Chapter 18 - The Interloper


A/N: Finally back at it.


Beta'd By A.O. Talmidge


"In my head?"

Thump.

Anna's vision blurred, and she tried to take another step back away from her double, but this time she stumbled. Her footstep echoed, vibrating her to the bone; two steps, not one.

Thump.

That was...her heart?

Thump.

No, the pulse was de-synchronized from the beating of her own heart, but it was coming from her. The sound pounded in her ears. It... hurt, bad. Her hand still clutched her heart – no, the cloth over her heart - poised as if to try and rip the pain out.

That would never work.

But she couldn't. Whatever it was, was a part of her. In her.

Thump.

Her vision kept blurring in tune with the thumping, making her stumble again. Again and again. An endless, painful feedback loop.

"You make it so difficult to tell if you are worth my time or not."

It was her voice. Not one of her sisters: hers. She dragged her attention back to her doppelganger who now had her arms crossed, looking wholly unimpressed.

"What-"

Thump.

Anna winced and sucked in a stabilizing breath, forcing herself to focus, to speak. "What did you mean when you said that I stuck you in my head?"

The Anna that looked exactly like her rolled her eyes and started sauntering towards her. "Exactly what I just said."

Anna instinctively stumbled back away from her approaching double, but the pulsing, the thumping, the echoing, the pain. It was all too much, and she couldn't coordinate herself enough to move how she wanted.

"You," the double pointed to Anna, "put me," she pointed to herself, "in your head." She tapped Anna's forehead, and the unnatural force behind it knocked Anna to the ground. Her double stopped, looking down, towering over her. "Do you need me to say it again?"

Thump.

"But if I did that, then why can't I remember why I did?"

"You do, but the memories of it are an absolute mess. Or at least, they don't make any sense. It doesn't help that your mind is literally trying to forget them."

"What? That's stupid. Why would I be trying to forget something like that?"

Her double sighed. "It may be easier to just show you."

"What do you - ah!"

The area erupted into an incomprehensible scene. Scenes?

No, memories.

But Anna was living them, in the moment, not simply recalling them. They were so real, so vivid, even if she still couldn't fully make sense of them. Flashes of understanding, things that did, but didn't make sense. A field, a house, an ocean, a city, a desert, a man, a graveyard, a shattered mirror. six eyes. She tried to focus on them, but it just-

Thump.

-hurt to do it. She shut her eyes, but it didn't matter. She was still living them, seeing it all, feeling it all. The desert, the structure, the black blood, the labyrinth, the pit-

Thump.

Everything ended so abruptly. Anna realized she was breathing heavily and collapsed onto the ground. Her whole body hurt.

"Such a pathetic sight. So, do you see now? Why your mind is attempting to forget that? A defensive mechanism. Of course, since I am you, it hurts me just as much as you to see those memories so vividly."

Anna wrenched her eyes open to look at her double, but she couldn't see any trace of pain on their face. Was she lying? "Are you... the reason I can't make sense of them, those memories?"

Her double scoffed and cocked a hand onto her hip. "Don't be childish. I am the reason your memory of them has not faded completely. But right now, I need you to focus, or your subconscious will slip away from this place."

"This...place?" Anna lifted her head, shifting her eyes this way and that, but found nothing but blackness. The scene of the memory from before had disappeared, leaving just the two of them in an empty space. She realized the ground wasn't quite ground, just a place she lay. Her mind struggled to come up with how she had gotten here in the first place. "Where are we?"

"Didn't I already say? You put me in your head. This, in a manner of speaking, is your mind. Rather dull and unimaginative, but so it goes with humans."

Thump.

"I don't...how?"

She smirked. "Let's just say I have a lot more experience. I found that it's easier for the human mind to comprehend if we talk in a way that appears to be face to face, crude as it is. But in order for us to do that, we needed a connection. You had to realize that I was here before we could talk, before a connection like this could be made."

She spread her arms wide. "And what better way to get you to realize I was here than to show you something, something so real that clearly was not yours."

Thump.

Her double started pacing around her, and Anna couldn't turn or do much of anything to keep her in view.

"But you," she heard her chuckle. "Before I could set anything in motion, you started unconsciously rooting around in my memories, putting yourself in place of me." She came back into view for a moment and Anna saw her shake her head in a distasteful manner. "So rude, but so...intriguing. I can't help but wonder what that says about you, that you're so willing to put yourself in the place of another."

