Temperatures began to drop steadily as the small army exited the Forest of the Forlorn and made their way toward the Ice Tribe village. Bonds were already beginning to form in the young prince's army as its members conversed while traveling. Arthur and Felicia had begun to discuss the various misfortunes that had befallen them due to bad luck and clumsiness respectively, Elise and Effie had started reminiscing about how they met and Corrin had even begun to strike up a conversation with the army's newest addition Silas.
"H-How can people live in this w-weather?" Corrin asked, shivering slightly.
"I suppose you'd get used it after living in it a while." Silas replied, faring far better than the prince. "I'm surprised you aren't more resistant to the cold after living in the Northern Fortress for all those years."
"The Northern Fortress was cold but it was never this cold." Corrin replied, "Wait, how did you know I grew up in the Northern Fortress?"
"I know because I grew up there as well. In fact I think we played together a few times when we were really young."
"That's odd. I thought I knew everyone who lived in the Northern Fortress by heart. How could I forget about you?"
"Like I said, it was when we were both very young." Silas explained. "Shortly after we met, my father was transferred to the capital and we left the Fortress for good. I'm glad we were able to meet again after all this time though."
"I am too." Corrin said, giving the cavalier a little smile despite the cold. "It's reassuring to know an old friend has my back."
Another frigid gust of wind swept through the army before Silas could reply.
"Felicia! H-How much f-farther is it to the v-village?" Corrin yelled, as the winds began to pick up even more.
"It shouldn't be that much farther!" Felicia replied, breaking off her conversation with Arthur and running to her master's side. "Maybe another 30 minutes... An hour at the most."
"I-Is there anything we can do to get there f-faster? At that rate w-we'll all be icicles by the time we make it to the village."
"Y-You're cold Master!? I'm so sorry I didn't notice!" Felicia exclaimed in worry before mumbling to herself. "What can I do? What can I do? Jakob would know exactly what to do..."
"It's ok Felicia. I just want to get there as soon as we can." The Nohrian prince replied.
"I know how about we run the rest of the way there!" She said as she started jogging in place. "It'll get us there faster and keep us warm while we do it. Let's go!"
Used to traversing the snowy climate, Felicia raced ahead of the army with only Silas and Elise able to keep pace due to their mounts, leaving Effie, Arthur and Corrin to brave the cold alone.
"A-Are we a-almost there?" Corrin asked.
"It shouldn't be too much farther." Effie replied.
"Fear not my frigid friend." Arthur said with a grin. "We'll make sure you make it to the village safe and sound. You have my word as a hero of Nohr."
"T-Thank y-you Arthur. T-That means a lot." Corrin replied as the air temperature continued to drop and snow began to fall around them.
"Is this normal?" Effie asked as they walked through the storm. "This storm came out of nowhere."
"F-Felicia can... use ice... m-magic..." Corrin stated, as the cold began affecting him more and more. "Maybe... the rest of the tribe... can too..." Corrin was barely able to finish his statement before collapsing into the snow.
"Milord! Are you alright?" Arthur asked as Effie bent down to examine the young prince.
"He's too cold." Effie declared, as she slung the prince over her shoulder. "We'll have to carry him the rest of the way."
"Never fear! Arthur is up to the challenge!" The fighter replied, implying he would help carry Corrin.
"Don't worry about it." Effie said with a determined look. "Between carrying the prince and my usual training stones, this'll be the greatest workout of my life."
"As you wish fellow ally of justice." He replied as they continued their trek toward the village.
The two retainers continued the journey as the storm raged around them. As the storm worsened, so did their visibility. Soon enough, all Effie and Arthur could see was white.
"White may be a color of justice but this is a bit ridiculous, even for me." Arthur said as brought his arms up in front of his face to brave the storm.
"It can't be too much further." Effie replied. "I think I hear something."
Arthur and Effie took a couple more steps and, like magic, the storm dissipated. Little did they know they were walking straight into a battle.
"What's happening here?" Effie asked as the battle raged around them.
"Thank goodness you're here!" Silas called out as he noticed the retainers enter the battlefield. He quickly dispatched a fighter with his sword before riding over to meet them. "The ice tribe recognized Lady Elise right away and attacked us on the spot. We're going to have to fight our way through if we want to survive."
