Author's Note:

Ha. Ha. Hey guys. It's been a little while. Ha. Not too long right? Eh. You know, just 2 months and 3 days. Not long at all! I have no excuses. I've been lazy, and couldn't really figure out what to write. That's it.

Anyway, Shadows of Valentia is super fun, and I'm loving it so far. I've played Gaiden before, so it's nice seeing the improvements! Some things I feel are a bit fast, but it's great otherwise, and I'd really recommend buying it if you have the money and the time! I bought the DLC for it, but my internet is acting up and my 3DS won't connect, so I haven't played it yet and it's just kind of sitting unclaimed. I have the code...

EDIT: also I haven't finished SoV! I'm on chapter 3 right now. And chapter 6 didn't exist in Gaiden, so please don't reveal what happens there because I don't know yet!

SoV isn't Fates or Awakening though, so that's that. Now, without further ado, enjoy.


It was well past noon by the time Corrin woke, the room she slept in empty of people other than herself. She could hear a few conversations going on in the rooms next to hers, but they were muffled enough that she couldn't quite understand what their participants were saying. Blinking to clear some of the grogginess she felt, Corrin stood to put on her armor, only to find it missing. In its place was a pile of cloth she didn't recognize. The princess felt awkward walking downstairs in only her nightgown, so she decided to wear it, figuring it had been left out for her.

Once it was on, Corrin took a look at herself in the large mirror by her bed, twirling to get a good view. The cloth turned out to be a white sundress, sunflowers climbing up the left side, along with a pair of black tights that went from her waist to just below her knees. There were also a pair of socks and some short-cut boots to go with the outfit, which cut off at the ankles, much to Corrin's relief. She didn't know how well she'd be able to manage in the knee-highs her older sister wore. Camilla could walk and even fight in them, but Corrin didn't think she could do the same.

When she walked down the stairs, it was to find Kaze and Reina chatting with Miss Mimi in the sitting room, and Jakob stirring a pot of something on the stove.

The first three gave Corrin short greetings, to which the princess replied in turn. She then went over to Jakob, attempting to peek over his shoulder to get a glimpse at whatever he was cooking.

"My lady," the butler said, whisking the pot away, "no need to concern yourself with the chowder's preparation. It's already done, I was just keeping it warm. Please sit, and I'll serve you shortly."

Corrin nodded, and moved to take a seat at the table. "Thanks, Jakob."

"It is my pleasure, Lady Corrin," he replied, bringing over a bowl full of the chowder he had mentioned. It looked delicious.

"Say," Corrin asked, spooning some of it into her mouth, "how long was I asleep for? And where is everyone?"

"Not long enough, in my opinion. But you've seen Kaze, Reina, and Lalami, correct?"

Corrin nodded.

"Very well. Lord Takumi and Lady Sakura are in the backyard with their retainers, who appear to be having some sort of contest to prove which pair is better. Don't ask me how it started. All I know is that they've been at it since they rose shortly after you went to bed, and that Hayato and Rinkah are watching them intensely.

"As for Lady Camilla, Selena, Orochi, Azura, and Kagero, they're all upstairs. As of the last time I checked in on them, they were conversing on what to do about leaving Nohr and their comrades who were sent off to Hoshido for the moment. Kagero is speaking with Saizo, who arrived about an hour ago, about who knows what. Presumably Lord Ryoma or Robin. I've not the slightest clue past that. Is that helpful, Milady?"

"Of course, thank you Jakob." Corrin paused in her meal to give her reply, setting down her spoon to take a large breath.

That accounted for most everyone, but Gunter and Beruka were still missing.

"If you're wondering about your other friends, the red ninja said they were with Robin at the clinic," Miss Mimi said, drawing Corrin's attention. "Once you're finished with your meal, I'll guide you over there."

"Thank you." Corrin hurried to finish her meal, swallowing chowder so fast she almost choked.

Miss Mimi seemed to find it endearing though, chuckling softly from where she stood. "You remind me of my middle daughter, Annette, when you do that. That girl was always in such a hurry… I suppose it's fitting that I gave you one of her old outfits to wear."

Finishing her bowl and handing it to Jakob, Corrin went over to the woman, eyebrows raised. "Really? What's she doing now?"

"Oh, I don't know. Last I heard from her she was marrying some wyvern rider she met while on the job. It's been two and a half years since then, though, so she might have moved on. Whatever she's doing, it's keeping her busy enough not to have the time to send a letter to me! I just hope she's happy."

"..."

"Now then, off to the clinic we go, honey. I want to make sure you get there early enough to be able to stay a while before it gets dark and you have to leave. The clinic is in this town, but it isn't the closest, so we have a ways to walk."

"Of course."

The two walked past Kaze and Reina on their way out, giving them a small wave as they passed through the door. The two Hoshidans waved in return, disappearing once Corrin shut the entrance to the house and looked to Miss Mimi for directions.

The old lady led them down the street quietly, listening to the sounds of chirping birds and young children running down the streets rather than starting conversation. Corrin was fine with it. Even though she had lived in Nohr most of her life, she couldn't ever remember going to a town like this. It was a lot to take in. And quite beautiful.

Miss Mimi was going at an extremely slow pace, hobbling a bit as she walked, which dragged out their journey a little further. It also allowed for Jakob to catch up with the duo a few minutes later. He had run up to them from behind after washing the dishes, and decided to accompany them to the clinic for reasons he wouldn't disclose. Suspicious if you asked Corrin, but she didn't question it. Jakob was always so forthcoming with her, so whatever reasons he had for his silence must have been justified.

When they entered the clinic Corrin was taken aback by how… pristine, it was. Everything was a blinding white. Clearly the clinic was high class. Which was odd, because despite the cheerfulness of the town around it, most of the buildings were run down and falling apart. Miss Mimi's was probably in one of the best shapes of anything Corrin had seen so far, actually. So to see such a clean and well kept place was odd. It blew even Miss Mimi's place out of the water. And while it was always good to keep medical facilities in good condition… wasn't it also good to keep the houses around it running well too? Whoever was funding the place probably didn't care much for the town.

"Ah, Miss Lalami," the woman at the front counter said, looking down at the old woman with a strange look on her face. "We've told you time and time again, but I'll say it once more. We can't help you. The resources we have are sparse, and there are much younger people with much longer lives ahead of them to give them too. That, and the price is far above what you can pay. I'm sorry, but nothing has changed since the last time you were here. So please go back home, ma'am, because we have nothing for you at the moment."