"How long? How long has this been going on?"

"Oh, since your imprisonment in Izumo, but you hadn't realized it. Did you not notice the little nudges I keep sharing with you? The suggestions, the warnings, the emotions?"

The area flashed into another memory. She was sitting on the cot in the Izumite prison, standing in her sister's loft, in the town's outskirts, in the forest clearing, the dungeon. The memories snapped away, and she looked up to her double.

"You've been controlling me?"

"Such a ridiculous conclusion. Don't be naive. You're the one in control."

Thump.

Something on the edges of her memory struggled to come forward, giving her an uneasy feeling, putting her even more on edge.

Thump.

Pay attention, or the link will break.

Wait, that...

That was her own voice.

But she hadn't thought that.

Now isn't that interesting, Anna?

Anna forced herself to a sitting position, gritting her teeth at the painful vibration that kept running through her. "Who are you, really? You can't be me. I'm me."

"'I'm me,' she says. You, who have so many identical sisters. Spare me the whining. Besides, you already know who I am."

The painful image of those six eyes, the mirror, came to the forefront of her memory again. "Did you come from that... place?"

Thump.

"No. I know your thoughts aren't empty. Think, girl."

But it was so hard to think. Anna dragged her gaze over to the black lines tracing her veins on her right arm, where before there had just been grey scars. She gestured to them. "Robin said this was a backlash."

Thump.

"From what you did, yes." Her double started to circle her again and Anna didn't bother to try and keep her in sight this time. The pulsing continued. "But I already existed before the whole fiasco happened. Where do you think Robin came from in the first place? Where I came from?"

The memories flashed into reality around Anna, and she was once again living them. The hatred, the voices of the undead, the alchemist.

And the answer came so easily, like it was her own memory. "You're the...creation."

The ever present smirk on her double's face turned to a scowl. "Don't call me by that ridiculous title. You know my name already, rooting around in those memories like you've been. Any of this look familiar?"

This memory came unbidden to her mind, and she was once again living the scenes from before. The lab, the sandy labyrinth, the seal. Memories she recognized now that clearly weren't hers but somehow felt like they were.

Thump.

The name fell out of her mouth. "Grima." The scenes disappeared again, and Anna was once again left with just the empty blackness, the pulsing and the two of them.

"Yes. The fell dragon, the wings of despair, the breath of ruin, the jaws of annihilation."

Thump.

Anna pulled her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms arm around them, pulling in on herself. "I don't want this. I don't want you in my head, I don't want to do this anymore. I never even wanted any of this in the first place. I just wanted to be-"

"Be normal? Really now? The girl frustrated at just being 'another Anna sister,' the same girl who wanted adventure, wanted mystery, wanted to live for herself, wants to quit? Then you should have thought about that when you picked up Robin in the first place, when you forced him to work for you, when you fled with him. You have no one to blame but yourself for getting involved with him, and by extension, me."

"Are you what's causing all this? The scars, the..." she struggled to find the word, and eventually settled on, "flickering?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. I know as much about what is going on with you as you do."

"How do I know you aren't lying?"

She threw back her head and laughed, and Anna winced at the mocking tone of it. It didn't sound right, her voice laughing like that. "You don't. But I also have little reason to lie to you. I am not all knowing or all powerful, especially in you. But you are...interesting. Why do you think I have taken an interest in you, Anna?"

THUMP.

The pulsing beat louder. It was getting harder to focus, and everything began swaying. Anna swallowed. "How should I know. Why are you even helping me in the first place?"

"Helping you?" They scoffed. "My motives are entirely selfish. What do you think would happen to me if you died?"

THUMP.

Anna's vision swam. "I...don't know."

"Exactly. You don't know, I don't know, Robin wouldn't know. It's a whole mess of unknowns. I shouldn't even be able to be here in your head, much less with you able to live this long. Your blood isn't of my lineage. At this point, you should have gone mad, died, something. But all that's here are these." She pointed to the black lines tracing her veins on her arm, a mirror image of Anna's own.

THUMP.

"So why haven't I?"

They let out an exasperated sigh. "Therein lies the question doesn't it? But I didn't just want to speak to you to speculate about that. Do you remember what you did earlier?"

THUMP.

"Not...really, no."

"Perhaps it's a constant."

"What?"

