The Woods of the Forlorn were dark, dank, and dull. The little lights of the fireflies or whatever they were (Kazahana had no word for them) seemed to add to the creepy scenery. Leo told her they were thought to be the souls of the dead. It did nothing to assuage her fears of the woods.

It was too dark to see anything for Kazahana's tired eyes, but Leo saw a beauty in the woods. They were a shadowy purple with hints of blue and a deep green, soft fog covered the ground, and the noises of whatever creatures lived there could be heard. So far, their first day of trekking through, there were no run-ins with monsters of any sort, and Kazahana was thankful. They stayed quiet on this trip, not wanting to gain the attention of anything in case there were monsters nearby.

They arrived at the graveyard that Leo frequented for training. It was gloomy, depressing, but Leo found it a welcome site. It meant they were nearly out of the woods. It only seemed to take all day, with minimal breaks, but it was hard to gauge time as the sun could not be seen.

He heard Kazahana gulp as she stared, petrified, at the gravestones. She whispered some sort of prayer and Leo realized she was praying in Hoshidan. Well, she did claim to be a Priestess at some point. It would make sense she'd know Hoshidan prayers, especially if Hoshidan was her first language.

Kazahana was full of surprises, and it made Leo all the more interested in her.

He couldn't deny that anymore. There was something about the girl that captured his heart. She was a skilled musician, yes, but she was also kind yet determined. She was even brave in her own way, pulling through this dangerous business of traversing through the dark woods against her wishes. Leo found she had a strength he admired.

Too bad he didn't really trust her.

Did he trust her with his life? In a way, yes. He knew she'd heal him if he were injured. But that wasn't what he meant.

Her story was awkward, almost too intricate and detailed to be true, like it was some sort of fairy tale made up by a girl with a very active imagination. He could believe she was an orphan. He was too, after all. But the Shrine Maiden training? Who trains a simple musician to be a healer? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to use her musical training rather than become a healer from scratch? And she was good at that.

What especially bothered him was the fact she claimed to live in Nestra all her life, trained as a koto player for years, yet he had never seen her before, and he had been to the opera house several times throughout his life. Unless she was simply too inexperienced at the time to play, she had to have lied about something…

"Kazahana, when did you first start performing at the opera house?" he asked out of the blue.

"Oh! About two years ago," she answered promptly. "Shortly after the war."

"Really? Why not sooner?" His suspicion was growing again, but he had to quell it.

"They felt that I was too inexperienced to play formally, and by the time the war was over, they felt I could handle bigger performances."

"Odd that it would be after the war… You said you trained all your life?"

"Yes."

A lie. She said she trained after her parents died. He kept that to himself.

The mousetrap now had a loaded spring. One ounce of pressure and it would snap.

He just needed tempting cheese.

"So why just begin performing two years ago? Especially after the war?"

"W-well, it takes years for the koto to be mastered. It's very intricate, and by the time the war was over, as I've said before, they felt I was ready. Plus, it was time to bring new life to people who were jaded from war. It brought their spirits up, or so I've been told." She sighed. "You were the first to ever make it feel like I made a difference."

He found that hard to believe. "Really?"

"Yes. Perhaps even after all this time, Nohrians still don't like Hoshidans." She sat up straighter. "Um, even if I was born here."

The mouse was lost in a maze, but the cheese would send it in the right direction.

"Yes, it would seem so…" Leo said noncommittally. "You know, we're nearly out of the woods." They had passed the gravestones and Leo could see an iota of light up ahead.

"R-really?" She seemed all too excited.

"Yes, but stay on guard. You never know what…"

GRAGGGHHH.

"…could appear." Leo just rolled his eyes.

Of course a Faceless would pop up. And where one was, more would follow.

"Ready your bow," Leo said, almost bored. "It doesn't take much to take them down." He readied a spell and killed the one in front of them.

Two more took its place and Kazahana shot an arrow right in one of the holes of its mask. It was dead and its body dissipated. Leo was pleased and ran the other one through with his lance. It felt good to actually do the physical killing.

But he'd never tell her that.

A few more Faceless came from behind the trees and soon they were surrounded. Leo realized his pride was what got them here.

"Oh, what to do…" he muttered. He readied a spell and his signature tree engulfed two Faceless at once. Kazahana knocked one out with another arrow. She was an awful good shot, Leo noted. Too good for a simple Priestess… But she had to have been diligent during the war to reach that high a ranking.

And wasn't a Priestess a Hoshidan class anyway? It would be strange to train her as that, and not a strategist or troubadour.

Oh how the mouse got ever closer to the cheese.

Eventually, Leo shouted at her. "Make a run for it! There are too many of them!" She nodded and whipped the reigns of her horse. She and he both escaped before more Faceless could appear.

