Author's note: This chapter has been done for like...5 days. Kept worrying about the end so I didn't post, but I've gone over it a couple of times and I think this is about as good as it'll get. I don't have much to talk about, so without further ado, enjoy.
Laslow was all the way down the mountain, swinging at a sorcerer by the time Robin collected himself. He'd made a dumb mistake, and was going to pay for it. Explaining the mark to Corrin and Azura who didn't have any experiences or negative associations with it was something he was already dreading. Explaining the mark to Laslow, Selena, and Odin, who'd had their lives destroyed by a man who bore it…
What made it worse was the fact that it wasn't just the mark. It was why he had it. It was that Grima was with Robin, awake and aware, and as happy to kill as he had been in their timeline. Perhaps not insane and as willing to kill, but certainly happy to do it. He'd shown Robin as much when he'd expressed his desire to slaughter Iago's men.
He was considering leaving the sharing-a-body-with-Grima part out. Just explaining that when he'd killed Grima in his timeline, the mark hadn't faded. It had always been there, just not visible. Why no one but Robin had ever noticed before he didn't know. It had only ever appeared when he used Ignis or really exerted himself, and even then no one had ever pointed it out, so he assumed that no one but himself could or ever did see it. Save maybe Validar. He had to have figured out Robin was meant to be Grima's vessel somehow. Robin had also worn gloves for a while, so that might have kept most people from seeing the symbol when he fought. But when he did activate Ignis and Grima's mark appeared, it had always held such a powerful glow he could make it out beneath the glove. Really, the only explanation was that he had been the only one who could see it. Now, not so much.
But as long as he was on the topic of gloves, Robin decided it was time to put on a new pair. He'd accidentally bought three at the start of his new journey, back when he'd first noticed the mark of Grima on the back of his hand, and now he was glad for it. He weighed his options. The first pair was entirely purple, and only went to his wrist. The second pair went to mid-forearm as he preferred, but had the eye of Grima on each palm. Just one, so it wasn't the full symbol, but he wasn't sure how good it would be to increase his show of relation to the dragon. They matched his coat better than the plain purple gloves did and were made his preferred style. The others were less comfortable and less aesthetically pleasing, if that had any say in the matter.
He went with the eye gloves.
The design was only on the palms, so it wasn't as though he was flaunting it. And he didn't feel much of an aversion to the symbol. He never had. Something about it had always called to him, and it had fascinated him for as long as he could remember, even if it had creeped him out at first. There was something intriguing about the symbol, and something powerful.
'Of course there is,' Grima said while Robin pulled the gloves on. Robin listened to what he had to say, not bothering to ask for elaboration. Grima was bound to give it. 'It's a symbol that not only connects you to myself, who normally has far more power than you, but holds magic of its own.'
Robin raised an eyebrow. 'It does?'
He'd thought all the power came straight from Grima. After all, he held a piece of Grima's soul, and the mark was the physical representation of that. The two went hand in hand (pun not intended but greatly appreciated), so he'd never assumed it was special on its own. Though maybe he should have.
Chrom's brand had a certain protective power to it. There was a reason Chrom was able to run around the battlefield with his shoulder out in the open without getting his arm cut off. Or burned. Something about the brand made a sort of barrier around Chrom's skin there, he guessed. He'd always attributed it to Naga's blessing, though. Not to some power inherent in the symbol. Not to say it wasn't both. Grima would probably explain. Robin's symbol, at least. He didn't like Naga and Robin wasn't going to hold his breath on Grima going into detail on Naga's choices and symbols unprompted.
Grima hummed. 'Of course. When you call forth magic, symbols or runes appear in the air, do they not? Some appear as characters, and others appear as shapes. Both the triple and sextuple eyes hold power. They hold a connection to the supernatural. Tablets covered in runes or written in the ancient language hold more power than those without them, do they not? They hold curses or blessings, where their counterparts lacking such markings do not.
'The mages of Plegia wove the eye symbol into their garments for a reason beyond simple devotion to myself. Though it might be better to say that the ancient ones did, at least. Many of the modern practitioners forgot the reason for the practice and simply did it out of respect for tradition. But the first Grimleal did it to take hold of the symbol's power and increase the strength of their spells. I'm sure you have noticed how your magic feels stronger when wearing your cloak, have you not?'
Robin looked down. He pretty much always wore his coat when casting, so it was hard to tell. Any differences between his strength while practicing without it and casting with it he'd always attributed to the pressure of being in battle increasing his strength. He'd never thought to connect it to his coat of all things.
He rubbed his head. 'Well uh, not really. Thinking back, I suppose I may have been a little better at dark magic while wearing it, but I didn't use dark magic enough to make the connection.'