"What you demonstrated was, quite frankly, ridiculous. Phasing through people and walls, causing the cessation of existence of a lock, killing the fool who was trying to ensnare Robin. What happened was so unnatural. But then, the unnatural has always been my forte. I intend to figure it out."

"What...do you want with me?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? You're the one who put me in your head, after all."

THUMP.

Anna didn't respond. She couldn't think anymore, couldn't focus.

"Fine, be that way. Before you were just dull, but now, with whatever this is, you interest me." Her double sighed. "Honestly, I just wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately, that won't happen as long as this 'great and mighty' Anankos is still alive. So long as whatever is going on with you, with us, is still happening, he won't leave us be, won't stop until we're on his side, or dead. I know how beings like him think."

Her double extended a hand. "So, to get rid of him, how about we work together?"

THUMP.

Anna shut her eyes, shaking her head. "No. I don't want, don't want, don't want." Her body was wracked with pain, she needed out, needed out.

THUMP.

"Tch. The link is fraying. Consider my offer, Anna. I can help you more if you let me."

More?

THUMP.

Goodbye, for now.


"I'm sorry, but I don't know. Now if you'll excuse me."

Kaden flinched as Robin exited the room and closed the sliding door, hard. Turning back to Anna, he watched helplessly for another minute as her whole body flickered again, wrenching back and forth on the soft pallet. She seemed like she was still unconscious, or at least unaware of what was going on in the small guest room turned healing area.

The healer - Ai - was kneeling close by her pallet and just like she had done before, waited until Anna stopped flickering before moving to heal her with a sun festal.

As the healing magic washed over Anna with a whirl of green symbols, Kaden wondered if it would do anything since it hadn't done anything all the other times she'd tried it. None of them knew if it would really help. But what else could they do?

The proprietress sighed. "Do you have any idea what sort of magic it was that put her in this state?"

The image of Anna looking at him with eyes that didn't seem to see him as she leaned out of the prison wall flashed through his mind.

In the end, Kaden just shook his head. "No."

Thankfully, Anna was now lying still. She looked slightly more peaceful as the glow of healing magic continued, and even though he didn't know why, he was thankful that it seemed to be working this time. He couldn't help but notice that the grey scars that had traced her veins on her right arm running up towards her heart were black now.

At least she wasn't flickering anymore.

He looked over to the proprietress as she stepped away from Anna. He'd talked with her briefly the night before, and she didn't seem bad. "Do you know what's going on?"

The proprietress let out an indignant sounding snort. "This is out of my area of expertise. Physically, I think she'll be just fine after some rest. But it's obvious that there's something else going on. We just don't know what."

They watched as the healer put aside the sun festal and started to re-bandage the deep wound in Anna's forearm, where there had been a knife.

He felt the proprietress nudge him with her polished bamboo cane and gave him a sidelong glance. "And you're sure that she didn't show any of this ability, this magic that you, Robin and Shura were describing before this point?"

"I think so, yes."

The proprietress turned toward him more properly to glare at him. "And you aren't trying to hide anything in a foolish attempt to protect her either?"

"No. All I know is what Robin said to you earlier; she didn't even have a spark of magic in her. I'd never seen her do anything like this before."

The proprietress continued the probing glare for a long while, long enough to be uncomfortable. Kaden's tail twitched.

She eventually sighed and looked away. "Very well. Ai?"

The healer looked up from her work. "Yes?"

"Continue to look after her and let me know immediately if anything changes. In the meantime, we," she gave Kaden a meaningful look, "have some decisions to make." She whipped open the door and marched out into the hallway.

Kaden hesitated a moment, giving Anna another look.

The proprietress poked her head back in. "Come along, kitsune. Sitting there worrying about her won't do you any good."

Kaden sent one last look over to Anna before trying and failing to put the situation out of his mind. Nonetheless, he followed the proprietress out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

The smell of seasoned rice, eggs and cooked fish greeted his nose as he followed the proprietress into the main room of the inn. The area, a cozy wood built room, felt like it was in a lulled, almost drowsy state, sparsely populated by the scant few men and women of Shura's crew.

At one of the tables in the middle a young woman with long pink hair pulled back by a headband laughed merrily, a winning smile plastered on her face. Some of the crew ate, others talked quietly about inane things and a couple muttered about his appearance as he followed the proprietress into the room.

Otherwise, there was an excited tension about the room, and it became clear that all of them were trying to act normal while watching him and the proprietress. No light came through the covered windows yet as dawn was still some ways away at this point, and the inn was temporarily closed to the public the entire week for "renovations."