Miss Mimi gave a sad smile. "Actually, I'm not here for myself at the moment. These two youngsters are looking for their friend who checked in last night." She gestured to Corrin and Jakob, standing to her left.

"Exactly," Corrin affirmed, "he's-"

She paused. Would Gunter have checked Robin in under his own name? They didn't want to spread their presence too much, so he could have been taken under some fake name.

"-pale, white haired, was probably wearing bandages wrapped around his torso when he arrived, suffering from blood loss, and unconscious. He would have arrived with an old man with purple hair, alongside a short young woman with blue hair. The woman was slightly injured as well, and may have been admitted depending on whether not she relented to anyone's requests." Jakob relayed the information instead.

"That matches the patient in room 302. He's up on the third floor. It should be on your left once you get off the stairs."

"Thanks."

Corrin turned and walked to the stairs, frowning as she thought of the receptionist's attitude. It just wasn't right.

When Corrin entered the large room she's been directed to, she found it full of beds carrying the wounded. No sick people, they must have been put on another floor, but people with bandages and bloody rags next to them were in no way scarce.

At the opposite end of the room, by the window, Corrin could see two figures sitting upright, the only ones in the room not resting on a bed.

"Gunter! Beruka!"

Two heads turned at Corrin's shout, one sporting purple hair, and one blue. Corrin ran toward the two, her steps making a few of the room's other residents wake up at the noise. They went back to sleep as Jakob and Lalami passed them, finding nothing of interest and no relatives looking to see them.

"Lady Corrin, it's nice to see you again," Gunter remarked with a smile.

"We did as you asked," Beruka said immediately after, face blank except for a small hint of annoyance.

"Thank you two. So, what did the doctor say? Is he going to be okay?"

"It seems so. The doctor didn't even believe us when we explained how much blood he had lost and the original depths of his wounds, since Robin was in such fine condition when he arrived."

"Fine? Then does that mean he'll wake up soon?"

"Pardon, not exactly fine, but fine in terms of someone as injured as Robin should be. What I mean is the doctor admitted Robin as a patient in far better health than we originally assumed him to be, although still not one in good condition."

Corrin sighed. "Ah…"

"Worry not, Lady Corrin. I'm sure that Robin will be back to his regular self soon enough. Even now, less than a day later, he looks remarkably better than the last we saw him. So don't dispair, as I'm sure he will be ready to leave in a few days time," Jakob assured. Corrin wasn't sure if he was being genuine or exaggerating, but she appreciated his optimism.

"Is that him? He seems like a fine young man," Lalami observed, looking down at Robin on the bed.

He wasn't as pale as he had been the day before, sure, but he still wasn't back to his regular complexion. It was hard to tell much about his condition based off appearance, since everything from his neck down was covered by a blanket. But his face was peaceful, and not contorted in pain, which was a relief. Maybe that was because he was in such a deep state of unconsciousness that he couldn't feel pain though. Well, if he was, Corrin was going to ignore it. If even Jakob was faking optimism, she would too.

Speaking of Jakob, he was looking back at the entrance to the room with a strange expression.

"Is everything all right, Jakob?"

"Yes, Lady Corrin. I was just thinking that I would leave you for a moment, so you could have some private time with Robin. Is that acceptable?"

"Totally! I'm not going to trap you here! I'll be waiting for you to come back, so don't take too too long, if you can help it."

"Of course, milady. If you will." Jakob gave a bow and walked away, boots clicking on the floor each time they hit. Even in such a situation, he was so proper…

"I suppose we should take our leave as well," Gunter said, standing. "As we came straight to the clinic last night, we aren't aware of where your house is, so could you please guide us there, miss?"

Lalami smiled. "Yes, I can. My name is Lalami, by the way." She turned toward the door, and began walking away. Gunter and Beruka followed. "What names do you two go by?"

"I'm Gunter, and my companion is Beruka. It's an honor to be…" Gunter's voice faded away as the three of them walked out of the room, losing volume with distance until Corrin couldn't hear him anymore.

So, it was just her and Robin.

Just Corrin, and Robin, and a room full of strangers she didn't know that could overhear what she said and report it to Nohr.

…Hopefully they wouldn't do that. Most of them were sleeping anyway.

"So." Corrin looked at Robin's face, blank because of his resting state. "I don't know where to begin. I guess I could start with an 'I'm sorry.'

"I know it may seem silly for me to say 'sorry', since I'm not the one who hurt you, but I feel like I need to say it anyway. I've put so much stress on you over these last few weeks. These last few months, almost. Not quite, but it will be soon. Because you're so smart, I've put so much on your back. I saw how much better than me you seemed to be, and I used you as a way to keep from bearing responsibility myself.

"But you're not all that much better off than me. You don't know anything more about the world than me. Well, at least you didn't when you first woke up. From all the stuff we found in your room on the ship, it looks like you've done a lot of research, so you probably know way more than me now. Er, anyway, at the beginning I probably knew more about the world than you. Even if I was sheltered, I'd heard stories from Jakob and Gunter and Felicia and Flora and all my siblings who'd come visit me. I got to go to Hoshido and listen to the Queen herself, and hear the words of an entire different royal family and their retainers. No matter how limited my knowledge was, it was better than yours. But that didn't stop me from acting as if you knew way more than me, and could better deal with the situation at hand. You took it in such stride, too. Was that really because you liked it, or because you felt bad for me? Or because you just saw how incompetent I was?

"I mean, it was probably a mix. With how you've been trying to teach me some of your strategies, and how you're gradually giving me control of the troops, it can't be that you think I'm a complete dunce. Plus, Jakob and Kaze have done a pretty good job of convincing me that I'm better than I take myself for. You'd probably hi-five them at that, huh?

"And you always get such a wide smile when you come up with the day's battle plans, so you have to be having at least some fun when you're doing tactics. You beat me in that aspect for sure. I love fighting with a passion, because it's so exhilarating, but trying to strategize is so worrisome because I'm scared I'll mess up and that someone will get hurt or die because of me. Do you have that worry, too? You seem cool on the outside whenever you make your plans. Cool or a little bit angry with whatever's going against you. Cool, angry, and confident. Like you know what you have planned is going to lead to victory one way or another, as if failing to succeed is impossible. Not in a cocky way most of the time, but in a way that I can't help but feel you've got a lot of experience under your belt. Which still doesn't make sense, since you don't look too much older than me. There's no way we're more than 5 years apart, but I don't know of any big battles that have gone on in my lifetime that you could have participated in. And even if some did, you're so young it's kind of scary to think you could have that much experience. Why would someone your age, and probably my age when we started, have to battle to the extent they become as good at it as you are? What kind of world would that be?

