gathered to die, which included even those who weren't in any condition to fight like the civilians or those who were wounded. The entire fort was silent, and only a few Nohrians were grinning, though they didn't dare to show it to Corrin. The youth wouldn't notice nor care though, since he had the bigger problems of having to decide who was going to live or die. He looked at the list and realized that Sakura and the others weren't in sight yet, prompting him to look around. And, in a way, that was Garon's plan. He'd need to overlook people, specifically skim them over just to search for those he loved. All these Hoshidans would see his gaze simply skipping them outright, focused as he was on making sure that his sister, her friends and Yukimura wouldn't die.
He felt guilt over what he had done to the man. He was close to Mikoto according to herself, and he had been courteous with Corrin from the start, on top of being a man who was rather laid back yet serious when the need arrived. He had trusted Corrin and even had Ganglari thrust upon him to seal away, and yet the youth's arrival led to the queen and the dead of score of people, and that was all before he ran away to Nohr to help its war effort. The youth wondered if he hadn't been sent to die, or if he knew that Corrin would be there and, blaming him for what he had done, decided to forego prudence to try to get his revenge. If that was the case, then he wouldn't appreciate the pity reserved upon him, but Corrin didn't want to kill him either. He was eventually the first to go when Corrin remembered his position and pointed. A bunch of Nohrians nodded and took him off his feet rather roughly, though the prince frowned. "Let no supplementary harm come to him." He warned, putting on as much authority as he could in his voice. As luck would have it, those particular soldiers had seen his rampage on Hans, prompting them to be more gentle with the tactician. Didn't prevent the mechanist from shooting a glare at Corrin.
"You… do not think that your pity makes us equal, Nohrian. Your trickery has resulted in the death of our queen and her people, and you've just ensured that her efforts will all go to waste! What a son you are!" At hearing his word, a soldier raised the pommel of his sword but Corrin gestured, and the soldier lowered it, after having intended to strike the man in the stomach. Yukimura further glared and was hauled away, though kept in Corrin's eyesight to prevent him from being beaten up while the prince was busy. Then, he noticed Sakura and pointed at her immediately.
"If you handle her with any manner of roughness, I'll remember it." He said, prompting the soldiers to carefully handle her. Sakura was pulled out of the mess, staying silent. Corrin then decided to point at Sakura's best friend, Hana. He had been informed that the two young women were close to one another, to the point where he remember that Hana had confronted him, early in his stay in Hoshido, to yell at him for having been kidnapped by Garon, something which had puzzled Corrin for a while.
Not that the decision mattered to him a lot. Corrin would never be callous enough to simply give up on someone else for insulting him like that. Thus, she too was picked off. "Lady Sakura!" She said, upon joining up with her, posting herself in front of the princess to try to prevent an attack upon her. When Subaki was also raised from the others, he approached her. This left Corrin with only one person left, and he winced at the realization of what he was going to do: Look at all these people and realize that he could only really save one.
None of the Hoshidans were begging though. Most, either out of bravery or spite, were holding their heads high, eyes closed and lips barely quivering. Corrin didn't want to spend too much time on it to get out of the torture, but yet he also didn't want to just skim over these people again. He pointed a finger at a Samurai, who was less composed than the others, and he was, too, taken away. Garon saw this, nodded and raised anheavy hand. "Kill every single last one of them, men!"
And the Nohrians obeyed, even Hans, who had been coy until now thanks to the beatdown done to him, was now leading the troops on the slaughter. It wasn't anything close to human. It wasn't a simple execution or even something done cleanly, no. Even with all that size, someone of Iago's caliber could've delivered them a swift death using his tome. And yet, yet the Nohrians were almost ravenously digging into the group of Hoshidans like one angry mass, exploiting the restrictions placed on the soldiers to eagerly solve their issues. What actually happened couldn't be described by words, but years and years of grudges were being finally put to use against those soldiers. While not all soldiers were displaying that bloodlust, and quite a few even seemed opposed to it, Corrin could only see those men and women brutally slaughter the prisoners. None of the defeated soldiers died an easy death either, though a few were defiant enough to yell defiantly as they were being cut down.
Corrin watched this happen and put his hands on his mouth, in utter horror. Had it been up to him, he would've swiftly moved to end it all, or Xander and the other siblings (bar Elise who had been escorted away) could've ended it all as well, but yet none of that was happening. They were staring, powerless to do anything lest they anger Garon. However, Corrin refused to believe that Xander could be so easily cowed into submission and moved towards the prince. "Xander! Stop them!" He said. The blond snapped himself out of his trance, nodded at Corrin and took about two steps before Garon's massive axe came into the way, held by the King himself.
