Chapter Eighteen

"I will admit I'm impressed," Takumi says, looking around Sakura's room, "but you can't tell anyone, got it?"

Sakura giggles and sits on her bed, smiling shyly to her brother. "I'm really glad you're okay." She ducks her head when he snaps his gaze to hear. "When you were c-captured, I t-thought t-that-"

She cuts off and really starts crying. Takumi's eyes widen in horror and he rushes over to her side. "Come on, Sakura. Don't cry. Gees, I can handle myself. Just- just believe that I'll always make it back home. I wouldn't ever lose to some Nohrian scum."

"Y-you can't s-say that," Sakura sniffs, hugging her brother's side. She talks into his chest. "S-some of our al-lies are Nohrian."

"I'll say whatever I please," Takumi says vehemently as he strokes her hair. "I'm here for you, not them."

Sakura clutches him tighter. "D-don't leave me, p-please."

"I won't," Takumi sighs. "But if that traitor puts you in any danger, we are leaving."

"Takumi," Sakura sighs his name. She won't fight him this yet, but she's not leaving Corrin. Not now. Not after realizing how kind-hearted of a person he is.

A knock interrupts their moment. Takumi releases his little sister and glares at the door. Sakura leans back a little to glance up. Takumi is the one to shout, "Come in!"

Felicia opens the door, smiling. She catches Takumi's glare and Sakura's red eyes, and her smile drops and eyes widen. She pulls herself up stiffly and bows. "My apologies, Lord Takumi and Lady Sakura. I'm here to tell you that lunch is ready to be served."

"T-thank you, Felicia," Sakura mumbles.

Felicia straightens and nods. She quickly exits the room, closing the door as silently as she can.

Takumi flinches when he hears a crash on the other side of the door. Sakura giggles a little. The red haired girl tells him, "You get used to Felicia."

"Does she find things to crash into often?" Takumi asks sarcastically.

Sakura giggles a bit more. "It's not just crashing…"

Takumi looks warily at his sister. He doesn't know what to say to that. Instead, he asks. "Are you okay now?"

Sakura snatches one of his hands. She nods and sheepishly looks up at him. "Can I… can I stay with you today?"

"Of course," Takumi sighs, standing. He looks over when she doesn't follow.

"Can I… stay with you tonight?"

Takumi gives her a look. "You haven't done that since you were a kid." He caves under her wide-eyed, puppy-cute look. "Sure. Why not?"

"Thank you."

;;;

Corrin looks around the dining room, glad it seems to defy physics and grow in size when he gains more members to his side. Seeing everyone is now here and eating, he decides there is no time like the present to give an announcement.

"Can I have your attention?" Corrin calls out.

Rinkah is the only one to not stop eating. Oboro looks disgusted at the woman and the carnage around her plate, but nudges her. When the white haired woman looks up, Oboro points towards Corrin. Rinkah smirks and holds something up to eat, showing she is listening. Corrin glances thankfully at Oboro. He gets a glare in return.

"Thank you," Corrin says, addressing the crowd of people. "I'll try to make this brief, and if anyone has any issues after, please come see me.

"For those of you who haven't met Lilith, she's a dragon that lives in the temple in the courtyard. It is because of her that we can travel between the Deeprealm and our world. Recently, Lilith has informed me about other Deeprealms. Where ours was originally empty, these have people. Time in these Deeprealms also travels inconsistently, like ours, to the time in our World."

Corrin takes a deep breath before continuing.

"The point of this announcement is that I am going to start going into these other Deeprealms, and I would like a handful of people to accompany me." Corrin waits until the mutters die. "If you have any problems and concerns, please come tell me. Unless stated beforehand, we will only be going into Deeprealms with bandit or Faceless to battle. Training can only help so much, and I am hoping that we can gain some more battle experience before the war heightens in our world.

"Thank you for listening to me. I will be by Lilith's temple after lunch, for those who wish to venture into another Deeprealm with me. After we return, anyone who wishes to go tomorrow evening should talk with me tonight. Have a great lunch."

With that said, Corrin walks out of the dining room, leaving the group to their thoughts.

Elise devours her lunch, and then runs after her older brother.

Takumi refuses to let Sakura go, and commands her retainers to look after her in his absence. He and his retainers leave when they are done eating. Sakura follows with hers, grabbing Takumi's hand. The prince rolls his eyes but leads her along.

