Author's Note: Well, this was a bit of a challenge. It probably could've been slightly better, but I wanted to get it out today since it's the regular two week mark. It's over 10,000 words, which was way more than I expected what again. So, I want to know what you all think. Should I cut down the chapters and try to make them shorter, or is long like this fine? As I've mentioned before (I think), I'm a mostly dialogue writer, and have to add in not dialogue as an afterthought a lot of the time. So, I end up making things longer than they probably need to be, because even I get tired of seeing only lines of dialogue/quotation paragraphs over and over. That's all I have to say for now. Enjoy.
Rinkah was the first one to move, slamming her mace into the ice far away from where Robin was about to cast his spell. Kaze was next, carving a giant X into the mass that Hayato and Sakura worked to chip away at with their own borrowed weapons. Jakob was with Corrin, trying to cheer her up after Robin's harsh words by verbally attacking the tactician, but the girl remained silent and Robin didn't respond. Subaki attempted to loosen the ice from the top, taking Hana with him on his pegasus so they could both slash it from above and loosen the solid for the others. Azura stood behind the rest. Robin hadn't addressed her, and she was unsure of whether it was an oversight, a jab at her person, or a compliment in that he believed she could manage herself. Though she had never tried it before, she walked up to Robin and began to hum her tune, starting out almost silent, and growing in volume as she put more and more of her energy into it. She was hoping that the power of her song could boost it's target's power as well, and watched Robin to see.
The small sparks that had been hopping along Robin's fingertips and tome and occasionally brushed the ground grew at the sound, more so than Azura had expected. The electricity made the air tense as it expanded, the static making Azura's clothes shock her as her veil rubbed against her dress in the icy wind. It was akin to what she imagined the inside of a cloud looked and felt like during a thunderstorm. The energy Robin was generating with his muttering was doing more than just amplifying the lightning spell it was made for; his coat and hair were glowing slightly, fluttering as pure power ran through them. It made the princess wonder if he or other mages could fly if they really put their minds to it…
Robin's eyes snapped open, and he threw out the hand that had been held over his spellbook. "Thunder!" he commanded, summoning up a spell that made such a large explosion his companions had to duck for cover lest they be hit by the chunks of ice that were blown their way.
Bolts of lightning shot out from Robin's hand and the sparks around him alike, revealing the bodies of the three villagers who had remained when the others had dispersed, as well as five standing troops. Robin stood and glared, completely unphased, before his eyebrows widened, he cursed under his breath, and leaned on the nearby wall for support. His reaction was quite delayed though. To Azura, it seemed like he was hiding something. A spell of that caliber would have caused him to collapse immediately. But then again, she was no diviner or mage, and so she could be wrong. But there was something strange about Robin. He stayed on the wall when his companions looked at him, but the second a Nohrian soldier approached he raised his blade to counterattack. Again, no one that tired would have been able to do that. But… Azura wanted to trust him, so she'd just imagine that it was because he had great endurance. After all, he did well during their little run. It had to be that. He was no traitor… was he?
"Azura, the villagers!" Robin shouted, alerting Azura to the soldier raising his lance above one of the unconcious girls.
"You're too slow" she grunted, dashing for the villager and stabbing her naginata into the unprotected stomach of the soldier.
His breastplate was clearly too small, only reaching the bottom of his ribcage. That left the majority of his stomach exposed, and open to take in Azura's weapon. The naginata's metal tip stopped before exiting the soldier, however. By the loud crack upon impact and the way the man lost complete control of his legs, collapsing to the floor, Azura realized she must have pierced or at least hit his spine. As he fell, his weight dragged Azura forward and she stood stunned. A gloves hand on her right and another on the naginata's shaft jerked backward, freeing it from the soldiers spine and making him slide back further, again caught at the entry point. A booted door pressed on the man's chest and pushed him down, finally relinquishing Azura's naginata from the body that had held it.
The glove on the hand holding Azura's was familiar, and it took her a moment before she realized it was Robin. As she looked ahead, she saw all four other soldiers were dead, one pierced with daggers, one bearing the marks of a sword that could only be Yato, and the last two bloody from wounds inflicted by Robin's thin blade. He had put the weapon to good use ever since he obtained it from a chest on their trip to Valla.
"Thanks, I don't think I would've been protect to get to them in time. Do you think you can drag the villagers inside, maybe light a fire if there's wood and you can do it fast enough? We need to warm them. I'm going to open up some more of the path, so meet me in this direction when you're done," Robin aid, taking on a softer tone than before and losing some of the hardness in his face. He ran off toward the next block of ice, summoning more lightning to rain down upon it, but in lesser quantities, strength, and casting time.
Thankfully the three villagers were around Azura's height and didn't weigh too much to move, but she still had trouble maneuvering the first one to the door of the closest house. Opening it revealed a tall man, hugging a boy a few years Sakura's junior. Both were dressed in browns and grays, blending in well with the house though that likely wasn't his intention. Nervous, the tall man hugged the child closer and pulled them both back. The boy wriggled free however, running up to Azura and peeling past her shoulder at the girl she was pulling.
"Sissie!" he exclaimed, and the man with him rushed over.
Reaching down to grab her, the older villager paused, clearly unsure of what Azura would do in response.
"Ah, if you can, please bring her in. There are two more out in that direction… Is it alright if you grab them and I light the fire? They need to warm up quickly, or-" Azura looked down at the child in front of her. She didn't want to scare him. "Or they'll wake up cold and be mad at you for not doing it already."
The man nodded in understanding of her unsaid words and brought the first girl to the ground in front of the furnace in the center of the room, going out to collect the others.
Azura slid over and opened the furnace door, checking for and finding wood inside. However, she couldn't find anything to light the fire with. She quickly got up and looked around the small kitchen off to the side for something she could use, but still came up empty. She was running out of hope when the man came back with the second girl and the fire was still unlit. Turning around to look back to the furnace she then realized she was wrong, because the little boy was sitting next to the furnace with a wide grin, the logs burning steadily.
"Did I do good, big sis? Is this enough woods?" The boy's grin widened, eyes sparkling.