"And where are you going, my proud son?"
"I'm stopping this, father. Yes, they are our enemy, but this is no excuse to so eagerly massacre them! We have to show the world that Nohr is better than this!"
"… Why so? Have you forgotten your history lessons, boy?" Xander tried to move past but Garon resisted. "Nohr has shown mercy in the past, and it has done little to help it. A country built on strength must use that strength to survive, least it lose sight of what made it and expose itself to betrayal. Our massacre is a warning to the world, written in the blood of those we have beaten." He wrote. "Should they raise against us once more, then… we will win."
"But will we do so by slaughtering everyone? Our country is not one that is built on blood. If we destroy everything on our way to the capital, then the other countries might see us as a threat and attempt to take us down while we are still recovering from the war." Xander exposed. "Please, we need to be trusted by the other nations. Or else, how will they trust us to lead Dreiz into prosperity after beating Hoshido?"
Corrin, tired of having to wait around, charged in but Garon moved swiftly to block him as well, briefly unleashing more than enough speed to intercept the charging dragon. A particularly harsh blow hit the youth in the stomach, stopping him dead-on in the midst of his charge and forcing him to harshly land to the ground. The Nohrian king stood above him, looking dispassionate, his fist held ever so slightly forward. In spite of how just casually he did the gesture, the young prince felt like a mountain had spontaneously dropped on him. All his considerable strength was busy preventing him from spilling his lunch at Garon's feet, and even looking up further was beyond his abilities.
"Corrin!" Said Azura, quickly picking him up. Garon left her do so, having never taken his eyes off Xander during the encounter.
"We won't need to rely on their trust." He said. "Nohr will become a mighty nation able to stand up to the world, and I've taken measures to prevent any betrayal." He said. "I will hand you a most splendid country, my son. No harm shall be done to it, and the blood seeped into his soil will produce plentiful crops." There was an odd glint in his eyes, as if he wasn't really looking at Xander. "But before that, I must do a father's duty and ensure that no harm will come for any of you. And if those soldiers are left alive, then they will come for you." He turned around and looked at the gory mess. "Had we been placed in the situation of those soldiers, do you think that they would've flinched? Would one of us be able to somehow make a speech to save our lives? No. Because as you can see, ethics go out of the way quickly when vengeance is concerned. Codes, rules, laws…" Garon clenched his fist. "Nothing but masks. Attempts at convincing ourselves that we aren't beasts. That humans have a capacity for order and empathy… Yet behold how easy it is for them to abandon it all." The hand he clenched swept at the mass, as if to demonstrate. "You likely talked to those men and women, emphasized with them, discovered their opinions and ideologies. You thought you knew them… But do you, now? Are those blood-thirsty savages really the same people you fought alongside with for months by now? How will you treat them in the future now that you saw their true selves?"
Xander grunted and stared at the slaughter, and so did Corrin, even as Azura tried to avert his eyes. He could see the people from the campfire, the same one he talked to before meeting Mozu, eagerly ripping apart the Hoshidans. The contrast was actually pretty upsetting. But Xander found the strength to keep his cool and turned towards his father. "… Do you think that this is true for all humans? That each and every one of us is some beast waiting to emerge, who care not for society?"
"Yes." Said Garon. "It doesn't matter if you try to vouch for peace, humanity's true nature is found in the wars it so eagerly partake in. When it come down to it, they are naught but wrathful beings… Do you really wish to impose peace upon them? Why do you intend to stop what is inherent to people? If you want for Nohr to stand the test of time, you must agree that you will need to be brutal and aware of the darker truths of those who surround us, lest you make my mistake and end up betrayed by the people who were supposed to help you all along."
"I understand, and I agree that a certain degree of brutality is required to rule, but not all humans are bad, father." Said Xander. "People strive, they strug-"
"I am not inviting a debate, Xander, spare me whatever inspiring speeches you've cooked up." Garon dismissed his hand. "Besides, I have the evidence that I need. Is it not enough?" He pointed at the gorey mess that was happening behind him. "Do you still think, somehow, that humans are good? Deep down, it is easy for them to abandon their little principles to go to war. What do you think of that?"
