Chapter 10: Canyon

I took my place atop the fortress beside Kaze to watch the battle. Kaze was Plan C, or D. He was just here as a backup in case another backup plan didn't work. Plan A was just taking effect now.

Across the canyon, I could just barely make out four figures, one on horseback. One of our soldiers crossed the bridge to talk to them, and then silence reigned.

After that brief pause, however...

One of the figures lunged at our soldier, but before the blow was landed, our pegasus knights swooped in from high above to grab both that figure and our soldier.

Our soldier was returned safely to our side of the canyon via pegasus express, but the other knight seemed to be struggling to land.

A scream.

Blood sprayed from the air, and then the pegasus rider fell, her body limp as she fell into the depths of the canyon.

Her eyes pierced me, cold and dead as she fell out of view.

"Filthy Hoshidans!" the man who had been captive shouted from the pegasus he'd stolen. "You want to fight dirty, and I'll show you real pain!"

He was wrestling the pegasus closer to our fort, though the beast was doing all it could to buck him off.

"Plan B!" I shouted, almost before I knew I'd opened my mouth.

Immediately, our archers took aim at the pegasus and its bloodthirsty rider.

"Loose!" was shouted somewhere down below, almost lost in the rallying cries of our soldiers charging onto the bridge. I saw Araksi down with the archers, her own bow shaking.

A volley of arrows headed for the flying horse. Some hit, piercing wing and flank. Not enough to bring it down. But when the pegasus did land on an island in the centre of the canyon, it seemed too injured to get back up.

Hans leapt off the mount to face our soldiers head on. He seemed unbeatable; his strength insurmountable, as he flung our best soldiers aside.

The figures across the canyon were not idle. They rushed to help their unwilling ally, and soon our soldiers were being badly outmatched.

"Bridge!" Omozu shouted.

Our soldiers on the island heard, and rushed back across the wooden bridge. The enemy started to chase, but with another cry of "Loose!" the Nohrians were forced to take shelter in some trees.

Once our last surviving soldier had crossed, two others slashed the ropes, sending the bridge swinging and useless.

The Nohrians emerged. Or rather, three of them did. Hans, it seemed, had disappeared. Perhaps I cursed aloud, rather than in my head, for Kaze looked at me then. "Derek, is it my turn?"

I nodded, and he dashed down the tower towards the ground.

Omozu, meanwhile, had approached where the bridge had stood.

"Stop this fighting!" he commanded, and one of the enemy did lower their sword. Now that they were closer, I could see them more clearly.

On the left was a man with a silver ponytail. His clothes were neat and his face cross. On the right, an older man, in his fifties, who was heavily armoured in dark metal, and rode a horse.

And in the centre, wearing black and white, was their leader. Her white hair fluttered in the light breeze of the canyon. Contrasting her pure appearance though, her sword hummed with shadowy and sinister magic.

"We don't wish to fight!" she replied to Omozu's command. "Our ally, Hans, began this fight against our wishes, and for that, we apologise." She paused, before continuing, "However, we do need to claim that fort! I will not disappoint my father."

"This fort belongs to Hoshido," Omozu replied. "To take it by force would be tantamount to an act of war!"

Princess Corrin hesitated, looking distraught, "I... My older brother always told me that war between our two countries was inevitable. But I don't want to be the cause of it."

"Then perhaps a trade?" Omozu suggested.

"A...?" Princess Corrin's eyes lit up, "Yes! What must we give you?"

"Yourselves. Let us take the three of you captive as compensation for your attacking our soldiers today, and we will leave this fort."

"I..."

"Milady, please tell me you're not considering this!" the ponytailed man objected. "You are no mere prisoner to be used as a bargaining chip."

"I must agree, Princess," the older man spoke. "Such a choice would greatly displease your siblings, not to mention how His Majesty your father would react."

I looked over the canyon, and saw with relief that Rinkah was in position and ready to strike – her white hair was just barely visible. I fervently hoped that Kaze had made it to the next crossing and would be in his position shortly.

Princess Corrin seemed to have made a decision, "Jakob, Gunter, lay down your weapons. We came with the intention of taking this castle and I aim to stay true to that goal. I have enough faith in the goodness of people that these Hoshidans will treat us well and let us go before long."

Gunter and Jakob protested loudly, but they acquiesced to their lady's request and placed their weapons down, Gunter dismounting his horse too.

"Thank you, Princess," Omozu bowed, lowering his shuriken. "We will escort you across the Canyon at a bridge to the north, and then we will evacuate this fort as we take you to the capital of Hoshido."