Then, they were out of the woods. Fort Dragonfall was in sight, and they kept galloping away to outrun any renegade Faceless.

When they arrived at Fort Dragonfall, a Nohrian soldier noticed them. "Halt! Who goes there?" he shouted as per the cliché.

"It is I, Prince Leo. I bring with me Nohr's new court musician, a girl by the name of Kazahana." Leo shouted back. They trotted closer and the soldier saw that he was telling the truth.

"My prince! What brings you here?" He noticed their state of duress. "Faceless?"

Leo nodded. "Yes. We'll be needing to take refuge here until we can head out again." Leo dismounted and handed the reigns to the soldier. "Make sure she gets plenty of water," he commanded. He waved for Kazahana to do the same, though her request was much more polite.

The soldier led the pegasus and horse away to the nearest body of water and Leo and Kazahana entered the fort. Leo delved into the history of the place, saying it was made from the remains of an old dragon, and Kazahana giggled, finding it hard to believe.

"Well, you're Nestrian, Hoshidan, whatever. Surely you know Nohrians and Hoshidans alike worship dragons?"

"Yes, I'm aware." She sat down near the entrance, too tired to walk further.

"Well, what of you? Who do you worship? Dawn or Dusk?" He sat next to her, a little too close, but he didn't notice her discomfort.

"I was raised with Hoshidan parents, so mostly Dawn. Though when they died, sometimes I wondered if the Dusk Dragon would take better care of me, but I found it insulting to my parents' memory, so I continue to worship the Dawn Dragon." She answered dutifully.

"I see…" Leo stared at the ceiling of the fort, noticing the cracks, nooks, and crannies all around him. It was truly a wonder of a place.

"We'll be resting here tonight and some of tomorrow. That last battle was exhausting," he mentioned. "I'm sure it took its toll on you."

"I find the Faceless d-disgusting," she stated bluntly. It was the most honest he had ever heard her. "Why the Nohrian royals made such h-horrid creatures is b-beyond me."

"Careful now. You tread treacherous waters again, Kazahana." He joked.

"But still. They're…awful." She sighed. "I won't truly understand anything it seems…" she muttered.

He didn't quite catch that, but he ignored it. He looked at her face. Plump cheeks that were slightly pink. Tiny little pink lips, so soft and inviting. She had deep maroon eyes, wide and kind. Her long hair covered her face mostly, but here he was able to see it in full detail.

He then realized that as inviting her appearance was, he probably smelt rank and decided bathing was in order.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find the nearest water source and bathe," he said. "I'm sure you feel filthy too." It had been some time since they were at that last inn and that battle had definitely broken a sweat.

"Oh, yes, do go ahead…" she said. "I'll stay here a bit. I'm still…shaken."

"As you wish," he returned. He left her to her thoughts and had thoughts of his own.

Kazahana was probably the most interesting girl he had ever met. He knew his sisters like the back of his hand, and as interesting as they were, he knew them. Here was a girl who was full of surprises, and even though her stories seemed dubious at worst, fascinating at best, he realized that he had developed an infatuation with her that was growing still.

She was very pretty and she had a gift for music. She was surprisingly a good warrior, but a better healer for sure. She was soft-spoken, yet strong when she gave her opinion, though she needed to be goaded to give that opinion.

He almost felt bad for trying to catch her lying, but it was so…easy really. Her stories were so fantastic that he found them hard to believe, and he caught her here and there. But, he had yet to reveal that he knew she was lying.

But he pushed it aside. She was a psychological victim of war, and he wouldn't hold that against her.

When he returned, he noticed she had managed to retrieve her koto. She was merely plucking the strings in no particular order, humming to herself. He found it relaxing, even if it was no special tune.

"You certainly are dedicated to your craft," he said, surprising her. "I quite admire that."

"Th-thank you…" That stutter again. It set him on edge, but he ignored it. He focused on her posture, graceful as she delicately plucked each string, a look of tranquility on her face. He found her most rapturing.

He admitted he wanted to kiss her. He felt like a girl like her deserved a good kiss, but his experience was very limited. In fact, there was no experience at all, loathe as he was to admit it. He had never courted anyone, unlike Xander, who had the occasional woman by his side, and Leo was sure he had a kiss or two.

Leo found he was a little jealous over that.

"Kazahana," he began, "I have a personal question for you."

She looked away. "I…I will do my best to answer."

He took a breath. "Have you ever been courted before?"

She looked surprised. "Um… There was the, um, occasional suitor, but soon they lost interest, or I simply took no interest."

"Really? You're so…" He flushed. "Pardon me for being bold, but you're quite pretty. I'd expect a girl like you would be engaged. How old are you?"

"I…I just turned my eighteenth year," she admitted shyly. So she was of age. Interesting.

"I'm twenty myself," he admitted as well. "I've…never courted anyone."

