Their first destination was Cheve.

Cheve left an uneasy feeling in Leo's gut as he remembered the night Camilla and Corrin fought in that rebellion, where Hans, against Corrin's wishes, killed and made an example of the leader, Scarlet. Corrin had told him it was most horrid. Leo didn't know Scarlet per se, but Corrin had mentioned with her strength and possible negotiation, she would have made an invaluable recruitment to the army. It was too late though. Hans had…done awful things to her dead body. Even Camilla didn't want to describe what happened that night. Leo could only leave it to his imagination.

He and Kazahana carefully trotted through Cheve, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. It was dangerous choosing this route, as there was still distaste for Nohr in this town, but with Xander on the throne, things had calmed down. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't a desire for the royals' death among the still-remaining rebels. Leo had wanted Xander to put the flames of rebellion out once and for all, but Xander insisted on an era of peace. Corrin fought so hard for peace; it would be an insult to her legacy.

Leo had told Corrin that fateful night in Nestra two years ago that the righteous path was often the treacherous one. Peacetime was had, but two years could only do so much to instill that peace. It would take possibly decades to win the people's favor. Cheve was a good example of that.

They decided to rest at an inn as nighttime was falling and dangerous things often happened at night. Leo didn't want to put Kazahana in danger. He booked a room and they made their way up the stairs, the pegasus and Kazahana's newly found horse put in the inn's stables. The innkeeper gave Leo a look, but said nothing. She saw the devastating tome at his side and the bow on Kazahana's back. Leo prayed she wouldn't alert the rebels, if she was on their side.

He booked a small room with two beds and there was a partition so Kazahana could change privately. He had changed into his own night clothes and waited for her patiently to come from behind the partition before questioning her.

"How are you?" he asked politely. "Has the trip tired you yet?"

"It's been some t-time since I've travelled so far…" She said quietly.

"Oh?" he pondered, interest piqued. "Where have you travelled?"

"Oh! Um… I once performed at Palace Macarath. It isn't too far, but I still had to travel by caravan. It was certainly an in-interesting experience." Leo, ever perceptive, caught how she hesitated. He wondered if she was indeed telling the truth.

"Is that all? You've never even visited, say, Hoshido? It would make sense, since that's your ethnicity and all."

"My family died when I was young, so I never had a chance to go. I was basically raised in the opera house." She replied smoothly. Of course. Talented performer. Raised in an opera house. Perfect cover story. But Leo didn't want to call her out too soon. There was still something off about her, no matter how earnest she seemed. She was lured into seducing him, refused, yet performed that night anyway. She was Hoshidan, yet was born in Nestra, something that wasn't very common. She hesitated when he asked specific questions and never made eye contact when she answered. She was a skilled healer and knew how to use a bow. She served in the war, yet downplayed her part in it.

There was no way she was just a simple musician, but Leo pushed it aside. He insisted that stranger things have happened to him, he had met stranger people (Odin for one and Niles for another, both of whom stayed behind on Leo's insistence that this wouldn't be a dangerous journey), and perhaps she was just a shy young woman who was traumatized by the war. She didn't stomach death well after all, so perhaps she wasn't lying.

But Leo, never very trusting and always inquisitive, still kept the possibility that Kazahana was some sort of…whatever, in his mind. He wasn't sure what she was, maybe some reject from nobility, and he still remained suspicious. He let it slide though, and insisted they get some rest.

The morning after nothing had happened. The pegasus and horse were still in the stable when the stable boy went to fetch them, Leo paid in gold, and Kazahana's koto, held in a storage room in the back, was untouched. He mounted his steed, she carted the koto and mounted her own, and off they went.

"You know, Kazahana, you ride well for a musician. A little clumsy, but you hold yourself with…regality," he offered. He noticed how she would sometimes sit very stiffly, as if trying to get used to the sensation, but she slowly eased into the riding of the horse, almost as if she was remembering a time she had.

"I learned how to during the war," she answered. "But I haven't since then."

"Still, you hold yourself well," he noted.

"I suppose a…musician such as myself would have some sort of grace…It's been so long since I've been away from home." She changed the subject suddenly, but Leo let her.

The game of cat and mouse had begun a while ago, and he was ever luring her to the cheese.

"You mean the opera house?" She nodded vigorously, almost too enthusiastically. "I can see that you would accept that as your home, since you were basically raised there."

"That is correct," she agreed. "It's…where I learned to play the koto, after all."

Leo didn't comment that he had never seen a Hoshidan instrument anywhere in Nestra before. He felt that he would have seen her perform sooner, if she was as trained as she said. Again, something was off about her story, but he let it go for now. He would continue asking random questions here and there to see if he could trip her up.