"Where's Elise now?" Effie asked, ever concerned about her liege.
"She's backing up Felicia who's fighting some mages on the front lines."
"Then that's where we'll be." Arthur declared pulling out his axe. "Let us go! For Lady Elise!"
"Right." Effie affirmed. She quickly tossed Corrin over to Slias before she and Arthur set off to regroup with Elise.
"W-Wait!" Silas called out as he set Corrin down on the back of his horse, "Shouldn't we formulate... a plan?" Despite his calling, Effie and Arthur were long gone by the time he finished his statement. Before he could follow them into the fray, a group of fighters appeared to block his path.
"For Chief Kilma!" One yelled as he led the group into battle.
"Great..." Silas said dryly as he pulled out an Iron Sword and ran forward to meet his foes.
With a weapon triangle advantage and superior mobility, Silas broke through the line of fighters as he tried to regroup with the others on the front lines only to have a fireball narrowly miss his horse and hit the ground at his feet.
Mages! Silas realized as he quickly brought his horse under control to dodge another fireball from the fast approaching mage. The young cavalier thought for a moment about taking the mage on but quickly decided against it and ran for the cover of the forest. Branches whizzed by Silas' face as he pushed his mount as fast as he dared through the thick forest. How can I turn this around? He thought as another mage joined the chase and launched a thunderbolt at him. One mage I might have been able to handle but there's no way I can handle two! I have to try and regroup with the others. If not both Corrin and I are goners.
Picking a random direction where he thought the others had gone, Silas urged his horse forward out of the forest on the desperate hope that he might find Effie, Arthur or Felicia laying in wait. Unfortunately, his allies were nowhere in sight and he prepared for the worst. It's all over. I've failed you. Silas thought as he saw his enemies leave the forest and prepare their finishing blow.
"Uh uh uh!"
"The chosen hero has arrived!"
The battle cries rang across the clearing as a storm of arrows and lightning rained down on the ice tribe mages. As the mages crumpled to the ground in defeat, the sources of the two battle cries were revealed. One was a dark mage with messy blonde hair clad in yellow while the other was an outlaw with white hair and an eye patch over his right eye.
"Hoy there friend!" The dark mage called as he made his way over to Silas.
"T-Thanks for your help." Silas replied cautiously. "Might I ask who you are?"
"Hm Hm Hm." The dark mage chuckled as he brought a hand dramatically to his face. "We are denizens of the shadows. Walking enigmas working for the good of Nohr as the darkness tries to engulf our very souls. We-"
"We are Lord Leo's retainers." The outlaw interrupted, much to the mage's dismay.
"Niles! That was our big introduction." The mage complained, "Now how will they know to fear the name of Odin Dark!"
"Trust me, I think they're plenty afraid of you." Niles replied in a deadpan voice. "Sorry about the delay but we didn't know which side you were on until we saw Lord Corrin on the back of your mount. What happened to him by the way?"
"Better late than never." Silas replied, in relation to their assistance before addressing Corrin's situation. "I'm not quite sure. He passed out from the cold prior to arriving at the village and he hasn't woken up since."
"Maybe he just needs a jump start." Odin suggested as lightning danced off his fingertips. "May I?" He asked, gesturing that he was going to shock the young lord awake.
"Be my guest. We'll need him if we want to take down the chieftain of this village."
A strong jolt to his system was just what Corrin needed to regain consciousness.
"AHH!" He awoke with a yell. "What the heck was that for?"
"Corrin! You're awake!" Silas exclaimed as he saw the prince come to. "You passed out before we arrived at the village. Lord Leo's retainer just woke you back up."
"Thank you for that..." The prince began
"Odin."
"Niles."
The two retainer said, formally introducing themselves.
"We can talk more later but for now we have to regroup with the others." Corrin replied, noticing the absence of Felicia, Elise and her two retainers.
"I believe I saw them on the northern edge of the village." Niles supplied.
