August 25, 1494 AD
"Point! We have a victor!"
The crowd let out cheers and boos at the results of the mock duel. There were people who threw roses at the bowing knight while others threw boots for the money they lost in betting. But for the Yamato family, they simply clapped at the excitement. The Chevalier Faire was the pride of the city, where the three knight companies showed themselves in all honor to impress the everyday folk. But it was not why the four members of the Hoshidan noble house visited, it was more so for the children's excitement, King Sumeragi was here to speak with the duke of Cheve himself.
While a territory of Nohr, Cheve was very much an independent city that was out of the Dusk Kingdom's pocket. Which meant Hoshido could trade directly with the city rather than the possibility of being strongarmed by Nohr. But still, Sumeragi kept Raijinto on his person. Cheve aided quite a lot in Hoshido's technology, making sure they keep up to date with their superpower in terms of weaponry and such. But when Hoshido found themselves a vast deposit of minerals on their land, Sumeragi soon found himself to be called by Duke Adonis for a renegotiation for their trade.
It was likely that he wanted to keep him in his good graces, as it was quite known that Nohr's food supply was diminishing thanks to their lack of care for the already anemic land. He made sure that they arrived in gorgeous carriages, that they were given meals cooked by their finest chefs, and that they didn't miss the lively duels with seats that showcased all its glory. What a kiss up, Sumeragi thought to himself. A gracious kiss up, but still a kiss up.
"Papa! Papa!" Sumeragi looked to his right to see his albino daughter, Kamui, bouncing in her seat. "Did you see that man go 'Fwoosh! Wham! Bam!' with his sword?! Just like you! I wanna do that!"
He gave a hearty laugh and rubbed her head, "Someday soon, dear. I'll teach you every 'Fwoosh, Wham, and Bam' I know! Maybe I'll even teach you how to Swish!"
Sumeragi hoisted Kamui off of her seat besides Hinoka and placed her right on his lap. The white haired princess gave a wide smile that reached her pointed ears, "I wanna… I wanna be a samurai like you and brother! I wanna be like them too!"
Her tiny fingers pointed to the men in the area as they readied the next combatants. Sumeragi held his three eldest in a gentle hug as the sun slowly set upon Cheve. The hours turned to minutes as the children ate and played at the faire alongside Nohrian children of wealthy families while Sumeragi tended to the politics. Overseeing the children were the young retainers from the Kirigakure clan, Saizo and Suzukaze. Sons of Saizo the Fourth, one of Sumeragi's retainers who was stationed in Mokushu. Saizo the Fifth would be stationed to be Ryoma's retainer, though Kaze's position was undecided unless his younger children wanted him by their side. The young shinobi did have talent, enough to have an important job of looking after royal children from the shadows.
The talks between Sumeragi and Duke Adonis took until dark while the three young royals roamed around Cheve with guards in tow. The two youngest, Takumi and Sakura, were not present. They were too young to be paraded around in a different nation. Mikoto wanted all the children to stay while Sumeragi handled the politics, but the three eldest hopped on the chance of seeing what was beyond Hoshido's light. Sumeragi was a strong man, but not strong enough to say no to his pleading children.
Kamui remembered well how kind her father was. How strong he was. How he preferred hoisting them up in the air over the politics of Hoshido. How he'd lay a kiss on Mikoto everytime the two passed by each other, before she became his queen. How he loved to wake up and how he loved life. Though what she remembered most was how he died.
It began with a clap of thunder in the distance. The Chevian guards that looked after her siblings and she had locked them in tight grips. "Stay still, wormling!" She remembered the guard grunt as he locked her head with his forearm. Big Brother Ryoma struggled like an animal being forced into a cage while Big Sister Hinoka demanded to be released.
"You hold no power over us!" The red head bit back as she kicked and squirmed and bit at their kidnappers. "We are Hoshidan royalty, you're just scum! Nohrian scum!"
The soldiers did not bother to 'correct' her behavior in words. One hit her on the head with the butt of his spear while the one holding her pulled on her hair and spat. The sight caused Kamui to cry out 'Leave my big sister alone!' while Ryoma became feral. With the might his smaller body could manage, he was able to get free and pluck a sword from his captor's side. It disgusted him to use a blade of Nohrian make, but it would have to do.
"Let us go!" He commanded as he pointed the iron sword at the encircling guards. He repeated, "Let us go! Let us go or you'll face the wrath of Hoshido! Once they are aware of what you've done, we will strike!"