The designation the boy gave her shurprised Azura, but she was honored, so she smiled back. "You did very well, and yes, yes it was. Thank you for the help, I'm sure everybody will appreciate it." She got up, and headed to the door. "I have to go now, so I'm counting on you to take care of them for me, okay? Don't heat them up too fast, but keep them warm. Goodbye now…"
"Toma!" he shouted, providing his name and jumping to his feet.
"Toma… well, goodbye then, Toma. May we meet again."
Azura then took her exit, jogging off to where Robin had once again teamed up with Corrin and Jakob to take down the soldiers they had unveiled. Or rather, Robin and Jakob fought while Corrin hacked away at the ice, the two protecting her back so she could reveal more of the town. Azura couldn't see any more villagers, but there was a new house with smoke coming out the top, so she assumed someone had been rescued and taken inside. Expecting another gruesome scene the princess braced herself as she looked at the bodies on the floor, but this time she found none of them to be severely injured. They were simply unconscious, much to her relief.
"What are you just standing there for!" Jakob snapped, slamming the flat side of his dagger into a soldier's temple. "Help me protect Lady Corrin!"
Azura nodded, and raised her naginata, sweeping the feet out from under the last soldier Robin was facing off with. He gave her a quick word of thanks, and then started casting again, facing opposite Corrin and next to the second uncovered house.
"The one in that house mentioned there was another to its side. Since there is a wall to the left, we can only assume that means the other house is on its right," Jakob said, answering Azura's unasked question. He had put his daggers back and was holding the armorslayer once more, helping Corrin where she toiled.
Robin sighed in relief when Azura finally stopped staring at him to help break the ice behind him. She had seen him cast such a large spell and stand straight up like it was nothing, and had been giving him wary glanced ever since. He had even shouted "Thunder!" and not "Lightning!" for heaven's sake! Maybe she hadn't noticed, maybe she just didn't know quite how tomes worked, maybe she thought he actually had a thunder tome, or whatever. Robin was just glad she seemed to have overlooked that fault.
Tomes were helpful, but not always 100% essential to casting. An experienced mage could sometimes cast without one after all. Not huge spells, just little ones, but it wasn't impossible. Whenever Miriel was in charge of kitchen duty during wartime, she would cast a small fire spell to light the logs under the stew. She would use no tome, but could channel the power to do it nonetheless.
Tomes were guidebooks. It was like having a recipe for a dish. If you had made the dish enough times, then you didn't need to look at the recipe and could do it from memory. Sometimes it might not work out exactly right, though, so even experienced cooks might use recipes on occasion. Then there were the ingredients. No matter how experienced someone was, they needed actual food in order to make a meal. You can't make pie if you have no crust, after all. Unless you're Sumia, but those typically weren't edible. It was a miracle she hadn't poisoned herself before finally making Chrom a proper dessert...
Regardless, it worked the same way with magic. As Azura herself had brought up that morning, mages used their own mana in conjunction with that of the environment. Small things like fire spells that ignite logs from a foot away, starting with a pinprick flame were simple enough to not need a guide. But larger spells did need one. Tomes were like conversion factors, as just manipulating the environment was not an easy thing to do. Plus, that manipulation would take so much mana it wouldn't be worth it. The tomes of Canta seemed to be slightly different than the ones of Arit given their infinite uses, and that altered spell strength. Aritian tomes lost their pages when used. Some simply lost their ink, but others' pages ignited upon use.
The price for manipulating magic was a combination of the mage's mana and the tome's power. Cantan tomes worked slightly different. There was more magic in the air than in Arit throughout Archaea, especially in Valla, the astral plane, and the region they were in now. As such, that could be used to power spells without draining tomes, giving the books unlimited uses. The price was weaker magic. The effort Robin put into casting a lightning spell in Canta was about the same effort as he put into a thunder spell in Arit, but the latter was considerably stronger.
That brought him to what he had cast. All times had similar markings and materials. Elemental spells were even more similar to each other. As such, it wasn't completely unknown for someone to cast an arcthunder when holding a thunder tome, or for a new mage to cast a regular fire when holding an elfire time because they weren't experienced enough to cast the higher level spell. Of course, that only happened when the person knew both spells. If a staff user who had never before touched a tome attempted to use elfire, they would just not cast anything or make a tiny flame rather than cast a plain fire spell. Once Ricken had managed to cast an elwind spell with his regular wind tome, and spent the next week with a huge grin on his face and trying to replicate the event.
Robin preferred thunder tomes over the other element, and had cast thunder hundreds of times before (thanks to training, that was. With swords and physical weapons, one could get better by taking a practice weapon, typically made of wood, and using that. As long as the practice weapon was the same size and weight as the real thing, they could use a cheap alternative to practice that lasted weeks. With tomes though, there was no practice version. Only a tome would cast a spell, so you had to use the real thing - typically a thunder, fire, or wind - and face the glare of whoever was in charge of buying weapons when you had to ask for a new practice tome three times per week). So when he charged the lightning tome past what a normal spell would cost, he chanted the words to the spell he was most familiar with - thunder. As such, thunder had been cast. He would explain that whole thing to Azura if she asked, but as far as he knew there was no such thing as thunder here, and there didn't seem to be any of its evolutions either so he didn't want to risk it. For now, he would just hope she'd forget about it.
Corrin's army continued to break the ice, rescuing villagers and lighting furnaces until they finally reached Zola. He had a rather small guard considering the amount of soldiers that had been dispersed throughout the town. Two mages, a knight, and a mercenary accompanied him, according to what Subaki had seen.
Currently the pegasus knight was on the other side of town once again, working to remove the ice that had yet to be shattered. Corrin, Jakob, Robin, and Azura had gone straight for Zola, instructing the others to continue to free villagers. There was a chance killing or at least defeating Zola would break the spell, but it seemed unlikely. Rinkah had been badly injured a few minutes before though, and so Jakob had left to go heal her and so Kaze took the butler's place. Sakura was with Subaki and Hana on the other side of the town, leaving Jakob the closest healer. It was fine with Robin. They both had range, and they wouldn't need any healing if things went according to plan. Which wasn't actually a good plan, but it was what he had. It was essentially five on four at the moment, with Corrin having the four. The knight and one of the mages were really close to the wall though, and there was this convenient gap right in front of the mage…
"Hey Kaze," Robin called, gaining the ninja's attention, "do you see that hole in the wall right there? Do you think you can get a shuriken through that and into the mage on the other side? Back up as soon as you do though, because if they see it or get hit they'll cast back and I don't want you getting hurt if we can avoid it."
