Author's note: Welp. Here I am. Nice to see you guys again. So I planned out this chapter last month. Or at least, the beginning and end. Then 4 days ago I went to the wiki to make sure I wasn't forgetting new characters and realized I'd skipped an entire chapter. So my outline was useless! Not entirely. I'll use it for the next chapter. But here we are, with something after a long pause. This chapter strays from canon events a lot more than my usual chapters do, so I hope you guys that have been asking for variety like it! Mostly because I wanted to get on to the next chapter and didn't feel like spending so much time establishing everything needed to follow canon events, to be honest. This chapter is also a little messy on emotions so I might fix that eventually, but for now I'm ready to move on. So without further ado, enjoy.


"So, where to from here?" Keaton asked, sitting across from Corrin in the mess hall. "I joined you guys to do ya a favor for saving me and help in battle. I love eating, don't get me wrong, but we don't seem to be doing much of the battle stuff I signed up for. Isn't there some big bad dude you need to be getting rid of?"

"There is," Corrin replied. "I'm just trying to give everyone a chance to recover from the battle."

Keaton frowned. "It's been almost a week. I know you humans can be dainty compared to us wolfskin, but isn't that a little long even by your standards? I mean, you have staves and potions and stuff that we don't. And nobody seems to be sleep deprived at this point so… What's the hold-up?"

"Well…" Corrin looked away.

"Strength," Robin butted in matter-of-factly. "Did you catch any of the fighting Prince Ryoma or Prince Xander were a part of back in Cyrkensia?"

Keaton scoffed. "Did I? 'Course I did. Those guys were total powerhouses. The red guy - that one's Ryoma right? - sliced through his enemies like it was nothing, even with all that heavy armor on his back. That's way faster than I could ever go. And blondie absolutely crushed anyone who got in arm's length. I'm not sure even I'd want to go toe to toe with him. And strength's my best asset!"

Robin nodded. "Exactly. They're strong. Stronger than anyone we have here." Barring himself, of course.

Or hopefully. Robin hadn't actually tried to use his full strength more than once since he arrived. He could've beaten the two (at least on their own) back at the time of the fight with Grima. But after having spent so long without really pushing himself? Maybe he'd lost some of that strength.

...That was dangerous. If he got himself into a situation he thought he could get out of because he was relying on his full strength, but that full strength had diminished over time, he would be in some real trouble. He'd have to find some way to test his strength soon, to gauge where he was. Years at war had honed his skill, but time off or fighting at a weaker level sure wasn't continuing that trend.

"Not only are Xander and Ryoma strong on their own, but they've got armies at their back. Hundreds and thousands of men and women and other people who could easily overwhelm us. It doesn't matter if every single one of us is stronger than any one of their troops. Fifty will lose against a thousand. And the numbers are even more unbalanced than that.

"We've been lucky so far in that we haven't had to face the full might of the Nohrian or Hoshidan armies. But that luck's going to run out sooner or later. So we need more troops. Unfortunately, we don't have the largest pool to choose from. The best we can do for the moment is to strengthen ourselves individually. But we're at a bit of an impasse as to how we're going to do that.

"For now we're staying here to come up with a plan of action. Figure out what routes we can take that will prevent us from being ambushed or caught in a spot where we can be easily outnumbered," Robin explained.

"I guess that makes sense," Keaton said. "But how are we gonna get stronger if we sit here messing around instead of fighting?"

Robin sighed, looking to Corrin. He'd said the same thing to her two days prior. But she'd refused to send people out, and it was her army, so he'd listened. Hopefully this new voice would convince her.

"Who are we supposed to fight then?" Corrin asked. "Ryoma or Xander's troops? Brigands? Mercenaries? Faceless? I don't want to lose anyone because we were trying to get them some fighting experience."

Keaton paled. "I didn't mean we have to do anything that's gonna get anyone killed! I just meant we should do something other than sit around!"

Corrin looked upset. She stood, voice rising. "Well that's what's going to happen if we-"

"Darling sister," Camilla said, drawing the attention of Keaton, Robin, and Corrin. "What's got you so on edge?"

The malig knight had only just entered the mess hall, unseen by the three people occupying it before her. She crossed her arms, sending a harsh glare at Keaton. She threw in a little one at Robin too, but it wasn't as harsh.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Corrin replied.

"Oh honey, if it's gotten you so riled up your cheeks are red, it's surely something that deserves my worry." Camilla walked over to Corrin, holding her cheeks. "We're sisters, aren't we? Sisters tell sisters their problems. Even if I can't help, which I hope isn't the case, I want to have the opportunity to try."

"I can get behind that," Keaton commented. "Pack-mates are always there for one another. We always got one another's back. So let your sis help ya out. Cool your head a little."

Corrin sighed, removing Camilla's hand.

"They're strong, aren't they? Xander and Ryoma?" Corrin asked to no one in particular.