"I think that it is obvious that you've been truly hurt by this world." Xander closed his eyes. "I knew you were, but I never imagined that what happened would… warp you that much." Garon seemed to grow angered at that, but Xander continued. "But if there is anything that I'm going to do once I assume the crown, father, it's to prove you wrong. People can be good, and while I know-"
"Haven't you heard what I said? Regardless, we've wasted too much time here. Head for Suzanoh. We'll reunite near the capital. Dimissed." With that, Garon was off, and Xander turned towards Corrin.
Corrin couldn't help but slightly… agree? Yes, he was of the mindset that people could be good, but was Garon more correct than he thought? The Hoshidans, be it in Nestra or Mokushu, struck civilians with great savagery but he was more than familiar with Nohr's brand of ruthlessness and he had heard of those tales of Mokushu conquering and, apparently, wiping out other people just for more power, not to mention the tales he heard, of Qliphoth and its end. And somewhere in Corrin's mind, that eternal question popped up again: Were humans really good? Was Garon right about people hiding their true intentions and being willing to abandon civilization for the sake of revenge? The King's logic was very much driven by the tragedies he had suffered, and it hardly justified his own atrocities. Had he been of a saner mind, Corrin could've said that the king was all too eager to exploit the bloodlust that he condemned for the sake of his own revenge, but alas, the war had gotten to him once again.
By that point, his will was the only thing keeping him moving, like a pole that he desperately held unto while a fierce storm was raging on. Reach the capital, end the war, and rest. But then, if he reached it, could he move away? Garon obviously had greater plans and was probably not going to go to his villa at Macarath. Was he really going to need to suffer through more war and desolation after the Hoshidan conflict? It was all so despairing to him. Were it not for Beruka, Gunter, Kaze and the siblings… Perhaps he would've left there, or perhaps he would've exploited Garon's distraction to try to end his life.
In fact, he considered it. A quick attack on him. A stab to the neck first, and then a decapitation just to be sure. Corrin was glaring daggers at his king, and moved his hand to the hilt of the sword. Things had to end right here, right now!
Then, he felt a weak hand on his sword, and he moved his head in time to notice Xander, slowly shaking his head. Corrin wanted to argue, but he wasn't in a state where he could do so effectively, and with Xander looming over him, killing Garon was impossible. The young man just dropped his arms to the ground and knelt, ignoring the words of consolation thrown his way.
…
"You really shouldn't be doing all those moves with your condition, ya know? Don't you still have a bit of poison?"
"I can handle it."
Selena scoffed a little but accepted Beruka's challenge, using her wooden sword to skillfully deflect Beruka's own axe, and then attempting to regain the advantage with a few rapid swings, earning herself some cheers of encouragement from the spectators of the fight when she nabbed Beruka in the shoulder, hitting her squarely on the piece of armor with a little target on it.
Beruka backed off and blinked a few times. "… That's 9-8, in your favor." Grumbled the assassin. Selena made a little bow. "But I will settle the score." And they were off again. This time, the red-head did not rely on her speed, seemingly choosing to fight on Beruka's grounds with her strength. A rather costly decision to make, owing to the assassin's strength, and after being pushed back by three barely-guarded blows, the retainer decided to switch back to her usual style, though her speed was not quite up to par with the fantastic swiftness that had gotten the better of the assassin.
The two wooden weapons met time and time again, but Beruka frowned. The poison made her see afterimages at times, caused her pain whenever she swung her arms a bit too strongly, made her just a bit more tired after every narrow dodge or block. She would be easy pray for any skilled samurai in this state, and someone like Selena had no business getting hit about eight times by her, especially with her speed. Said speed saw little use here too. Selena was either holding back on her, or getting winded. Either way, Beruka didn't appreciate, something which she made sure to show by ducking beneath Selena's stab and flipping her over with a throw, causing the young redhead to end up thrown to the ground! Selena gasped upon contact but before she could make an effort to strike back, Beruka hit her in the chest with her axe, putting an ending to the fight of a sort rather swiftly. Selena blinked in confusion and got up, turning her head to stare at Beruka with a rather annoyed look on her face.
"Hey, why'd you do that? I was going easy on ya, ya know!"
"Precisely." Said Beruka. "I do not want your pity or for you to hold back." With this concise explanation, Beruka raised her axe and held a stance, preparing to battle her foe once more. Selena tilted her head in confusion but then sighed and got up. "Here here, I'm playing nice and you're just yelling at me." She criticized. "Calm down, girl. I'm going to fight you with full speed this time around, alright? Just don't get upset if your pride take a blow." She advised.