Or in other words, there wouldn't be any disturbances.

Sequestered at one of the corner tables sat Robin, shoveling down a breakfast with the same enthusiasm he typically showed for any food. Nearby was the leader of the unnamed crew, Shura. He was older, his head fur mostly greyed besides a patch on the top which was still mostly black. Instead of sitting at the table, he leaned against the wall nearby the table, arms crossed.

He thought about getting some food, but eventually decided he wasn't hungry. As they approached, Kaden heard Shura sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Something about that just doesn't sit right with me."

Robin shrugged, polishing off the last of the bowl. "It was all I could think to do at the time."

"That's what worries me. And don't think I believe or care about all the things you're spouting about dragons, invisible soldiers and disappearing into thin air either."

The proprietress cleared her throat. "It is a dangerously unusual tale, isn't it?"

Shura glanced over to them and then rolled his eyes. "You told her last night, didn't you." Robin nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure the Izumites think killing their archduke was real interesting, granny. Bet their sides split from laughing so much as they were chucking him into jail."

Whack.

Kaden flinched in sympathy for Shura as he sat down on one of the chairs to Robin's left. Shura growled at the proprietress as she returned her polished bamboo cane to the floor after jabbing it into the side of his knees.

"Oi, I still need those you know, granny."

"Then stop antagonizing him. Be polite and let him finish."

Robin folded one of his arms and set his hand to his chin. "There's not too much more to tell. We fled from Izumo, travelled for a short while and then we were captured by a man controlling dark magic constructs, the 'Faceless,' after which he transported us here."

"Any descriptions on this guy?" Shura asked.

Robin shook his head as he shoved aside the empty bowl and leaned back. "A man in a plain black cloak. I never could get a good look at his face."

"I did." The attention turned to Kaden and his tail twitched again. "He's pale, has long dark hair. I caught glimpse of a gilded mask covering half his face underneath the cowl of his-"

Shura cut him off with a curse. "The mage envoy from Nohr. He's been prowling around here in and out for months. Regardless of what he's doing, he's bad news for us. No doubt he'll be trying to tip the situation of Kotaro's death in Nohr's favor somehow." He looked back at Robin. "Anything else you want to share?"

"Nothing."

Shura let out an unimpressed sounding 'hmph.' "If you say so. But I do have a question for you."

"It's not as though I can stop you from asking."

Kaden saw one of Shura's brows raise, but he didn't comment on the comeback. "How do you explain how Anna did what she did?"

He crossed his arms. "I figured you might ask that, but it's not something I know how to explain."

Shura smirked. "So you have no idea."

Robin sighed. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." He turned his attention to Kaden. "Was she doing any better when you left?"

Kaden opened his mouth to answer, but the proprietress cut him off. "Her physical wounds are healing remarkably fast, but she is still unconscious. Unaware of the world around her. I would say she has a fever just from overexerting herself magically, but that isn't it. Then of course there is the..." She paused and turned to Kaden. "How did you put it?"

"Flickering." His ear flicked, miffed about her interrupting him. It didn't help that he was still tired, and that his ribs still ached. They'd been quickly healed, as most of the healer's attention fell on Anna.

"Mmm, yes. That part is what worries me the most, since we have no information on what is causing it. And the one who might know is unconscious."

"So she's out of the picture for the moment." Shura paused, as if deliberating something. "And you're sure this bozo quest to kill something that may or may not exist is all that you're doing?"

"I already told the proprietress last night." Robin waved his arm dismissively. "I just want to be left alone, and I know that won't happen as long as Anankos is still alive. He won't stop until either he's dead or I am. I know how beings like him think."

"See that's just it, kid. What you're doing doesn't line up with what you say your goal is."

"'Know your enemy.' In order to kill him, we have to find information on him first."

"Fine, but then why kill Izumo's archduke, and why kill Kotaro if all you're looking for is information?"

"Like I already said to you, that was by chance."

"Hard to believe, but frankly I don't car-"

Whack.

The proprietress tapped her cane on the floor. "Stop beating around the bush and thank the young man already."

Kaden frowned. Thank him?

Shura sighed, rubbing his leg where the bamboo had hit him again. "Whether you meant to or not, I am in yours and Anna's debt." He dipped his head in a measure of respect. "Taking out Kotaro was a suicide mission, so I owe you and her my life."