"Hm. That may not actually be that great of a question. After all, I'm my own age, and I'm at war right now. Sakura is younger than my own age, and she's at war right now. Elise is even below that age, and she was at the battle right before we found you, so she's surely at war right now too. That's really sad. They're just kids, they should be at home playing with their friends. Or learning foreign policy, since they're princesses. But definitely not entering battlefields with the intent of either killing others, or endlessly healing allies so they can go kill others.

"What do you think?

"From what you described of your memories, or dreams, or whatever they were, that happened in your war too. Something about your best friend's little sister, and a young villager you picked up along the way. I think you mentioned a mage and a troubadour too? But you did say they were older than Sakura and Elise. So I guess this place is even worse than wherever you came from, aye?"

Robin's sleeping figure didn't reply.

"Ah, but that's sad. I should get to telling you about Lalami! Oh no, but I should start with what happened last night first, since that was absolutely adorable. Okay, so Sakura was really cold right? So she was shivering under this tree, Subaki and Hana at her sides…"


"And I need four, no, six cases of your best stock of it. Can you- er, no, I mean, you have to do that. Bring it to me this instant, by the King's orders!"

A familiar voice commanded some random nurse on duty to fetch her supplies as Jakob walked down the hall, gaining volume as he approached. He had caught a piece of it as he and Lady Corrin had walked to Robin's floor, and again as they stood by his bed, so the butler left to see if it belonged to who he thought it did.

And sure enough, there was Felicia, flanked by two Nohrian soldiers who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there. Just behind her was a diminutive girl dressed in the garb of a poor villager, her cheeks dusted by both dark freckles and a slight blush. The flowers in her hair had wilted slightly, a sign that she'd been traveling for a while without a break to collect new ones. By the looks of it the girl had been forced along, and Jakob felt a momentary twinge of pity. It quickly faded though, as she was unimportant, and his attention was shifted to where Felicia stood staring at the hall the nurse had gone down.

"Felicia?" Jakob called, grabbing the maid's attention.

"Uuaah?!" Felicia cried, flailing about and tripping as she tried to identify the source of the noise. The little girl with freckles caught her, with a quick word of 'Careful!' as she moved the maid back on her feet.

"Really, have you gotten even more clumsy since we last saw each other? Hmph, to think I expected more of someone such as you. I at least didn't imagine you would get even worse. But here you are, proving me wrong in the most terrible way." Jakob walked forward until he was right in front of Felicia, the maid's eyes widening in response.

"J-J-J-Jakob! What are you doing here!?"

"I think I could ask the same of you."

"Well uh, you see, the king needed some medicine for.. Uh, well he didn't tell me, but he needed some regardless, so he sent me down here to get it. I mean, first he sent me down to this one village to collect what they had, but by the time I got there it was overrun with Faceless for some reason and she was the only one I could save, so we had to come here to get the medicine since their stockroom had burned down, and well…" Felicia's eyes started watering, and Jakob sighed.

'Overrun with Faceless, huh? I can't help but feel that was on purpose. Really, what is the king planning now? To destroy an entire town just to get some medicine? And then to be so careless that there isn't even any left after the damage has been done!'

"Oh, don't feel so bad, Miss Felicia! There ain't nothin' more you coulda done 'bout it! You done your best, and that's what matters! I shoulda been the one t'a done more, if ya ask me.

"...Maybe if I'da been a teeny bit faster, Ma and Pa'd still be here," the girl said.

Her accent made Jakob's eyes widen. That wasn't something found on the west side of the border. Had the king seriously destroyed a Hoshidan village to get himself medicine, and then sent a lone maid (and possibly the two guards, if they were with her at the time) to rummage through the destruction to get what he wanted? Jakob was used to hearing tales of the travesty the king inflicted on his own people. But to do it to those on the side of Hoshido meant he was getting bolder. Jakob would have to inform everyone as soon as they regrouped.

"Medicine, huh? Then what are the soldiers for? Ensuring you get it?"

"Pretty much! I tried to say I could go on my own but the higher ups wouldn't have it. It's not so bad though, they're actually kind of funny. Right guys?"

The two soldiers kept silent.

"See? Trying to keep such straight faces, they're big clowns. But you can't get the best of Felicia!" the maid cheered, smiling.

The villager giggled at that, and Jakob sighed.

"You know, that nurse is taking a terribly long time to return. You wouldn't suppose she's run off, would you, gentlemen?" Jakob addressed the soldiers with his comment, and they looked between each other. Holding up a stare, Jakob kept his head in their direction until the two came to some sort of conclusion and left to find the nurse, leaving Jakob alone with the two women.

"Now that they're out of the way… Felicia, have you heard anything from your sister lately?"

"Sort of? I mean, we spoke a little bit ago, but that was before she left with Lady Camilla, since I left before she got back. Does that count as soon?" The maid had a puzzled look on her face.

"Well then. I don't know if that makes things more difficult, or less so." Jakob cleared his throat. "As you know, the Ice Tribe and Nohr do not have the best of relations."

A nod from Felicia.

"Apparently the king threatened the Ice Tribe into participating in the battle against Lady Corrin, and-"

"Wait wait wait," Felicia butted in, "what do you mean the battle against Lady Corrin!? We're fighting Lady Corrin? But, why?"

Jakob resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as he corrected Felicia. "No, not we. The king and his dastardly henchmen are. Hopefully we will be fighting on Lady Corrin's side. As in the both of us.

"Currently, Lady Corrin is somewhere in this hospital, visiting one of her comrades that was injured in the battle with Lady Camilla. Elsewhere in the town are Lady Camilla herself, as well as her retainers, two members of the Hoshidan royal family, several of their retainers, and a former princess of Nohr kidnapped in a parallel situation to Corrin named Azura. Gunter is also nearby, if you want to talk to him."

Felicia let out a long breath. "Whoa, that's a ton of people! And from Hoshido too? That's… that's… how did you do that?"