The two women took a stance, while under the watchful gaze of their respective colleagues… but before the final round could even begin, the door of the little fence that surrounded the circular area opened, and Elise walked into the scene, wagging her finger. "Beruka!" She said. "No fighting or training while you're recovering! It could worsen the poison!" The little blonde walked up to the heavily armored assassin and stood right in front of her. "And that could get the poison to start all over again, so please don't go and exhaust yourself like that!"
Had the order came from anyone else, Beruka would've continued the fight, but Elise was the princess, and she was the one in charge of her successful recovery. Besides, she wasn't wrong. Yukimura sure coated his blades in the most deadly toxins known in the continent, and even with healing and her resistance to toxins, it had taken days for her to start feeling better. "Besides, if you want to train, you'll be all good in one day! So don't go overboard Beruka, and just know that you only gotta wait for one more day before you can start to train like that!"
"Heh." Selena sheathed her blade. "You can be pretty confrontational when ya want to, princess Elise!"
"Yeah, and about you!" Elise pointed at Selena. "Don't let her run off to fight, alright? It's important that she recover! So don't go around and train, because it only worsen things! Alright?" The redhead stared at the little blonde in utter surprise, not having expected to receive the brunt of the assault too. Light chuckling played in the background, as the soldiers, initially witnesses of a pretty intense training, were now witnesses of a rather surprising reprimand from the softest princess that Nohr had even seen ever since its settlers appeared in the country.
"Alright." Said Beruka, bowing. "I apologize for my mistake." Selena stared at her and did the same. Once satisfied, Elise winked.
"Alright! You could always rest up somewhere! Or go help with the weapons! Regardless, your current contract: Rest! Hehe, that's what Camilla told me to say." With that, she was off, and Beruka sheathed her weapon, grunting in disapproval. The crowd, understanding there wouldn't be any entertainment, scattered, leaving the two women alone. Selena folded her arms and decided to lean on the fence, folding her arms while doing so.
"Heh… I guess we'll never know what would have happened now."
"You wouldn't have won." Said Beruka, plainly. Selena cocked her head. "You're fast, but overconfident."
"Well, I can afford to be." Selena jammed a thumb in her direction. "I mean, haven't ya heard of how I easily bested a bunch of elite Hoshidans and then the princess? I mean, Corrin cleared a bunch of them out first, but I'm the reason why she stopped pining us down with arrows! And I didn't get hit by any of-" When Beruka raised a finger at her direction, pointing at a bandage on her nose, Selena frowned. "Hey, cut that out! I got this wound because of a surprise attack. Hrm, yeah. It's a battle wound, sort of like your former eyepatch."
Beruka contemplated her with both eyes. Her eyesight had been fully restored by now, so she had decided to give the eyepatch away. There was only a little scar near it, though one needed to be close to see it. Close enough that she was probably in the middle of killing them, or having her personal space breached at any rate. "Hrm. They're hardly comparable."
"Yeah yeah well… Hey, you know, how about you go ask Lord Corrin about it? He saw how I got the scar."
"But none of the other soldiers did?"
"Well, would ya trust them? They'd just say that I hit myself with my own fist or something! Come on, you can trust him! Besides, I feel like he may need to see someone. He's been up there for a little while ya know?" She assured, before pointing upwards at Corrin's residence. "I don't think that he even take visitors now. Well, he allows Azura or his siblings to come in but this is a bit troubling, don't you think?"
"I lack the skills to support…" She pondered. It had been a while since she saw him, and she had heard of his state. Up until now, she had been too busy recovering to really come for him but now that she was mostly back on her feet, perhaps she could try to see him? She may have been out cold during Garon's arrival, but the descriptions of what had happened had told her more than enough. "… Nevermind. I will go speak to Lord Corrin, and I'll ask him about your story when he feels better."
Selena smiled bizarrely, as if planning something. "Be sure to greet him on my behalf!" Beruka nodded to that, turned around and began to head for Corrin's house. Up until now, few had apparently seen the prince after Jinya, and only the royals could get in. That, coupled with her illness, forced her to take a bit of a pause with her interactions with him. This had distressed her more than she wished to admit: Corrin had seen some rather horrible things apparently, and while Beruka was not a soft person, she knew just how much of an effect this kind of behavior would have on him.