"Then that's where we're going." The Nohrian prince said with a determined look. He quickly turned north and ran to join the remainder of his army with Silas, Odin and Niles following closely behind. When Corrin was able to regroup with Felicia, Arthur, Effie, and Elise, he was surprised at just how well the four had worked together. While Felicia took care of the mages, Arthur and Effie acted as a shield to protect the maid from any physical attacks with Elise healing them should they take too much damage.
"Big Brother! You're ok!" Elise called out as Corrin stepped into view.
"Of course I am." Corrin replied. "Thanks to some help from Silas and Leo's retainers."
"That's fantastic to hear milord!" Arthur chimed in bombastically. "We've nearly taken care of these ne'er-do-wells and are ready to advance at your command!"
"We've taken down a lot of their troops!" Elise said proudly. "There's no way we can lose now!"
"I wouldn't be so sure." Felicia said, making her way over after finishing off the final mage in the vicinity. "Fath- I mean Chief Kilma is super strong. We still need to be careful."
"Aren't you forgetting about someone, sister?" A voice called out as a dagger of ice landed inches away from Felicia's feet.
"F-Flora!?" Felicia called out, turning toward the dagger's origin point.
Slowly emerging through a thick veil of snow, Flora, Kilma and the remainder of the ice tribe army revealed themselves and began walking across the small lake that separated the two forces, freezing the water below with every step.
"F-Flora!? What are you doing here?" Corrin asked, equally as surprised to see the maid. "I thought you were looking over the Northern Fortress with Jakob."
"I was looking after the Fortress as you ordered." Flora explained, "But then I overheard rumors of an Ice Tribe rebellion and that a Nohrian force had been sent to kill it. As soon as I heard that my people were in danger, I knew what I had to do."
"She came running home and began helping me set up the defenses for when you all arrived." Kilma added looking at Flora with a smile. "And now I see you've come back to us as well Felicia."
"H-Hello Father." Felicia said nervously. "C-Can't we all just sit and talk this out?"
"The time for that has long since come to pass." Kilma said with a sigh. "King Garon has had us under his thumb for years but never have we truly yielded to him. If we fail today, it will take years for us to get another chance to free ourselves and get you two back."
"Get us back? What are you talking about Father?" Felicia asked, a bit confused.
"Think for a second Felicia." Flora replied, "Why do you think we were sent to the Northern Fortress to serve Lord Corrin?"
"So both we and Corrin would have friends we could talk to?" Felicia guessed, still unclear as to what her sister was trying to explain.
"There would have been plenty of other kids here in the Ice Tribe for us to be friends with." Flora answered, disproving Felicia's answer. "We were sent there as hostages. Tokens to make sure our Father wouldn't raise his hand against the Nohrian regime."
"T-That can't be true!" Felicia replied, starting to get a little upset "I would have known! You would have told me!"
"It's all true Felicia." Kilma replied, "You were too young to understand what was happening at the time but I did tell your sister. What kind of father would I be if I had just handed you both over to Garon without a reason?"
"Then all those years we spend serving Corrin..."
"They were a lie." Flora replied, "For me at least. I knew I needed to play the part of the perfect little servant, otherwise Garon might have us both killed. I was never truly loyal to Corrin. My allegiance will always be with the Ice Tribe."
"I'm sorry this had to be kept from you all these years Felicia but things are finally about to change." Kilma said, making a plea to his daughter. "Join us and we can finally beat this Nohrian plague from our lands and be a family again."
"Y-You want me to betray my Master?" Felicia replied nervously, as the weight of the situation slowly began to set in.
"I'm asking you to rejoin your family." Kilma replied. "With all three of us united and leading the Tribe, I'm sure we could succeed."
"I... uhhh... But..." Felicia stammered as she looked frantically between her Father and Corrin.
This is just like what happened to me back in Hoshido! Corrin thought, horrified that another person had to a choice like he did. The Nohrian Prince took a deep breath before taking a small step forward toward his retainer.
"Felicia. I know this decision is a difficult one for you and I won't try to stop you if you do truly want to rejoin your family." He began. "But I just want you to know that I never once considered you or Flora hostages. Hell, I didn't even know about any of this until right now. Even if Flora's kindness to me was just an act, my kindness to you wasn't. You are both my dear friends and I treasure the time we spent together."
