A/N:

Because we can't have nice things.

Rejoice! I actually managed to finish the new chapter I've been working on for a while.

The talk with Kamui had brought both of her sisters some sort of closure, too. It had been a relief to hear that Kamui hadn't completely abandoned them, but had instead sought a way to find a peaceful solution. Hinoka and Sakura had discussed everything they had learned from Kamui at length, and Sakura seemed more inclined to forgive Kamui, especially after having come to terms with the fact that they had put Kamui under a lot of pressure on that day, on the plains of Hoshido, when they had all demanded that she make a choice. Hinoka was less forgiving than her younger sister, but she could understand Kamui's reasoning.

However, her more practical side doubted there would have been a better solution – there had been too much bad blood between both sides already, and she doubted they would have been able to work something out back then.

Preparations for Hinoka's coronation were well underway now, and it wouldn't be long before Hinoka would be officially named Hoshido's new queen – something she still dreaded. Xander's words had increased her self-confidence somewhat, and Sakura and Yukimura were working tirelessly to make sure Hinoka was as well-prepared as she could be, given the circumstances, but Hinoka was still afraid of failing – of letting her people down.

The sisters had retreated to Hinoka's rooms to continue working out the specifics of the coronation and – more importantly – the banquet that would be held in Hinoka's honour. Vassals and allies from all over were expected to arrive, and the influx of people would put an additional strain on resources and staff. Sakura had done a great job at re-distributing food and other supplies, but they were still expecting some last shipments so they could be certain they would have enough.

They were currently discussing what kimono and jewellery to wear to the coronation – Sakura wanted their clothing to be as similar and complimentary as possible, and, while Hinoka could see where her sister was coming from, she still felt she was making too much of a fuss about this.

A commotion outside startled the sisters, and interrupted their discussion. Hinoka's attendants were trying to stop someone from entering, but that person – Xander – had apparently no intention of being stopped. Hinoka leapt to her feet and reached for the kaiken hidden inside her sleeve just as the door was yanked open unceremoniously and Xander burst in, his brow marred by the deepest frown Hinoka had ever seen. Leo followed, but remained near the door, his face expressionless.

"Prince Xander, Prince Leo", Sakura said pleasantly while inclining her head in greeting, not a hint of nervousness or fear in her voice. "What can we do for you?"

"Princess Hinoka, Princess Sakura, my sincerest apologies for barging in here like this, but we've had a situation. I've already started taking countermeasures, but I felt that you ought to be informed as soon as possible."

The blood was still pounding in Hinoka's ears, but part of her did register that the princes hadn't come here to attack them, and she allowed herself to relax slightly.

"Well then, what's this all about?", Hinoka demanded, nerves still slightly raw from the shock Xander had just given her.

"Leo."

The younger prince poked his head out the still open door and beckoned to someone waiting out of sight.

"Come in, both of you."

Two Nohrian soldiers entered, helmets under their arms, their faces pale and their eyes darting around nervously. They took in Hinoka's semi-aggressive stance and Sakura's calm demeanour before glancing at the crown prince.

Xander arched a brow.

"Uh, greetings, Princess Hinoka, Princess Sakura", one of the men began while twisting his helmet under his arm. "We just reported an incident that happened during our supply run yesterday, and Prince Xander decided that we ought to report to both of you, too - "

"Hang on. Supply run? What kind of supply run?", Hinoka interjected.

"We need a lot of food to keep the soldiers who are stationed outside the capital fed", Leo replied. "We are saving most of the preserved food for our trip home, and opt to use fresh supplies to feed our men while we are here – which is where the supply companies come in. They are sent out periodically to hunt or fish; anything that we can't make ourselves is procured from nearby villages. Before a company sets out, they receive money to pay for the goods, and we make sure to send them to different villages, too. These two men here were part of the last group sent to one of those villages in question."

"And something's gone wrong, I take it", Hinoka replied darkly.

The soldiers looked even more terrified at that.