Grima scoffed. 'Ah yes. I'd almost forgotten how you shunned the art of your birthright. If you'd practiced it more, you would have been an even more exceptional fighter than you were. Than you are. As you must know, magic symbols are aligned with certain types of magic, and best support the one they have the best alignment for. Dark symbols help little for the anima magic you tend to favor.
'It's a pity there are so few proper dark tomes in these lands. The humans these people call "dark mages" are no dark mages at all. I've hardly seen a one use a Nosferatu tome, and almost none of the ones without them have magic aligned with the dark element. But as for you, you can, and you do. Thus you should. A Nosferatu tome would greatly benefit you on the battlefield. You could heal yourself while taking down your enemies, lessening your need to rely on healers and allowing you to remain in the midst of battle for longer. That would mean fewer staff uses, helping you practice that staff conservation you're so worried about. If you were able to heal yourself, that would leave more healing for your allies. So do look into procuring a Nosferatu tome, will you?'
Robin considered the offer.
He'd never really used dark magic on the battlefield because of how uncomfortable it made him feel. Not in a sick sort of way. But in a way that felt off.
The first time Tharja had given him a Flux tome he'd cast such a strong spell that even she'd been left speechless for a moment. She'd called him the most natural natural she'd ever seen. An uncanny kind of natural. Someone she wanted to study very closely. That already put him off from wanting to use the tome. Combined with how odd it had made him feel, he'd decided to avoid dark magic for the considerable future. He'd tried a few times again, but each time he did he swore off dark tomes for a time. He didn't like the feeling of using them. It made him buzz with an odd sort of energy. It was different than the buzz of a thunder tome. It was just...odd. Probably Grima's doing. The buzz always centered around his heart, and if he'd contained Grima's soul that entire time… Perhaps each time he cast a dark spell he'd woken the dragon up a little bit.
'Probably,' Grima responded, making Robin start.
'Stop listening in on my thoughts.'
'Stop projecting them.'
Robin grumbled.
Grima chuckled.
'Shouldn't you have known about the abilities of magical symbols anyway? You were a learned tactician. I see no reason why I should have had to explain all of this to you.'
Robin rolled his eyes. 'Yes I was, and still am, thank you very much. I know about symbols in general. But if you forget, I was brought to Ylisse at a young age even if I don't remember it, and my studies after I met Chrom were all carried out in Ylissean libraries. There was very little information about Plegian and Grimleal symbols available to me. I could go on for hours about a bunch of other runes and symbols and sigils and magical characters if you wanted. Just not the magical association of your one specific eye one. Ylissean books tended only to talk about the curved or sextuple six eye symbol as only a shorthand representation the Grimleal used to represent you and as their banner, instead of some magical sign.'
'Hmph. So Naga's people ignored me and chose to deny my presence and my contributions in such a way even after my death? They didn't even bother to preserve what I'd done to ensure their descendants knew why they should hide from what they were told to fear?'
'I suppose so,' Robin responded with a shrug. It wasn't his place to say.
Grima went silent after that, and Robin watched as the battle continued on.
The outcome had been decided the moment Xander and his men had entered the field. Iago's men had gone down one after the other, and only a handful were left. Iago was among them, but Robin could tell he wouldn't be alive for much longer.
In a parallel to what had happened to Takumi, Iago had been backed up to a wall. Or a chasm, to be precise. He was stuck in a place where he had nowhere left to run, three enemies preventing him from escaping forward or to the sides. He was still casting spells, but they were doing little damage. At the rate they were being cast, Robin knew they weren't being given proper charge time, and that they were doing nowhere near the damage they had the potential to do. They bounced off the trio that had their caster trapped. Off Camilla and her two retainers.
Robin couldn't see the expressions Camilla, Selena, or Beruka wore, but he had a pretty good idea of what they must have been.
Beruka always held a general indifference, occasionally touched by annoyance or anger. With what Robin knew of Camilla's and Iago's relationship, he was almost certain her normally blank face had warped slightly, showing the anger Beruka must've felt toward the one that had wronged her liege so.
Selena was annoyed or angry in general, and she hardly ever made an attempt to hide it. Like with Beruka, Robin expected her expression must've been more intense as well.
As for Camilla…
Well, she'd just taken her axe to the man's head, cleaving it from his neck. The force of her swing must've been immense, as the head flew back and bounced into the chasm below. The thumps that arose as it hit the chasm's walls echoed in the valley and up the mountain. Robin expected Camilla was likely smiling, one of those twisted, pleased smiles he'd only seen a few times. The smile of a woman who'd gotten her righteous revenge against a man who'd committed many evils toward her. A smile well deserved.
With Iago dead and only a few of his men remaining, Robin decided it was time to rejoin the rest of the army. He descended to where Camilla was, now accompanied by her siblings and the Hoshidan royals. Benny and the onmyouji, Subaru, followed him. They'd moved on to talking about birds.
