April 21st, 1506 AD

Through their scouts in the east, Nohr received word of the lost princess, Kamui's, return to Hoshido. While this at first didn't draw any attention to the recovery team, it caused the higher elite of Nohr to become alert. Specifically, Xander, who gathered his siblings together. The four sat at a small table for tea near the gardens which grew flowers and plants that didn't need much light. On the table were tiny cakes that drew the attention of Elise while they sipped earl gray tea, barring Xander.

"Big brother, why did you bring us here?" Camilla asked with concern in her eyes, "I should be leading the search party for Corrin today."

Xander pursed his lips and gazed to the table top for a moment, "I've gathered us all here because of the search for Corrin."

Elise stood up from her seat, "What is it? Did you find her?" While Elise was the one who asked, her other two siblings looked at their elder brother in surprise. "You did, didn't you!"

Xander's lips curled into a smile for a flash of a moment only to be straightened back into the neutral expression that he often wore. With a deep inhale from his nose, he spoke once again. "Yes, yes we have." The royal siblings held back their excitement from bubbling over as they saw Xander visibly stiffen. "We had discovered that Hoshido had taken her."

The three flinched at the reveal and looked to their brother incredulously. Xander merely nodded in affirmation. Leo spoke, venom in his voice as he leaned forward. "So what? Do they intend to hold her hostage? Is this their way of seeking 'retribution' for Sumeragi's death?"

Xander shook his head, "No, this wasn't for revenge. This is something much more complicated than that. Do… Do you know about Princess Kamui of Hoshido?"

"The lost princess?" Camilla asked, Xander nodded his head once again. "Wait… Xander. Are you saying that they believe that our dear Corrin is their lost princess?!"

Xander felt his body become rigid, as the words struggled to fall from his lips. They did need to know the truth, they should have known the truth years ago. "Corrin… She isn't just believed to be Princess Kamui. She is Princess Kamui."

The three looked at Xander incredulously, as if he spat out dirt before them. But the crown prince held firm. It was Leo who spoke up and challenged his brother's revelation. "How is that even possible? They said that Corrin was the daughter of a woman that father met in his time in the east. Was that just a cover to hide the truth? Did you really choose to lie to us, brother?"

"No, no! I would never lie to you!" Xander balled his hand to a fist for a moment, but he calmed his nerves and returned back to his usual neutral expression. "But I… I never told you the truth once I learned of it. Father told me about Corrin's origin after she was with us for a year. The truth is Iago was the one who brought her to Nohr, as a present to Father." He growled at the word the title that the mage used to remedy his crime. "It was after the assassination of King Sumeragi…"

Leo reeled back in shock in surprise at what exactly Xander was insinuating. "Are you saying that Nohr was truly behind the murder of the Hoshidan King? Did Father allow that?"

Xander shook his head and averted his eyes away from looking at his siblings, "No, not that I'm aware of. This was before Iago became Father's right hand man. He was under the Nohrian payroll but he was still an independent contractor. But still, it was Father who would take Corrin and play her off as his child after Iago left Cheve. And it was Father who acted the fool when Azura was taken from us and rejected the trade."

The three visibly became solemn at the name Azura. It was a name that reminded them of the cruelty of the Nohrian court and the missed chance of getting to know their step-sister. She was forgotten in the eyes of the public, as was her mother. But she lingered in their minds as a ghost. And the idea of what could have been.

They all took a moment of silence amidst the heavy atmosphere before Xander stood up. He spoke sternly yet respectably quite, "In a few days, Father will send a brigade to take Corrin back. I will be leading them and demand they relinquish her. I tell you this in the chance you want to join me, despite what I've told you. You don't have to answer me now, or even accept‒"

"I do." Camilla stood up from her seat and placed a hand over her chest, "Corrin is our sister, even if we aren't related. She belongs with Nohr, with us!"

Leo was next to speak, though not with enough gusto to step out of his chair. "While I can't stomach how she came into our lives, I refuse to let her go."

"Yeah!" Elise leapt out of her chair, causing the table to shake and nearly spill over the teacups. A bright smile emerged on her face as she raised a fist into the air, "Let's go get her!"

Xander smiled for a moment at his youngest sister's enthusiasm but he straightened his expression out once again. With a strained breath, Xander sternly looked at Elise, "It's very possible that a fight will break out between Nohr and Hoshido will be taken by us alongside our retainers. Elise, you may not go."

"But… But why?" She stammered at Xander's stiff orders. Without missing a beat, Elise bit back. "She's my sister too! And I can help!"

Xander nodded his head, remembering Elise's training as a troubadour well. He looked his youngest sibling in the eyes, his expression softer than usual. "These are Father's orders, Elise, you are capable but we can not risk your safety in this endeavor. We'll be marching into Hoshido, blood shed is to be expected."

