The following morning in the kingdom of Nohr was a relatively peaceful one. Many people were just waking up and were going about their usual business…all except Princess Elise, who was busy trying to wake up her older brother.

"Cornelius!" she kept saying, rapping on the door to his room. "Wake up! You're gonna be late!"

A few tired groans came from inside the room. "Please, Elise…five more minutes!"

Elise was getting impatient. "No! The meeting's about to start, and we all need to be there!"

A few minutes later, Cornelius emerged. He was about 19, with a light complexion and golden hair that spiked up and pointed forward. He wore black armor, customary of Nohrian royalty, and a flowing blue cape. He tiredly rubbed his eyes as he looked down at Elise, who grabbed him by the arm, leading him down the hallway.

"Slow down!" Cornelius protested, "I just woke up!"

"But we're gonna miss it!" Elise protested.

"Miss what!?" Cornelius demanded. He was still a bit groggy, so his memory wasn't great at that moment.

Elsie gave him a look of disbelief as she continued dragging him. "You mean you actually forgot?"

At this point, Cornelius was just getting fed up with the hints. "Forgot WHAT?!"

At that point, Elise led him through a set of double doors into the banquet room, where he was greeted by his other siblings: Leo, Camilla, and Xander.

"You're finally awake, I see" Xander remarked, and amused smile on his face.

Camilla pulled Cornelius in close for a hug. "Oh, I bet the poor thing was just nervous. After all, today is a pretty big day for you, little brother."

That's when it clicked in Cornelius's mind. Of course, today was his 18th birthday! In Nohr culture, that meant he was ready to truly become a soldier and fight for his kingdom (Elise does fight, but it was the only exception after seeing her skill on horseback). Cornelius suddenly felt embarrassed he had forgotten. Quickly, he looked around as he pulled away from Camilla.

"Where's father?" he asked.

"You remember the mysterious messenger that came a few days ago?" Xander asked in return, "The one saying that the king needed to speak with his superiors?"

Cornelius looked a bit confused. "I thought we were all going?"

"We are. Father's just gone ahead to ensure to them of our arrival. We will join him after this."

"After what?"

Xander reached next to his chair and grabbed an object wrapped in cloth, presenting it to Cornelius.

"It's time you took your place among those who will fight for Nohr" he then declared, "but only if you are willing."

Cornelius didn't even hesitate. "Yes. I've been preparing for this my whole life. Time to put that practice to good use."

Xander and the other siblings smiled, Elise giddy with excitement, as Xander gave the object to Cornelius, who unwrapped it to reveal a glittering sword in a black scabbard. Cornelius drew the blade out and swung it around to get a feel for it.

After a few moments, he smiled in contentment. "It's perfect."

"I thought as much" Xander said, "Now, we must hurry. Father is waiting."

Cornelius tied the scabbard to his belt and the five siblings prepared to leave. Suddenly, the doors to the room burst open as Azura ran in, a very scared look on her face. She leaned over and supported herself on the nearest chair as she tried to regain her breath.

Xander looked concerned as he helped her up. "Azura! This is a surprise."

Azura panted a bit more before speaking. "Where's Cornelius?"

"Right here." Cornelius replied, stepping forward. "What is it?"

Azura noticed the sword strapped to the prince's side and then turned to Xander. "He can't…"

Xander looked confused. "He can't what?"

"He cannot go and fight."

Everyone in the room was in shock, even Cornelius.

Leo's tone became dangerously calm, "And why is that?"

Azura had managed to regain her breath at this point. "Xander, I need to speak with you. Alone."

Xander was hesitant for a few moments, but then nodded. As he and Azura went into the next room, Cornelius began to deflate.

Camilla noticed this, and comfortingly patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure Xander will figure something out."

In the next room, Xander paced the floor of the study as Azura explained her vision to him. The room was lit only by a large window, which illuminated the entire room and showed stacks of bookshelves, as if there was a whole library in the room. When she had finished, he looked at her, more concerned than angry.

"Are you sure that it was him?" he asked, "It could have been anyone behind this marred face, if it is as disturbing as you described."

Azura nodded in confidence. "I recognized the armor, and I could see it in his face. It was him. I'm not sure what it is he will become, but it didn't seem natural to me at all."

Xander stroked his chin as he looked at the nearby fireplace; thinking over what he had been told. Azura had a desperate look on her face.

"Please" she pleaded, "I'm just trying to protect him."

"Do you have any idea how long he's been looking forward to this?" Xander asked, still concerned, "How long's he's trained?"

"I know" Azura replied, "and I care about him too. But we have a chance to save him from a possibly terrifying fate."

Xander was silent for a few moments, his face grim as he thought some more.

Finally, he looked to Azura and spoke. "I will decide what to do with him. Thank you for bringing this up to me."

Azura smiled in gratitude. "I'm sure you've already heard of the mysterious summons. I too have been called, so now I must go there."

Xander nodded. "Then I shall see you there."

Azura nodded in return as she left the room. Xander followed her, but then looked to Cornelius, waving him into the room to talk. Cornelius nervously gulped as he followed Xander into the room. Camilla, Leo, and Elise all looked nervous.

Inside the study, Xander explained everything to Cornelius. When he had finished, the prince seemed to completely deflate in sadness.

"So, I'm not going." He concluded.

Xander's face was stern. "I never said you weren't."

"But Azura…"

"Azura never gave any context behind the vision; at least, she never told me. She means well, but there are times where I believe she's a little…overly paranoid."

Cornelius wasn't sure if he should be hopeful or not. "Soooo, what's your plan?"

Xander smirked. "Simple, we sneak you in. You've been training to be a wyvern rider, right?"

Cornelius nodded; Camilla had been training him whenever the two had time.

Xander continued. "Then we'll simply dress you up as a rider. You'll fly with Camilla into battle."

Cornelius lit up in excitement. "So, I can fight?"

Xander nodded. "Indeed. I won't let a simple, vague vision stop a prince of Nohr from fighting for his kingdom."

Cornelius was speechless as joy filled his heart. Xander could see his joyous expression and chuckled before leading the prince out of the room to meet with the other siblings.

Camilla perked up. "Well?"

"Cornelius will fight with us" Xander announced, "Camilla, find him armor fitting of a wyvern rider."

Elise joyfully jumped in the air and giggled. Leo simply stood with a smile on his face. Camilla also smiled and folded her arms.

"Gladly" she gleefully replied, "I'm sure I can find something in the armory."

Some time later, Camilla was able to find some suitable rider armor, and Cornelius emerged from the armory decked out in his new gear.

"Perfect" Camilla said with a smile; excited to finally see her brother in war gear.

Cornelius couldn't help but smile as well. As he finished preparing to venture out with his siblings, he had the feeling that this was only the beginning of a bigger adventure…and he couldn't wait to get started.

Yes, I know that I won't be following the Fire Emblem: Fates timeline perfectly. This is something a bit more original. Please don't get mad at me if I mess up the timeline.