When Robin made it to where the royals stood, they were in the middle of a tense conversation. The Nohrian royals stood on one side, with Xander and Camilla standing tall in the middle, and Elise and Leo to their sides. Across from them were the corresponding Hoshido royals. Azura and Corrin stood in the middle on each side, forming a square with the two groups. Corrin was the one talking, clearly attempting to diffuse the situation.
When Robin was only a few feet away, Corrin's eyes landed on him and she suddenly rushed over, shouting a "and look who it is!" before dragging Robin over to stand beside her in the original square formation.
"Uh, hey!" Robin said, giving a slight wave. Benny and Subaru hesitantly followed, staying a few steps behind. They both looked as if they were searching for a good excuse to escape. They probably could've been fine if they just hadn't followed at all, but they were standing right there, and leaving at that point would be awkward.
Grima scoffed at Robin's short greeting. 'Wow. What a way with words.'
'Shut up.' Robin shot back, putting on a smile for the rest of the group. "So, we're finally all here, then."
"We are," Azura responded, looking over to Benny and Subaru were. The two stood awkwardly, a blush making its way onto Subaru's face as Benny froze up.
Ryoma looked over as well. He paused for a moment on Benny before moving on. "Subaru, are you feeling any better?"
Subaru's blush deepened, and he bowed quickly and deeply. "Yes, Prince Ryoma! I believe I'll be ready to participate in the next fight."
Ryoma gave a small smile and nodded a single time. "That's good. You're one of our best scroll users. I would hate to lose you." His expression was genuine, and Robin was glad to see the two were on good terms. Subaru seemed nice enough.
"Ah-" Subaru startled a little from his bow, jumping slightly before standing up. "Thank you Lord Ryoma. You're too kind with your compliments, truly."
"And you're well deserving of them," Ryoma responded. "I don't say things without reason."
Subaru averted his eyes, and Robin sighed. A good kid and a good mage (or scroll user; the Hoshidans didn't like the designation of "mage" since that was primarily associated with Nohrians), but not a good conversationalist. Not good with praise. Hopefully he'd learn to be a little more accepting. While being an egotistical man wasn't good, thinking nothing of yourself wasn't either.
His youth probably contributed to his timid nature. That was the most immediately noticeable thing about him. Ryoma's guard was made up of experienced warriors. All of them had to be at least in their twenties if not older, barring about three. Of those three, two might've been eight or nineteen, might've been over. Robin hadn't asked, merely looked at them. Then there was Subaru, who was definitely only sixteen or seventeen. No way he wasn't a teenager. How had he gotten into Ryoma's guard? Robin had never seen the kid fight since he'd been on the opposite side of the battlefield during the clash in the lava fields and both had sat out the one that just ended, but he assumed Subaru must've been fantastic. Otherwise he wouldn't have been where he was. A timid person wasn't necessarily bad at fighting. Personality didn't equal skill after all.
Robin's eyes turned to Xander. What kind of personality did he have, anyway? He hadn't spoken much with the man, and every time they'd been together they'd been in the middle of a tense situation. The stories he got from Hoshidans were colored by hate and based on impressions they had from tales they'd been told, not battles they'd experienced, and the stories from Corrin and her Nohrian sisters were biased with familial love. Camilla had relayed some more personal, darker stuff, so it wasn't all lovey-dovey, but the majority was, and none of it was stuff Robin could confirm.
Xander, meanwhile, was staring at Subaru. He had a frown on his face. Maybe he was noticing the age thing too. None of Xander's troops were young. Either Laslow or Peri was the youngest of them all.
Ryoma seemed to pick up on it, looking to the Nohrian prince and then back to the onmyouji.
"Say, Subaru," Ryoma began, "could you take your staff and help some of the healers out? We have a fair number of injured who still haven't been seen, and every person counts."
Subaru straightened up for a moment before taking a formal bow. "Of course, my prince," he replied, a much more serious expression on his face as he walked off toward one of the troubadours Xander had brought.
A Strategist, Robin thought the term was. Back in Ylisse they were Valkyries, but as with the Dark Mages who were mostly just regular mages, these healers had different names as well. They were roughly the same. Fighters on horses who wielded tomes and staves, healing and dealing massive damage all the while.
Robin's thoughts once again drifted to Ylisse. Maribelle had been quite the frightening Valkyrie once she got going. He wondered if she would be a help here, or if she'd just clash with the royals and make things worse. She was wise in noble matters, but she was also quite stubborn, and he knew there were quite a few things she'd love to debate with Xander and Ryoma. Maybe when this all was over and he went home, Robin would tell her about them, to gauge her reaction. Would she think them good or bad based on Robin's words? Would she also wish she'd had the chance to talk, or would she be grateful she never had to deal with people like them in Ylisse?
There was no one to answer, so Robin dropped the thought.