"Mm, yes they are. Ryoma I can't say much about, but he did almost match Xander on the battlefield, so he's no pushover. And our dear brother is one of the strongest men I know. No - the strongest. One day you'll see him using his full strength. It's one of the most marvelous things I've ever had the honor of seeing. Watching as he cuts down his enemies, Siegfried piercing through mages and crushing the armor of knights and cavaliers in his way. To think one man could wield such strength is amazing. And to know that it's my - that it's our brother is even more impressive. Don't you think?"

Corrin nodded. "It is. I just wish I was that strong. But I don't know how I'm supposed to do that. How I'm supposed to catch up to him."

Camilla hummed. "Well, you could start by following in his footsteps for one."

"And how am I going to do that?" Corrin asked. "That will take years! I don't want to have to stay his enemy for that long!"

Camilla giggled. "Well, you don't have to do everything he's done. But there are a few ways to get power that are faster than others."

"Like what?" Robin asked. The conversation might've been between Corrin and Camilla, but he was getting curious.

"Like visiting the Rainbow Sage."

"Rainbow Sage?" Robin and Corrin asked at the same time. Keaton had snuck out of the room while the sisters were talking.

"Yes. He's a wise man who lives in Notre Sagesse that's said to only meet with the powerful. To gain an audience with him you need to pass an intense trial, after which he'll reward you with great strength. Or at least, that's what I heard. To this day, only four people have ever passed the sage's test," Camilla explained.

"And who are these four?" Robin asked.

Camilla listed them nonchalantly, "Oh, the expected lot. The late King Sumeragi, the much younger King Garon, some knight that's been long forgotten, and Xander of course."

Corrin's eyes widened. "Did Xander tell you anything about the trial or the Rainbow Sage?"

Camilla shook her head. "Nothing significant. He went off one day to see the sage, and came back looking much the same. He had more of a thoughtful look to him I suppose. But all he said was that he'd passed the trial, and that he was a stronger man for it. Nothing more. A little disappointing if you ask me."

"I can understand feeling that," Robin said. "You get to talk to one of only four guys to ever do something and he doesn't even give you so much as a hint to what went on? I know I'd be dying for information!"

"So do you think if we visited the Rainbow Sage, he'd grant us strength too? Maybe not enough to match Xander, but enough to help us on our way?" Corrin had a twinkle in her eye.

A laugh from Camilla. "Well, darling, it can't hurt to try!"

Robin frowned.

Actually, Camilla, I think it can. We are going into a fight aren't we? Unless this Rainbow Sage has a strict no-kill policy. Even so, we're bound to get some injuries, and staves don't have infinite uses.

He chose not to voice his inner thoughts. Instead, he asked a new question. "You called the Rainbow Sage 'wise.' Do you think he might have any information on Izana's prophecy, or dragons, or whatever else?"

Camilla looked puzzled. "Izana's prophecy?"

Robin blinked. "Oh yeah, you weren't there for that were you? Sorry about that, a lot'd gone on lately and I mixed up the sequence of events a little. To make a long story short, we met with the Archduke of Izumo before we fought you, and he told us to 'go meet the dragon' among other prophetic things. Is the Rainbow Sage by chance publicly interested in the dragons and or the divine?"

"That doesn't sound incorrect. We can ask him after we clear his trial," Camilla responded.

Robin nodded.

"Sounds like a plan then. Do you want me to gather everyone so you can announce it?" Robin asked, turning to Corrin.

"If you will, please," she said.

Camilla started toward the door, turning around when she set her hand on the handle. "While you two are doing that, should I fetch us a ferry to get to Notre Sagesse? That's where the Rainbow Sage lives, and as it's on an island there are few other ways to reach it. It would save time to do it now rather than trying to secure one after we've managed to gather everyone up."

"Yes please," Corrin replied with a smile. "Thank you, Camilla."

"Oh it's nothing, darling. Anything for my precious little sister."

And with that Camilla was out the door.

"You take the west side and I take the east side?" Corrin asked Robin.

"Sounds like a plan. Should I send people here, or to the steps?"

"It's close enough to dinner, and only you, Keaton, and I have eaten anything. So here."

"Got it. See you soon."

"See you soon."


Roughly an hour later everyone had been gathered and briefed on the situation at hand, slowly dispersing as they returned to whatever they'd been doing previously. Neither Robin nor Corrin had anything planned for after the briefing, so they walked up to the steps at the north part of the castle to wait for Camilla and news on the ferry.

Everyone had been pretty open to their plan. No major concerns voiced, no end opposition. It was kind of nice having people agree.

Robin wasn't sure if it was just because they trusted in Corrin so much, or whether it was because they simply couldn't find faults with the plan. And if it was the second, was it because no one was experienced enough in strategy to see whatever small holes there were in the plan?