Elise paled as soon as 'blood' left Xander's mouth. She slowly slumped back into her chair, a pout formed upon her face. Camilla rubbed Elise's head softly and with a warm smile on her face while Leo followed Xander back inside. The brothers walked in silence as Leo knew where Xander was heading towards. The younger prince swallowed hard as they walked through the large doors of the War Council Room, where their father had gathered some Nohrian elites and high ranking soldiers to discuss their next move.

Leo held back the urge to scowl at some of the people in the room. Much of them were known to abuse their powers; monetary, food, land, sex, it was all on the table for men like these. But as long as they did their jobs and did it well, then they were kept in Garon's favor. The three men that Leo felt the urge to disintegrate with Brynhildur were his father's retainers. Hans, Zola, and Iago- A monster, a coward, and the Devil himself.

"Xander, Leo." Garon greeted his sons sternly, without taking his eyes off of the Map of Ragea. Pieces sat in several areas which represented the nations. Nohr noticeably had many more pieces at their disposal. "Join us. We need some more insight into the brigade for Hoshido and the rescue of Corrin."

The two nodded their heads. Though it was Leo who noticeably gulped as their father made eye contact with them. Thoughts of their sister swirled through his mind; Corrin's true name, her kidnapping and imprisonment, and the possibility that their father allowed for the murder of a king. The prince wanted to vomit after it all came out like this. He looked to his father, his brother, and Iago. Anger, disappointment, and disgust boiled in his mind.

But that didn't matter, none of it did. All that mattered was bringing Corrin home.

April 23rd, 1506 AD

Elise held her breath every time the carriage stopped moving and her heart halted each time she felt something unload. While the young princess knew that she wasn't fit to join her siblings on the battlefield, not yet at least, Elise wanted to be the one to throw her arms around Corrin and hug her first. She hid behind the food rations that her retainers, Effie and Arthur, were responsible for. Elise held the urge to pat herself on the back for the idea and the urge to hug her friends for complying with this. The carriage was a nice chill thanks to the ice enchantments, not enough to be teeth chattering but a contrast to the heat from outside. Elise chose to sit near the hardtack and away from the smelly meat that was salted to keep it preserved throughout the march.

She hated the hardtack's bland taste but it was the only thing that the army wouldn't notice if someone were to take a few everyday. Thankfully, the army had brought plenty of sugar which helped make the biscuit go down easier. Cassita, Camilla, and possibly even Father would scold her for eating nothing but bread and sugar but they'd probably be more upset when they found her in the brigade.

As they crossed over a particularly bumpy road, Elise held all instinct to yelp as she alongside the boxes of food. Although she did let out a frightened squeak when she touched something cold and squishy only to find it to be meat. However, this drew someone's attention. Not Effie or Arthur, it was the person riding beside the food carriage.

It wasn't until they stopped to unload some of the cargo did Elise meet face-to-face with her tracker. Leo looked at his sister incredulously as she was seated in between a few boxes with a tarp over her head. He stood beside his retainers, Niles and Odin, while hers stood off in the background holding their heads in shame. Elise smiled awkwardly at her brother which contrasted his expression, "Hi… Um, how's it going?"

Leo simply sighed as she wriggled her way out of the food containers, "Elise, did you not hear Xander? You were supposed to wait at the castle! Do you understand how angry Father is going to be?"

"I don't care if he gets angry with me!" Elise shouted back, finding a surprising amount of volume to her voice. "I want to see Corrin, I've been so worried since she was taken. And… I can help. Father and Xander say how important it is for us to help our people, to be pillars of strength to inspire and not lose faith." Elise fished her Mend staff from behind and gripped it tightly for emphasis. "Well I can't do that if I'm stuck in the palace. I'll take Father's scolding when we get back, but please Leo… let me help!"

Her older brother clicked his tongue and closed his eyes, as if he were hit with a headache for a flash of a moment. "You're a lot more trouble than you're worth. But… I suppose you can't convince Xander alone."

Elise visibly perked up, a wide smile formed on her face which caused Leo to scoff at. Despite the smile that formed on his own face. He instructed his retainers to upload the rest and Elise asked hers to do the same. The two siblings walked together to see their elder brother, and hoped to see their second elder sister soon.

April 24th, 1506 AD

Camilla Arya hovered around the Hoshidan rim of the Bottomless Canyon and allowed her mind to search for the dragon veins that could build a bridge strong enough to carry an army across. She needed to tune her mind until she felt a surge of heat through her head. Yet her mind struggled to focus on anything but her family, especially Corrin. She worried about her younger sister being lost to them in Hoshido, she worried about dear Elise being so close to war, she worried about Leo and Xander taking so much responsibility in this brigade. And she worried about Father. Not for his safety, no one could ever dare to touch him. Camilla worried that their Father wasn't the man she thought she was.

She knew Garon conquered lands for the sake of Nohr and that he was a strong warrior, but she had never met the Father that would be complacent in a noble's murder. Not that Camilla was necessarily against killing, Nohrian customs taught her to close her heart‒ and sometimes even enjoy ‒ending her enemies. But Sumeragi's death was cowardly orchestrated for the express purpose of crippling Hoshido. King Garon would've never stooped to such a level, but he did not need to. He had someone do it for him.