With Subaru gone eyes turned to Benny. He'd crossed his arms so he was almost hugging himself. Robin could tell the man wanted to escape. Perhaps Xander would order the man away.
He didn't have to, however. After about fifteen seconds of silent staring at Benny, Charlotte ran up.
The first thing she did was curtsy. It looked odd, as she didn't have a long skirt to hold to the side, but it was still identifiable. Then she plastered on her most dazzling smile, batting her eyelashes. Put on the Charlotte Glamor. "Oh Prince Xander, it's an honor to finally meet you!" she practically sang, golden curls bouncing as she leaned toward the man. "And you as well, Prince Leo. I've heard many a tale of your glorious exploits. Not to mention your beauty! You two are quite the handsome specimens. Your fiancés must be so worried about you when you leave."
Leo's mouth opened partway, blinking a few times without saying a word. Xander made a similar motion, but closed his mouth almost immediately. Leo left it hanging open. Not very regal looking, if you asked Robin. But they couldn't have been expecting Charlotte's sudden appearance, so it was only natural. And funny.
Xander was the one to respond to Charlotte's sudden entrance. "Neither of us are engaged, so I can safely say there are no fiancés in our lives to worry about us being stolen away while we're apart." He paused, raising his chin slightly but keeping his eyes on Charlotte. They were locked securely on her face, not so much as wavering to catch a glimpse of her rather uncovered body. He went slowly when he spoke again. "I've seen you before, have I not? You were a member of the Royal Guard some time back, weren't you?"
The last sentence sounded more like a statement than a question, and it made Charlotte's smile slip for a second into an expression of surprise. She quickly plastered on a new smile, this one more sweet than flirtatious. She had appearances to keep up.
"Why, yes Milord! I'm surprised you remember little-old-me. I was only part of the Royal Guard for a few months before I was unfortunately moved to Cheve to back up the border forces."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "'Little-old-me'? I'm not sure that's the best term for you. You were quite the formidable foe. I saw you during the attempted invasion on Trier. There I witnessed one of the most impressive berserkers I've ever seen take up arms. You must've cut down at least three foes for every one your companions did. It was certainly a…notable frenzy."
Charlotte's right eye twitched. "F-frenzy?"
Oh, that wasn't good.
Xander tilted his head to the side for a short moment in consideration, then nodded. "Yes, I believe that's the right word. You shot from foe to foe, moving as if you had no armor at all." Then Xander's eyes finally drifted down, catching at Charlotte's abdomen before shooting back up. He mumbled. "Which I suppose was actually the case…" Then he cleared his throat and spoke at a normal level once more. "I meant to talk with you about possibly joining my forces after that. But then the rebellion in Lille arose, and by the time I returned to the capital the head of the guard informed me you'd been moved elsewhere. He said he didn't know which region you'd been sent to, so I was unable to track you down. I didn't have a name at the time, and asking around for a blonde fighter wouldn't get me very far in Nohr. Perhaps in Hoshido, where the hair color isn't as common, but certainly not on our side of the continent."
The blood drained from Charlotte's face, and her smile began to die, twitching slightly as she forced it to remain on her face. "Oh. So you did see that. With the blood and everything."
Xander nodded.
"And then...then you wanted to talk to me...but I left first."
Xander nodded once more.
"And that talk...was about joining you. Your personal forces. Something that you gave up on."
A third nod, slower than the others.
Charlotte began to laugh. Broken little chuckles.
She had more aspects to her personality and more wishes, but Robin knew Charlotte's primary goal was to get rich. He'd found out about her family situation and her need for the money a little while back. So having been so close to becoming part of Xander's guard, which must've paid far more than the border guard, but then missing out must have been terrible for her. Hence the creepy laughing.
Benny looked worried.
A concerned expression made its way onto Xander's face as well. "All you feeling well, Charlotte?"
Charlotte abruptly stopped laughing. She didn't smile, but she didn't frown either. "Tell me," she said in a pensive tone, "why did you ever want me to join you? If you'd seen me in such a frenzied state, why didn't you just pass me aside? A woman who fights like mad is...not desirable. Unless that's the reason why you didn't…" She trailed off.
Xander scoffed. "If that was the case, then I wouldn't have the retainers I do now. Well, Laslow isn't quite a worry spot in that area, but I never would have brought Peri to my side if that were the case. What I value is a person who can protect me, and who fights for what is just. The state in which they fight is of little importance, so long as they are not harming the wrong type of people. As long as you know innocent from foe, you're a valuable fighter. You're quite skilled with an axe. I'm sure you would be a great asset to my team, just as I am sure you were a great help to the border guard. You would never have been appointed to the Royal Guard in the first place had you no skill. When I went to ask about you, you were no longer there, hence why I never spoke to you. While the head did not tell me why you were demoted, nor did I inquire further about it, I am sure it was not because a mistake had been made. Knowing that man, it was probably some absurd thing he was up in arms about for no good reason."