(Because there were faults, somewhere. Robin wasn't perfect. That's why he had Virion around, for one, back when he was still with the Shepherds. The archer was a great strategist, even if he called Robin his better. He wasn't afraid to point out mistakes or possible issues where he saw them, even if those concerns turned out to be unfounded in the end. It was part of the reason why Robin had told Chrom to appoint Virion in his place if anything were to ever happen to Robin, whether that was losing himself to Grima or falling in battle like any person could. When Virion had found out he'd been upset, as had Chrom, but Robin ended up having the two sign an agreement anyway.

Did that mean Virion was at the helm, now? With Robin gone, the Ylissean army was without a tactician. But then again, if all had went well the country would be at peace not war. Grima was dead- or at least, stuck in Archaea with Robin. The Fell Dragon had been their last opponent. So with him gone, there'd be no need for war, and no need for a tactician. Virion was probably off in Rosanne then, trying to fix the damage he could. Hopefully his people understood why Virion fled. Robin didn't know. He'd never so much as set foot in the territory.)

Whatever the reason for the lack of questions was, it had meant the meeting with everyone had gone smoothly, and that Corrin and Robin were left waiting until news on the ferry arrived with Camilla.

"Do you miss them?" Corrin asked, looking off into the distance, away from Robin.

"Do I miss who?" There were many people that could refer to.

Did he miss his blood family? Not particularly. The only relation he'd ever met was Validar, and Robin had killed the man twice. Not that he knew they were related the first time, but he did the second time and his only regret was that he was unable to stop the man from influencing him enough to hurt Chrom.

As for his mother… He missed her, in a way.

Robin didn't remember a thing about the woman. All he knew was that she'd taken him away from Validar when he'd been an infant. For that, Robin was grateful. But as terrible as it sounded, he didn't feel much of anything for her. Thankfulness he supposed. Some gratitude. Disappointment about not being able to get to know her better. And a little bit of guilt for feeling that way.

Did he miss his found family? Did he miss the Shepherds? Oh, what he wouldn't give to see Chrom smile again. To see Olivia dance and get flustered to the point her face was good competition with Cordelia's hair for brightest red in the room once she realized she was being watched. To hear Maribelle give Ricken lectures on proper mannerisms, and Cherche compliment Kellam's armor when he hadn't even realized the latter was in the room. He missed Henry's goofy if not extremely unnerving laugh, and the odd peace that formed when Libra and Tharja were in the same room, some unspoken agreement between thing making a slight tension that somehow never threatened to break.

"Your old friends from the army. Or the group you were in before," said Corrin, prompting a sigh from Robin.

"Yeah. I miss the Shepherds a lot. I wonder if they still think about me, and what those thoughts are. Are they mad at me for leaving them? It wasn't intentional. Or are they sad that I'm gone? Do I even cross their thoughts now? Or have they moved on with their lives, my name only coming before them when they're out and about and see a family of birds?" Oh Naga did Robin hope he didn't cause them any pain that made his friends do something they could regret. But he didn't know. A feeling of unease grew in his stomach. They were reasonable, right?

Corrin didn't let Robin's worries fester. "Oh come on, Robin, like anyone could forget you!" She stood up putting out a hand for Robin. He took it and she pulled him up. "Think of all the marks you've left on this world alone in the short time you've been here. I bet your name's been heard across all corners of the continent back where you're from!"

Probably across all corners of the world, actually. Getting into cross-continental wars can do that for you.

"No one that's made so much noise and gotten to know so many people can be forgotten just like that. Especially not someone as amazing as you. You've been such a pillar of strength for me and everyone else. I certainly won't forget you. And if your friends are really your friends, they're not going to be forgetting you either. Don't worry so much, Robin. Things will work out. I promise. Sooner or later you're going to meet up with everyone that helped you on your way and you're going to have a grand reunion. Hugs and 'welcome back' 'I missed you' and and all that stuff!" Corrin was optimistic. That was probably Robin's favorite thing about her. Sure she could be a pessimist at times, but she was quick to rebound, and her happiness was infectious.

Robin smiled. "I don't know how much of the 'pillar of strength' thing I have going on is due to my own successes, since you seem a whole lot better at the motivation and spirit thing than I am. But thank you for the kind words. It means a lot."

A laugh from Corrin. "Of course!"

The two looked out toward the edge of the castle, where the gates stood and a deep haze prevented them from making out any structures in the distance.

Did this castle exist as the only solid object in this plane? Was it home to what resided in the castle's walls and no more? Robin had no idea, nor did Corrin from his understanding. But one could still watch the sunset (or whatever it was that controlled light. There was no sun to see, just changing light, but it was pretty nonetheless).

So, the two kept standing, Corrin on her toes and Robin leaning against one of the walls by the staircase as the sky was painted orange, and the realm darkened to a state of night.

Five or ten minutes after sunset Camila reappeared, returning not only with her own possessions and retainers, but three additional people as well.

Robin blinked at the newcomers. One was a child, one was a tired looking armor knight, and one was what Robin presumed to be a fighter, dressed in bright colors and with a much too happy smile on his face. Who were they.