The men snickered and exhaled from their noses at the threat. Ryoma was still just a boy playing himself up to be a man. But the power of their nation should have at least elicited a better reaction than just amusement. A biting retort of Nohr's strength, a kick to the head, anything but muted laughter. Who were these men? Ryoma thought.
Before Ryoma could take or lose blood, precise shots of metal struck every man in their upper body and caused them to stagger and drop the princesses. Corrin and Hinoka ran into Ryoma's arms, who saw what had hit them. Shuriken stuck in their flesh before they pulled them out, though their limpness still lingered. Ryoma smiled, knowing they were saved. Two blurs landed before them before revealing themselves to be Saizo and Kaze. The younger of the two shouted, "Hurry!" before his brother threw a smoke bomb which blinded the eyes of the Chevians.
The ninjas led the siblings down the tight alleyways of Cheve amidst all the chaos. Ryoma kept himself in the back while Hinoka held Saizo's hand in mid sprint and Kaze carried Kamui. Once they reached the end of a corner, Kaze explained to the royals, "It's all been a ruse. We've gathered intel that the Chevian dukedom had been colluding with Nohr. They plan to assassinate King Sumeragi."
Ryoma growled at such a ploy, "Nohrian barbarians… I was a fool to be excited over this visit. I thought to Cheve to be different…"
"Big brother?" Kamui asked as she clenched onto Kaze's scarf. "Will papa be okay?"
Ryoma was taken aback. Doubt plagued his mind, he wanted to rush to his father and fight by his side. Despite how foolish it was. He reminded himself how a king should act in the face of danger, steel themselves for their people. He forced himself to smile as he turned to his sister, "Father is the most powerful person in the land, he will be fine. And we will be fine."
"It's my fault." Hinoka muttered, to which Ryoma was able to catch. "I was the one who wanted to join father first. And I dragged you all into this. I'm… I'm so sorry."
"Lady Hinoka, this is no one's fault beside the Nohrians." Saizo responded venomously, "These cowards refused to face us eye-to-eye so they attacked us from the back. We will make them pay."
"Brother, this helps no one when you speak like that." Kaze interjected with a cool voice. "We must focus on our mission of getting the royals out of this place."
Saizo flinched at the reminder, "Ah, right… Forgive me."
The young party stuck to the shadows casted by the titanous buildings of Cheve, narrowly avoiding the guards. But it was one turn that would be their downfall. On the streets in the west, the thunder of Rajinto was closely heard. Enough to hear the fresh crackle of lightning from the blade. The shinobi winced at its volume, knowing how it would affect the children. They didn't know what it would elicit from Kamui.
"Papa?!" She stiffened in Kaze's arms. "Papa, we have to save papa!"
Kaze strengthened the grip he had on the young princess, "Please, milady, we have to leave the city!"
"Not without papa!" Realizing she could never overpower the ninja, Kamui improvised. Seeing the bare flesh of his hand, she wriggled her way so that her face would be closer to his arms and bit down on his right hand. Kaze forced himself to try and ignore the pain and keep his grip on her stronger, but he cracked. His grip weakened enough for the princess to break free and run to her father.
"Kamui!" Hinoka ran after her younger sister with Ryoma in tow. Saizo and Kaze followed, finding Kamui to be fast for her age. But as they chased after her, they revealed themselves to the guards patrolling the area. Boxing them in while Kamui followed the sounds of Rajinto's struggle.
Kamui weaved through the chilly night and swallowed her fear. Her tiny legs went off like a foal's would, fast at a short distance. The girl could smell burnt flesh and iron, helping in her pathing. Eventually, she took a turn and found a street of bodies. Blood stagnated the air and in the middle was Sumeragi. His armor was dented and frayed and fresh blood stained around his eyes, he was gasping for breath and struggled to stand. It was a disturbing sight for Kamui, to see her invincible father like this.
"Hmph," A pale, lanky man with a half mask stood before him with an army behind him. A diverse army of different armor, familiar and unfamiliar. "A heretic like yourself falls out of the true god's graces. But soon will he cleanse this realm, do not worry."
Sumeragi spat blood, "Heretic? You Nohrians speak superiority of your god's favor but I know well of your plagues and ills. Stop pretending that The Dusk God remotely cares for your people!"
A laugh came from the ghastly man, "Right… Of course, the Dusk God. Our people." He pronounced his words with amusement in his tone before his expression became grim. "Fire at will."
Kamui's vision became a blur at the sight of arrows hitting flesh and her father's body shaking violently with each bolt. Despite his body being riddled with arrows, Sumeragi still held himself up. The pale man sauntered forward, being handed a short by one of his men. "You will all fall before his might soon enough."