"Of course."
"Great, just wait till I give you the signal. Corrin, when I say go, which I will do,quietly because I don't want them to hear us, slam into that ice as hard as you possibly can. It's thin enough that it should crumble and reveal the path to Zola as soon a you hit it, so be prepared in case the mercenary comes rushing out at you. Azura, put your back to the wall and when the mercenary appears, swing your naginata to the left at head level. Corrin, this means you go low. Try to go for his legs. If he's competent at all, your opponent will be in a slight crouch when he rushes you, so if you bend over at the waist and cut straight out, you'll get him in the waist or thigh. If Azura swings as planned she'll hit him in the helmet and daze him, leaving you better protected and able to hit. He might even be knocked out by the blow, and if he is try to kick his body back toward the others. I know it may seem kind of overkill, but we want every advantage possible; doing that will either cause one of them to hesitate, make them have to avoid his body when they attack us, or trip them. You got all that?"
"Right."
"Of course!"
"Well then. 3, 2, 1, GO!"
Kaze threw his shuriken, and by the cry on the other side of the wall he had hit his mark. The ninja backflipped away right as a small explosion formed where he had been previously standing, and Robin cast his own spell, the lightning powered by his tome striking down on the other side of the wall and making the unfortunate knight standing there scream in pain as he dropped to the ground, if the slam of armor was any indication. Corrin had done as planned, and half a second later the clang of brass on iron rang out, Azura's naginata denting the mercenary's helmet and knocking the man to the ground.
Zola's high pitched cry of frustration could be heard from behind the wall, where he was likely outraged at how easily his allies were going down. Azura had a confident look on her face, and Corrin turned to wink at Robin as she went to attack Zola and the two mages. Kaze had scaled the house next to the wall, and was standing on top of it. He threw down two shuriken and jumped to the other side, where Robin couldn't see him but could hear the sounds of fighting. Azura went forward too when Robin gave her the motion, the two heading for the mage Kaze wasn't attacking. Corrin had gone for Zola.
Despite the two people heading for him, the mage didn't attack back. He simply turned his back to him, and raised his Mjölnir tome. Azura and Robin attacked in the same moment, the princess slicing the mage's back and Robin letting loose a lightning spell on their opponent's body. He stumbled, but kept casting. Horror flooded Robin's eyes as he realized what the mage was doing. He was attacking Corrin. Corrin, the person who had the worst resistance in her army.
"Corrin, move!" Robin screamed, throwing his shoulder into the mage and knocking them both to the ground. Mjölrn wants the most powerful tome out there judging by how little damage the other mages on the field had done when casting it, but this mage had charged the spell and since this one was part of Zola's,personal guard, he was probably the strongest magic user on Zola's side apart from the jester himself.
By the time Corrin had processed Robin's words, her body was wracked by lightning. The metal of her armor didn't help protect her as the shock made the girl scream, seizing momentarily before dropping to the ground in a crumpled heap, breathing heavily.
Kaze sucked in a breath, and threw his right arm across his body, the blade on his forearm catching in the bare abdomen of the mage he has been fighting, the ninja's left piercing the man's sternum and painting them both red. The Nohrian soldier wrapped his arms around the long wounds, spluttering as he collapsed. He pathetically choked on his own blood as his shaking hands reached for whatever sort of potion he had on him, and Kaze ran toward Zola who was laughing over Corrin's body.
The jester stopped laughing, however, when Kaze's still bloody arm blade aimed for his head. The mage managed to dodge, but his hat caught on the sharp object, coming off his head and showing just how close he had been to getting a hole in his visage.
Kaze was focused and relentless, and used his speed to get in another blow. Pushing Zola forward, the ninja threw two shuriken into the mage's stomach, making him stumble backward. The knight that Robin had defeated earlier was just behind Zola, and when the mage stumbled he tripped over the mass of armor his unconscious guard wore. Zola lost his balance and crashed to the floor, eyes wide and body shaking harder than before as he looked up at where Kaze stood, shuriken aimed to throw.
When Kaze released the weapon, however, it wasn't toward the man below him. Instead, it flew wildly toward the wall, knocked off target when Kaze crossed his arms at his chest to block the sword swung at his chest. The mercenary Azura had knocked out had woken up and had moved to attack, ignoring the blood that ran down his face and into his from where the Nohrian's dented helmet had cut his forehead.
With Kaze distracted and Azura having run off to grab a healer, Zola took the chance to cast the finishing blow on Corrin, a desperate smile on his face.
"Mwehehe! This is what you get for thinking you could defeat me, girl!"
A dark miasma gathered above Corrin's unmoving form. From the deep purple, almost black shade it held, it was some form of dark magic. Dark magic was special in that for whatever reason, it tended to do more damage to those already injured. Maybe it was because of the twisted nature many of its careers had; many dark mages seemed to get an intense sort of pleasure from the pain of their enemies, and hurting those already hurt was the best they could do. The more passion one put into casting, the more powerful the spell after all.
The downside to most dark magic, though, was its limited targeting. Technically, if an elfire was cast toward where two people stood close together, it could hit and damage both. Dark magic always stuck to one person though. And since that was the case…
"Kff-!" Robin grunted, throwing himself on top of Corrin.
Since he was between her and the caster, and the magic could only target one person, he ended up as the spell's victim. If it had been cast well it would have ignored him and gone for Corrin, but Zola had been acting hastily. The spell locked onto Robin instead, leaving Corrin no more injured than she had been before.
Corrin was still twitching slightly underneath him, and Robin was glad she hadn't been the spell's target. Zola had cast Nosferatu, which worked to drain its target's health. There were few things more unpleasant than the feeling of gradually having your own life drained out of your body. To feel your bones ache and blood burn; your body spasm and limbs collapse; your lungs compress and stop your breathing momentarily as the energy of your own soul left your body to sustain another. Thankfully the spell only lasted a moment, and the uncomfortable feeling faded within seconds.