"Big sister!" the child yelled, jumping into Corrin's arms and pushing the white haired princess into a twirl. "I missed you!"

The girl let go after a spin and a half, backing up to stand with Camilla and the others who'd come with them.

Corrin blinked a few times, looking to Camilla for some sort of explanation.

"I tried to tell her to go back home," Camilla said, "but she wouldn't listen. I was hoping you could convince her to listen to me. Elise refused to go without at least talking to you."

"Elise," Corrin began, before being interrupted by the child who must've been Elise.

"Oh please Corrin, don't make me go home! I barely got to see you again! I don't want to go home now! And Camilla's with you, so I don't see why I can't come too." Elise put on one of the most impressive pouting faces Robin had ever seen. He thought Lissa was good at the puppy-dog act, but she had some serious competition with this new pigtail wearing blonde.

Camilla responded before Corrin got the chance to open her mouth. "Elise, this isn't a game. We're at war right now. This is far more dangerous than anything you've ever done. Xander and I have always returned, but that doesn't mean people can't be seriously injured or killed when they fight. Especially in a situation like the one we're in. Please darling, consider the situation. I don't want my precious little sister being injured because she got herself into something she didn't fully understand."

Elise deepened her pout. "But you joined!"

"And I had little choice," Camilla responded, crossing her arms. "I joined Corrin because I failed my mission, and wouldn't have been accepted back home. I didn't return because I knew I didn't have the option. But you do. You haven't done anything wrong. You can turn around and tell Father you were missing because you felt like running around the city. Don't mention us, and you'll be safe. Please."

Nothing was said for a few moments after that. The sisters were at a stalemate. Corrin chose to speak up rather than accompanying them in their silence.

"What was it that made you come here now anyway?" the middle sister asked. "Because we were somewhere you could get? Why not before? Why not after?"

Elise took a moment to think, and her pouting turned into a general frown. "Well, I didn't leave after this because I wanted to join you now, and I didn't want to wait."

"But why not before? Why now?" Camilla pressed.

Elise looked at the floor. "Well… Father's been acting really weird lately. And it's scaring me."

"Weird?"

Nodding Elise continued. "He's been saying a bunch of stuff that doesn't make sense. Before, he'd talk about not letting Hoshido win. Then a couple months ago it turned more into stuff about beating Hoshido. Then a couple weeks ago it turned into stuff about destroying Hoshido. And now… Now it sounds like he doesn't care about keeping Nohr well either. Like he wants Nohr to go down too. And it… It scares me. What's wrong with Father? Why is he saying all those things? Why doesn't he want to talk to me anymore! When he talks to me, why does it seem like he doesn't care who I am anymore!? I don't know what to do, Corrin!"

Elise started crying, and threw herself into Corrin's arms once more. The armor knight and fighter took a step forward, but Beruka held an arm out to stop them from moving further.

"So he's gotten worse," Camilla whispered under her breath, her visible eye closing.

"I don't know what to do!" Elise repeated, Corrin beginning to pet the girl's head.

"Shh Elise, it's okay, calm down."

Elise shook her head. "Don't make me go back!"

"That's…" Corrin was cut off by Robin.

"I agree."

Camilla opened her eye and Corrin and Elise stepped apart, looking toward Robin. Elise sniffled a few times as he began to speak.

"The battlefield is dangerous. Truly. And I don't feel particularly comfortable letting a child loose on the path we're taking. But her home doesn't sound safe either. From the way I hear King Garon is acting, I doubt whatever shreds of sanity he has left are going to stay with him much longer. At this point… I hate to say it to you three, since you are his kids," Or at least, two of them were and the third was a kidnapped girl raised under the guise of being his child, "but King Garon isn't going to be doing anything to help you three. He's a threat. If you really want to protect Elise, we can't put her back with someone like him. Maybe we could find somewhere safe in Nohr to put her, but for now we have to keep her with us so Garon can't try anything.

"Besides, as much as I hope Elise would be able to sneak back to the castle and pretend nothing happened, you've said King Garon has spies all across Nohr didn't you, Camilla? At least one of them must've seen her leave the castle. It's a real possibility one saw her meet with Camilla. Especially if the King's as paranoid as Camilla's made him out to be. He might've had someone track Elise, which means he'd know she's gone to meet with us.

"That's not a recipe for a safe reunion. So I propose we keep Elise with us for the time being. What do you two think?"

Corrin and Camilla looked at each other before Corrin spoke. "I say we do it."

Camilla nodded. "As do I. I feel much more comfortable keeping Elise out of that man's hands than I do pushing her back into them."

"That man?" Elise asked, brows furrowing.

"Yes." Camilla let out a sigh. "You're young, and I don't know how much of the old Father you remember, but when I was a child he wasn't like this. He wasn't so obsessed or twisted. The King Garon that's here today… I didn't want to admit it, but Robin's words have made it so I can't deny it any longer. The man we call King Garon isn't the man I grew up with. He's not the Father that I once knew. He's just a cruel man living off the profits from others. I only hope we can get the real Father back from him."