He faced the tip of the sword forward, towards his neck, and thrusted it into his flesh. With a twist, he slashed through and left a streak. Sumeragi keeled forward, gone. Dead. The pale man guffawed in sick delight. Not noticing the child rushed forward until she was in his direct sight.
"Papa! Papa? Papa, wake up!" She pushed helplessly against arm. Nothing. "Mama wants us home! Papa?"
"You poor child." The pale man leaned closer to Kamui, causing her to fall on her back in shock. "You were taken from your true home by that woman. But soon, all will be right."
His palm reached closer to her face as his lips twisted in a smile that the devil would wear. It began to burn a malicious purple as Kamui felt her body lose all consciousness. The last thing she had heard was a guttural, "Soon. All will be right."
April 24th, 1506 AD
Corrin returned to reality, her mind in fragments and she struggled to piece them back together. The princess' breath was as heavy as her heart was. The whiplash of her memories and everything that occurred. That dragon she became, killing all those people, and almost murdering Azura. It was all too much.
"Corrin!" August helped up her weakening frame and she leaned onto what remaining strength he had after the damage. "Corrin, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," She managed to spit out, finding her throat to be dry. "I'm just… disgusted with myself." August helped to her feet but she felt a gentle touch of someone else to help her. Corrin didn't not need to look at them, even if she had the courage to do, "Azura, I'm so sorry… I can't believe what I did to you. I tried to…"
"You weren't yourself." Azura shook her head and smiled softly as she rubbed her bruised neck, "It was the dragon in your blood."
"The dragon?" Corrin asked weakly, "But I shouldn't even have it… I thought the Nohrian royal family had such power."
"No, the Yamato clan has it as well." Ryoma informed in the stern voice of a true king, "Byakuja, the Dawn God, had given power to our ancestors similar to the Dusk God. Though your case is a special one, you're able to transform into a dragon itself."
"A dragon…" August muttered to himself as he stared at Corrin. "Damn it, old man…"
Corrin wriggled her way out of August's arms and began to stand on her own. Her eyes loomed over the devastation to the once bright and colorful Shirasagi Square now in ruins with rubble, blood, smoke, and bodies staining what once was. "The town… it's just… An hour ago, there was a festival here. Parents and children were here…"
Ryoma walked up to his sister, placing his hand on her shoulder. "This… This is the work of Nohr. They would attack innocents if it would quench them. The same exact thing occurred with our father thirteen years ago. And that sword, the one that caused the explosion, was given to you by them wasn't it?"
Corrin nodded her head weakly. Ryoma seethed out a growl ever so slightly. Silence broke out amidst the group. Ryoma stood beside Corrin, Hinoka tended her tenma, Sakura tended to the wounded and alive, and Takumi stared daggers from behind Corrin. Amidst this, August heard shifting in the distance and turned his head to it. The sound came from a corpse, a… 'corpse'.
He treaded over to the Nohrian soldier and brandished Laufey in mid-gait. The man was faced towards the ground before August flipped him over with one hand. A hazed breath erupted from the soldier in shock, clutching tighter onto the canvas sack that these men carried with them. August knocked it away as well as his sword and the dagger attached to his belt and grabbed him by the collar. "Tell me why you were sent here…"
The soldier held a visage of fear for a moment before he steeled himself into a malice expression and coughed out a response, "I'm a Nohrian born soldier. Loyal to the Dusk Kingdom. Do I need an explanation?"
August kept himself quiet, despite the fact that he was arousing attention. He leaned in closer to the man and whispered, "You're no Nohrian. I can tell by your eyes. No Nohrian, not one, have gold eyes like yours. And I've seen you before, yes, I recognize you well. You were a part of those Hoshidan bandits, the one that tried to kill me with that berserker."
The man visibly tensed at his words as August raised his blade with a string of lightning dancing upon it. He hissed out his demand once again, "Tell me what I want to know. Or I'll cut the tendons from your legs and arms so that you can't even crawl away from me."
The man let out a vicious growl before he began to raise his voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Do you think you can defeat us? You don't know anything. But he will make things very clear. So painfully clear!"
The soldier managed to sneak a knife through and cut August across the arm. He reeled back in pain as Corrin caught him. Everyone raised their weapons towards him as he attempted to reach for his bag, but it was Takumi who ended the stranger with a wind arrow in his skull. The younger prince scoffed at the sight, unsatisfied with just one.