Finally, the light came back to Charlotte's eyes. "Exactly!" she cried, waving her arms about her.
Both of Xander's eyebrows shot up at her exclamation, making Charlotte stutter slightly, throwing her hands behind her back as she began to draw circles in the dirt with her shoe. Putting on an act of innocence.
"That is to say, I also believe that I was meant to be a part of the Royal Guard, and was very much disappointed when I was moved away. I am especially sorry I went away before I was able to talk to you, your highness." She did a small curtsy again, then looked to Benny. "Not that I hated it all though. I did make some pretty wonderful friends."
"Is that so?" Xander asked.
"Yes," Charlotte replied. "Say, does that offer to join your guard still stand?"
"It does."
"Then, if I may, would it be alright with you if my partner Benny were allowed to join as well, Milord? He's a competent fighter and knows my style better than anyone. I can certainly fight on my own, but I feel much more comfortable with him at my side."
"I would be pleased to have him join as well. My personal force is already down from the turmoil in the capital, and I would be happy to have such a man to back me up. Of course, if that is his wish." Xander made eye contact with Benny. "Would you pledge yourself to me as well?"
Benny dropped his arms from his sides, standing much straighter. "O-oh. 'Course, Milord!" he stammered.
Xander nodded. "Find Laslow and tell him about this conversation. You know who he is, yes? He'll be able to fill you in on what you need to know."
Charlotte and Benny both bowed (the royal bow, rather than Charlotte's earlier curtsies) and left.
Finally, it was just the royals and Robin.
"Was now really the time for that conversation?" Takumi asked, clearly irritated.
"Of course it was." Leo shot back, not giving his brother a chance to respond. "We've just finished one battle, and are rushing off to the next. Regrouping and reforming your guard is essential for a competent defense. Plus, it would've been rude to just tell her to leave. A good prince is polite and addresses their subjects."
Robin cringed. Now wasn't the time for an argument to break out. Especially not between those two of all people. They were ridiculously stubborn, and easy to offend. And also really, really didn't like most people. They were argument-happy.
Takumi wasn't happy. "Shouldn't you put more effort it into then? Like, more than a two minute conversation?"
Leo scoffed. "You're one to talk. Xander already knew Charlotte, so he knew her skills. All he needed was confirmation. Or do you not know how that works? Do you Hoshidans just force people into your guard without consideration for their feelings? Your guards are made up of people from other noble families, I believe. I suppose there's no need to consider feelings when these people have been groomed to worship the ground you walk on since birth. They're chosen for blood, not skill, so opinions don't matter."
"That isn't true!" Takumi shouted back.
"Oh?" Leo asked, sneering. "Then how did you come about your guards? Are they just worthy peasants who proved their strength to you in some sort of match?"
Takumi sneered back. "You-"
"-two will stop this at once!" Ryoma shouted, walking between the two and putting a hand in front of his brother. "Takumi, you are not a child. Restrain yourself. There's no need to get yourself so worked up at Prince Leo's words. He's a foreigner speaking of matters he has not experienced himself, merely heard of."
Leo's sneer dropped. He was clearly offended. "What, are you trying to say that-"
This time Xander was the one to cut a young prince off. "Enough!" He said, putting a hand on Leo's arm and forcing him to take a step back. "Hold your tongue, Leo. This is no time to argue. Prince Ryoma's words, while perhaps not phrased in the kindest way, are not false."
"Neither are mine!" Leo argued, trying to free himself from Xander's hold. But the grip was strong, and Leo didn't succeed. Robin thought he could see the grip tighten, even, the armored fingers of Xander's gauntlets curling in tightly. That had to hurt. It would even without the armor.
"Leo," he warned, his voice commanding. Leo looked down and stopped squirming. Xander let him go, and Leo brought a hand to his arm, rubbing it. Xander had managed to slip his hand between the pieces of armor to take hold of the cloth underneath, so Robin wouldn't be surprised if the armor had managed to slice through and reach skin.
"You're acting like he would…" Leo mumbled, poorly enunciated and quiet enough that Robin doubted any of the Hoshidans had heard. Elise looked confused, so she likely hadn't understood either. But Camilla had a look of understanding. She must've known both what Leo had said and what he was referring to.
Xander looked shocked, eyes widening. "I-" He bit his lip. "No. I apologize for being harsh, Leo. This is a frustrating time. Now is the time to form an alliance, not to argue. I will hold myself accountable next time. This situation will not repeat." Xander then whispered under his breath, "I promise it shall not. I don't want to be that man either. This will not happen again."
That man…?
Oh.
They were referring to Garon, weren't they?
Robin looked between the Nohrian siblings, who said nothing else.