Because Leo could sniff out a liar if he had to.

They arrived at Palace Macarath after a day and a half. Their mounts, both exhausted, were taken to the stable there immediately. The palace court was more than hospitable, excited to see Kazahana again.

So it seemed she didn't lie about her time at Macarath. Leo was pleased.

They had her perform that night, and Leo noticed she played more upbeat tunes than her usual melancholy fare. It was a nice change, though he found he preferred the sadder songs, but that was his personal taste. He was always the more solemn brother.

The court there applauded and offered for them to stay as long as they needed for their journey back. Kazahana looked relieved, almost too relieved, but Leo said nothing of the look on her face. He would figure it out for himself.

That night, after requesting ink, a quill, and parchment, he wrote a letter to Xander, detailing his trials at Nestra.

Dear Xander,

It seems there is still much discord in our kingdom, as I had to help quell a rebellion in Nestra. As it turns out, the archduke had orchestrated the entire thing, and had aimed it at myself. Enclosed here is a report I've created with a key witness and my own findings. I assume you will summon the archduke upon reading these reports.

I bring interesting news as well. The koto player, having now been displaced by this rebellion, is coming back to Krakenburg with me to be our new court musician. It has been so long since we've had fine music, and we did so enjoy her performance. I think it would be quite the treat. Of course, I will need your approval, but I know you will be most entertained. She knows a variety of music, as I've heard tonight at Macarath.

We are travelling by horseback, as her koto cannot be carted by pegasus, so in a month's time we shall be at the gates of Krakenburg, ideally. This is under the assumption nothing tragic befalls us, but as you know, I am the gifted mage, and she herself has a knack for the bow. She is also a healer, so any injury that falls upon us will be addressed accordingly. I expect a timely arrival and assure you that we will be safe.

I hope to see you, Camilla, Corrin, and Elise soon.

Best of wishes,

Leo

He let the ink dry, rolled the parchment up, securing it with thread and a seal, and sent for a servant to take it to the nearest messenger. Hopefully, in a few days' time, Xander would receive the message, should nothing befall the messenger. But Leo didn't expect so.

He stayed up for a few moments more, pondering on the girl in the room next door. He heard her practicing and tuning her instrument, but she stopped all too soon for Leo to really recognize any melody. He shrugged it off and went to sleep, knowing that they would have to leave immediately. The sooner he got to Krakenburg, the better.

But that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy his time with Kazahana.

The next morning the palace staff and court was sad to see Leo and Kazahana go, but Leo insisted that he was on strict royal business to escort Kazahana and return as soon as possible. They gifted them a week's worth of rations, and Kazahana thanked them profusely, bowing politely in what reminded Leo of a Hoshidan way. He put it on the list of strange things that didn't add up.

Their next stop was the Woods of the Forlorn, a place he enjoyed training because of the skill it took to take down the runaway Faceless, but he worried for Kazahana. She was gifted with the bow, sure, but the girl was very timid and didn't take well to violence. The other option was the Ice Tribe Village, but it was entirely too cold and they weren't prepared for that. Plus, there was still some tension there after the war, much like Cheve. Leo didn't want to risk that again.

So the dreadful woods it would be, and Leo warned her as much.

"Our next destination is the Woods of the Forlorn. I take it you've heard of it?"

She nodded. "There has been a few tales I've heard, namely it's teeming with Faceless," she answered without a stutter. Leo decided he'd question her on that.

"I've noticed occasionally you stutter. It isn't frequent, but it happens on the odd occasion. Care to explain why?"

She stayed silent for a moment, almost as if she was trying to come up with a good lie. Leo waited patiently.

"I told you I speak Hoshidan, yes?" She said finally.

"You did." He didn't see what that had to do with anything.

"My parents taught me that language first, to…ensure I never forgot my heritage. Since it was my first language…sometimes…sometimes it's hard to speak Nohrian, or even the Nestrian dialect… So I stutter, as you say."

He ruminated on that. "I'm not sure I quite believe you, to be perfectly honest. You're very smooth when I ask the right questions, but when I ask one unexpectedly, it's as if you're trying to find an answer to suit that question."

She said nothing.

"I've asked before, and I'll ask again. What are you hiding?" He caught the vicious tone in his own voice, but he kept it as civil as he could. He was so close to finding out the truth…

"Prince Leo…" She whispered. "The war has t-taken its t-toll on me…"

"See? You did it there." He pointed out ruthlessly.

He saw tears form in her eyes. "I d-don't want to relive any-anything… I d-don't want to re-remember." She started crying softly. "Please…stop asking."