"Don't listen to that Nohrian scum!" Kilma countered, "He's lying to try and lure you away from us!"
"Think back to all the time we spent together Felicia." Corrin replied, "Do you really think that all the time we spent together was a lie?"
"N-No. Of course not..." Felicia replied. "But they're my family..."
"That's right! We are your family Felicia! So I ask you again, will come and fight for our tribe!" Kilma added, desperately trying to convince his daughter.
"Family is more than just the blood inside your veins." Corrin countered, "I should know that better than anyone. Family are the people who are there for you most; the ones who care for you when you're down; the ones who would move heaven and earth to make sure you are safe. If you truly think the Ice Tribe can provide that for you then you should go. If not, your position my retainer will always be open to you."
"M-Master..." Felicia replied, tearing up slightly. Unable to turn her dagger in her best friend, Felicia turned to her Father and made a plea of her own. "Is there anyway we can resolve this without fighting? I don't want to fight you."
"So, you have made your choice." Kilma said with a sigh, knowing his daughter was lost to him. "I'm afraid not Felicia. I don't want to fight you either but I have to look after the people of the Tribe as well. They deserve their freedom and I have to do what I must to give that to them." Pulling out a Nosferatu tome, Kilma added. "I'm sorry it had to be this way Felicia."
"It still doesn't have to be this way!" Felicia tried, desperate to avoid conflict with her father. "Master isn't like the rest of the Nohrian court! He'll negotiate with you."
"Your daughter is telling the truth." Corrin chimed in, moving to Felicia's side. "If you would be willing to put down your arms, I would be willing to make a deal with you and your tribe." Pulling out his katana, he added, "But if you aren't willing to negotiate, I will do what I must for the good of Nohr."
"Please listen to him Father!" Felicia begged, "We can resolve this peacefully!"
Kilma put a hand to his chin as he considered the offer. Unable to come to a decision, he turned to Flora. "What do you think we should do Flora? You know more about this Nohrian prince than the rest of us. Do we fight or talk things through?"
"If any of the other princes had appeared and offered to negotiate with us I would say we accept their offer in an instant." Flora answered, "They would be far too strong for us to defeat but, as Felicia said, Corrin isn't like the rest of his siblings. He is still a novice at combat. With our forces we should be able to win the day."
"I may not have as much experience as my siblings in battle but I am not as much of a novice as Flora may believe." Corrin said, thinking of the battles he fought in Hoshido and in the Woods of the Forlorn. "So I will ask you once more Chief Kilma. Will this battle be decided through words or weapons?"
"I trust my daughter's judgement." Kilma replied, placing a hand on Flora's shoulder. "If we have a chance to win this fight then we need to take it."
"And we will do what we must." The Nohrian prince replied as he readied his blade for battle.
"All forces! Charge!" Kilma yelled as he sent his remaining forces into battle. "We will win this battle and finally regain our freedom!"
"Leave Felicia to me Father." Flora said dutifully. "I will bring her back to us."
"Everyone! Take a defensive formation!" Corrin commanded as the Ice Tribe began their charge. "They still outnumber us and I don't want to lose anyone." Turning to Felicia he added, "If I take on Kilma, can you handle fighting Flora? You know her better than any of us. Maybe you can convince her to end this peacefully."
"I-I'll try…" The maid replied, pulling out a set of daggers.
"That's all I can ask for." Corrin replied with a comforting smile before preparing for Kilma's attack.
"You will pay for turning my daughter against me Nohrian scum!" Kilma said as he sent a blast of dark magic from his tome flying toward the prince.
"The only thing I've done is be there for Felicia." Corrin replied as he narrowly dodged the magic attack and began circling the Ice Tribe Chieftain, looking for an avenue of attack. "Something you have failed to do!"
"Garon would have killed my tribe if I tried to resist!" Kilma explained as he threw out more Flux spells in an effort to keep him at a distance. "I didn't have a choice!"
"There's always a choice!" Corrin cried as he used his katana to slice two Flux spells in twain with one clean swing. "Some are just harder to mak-" He was cut off as a spike of dark energy emerged from his shadow and pierced his shoulder.
"Garon may have let you out of that damned Fortress but you still know nothing of the world." Kilma growled as his spell dissipated and their battle continued.