"Actually, it's not a lot of people," Jakob said while narrowing his eyebrows. "Compared to the mights of the Hoshidan and Nohrian armies, our forces are diminutive. We need all the help we can get. So will you join us, Felicia? I know you've sworn your life to Lady Corrin just as I have, and just as your sister has, so it would only be right for you to return to her side. As we speak, Flora is either en route to your home village, or in the process of evacuating everyone to escape King Garon's wrath. Nothing waits for you in Nohr. So, what do you say?"

Jakob put a hand on his hip and looked Felicia up and down. The maid had clenched hands pressed tightly against the front of her skirt, fingers tense enough that her knuckles had turned white. She also had a very determined look on her face, one so ridiculously intense that Jakob had to fight back a smile. The girl could be amusing when she wasn't breaking dishes or staining sheets or causing other messes that he had to clean up.

"I say I'll join you! I've been so worried about Lady Corrin; to hear she's right here and okay is great! Plus, if the king really is threatening the village so much that Flora and Father and everyone else have to evacuate, then there's no way I'm going to fight for him anymore. So, do I have to do something to sign up? Or cacnMozu and I - that's the girl with me - just come with you?"

"Just follow me. Lady Corrin would surely like some alone time with the companion she is visiting at the moment, and it would not be polite to disturb her. You'll have to wait a moment before you two can reunite, but you two will be able to speak soon," Jakob answered.

Felicia smiled, and have a short giggle. Then a soft voice spoke up behind her.

"Uh, Mister Butler, I 'eard what you two folk were sayin' 'bout your group an' the Nohr king and all that stuff there, an' I was wonderin'... Could I maybe come with y'all too? My village was destroyed by the king too, and I don't got nowhere to go if I can't be with Miss Felicia here," Mozu asked, looking down.

Jakob sighed. Her accent was annoying - he'd have to remedy that before she spoke to Lady Corrin and offended her with any shortened words or incorrect grammar.

Lady Corrin probably wouldn't care, if he was being honest, and would likely find it cute, but he had standards. Her accent would not stand.

Felicia suddenly jumped, startling Jakob. "Wait wait, what about the soldiers that came with me? Can they join too, or do they have to go back to Nohr?"

Jakob thought about it for a moment, and told Felicia his plan: "Have them go back. They aren't trustworthy. Plus, we need something to keep Nohr sated for a little while. You're here for medicine, are you not? Give the soldiers something herb-like and instruct them to bring it back to the castle with orders to deliver it to whoever is in charge of the storeroom at the moment. Keep the actual medicine for yourself, because our group may need it at some point, and I'm sure whoever is requesting it at the castle doesn't really need it. They were willing to destroy a village to get it, which means they were okay with it getting destroyed in the process. Tell the two soldiers that you met up with someone who knew of a place that could get you cheaper, better medicine, and that you decided to go with them to see if what they spoke of was true. Say that you will take the villager with you because girls have to stick with girls, or however you would phrase it. I'm not sure if that will buy us any time, or if it will immediately alert the castle to our presence, but… It seems good enough for now. What do you say?"

"Well," Felicia started, blinking rapidly, "I say that's a lot to remember. But I think I've got it. Where should I meet you when I'm done?"

"There's a house to the east bordered on three sides by forest, with red and purple shingles and windows, as well as a small rock garden in the front. It's the largest one in the area, and in significantly better condition than those around it. Knock at the door and say your name. Either one of our group or an old woman named Lalami will answer you and let you in."

"Thank you, Jakob."

"My pleasure, Felicia. It was nice seeing you again. Now then, I'll be off. Take care."

"Take care!"

Jakob left to go back the way he came, pausing before he entered the room where Robin and Corrin were.

Corrin was saying something to Robin, though the man still appeared to be unconscious. She was likely spilling her heart out to the man. Jakob couldn't help but feel jealous at the sight. He had known Corrin for so much longer, yet she still turned to this new companion when overwhelmed. It was his duty as her personal servant to listen to her woes and comfort her, not Robin's. But if that was what his mistress wanted, then he wouldn't interfere. His primary duty was to make her life as pleasant as possible, and if she preferred speaking to a new man who couldn't respond, Jakob would let her be.


"I mean, as much as I like Orochi, it was kind of weird for her to offer me a bath you know? Because I'm a grown woman! Or, well, maybe not a grown woman, but I'm certainly not a child. And-" Commotion from outside the hospital caused Corrin to pause and look outside the window to get an idea of what was going on.

"What!?"

On the street were several armed men and woman, arguing with someone that looked like a nurse. Corrin couldn't make out what they were saying, but they looked violent.

And violent they were, because a second later a woman with an axe shoved the nurse to the floor and held her weapon to the downed nurse's cheek. Corrin couldn't tell what the axe woman was saying, but whatever it was had her companions laughing and the nurse shaking. A couple people screamed, causing the bandits to launch a few daggers in the directions of the noises.

The daggers hit an old man somewhere down the street, and he let out a low cry as he fell. Looking down his way Corrin realized there were armed forces scattered as far as she could see, holding people down and looting houses.

"Oh no…" she breathed.

Jakob ran into the room then, shooting her a question with his voice full of alarm: "What's wrong Milady? Have you been injured? I heard screams, what's going on?!"

He leaned out the window for a second, taking in the scene for a moment before backing away.

"Milady, the bandits are armed well, and we're alone. The rest of our group is scattered around town, meaning we don't have reliable backup, so I suggest we-"

Corrin interrupted him. "You have your daggers on you, right? I have the Yato with me, so we should at least be able to protect the nurses here. Let's go!"

Jakob stood still for moment, shocked, but quickly moved to follow Corrin. "Lady Corrin, please, wait! You're not wearing armor! What it you get attacked! You're not properly defended!"

Ignoring what Jakob had said, Corrin continued to make her way to the entrance of the building, only pausing when Felicia called out to them.

"Hey, is that you, Lady Corrin? What's the big rush?" the maid asked.

"Felicia?" Corrin said, blinking, "What are you doing here? Oh, nevermind that. Can you fight? Some bandits outside are harassing the nurses and attacking the townspeople, and I'm going to stop them. If you could help, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Felicia nodded. "Of course! But wait, what about Mozu?"

The brown haired girl was still at the maid's side, looking scared.

"She can stay near the entrance, where she can see what's going on and run upstairs if she needs to."

"Sounds good. Mozu?"

"A-alright ma'am. If ya think I should, then I will."