"We swear to all the gods that we wanted no part in this", the second soldier said, his voice quavering. "But when we approached the village that was our destination, our captain suggested we just take whatever we wanted, and keep the money for ourselves. Mind you, not all of us were on board with that, but the majority was, and we were outnumbered – besides, if we'd openly opposed the captain, he could have tried to accuse us of insubordination. So, we went along with it on the surface – but the two of us made sure to note which soldiers committed which crimes, and to also remember the others who didn't participate or who had spoken against the criminals. When we got back to camp, my comrade here and I had a talk, and decided to wait a day before reporting this incident, fearing that we might be watched."

"So, you decided to take the risk of them preying on more Hoshidans, then?"

"Being sent out to hunt or buy supplies is seen as recreational by most soldiers", Xander interjected. "They usually look forward to it, as it gives them something out of the ordinary to do, and Hoshidan culture is quite interesting, too. To make sure everyone gets to participate, we rotate the teams that are sent out. It was, therefore, very unlikely they'd be deployed again before their atrocious behaviour could be reported."

"We were seriously worried we wouldn't be able to make our report, your highness", the first soldier said. "To make sure at least one of us would make it, we split up and left camp separately. We met in front of the castle, and went to see Prince Xander right away."

"This might sound harsh, but even if this course of action had given the men in question another opportunity to prey on your people, it would have been much worse, in the long run, had these two men not managed to alert us to what was going on", Leo added. "Who knows how many villages they might have raided."

Hinoka's scowl did not lessen, but she conceded that Leo had a point.

"Very well, then. What is to be done about this?"

"We've already taken measures – the perpetrators should be rounded up as we speak", Xander replied. "We will not let this go unpunished."

"I would like to claim jurisdiction over them."

"With all due respect, princess, I must decline. They are still Nohrian, and should be judged by our laws. We didn't demand that your sister hand over the man who tried to kill Kamui."

"The crimes were still committed on our lands!"

"That is true. However, I need to make my men understand the gravity of this situation. I fear that you would be ill-suited to this task, as you don't understand how the Nohrian army works."

Hinoka glared at him, but Xander was, unfortunately, completely unimpressed.

"Fine", she huffed. "Have it your way."

"Thank you. Incidentally, Leo believes that it would be best that we show a united front in this matter – he suggested that you accompany us to the army camp – with an armed escort, of course. I want to make it abundantly clear that you are aware of what happened, and that I am not trying to sweep this under the rug, so to speak."

"Certainly. I'll round up some men. Uh – what kind of impression should I go for? Wealth or strength?"

"Strength", Xander replied instantly.

"Right. I'll get changed, then."

"W-wait! I'll come, too", Sakura exclaimed, raising to her feet.

"I don't think that would be wise, Princess Sakura", Xander replied with a frown.

"But I'm the r-regent! I ought to be there."

"Do you know what kind of punishment I'll be meting out?"

"N-no."

"The ones who stole from your people and/or damaged property will be flogged, publicly. The rest will be executed."

Sakura paled at that. She fisted her hands into the fabric of her sleeves, wringing them for a while as she processed what Xander had just told her. Then, much to Hinoka's surprise, she squared her shoulders.

"I still have to go."

Xander searched her face before nodding curtly.

"Very well. If that is your decision, I will not stop you."

"Thank you for your understanding. I shall go and make preparations, then."

Sakura briskly strode out of the room, and Xander let out a small sigh once she was gone.

"I hope she will be able to handle this", he said quietly. "It would reflect badly on you both if she were to get sick in front of all those people."

"I'm aware", Hinoka replied with a grimace. "However, Sakura can be quite stubborn. Unless we manage to sneak out, she will come with us."

"She knows what she's in for this time around, though", Leo pointed out. "That might make a difference."

"Let's hope so", Xander replied. "Now then, princess, we will take our leave for now."

"Sure. I'll be outside as soon as I am ready."

Xander and Leo inclined their heads in greeting, the two soldiers bowed in their strange way, and the four of them filed out the door.