Was that really why she stuttered? Why she lied? If it were lying. Did the war affect her that deeply? Given her aversion to the violence she witnessed in the past few days, he supposed it did.

"My apologies. I won't ask again." He looked straight ahead at the trail they were on. "Back to the Woods of the Forlorn…"

"I've heard of it, and I'm…not excited for it." She looked queasy. "It's supposedly so dark you can't see the sky…"

"True."

"And it's full of monstrosities…"

"Again, true."

"Prince Leo, must we go through there?" she asked in a tiny voice. "I'm not sure I can handle it."

He sighed. "Our only other option is the Ice Tribe Village, but neither of us are prepared for the biting cold there. Additionally, there is still political unrest, and though we sorely owe them a visit for negotiation's sake, I'm afraid I'd rather do that with my family at my side." The Ice Tribe was still wary of the Nohrian royal family, though no rebellions had happened since the war.

She nodded. "So we have no choice."

"It isn't as bad as you think. I know it very well, and it won't take very long to get through." He may have bent the truth there. It might take as long as three days to get through. The woods were thick, there were indeed monsters, and the lack of light made traversing difficult.

But he was Leo, and he could do anything he set his mind to. They would hurry, taking no rest, and then they could pause at Fort Dragonfall, which had Nohrian guards there at all times now. It would be a safe place and they could rest as long as they needed to. He told her as such.

"Th-that's good news…" she muttered. "I'm still not looking forward to it though."

He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but she said it so quietly he wasn't sure she was meant to be heard, so he said nothing.

After two days of grueling riding, they made it to the edge of the woods. Kazahana looked exhausted.

"Could we maybe c-camp outside the woods for now? I…I need to gather my strength," she requested.

"Of course. You'll need it for the trek we're about to undergo."

Thankfully, the staff at Macarath had given them rations plus some other camping supplies, as Leo wasn't prepared to camp. He was expected to fly back, but Kazahana threw a challenge to those plans.

They made a fire and he offered her some of the jerky they were gifted. She took a bite and grimaced. So she wasn't very fond of bear, from the taste of it.

"How you survived the war I'll never understand," he chided. "You can't even handle emergency rations."

"I stayed in the city mostly, so there wasn't really a lack of food." She insisted.

"But Nestra was neutral at that time. Hardly any conflict was there."

"True. But you seem to forget the songstress massacre." She nearly growled. Such a negative tone from her was almost cute and very nonthreatening.

"I never told you how I only displaced those songstresses. I never killed any. I cannot say the same for my father's subordinates."

"The creepy sorcerer and the berserker?" she asked.

"Yes… How did you know of them?" he asked smoothly.

"I…saw a little of them during the conflict. I was too busy trying to survive and hide to really get a good look at them, but they still haunt my dreams…" She whispered and he heard the fright in her voice.

"The war did a lot to fray your nerves I see," he responded. "I'm sorry you were so badly affected." He sometimes wondered if the war was worth it. Too many people had been killed, the Hoshidan royal family was torn apart, literally, and their own father had been killed, if that thing could be called their father. On the bright side, Iago and Hans were gone.

"It's a shame, really, what this war did, but that's the nature of war: it tears everything we love apart. I'm blessed to still have my family, or what's left of it. My father…died." Leo said.

"Oh? I'm sorry," Kazahana said. "That must be tough." She said slowly, trying to hide her resentment. Leo caught it though.

"He was hardly a good man, and he instigated this war. I don't really miss him, but it's a shame what led to his demise. You see, he was…possessed, so to say." And Leo explained what had happened to the late Garon, from his time as a good, charismatic man, to the monster he had become, and Kazahana seemed to understand.

"So, you're saying that it was necessary to conquer Hoshido for Garon to sit on this throne?" she asked, incredulous. "This…Azura, you said?"

"Yes. Her name was Azura."

"So this Azura and your sister Corrin couldn't have just said what was going on? Nohr had to destroy Hoshido for this to be believed?" Leo heard the rise in her voice.

Despite not having been to Hoshido, Kazahana certainly took this news hard.

Leo chuckled. "If someone told you, out of the blue, that your father was possessed by some dragon, and was actually a gross slime monster underneath, would you have believed them?"

"If my father was once a good man suddenly turned evil, I just might," Kazahana spat. Her bitterness showed through her normally timid façade.

"You're awfully shaken by this news, Kazahana…" Leo said. "Care to explain?"

"Prince Leo, I'm…Hoshidan. By birth and blood, but Nestrian as far as geography goes," she said. "My parents, before their death…taught me the importance of keeping my heritage, so I'm a bit…sad to hear exactly how my heritage has been destroyed."