Robin rose, and looked to where an uninjured Zola stood, fear plastered on his face. That was the annoying thing about fighting people with Nosferatu. They just wouldn't die. As long as they had a proper tome, they could keep killing and keep fighting, recovering from their injuries as they felled their enemies, not having to pause to down a concoction or wait for a priest. Zola's spell must have been a powerful one to completely heal the gashes Kaze's shuriken had left on his stomach. It passed through Robin's resistance after all. That was probably the most dangerous thing about Nosferatu. Since it technically healed the caster, both the victim and the receiver of health registered it as a positive, healing spell, and didn't attempt to block it. After all, though staff magic was still magic, staves healed everyone to the same degree, regardless of how high or low their resistance was. It would be a big problem if magic users couldn't be healed by magic well, after all.
Robin had dropped his tome when he ran to cover Corrin. So, as he stepped toward where Zola was cowering, he drew his blade. The jester shook in his boots as Robin put it to his neck, not attempting to shake it off in the slightest, but instead moving his lips as if to say 'please,' but not making any sound.
Kaze had defeated the mercenary while Robin was occupied, and was gently shaking Corrin behind where Robin stood.
"Drop your tome, and everything else you have on you," Robin ordered.
The Nosferatu and a gold seal dropped to the ground seconds later, the thump and click of the two hitting the ground being the only sounds other than the waterfall nearby and the distant clap of feet against stone as the rest of Corrin's army approached. The birds and other animals had gone silent once the ice spell had been cast.
Robin took Zola by the collar and sat the jester down in front of him as he cut a long strip of cloth from one of the downed mages' capes. Zola looked on in confusion until Robin took the strip and tied Zola's hands together, pulling the cloth so tight it was probably cutting off circulation to some degree. He cut off another strip to tie Zola's legs together at the ankles, leaving enough length in the middle that the mage could shuffle, but not enough that he could run. Zola whimpered when Robin tightened the knots, but the tactician wasn't feeling all that friendly at the moment. The mage had tried to kill Corrin and had succeeded in not only terrorizing an entire town, but murdering several townspeople. Plus, though the main pain had gone away, Robin still felt a full ache throughout his body because of the Nosferatu spell Zola had cast.
The flap of a pegasus's wings grew louder, and then a shout sounded.
"Big sister!"
Subaki landed off to the side and Sakura dismounted her retainer's pegasus, running to her sister's side. She held her festal out during her run, beginning her spell even from a distance and while in motion. The girl had a lot more skill than she gave herself credit for. Eventually she kneeled at Corrin's side, giving a sigh of relief.
Jakob rounded the corner then, giving his own shout of "Milady!" as he joined Sakura over Corrin's figure.
"I-It's okay. She's just… She m-mostly got shocked so it should be fine. The shock was what knocked her out, and I c-can heal her the rest of the way, so don't worry, okay?" Sakura said, nervous under Jakob's heavy gaze.
"Thank the heavens. And thank you as well Sakura." Jakob gave his own sigh of relief, before turning to give Zola one of the most powerful glared Robin had seen in his life. Jakob's glares were always pretty powerful. And scary. The jester shook even harder and looked at Robin for help, but the tactician just added his own glare. Which was nothing compared to what Jakob was giving, but it was at least something.
Sakura blushed at the compliment, and kept up her healing. Azura arrived with Hana a minute later, and Gunter with Rinkah and Hayato a minute after that. Corrin had woken up once Azura arrived, slightly dazed and limbs tingling, but otherwise okay. Robin would have to either figure out some way to stop her from attacking mages, or get his hands on some talismans as soon as possible. Her attack against Zola went well enough though, and it was Robin's fault for underestimating the mage he had been fighting that Corrin got hurt as badly as she did. So he would let it slide for the moment. If he couldn't make an argument he himself would listen to, then he wouldn't lecture another with it. Unless he was really desperate or annoyed, but at the moment Robin was neither.
"Well then," said Robin, as he addressed Zola, "you will be leading us to wherever you hid the real archduke and his court. Now." He hoped he seemed firm enough with his words. He didn't really like scare tactics, but Zola seemed to be really receptive to them so that's what the tactician would go with.
Zola gulped and scrambled to his feet, falling over as his legs tangled in each other and their binding. Gunter grabbed the mage before he fell flat though, and set him back in his feet, practically snarling from atop his horse.
Leading them into the palace, Zola paused in front of a large set of doors, likely leading to some great dining hall or something of the sort. He paused, and looked around.
"What are you waiting for, Zola? We've won here, so show us where you put the actual Izana!" Corrin ordered, a bit grumpy from having been shocked earlier.
"Mwehehe… Did you really think I was so dumb as to not have an escape plan!? Take this, stupid girl!"
Zola spun around and put his bound hands around Sakura's neck, pulling them back as if to strangle her.
"Sister!" Sakura cried, freezing at the contact.
"See! You touch me and she dies! I pull this cord back and she chokes! And now isn't she just the most adorable little hostage, crying out for her big sister-"
"Good try Zola, but you two are the same height. Even if you move your arms back all the way you're too close to actually choke her. Now let go before you really regret it." Robin took a step forward, but stopped and raised his eyebrows when Zola giggled once more, moving his arms back anyway. And creeping Robin and everyone else in the room out.
"What the-" Hayato gasped, disgusted.
"What is wrong with Nohrians!?" Rinkah gagged, a similar expression on her face.
"That's… That's… That's not normal," Robin whispered, horrified.
Zola had not been bluffing when he said he could and would choke Sakura. Somehow, he had managed to move his arms back in a way that Robin had not known to be possible, his shoulder blades protruding in such a way that they should have been dislocated. His elbows were actually crossing behind his back because of how contorted the man was.
"Not all Nohrians are like this, just me. And I was ridiculed for so long for it, but now look how it's served me. So say goodbye to your little sister, girlie! Watch as the life drains from her eyes and- GYAAAAA!" Zola screamed at the end of his mocking, a great tree sprouting from the ground and piercing his body. A branch cut the cloth on his hands, releasing Sakura and knocking her forward. Hayato rushed to catch the princess, and with a great flash the tree was gone.