Azura quietly gets up and heads towards the courtyard.

Kaze watches the blue haired woman leave. When Rinkah finishes, he follows her out of the room.

Hayato shrugs and follows the rest.

Gunter is the only one left in the dining hall by the end of lunch. He has a grim look on his face.

;;;

Corrin truly didn't expect near-everyone to follow him out. "Thank you all for coming, but a few of you will have to stay behind today. Besides myself, Lilith is only strong enough to move five others between Deeprealms."

Hayato sighs deeply and raises his hand. "I'm only here to watch. Felicia convinced me to help with dinner."

Corrin nods, throwing his smirking maid a smile.

"Sakura isn't going today," Takumi says with a hard look at her. "And neither am I."

"We're sticking with Lady Sakura," Subaki says, throwing an arm around Hana. She quickly pushes him off. "Maybe tomorrow?"

Corrin nods again, his eyes drifting to the remaining retainers. "Oboro? Hinata?"

They look to Takumi. He nods.

"I guess we'll go," Oboro mutters, looking darkly at Corrin.

"Sounds like fun!" Hinata says, smiling.

"Can I come?" Elise shouts, elbowing through the crowd. "Please, Corrin? Please!"

Corrin smiles softly, nodding. She squeals. "Felicia, would you mind showing Elise our collection of staffs. And a horse for her to ride."

"Of course, my Lord." Felicia turns and bows towards the blonde. "Lady Elise, if you would follow me?"

"Lead the way!" Elise smiles widely.

He looks over the group, eyes going from Azura to Kaze and Rinkah.

"Azura," Corrin says softly, eyes going back to her. "I think you should sit out today. We don't know what we will find in the Deeprealm, and it would be better for someone who was at the Bottomless Canyon to stay behind."

He can feel the confused looks being passed around him, but he only watches Azura. A smirk twitches for a split-second on her face. She is blank faced when she nods and answers him. "Of course."

Corrin wonders if she remembers Felicia and Gunter were there when they all came out of Valla.

"So, that leaves us," Rinkah says out loud. Corrin turns to look at her. "I'm in. Kaze?"

The ninja gives a low bow. "It would be my honor, Lord Corrin."

"Thank you," Corrin tells them. He turns to the crowd. "Gather what you need for a fight. We will be out there for a few hours at most. Lilith will bring us back an hour before dinner."

The group breaks, and Takumi walks up to Corrin. "My retainers better come back."

"They will," Corrin swears, looking down at his little brother "or I will die trying to get them back."

Takumi steps back at the raw honestly. He seems to make up his mind when he grits his teeth and nods. "See that you do."

Corrin finally sighs when the white haired man is gone. He can't wait for night to come, and to finally sleep.

And even better, nothing from the script to tell him what to do. Freedom is a blessing.

;;;

"Are you ready to transport us, Lilith?" Corrin asks, tightly gripping the bag of coins in hand.

Lilith nods and swirls in the air. "Place the offering on the alter and I'll be able to open the gate."

Corrin nods and holds up the bag for the small group to see. "The gate requires a small fee to pass through Deeprealms with trouble in them."

Lilith smiles to her audience. "It is possible to find the money other travellers gifted the world when you go through, so there is no waste in offering a small amount."

Hayato nods from the back of the group. He speaks up. "Is it possible to pass into Deeprealms before trouble arrives?"

"Yes," Lilith says, smiling brightly at the question. "If you enter with no plans to harm the realm, then you can pass at will. If you pass with the intent to cause harm, the Deeprealm locks itself and requires an offering to enter its dangerous lands. The lock persists until the danger has passed."

Hayato's eyebrows rise. "That's some interesting magic. Would you mind if I come to ask about it later?"

Lilith smiles brighter. "Not at all." She turns to her friend. "Lord Corrin, we do have to activate it soon."

"Of course," Corrin says, upending the bag on Lilith's alter. The dragon swirls in the air, a bell rings, and air in front of her alter distorts. It shimmers, and then takes the form of a forest in midair. Corrin turns and holds out a hand to the girl behind him. "Elise, would you like to come with me, or with someone else?"

Elise latches onto his hand. "Let's go save this Deeprealm!"

Corrin smiles and turns to remaining group. As he gets pulled in beside Elise's horse, he tells them, "I'll see you there."

The forest shimmers when he steps through, and then the group is watching the white haired prince help his sister on top of her horse.