Elise wiped some of the tears from her eyes, and let out a small, slightly pained laugh. "Yeah," the blonde replied, "I hope so too."

The three sisters hugged one another, Robin hanging back. Then after a moment he clapped his hands together.

"Now then!" the tactician shouted, "I believe introductions are in order! My name is Robin. I do some of the strategy stuff for our rag tag army. I take it you're Princess Elise right?" Robin gave a small bow, sending Elise into a fit of giggles.

"You've got that right!" she responded. "But drop the princess. I'm happy I am one, but friends don't need to worry about long and boring titles and all that stuff, so just Elise is fine." Elise then gestured to the two who came with her. "These are my retainers. The girl in the pink armor is Effie. We used to play together all the time in the city, and we're still friends! And the guy dressed like a superhero is Arthur. He's pretty unlucky, but he's also pretty nice, so don't worry about it."

"Nice to meet you," Effie said in monotone, giving a small wave.

"It's a pleasure to finally see your face, O great strategist!" Arthur bellowed, jumping forward to shake Robin's hand.

Unfortunately, Robin was still standing by the steps, and when Arthur landed his foot ended up half on a step, half in the air. As such, the retainer fell headfirst toward the stairway, rolling down and hitting his head twice before stopping face on the ground.

"Uh…" Robin didn't know what to say.

Arthur raised one arm, giving them a thumbs up. "I'm okay! Just a minute!"

Elise just giggled again. "Oh Arthur!"

...What had he gotten himself into?!


Dinner that night had been an interesting affair, with introductions having taken place and various objections and cries of support sounding to Elise's joining the army.

Reina had pointed out Elise's age, saying she was too young to be on a battlefield. Beruka surprisingly spoke up, pointing out that Elise wasn't that much younger than Sakura. Then Rinkah laughed about how Hayato was probably younger than the both of them, to which he responded with a fit about not being a child, and how he was almost fifteen thank-you-very-much. That meant he was older than the two, but also lead to the revelation that Sakura was only fourteen, and Elise wouldn't be fourteen for several months. That was… younger than he was expecting.

Sakura had an odd combination of an air of maturity and air of childishness about her that made her age hard to determine. He'd thought she was fifteen, but as she was younger than the fourteen year old Hayato that wasn't the case. Elise looked about her age, but he'd placed her slightly older based on accomplishments. Then again, she acted younger than her accomplishments suggested, so that should've clued him in.

There was also some murmuring about more Nohrians joining the group from Oboro and Takumi's side of the table, but Sakura quickly quieted them down. In the end it was decided that Elise would be allowed to join so long as she did her best to stay out of the main combat zone until she proved herself. After dinner Sakura was to go and give Elise pointers on using festals since they had better range than the staves Elise was used to. Other than that, things were relatively peaceful.

...Then again, when there was that much chaos, was calling the night peaceful even remotely sensible?

The morning, by contrast, was actually peaceful. No arguments, no issues with gear.

The ferry Camilla had arranged for would be departing at noon, but Robin had everyone up and ready to leave the astral plane by an hour after sunrise just to be safe. He'd learned from experience not to trust being in the middle of town to ensure his safety, so everyone traveled armed well enough to protect themselves even if it meant drawing extra attention. He didn't want to be caught off guard.

The group's weapons did catch the attention of the city guard, however. Two of them.

One was a large armor knight who seemed a bit… timid. Like he didn't necessarily want to hurt them.

The other was a scantily clad woman who made Robin feel like Tharja's outfit was modest.

How could she fight in that?! Sure, there wasn't much fabric to restrict her movements and that might give her some sort of advantage. But extra movement wasn't too spectacular if it meant exposing oneself to the point a single hit could bring you down!

Most mages wore cloth robes. Which, while reinforced to some degree with magic, were certainly weaker than armor when it came to protecting their wearer. But that meant they could only take a few blows before they died or needed healing. This woman didn't even have that much fortification! Was she asking to be killed!?

"...Excuse me," the bear of a man said, stopping the group. "Where do you think you're going, armed like that?"

"We're trying to board a ferry set for Notre Sagesse," Corrin answered truthfully. "We'll be out of your hair in no time, sir."

"Sorry missy, but we can't just let you pass," the female guard said. "Not only are you armed, but you've got Hoshidans with you. That's pretty suspicious. We're going to have to detain you."

"Detain us?!" Corrin exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Whaaaaat?" Elise groaned. "But we need to go! Come on Corrin, you can't just let them stop us!"

Corrin shook her head. "What do you expect me to do Elise? I don't want to start a fight."

"I didn't finally meet up with you and Camilla just to sit around with a buncha border guards all day! I want excitement!"

The female guard's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute…" The guard looked at the group before her. "Elise and Camilla as in the royal family of Nohr Elise and Camilla?"