Raising an eyebrow, Robin regarded the older human. "Coincidence or not, I'm glad you were there. It would have been difficult to get both Kaden and Anna out without your help. You also took us in and for that, I think you're already on your way to repaying it."

Robin stood and stuck out his hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Shura accepted the handshake with a strong grip. "Maybe, kid. Maybe."

Glancing aside to the cozy room, Kaden saw Shura's small crew still milling about in the tavern looking both tired and restless, depending on who he looked at. The young woman from earlier was still smiling and joking, but she was looking at them from the corner of her eye.

According to what Robin had said the night before, supposedly the crew was going to be out making their next move already. They were just waiting on them.

"So what happens next?" Kaden asked.

"Well," Shura went back to leaning against the wall and Robin sat back down, tipping back his chair, "regardless of whether or not I believe in what you're doing, I have an idea of where you might look for the information you want."

"Really now?" Robin asked, his interest piqued. "I'd take just about any lead I can get. Who are they?"

Shura held up his hand, palm up. "But I would need to check with some people first and make sure he's still around."

"But there's something that you want us to do for you in return."

Shura shrugged. "I'm not Kotaro. I won't force you to do it, but it'd be better than sitting around here in the city where they think you just murdered the daimyo."

"Wait, wasn't it Anna who did it?" Kaden asked.

Robin laced his hands behind his head. "She is, but no one who saw her do it survived besides Shura and me, so naturally, the blame falls on the last person they saw go in there."

"You."

"Me."

Shura nodded. "Glad we're on the same page for this at least. We're planning on slipping out through the Black Lotus' escape hole which will lead past the city's wall. You can take your chances staying here if you want, but I'd recommend not relying on luck. After that, you can stay with my crew and me, or go and do your thing."

"But if we want the lead, we go with you and help you out."

Kaden spoke up. "Don't you owe him? Why not just give him the information and repay the debt?"

"I'm repaying the debt by giving all of you the benefit of the doubt despite all the things you've done and the rumors flying around about you. Thinking of bailing?"

Kaden hesitated for a brief moment. "No." Human's idea of repaying debts was weird.

"Good. Your senses would be invaluable to what we're going to do."

Kaden's hand tightened under the table. "But there is a slight problem. I don't have a beaststone anymore. The people who imprisoned us took it, and probably sold it. My senses are heightened with it."

Shura pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just my luck I find the only Kitsune without a beaststone. But can't you get another one from your tribe or whatever they're called?"

Kaden's heart skipped a beat. "That...may be harder than you think."

"Really? I know they started migrating a while back, but you should at least know about where they are, right?"

Kaden averted his eyes. "I could probably find them, but..."

Robin cut in. "They wouldn't want you back. That's the problem, isn't it? Why you're so cagey talking about your family and your home."

"Something like that." He really wished Robin hadn't brought that up to someone who was essentially a stranger. "But there should be a place I can go to find one and it's not too far, either. But wouldn't that interfere with your schedule?"

Shura chuckled. "Hardly. I planned this out so it wouldn't matter if I lived or died. I trust my crew to handle the details."

"What is it exactly that you're trying to do, anyways?"

"First you have to promise you won't go running off and spill this to the first person who comes along. I need to know that you're going to commit to this."

Kaden looked over to Robin and met his eyes. Robin raised an eyebrow. Kaden bit his lip, stewing it over a moment before giving him a nod.

"We'll do it."

"Deal."

The Proprietress spoke up. "Now that Kotaro is dead, his subordinates will begin clawing for the seat of power. They will all gather here to Suterusu."

"And you're going to take them out too?" Robin let out a low whistle. "That's bold, but stupid. The security will likely increase tenfold."

"Except they can't." Shura countered. "They don't have the numbers for it right now. The main body of ninja here in Suterusu were deployed to Izumo area a while before you arrived. Probably thanks to you."

"Probably," Robin admitted. "So, do you think they wouldn't recall at least some of them, or hire more guards, or mercenaries?"

"They absolutely will. But we aren't going to assassinate them here in town."

Robin grinned. "You're going to do it while they travel here."

"See, I told you he had a good head on his shoulders."

"No need to rub it in, granny." Shura turned to him, and Kaden met his gaze. "It's going to be almost a week before the leaders of the surrounding towns and villages start travelling while word gets out about Kotaro's death, and we can retrieve your beaststone in that time while my crew finishes getting things set up."