The four made their way to where Corrin had seen the axe woman threatening the nurse, and when they arrived, Jakob immediately covered Mozu's eyes.

"Oh my... What… we're… What did they do!? Why!?"

Corrin stood in shock, looking at the sight before her. The nurse she had seen earlier, as well as two Nohrian soldiers, had been beheaded, their faces cut as to be unrecognizable.

"What's going on?" Mozu asked from behind Jakob's hand, trying to move it to see.

"Nothing you should see, young woman. It's… gruesome."

"I don' care!" she yelled, wriggling free of Jakob's hand, "I saw ma Ma's and Pa's and all ma other friends' bodies already when them Faceless destroyed our town. I ain't got nothing left to see worse than that!"

The villager then set her eyes on the three corpses. Her voice caught in her throat.

"Mozu..." Felicia whispered, moving to hold the girl's hand.

"I…"

"Incoming!" Jakob yelled, throwing a dagger at a mercenary who had run their way. A few of the bandits had been alerted to their position, and were making their way over.

"Mm. Mozu, stay back. Felicia, Jakob, and I will protect you!" Corrin charged forward, Yato held in a tight grip.

"Tch!" she grunted, swinging the blade down at the mercenary who had met her first.

The man jumped to the side once he saw it coming, managing to avoid getting hit across the chest. The Yato wasn't short though, nor was it moving slowly or with little power, so it still caught him, slicing into his left shoulder. The slice cut deep. As the metal made itself through flesh, the man screamed, loosening the grip on his sword.

"Ask for mercy and I'll give it to you!" Corrin proposed, standing above the man with Yato at his throat.

The man growled. "You… you… bastard!"

He used his right arm to cut up toward Corrin, thrusting his sword toward her side. She easily got out of the way though, frowning. "I gave you a chance. I'm sorry." Corrin then used the heel of her boot to kick the man in the forehead, since he was hunched over from the force of his swing and easily in range. He collapsed at the contact, and stayed still.

"Felicia," Corrin asked, finding the maid picking her dagger out of an unconscious fighter. "Could you heal this guy after you're done with that one? I don't want him to suffer permanent injury or bleed to death. I'm going to go off that way, so I'll see you then!"

Corrin gave a quick wave and went the way she had pointed, engaging a woman holding a spear. "Take this!"

Felicia blinked, and then kneeled to follow Corrin's orders.

"Wait," Jakob said, putting a hand in the maid's shoulder, "don't heal them all the way. I know Lady Corrin said to heal them so they didn't have any permanent injuries, but I don't think that's the best decision. If we do that, then they'll never learn. They'll keep pillaging and killing until they're dead. So use your staff to close their wounds, but do no more. If they're hurt badly enough to lose use of an arm or leg, then they'll never be able to fight again, which is optimal."

"Uh," Felicia started, looking from the downed man in front of her, to Jakob, to the man, to Jakob again. "Doesn't that sound a little… mean? Like something the king might do?"

Jakob took in a breath. "Yes, it does. But… Corrin isn't the main tactician of the army. A man you've yet to meet is, and these are his orders. Loath as I am to say it, he holds more authority than Corrin in this situation. Even if he is unconscious and half dead." Jakob muttered the last sentence, quiet enough that Felicia wasn't fully sure if she had heard correctly. Felicia wasn't able to ask for clarification though, as he moved to throw some more daggers at a woman with a hand axe that was targeting a nurse who had gone outside the hospital to see what was going on.

So, the maid sighed, and got to work healing the men until their wounds had closed and try weren't in danger of dying of their injuries. But only until that point, even if she wanted to do more. She had no idea why some new guy would hold more authority than Corrin, and why Jakob would hold their word above his own mistress', but she trusted him and would listen to what her co-worker said.


"Haah!" Corrin breathed, stabbing the Yato into a bandit's sword arm.

Said man dropped his weapon and fell to the ground, holding the injury with his good hand.

Corrin then knocked him out, giving him a quick apology as she kneeled down to tie a piece of cloth from the bottom of the man's shirt just above the wound so it wouldn't bleed too badly. It wasn't great, but it would keep him alive until he was healed. Hopefully.

"Really, why do people have to-"

"Damn you!" someone screamed from behind Corrin, causing her to turn around.

Rushing toward her was another woman with an axe. It was above her head and glistening with blood. Corrin froze.

"Wh-"

"Die!"

The woman swung down, Corrin managing to get the Yato up in time to keep herself from being bisected, but not fast enough to fully avoid the blow. The force from the connection of the axe and the Yato knocked Corrin back, causing her to take a few steps to regain her balance.

She was still standing in front of the man she had just downed, though, and tripped over his body.

"No-!" the princess cried, having dropped Yato as she fell.

"..." the axe woman said nothing as she prepared to swing again, Corrin lying helplessly on the ground.

She never managed to raise the weapon to full height, however, as a lance pierced through her chest when the axe was halfway up.

The woman let out a gurgle and dropped the thing, looking back toward whoever had stabbed her. Her attacker then withdrew the weapon and slashed at the woman's back, making her fall to the ground.

With the axe woman's body out of the way Corrin was able to see her savior: a bloody, wheezing villager with twin tails and freckles.

"Mozu!?" Corrin choked out, breathing heavily. When had the girl started following her? And since when did she have a lance?

"Miss Corrin, I saw you runnin' off all by yerself and I was real worried, so I chased after your behind. I saw you were 'bout to get hit, so I hit the girl instead, 'cause I didn't think Miss Felicia'd be real happy if I'dda let you get hurt. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah."

"Aw, great! I helped ya, then? You jest made my day Miss Corrin!"

"Uh…" Corrin wasn't sure what to say to that. "I'm glad. That I made you happy. And that you saved me. I. Uh. Where did you get that lance, by the way?

"This thing here? I took it from one uh those soldiers o'er there. The ones that got their heads chopped off.. I know it ain't real nice, and that it might make their spirits mad, but I thought that it'd be better ta help you, because you're still livin' an' I'm still livin', so we're more important for the moment. That sound okay to ya? I'll return it if yer too worried 'bout it, Miss."

"No, that's fine. You keep doing that, Mozu. It was a real help. But, from now on, can you please be more careful? I know you didn't have a choice there, but when you do, please try to keep from killing anyone. I'm trying to get through this with the fewest deaths possible if I can."