"Wait a minute, I know that spell…" Corrin said, turning to the entrance of the palace.
"Pathetic dog. You were the lowest of the low, Zola. Using a hostage and needlessly throwing the lives of your troops away. You disgrace," the spellcaster spat, looking at the red splotch, cloth, and mangled branches that had once been Zola. Walking in with a horse at his side was a heavily armored blond, probably around seventeen and holding a tome Robin had never seen before.
"Leo! It is you! Thank you so much for saving Sakura, I don't know how I can repay you."
"..." the man, Leo, raised his head as to,look down on Corrin, silent.
"..." Corrin was caught off guard by the man's silence, having expected and answer. "So Leo, do you think you could join us in the upcoming battles? You saved Sakura when I couldn't, and I know you're strong. We could really use your help, and I promise you we aren't out to beat Nohr. How about it?"
"... If you aren't out to defeat Nohr, and if you aren't out to defeat Hoshido as evidenced by your companions, then what is your goal. I'm finding you hard to believe."
"Our goal? Well that's complicated. What I can tell you is that King Garon is being manipulated by someone, and that if we don't stop him, then something terrible might happen. Think, why would he start a war with Hoshido unprovoked? It wasn't Garon that wanted it, but the person who's controlling him from behind the scenes, and I need your help to-" Leo interrupted Corrin with a scoff.
"And who exactly is it that is doing the manipulating? Who in the world would want to throw Hoshido and Nohr into war with each other. The two together make up almost the entirety of the world, and any battles between the two have severe repercussions for everyone, whether they lived in either of the two warring countries or not. And Father having no motives for attacking Hoshido? Our countries have fought with each other for centuries, even if only in skirmishes. And for the last two decades, Nohr had been crumbling thanks to selfishness of the Hoshidans. The darkness that covers our sky has killed all our crops, and our people are starving. Nohr is a land of manufacturing. We would gladly trade our crafts for food from across the Canyon. Yet the Hoshidans scorn us, and leave our people to die of hunger. They don't care at all for the pain of those in Nohr.
"As such, Father seeks to war with Hoshido so that prosperity may be brought back to war. As part of peace terms, the Hoshidans would be mandated to either trade with or give tribute to Nohr in the form of food. So don't think he's someone else's tool for wanting to relieve our people. Whatever your goal is, I won't fall for any trap you have set. Goodbye, traitor."
Leo mounted his horse, and Corrin cried out after him.
"Leo, wait! Please, just listen! I'm not trying to betray anyone, I promise. I can't tell you exactly the reason for now, but believe me, I-"
"I have nothing left to say to you. You've abandoned your country, abandoned your family, who tried their hardest to raise you as one of their own, and now you're trying to make Father out to be some sort of pawn. I won't have it. Now, as I said before. Goodbye, traitor."
Leo sent a blast behind Corrin's head, and Jakob jumped in front of her, daggers in hand. Robin took the opportunity to step up.
"Just a moment, Prince Leo." The blond didn't turn at Robin's words, but stalled his horse nonetheless. "Tell me, when did your father tell you those things? About his reasoning behind war with Hoshido. Was it when he addressed his people to give them peace in mind? Was it when you asked him, desperate to know the reason a father would put his own children's lives at risk when it could be avoided? Or was it when you sat at your desk late at night, trying to imagine some logical explanation your father had for his actions.
"Prince Leo. I can see you're a bright person. Please, tell me: was it really your father who told you those reasons, or was it your own mind that came up with excuses to humanize your own father who's no longer capable of controlling of his own actions? Think it through."
Leo lowered his head, not saying a word. He spoke up once before he kicked his horse and rode away.
"Inside that door you will find the archduke and the younger Hoshidan Prince."
He left without a goodbye that time.
"..."
The members of Corrin's army were all giving Robin different looks, and he wasn't sure who to address first. Thankfully, Jakob decided for him.
"As much as I don't like the prospect, you are probably correct. I was taken to be a servant in the castle at a young age, and over the years I've seen Garon become more and more twisted. So much so that I don't think he even has the capability to procure so much reason for a single action. He hasn't been for at least the last year, possibly two. And as of the time Lady Corrin and I left, Leo was both admired and detested for his strategic and logical talent. I have no doubt that he would be capable of coming up with a reason for another's actions."
"..." Corrin kept her silence, upset at Leo's rejection.
"I see him!" Sakura said, peeking through the hole Leo had made in the door when he blasted away the locks place upon it. "I can see big brother!"
"Woah, Lord Takumi is really in there? What are you waiting for, let's get in!" Hana shouted, grabbing a giant door and running backward, pulling the heavy thing open with her weight.
The now open room was filled with people, all tied up, and some even gagged.
Corrin looked to Robin, and he nodded, letting her take the lead.
"Hey everyone. My name is Corrin, and I'm here to help you all. Just sit tight, and we'll work on freeing you all. I'm sorry we couldn't get here faster, but I promise we'll untie you as quick as we can."
True to her promise, the girl went to the first person in front of her and got out a small blade, cutting the ropes that bound them. They thanked her and went to untie their neighbor, Corrin moving to the person on their other side. Corrin's troops spread throughout the room, moving randomly except for two. Sakura went straight for the person Robin assumed was Takumi, and Robin himself went to a man sitting to the side of the room who looked awfully familiar.
Freeing the man, Robin asked the man his identity.
"Me? Why, I am the great Archduke Izana, descendant of the gods, heir of their divine bloodline, and keeper of the prophecies. And a bunch of other things, but those are-"
"'Super boring so I won't bother to tell you', right?" Robin finished, cutting the man off, as he had already heard the whole spiel from Zola and didn't care to hear it again.
"Oh. Yeah. That was exactly what I was gonna say. Hmmm… you aren't some fortune teller are ya? Cause if you are, then I'd really like I know what- Oh wait, it's against the rules to tell a diviner a divination, isn't it. Like, speaker-of-the-gods or fortune-teller diviner. The mage diviners with the scrolls and everything are fine to divine for, but normally not the other ones," he rambled, frowning even more dramatically than the Zola-Izana had.