Meanwhile, Flora and Felicia had been engaging in combat with each other just a short distance away. Unlike Corrin's fairly even battle against the Chieftain, the battle between the two maids had been fairly one-sided. Her mind in turmoil, Felicia was barely able to focus on the fight and the Iron Daggers she threw were no match for the Hoarfrost Daggers her sister could conjure with her magic.
"Just give up Felicia." Flora said as she conjured another set of daggers into her hands, "You're too distracted to put up a good fight."
"That's because I'm fighting for my life against my own sister!" Felicia replied as she half-heartedly pulled a few more daggers out of her skirt.
"You know I've always envied you." Flora said as she slowly approached Felicia who was just starting to pull herself off the ground. "You've always been so carefree, unaware of the danger we both lived in every day. I have suffered every day with this knowledge and now it's time for you to pay the price!"
"You're not making any sense!" Felicia replied as she assumed a defensive stance. "Please stop this sister! Things can still go back to the way they were!"
"Bearing that incredible burden alone..." Flora said as she tightened the grip on her own dagger, "Why would I want things to go back?" The blue-haired twin solemnly before launching herself into another attack.
An equally fierce battle had been raging a short distance away with both Corrin and Kilma fighting tooth and nail to win the fight and lead their forces to victory. Kilma had thrown every spell he could conjure at the Nohrian Prince but neither had been able to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile, the remainder of Corrin's army was faring quite well against the Ice Tribe forces, easily holding their own and slowly starting to push the native force back.
"This will all be over soon Kilma! Can't you see the writing on the wall!" Corrin called, seeing the success his army was having, "Lay down your arms so we can stop this needless bloodshed!"
"Damn it! If I let the princeling's friends join this fight I'll lose for sure..." Kilma muttered under his breath as he and Corrin eyed each other warily. "The writing may be on the wall, but that just means I have to knock it down! Mages of the Ice Tribe! Lend your power to me!"
Hearing the call of their chieftain, every single Ice Tribe mage began channeling their mana toward Kilma, who's tome began glowing with the accumulated power.
"W-What in the world is he doing?" Corrin asked as he gazed in awe at the raw magical power swirling around the Ice Tribe Cheiftain.
"He's trying to supercharge a spell." Niles explained, as he finished off one of the few remaining Ice Tribe soldiers. Without the mages to provide cover and support for the melee units, the Ice Tribe forces had quickly fallen to the combined efforts of Odin, Niles, Arthur, Effie and Silas.
"Milord Leo and I have performed this very technique many a time." Odin added as he walked over to join his fellow retainer, "The spells he has been able to cast with the mana of a single extra mage never ceases to amaze me. The darkness within trembles at what will happen with an entire village's worth of mana. This is so exciting!"
"How do I stop it?!" Corrin asked nervously as Kilma slowly started coalescing the mana into a spell.
"In theory, one needs an equally strong spell to counteract." Niles replied, "In reality, I've never actually seen it done. Especially not on this scale."
"Then I guess we'll have to be the first." Corrin replied. Thinking for a moment, Corrin issued his orders, "Niles, controlling all that mana can't be easy on Kilma. Get close and see if you disrupt his concentration-"
"And get him to fire prematurely before he can fully focus the power. Yes sir!" Niles finished the statement, before running toward the Cheiftain with his bow at the ready.
"Odin, you'll be hear with me." Corrin said, "I need you to do exactly what those mages did and channel your mana into me."
"My fell hand is your to command." Odin replied as he started channeling his mana into the prince. "But you haven't been trained in magecraft. What are you going to do with this mana?"
"You'll see." Corrin replied as he tried to put himself in the correct mindset for his technique. 'Focus Corrin! Remember how you felt when Gunter fell into the canyon.' The prince goaded himself as a dark aura began swirling around Kilma, despite the barrage of arrows Niles was sending in his direction. 'Remember the rage, remember the hopelessness, remember how your body felt performing the technique.'
Unable to retain control over all of the mana and block Niles' arrows, Kilma's hand was forced and he released his ultimate attack. "Hades!" The cheiftain yelled as the raw energy burst from his hands and began racing across the battlefield toward the young Nohrian prince.