"Oh, of course, Missie! I don' like killin' people, 'cause they ain't done nothin' wrong to me, an' even if they have it's better not ta make their spirits mad or take the life of anyone who don't deserve it. But I'll protect you if I gotta, because I owe Miss Felicia my life, an' she said to treat you better than I treat her!"

"Okay. Then let's get going, I think I heard another scream down toward that house."

"On my way, Miss!"

The two went in the direction Corrin had indicated. When they arrived, they found Saizo and Rinkah battling a dark mage-wyvern rider pair. Rinkah had a large black mark across her exposed stomach, likely the result of a hit the mage had landed on her. She was still fighting with full force though. Her club made contact with the left wing of the wyvern, causing its rider to jerk his mount toward the sky and out of Rinkah's range. She cursed as the mage, sitting behind the wyvern rider, cast another spell in her direction. Saizo threw a shuriken toward where the spell had come from, scoffing when a small cry sounded when the shuriken embedded itself somewhere in the mage's body.

"Do you need any help?" Corrin asked the two, grabbing their attention.

Saizo was the first to respond. "Corrin? No, we're fine. Help the group down the road."

Rinkah followed: "Yeah, we've got this! Just give us two minutes and we'll be standing on Nohrian heads! See ya in a bit!" She waved Mozu and Corrin on.

Corrin looked back to Mozu, who just shrugged. "Wherever we gotta go, we gotta go."

"I guess," Corrin chuckled, continuing on to where Saizo had said, "but at this rate I feel like the battle's going to be over by the time we make it to somewhere we can actually fight with all this running!"

Mozu giggled in response, (if her panting laugh could be considered a giggle) and readied her lance.

Corrin spotted a group of three bandits a moment later. Two were sword wielding mercenaries, and the third was an outlaw with a bow.

"Oh man, that's not good," she whispered to herself. Neither she nor Mozu had a ranged weapon, and they both were lacking armor. Had she not changed into the dress Miss Mimi had given her, she'd have been okay running in and taking an arrow since it probably would only dent her armor at most. But she was in a thin dress, so any arrows that hit her would actually hit her, not just stop at what she was wearing.

"Miss Corrin? What's wrong?" Mozu snapped Corrin out of her thoughts.

"Well, you see the guy with the bow, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well if we just charge in he'll have us full of holes before we even make our way over. So we have to find some way to get to them without drawing his attention."

"Aw, right. Well, whaddya propose we do?"

"Well…" A strangled cough made Corrin look over to see one of the mercenaries had a man by the throat, and was pushing him against the wall of a nearby house. "While they're distracted with that guy, and oh man this sounds bad, but while they're distracted with that guy, we can sneak through the gardens of the houses on the other side. That way they won't see us until we're right behind them."

"That sounds alright ta me. But Miss, be careful that you don' step in any of them plants in the gardens. They're the people's lives, an' if they don't got any plants, then they don't got any food and they don't got any lives."

Corrin nodded. "Got it."

The two then made their way through the gardens as Corrin said, being careful not to show themselves through the openings in the houses while the bandits were looking their way.

'I'm really sorry, whoever you are, but I can't just charge in there. I want to save you, but if I run in too fast then I'll get shot and I'll never be able to get them to let you go. Please don't die before I make it there, please…'

Sneaking through the gardens wasn't as difficult as Corrin had imagined, since the bandits were thoroughly distracted with the man they were tormenting. So, two minutes later Corrin and Mozu were hiding behind a fence directly in line with the bandits, weighing their options.

"We could charge right in, but we risk the outlaw catching on and shooting us. Our footsteps would be too loud if we ran, and creeping would be too dangerous since the street is wide open," Corrin told Mozu.

The villager humed. "Then what if we get the outlaw man outta the picture? If we hurt his bow arm, then he can't stick us with any of them arrows of his."

"Good idea!" Corrin cheered, smiling. "But," Corrin's smile dropped, "how would we do that? We don't have any ranged weapons."

"I reckon I could throw this here lance."

"Mozu!? Are you sure?"

"Well I'm used to a naginata for one, which is a lot longer than this here thing, and this lance is shorter than a regular one if what I know 'bout them is right. It's pretty light too. It might be a throwing lance, actually! I don't got the best arm, buy I can throw far enough to hit mister outlaw over there."

"That sounds good, but what about after you throw it? You'll be left unarmed!"

"Well, there's a shed right to our left. I'll bet there's a hoe in there I could use to bash a leg or two while you got them guys all busy with you. How 'bout it?"

"Mm. I guess, Mozu. But be careful."

"Of course, Miss!"

"Just say Corrin, Mozu. We're friends, right?"

"But we just met, Miss!"

"Do you not want to be friends?"

"Naw, I'd love to-"

"Guaahh!" the man pushed up against the wall screamed again.

"Well, no time for that Corrin. I'll grab my hoe. You get ready in place!" Mozu said, running in the shed.

Corrin nodded in response, and looked forward.

The man had blood running down his face, and his arm looked broken. He was panting hard. One of the mercenaries, the one not holding him against the building, leaned in to the injured man's ear and whispered something to him. The man whimpered, and Corrin felt guilty. His arm hadn't looked so bad earlier. If she had just been a little faster, then maybe he wouldn't have been in so much pain and been hurt so badly. But she didn't have a choice. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't just run in there. It was important to come up with a plan and figure out how to go the safest route.

After the battle in Izumo where Robin took the Nosferatu for her because of her reckless charge, she learned how important it was to wait. Sometimes charging worked, but sometimes it just led to more people getting hurt, and could even compromise victory. She wasn't exactly sure of what the difference between charging and not charging would be in the situation she found herself in, but from what she could tell sneaking around was the better option, so sneak she did.

A quiet voice made Corrin turn then: "Hey, Corrin, are you ready?"

Mozu was at her side, equipped with what Corrin figured was a hoe. The princess had never visited a farm, at least not in the time she could remember, so she'd never seen one. That was something she'd have to ask Mozu about later, since being so clueless made her feel sort of entitled.

"Okay, I'll open the latch on the gate. Now, I want you to throw on '3'."

"1."

"2."

"3!"

Mozu launched her lance at the outlaw, as Corrin charged forward, Yato ready. The bandits heard the whistling of the lance as it flew, and started to turn when it hit the outlaw in the shoulder, making him drop his weapon.

"Damn-!" The man cursed, holding his shoulder for a moment. He ripped the lance out. When he saw Corrin moving toward him, he pulled a dagger from his belt and went toward her, ducking under the Yato's blade and aiming to hit her in the stomach.