"Nice to know. My name's Robin, by the way, and we met someone earlier who was posing as you and told me the same thing. I'm not a diviner, though that would be pretty cool," the tactician supplied, looking over his shoulder.
Corrin was on her way over, accompanied by Sakura and (presumably) Takumi.
"Ah, you're the archduke, aren't you?" the white haired princess asked, once she got close enough, curious.
"Yep-eroo! Oh Robby, did you know that I'm also the five- or was it-"
"'Six, let's go with six time winner of the best hair award?,'" Robin finished, a sly smile on his face.
"Awwwww no fair! That big meanie took away everything cool I was gonna say. That is totally not nice."
"T-the real Izana is even more informal than Zola was…" Sakura stuttered, looking to Corrin, who just shrugged.
"And who might you be, missy?" Izana asked, bending over to look at Sakura. "I'm going to say you're princess Sakura, right? And this grumpy kid to your left is your brother Takumi? Oh what am I saying, of course it is! Knowing who people are is part of being the voice of a god, y'know. After all, the gods do know everyone!"
Takumi, confirmed to be such, looked offended by Izana's words, and mumbled something Robin couldn't make out.
"Well, he's kind of right you know," said Corrin, who had apparently caught whatever Takumi had said.
"..." Continuing the trend of silent brothers, Takumi didn't respond to Corrin's words.
"Big brother, I…" Sakura tried to initiate conversation, but her bad social skills got the better of her and she stopped mid sentence.
"Sakura, have you really turned against Hoshido too? What will Ryoma think? He's already lost one family member to Corrin, and I don't know what he'll do when he finds out he's lost another, even if you are technically still alive." The Hoshidan prince was suspicious of his sister, clearly wary after what happened with Corrin back in Hoshido.
"W-what? Of course not! I haven't, and Corrin hasn't, and neither has anyone else! We're trying to help Hoshido, brother. We just can't explain exactly why yet. But there is something going on that's way worse than anything Nohr might do, so you have to believe her. Please!" Sakura defended her sister, earning a hurt look from Takumi. He bit his lip and looked down.
"Forgive me, Sakura, but I can't accept this flimsy explanation. Corrin, Sakura may believe your words. I don't."
"Oh. Well, I hope that you-"
"Noooooooooooo! Nononononooo!" Izana cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "You can't say that, Prince Takumi, that's not how this is supposed to work! You have to agree with Corrin! C'mon, you gotta!"
Takumi looked at Izana like he was insane.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's really complicated so I won't give you the whole spiel, but it's like I said. You have to go with Corrin. The gods demand it, and you know how gods work. Going against them isn't really all that smart. So join your sisters! Well, at least these two. The other one is kinda not with them so I don't want you to join her, but she'll join later anyway if the prophecy stuff I'm getting is right. Although, the prophecies I've been getting have been really weird the past few days. Or Maybe the last week or two? I haven't really been paying attention to the days."
"W-wait a prophecy? About me? Do prophecies really just work like that?"
"Of course they do. How did you expect them to work? I mean, the original prophecies and prayers had to come from somewhere, and why would people pray if no one was ever hit with a divine vision otherwise? I just so happen to get them kinda a lot. So, will you do it? Or are you going to deny the gods; deny what fate has in store for you?" Izana took on a more serious tone at the end, and Takumi looked nervous as Izana opened his eyes slightly for the first time since Robin had arrived.
"We're not pawns of some scripted fate. We're more than that. And destiny can be changed. I've already done it once, I can do it again," Robin muttered, frowning.
"Mmm? What'd you say, Robin?"
Apparently Robin hadn't been as quiet as he thought, and Izana had caught at least part of what Robin had said.
"I-" Robin's response was cut off when Izana took a step toward him, the archduke looking down slightly with his greater height.
"..."
No one spoke, and Izana opened his eyes once more, slightly wider than he had previously.
"You… That's weird. You don't… have a prescribed fate. Or well, your spiritual connection is really whack at least. Uh, you haven't done any really dark magic have you? Like occult, human sacrifice, alter breaking stuff? Because I don't even know where to start with how weird your soul is."
Takumi grabbed Sakura and backed up, Corrin not moving but taking in a quick breath.
"I can't usually see someone's exact fate, at least not without giving up an almost fatal amount of life energy along with huge preparations and tribute. But normally I can tell the general path someone is headed on. Yours is completely blank though, and the path it's run is badly fragmented. That's not exactly natural. Unless you're the subject of an unbelievable amount of curses, but you also have a faint essence of some divine power left on your spirit, so that probably isn't it… Where are you from, Robin? This isn't anything I've even seen before, and this kind of work should take several decades, if not centuries at the least. Like something passed down the family line."
"..." Robin didn't know how to respond. If he was honest, then he'd either be regarded as insane, or completely rejected. But if he wasn't, then Izana might be able to tell. Despite any soul fragmentation or whatever it was he had going on, the lie would show up, and Izana would tell the others.
"Robin?" asked Corrin, who had a concerned look on her face. It was obvious he would have to respond in some way.
"...I don't really remember. My childhood and even teen years are completely lost to me. My first memory is actually of waking up in a field, two kind royals and a servant above my head." Robin looked over to Corrin for a moment. "It was an odd thing to wake up to, so I trailed them, and you can see where I am now. So I'm sorry, but I can only guess where my homeland is. From what I've seen, it doesn't seem to be Hoshido or Nohr, so you can at least cross those out."
That actually was complete honesty, even if it was missing a few pieces of information, and Izana kept quiet for a moment while he thought about Robin's answer. Technically the tactician didn't have any memories of his childhood, as his first memory was of waking up in the field with Chrom. And since it was Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick, that made two royals and a servant (or nanny), aligning with what happened in Canta with Corrin, Azura, and Jakob. Furthermore, even though he presumed he was born in Plegia, Robin had no actual proof that that was true. His mother had taken him away from Plegia as a child, but he could have been taken there from another place first.
And as for his soul… Robin looked down at his right hand, covered by a black glove. Under it was the mark of Grima, a sign of his past.