Ryoma must've sensed the tension between them, as he didn't try to push them. Though the younger brothers were fighting, Ryoma was more respectful. He knew which buttons not to press, unlike some princes who were not to be named. Questioning someone on something like that wouldn't make someone feel like they had the moral high ground. At least, it wouldn't make Robin feel that way.
What Ryoma did do was take a step toward Corrin, changing the subject. "So, you wish for all of us to join together? Hoshidans and Nohrians?"
"I do," Corrin answered.
Azura cleared her throat. All eyes turned to her. "I know you may not be happy about allying with your former enemies, but it's necessary for the fights we'll be facing in the future. You and Xander both experienced the strength of the invisible forces back in Port Dia. It took your combined strength to bring them down then, and will take your combined strength to bring them down once again. So please cooperate."
There was a pensive look on Ryoma's face. "It would be a waste of time if we were to leave now, after coming so far."
Xander nodded. "Agreed. Going back is not an option."
"But wait," Hinoka entered, "why do you want to help us anyway? Why would you leave your Father to come here? It doesn't make sense to me, and I don't want to be walking into a trap."
Camilla's eyes narrowed. "Walking into a trap? Do you seriously believe that my - or your if that makes you happy - sweet little sister Corrin would intentionally lead you into harm's way? Though I may not love you, I can tell she does. She's no traitor, as I'm sure we've figured out by now. She makes good decisions. Are you seriously questioning her?"
"No!" Hinoka shouted back. "I trust Corrin with all my heart! But that doesn't mean I trust you. You Nohrians have betrayed us before, back when you killed Father at the peace meeting. How do I know you're not going to do it again?"
"Because we weren't the ones to initiate that unfortunate attack." Xander's eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms and set his shoulders back, making him seem taller and even more intimidating than he normally did. "Our father was the one to order the attack on yours. The four of us had no involvement in the incident. We had no idea it was coming, nor did we praise it. The only 'good' thing we got from the attack was the sister we've come to love, but even then I'd rather she'd have come to us in a more peaceful way."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Hinoka pressed on. She wasn't the type to back down from provocation, Robin could tell.
He really wanted to intervene, to add something to the conversation, to calm them down. But he was an outside party. He hadn't been there during the attacks. He knew most of what had gone done according the common view, but he didn't know specifics. He'd been outside of the country, outside of the world when it happened. So it wasn't his place to speak. What gave him the right to say what he thought the others should feel if he was in no way related, if he had never experienced something similar? Nothing. So he would keep his silence until there was a good opportunity. Not that he knew what he could say that would diffuse the situation in the first place. Even if he tried to fix things, he doubted his attempts would go very far.
Plus, it was best to get the arguments out now while they were still in familiar territory. This conversation was bound to come up at some point, so better to do it while they were able to back out.
"I believe Prince Xander's words," Ryoma stated, putting a hand in front of Hinoka as he had with Takumi. "I was there the day father died, as was Xander. The two of us were talking when Hoshidan soldiers ran up to the two of us, shouting that King Garon had murdered Father. Prince Xander appeared to be just as shocked as I was when we received the news. I don't believe he knew in advance. Not then, not now. He did not plot against us that day."
Xander's expression softened slightly. Not much, but his frown wasn't as deep as before. "Thank you, Prince Ryoma. And I am once again sorry for your loss."
Ryoma thanked Xander and looked to Hinoka, who remained unconvinced.
She frowned. "What about Corrin? Maybe you didn't know your father was going to murder ours. But you had to have known Corrin wasn't your real sister. If you were there, Prince Xander, then you had to have seen Garon take Corrin back with him. Even if you didn't know exactly who she was, which I doubt, there had to have been something fishy anyway. So why didn't you ever try to let her go?"
"That wasn't an option," Xander responded. "Father gave strict orders not to ever let her leave the Northern Fortress. Even if we had attempted to take her with us, we would have been prevented from doing so. The fortress was heavily guarded. It was both Corrin's home and a military base. We never would have been able to take her by force, much as we wished to relieve her of her isolation and allow her to see the rest of the world." His eyes wandered over to Corrin, staring at her for a brief moment. Corrin looked down, then back to Hinoka. "Not to say that we - or more precisely I have done no wrong. But we had no involvement in your father's death, nor did we try to make it more difficult for Corrin to leave her castle. We were as powerless as you."
With his speech done Xander uncrossed his arms, but kept his commanding posture.
Robin briefly wondered how aware the man was of all the little things he did to intimidate others. Even Elise said he could be really scary at times, even when she didn't think he was trying to be. There were little things he did that were ingrained into his general demeanor that worked to make him a powerful force, no matter the situation.
If Xander wished to be a king better than his father, he'd have to work on that. Maybe he wasn't trying to rule by fear and intimidation, but he was pretty good at it.