Kaze walks up to the shimmering air and looks expectantly back at the three left to cross. Rinkah gives him a look, and then fearlessly walks past him and to the forest.

"Our turn!" Hinata says cheerfully. He pauses at the edge of the rift between Deeprealms, and then turns to his fellow retainer. "Beautiful ladies first?"

Oboro glares at him. She walks towards the shimmering air, and then pushes Hinata in. "Get in, Kaze."

Kaze nods quickly and follows her orders.

Oboro glares at the portal, and then sighs. She looks back towards Felicia and Hayato, more specifically Hayato. "Is everything usually this strange?"

Felicia stifles a giggle behind her hand. Hayato shrugs. "It's on par with the Wind Tribe."

"Right," Oboro says, not convinced. She looks back at the forest shimmering in the middle of the air. "This is going to take some time…"

She walks through, and then Lilith closes the rift.

"They, um, will be able to come back, right?" Felicia asks hesitantly.

Hayato twitches.

"Of course!" Lilith says brightly. "Lord Corrin told me when to bring them back. I'll make sure the portal opens right next to him."

Felicia sighs. "I just worry. Thank you Lilith."

"Why didn't you go?" Hayato asks, walking with Felicia as they head towards the castle.

"Someone needs to run this place," Felicia says with a bright smile. "Gunter has not been as involved with housekeeping as he used to back in the Northern Fortress. Jakob - Lord Corrin's butler - and my sister Flora - one of the Fortress' maids - and I used to run the Fortress under Gunter's orders. Since it's just me now, I need to stay here in between our travels to keep everything running."

Hayato frowns deeply. "Can't you hire anyone to help around here?"

Felicia laughs. "Lord Corrin and I have decided not to. In a few days we may have those not going to other Deeprealms have small jobs around here. Until then, we are looking for a substitution for the Capture skill. You wouldn't happen to know of any tomes that can substitute, would you Hayato?"

The man hums and looks thoughtful. "I'll look around. If I find anything, I will let you know. If you do have job rotations, can I have the first one at a staff or tome store?"

"Of course!" Felicia says brightly. "I'll fix the staff store tonight and have it ready for you tomorrow!"

"You don't need to do that!"

"Nonsense! That way you can tell me where the merchandise should go, and how you would like the store to run."

"I don't want to run the store."

"You won't run it, but since you offered first shift, I would appreciate your help to make sure it is set up properly."

Hayato looks at her in disbelief. Then he laughs. "You are good. I can see why this castle hasn't fallen apart yet."

Felicia blushes. "Thank you, Hayato."

"I'll help you with the store tomorrow. For now, let me show you how to make my favourite Wind Tribe dessert."

"I look forward to it!"

;;;

They split into three pairs, under strict instructions that if they run into anything, they are to yell and alert the other members.

As much as Corrin would have loved to pair everyone off with their friends – or the considered Nohr/Hoshido/Neutral alliances – he pairs by skill and strengths.

Kaze and Oboro are sent to scout ahead of the rest. Kaze, because he is a ninja. Oboro, because she's got enough pent-up aggression to masterfully take down anything that may appear in her path.

Elise and Hinata are sent to follow after a few minutes. Hinata has the training of a retainer to protect Elise, and his easy-going personality means he isn't offended when asked to look after her. He's actually excited. Elise and he seem to feed off of each other's energy.

Which leaves Corrin with Rinkah.

"Is it just me, or is it strange?" Corrin wonders out loud, looking around as they walk.

The woman gives him a bland look and stays quiet.

"The forest, I mean." Corrin reaches out and brushes a fist against tree bark. "If I didn't know any better… I'd say it's just like the forests back home." He gives a self-deprecating laugh. "But then again, I've been running around forests more this last week then my entire life. I don't really have that great of a reference."

A loud shout has the two freezing, and then bursting into a run. "Faceless!"

They break into the clearing, only to pause again when Oboro, in a bloodthirsty frenzy, tears down two Faceless like they are nothing.

Kaze appears behind her to block an attack.

Rinkah grins toothily and charges in with a battle cry.

"Way to go, Hinata!" Elise cheers as the man takes down a Faceless. The two share a laugh then head towards the straggling enemies.

Corrin smirks and readies to transform.

Maybe training in the Deeprealms isn't such a bad idea.