Mozu was ready for the hit though, having sprinted up behind Corrin with her hoe held low. She swung at the outlaw's dagger hand, knocking it back just enough to keep him from hitting Corrin.

The outlaw cursed under his breath again when he was hit, straightening himself just to be kicked full force by Corrin's new boot.

'You know, that hurts a lot less when I have footwear. Maybe this shoe thing isn't so bad…'

The man hit the road hard, head knocking up dust when it made contact with the dirt. Mozu smacked him a little to make sure he was unconscious, moving her hoe back up into fighting position.

"Damn vigilantes! You just couldn't leave us be, could you. If you had just left us alone, then no one would have to get hurt. But now Brunson is all messed up, and you're gonna have to get the same done to you!"

The mercenary holding the townsperson dropped the man in favor of having a two handed grip on his sword (a broadsword? Oh man, she didn't even know the names of swords? Xander would be so disappointed), and his partner picked up a wooden shield he'd put down earlier.

"Ha!" Shield-mercenary ran to Corrin and Mozu's left, while broadsword-mercenary went to their right.

Corrin looked to Mozu. "Separate?"

Mozu nodded. "Seperate!"

Corrin, having the sharper weapon, went for shield-mercenary. The wood looked like it was degrading, and it was warped in several places. It was also pretty dinged up already, bearing several large gashes, one of which ran straight through the middle. Breaking it wouldn't be hard. Either the Yato could slice straight through (which Corrin was pretty confident it could do, but not fully), or it could smash the thing down.

Corrin grunted, stabbing forward. The mercenary lifted his shield in response. The two met for a short second, before a heavy creak sounded. A split second later, the shield was pushed almost to the halfway point of Yato's blade, and the tip of the Yato was making light contact with the mercenary's shoulder.

"Fffffaaa!" shield-mercenary cried, jerking back. The jerk dragged Corrin forward.

The Yato hadn't sliced the shield clean in half like Corrin was hoping, and it hadn't shattered the wood. Instead it made a large crack and went through, spearing the man's hand in the process.

Corrin pulled back, trying to free the Yato, but her attempts didn't work. The mercenary was still trying to move back, so his hand slid further down the blade, but he was still stuck in the end, and the shield was still stuck in the middle.

Corrin stared at it for a moment, only moving when she saw a blade moving for her head.

'Damn! I forgot about his sword!'

The Yato was still stuck in the man's hand and shield, so Corrin had to let go in order to dodge. Her dodge wasn't perfect though, and she got a long cut across her cheek. It stung like crazy, and Corrin was pretty sure the man hit bone, but she didn't have time to check. (Not that she wanted to. Poking it would hurt.) So, she looked around for some sort of replacement weapon.

The outlaw was close by, and still had his dagger, so Corrin leapt for it when the mercenary tried to hit her again. She rolled over the outlaw's body when she landed, picking up his dagger in the process. Corrin lifted the dagger to meet the shield-mercenary's swings, crazy but less powerful thanks to the pain he was feeling in his hand, and the extra weight he had on his left side from the Yato-shield combination.

She let the mercenary drive her back with each step, careful to keep her footing and trying desperately not to miss a block. With just a few more steps…

The mercenary tripped, his swing too wide for the weight he was carrying to keep his balance. As he fell forward Corrin stabbed the dagger into the man's shoulder and took one last jump back, grabbing the lance that Mozu had thrown earlier. She was no lance wielder, that was for sure, but she knew how to hold one, at the very least. Xander had Siegfried, and as such hardly ever used lances, but he still knew how, and had tried several times to teach Corrin how to as well. She wasn't very good with them, if she was going to be honest, but she didn't have any options. It was using a lance or flailing about wildly as she tried not to die.

"Sorry!" Corrin slammed the lance back into the shield, barely avoiding hitting the Yato.

The man screamed at the contact, the lance having also broken through the wood and stabbed itself back into the man's hand.

Corrin shouted in frustration. "Oh, come on!"

She settled for kicking the screaming man, knocking him down one last time. He was hunched over, shaking, tears running down his face, and Corrin felt terrible. He was violent and cruel, that was certain, but making him suffer like he was was excessive. It was cruel on her part. And she didn't want to sink to his level.

Corrin kicked the man in the head, making his face hit the ground. He started getting back up though. Evidently, he hadn't been knocked out. With a gulp, Corrin gave another kick, this time having her heel meet his temple, and the man finally fell into unconsciousness.

To her side Mozu was keeping her distance from the broadsword mercenary, occasionally whacking him with the end of her hoe.

"Yeaw!" The villager cried, getting the man in the leg.

He fell, letting go of the sword with one of his hands in order to steady himself when he made contact with the ground. Mozu used the opportunity to bring her hoe down on the wrist of the hand that the man still had on the sword. He drew his hand back with a yelp.

Corrin had made her way behind the man at that point, and kneed the man in the base of his neck. He slumped forward, unconscious.

"Haah, haah," Corrin was exhaling hard, trying to catch her breath from the fight. Mozu was doing much the same.

"Where'd… hah, where'd yer sword go, Corrin?" the villager asked.

Corrin pointed over to where the other mercenary was, Yato still sticking up out of the shield.

Mozu made a noise of realization. "Oh. Well, you better try an' get that out, missie. I'll go help the man over there, an' see if I can heal him a bit. I got a couple vulneraries and some bandages that should do the trick."

"Sounds good."

Corrin went over to where the Yato was. She stuck a foot on the shield, pressed it to the ground, and pulled. The wood made a splintering sound, and there was a slight movement, but the Yato was thoroughly stuck.

"Come on, work with me here Yato, I need you…" if worst came to worst, Corrin could grab a saw from one of the nearby houses and try to saw the thing free, but she really didn't want to try that. That and she didn't know how receptive the villagers would be. They were all shut in because of the attacks, and she was a stranger wearing a bloody sundress. If she was the villager and someone dressed like her showed up to her door, she would probably keep it closed too.

Back at the house, Mozu was talking quietly to the man the mercenaries had been harassing. His arm was bent out of shape, and he still had blood on his face, but he was awake. Corrin couldn't make out what they were saying.