"Nohrians, all you Nohrians barter on strength yet know nothing about goodness." He yelled, slowly shifting his sights onto Corrin who avoided his gaze. "And this!" He motioned around the square. "This is what you brought to us. Death and ruin!"
"Takumi," Hinoka interjected as she stepped behind him. "Enough, this wasn't anyone else's fault besides Nohr."
"SHE IS NOHRIAN!" The prince roared, pointing his hand at Corrin who trembled at his accusation. "This… thing! She brought that weapon into our home and killed mother with it, and every citizen in the area. These deaths are on her hands! Can you ever… ever forgive that?!"
August paid no attention to the squabbling of the royals and instead began to search through the bag that the 'Nohrian' left behind. It was small and carried little, its contents were little beads that could be squished. Once he opened the bag, he found a pungent smell inside. Something acidic that burned the hairs of his nostrils. The origin came from orb shaped capsules that were full of a sickly gold liquid. Interesting, August thought.
"M-Mr. August?" He tensed at the soft voice of Princess Sakura, August turned to see her clench her Sun Festal tightly, and stains of tears still lingered on her face and blood on her clothing. "You're hurt, here."
She aimed her healing rod at his arm, causing streams of green light to flow from its head and to his flesh. He felt his skin become warm as the wound began to stitch itself close. August rubbed his arm gently as he nodded to the princess. "Thank you. You've been a good help during these times."
Sakura became crestfallen and August felt guilty for saying such a foolish thing. The princess was a great help, but couldn't help the person she wanted most. His eyes shifted to Queen Mikoto, a smile still on her face. He looked back to the bag, pulled out one of the capsules inside, and showed it to the princess.
"This… was something every single intruder carried with them, based on the bags being on their belt." He slipped it back into the bag and fastened it tightly. August looked to the princess with a more gentle expression, "Do you know any apothecaries? Perhaps, a retainer or such?"
"Y-yes, yes I do!" Sakura nodded her head stiffly.
August smiled as he rolled the bag into her hands. "Then I need you to do something for me. Take this and ask them to study the liquid in the capsules, and be careful with them. I believe… these were meant to be used if they were to be captured."
"I don't u-understand." Sakura said.
August's expression became grim as he observed the bodies of the dead 'Nohrians'. "Prisoners of war spill secrets when given enough force. I've heard stories of soldiers taking pills to die if they are captured to keep their secrets. I think this is one of those cases. And Nohr has no way to concote these kinds of tools."
"W-What does that mean?" Sakura asked, causing August to furrow his brows in thought.
Before he could respond, Prince Takumi pulled his younger sister away from August. The two shared silent looks, Takumi clenching onto the Fujin Yumi while August stared blankly. No words needed to pass as Takumi used them all against his estranged sister. Instead August walked away and towards Corrin. Azura stood next to her while Ryoma and Hinoka rallied together with the remaining Hoshidans in the area.
The princess had a thousand yard stare as she looked upon Shirasagi. Azura held her tightly in a side hug without uttering a word. As they stared together before the ruins, August's voice perked up. "You did save quite a few lives. I'd thought I'd let you know."
Corrin turned her head to August, unfazed by the destruction around them as he unstrapped something from the cloth-bound object that he carried with him. "Those soldiers, they were killing any remaining survivors. In that form, you were solely focused on the threats. Not the citizens. It's odd, is it not?"
Azura smiled at August's words but Corrin still looked to the ground in shame, "I still brought that sword here. I was a fool not to notice its evil when I first saw it. And that… thing, I turned into. I'm a monster."
"No, not a monster." August shook his head with a purse of his lips, "Just… different. And you did not know about that sword, you just carried with you a gift from the man you thought was your father. Don't take the blame for this, you don't deserve that."
Corrin kept herself silent, but Azura noticed the princess' posture ease at August's words. The songstress looked back to the man to see him pull out a large blue crystal cut in the shape of a tear. Azura muttered, "What is that?"
"This will help with your dragon form." August explained simply, "In old legends, there were tales of dragons sealing away their powers in crystals called dragonstones. With it, they were able to shift between human and dragon. And this right here is a dragonstone. Lady Azura, please back away. Corrin, stand still."
The princesses did exactly as he said as he held up the stone and faced it towards Corrin. The crystal gleamed in an aura of great light as did Corrin. The princess closed her eyes as the light became brighter. As she closed her eyes, she could feel something in her chest feel lighter as if a chain had been freed. In a matter of seconds, the light began to fade from her and the stone. As she opened her eyes, Corrin saw August holding out the stone for her to take.