'I wonder. Naga said that if I killed Grima, he would die, and if Chrom did it then he would be sealed. But what would happen if someone else killed him? She only ever described what would happen if we did it, and that anyone else who tried would fail. Does that mean their blows would do no damage? No, that couldn't be. Sumia got a hit in on him, or at least his avatar, and he bled from that. Maybe it just meant that he would reappear if killed? He was healing at an astounding rate from the blows anyone other than Chrom or I got in. So perhaps he would die in appearance, but materialize somewhere else and resume his reign of terror after a short while.
'When I killed Grima, or at least, when I thought I killed Grima, I sort of dissolved into thin air a minute after. I didn't see what exactly happened to him, since the lightning was too bright. And since he was possessing future me, and almost got to present me too, does that mean he could've hopped? The reason I lost my memories in the first place was because I wasn't strong enough to contain Grima or whatever it was, but I've been through a lot since then. He might have just preferred a willing vessel to an unwilling one, able to use both.
'Naga, I hope that isn't true. But why else would the mark of Grima be on my hand other than for the fact that I still held some of his power or essence inside me? He's too dark of a god to match the divine power Izana mentioned, so I'm guessing that's an after effect of Naga's transfer and help, but goes with the decades or centuries worth of work thing. The human sacrifice and dark stuff matched Grima too. And as for not having a fate, I probably confused the universe when I changed the future by killing Grima and saving Chrom. Or by taking Grima away to where I am now, if I'm right. Which I really hope I'm not.'
Azura had found her way over to where the three Hoshidan royals plus Robin were while he thought, replacing Izana who was nowhere in sight. She was speaking quietly with Corrin, more emotion visible than normal. Takumi and Sakura also spoke, Takumi sending the occasional uncomfortable glance at Robin, and quickly turning away when he realized Robin had noticed.
"So, where is Izana, if you don't mind me asking?" Robin said, addressing the four.
"He went to go perform some sort of ceremony to speak with the gods. When I asked him about the Seal of Flames, he said he wasn't really familiar with it, but that they'd know, so he ran off," Corrin supplied, shrugging.
"A ceremony? Like one of the ones that takes an almost mortal amount of life energy along with tribute and preparations? Without the preparations and possibly tribute?"
"Oh, you're kidding me!" Takumi scoffed, putting a hand to his forehead.
"Brother, you don't think…?"
"Sakura, that's exactly what he did. What was he thinking?"
"What!? Can we stop him? I don't want him hurting or even killing himself because he tried to hurt us! Dang it, where did Izana go?" Deeply concerned, Corrin swung her head side to side, trying to catch sight of some area that looked like it lead to a ceremony room.
"He's this way, follow me," answered Azura, walking through the crowd of people still being freed.
The number of people tied up on the floor was impressive, and Robin wondered just how Zola had managed to catch them all. Perhaps he had gone around, disguised as Izana, guiding them to the room one by one and tying them up once they were inside and realized something was wrong. Or maybe he just had enough guards to take the soldiers of Izumo, who were used to peacetime and this inexperienced, by force.
Either way, it was quite a sight to see. Almost everyone in the banquet hall wore elaborate robes, layers and layers of cloth that would have suffocated Robin had he been wearing them. Golden tapestries and elaborate paintings adorned the wall, their flowing style something Robin had only seen in Chon'sin prior to his journey to Canta. These were slightly different, but beautiful nonetheless. Many of the paintings were in bright, bold colors, but others were in grays and dull blues. Several seemed to belong to different stories, a few central designs and characters present from one piece to the next, changing positions to follow what Robin assumed was scripture or other religious stories. Or possibly prophecies.
Dragon sculptures, paintings, and tapestries were also present throughout the room, many climbing the pillars holding the roof of the giant room up. Birds, trees, and other depictions of nature were carved faintly onto the rest of the pillars, appearing flat from afar and the designs not visible until one got close enough to touch.
Azura stopped at a grand set of doors, and when Sakura and Corrin went forward to grab them, Takumi and Azura both put out hands to stop them.
"If this ceremony is as dangerous as he has described it, I don't think disrupting it would turn out very well for either him or us," the latter one said, holding Corrin's arm.
"Exactly. Our best bet is to wait. Sakura, you know that what Mom- what Mikoto did was much simpler than this, but interrupting her never led to good things. Remember that one time a messenger burst into the ritual room while she was reinforcing the barrier around Hoshido? The whole thing almost collapsed, and she had a terrible cough for days. I'm pretty sure I saw her limping, too. Plus, she was always exhausted after getting one of her premonitions, especially when she actually prepared to have a vivid one rather than just waited to get a small one. Izana is doing a different type of ceremony, but it involves both a premonition and some ritual, so I think interrupting him would be much worse. It's probably too late at this point," Takumi recalled, crossing his arms and tilting his head up to look at the designs at the top of the doors.
"Haah…"
At that moment, the doors were pushed open, a shaky Izana stumbling out. Corrin went to grab him as he latched on to one of the doors' giant handles for support, but the man pushed her way.
He did his best to stand up straight, but he looked even paler than before if that was even possible, and was gasping for air. Coughing, he took in a breath to speak, though quickly brought a long white sleeve to his mouth, which came down as red when his coughs stopped.
"Archduke!" someone shouted in alarm, sprinting up to Izana. The new man was also dressed in what seemed to be ceremonial robes, as opposed to the formal or fancy robes most of the residents of the banquet hall had on.
"Katsa. I got th-this. Anyway, Prince Takumi, I got my premonition. You really gotta go with C-Corrin. According to the gods, 'Everything is not yet seen... The truth is far and hidden low. The one upon the water's surface, he who knows all is the true foe…'"
"Who though? Who's the one 'upon the water's surface?' And what do you mean he who knows all?'" Takumi seemed slightly less opposed to joining Corrin's army, but was still unsure.
"Well, the g-gods aren't that clear, otherwise it would give humans... too much of an advantage over other creatures. Though, most creatures are better attuned to the spirit world than we are. Hahah...ahh…" Coughing again, Izana leaned against the door once more, and Katsa moved to keep him from falling.