"Oh really?" She seemed to take interest. "But…but you're so handsome." She squeaked at her statement. She bowed to him lowly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be so brash."

He chuckled. "You're fine. I like the compliment. I don't get many of them. As I'm sure you know, I'm known as the cold prince of Nohr."

She straightened from her bow. "I've heard as much, but…but I think you're much warmer and kinder than people realize."

He was shocked to hear that statement. He didn't think he was so warm and kind, especially after questioning her, but he supposed he had done some good in protecting her from the Faceless and offering her a home in Castle Krakenburg. "That is also something I don't hear a lot of, and for that, I am grateful." He sat next to her. "Play me a song?"

"Of-of course." She began playing one of the melancholy tunes he had heard that first night. He decided it was his favorite.

To him, she finished the song all too soon. He requested another.

"You're…you're so fond of my playing. I don't think…" She trailed off.

"Yes?" He prompted.

"I'm not sure I've met anyone quite like you," she said shyly, turning away.

"Oh," was his response. He wasn't sure how to respond to that really.

"W-well! It's just that…even if I was born in Nestra, and even if I've been p-performing a while, and even if the owner of the opera house likes me, I don't think it's enough for the…N-Nohrian people to appreciate Hoshidan music. I think the war still doesn't sit well with them," she said sadly.

"True, but my family liked you." Well, he couldn't speak for Camilla. She didn't really care that much about music. She found it a pleasant pastime, but she had no thought of it, didn't analyze it the way Leo would. Elise played violin, so she could relate well to music, and Xander found it enjoyable, even if he didn't always understand it.

"That's nice to hear… I, um, guess they would like me to be the c-court m-musician like you offered?"

"Well, I'm sort of forcing them to accept you by bringing you, but I'm sure they won't mind. It's a good way to show good intentions and to integrate Hoshidan culture with Nohrian. My family is kinder than one would think." He remembered how they were willing to not kill any Hoshidans, how they only fought because Garon had made them, how they tried to help but ultimately couldn't. The royal family could accept an appreciation for Hoshidan culture, as Corrin had explained a little of the customs she learned during her time there, through letters of course.

"That's good to hear…" Kazahana sighed. "How much longer until we arrive?"

"It usually takes a month on horseback and a week by flight," he admitted. "It will be a long trip."

Her eyes bulged. "I'm not quite prepared for that…"

"If it comes down to it, we can stay at inns, to uh, deal with any…womanly problems you may have." Leo, having three sisters, was quite aware of their issues, even if they hid it well. Elise was actually the grumpiest during her monthly courses.

"Oh, um, thank you? I, um, appreciate it." She looked away, embarrassed. "Where is our next stop?"

"We can stay here a while until we're rested up, and then I plan on heading toward an estate owned by a nobleman who is on good terms with us. This will be one of the longest parts of our trip. It may take as long as a week, weather permitting, and there isn't much civilization for us to stop by. It's best to prepare ourselves now, gather as many resources as we can, and head out."

"Is there a town nearby for me to gather some things?"

He sighed. "We'd have to trek back through the Woods of the Forlorn and I doubt you want to do that."

She nodded. "I think I have enough personal items to get by. Can we find food here?"

"The soldiers here should have enough rations for us for a week, as well as any other things we may need. The estate will be the best stop for us as the man is quite well off and can provide for us until we are ready to head to Krakenburg. Then, it will take a week to reach a trading town, where we can load up on supplies again and rest at an inn there, then to the walled town just outside the castle. It wouldn't even take half a day to reach there. We can bypass it and head to the castle directly," he responded.

"So we still have two hard treks ahead of us," she stated. "I didn't quite expect this."

"It's what you get for not travelling more," he jibed. "It will be enjoyable. We have each other at least."

She averted her eyes at that statement, trying to hide her blush. "Yes, this is true…"

"Kazahana, if I didn't know better, I'd say you had a crush on me," he joked.

She turned to him, adamant. "Of-of course not! That would be entirely inappropriate."

Leo simply laughed it off. Seeing her embarrassed like that was cute. It only made him want to kiss her more.

So maybe he was the one with the crush, and Kazahana wasn't. He could still be enamored.

There was an awkward silence until he finally said, "I think we should go to sleep now." Night was descending on them and even with various torches inside the fort, it was still dark. Kazahana agreed.

They said their good nights and Leo went to the other side of the fort to give her privacy. He felt it would be improper otherwise, even if he slept in her vicinity before in her home. He closed his eyes, but he couldn't get her lies out of his mind.

But he didn't want to make things worse while on their trip. It was best to have somewhat of a comradery now than to cause a rift between them. He could call her out later, when it became obvious.

Or until she came clean herself. He wondered if she would.

So he fell into a fitful sleep, his dream self wandering in a maze, unable to find his prey.