Ryoma was much more of a motivational figure. Nowhere near as intimidating. He could command, but not in the same way as Xander did. He was kinder, and appealed more to people's feelings. It was something Robin could see proving problematic in the future, if he were to confront someone who didn't like him. Good leaders didn't win over their enemies with motivation; they did it with intimidation. Just as there can't be a healthy society if one's allies and people are ruled by fear; they need to be influenced by support and genuine belief.
In other words, the two could really benefit from taking lessons from one another.
"If you were so set against disobeying your father up to this point, why did you decide to come here now?" Ryoma asked.
"For the sake of my country."
"And that goes contrary to what King Garon's doing? Is he not trying to conquer Hoshido for the sake of Nohr?"
A cynical look crossed Xander's face. "No, he isn't. What he is doing will only harm Nohr, not help it.
"Normally, a country is defined by its king. The king's actions dictate his people's actions. Though some decisions may hurt the people in the short term, they benefit them in the large scheme of things. That was what I believed my Father had in mind up until recently. Though I had difficulty supporting him, I believed that as his son and as a knight it was my duty to support him in whatever he did, because it would bring prosperity back to Nohr in the end. But he no longer has Nohr in mind. Neither Nohr nor Hoshido. What he seeks is destruction for the sake of destruction. Or perhaps for another force that I don't yet know…"
Another force…?
Azura and Corrin looked at each other, and then at Robin. He could tell they all had the same idea in their heads. He and Azura nodded at Corrin, who was the one to ask the question.
"Say Xander," she began, wringing her hands, "Fa- er, King Garon wouldn't have happened to be talking about some other world, would he?"
Xander's eyebrows lowered. "Other world?"
Azura responded. "Destruction of Hoshido and Nohr for the sake of some other place. Some other person."
It was Xander and Leo's turn to make eye contact. Leo then spoke. "He didn't mention another world, but he did mention something about wanting to destroy this world as revenge….bringing back 'the glory of that land'." As Leo ended his sentence, he changed his voice into a mocking tone, clearly not liking what he had heard. "I don't know what he meant by that, but I do know that he's no longer the man he once was. He's gone completely insane."
Xander sighed. "Yes he's...not in his right state of mind anymore. I fear something's happened to him. And as he no longer wishes to fight for our country, I can't find it in myself to support him anymore. A king is no king if he does not act for his people and his land. He no longer acts to help them, supporting neither their religion nor their daily practices. The people weigh little on his mind."
"So it's only now that you think something's wrong with him? A king's still a king if he starves those people and kills foreigners? It's just actively killing his own people that turns you away? Not the long lead up to it?" Takumi questioned.
"As I said before, my father's precious actions were to help the country even if they hurt people in the short term. They-" Xander took a sharp breath, steeling himself. He cut himself off before he said anything that might make the situation worse. Or before he was forced to acknowledge something he didn't want to. "Just as Prince Ryoma pointed out Leo cannot fully understand your situation since he has not lived in it, I must ask you to consider that you cannot fully understand ours either."
Takumi opened his mouth to say something, but closed it without a word.
Camilla turned to Xander, concern painted on her face. She placed a hand on Xander's arm. "Xander…"
He turned to face her, holding the hand for a brief second before pushing it off. "It's fine, Camilla."
He looked tired.
It must have been emotionally draining to leave his father and his country to come here. Abandoning the ideals he'd held so tightly that they came up in almost every conversation Robin had about the man. He was known for his loyalty, so breaking that loyalty must've been crushing. What did you have when you left behind the ideals you'd held for your entire life? His siblings were by his side, as was his guard, but that didn't make up for the loss of a lifetime of beliefs.
Robin was glad he'd never been in such a situation. The closest he'd come were the times when he'd found out he was Validar's son and then Grima's avatar. What he thought he'd known about himself had been thrown out the window for a truth he didn't want to accept.
But it wasn't as if he'd lost the ideals he supported. He found out something he didn't like, but he was still able to support Chrom. Still able to support what he had for his entire 'life' as far as he could remember.
He'd had a shock that threw out less than four years of information. Not twenty something, as had occurred with Xander. And even then it only really messed it up, not completely trashed it.
Speaking of Xander, the prince had wiped the tired look off his face (for the most part; there were some things you couldn't hide) and had turned to face the Hoshidans once more.
"Nohr has always worshiped the Dusk Dragon, which has helped harden our people to survive in the harsh conditions that cover our country. Though it hasn't been easy, Nohr has managed to bear the weight of its surroundings and live on. The Dusk Dragon's blood runs through the veins of the royal family, and we have served him and our land as we promised so long ago. My family leads the country because of what was originally divine right, as occurred in your country with the Dawn Dragon. The family that carried sacred blood and led the people in its time of need was placed on the throne because the people trusted it.