Corrin sighed, and looked up at the sky. "Really," she muttered, watching the clouds go by, "why do people do this? Raiding a village I get, because there are good shortages right now and people get hungry. But why attack the people, who haven't done anything wrong? Even if that man had tried to stop you from taking his food, at that point he wasn't fighting back any more. They would've killed him if Mozu and I hadn't come. Is Nohr really like this? Why are things so bad it had to come to this? Even in this place, which is sunnier than most of the region." Corrin tiltled her head back and reached toward the sun, feeling its warmth. "Even if it isn't as bright as Hoshido, there's still enough sunlight to grow-"

Suddenly a large crack sounded, and a glint filled Corrin's vision.

"Huh?"

The glint dimmed for a second, and Corrin could make out the source. It was the Yato, flying above her.

'Wait, what!?'

Corrin threw the hand that wasn't outstretched over her eyes, ducking to the side while keeping her outstretched hand up.

'I caught it when it did that in Hoshido, please don't stab me now, I caught it when it did that in Hoshido, please don't stab me now, I caught it...'

Sure enough the Yato landed safely in Corrin's hand, blade up and not stabbing her just as she wished.

Corrin let out a loud sight of relief. "Oh thank you, whoever it is that controls that. I was worried I was going to lose a finger or something."

"What the-!" Mozu exclaimed, eyes wide. "What- What was that!?" She rose to her feet and ran over to Corrin's side, looking the Yato up and down.

Corrin smiled. "Honestly?" Mozu nodded. "I have absolutely no idea. It just does that. Somehow."

Mozu stared at the sword and Corrin in awe, letting out a long "Woaaaahhhh" as her eyes shot from the blade to Corrin's face to the hilt to Corrin's hand and so on.

The sound of flapping drew her attention away, though, ending the cycle. Subaki was flying their way, Sakura riding behind him.

"Oh hey Sakura! Down here!" Corrin shouted, jumping up and down and waving her arms. "Do you have your rod? Some people are hurt!"

Subaki landed, and Sakura gave a nod of affirmation. She pulled out a sun festal and got to work on the injured townsperson, having Subaki set up a splint on the man's arm as she healed his head.

Sakura addressed the man as she worked: "How are you feeling, sir?"

"Okay, miss. Isn't… Isn't that a Hoshidan staff? And aren't those Hoshidan clothes? What are you doing on this side of the border?"

Sakura blushed. "O-oh, well, uh y-yes, it is, but, uh-" Subaki put a hand on her shoulder.

"It is, and they are. What we're here for you shouldn't worry about, but it's for your benefit. And right now L- excuse me, Sakura here is helping you out, so you should thank her, don't you think? Your arm is pretty badly injured, so you'll have to spend some time in a cast and will need to visit the hospital, but she's doing the best she can." The Sky Flyer gave a bright smile at the end of his words, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Y-yeah, I guess I should. Thank you kindly, miss, this is a real nice thing of you!" the man coughed out, glancing up at Subaki while he spoke to Sakura.

"You're welcome, sir, but it's nothing. I'm just glad that I could help."

Sakura continued talking to the man, Subaki at her side, and Corrin began to walk away. As she went back toward the hospital, Mozu ran up to her side.

Neither one said anything, walking back in silence. Remains of small fights could be seen throughout the town, with specks of blood and unconscious men and women lying all about. The two passed a few familiar faces, and Corrin called out in greeting, but they remained quiet for the most part. The battle that day was unexpected, and a lot different than the other ones they had fought up until then, but they had done okay, which was what mattered. The town was still standing, and her allies were in relatively good condition, so Corrin was satisfied.


"...then the Yato flew into my hand, just like it did back in Hoshido, and Sakura showed up. She got to healing the man the bandits had been attacking, so Mozu and I took off to come back here. On the way we met back up with Felicia, so Mozu went with her, and now it's just me. Everyone else is either fixing the damage, or resting up at Miss Mimi's place. So now it's just me.

"I took your words into account today, you know. I felt like it helped me, believe it or not. I got cut a bit, and it hurt, but I had a vulnerary, and I'm doing fine now. Well, as fine as I can be. I got some blood on Miss Mimi's dress, which I feel bad about, but it's not ripped, and I'm okay, which is what's the most important."

Corrin looked down at her hands, biting her lip. The sun was setting, and the nurses would probably send her away soon.

"I'm glad…"

Corrin's head jerked up. She hadn't said that.

"Robin!?" She immediately shot to her feet, looking down at Robin whose half lidded eyes were looking down at something on the ground. "Robin, you're awake? Oh thank the heavens, I'm so happy to see you're okay! I thought, I thought…" Corrin trailed off, crying. She wiped the tears away from her eyes as she bounced slightly, moved by the force of her sobs.

"Hah, no need to get so emotional…" Robin's voice was weak, but he chuckled anyway. "But really. I'm glad…"

Corrin moved her hand away from her eyes for a second to look at Robin. "About what?" Was he perhaps expressing how happy he was to see she was okay?

"I'm so glad… You finally got yourself a pair of shoes…"

'...'

"R-really Robin!? That's what you're so glad about?!"

Robin laughed. "What, it's been a genuine concern of mine!"

Corrin groaned. "Ugh, there's no helping you, is there."

Robin continued to laugh, and a few seconds later Corrin joined him. She had to admit it, the shoes were useful. Maybe she would ask to keep them. But most of all, she was glad to see Robin was awake. After the long day she had had, it was a nice sight to see.


Author's Note:

Well. 2 months. And 3 days. I said it above already, I know, but here it is again. I still feel like my battle scenes aren't the greatest, so I'm not too confident in their quality, but it's been a while since we've had one so they have returned. Next chapter is where we'll get to the part I've been imagining since before I even started this fic, so get ready for that. I'm just hoping I'm able to write it as well as I can visualize it!

And for the shoe thing. I've beenhinting at it for a while and it needed to happen. I just get a huge kick it of it, you know? Pun not intended for once.

On a completely unrelated note, have any of you watched/read JoJo's Bizarre Adventure? I've been kind of obsessed these past two months. Did you know Jakob and Joseph share a voice actor? And Dio and Hector. And Japanese Niles and Japanese Dio. And so on. I've been reading the manga so I haven't heard much of it, but I've seen some anime clips and it's interesting.

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll see you all before the end of June!

EDIT JULY 30: By June I mean August 4. I'll try to have it out by then, since that's the 1 year anniversary.

Originally posted May 30th, 2017. 10,632 words without Author's Note.

Eruran out.