As she headed for the tree, she noticed that Shura was sitting close to the ladder, his legs crossed and his arms folded. Whenever someone got too close to it, he glanced at them and most were convinced to step away, though some would mutter something regarding his original country. Shura didn't seem to mind it, certainly thanks to his training, or because he knew better than to let his emotions command him. For that alone, Beruka could respect him somewhat. As she arrived though, she could only help that he would not try to stop her. "Hello, Shura."
"Hey." He opened up only one eye. "Guess you're feeling better, huh? If you feel sick while climbing, please, don't throw up on me."
"I will not." Beruka ignored his small frown and began to climb. It took her a few seconds to climb the ladder, when she could've easily been in the building in less time before the poisoning. The assassin frowned at this, but did not stop, opening the door and not even reacting in surprise when Lilith arrived to greet her. The dragon maid (she still couldn't get used to that combination of words) looked a bit more worried this time, but stopped upon noticing who she was speaking to.
"Beruka? Oh… Well, I hope that you'll be able to talk to him." Sighed the maid. Beruka wondered just how bad the situation was for this sort of odd despair to emanate in the building: While there were some wounded soldiers being treated, the warm ambiance of the building was completely gone, and she could hear a pin drop because of the silence in the background. It was somewhat… disturbing for the assassin, who didn't contemplate on her odd position as the only person apparently capable of helping Corrin.
Upon climbing the stairs, Beruka nodded to Lilith quietly and knocked unto the door. "Yeah?" Corrin's voice was the same as ever, but much more… empty. Hardly any sadness or anger in his voice, just some sort of exhaustion.
"It's me, Beruka. May I come in?" She heard a now familiar gasp and the door promptly unlocked, opening up to show a seemingly reassured prince. He actually didn't look much different from usual, but much like his voice, his usually straight posture was now slouched, and his eyes were baggy and tired-looking. He did seem to be a little better now.
"Beruka! Of course, do come in!" He said, opening the door and closing it when she entered.
When Beruka stepped in, she thought that the room would look messier than a town that had been visited by Hans, but it was actually very tidy. The big red bed near a corner was easily noticed, but she could also locate some shelves right behind it, full of books of various topics (She could read something that treated about a radiant dawn, and another focused on the myth of a blazing sword). Next to the shelves, there was a circular table, though nothing stood on it yet. Looking down, a luscious red carpet had been placed, though it didn't quite stretch to the rest of the room, revealing that the floor was wooden.
A piano had been placed at a corner of the room, its jet-black appearance contrasting with the paleness of the walls. Up above, a chandelier was lazily swinging above, sometimes rocked a little more by an errant wind from one of the windows on the roof. Some chairs were placed near the piano, perhaps in case he'd need to greet someone. Corrin took two and placed them near the table, before almost collapsing on his own. "I hope you don't mind the room."
"It's fine." It was perfectly up to her taste. A bit sterile, perhaps, but this only endeared it further to her. "… I apologize, I haven't been able to visit you for a while."
"It's not a problem. You had to recover. If anything, it's my fault." He put one hand on his chest. "I was too busy sleeping and reading here to visit you."
"It wouldn't have been much of a conversation. Keeping my eyes open was a struggle at first." Corrin nodded to her, then sat still, and then got up before grabbing a bottle of water in a drawer. He then grabbed two glasses, filled them and handed them over.
"Sorry! I didn't, erm, forgot to…" He stopped when Beruka put her hand on his arm, and his tension dropped a little. "I'm a bit of a mess."
Had she been of a more malicious mind, she could've said "you always are", but the assassin nodded. "It's fine." She drank a little. "You… became distant, apparently. And I was sent to investigate on that."
"Is that so? Y-yeah, well, I became a bit of a recluse yeah, it's…" He scratched the back of his head. "A long story, but ever since what I saw at the fort, I… I just don't feel like staring at people." Beruka raised a curious glance in his direction. "The way they all went along with Garon's orders but also what happened over the war… Hans and his men, Hohsido attacking civilians. I… You know I…" He put his hands on his head and briefly closed his eyes. "I feel overwhelmed sometimes, I want to help the world but the more I think about it, the more it feels so hostile. People killing each other for revenge is one thing but…"
"Hm…" Beruka heard of the Jinya massacre. Garon had spun it into a story where Corrin picked the survivors and personally offered the massacre. Did he know that? She figured it wasn't worth bringing up either way. "Yes, people will resort to barbaric tactics if backed into a corner or angered enough." She admitted. "I've witnessed this in the slums, and so did you now."