"And Corrin! Corrin's our sister too!" Elise said with emphasis.

"What about it?" Camilla asked, walking to the front of the group. She looked the border guard up and down, who proceeded to look Camilla up and down. "You used to be stationed at Cheve, didn't you? We've spoken once or twice in the past, I think."

The blood seemed to drain from the female guard's face, before an extremely cheerful smile appeared on her face.

Oh no. I know that kind of smile. That's like Tharja's 'normal girl' smile. What does this woman have planned?

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for not recognizing you at first! You'll have to excuse my partner Benny and I for not finding and helping you lovely folk earlier. My name is Charlotte! Is there anything that I can do to assist you on your way? You wouldn't happen to be in need of extra protection would you? I'm more than ready to swing my axe for you, and I'm sure Benny wouldn't mind fighting to protect your sweet royal heads either!" The female guard, Charlotte, began blinking in an exaggerated fashion, as if to emphasize her sweetness. She even put down her axe and clasped her hands together near her heart, putting on a dreamy face. It was a bit unnerving.

Well, at least to him. Several of the townspeople nearby were practically drooling over the woman. No, scratch that. Several of the townspeople were actually drooling over the woman. That was kind of gross.

"Well, we are looking for more fighters," Corrin supplied, looking to Robin. He gave the princess a nod. "We're leaving Nohr for a little while, and might end up fighting some people you know on our way, but if you want to join us then by all means feel free."

Charlotte's face lit up. "Oh, goody! Before I join you I must ask - how's the pay in this army?"

Corrin's face fell slightly. "Oh… Well, right now it's so-so. Probably not much better than what you get at your current job. I'm not really sure what average army pay is? But I promise we'll give you a big sum after the war! And you'll always have a job with me if you need."

Elise nodded. "Yeah! I'm a princess, so I've got a ton of money back at the castle. Don't worry about anything, I'll make sure to pay you for everything you do and more! Cause that's what princesses do!"

Benny sighed, and Charlotte's face turned absolutely sinister for a short moment before it returned to the plastered on sickeningly sweet smile it bore before. "Oh wonderful. I look forward to our acquaintance and our future business endeavors!" She and Elise then shook hands, and the group was once again on their way, two new fighters in tow.

They made it to the pier unbothered after that, but the peace didn't last.

"You!" a new voice cried out. "I've finally found you, Princess Corrin!"

All heads turned to the left, where a Nohrian cavalier was mounted on his horse.

"Excuse me?" Corrin looked confused.

"You might've thought you could escape, but not under my watch! I have orders from King Garon to kill you. So I'm sorry, but I can't let you go any further. All these years I dreamed of a happy reunion between the two of us, but it seems like that can't happen. Best friends should be reuniting with happy words, not swords," the cavalier shouted toward them.

Corrin looked around as if to ask for help. No one moved.

Then she turned back to the cavalier, shouting over to him. "I'm so sorry, but… Do I know you?"

The cavalier was shocked by Corrin's words, to the point Robin was worried the man would fall off his horse.

"Do I.. What do you mean, 'do I know you'? It's me! Silas! Your best buddy! Your childhood friend! Did you seriously forget about me!?" The cavalier, Silas, was clearly upset.

"Uhh…"

"Not even a little bit?"

"Er…"

The cavalier threw his hands up to his face while Corrin looked to the ground with a guilty expression on her face.

"Should I help?" Jakob whispered from Corrin's side.

"Can you? I have no idea who he is and I feel really, really bad," Corrin responded.

Jakob took a step in front of Corrin and put his hands on his hips, standing tall. "To think our paths would cross again, Silas."

Silas looked confused for a moment before pointing to Jakob. "You were one of Corrin's servants back at the castle, weren't you!"

Jakob nodded. "And you one of her troublesome friends."

"You remember me, then?" Silas asked, patting his horse so it would take a few steps toward the group.

"And all the heart attacks you caused due to your exploits? Of course. How could I forget!" Jakob looked offended at the notion. "The stressed you caused me was certainly great. But, I can't totally hate you for it. After all, the joy you brought to Corrin's life was much appreciated, was it not?"

The butler looked toward Corrin, who just looked back. Jakob then narrowed his eyes, and Corrin's mouth opened in realization. She began nodding quickly. "Totally! The tower I was stuck in was so stuffy and as much as I loved and love jakob and the others, not having anyone else to talk to made me a little sad. It took me a sec, but now I can't believe I forgot you after everything we did together!"

Jakib gave a nod of approval as Corrin laughed nervously.

Either not sensing the situation or just happy, Silas gave a big smile.

"I knew the old Corrin was in there somewhere," Silas said. "I just had to do some prodding for our memories together to surface!"

Then the smile fell from his face. "But… Hurting a friend is hard. If you didn't remember then I wouldn't feel so bad, but now…"

"So you don't want to fight either, best friend?" Corrin asked, voice heavy with (faked, or at least exaggerated Robin was pretty sure) emotion.

