{-Alfonse-}

"I don't think I need to remind any of you that you'll be in the presence of the king," Henriette remarked as they walked through the castle hallway. "But you have no reason to be anxious."

"Aside from whatever the issue is and how it's important enough that he needs to talk to us about it," Alfonse corrected.

"I suppose you both knew we couldn't all meet under happy circumstances," she sighed. She stopped at the door to the meeting room. "Wait out here and I'll come and get you when he's ready for you. It shouldn't take me long." She lightly knocked on the door and disappeared into the room.

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to end very badly..?" Fauna mumbled. "Everyone avoided it on the way here. It's like we're in the middle of something we shouldn't be."

"Well, I guess it's kinda right," Sharena remarked. "You and Anna have found yourself in the middle of our family drama."

Alfonse decided to further elaborate. "We haven't all been together in five years. Not since we joined the Order."

"I suddenly feel like this is going to go much worse," Fauna decided.

"The only thing we can do is listen to what he has to tell us," Anna pointed out. "Honestly I'm not sure if I want to be honored that he's acknowledging us or wondering if he's gone insane."

Henriette returned shortly after and gestured them inside. "Have a seat and we can get started."

It took a minute to realize Gustav was in the meeting room at all; he'd silently watched them all come in and sit down, and surprisingly didn't give them an obvious look of discontent. The first thing he said wasn't even directed towards any of the four. "What have you already told them?"

"Nothing, like you asked," Henriette replied simply as she took a spot beside him. "Everything is for you to explain to them."

He mumbled what sounded like his thanks before turning his attention to all of them. "I suppose the first thing I should ask is how much do you know about Hel?"

The silence was enough of an answer for him.

"Of course you're hopeless," he moaned. The only reaction to it was Henriette's light whack, which it was safe to assume he ignored. "Nearly twenty years ago now, we were invaded by death itself. The gates of Hel swung open with a mission to have someone join the ranks of the dead. Though they never succeeded in their original goal, many lives were lost to them—the previous king's included. Even with our efforts, we were never able to make them pull back; what saved us was the fact that the gates closed on their own. Now it's clear we're heading towards another encounter like that. I'm not foolish enough to think that any one group can tackle this problem on their own. That, unfortunately, is where the four of you come in.

"As we speak, the dead are trying to find an easier way to come here. They've torn a bloody path through the land they had to get through so far, but it won't be long until they can appear right at our doorstep at their leisure. Once that happens, their sovereign—Hel—will likely try to stage a direct attack somewhere nearby. Her target, if it's still the same person, would be too close for her to resist trying to take. It's specifically at this battle that we'll need you. Your Heroes would make up the majority of our defensive front. With the power of your Summoner their deaths won't—"

"We're your canon fodder?" There was obviously nothing about the proposition that Anna liked. "An easy way around the fact that when people die they're gone forever? They feel just as much as you do, you know!"

"Anna," Alfonse sighed, "let him finish."

Gustav did little to acknowledge him for bringing them back on track. "Hel grows stronger with each life she takes here. Yet your Heroes, not being bound to this land but rather a person, won't be included. This isn't something we're meant to win by defeating all of her forces; that would be near impossible. Our hope is to outlast her until we can find a way to get rid of her for good. The Heroes would serve to be enough soldiers to combat her forces while also keeping Askran casualties to a minimum."

Anna still looked like she could think of plenty of opposition to the idea, but resigned to the fact there was no use in fighting it. "So what's the plan after that?"

"Once we know where her forces are coming from, we can send a small group to go directly to her." Gustav paused to glance at all of them. "We've decided that the best option for that group was the four of you. You'll go into her domain and kill her. That way we know she won't return."

Henriette, up until now, had been completely silent. "That's not the plan we agreed on," she pointed out quietly. "You told me they'd stay with us."

"Plans change, Hen," he replied.

"They're not safe out there. You know what Hel wants, asking them to do that means you're practically walking them right into her arms."

"It's already been decided. There's nothing you can change about it now." Gustav raised his voice again to speak to everyone. "We expect the attack to be sometime soon, possibly in the next day or so. Prepare your forces before then. We'll send a messenger when Hel's army starts marching. You are now dismissed." It would've been a moment for relief if he didn't then turn directly to Alfonse. "Alfonse, can you stay a moment?"

"Of course, Father." It was like instinct; while one part of him dreaded whatever it was, the rest knew that it couldn't be avoided.

Whatever the reason, Henriette knew it. She slowly rose to her feet, flashed both of them an encouraging smile, and started to leave. "Come on, girls, I'll walk back with you."

Gustav waited until they all left before he spoke. "History tends to repeat itself if we don't fix the problem the first time. We find ourselves in a similar situation to all those years ago; we have the same threat, the same things at risk, and a young prince who is about to experience the biggest shock of his life."

"Please tell me this isn't going where I think it is."

"I'm glad I don't have to dumb it down for you." There was nothing that could confirm his fears yet actually say nothing like that did. Somehow the single sentence was enough to prove to him that this meeting just got much worse. "You're smart enough to know what I'm going to ask you."

"And I'm going to have to give you a hard no."

"You're also smart enough to know that 'no' isn't an option. It's not like it's something you weren't expecting to do eventually."

"But it's not like I expected it to be now. I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility, I—"

"By now you must know that there's some things you will never be ready for. Not being prepared isn't an excuse because there never will be a time when you're fully prepared. If I had been given the option to stay where I was comfortable, I never would've grown to be the man I am today. I think it'll do you some good, too."

"Except for the fact that means you'll be—"

"Alfonse, there's something you need to understand. One way or another, I will be joining the ranks of the dead. This might be the last time you see me alive, or maybe it happens to be a year from now. What's important is that you're ready to take up my place. I don't mean to start an argument here, but it may be worth reconsidering what's really important to you. At the end of the day, where are your priorities? Are they focused on the 'way of life' you somehow uphold among the Heroes, or your obligation to your people as their future king?"

With all that said, Gustav gestured dismissively. "That is all. I'm sure your sister is waiting for you to return."

((A/N: Poor Fauna gets in the middle of everything. All she wants to do is make everyone happy with hugs and cookies.

Sharena tried to get Lekra to eavesdrop on them and tell her what they talked about. They declined with the points that it was rude to spy on others and that, by the time she was back at the Order's castle, it was probably over.))