Hinoka instantly started barking orders, summoning her servants and dispatching one with a message to Yukimura. Shedding layers of silk as she went, she quickly donned her haori and hakama before putting on her armour – something she had really thought – hoped – she wouldn't have to do again so soon.

As she picked up her naginata, she thanked the kami for the good fortune of Kamui returning it before this whole mess went down.

When Hinoka emerged into the courtyard followed by Asama and Setsuna, Kamui was already there, pacing in an agitated manner. She barely managed to look Hinoka in the eye, opting to stare at the ground in front of her instead.

Soon, they were joined by their respective siblings plus retainers, and then, soldiers began filing into the yard. The Hoshidans gathered to Hinoka's left, the Nohrians to her right, both groups sending the occasional glare each other's way.

They waited in tense silence until it appeared that all the soldiers that could be mustered on short notice had arrived. Leo stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Attention!", he barked. "My brother, Crown Prince Xander, has put me in charge of organising this joint operation. Allow me to bring you all up to speed. Earlier, we were informed that, despite our orders, some of our men attacked a Hoshidan village, where they raped, pillaged and looted."

Leo paused at that point, having obviously expected the angry responses these news provoked – and not just from the Hoshidans. Several Nohrians also voiced their disgust.

Leo allowed them to vent their anger for a bit before having them stand at attention again.

"Naturally, we informed Princess Hinoka and Regent Sakura as soon as we could. We will now set out for the army camp to mete out justice. As I've mentioned before, this will be a joint operation – it is imperative that we show a united front. Anyone who feels that they would not be able to work together with Nohrians or Hoshidans is asked to leave right this instant – I will not have any of you jeopardise this mission. There is too much at stake."

Much to Hinoka's surprise, none of the soldiers moved an inch.

"Very well. We will be marching four men abreast, two Nohrians and two Hoshidans each. Spears and lances first, along with flag bearers. Next will come swords, then archers, then mages and healers. We will bring up the rear. As soon as we reach the area in front of the command tent, the two columns will split – Nohrians to the right, Hoshidans to the left, so that you form a circle around the perimeter of the plaza. I expect the Nohrian soldiers in the front to give their Hoshidan partners a cue. Adjust the circumference of the circle as needed, and don't hesitate to push the soldiers in camp aside if you have to.

"Once justice has been served, we will return the stolen goods to the village, compensate the villagers as needed, and offer our heartfelt apologies for what befell them. After that, we will return to the castle. Any questions?"

Nobody spoke up. Leo nodded once.

"Get in formation."

Hinoka took the reins of her pegasus from a groom and turned to Sakura.

"Do you want to ride with me, or Tsubaki-san?"

"With Tsubaki."

"All right."

They mounted the pegasi and took to the skies, closely followed by Camilla, Beruka and Odin. At a command from the princess, Beruka moved below Hinoka and Tsubaki, while Odin drifted over to fly on Hinoka's left. Camilla stayed on Tsubaki's right.

To say that Hinoka was surprised was an understatement. She had expected the Nohrians to keep to themselves, rather than encircle Hinoka and Tsubaki in what could only be called a protective formation.

Even though the soldiers marched at a rapid pace, Hinoka and the others still had to circle above them as not to lose them.

"Once we arrive at the camp, wait until the infantry is in position before touching down", Camilla yelled. "I can make do with little space for landing, but you pegasus riders don't have that luxury."

"Understood", Hinoka shouted back.

The Nohrian army camp appeared on the horizon. As they drew closer, it became apparent that they had been spotted, and the entire camp burst into a frenzy of activity. Soldiers almost fell over each other as they hurried to put on armour and gather at the plaza. Hinoka spotted several wooden poles that had been driven into the ground.

Below them, the first row of soldiers entered the camp. Hinoka watched them closely, worried that something might go wrong during these last crucial moments, however, all went according to Leo's plan.