'Here it comes... It's now or never!' Corrin thought as he tightened his grip on his katana. The young prince quickly started channeling mana down his arms and toward his sword, giving his limbs a draconic appearance. "RAHHH!" With a roar, Corrin sent a concentrated blast of mana flying from his blade, slicing the Hades spell in two and slamming into an exhausted Kilma.
"Father!" Flora cried as she saw her father's strongest spell defeated. Despite the clear advantage she had over Felicia in their battle, Flora abandoned the battle with her sister and rushed to her father's side and cast a Heal spell.
"You've been beaten Chief Kilma!" Corrin called as walked across the battlefield and pointed his katana at his downed foe. Arthur, Effie, Silas and Elise followed their commander to encircle the final two combatants of the Ice tribe. The prince's supercharged attack had left him exhausted but he tried his best to put up a strong front as he said, "Will you lay down your arms and surrender?"
The defeated Chieftain slowly picked himself off the ground and leaned heavily against Flora for support. "It doesn't seem like you've given me much of a choice. The Ice Tribe is now yours."
"Excellent." Silas said, stepping forward and placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Now kill them."
"W-What?!" Corrin replied startled at his friend's violent suggestion. "They've surrendered! There isn't any need to kill them!"
"When we return to the capital, King Garon will want to know what became of the leader of this rebellion." Silas explained, "If you truly want to pass his test you can't show any mercy. King Garon does not show mercy on his enemies and neither should you. You have to at least kill Chief Kilma, preferably Flora as well."
Felicia's eyes went wide in horror after overhearing Silas' suggestion and Flora moved to place herself between Corrin and her father. "You won't kill my father!" The blue-haired maid said as she materialized an ice dagger into her hand. "You will have to go through me first!"
"Calm down Flora!" Felicia said as she moved to comfort her sister, "Milord Corrin won't kill you. Right Milord?"
"O-Of course!" Corrin replied, "I don't want to kill either of you!"
"If you don't kill them, you will never achieve your seat on the Nohrian court." Silas said. "And you'll be lucky if you keep your life."
"Then we'll just say we killed them and let them go!" The prince replied, "Father will never know."
"But Iago will." The cavalier replied, "He has spies all over the kingdom and reports anything of significance to King Garon. You can't let them live."
"The gray haired boy is right." Kilma said, standing up straight and moving past Flora. "King Garon won't accept anything less than the total annihilation of his enemies. I knew what would happen if this rebellion failed and I accept my fate." To accentuate his point, the chieftain put his hands behind his back and knelt down on the ground. "All I ask is that you spare my daughters."
"Father no!" Flora yelled, now restrained by Arthur
"P-Please Master! Please don't do this!" Felicia begged, tears welling in her eyes as she saw her master even consider killing her father.
"What will you do Corrin?" Silas asked calmly, "Will you kill Chieftain Kilma or be killed yourself?"
"I... uh..." Corrin's eyes darted between Silas and Felicia as he tried to make a decision. Despite how much he wanted to spare Chief Kilma's life, Corrin simply didn't see a way to do it. Either Kilma would be killed by Corrin or hunted down by Iago and Garon after the court discovered he had been spared, most likely resulting in the deaths of Flora and Felicia as well. With a heavy heart, Corrin slowly lifted his katana above his head. "I'm sorry Chief Kilma but I don't see a way to save you. I will make this as painless as possible and I will honor your request to spare Flora's life."
"Father, please! We can fight this!" Flora yelled as she struggled against Arthur's grasp.
"I'm sorry dear. But there's no escaping this." Kilma said with a serene expression, accepting his fate. "Just know that I am extremely proud of you." He turned his head toward Felicia before adding, "Both of you."
After hearing those kind words from her father despite her betrayal, Felicia's composure finally broke and she started weeping. "P-Please M-Master! Don't do this! He's a good man!"
"I'm sorry Felicia. He's an enemy of the kingdom. It has to be done." Corrin replied and with a heavy heart lowered his blade, killing Felicia's father.
"No!" Flora yelled as she witnessed the execution, struggling against Arthur's restraint.