"Archduke, you-"
"Wait wait wait, Katsa. I'm not d-done yet. I've got two to go. Next… is about the Seal of Flames. Here is more of a saying or o-order that's been passed down my family for a few generations, but it's this: 'We will show she who shuns the light and dark another way.' Kinda cryptic, but I can tell it's you, Corrin. The gods… said that you had to 'go meet the dragon' after all when… I asked them." Shutting his eyes, Izana stopped trying to hold his weight up, and Katsa tightened his grip as he lowered the archduke to the floor.
"The last two prophecies are for me? Izana, I promise I'll do my best to meet this dragon. But, do you know anything else?" asked Corrin.
"N-no, that was one of the last...two. The other was just a say-ying," Izana's breathing was getting worse, and Katsa had pulled out a rod while he spoke, trying to heal the archduke the best he could, "The last one is for Ro… bin over th-there. 'He who brought the future past yet sleeps, awaiting revival. Fallen light restored to a land wavers… A new era approaches, the harbinger's force stripped. Harmony shall prevail.' I didn't recognize... the god who said it but… Takumi, m-make sure you go w-with Corrin. And good luck, my fellow… white haired… people… if you fail, I'll come back to h-haunt you… Booooo..."
Izana opened his eyes fully, the black pits startling Robin before pale lids closed, and Izana slumped back completely.
"Archduke?!" Katsa screamed, dropping his rod to shake Izana. Izana didn't stir, and his chest didn't rise or fall either.
A few more people in ceremonial robes approached at the cry, gasping and making noises of horror at Izana's prone body. When the archudke mentioned giving an almost fatal amount of life energy, he might have been being optimistic or under exaggerating. That, or he didn't realize how much energy the ceremony would take. He didn't seem like the type of guy who would want to die like that. But he was the archduke for a reason, and came from a long line of diviners. He was probably prepared for the outcome. The newcomers whispered to each other and took Izana back to the ceremony room, all grim and the youngest of the group in tears.
Sakura was much the same, and was the first of Corrin's group to speak.
"N-no! We weren't fast enough…! Now Izana's…" She hiccuped, and Takumi hugged her to his side, looking the other direction.
"Darn it!" Corrin said, punching the wall. Azura gently out a hand in the other girl's arm, looking guilty for not bringing them over earlier.
"Don't blame yourselves," Robin began, grabbing the four royals' attention, "he knew the risks, and he accepted them to deliver these prophecies. We can't let his sacrifice be in vain."
Sakura was still sniffling, Corrin's eyes were also shining from building tears, and the two didn't appear to believe Robin entirely. He got some help, though, from the one he didn't expect.
"Sakura, Corrin. Nothing we can do will bring Izana back. But we have to keep moving forward. Like… like with Mother in Hoshido. She knew the risks of taking Corrin in armed, but she did it anyway because she had the heart for it. And when Corrin's sword exploded, she got in the way. Mom already sacrificed herself, so please, at least don't waste her sacrifice too." Looking down at Sakura, still hugging his side, Takumi ruffled her hair while he gave his spiel. Sakura sniffled once more and straightened up, clasping her hands together at her hips.
"O-okay," Sakura agreed. She had a more determined expression at this point, and looked up into her older brother's eyes.
"So does this mean that you'll be joining us Takumi?" asked Robin.
"Yeah. The Archduke gave everything he had for this, and there's no way I would just overlook that. You can add one more member to your resistance force now."
"Make that two!" a new male voice cried out from behind them.
"Or three!" a second voice, this one female, corrected.
Running up to Corrin's group, or more specifically Takumi, were two people dressed for combat rather than the traditional robes of the palace of Izumo or dirty cloth of the village. The first one to have spoken was a young man about Takumi's height, with messy brown hair put up in a hairtie. He had a crossed scar on one side of his face, and a huge grin that reached for it. The man was dressed in the attire of a Samurai, but it was slightly modified. His clothes were white and purple as opposed to white and blue, and a sleeveless top revealed highly muscled arms. Most people that well defined were axe users, but the katana at the man's side and outfit showed him not to be such.
His companion was dressed as a spear fighter in full yellow, long blue hair also up in a ponytail. It was a bit similar to Takumi's actually. Really similar, actually. And when she and the samurai went to Takumi's side, Robin was pretty sure he had figured out who they were.
"Are you two Takumi's retainers?"
"Yes…" Takumi sighed.
"Of course!" the two retainers shouted in unison.
"My name's Hinata, by the way. My specialty is the katana, and I know my way around a fight! I'll make sure to help you guys out the best I can," the male one said, introducing himself.
"I'm Oboro," the woman stated, gaining a dark, shadowy expression, "and while I'd rather not have to deal with any Nohrians except for the ones I have to best in battle, I'll do my best to cooperate with you if that's what Lord Takumi wishes."
The almost evil-looking grin on her face made Robin shudder, and he could see Corrin do the same. Corrin out on a smile though, and welcomed the two to the group, inviting them to meet the rest of her army, which had finally finished freeing the people in the banquet hall.
Robin sent a glance back to the large doors of the ceremony room as he walked away, sighing. On one hand, he wished Izana hadn't given them his prophecy so that the man might have lived. In the other hand, he was glad that he got to hear it, and was disappointed he wouldn't get more. It wasn't a very nice thought, and the others would probably get mad at him for regarding the archduke's sacrifice as such. But it was genuine, and he would keep quiet about it. He didn't want anyone to die, really. And he hasn't expected Izana to do what he had either. But that was the way things went.
Author's Note: I have 1,000 words on tomes in there. Probably way to much, but man do I love long explanations and lore and all that. Moving on, I'm not sure if this was the best ending for the chapter, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to put some events in this one, or the next, so this is where it ends. I would really like to know what you guys think about chapter length, pacing, characterization, and anything else, so please review! Even if it's just a comment like "Izana is a funny guy" or "Why did Azura do x." I would be happy to reply and answer any questions, so feel free. Three last notes: I have a short story that I originally published on tumblr for Xanlow week up here, so check that out if you have the time. And if you're wondering what's up with Zola, I'm basically trying to describe him as... double jointed, or a contortionist or whatever. Third thing, I realized that festals are actually called rods in the game, adn it's just that the first ones are Bloom Festal, Sun Festal, etc... I'll probably go back and fix that soon. That's all for now.
Originally published October 15, 2016. 10,292 words.
Eruran out.