"If you would follow me, your highness", Odin said, veering off their current course and flying toward the entrance the soldiers had come in from. Meanwhile, Camilla and Beruka touched down, kicking up clouds of dust. Camilla's wyvern was snarling and growling, and Hinoka got the distinct feeling that this was trained behaviour.

Odin and Tsubaki flanked Hinoka again, and they started their descent. Once the pegasi had touched down, they cantered for a few paces before slowing down. Sakura swiftly dismounted, and she and Hinoka joined the line of the Nohrian nobles, while Tsubaki and Odin hung back. Hinoka noticed that Elise immediately moved to Sakura's side, and that another healer was standing by near them.

She assumed that Xander was behind this, and silently thanked him for his forbearance.

"Soldiers!", Xander bellowed. "It has come to my attention that some of you have disobeyed orders, and committed war crimes. As such, the offenders will be judged under martial law. The dispensation of judgement will be witnessed by Regent Sakura and Crown Princess Hinoka. Bring them forth."

There was faint whispering among the crowd, but no-one spoke up. A group of soldiers herded a gaggle of men toward the centre of the plaza. They were not wearing armour, and their hands were bound.

"According to the testimony of two witnesses, these men are guilty of insubordination, malversation, theft, destruction of property, rape and murder", Leo announced. "They will be punished accordingly. The men who receive lashes as punishment are not permitted to have their wounds healed, they may only use medicine to stave off infection."

"Start with the slightest offences", Xander ordered.

Some of the men were separated from the group and tied to the poles. A commanding officer – possibly a general – started barking orders, and the punishment was promptly carried out. Afterwards, the men were dragged back to their tents.

Hinoka surreptitiously tried to keep an eye on Sakura. She looked rather pale by now, but was not showing any outward signs of distress.

Mercifully, the executions were carried out quickly and efficiently.

"Justice has been served", Xander announced gravely. "Regent, Princess, I hope this was to your satisfaction."

Sakura regally inclined her head, possibly because she didn't trust her voice.

"I appreciate your swift retribution for the atrocities committed against our people", Hinoka replied in a clear voice.

"I thank you. Elise, I want you to gather the items stolen from the village and bring them to the southern exit. Princess Sakura, if you would like to assist?"

Sakura immediately nodded her assent, and the two princesses set off, followed by their retainers and a couple of soldiers. As soon as they were out of sight, Xander ordered the heads of the criminals to be put on spikes.

"Well then, let us go."

Hinoka nodded.

She kept her pegasus on the ground for now, and drew level with Xander.

"I thank you for the consideration you have shown my sister", she said quietly. "You didn't have to go quite that far."

Xander let out a small sigh. "Truly, I would have preferred it had she stayed behind. Since she insisted on coming along, I decided to lessen the horrors she would be exposed to – both for her sake, and for appearance's sake. It would have been bad for all of us if she'd got sick again."

"That is very much true."

They reached the southern gate before Sakura and Elise. Hinoka felt uncomfortable having to wait together with the Nohrians without her sister to work as a go-between. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Setsuna had started to wander off.

"Asama! Keep an eye on Setsuna. Don't let her leave, or she'll find some trap to get stuck in again!", Hinoka hissed.

"Yes, Hinoka-sama", the monk replied placidly before chasing after his companion.

"Wait, you're not joking?", Leo asked, sounding surprised. "She actually gets caught in traps?"

"Yeah", Hinoka replied with a sigh. "If there's a trap nearby, you can bet that Setsuna is going to find it by getting caught in it. She's lucky she's never got seriously injured that way. Unfortunately, I'm the best person at finding her whenever she goes missing. Keeping her in my sights during our escape from the castle was exhausting, but necessary."

"I see. Interesting. Seems similar to Arthur's unfathomable bad luck."

"I've heard about that", Hinoka replied. "We'd better not leave these two alone with each other."

Leo chuckled.

Thankfully, Sakura and Elise joined them shortly after that, and they set out for the village. Hinoka bent down and scooped her sister up, placing her in front of her. Sakura made a surprised sound, but settled against her soon enough.