"We?" Kaden asked.

"I would go with you and Robin, of course."

To keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't snitch. They had just laid out their basic plan to them, even if there weren't yet details. He glanced at Robin, who nodded.

"What about Anna?"

He flinched as the proprietress' hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. "I'll make sure she is taken care of. They aren't looking for her after all, are they?"

"Satisfied?" Shura asked.

Robin crossed his arms. "Enough as we could be."

"Alright. I need to talk to my crew, and then we'll get going. The proprietress will show you where to go." Shura pushed himself off the wall and went to talk to his crew. Though Kaden could hear them, he tuned them out.

He leaned in closer to Robin and whispered. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We're in their debt, and I don't like our chances going out on our own, especially with Anna in the condition she's in." He rubbed his shoulder. "I also haven't been able to find a way to get rid of the seal on my magic yet. But I'm not too worried. I've been against the odds for a long time."

"It sounds like you're making it up as you go along."

"Maybe in the end, that's all I can do. No plan, however well thought out, survives first contact with the enemy. In the end, all we have to do is tip the scales in our favor. Shall we go?"


The obsidian throne loomed ahead, and there were no guards to be seen. As Leo started smartly walking up to it, the atmosphere was almost pressing, thick, even though there were none else in the area save himself, his retainers and the king.

King Garon, his father.

Leaning to one side in the throne, Garon patiently awaited their approach. Iago, who usually lurked to Garon's left was gone. It was unusual as of late for him to not be there. Leo's eyes glanced up to the ceiling, where an immaculately carved statue of a dragon hung. He'd long since assumed that the statue was of the Dusk Dragon.

Now he wasn't so sure.

Glancing to his left and right where Odin and Niles walked an appropriate distance behind him, he noted their looks. Niles looked pensive, while Odin looked confident. But that was the outward appearance. All of them were nervous, something that had built and continued building on the quick trip home.

And what a trip, made in what had to be record time. But it was a product built of a burning desire to know the truth.

What Izana had said was still ringing in his mind.

As he finished his approach, Leo stopped and kneeled on one knee, bowing his head, and he heard his retainers do the same on either side of him, and he waited for his father to give the signal that he may speak.

An uncomfortably long time passed, but still he waited.

"It is good to see you, my son. Raise your head; speak."

Leon let in a sharp intake of breath as a small shock went through him. Son? King Garon hadn't called him his son since...he struggled to remember how long that had been. Lifting his head, Garon's face had a smile on it, a genuine smile.

Clearing his throat in an attempt to regain his composure, Leo spoke. "Father; I returned as quickly as I was able after the incident in Izumo. I presume you received my letter by wyvern?"

The smile dimmed, and his demeanor changed from fatherly back to kingly, something Leo was far more familiar and comfortable with. "Yes, I am aware of the situation at present. My spies are everywhere. Rest assured that all went according to plan."

"Including Zola?"

"An unfortunate loss, but an acceptable sacrifice, one that has been years in the making. Before long, Izumo will fall into Nohrian hands, and we will have one more foothold, one step closer to surrounding the Hoshidans."

"So you did plan to assassinate the Archduke? Why not tell me? I could have helped in some way."

"Perhaps, but true innocence was your best defense. You had no knowledge of the attempt, so should it fail, you would be innocent of the crime. Even so, with this success we have gained another foothold without the world being the wiser."

Leo closed his eyes. So it was a political move, and his lack of knowledge was out of a perhaps flawed logic to protect him. It was…distasteful to think about. His next question would be telling.

"So the man, Robin, when he assassinated the archduke; he was one of your agents?"

"No." Leo noted that Garon's slight clenching of his fist on the throne. "He is an unknown, even though it worked in Nohr's favor. He is a loose cannon, one that is being dealt with."

"I see." Even though he didn't. Odin had been tight lipped about most of his knowledge of the man named Robin. Perhaps dealing with him had something to do with Iago's absence. "There is more, however. Before he passed, the archduke had a meeting with us. He warned us about that man, but as well, he warned us about another threat."

"This is not the first time the Archduke has made such claims. What threat has the great archduke of Izumo dreamt up this time?"

Leo took a breath, stabilizing his fluttering heart. This was a make or break situation. "He warned us about the Silent Dragon, Anankos, and the threat to all of us, both Nohr and Hoshido that he posed. He said that you would know about them."