Princess Corrin nodded. Hoshidan soldiers led by Kaze approached shortly, and began leading her as Omozu had promised.

I was pleased. The plan had gone better than I had hoped. Princess Corrin had visibly relaxed upon seeing the familiar face of Kaze.

I was now at the north bridge with Omozu, watching Kaze and Princess Corrin's groups cross. There were just a couple of loose ends here to tie up, and right on cue, as they neared the bridge's centre...

"Corrin!"

A small dragon came hurtling through the air, its rider a black-clad woman with purple hair. She swooped in to grab at Corrin, which started a chain of chaos.

Hans, who had been hiding somewhere, biding his time on the Nohrian cliffs, leapt into action, scattering Hoshidans. None fell off, fortunately, but they weren't his targets. Rinkah attacked Hans, wrestling him down. One Hoshidan soldier, however, was pushed into Camilla's flight path her, causing her to fumble and instead crash into Corrin. Kaze stabbed both Jakob and Gunter with a shuriken, coated in a sedative poison he'd concocted.

The planks under Corrin shattered with the jolt, and she fell into the Canyon. A blue blur sped after her, just as Rinkah managed to overpower Hans.

Camilla, knocked unconscious by the spear end of the soldier she'd crashed into, also fell off the bridge, saved only by her wyvern, who carried her over to four figures on the Nohrian cliffs.

The Hoshidan soldiers, with Rinkah and Kaze, tried to carry the unconscious Hans, Gunter and Jakob across to Omozu and I, leading Gunter's horse too.

They were almost across when suddenly, one of the figures over on the Nohrian side made the bridge explode with a spell.

Kaze and Rinkah managed to get to safety, Eldegai and I pulling them to the surface. Some of the Hoshidan soldiers weren't so lucky.

When the smoke cleared, the figures across the canyon had vanished. Corrin had fallen into the canyon, as had, it turned out, Araksi, Gunter and Hans. Gunter's horse was here, but it bolted off before anyone could stop it.

"Is... Is everybody...?" Omozu was asking, tending to his severely wounded soldiers.

After a few minutes, he began leading his soldiers back to the fort. Rinkah was helping to carry the unconscious ones, including the captured Jakob – and the dead ones. Kaze was consoling Eldegai, who was crying over Araksi, and other Hoshidans mourning their friends.

I stood, forgotten by the rest – I wasn't injured, or in need of help, and I wasn't really one of them. Maybe they blamed me, because this had been my plan. And it had gone wrong.

My plans had always been to prioritise diplomacy over violence. Hans's violent nature, and instructions to instigate the fighting, had of course, meant that our first attempts at peace would be mostly useless. The battle was inevitable. However...

I had known from the game that if Corrin got a chance to use her magical royal blood powers, this battle would be over in an instant. There was nothing we could really do to counter that. That was why I'd convinced Omozu to offer the fort in exchange for Princess Corrin as a prisoner.

Because capturing her was a priority. Jakob, Gunter and especially Hans could be disposed of if necessary, but capturing them was much more preferable.

That left Princess Camilla, and the rest of Princess Corrin's Nohrian siblings. In the game, they had come along in secret, and helped Corrin escape. However, in that escape, Hans would reveal he had one final job, and try to kill Gunter. Hans would get away, but Gunter and Princess Corrin were supposed to fall into the Bottomless Canyon.

And then... something else was supposed to happen. Where was it? Where? When?

I stared into the Canyon, until finally a noise behind me made me turn.

A circle of energy, about ten feet in diameter, opened, and a small blue creature flew out. It was about the size of an average dog, and it resembled a cross between a fish and a squirrel.

Princess Corrin herself emerged from the portal, looking no worse for wear. She hadn't noticed me yet, instead talking to the blue creature.

"Ah... we're back. But... where is everyone?"

Princess Corrin and the creature noticed me then. The creature's eyes widened, and it turned back to the portal as though to flee back into it.

"Wait!" I said, "L-Lilith!"

It paused, and turned back to me, then spoke, its voice female and gentle, "You know my name?"

I nodded and raised Jake up.

"What is that? Who are you?" Princess Corrin asked curiously.

"It's... my father's," Lilith answered, sadly.

"Princess Corrin... there are people you need to meet," I said.

Princess Corrin shook her head, "No. I have to know if my friends are okay."

I paused, then nodded at her, "Right... To the fort, then."

...

Author's Note:

This was a short chapter because I tried to do a chaotic battle for the Journey Begins chapter. It might have come off as more rushed than anything else, but this is my first battle after all.