Camilla looked towards the plains of Hoshido where she could see Castle Shirasagi. Corrin was probably there, spending time with her other siblings‒ her birth siblings. She wanted to cry, knowing the truth that there weren't other siblings of hers who survived the 'concubine wars'. That there was a sister she didn't kill at the behest of her mother. But it was just a lie. Camilla never cared much for Hoshidans, but they were Corrin's blood family. Her dear sister was with her real family, who were probably all good people that loved each other and her.

She should let her go. Let her go with the old memories of them together. Playing in that Northern Fortress, every birthday cake that they all blew out together, the stray animals that Corrin would chase after with bare feet to feel the grass graze her soles… But she couldn't let that go. Camilla wouldn't let her sister go. Blood or not, she realized, the memories they shared together made them sisters. And she'd return to Krakenburg as she always wanted.

Time began to flow normal once again for Camilla as something hot pulsed through her head. Hot enough to feel the power surging within it. With a raised hand and a build of energy coursing through her body, she released it and caused the ground to shake. Chunks of rock began to form from the canyon rim and solidified and pieced together into a large bridge that arched between the split of land. The brigade crossed over once it settled, leaving Camilla with a satisfied smile.

The first one to cross over was Xander, who nodded at Camilla with a short smile of his own. His horse and Camilla's wyvern walked beside each other, allowing the siblings to speak. Xander being the one to initiate the conversation, "That bridge was large enough to hold the entire army at once. Are you alright, Camilla?"

"I'm fine, big brother." She waved off his worry as she wiped some sweat off of her forehead. "We should move forward. Our darling sister is waiting for us."

After crossing the bridge that Camilla formed, the brigade set up a temporary camp within the plains of Hoshido. They were still out of the border patrol's sight so Xander allowed them to rest and prepare themselves before they went back onto the march. Once they crossed the Hoshidan plains, the kingdom would know of their arrival. And they would be prepared to the teeth. The Dawn Kingdom had made it abundantly clear about their strict border patrol, even before Sumeragi's death. If they were to step into the border, it would have probably led to a war just on its own. But since the brigade was also going to retake their lost princess, there would be a definite war between Nohr and Hoshido.

Xander let out a sigh as he tended to his horse, Grani. He brayed happily as Xander loosened the tight binding of his facial armor and rubbed his nose. The horse was gifted to him by his father alongside his youngest siblings when they were given their steeds, Sinir to Leo and Gladly to Elise. It was to teach them to raise a strong asset as he did with them. The old boy has been with him for five years and became a part of him, much like a leg or two. Xander felt a smile creep upon his face as Grani nodded his head in delight.

"Hello milord," Xander looked over his shoulder to see his retainer, Laslow, walk over to him. A warm dopey smile on his face, one he'd usually wear. The crown prince straightened his face as the mercenary approached him. "You seem quite relaxed despite everything. Is there anything I could help around with? Perhaps I might scout around?"

"I'd rather you not do that," Xander said simply, "Any village that sees one of us will realize we come from the Nohrian army. Things are rather tense since Nohrian soldiers began attacking villages around the border."

"What?" Laslow's eyes widened at his lord's matter-of-factly demeanor that contrasted the severity of the reveal. "I've never heard of any troops being sent out like this."

"Neither have I." Xander said stiffly. "And neither has King Garon. These soldiers are claimed to have been accompanied by large monsters bound in chains and a mask that covers its face. They call them 'Faceless', aptly named. These beasts have been said to form from dark magic, yet such a spell is not in possession of our mages."

The retainer's eyes shifted around in confusion before he spoke once again, "Milord, what are you saying? What could this possibly mean?"

Xander shook his head and sighed, "I do not know exactly. But I do have the feeling that someone is plotting against us. Though I'd rather not bring this to the king or the Nohrian Court unless we find solid evidence of that being so." The prince swallowed softly as he kept his expression rigid, "We'll have to put that on hold until then. For now, we must face Hoshido. Tell my siblings that we'll be marching forward in about half an hour. And make sure to remind anyone you can to prepare themselves in that timespan. I don't want anyone to drag us down, for this may just be the most important battle yet for Nohr.."

Laslow nodded stiffly, another smile formed on his face though this one a bit more uneven. "Y-Yes, of course, milord. Good luck, and best wishes to us facing Hoshido."

Xander watched his retainer walk away with the slightest falter in his gait. The prince nodded in understanding at the man's hesitation. By all means, Hoshido did not deserve to fall to Nohr. The nation was flawed in ways like how they treated their neighbors, but the people there were generally good. But Nohr's people needed what Hoshido had. As prince, it was Xander's duty to alleviate his people's suffering no matter the cost. But as a brother and a son, it was his duty to his family to keep them together.

And that also included Corrin, despite everything, she was his sister. She was a part of their dysfunctionally amazing family.