"B-best friend?" Silas stuttered, guilt creeping up his face.

Robin decided to join the party with his own attempt at guilt tripping the cavalier. "To think you value the word of an old man who constantly tried to keep you from your own best friend over that best friend herself. Corrin had practically no one as a child. Yes, she had her servants, and the occasional visit from her siblings. But her real window to the outside world? The thing that made her feel like more than just some fancy decoration in that tower? That was you. You were what helped make her feel human. And now this? What kind of person does that?" Robin questioned, hoping his words would work.

Jakob scoffed. "What kind of person does that? No person does that! That abandonment, and the betrayal that comes with it is no work of a person. Those are the actions and intentions of a monster." The butler turned his body toward Corrin, who had brought her hands to her face, while turning his head toward Silas."When I was younger I values you for what you brought to Corrin. Now I see I was mistaken. How could I have been so blind?"

Corrin began to 'sob' between her hands, and Jakob put a hand on her shoulder to 'comfort' her.

"There, there, milady. I promise I'll make it up to you. I won't let this traitor injure you further. Robin and I, alongside your other true companions, will make him pay. Isn't that right Robin?"

Robin tilted his head up dramatically. "Why, yes it is. That's what real friends do after all."

Robin turned away from Silas and toward Corrin. He then leaned toward the princess and Jakob. "Do you think this is going to work?" he whispered.

"Only one way to find out," Jakob whispered back.

"Man, you guys are mean!" Corrin also whispered, moving her hands slightly so Jakob and Robin could see the disappointment in her face.

"The end justifies the means?" Robin proposed, shrugging slightly. Hopefully not enough that Silas could notice.

"Really?" Corrin shot back.

"..."

No, frankly. It was a convenient excuse in this situation, but the end did not justify the means in many cases, if he was being honest. There were so many things in the wars he'd been in that he would've done differently, if he had the chance. Like the sea of fire on their way to Valm. Like his decision to cut off the supply lines near Thamos during the war in Plegia. Like so many small things that had caused suffering that wasn't deserved, and wasn't outweighed by the results of his actions.

"Come on, Robin, you're always telling us not to say things we don't mean. Don't hold a double standard!"

Robin sighed. "Yeah, got it. Sorry about that."

"Don't say sorry!"

"But you're right, and I-"

"No need to get guilty over something so small, really!"

But it's not that small. That's a common phrase and it's something I've fought myself over a lot. Something I think a lot of people need to talk about.

Jakib cleared his throat. "As much as I appreciate you two attempting to work things out, don't forget the situation."

Robin nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Jakob."

Jakob huffed. "I'm only doing my duty!"

The three separated and looked toward Silas. He appeared to be having some sort of heavy moral dilemma.

"Corrin, I-" Silas began, before cutting himself off. He bit his lip.

"Look," Corrin said. "I don't want to fight you. You're my friend. I'm your friend. If we fight, even if neither of us dies, there will be a lot of people hurt. I don't want to see that Silas, and I know you don't either."

Silas shook his head. "Yeah, i don't. But I'm a knight, and a knight has his duty. I can't just ignore the king's orders."

Camilla took the opportunity to step up. "Did King Garon give you those orders himself?"

Silas frowned. "Like I said earlier, I have orders from King-"

Camilla cut him off. "Did you hear those words straight from his mouth? Or were they delivered by another person?"

Is Camilla going where I think she's going? Because I'm pretty sure that's not how that works.

"My commander told me I'd been ordered to kill Corrin. But what does that have to do with anything?" Silas asked.

"Well," Camilla gave a devious smile, "that's the word of one royal, removed a few degrees. Here you have three royals, Elise, Corrin, and I, all telling you not to follow through with it. And we're being much more direct than the King was."

Okay that's definitely not how it works. King Garon has a higher position than you and even if there are three of you that doesn't beat him out. And why would his words being delivered by another person lessen their weight? That's not how you do it back in Ylisse. Is that seriously how Nohr's political system works?

Silas' eyebrows knit together. "But that's-"

Camilla continued, speaking over the knight. "Not to mention the fact that if you were to attack Corrin, you'd likely be injuring Elise and I as well. If you were to return to the castle having murdered us, what would King Garon think? What would the people of Nohr think? To hear that all three of their princesses had been murdered by some no-name knight? You'd be a murderer, and nothing more. Not some glorious hero. A murderer. Elise is thirteen. Are you really going to let your men cut her down just to get at Corrin?"

Silas went silent, and some of the troops behind him shuffled slightly.

Robin certainly wasn't expecting that sort of speech from Camilla, but he was certainly no expert on the woman. She was royalty, and even if she didn't normally speak out as she just had (not that Robin had any way of knowing), she was likely trained in doing so.