"Are you all right, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Really. It's not as bad as the first time, and Princess Elise was with me the entire time. That helped, too."

"Good."

They took to the skies again. This time, the formation was less tight, as Camilla apparently didn't expect anyone to attack them at this point, and Odin actually started goofing off, performing all sorts of tricks and stunts in midair. Hinoka resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his antics.

The village wasn't terribly far from the army camp. Thankfully, some of the houses had remained undamaged. Not bothering to wait for the others to catch up with her, Hinoka steered her pegasus toward the ground. Tsubaki reacted quickly and followed right behind her, while Camilla and the others took a bit longer to react.

However, Hinoka decided to dismiss them for now, and focus on the village instead.

The villagers had dived for cover at first, but soon emerged from their hiding places when they recognised the insignia on their pegasi.

"Hinoka-sama, Sakura-hime", one of the villagers breathed. "The kami be praised."

"Greetings", Hinoka replied. "Is the village chief available?"

"Yes, one moment."

While one of the men dashed away to fetch the chief, Hinoka took stock of the situation. The people looked haggard and sleep-deprived, and several of them were sporting bandages or walking on crutches. Sakura made to dismount, but Hinoka restrained her.

"Wait for more healers to join us. Otherwise, you'll just run yourself ragged."

"If you insist..."

"I do."

They were approached by the village chief, a middle-aged woman. She bowed deeply to the sisters.

"Hinoka-sama, Sakura-hime, so good of you to come and see us. Were you alerted to the attack on our village, or were you just passing by?"

"I was made aware of the attack by Crown Prince Xander himself. We've just been to the Nohrian army camp – the men who attacked you have been punished for their crimes. The crown prince and his siblings are on his way here as we speak – he wishes to make amends, to the best of his ability. I ask you to please not panic at the sight of them. They're bringing supplies, and healers."

"I – see. That is certainly unexpected."

"Prince Xander is a g-good person", Sakura piped up. "V-very righteous. I can't imagine he was pleased to f-find out what happened h-here."

"Is that so. Forgive me, hime-sama, I do not mean to question your judgement, but - "

"I understand."

When Hinoka looked around, she noticed that Beruka had, apparently, at one point left, as she was currently returning. Not much later, Xander, Leo and Elise came galloping into the village, followed by Kamui in her dragon form and a couple of other riders. Hinoka recognised Selena and Laslow, and remembered having seen some of the others.

They slowed their horses to a trot as they drew near, and came to a halt in a cluster around Hinoka and Tsubaki.

"Prince Xander, I just informed the village chief of your impending arrival", Hinoka said.

"Thank you", Xander replied. "The rest of the men should be joining us soon."

He then proceeded to surprise both Hinoka and the chief when he dismounted, and approached the chief on foot. He was still towering over her, but Hinoka noticed that he was trying to move in an unthreatening way.

"Chief, as the future king of Nohr, I would like to formally apologise for the atrocities committed against the people under your care. As soon as I learned of what transpired here, I took measures to apprehend the offenders, and informed Princess Hinoka and Regent Sakura. The offenders were punished, and we have secured the goods that were stolen from you. I know that words of apology often seem like mere niceties, but I still want you to know that I am terribly aggrieved by what happened here. I will repay you for the harm you have suffered in whatever way I'm able. If you'll permit it, my sister can heal your injured – Nohr sadly can't boast a large number of healers, but I've brought all that could be spared."

The chief mulled his words over in silence before squaring her shoulders.

"I appreciate the measures you've taken, but I can't say that we'll just be able to forgive and forget. Our village survived the war unscathed; for us to become victims of marauding soldiers after the fighting ended feels like some kind of very tasteless joke.
"The villagers are free to choose whether or not they wish to accept healing from a Nohrian. Any form of compensation you're willing to offer will be accepted."

"Understood."

Soldiers had already started to unload the carts carrying the stolen goods, and offered to help moving them back into the houses. The healers surged to the front, prompting Elise, Sakura, Tsubaki and Hinoka to dismount and join them.