;;;

When Lord Leo steals the report from Izumo, he shares it with only a select few. Nobody likes the report findings.

"Princess Elise is where?!"

"Isn't… Lady Camilla going after Lord Corrin to kill him?"

"If I warp you to the nearby Sea Port, will you be able to protect Elise?"

"Of course, Lord Leo!"

"Of course! The Hero of Justice would die to protect the princess!"

Arthur and Effie note he doesn't command them to bring her back.

Just keep her safe.

;;;

Takumi takes a moment to process their report. "…Alright. I… You know what, no. Just, do you think Corrin has any ill will with," he waves a hand angrily in the air towards Lilith's Temple, "that?"

"He's crazy," Oboro deadpans.

Hinata laughs loudly. Takumi turns his dismayed look to the male retainer.

"He seems like a nice guy," Hinata says earnestly. "Lady Elise talked fondly of him. And on the battlefield, even when he's a dragon, he's a pleasure to work with."

"He ran through a Faceless with his horns," Oboro states blankly.

"It was awesome," Hinata adds with a bright smile.

Oboro bites down her groan. "I don't think he plans any ill will. The people we saved were quite charmed by him." Her face grows darker and she mumbles things like 'the scum's not charming at all'. Takumi chooses not to respond to that.

"One of the men offered to be his paramour!" Hinata says, mirth flooding his expression.

And, too bad, Takumi can't pretend he didn't hear that. "When you say 'offered to be his paramour'…?"

Hinata is most definitely laughing at Takumi. "Lady Elise helped Lord Corrin turn him down. She said this happens a lot, actually! Nohr has really lax relationship views, so they're trained to turn people down. But Corrin didn't grow up learning with the royal family, so they deal with suitors for him!"

Oboro looks so pained, but Takumi is sure he's not doing much better. "Back to your report… What do you think about continuing travel to other Deeprealms? Did you find it worth your time?"

Hinata nods, but Oboro answers verbally after her own sigh. "Yes, Lord Takumi. As… strange, as the whole experience was, I found it rather… beneficial. It would be a good training exercise, and the people of the Deeprealm were very thankful for our help."

"Big brother!" Sakura yells, drawing their attention. The princess runs up to them, eyes wide with wonder. "Felicia is setting up a w-weapons and i-items store, and sh-she needs h-help selecting w-weapons to i-import, and can you p-please h-help? You a-always know the best th-things to buy when we were i-in Hoshido. Please, big brother?"

"Sakura," Takumi sighs, looking conflicted.

Her eyes get wider and slightly misty. "Please? I'll do w-whatever you want for the r-rest of the day. And Felicia i-is really nice! Can you p-please come and h-help me pick i-items?"

He can't say no to her now.

"Oboro, Hinata," Takumi sighs and motions them forwards, "we'll need your help too."

"T-thank you," Sakura smiles. Takumi swears there are sparkles around her. She grabs his hand and gratefully squeezes. "A-and you too, O-Oboro, H-Hinata."

While Takumi and his retainers tell her it's no problem, Sakura makes an unnoticed glance towards the stables.

Subaki smiles at her, walking towards the shop were Hana waits for them.

Elise holds her thumbs up when Sakura looks her way. Then the girl ducks around the barn door to run after Subaki.

Mission, make Takumi and retainers interact with other people, accomplished.

;;;

Corrin stares.

He… still can't do it.

He can't go into the treehouse.

Too many memories. Too many conversations. Too many things that didn't happen.

The treehouse is supposed to be his safe haven. Time stops when he enters. He could spend years inside and never age a day. He could sleep in there, and appear to spend no time resting to those who see him run around through the night. He could do a lot of things, when he knows his actions affect no one in that room.

He can't force himself any closer to the tree. Any good memories he had in there never actually happened. And his psyche can't handle the pain that would come if he tries to recreate them.

"Big brother!" Elise shouts.

Corrin turns, eyes widening at the blur jumping at him. He squawks as he catches his youngest sister, twirling around. "Everything alright, Elise?"

"Everything's fine," she huffs. The princess pulls him towards the fortress as soon as her feet touch ground. "Can we have a sleepover, like before? Do you have any new stories to read? And I've got a new set so we can play chess!"

"That sounds like fun," Corrin says, letting her drag him with a fond smile. "We can request pillows and blankets from Felicia."

"And build a fort!" Elise cheers. "Yes! Let's do it!"