The mouse got closer to the cheese. "If you were born Nestrian, then why take what happened to Hoshido to heart? You've never even been. Who cares about heritage if you've never actually seen the place?"

"I would have liked to have gone," she returned. "I'll never know what it was like…before the war."

"So you plan to go?" he mused. "Someday, at least?"

"I'd very much like to, but I don't know if what you're telling me is true. Is it truly Hoshido if it's under Nohrian rule?"

He looked at her quizzically. "Who said that?"

"Well, if Nohr conquered Hoshido, it would make sense to put a Nohrian on the throne." She reasoned.

"But we didn't. There was one living Hoshidan royal left, and with some guidance and a few negotiations, we let her take the throne."

"Her? Hoshido has a qu-queen? A Hoshidan queen?" She looked shocked to hear this news.

"Kazahana, where have you been? Queen Hinoka has been queen for two years now." He couldn't believe she didn't know. "How did you not know?"

In her shock, Kazahana didn't answer. "Prince Leo," she finally said, "we don't speak much of politics in Nestra's opera house. We're too dedicated to our craft."

He scoffed. "You knew enough about that rebellion. Isn't that, in a way, politics?"

"Nohrian politics. Hoshido never came to mind. We're displeased with Nohr, not Hoshido. They weren't even in the picture."

He found it hard to believe.

"So you're telling me that you had no idea that Hoshido was able to keep its one royal on the throne?"

"I…had no idea," she admitted.

"You say you care about your heritage, yet you know nothing of Hoshidan politics." She shook her head. "Why not?"

"I guess… I never really had the time to ponder it." She sighed. "I suppose I should be happy that Hoshido kept its rightful queen… It's sad to know the rest of the family was lost…"

"Oh so you knew that." He drawled. "Your lack yet wealth in information astounds me."

"You hear some things, and you don't hear some things!" She insisted. "The deaths of the royals was important to hear. I heard tell of it… I didn't know that the now-queen s-survived. The talk made it seem that they were all k-killed."

He stayed silent, pondering her statement. "Do you want to know how they died? I witnessed some of it."

He saw how upset she looked, but she nodded firmly. "Since…since I don't know everything… I suppose this is important to know… It's now part of Hoshido's history, and I care so much…"

He let her statement fall and told her what happened.

"The oldest prince, Ryoma, committed ritual suicide." He put into detail just why that occurred. "The youngest prince, Takumi, had jumped off the Great Wall of Suzanoh and later on we discovered he was possessed by a spirit of vengeance and um… We had to fight his corpse." She paled upon hearing that. "Yes… The spirit overtook his dead body and if it weren't for Corrin's Yato, we may not have defeated him. He was indeed a powerful opponent…"

"I don't want to hear that." She shook her head. "What about the rest?"

"Well, Hinoka, now the queen, managed to survive though she ended up being captured, but we saved her. But, during the battle before she escaped, we had fought their tactician and it was said the youngest princess was in the battle. Sakura? Yes, Sakura. But she seemed to have escaped with her retainer. One was killed in the battle, a little samurai girl named Hana, or so Corrin said. The other…"

"Yes?" Kazahana prompted.

"The retainer, Subaki, was a Sky Knight and it seems he had taken Sakura with him when the battle was nearly lost. His body was found by another sector of the Nohrian army, and it was they who killed them. They never saw the princess, or so they claimed. I still think she was possessed like her brother. Corrin insists the contrary."

"And that is?" Kazahana asked.

"That she was indeed killed by that army and they had done unspeakable things to her body, enough so that there was no evidence where she went. I don't like to think of it. She wasn't much older than my youngest sister."

Kazahana stayed silent. "And then Nohr won the war," she finished.

"Yes. On a sour note, I might add. It wasn't the cleanest way to win a war, but as I've told Corrin, the righteous path is sometimes the most treacherous."

Kazahana grit her teeth. "Is it truly righteous when one side absolutely destroys the other?"

He ignored her bitterness. He didn't understand it as his birthplace conquered and won the war. "Sometimes, yes. Peace has been had, has it not?"

She averted her eyes. "…yes."

"Then it was indeed righteous."

The sun had set and nighttime had fallen. Leo decided it was time to end this discussion and get some sleep.

"I think you should sleep, Kazahana. I've told you many a disturbing thing, and tomorrow won't be any easier."

She nodded in agreement. "You're right." She went to grab a blanket Macarath had provided. "Sleep well, Prince Leo."

He heard in her tone that she didn't mean it.