"Anyone wishing to volunteer with repair work, step forward!", Hinoka yelled. "We'll be busy for a while, so you might just as well make yourselves useful."

Again, Hinoka was surprised to see that the Nohrian royals took this to heart – soon, they were working alongside common soldiers, moving rubble and starting repair work. Xander handed the chief a bag of money before joining his siblings.

They worked until sundown, at which point they had to return to the castle. Both Xander and Hinoka promised to send more workers to help with reconstruction.

"Well, I suppose this could have gone worse", Xander said as they took their leave.

"Indeed", Hinoka replied. "The villagers weren't quite as hostile as they could have been, given the circumstances."

"I suppose the fact that the supply companies that came here before behaved themselves worked in our favour."

"As did your proving that your desire to make amends weren't just empty words", she retorted. "I don't think anyone expected you to personally help with the heavy lifting. I certainly didn't."

Xander chuckled. "I suppose. I'm certainly not used to doing this kind of work, but – I can lift heavy objects. And I hate sitting idly by while others do all the work."

Hinoka hummed in agreement.

A/N:

Poor Xander didn't deserve crappy underlings.

Glossary:

kaiken – a 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long, single (or rare double-edged) knife without ornamental fittings housed in a plain mount. It was once carried by men and women of the samurai class in Japan. It was useful for self-defense in indoor spaces where the long blade katana and intermediate sword wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in their kimono either in a pocket-like space (futokoro) or in the sleeve pouch (tamoto) for self-defense and for ritual suicide by slashing the veins in the left side of the neck. When a samurai woman married, she was expected to carry a kaiken with her when she moved in with her husband.

In modern Japan, a kaiken is worn as a traditional accessory for formal kimono, such as a furisode, uchikake and a shiromuku, tucked into their obi.

A note on armour (and related things):

You are, no doubt, aware that most armour in video games (and some movies) is pretty much a joke. Especially female characters suffer from this, though there is some very ridiculous armour for men to be found, too. First and foremost, armour is supposed to keep you from dying, which is why it makes sense for it to cover as much of your body as possible. I understand that helmets are a bit of an issue, but LotR managed just fine with the Rohirrim – the main characters were still distinguishable despite wearing helmets. Oh, and FFS, tie your hair back or pin it up. Otherwise, you'll end up like Glorfindel, who got dragged down a mountainside by his long, golden hair.

As mentioned in a previous note, it's not necessary (nor advisable) to put every fighter into heavy plate armour. You can create quite sturdy armour out of leather or paper, or add extra layers of padding. Just wearing clothes might save your life – while they might not stop a blade, the moving fabric will make it harder for the enemy to target your vitals. Wearing a crop top into battle (like Sothe) is asking to get stabbed in the kidneys. Which is fatal.

Armour pieces such as metal corsets (Camilla) or metal bras (almost every pegasus knight ever) are virtually useless. Why? Unlike leather, metal doesn't expand (duh). Wearing a skintight piece of metal might work as long as you don't exert yourself. As soon as you start running/fighting, you will no longer be able to breathe. It is, therefore, pointless to design "female" armour, as men need space to breathe, too. Besides, it's usually not a good idea to let your enemy know that you're a woman, as that would paint a big target on your back. Armour has to fit properly without encumbering movement. Everything else is secondary.

On a different note, I am of the opinion that pegasus/draco knights should wear warm clothing. It must be pretty chilly up there, after all. The only pegasus knight who seems to get this is Ingrid. The pegasus knights from PoR/RD wear a ridiculously little amount of clothing, and should be freezing to death up in the air.

As for footwear, anyone who doesn't use stirrups has no business wearing heels, no matter how short. Or wedges. Heels were originally invented for riders, to keep their feet from going through the stirrup. Later, they became a fashion thing during the Baroque time, worn by both men and women. While it is possible to fight in high heels, no warrior should choose to go into battle wearing them, as they are much more likely to lose their footing or twist an ankle. Flat boots or sandals really are the best option here.