"… Yeah, I guess." He bit his lips. "Say, Beruka, how do you deal with that? Living in such a hostile world? I mean, I know that there are good people and they love me but…"
The assassin tilted her head. "You're asking me to help you see the better part of the world?" A smirk of amusement actually appeared on her face, and he seemed a bit stunned by it before she spoke further. "You did good. To deal with the darkness of the world, I simply focus on what matters. The mission, my weapons…" She looked to the side. "Some people, eventually." Then her eyes refocused on Corrin. "You should do the same. Do not ignore the wider world, because it will often come calling, but focus on what matters to you, and only deal with the darker side of the world when it comes to you."
He focused a little on it and folded his arms. "So… after the war, I should just, erm… I don't know, maybe step back and live a normal life?"
"Depends on how you define it." She leaned forward in interest.
"I don't know, just living in a house, maybe in the coun… definitely in the countryside, maybe tending to plants. Maybe I'd keep tabs with my friends and family too." He said. "But if I just run away and shun my duties…"
"Have those duties brought any manner of joy to you?" She asked.
"… No." Admitted the youth, lowering his head.
"Then you could always try to live a regular life for a year, and temporarily forfeit your royal title." She contemplated how easy it'd be to do that. "Your siblings love you, and they would probably not refuse if you asked for some peace and quiet."
"Well, I'd still have to deal with the fallout? It'd be a little selfish."
"But do you want to help with that? You're forcing yourself to do it. If you do so, then you might end up gathering resent." Said Beruka. "Yes, it if selfish, but one does not have to always be virtuous. You are authorized to step back and think over it a little. I am not saying to flat-out deny your title, but you could always take a breather. You will need it."
He nodded slowly, and she could swear that color returned to his face. "I'll do it. It feels a bit wrong but… But yeah, maybe that's what I need to do. Rest a little, and take the time to cool of before I start to work on it." He smiled. "Thanks, Beruka, I… I mean, I'm still going to need some time to deal with all that, all I've seen but…"
"I could always help with that." Beruka felt an odd feeling rush to her chest when she said that, and Corrin stared at her, tugging on her collar and quickly ruffling his hair. She simply stared down before looking up at him. "Lord Corrin, I-"
Then, she felt a light shock on her neck. Nothing too serious: The assassin merely raised her eyebrow and then put her hand on the back of her neck, stopping herself short. Upon stumbling on something with her hand, she pulled it out of her neck, and brought the small object to her attention. Her eyes briefly glanced a small black dart, before the colors exploded outright, overwhelming her vision with a hundred different flashes of light. Her legs quivered and she dropped off her chair and into the ground as numbness took over, preventing her from raising even a single finger to stop her fall.
Luckily, Corrin reacted quickly and caught her, using his arms to give her a soft landing. "Beruka?!" He contemplated his surroundings and noticed the dart on the ground. "Hang on!" He didn't listen to whatever she wanted to announce, instead raising his head to look for Lilith. In his panic, it took him a little more than a second to realize that the door to his room was slightly open.
Then, something sharp penetrated through both armor and flesh, and a burning sensation filled his every vein, as if lava instead of blood poured through his body. With a sudden cry of pain, Corrin fell forward, almost hyperventilating. This made it only too easy for his aggressor to rip the blade out of his back and then kick him aside, causing him and Beruka to drop to the ground. The pain was paralyzing, even if the knife didn't hit the spin. He could only barely begin to look, his vision made blurry by the attack.
But even with that handicap, he could clearly see his attacker.
Standing over him, with a small bloody wyrmslayer knife held in hand, Kaze stood, equipped with his usual peaceful smile. "Hello, Lord Corrin." He spoke, voice as soft as usual. "I come on behalf of Hoshido."
…
A/N: The twist! Kaze's a traitor! Haha, I think everybody saw it coming though!
Shorter chapter this time around, but I hope you'll enjoy it! Beruka's finally back! How will she and Corrin fend off Kaze, when it looks like things are already dim? Will Lilith or Shura strike to the rescue? Or will random generic Nohrian prove to be the fiendish ninja's undoing?
I might publish the follow up a bit later, since I'm working on a draft for another fic. Fittingly, it also involves ninjas. I'm not dropping this series of course, but it might come later than usual!
I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! Leave a review!
See ya around!