Garon was silent.

"Father?"

Letting out a world weary sigh, Garon closed his eyes. "I had hoped you would never hear of this."

"You knew of this?" He tried to keep the indignation out of his voice.

"Of course." He admitted it so readily, and Leo's mind raced with the reason why. "I have been quietly opposing him for a while now behind the scenes. But I had hoped that you would never find out."

"Why?"

"It's a delicate situation, one not easily explained so quickly, or so readily. As well, the war efforts with Hoshido have been taking up more and more of my time. Not to mention, the mounting uprising in Cheve and in the tribes. There is just so much; we can only do so much as a nation."

"You didn't want to spread your resources thin."

Garon nodded. "Correct. What happens as we try to chase an enemy we can't see, defeat a foe when we do not even know where he lies? Chaos, confusion in the ranks, unrest. I would not desire that for Nohr in such a critical time.

"However, I believe it is far past time for me to delegate more of this responsibility." He glared firmly at Leo and his retainers. "Know that I would only trust something like this to my most trusted colleagues." He looked at all three of them. "If you will swear unto me an oath that you will not reveal any of what I will show you to anyone, then we shall speak of this more."

This was serious. By the Dusk Dragon, this was serious. "May I," he swallowed, "may I think on this, discuss it with my retainers?"

"Of course. I am aware that this is much to process all at once. I would not wish for you to make a decision so hastily. Return and report at the end of the day." His demeanor shifted to something commandingly menacing. "Remember that nothing we speak of here leaves this room."

"Of course."

He waved his hand. "You are dismissed."

Dipping his head in another bow, Leo stood, and turned, his retainers following behind him. The air seemed to have turned oppressive as he filed out of the room, until the door shut grandly and cleanly behind them. The silence hung heavy in the air as they started walking, and for once Odin didn't move to fill it.

Eventually, Leo turned into a private empty area and faced the two of them. He maintained a calm facade, but inside he was both excited and nervous.

Niles spoke up first. "Seems our 'friend' beyond the grave is two for two so far," he quipped. "But it is intriguing, milord. The king was strangely accommodating and, forgive me for saying this, sane today."

He noticed Odin shiver. "Even so, the darkness in the room was almost cloying. The miasma of deceit and ulterior motives was so thick, it suffocated my own dark abyss."

Leo nodded. "I agree, it was...unnerving. However, this does seem to put more stock into what the late archduke said, and if it could be the means to discover the ends of this madness, I am prepared to play along with this."

Niles crossed his arms. "Remember what we were talking about on the way here, milord?"

Leo sighed. He did. "As much as there is to uncover about this Robin, as the archduke said, they may not be unconnected. To look for one could be to look for the other. I say this is our best course to find answers."

"Whatever you choose, we will follow, right Odin?"

There was a small hesitation before he theatrically threw out his arm. "Of course! No secret will go unturned, as we rid the world of these menaces."

"Excellent." He was touched by their loyalty, but he hoped that it wouldn't lead them all to their destruction. "Thank you, both."

If it came to it, he'd do what no one else could.

"Incoming on your left," Niles warned dryly.

Leo had just enough time to spin before he felt his legs tackled as something wrapped around them. The girlish giggle was all he needed to know as he looked down, greeted by a familiar smiling face. "Elise."

"Leo! I heard you almost died!"

Leo cleared his throat. "And where did you hear that? There wasn't even a battle."

"Arthur was trying to figure out what happened in Izumo for me, but he kept reporting back the worst news. And it kept getting more and more horrible, and I was just so worried and-"

He cut her off. "I assure you that all of us are fine, Elise. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Good." He felt her release him and grab his hand, starting to drag him away. "Well, whatever it is, you can tell me all about it. I have a tea party planned with my retainers before long."

He dug his heels in. "Elise I need to plan with my retainers for something before the day ends. I don't have the time for a tea party."

"Sure you do!"

Swiveling to his two retainers, he begged them with his eyes and mouthed the words help me.

Odin stepped forward and smiled. "Do not worry Lord Leo; we shall take care of it before we convene again before the end of the day. Your sister should take priority right now."

"Have fun, Lord Leo." The subtle but firm smirk on Niles' face that said 'absolutely not' remained resolute.

Traitors.

Yet as he allowed himself to be led away by her, despite the looming situation, he smiled.


A/N: Or, the chapter where everyone is confused and no one really knows what's going on.