She goes to say something else, and then snaps her mouth shut with a concerned expression. Corrin stops her, worried. "What is it?"

Elise fiddles for a second. "Is Azura really from Nohr?"

"… Her mother was Arete," Corrin says carefully, not willing to lie to her but unable to tell the full truth.

"So…" Elise purses her lips. "She's our sister, right?"

Not really. "Sort of? I don't know for sure."

Elise frowns in thought. "We can ask Xander, he'd know for sure!"

"Sure," Corrin sweat-drops. "We'll… try to ask him next time we see him."

"If she is," Elise says, smiling again, "we can invite her to our sleepovers!"

Can we not? "…Did you ask Sakura and Takumi without me?"

"I asked Sakura," Elise says, pouting slightly. "She and Takumi are having their own sleepover with their retainers."

"Maybe next time, then," Corrin chuckles and muses her hair. She protests and makes faces at him. "Do you want to raid the kitchen for leftovers? Or should we search for Felicia?"

Elise pouts further. "Jakob's not here to make tea."

"I'm sure he'll show up," Corrin says with a warm smile. "You know how he is."

Elise smiles weakly and starts on the search for Felicia. "I… didn't tell Effie or Arthur I was going to find you."

Corrin makes an aborted choking noise. Her smile turns real and she laughs at his whine. "You're retainers are going to kill me for kidnapping you."

"Aw, I'm sure they won't, big brother," Elise comforts him with sarcastic pat. "You'll see when you meet them. They're the best retainers in the world! They wouldn't hurt you!"

Corrin is not comforted.

"Arthur is the absolute nicest person ever! He saves kittens from trees almost every day!"

Even though the cats scratch up said retainer, or the tree branch breaks and he falls into a river.

"And Effie is super strong! She could show you how to punch a hole in the wall!"

Or punch him through a wall.

"They sound like great people," Corrin says sagely.

He knows they have good hearts.

It's just… when they find him with Elise; he doesn't want them to rip out his heart.

;;;

"Um, Lady Elise?" Hinata asks cautiously.

"Hinata!" she cheers, turning from her horse to greet him. He can see the sad tint to her smile, but she seems cheerful enough. "I thought you were going with the others to the new Deeprealm!"

He laughs a little, scratching his head and lazily entering the stable. "Well, Lilith couldn't move all of us, so I offered to stay behind. What about you? You seemed really excited to go again today!"

He leans on the padlock door, watching with a small smile as she starts pouting. "Corrin told me I need to take the day off. I don't get why. I'm absolutely fine!"

"Ah," Hinata nods. "He's probably worried 'cause you used so much healing magic. I thought it was awesome! You never seemed to run out of energy!"

"Thanks!" Elise perks back up, brushing her horse and smiling under her arm at the retainer. "You were so cool, too! It was like you were dancing, and you moved so fast you blurred!"

Hinata laughs. "Nice! Oboro's usually faster than me, though."

"She was everywhere," Elise says in awe. "I would look one way, and then she would zoom to the other side of the field."

Hinata's laugh is a bit more awkward this time. "Yah, she does that sometimes."

"I still don't get why I can't go," Elise pouts again. "Big brother knows I can heal really, really well. I never get tired! So why…?"

Hinata ponders for a little bit. "Maybe he wants you to be prepared for the trek this afternoon? Hey, is that why you're brushing the horse?"

"Yep!" Elise giggles, patting the very patient war horse. "Gunter bought her in the village, so she's all mine! We're going to practice a little, before it gets too hot."

"Do you mind if I watch?"

"Not at all!" Elise seems to light up. "Do you want to ride with us?"

"That's okay," Hinata laughs. "I'd rather watch. Maybe you can watch me practice after?"

"Yes!" Elise squeals. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

;;;

'Your older sister will be flying and will reach this forest tomorrow morning, if you want to recruit her.'

That was what the woman said.

The script says he's supposed to meet Camilla over the ocean.

Forest is a better advantage, is what he's convinced himself of.

Because his sister flies on a dragon.

And she's sometimes known as the Bloody Axe of Nohr.

…Maybe not much of an advantage.

But better than the open water.

"So," Corrin says to the forces he's taking into the battle. "Here's the plan."

A/N: There are so many characters and we haven't even recruited half of each army. Thanks for reading!

Thank you, Guest, for your review! Zinnia's got to mysterious somehow, hahaha. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!