Part of treaty discussions, appeasement, and negotiation was being able to twist the negatives of a situation. And/or the actual laws. As long as you used enough truth and didn't declare the spins you put on real rules as concretely true, you were fine to say whatever. That's what Chrom said people liked to do, anyway. And from all the meetings he'd had the 'pleasure' of being a part of, it seemed true. Heavens knew he'd used the tactic a few times.

"Well?" Camilla pressed.

Silas took a deep breath.

"Put down your weapons!" he shouted, turning to face his troops. "You are not to harm Corrin or her troops!"

Robin blinked. That was easy. It involved some guilt tripping, yes, but no bloodshed. How convenient.

Silas turned back to Corrin. "I'm so sorry, friend. I really wish I had the opportunity to fight alongside you."

Corrin looked up. "You can, if you want. Fight with me, that is. We're looking for troops. So if you want to join…?" she offered.

Silas shook his head. "I'd love to, trust me. But what about my men? If I joined you right now, what would happen to them?"

"What will happen to them when you return to Nohr? You've seen us. I don't think Garon will be very happy about you letting us go," Robin explained.

If Garon was willing to kill his own daughter over her failure to defeat Corrin, there was no way he'd spare some random cavalier and the men who fought under him.

"I'll come up with something!" Silas shouted. "My troops and I have a pretty good relationship. We'll tell the King that by the time we got to the port, you were already gone. We think you might have taken a ship somewhere since a large group was reported boarding one, but since it was a private ferry no one knew where you were headed to. That should work."

"Are you sure about that?" Robin asked, voice full of worry. He'd heard of men being punished for not being fast enough finding the enemy. Particularly with Gangrel. And as he was known as the Mad King, and Garon was clearly insane, killing the messenger didn't seem out of Garon's realm of possibilities.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll figure it out." Silas gave a wave.

Before he could leave, Corrin called out to him. "Wait!"

Silas looked back.

"Thank you for everything. For being my friend, and for this. I owe you my life. If I can ever do anything to repay you, please don't hesitate to ask," Corrin said.

Silas looked at her blankly for a second, before his face softened into a warm smile. "Repay me? Nah. No need. Friends do friends favor. That's what friendship is about."

Corrin blushed at the words.

"Now then, I have to get going! Me and my troops have to circle around and do some stuff that makes it look like we're looking for you while you get away. The king doesn't have any spies in this city yet because of all the stuff that happened last week, but they could be on their way so I can't be too careful. See you later, best friend!"

Silas gave one last wave before riding away, his troops following him.

"See you later, Silas!" Corrin yelled back, waving as well.

"Best friends, huh?" Robin whispered, looking in the direction Silas taken off toward.

"Apparently," Corrin said. She then looked over to Jakob. "So, could you tell me a little about him? I still don't remember much about him at all. His name's familiar, but that's about it. But you sound familiar with him!"

Jakob raised an eyebrow. "I do? I thought that performance was terrible."

"Huh?" Corrin's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

Jakob shrugged. "I mean I don't think I've ever seen that man in my life. Or if I did, he wasn't significant or impressive enough to last in my memory."

"What!? But you said-" Corrin exclaimed.

"Absolutely nothing specific. I would consider any one of your friends stressful or troublesome if they dragged you away from the tower, where I had orders to make sure you remained. You played along as well, didn't you?" Jakob explained it as though it was obvious.

Corrin wasn't happy. "Y-yeah, but that was because I thought you were being genuine and I wanted to help out! I figured we at least weren't lying so it would be okay, but that was all false!?"

"Not false. Silas would've called us out if we were spouting lies," Jakob said nonchalantly.

"Lies, guesses, does it matter in this situation?!" Corrin cried, waving her arms around.

Robin laughed. "I mean, not really. Besides, if it was so wrong you shouldn't have participated. And don't worry so much. We'll probably see him again at some point, but not for another week at minimum so you have time to try to remember how you two knew each other. And he's a nice enough guy from the looks of it. I don't think he'll hate you for forgetting."

Corrin wasn't convinced. "But I told him I remembered. That's a lie."

"When people forget things, they don't like to admit it. Silas knows that. Everyone does. He'll forgive you, really!" Robin assured her.

"Whatever you say…" Corrin sighed.

With that, the group resumed their walk toward the ferry.

They boarded fairly quickly, Robin being the last one to step onto the deck, and departed for Notre Sagesse half an hour later. They had a Rainbow Sage to see.


Author's note: My original plan for this chapter was to go visit the Rainbow Sage. I was thinking "Oh yeah, they fight in the port with Keaton and Kaden, and then they go to Notre Sagesse!" Then I visited the wiki and saw that I'd completely forgotten Silas and Elise. Mostly Silas. Sorry buddy. Next chapter will be Rainbow Sage though. I might revise this note to say more later, but for now I'm tired and it's posting time. Oh there's probably typos in this. I'll fix them later.

Originally posted March 22, 2018. Word Count: 8,047 not counting author's notes.

Eruran (who knows if I'll ever bother changing to Mariyekos) out.