Felicia started crying and rushed away, not wanting to stare at her father's dead body any longer than she needed to.
Corrin briefly reached out to go after his retainer but decided he was probably the last person Felicia wanted to see at the moment. Composing himself, Corrin issued his orders. "Arthur, take Flora to the castle's dungeon! Silas, go to the Northern Fortress and bring Jakob here. He will oversee the rebuilding of the tribe once we return to the capital!"
"Yes, sir!" Both soldiers responded before setting off to follow the prince's orders.
As his other soldiers began establishing Nohr's presence in the village, Corrin gazed upon the Ice Tribe soldiers that lay dead across the battlefield ending at Kilma's body wondering if there was truly no other way to allow these people to survive. Letting out a sigh, Corrin turned toward the Chieftain's castle in the hopes of getting warm.
AN: Long time no see everyone! You all probably thought this fic was abandoned but you were sorely mistaken. I have just had next to no free time and had a major case of writer's block when it came to Kilma's fight and execution. If the writing feels a bit off in those parts, that is why. If you're still reading, you probably don't want to listen to my excuses so I'll get right to the chapter changes
1. Start of the battle- The first change of the chapter was the immediate start of the battle against the Ice Tribe. While it is believable to have Kilma not recognize Corrin due to his sheltered upbringing, Elise is also traveling with the army. Kilma and his tribe should recognize one of the main princesses of their parent country, hence why the battle starts sooner here in Revamped.
2. Corrin passing out/reawakened by Odin- Corrin passing out was a part of the game but without his encounter with Kilma, I needed a new way to wake him up. I thought it would make for a cool introduction to Niles and Odin for them to save a vulnerable Corrin from death before getting recruited.
3. Felicia's choice- Since Felicia had been ordered by Garon to help Corrin to prove her loyalty, it only seemed fitting that Felicia get a scene of having to choose between Corrin or her blood family. I tried to make Felicia's choice emulate Corrin's from chapter 6 as much as possible. Sorry if it seemed a bit heavy-handed.
4. Kilma's magic- This was a really minor change, in that I gave Kilma additional dark magic spells besides Nosferatu. While having Nosferatu and vantage make Kilma a terrifying boss in Conquest, having a boss spam the same spell over and over again does not make for an interesting written fight so I took a couple dark magic spells from Three Houses and added them to his arsenal.
5. Corrin's Dragon Fang- Hopefully I made it obvious enough that the technique Corrin used to counter the Hades spell was Dragon Fang. Although Corrin normally isn't level 10 by this point in the game, it would make narrative sense that he starts to learn the skill a little bit and without a Kodachi or Umbrella to use, I couldn't think of another way for Corrin to counter a ranged attack like that.
6. Kilma's execution- I have a feeling I'm going to get some hate for how this scene is written but this is the first opportunity to inject some darkness into the story (This is Conquest after all. It can't be all sunshine and rainbows). Corrin is forced to take his first step into the darkness of Nohr by executing Kilma. While I feel like this death kind of comes off like the Rainbow Sage's death from the game, it is much earlier in the game and Corrin did the deed himself rather than the Rainbow Sage's self-execution. If we are to believe that events from one path occur in all 3, the Ice Tribe rebellion probably occurred while Corrin was in Hoshido in Birthright but Kilma is nowhere to be found when Flora later leads him to the village later in the game. I believe this is because the Ice Tribe rebellion was suppressed by another one of the Nohrian royals, probably Camilla or Leo, leading to Kilma's execution. If Corrin wants to be a part of the Nohrian royal court, he needs to start acting ruthless like his siblings and Silas understands this, pushing the prince to kill Kilma despite Felicia and Flora's protests. It probably seems like I'm getting super defensive of this change but it's going to have some long term impacts on the story and I wanted to give the best explanation possible as to why I wrote things the way I did.
With that, I think all of the changes have been covered! If I missed one, which is entirely possible, feel free to let me know and I can add it to the list at the bottom. Next up we have Fort Dragonfall and the start of the Rainbow Sage arc. I'm not 100% sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter out but rest assured, I don't have any intentions of abandoning this fic. I promise I'll work hard at it and get you all another chapter as soon as I'm able. Until then, happy reading!