"You'll need this." He said gently, "Keep it on you. The stone will keep the dragon within you stable so long as you have it. And it will be useful to shift if you wish."
Corrin slowly took the stone into her hands, finding it softly pulse like a heart would. Her eyes lingered on it, it contained the monster inside her yet she wanted to crush it. But she held onto logic and fastened it to a pocket on her armor. Corrin managed to look at August and gave him a light smile, "T-Thank you. For everything."
August widened his eyes for a moment before settling back into a neutral expression, "You don't need to do that. I'll always be here for you."
Amidst this, Azura stepped forward to August. Her eyes shifted between August and the crystal in Corrin's hands. "Excuse me, if this is rude of me to ask, but where did you get such a thing?"
August smiled and gave an amused exhale from his nose as he strapped the object hidden under cloth onto his shoulder. "It was a gift from a friend. Pretty lucky how it came in handy, ain't it?"
As the two conversed, Corrin stared deeper at what exactly August brought with him. A voice in her head rang out, calling to her. Its origin came from underneath the cloth. Corrin instinctively held out her hand, finding it to quiver with energy. August cut himself off from his conversation with Azura and took the cloth-bound object into his hands. It began to tremble as well and slowly shifted to the right until it pointed towards Corrin. August felt the cloth begin to unbundle as eyes were focused on them after the dragonstone attunement. He looked to Corrin, whose eyes were focused and brimming with energy.
August's hold on the object weakened as the fabric that held it tight had loosened and revealed the hilt of a sword. His fingers went limp and allowed the blade to fly to Corrin's hand. She caught it as all eyes in the square watched the blade gleam. While in her hand, August was able to make out the sword's design. It was a golden straight blade with four black stones along the midsection and a hilt in the shape of a vajra. August stood agape once he realized what this blade was, the legendary Yato.
"Kamui…" Ryoma uttered her name in disbelief as she observed the sword. "That blade…"
Corrin turned the sword around to look over its finer details and found it to be light in her hands. The princess felt her heart flutter at its beauty. As her hand grazed against the sword, Corrin could feel life emanating from it as she would find in a limb. "This sword… It feels alive."
The Hoshidan royal children gathered around, shocked as their eyes lingered on the sword that Corrin now held in her hands. Mixed thoughts emanated from them, though it was Takumi who was visibly disturbed by the sight. As they looked over the sword, the tactician Yukimura walked up to the group. He uttered sternly, "The divine Yato-No-Kami. Queen Mikoto foresaw that it would reveal itself and choose its wielder." Yukimura turned to August, "Where did you find this?"
August groaned as a hand drifted to his forehead. "My master. The Rainbow Sage. The old fool… he knew something like this was going to happen. But if Yato chose Corrin, then… what does this mean?"
They all looked to Yukimura, who sucked in a breath before speaking once again. "In the past, the sword Yato brought much peace to the world after the Draconic War throughout Ragea. I believe that the sword is meant to bring peace once again after all this time."
"And yet… It chose her." Takumi whispered under his breath, though Corrin caught it. She did not have the strength to respond to him and merely casted her head down.
As the royals, barring Takumi, gathered around Corrin in awe of the sword. The green haired ninja, Kaze, appeared on the scene and immediately kneeled before them all without a heavy breath and looking no worse after the fight in the square. "Everyone. I've come bearing unfortunate news. Smoke signals from the eastern border guard were sent and it has been discovered that a single Nohrian brigade is marching and will reach us soon."
Ryoma growled, his hand gripping onto Raijinto tightly. "Dastards… They dare to attack us like this? Fine then, we will meet them head on. Soon Nohr will face the fury of Hoshido! Who's with me?!" The high prince raised a clenched fist and the soldiers around him cheered for battle.
The able-bodied soldiers rushed to the east with weapons in hands, led by their high prince. August stayed behind with Azura and Corrin, the two taking care of the latter after the events that unfolded. Corrin looked over the destruction once more and voiced her thoughts, "I don't know what to do… This, all of this, is because of me. August, what should I do?"
Azura looked to the man, who widened his eyes in surprise as his vision shifted between her and Corrin. He swallowed hard before answering, "What is it do you want? Corrin, Nohr is about to storm into Hoshido and Hoshido is seeking blood for their queen. What is it that you want?"
The draconic princess' fists balled up as she gripped onto the Yato, the blade giving a faint glow of gold as she did. Corrin looked to the east, where the battle would take place between Nohr and Hoshido. "I want to stop this. I'm going to prevent this war!"