"When Leo and I last saw our father, he'd abandoned both his worship for the Dusk Dragon and his devotion to our country. He no longer has any right to rule.
"I've always risked my life for Nohr, and I will continue to do so, never turning my back on it so long as I have strength left in my body. At this point it's clear: if I wish to protect it as I always have, then I must defend it from my father alongside any outside force that wishes to attack it. These invisible soldiers are a threat to our security. I cannot let them run free. I cannot allow my father to let them roam free in our land, slaughtering innocent people and degrading our name. So Corrin, and Prince Ryoma, I ask that we set aside our differences to fight for a common cause. I've no doubt these invisible soldiers will soon set their sights on your kingdom as well if they haven't already. Shall we have a truce, then, as long as we fight these invaders?"
Xander put out his hand.
Ryoma smiled and took a step forward, though he didn't take the hand immediately. "A truce for this battle I wholly agree with. But let's not stop there. You say you fight for Nohr and the prosperity of your country. I know that Nohr is suffering from famine right now. You have to know of the damage to Hoshidan border towns that's been done by Nohrian troops and Faceless since my mother's death. If protecting your country means defeating your father, then after this war you'll be king. Plans for my coronation have already been made.
"I propose a permanent truce. An end to the on-and-off war between Nohr and Hoshido that's hurt both of our homelands for centuries. You and I are similar, Xander, both in our goals and our motivation. If there is a way to bring peace to our two kingdoms, that is the cause I will support. The war between us has no clear end, and it will only bring our people suffering. For the sake of the world our siblings and people live in, let us be allies in this and forevermore."
Xander's face was still. He'd dropped his hand during Ryoma's speech, but said nothing. He revealed no emotion.
Then he too smiled, and raised his hand once more. Ryoma gripped it tightly and the two shook on it, each smiling a triumphant smile.
"I accept your proposal, Prince Ryoma. I hope that we can bring this war to a swift end, and achieve a peaceful world. As soon as I am crowned king, I'll send over the official truce documents. Then we can begin to craft a more just world."
"I look forward to it."
The two stopped shaking but continued to hold hands for a moment, breaking off after about ten seconds. They then looked at their siblings.
Leo pouted. "Well, if we must ally with the Hoshidans."
Camilla flicked his headband. "Leo! Be polite. This is for a good cause. And even you noticed how ghastly Father's become lately. You've known for months that this was the only option."
"Not precisely this," Leo responded. "Going against Father I had in mind, but not allying with the Hoshidans."
"So what!" Elise shouted, finally entering the conversation. "They're great people! You wouldn't know because you've never talked to any of them, but I have and I say they're very nice and helpful once you get to know them. Take Sakura here!" Elise grabbed said girl's arm, pulling her close. Sakura yelped in surprise, but didn't fight the grip. They were friends after all, and Elise never meant any harm. "She's kind and sweet and soft and considerate. She's one of the best friends I've ever had! And I've barely known her for any time at all! So give them a chance Leo!"
Hinoka adjusted her scarf, busying her hands as she commented. "You Nohrians sure don't seem like you like us very much for making a permanent alliance."
"Oh darling, please pay Leo no mind. He bears you no ill will. He just gets overly worried about situations he's unfamiliar with. I'm sure he'll lighten up in no time," Camilla explained.
Leo blushed. "Camilla!"
Camilla winked in response.
While Leo spluttered and Takumi looked around for an escape (why, Robin didn't know. Had someone said something that embarrassed him? Had he done something embarrassing?), Robin took the chance to speak. There was something that had been bothering him. "I'm sorry to interrupt in this family discussion, but what did you say about the invisible soldiers already being present in Nohr, and led by your father?"
Xander turned. "I mean as I said. Shortly after the battle in Port Dia where I first witnessed the soldiers, I noticed a few in the castle. I went to attack them, but Iago appeared, telling me to stay my sword. According to him, they were gifts from 'a most gracious god' to aid us in bringing an end to all the fighting in Nohr."
"Not that they did anything of the sort," Leo butted in. "After that, Niles started reporting back to me about sightings of phantoms who went around slaughtering random people. There didn't seem to be any sort of pattern to it. The only commonality was that the attacker was a phantom, and that they didn't appear to feel pain. Some people reported pinks and purples, but that was about it.
"I traced the reports and managed to find the general location they were in. When I went there, I found the invisible soldiers. Xander had told me about Port Dia and I'd seen them in the castle so I knew what they were, but they didn't know me and tried to attack. I killed them both in self defense and to defend the townspeople." He took in a breath. "Let's just say Father wasn't very happy to find out I'd killed some of his soldiers, even if they'd tried to kill me first."
The more Robin heard about Garon, the more upset he grew. But he continued with his questions. "Xander, earlier you mentioned that your father abandoned worshipping the Dusk Dragon, and just now you said Iago was talking about some sort of 'gracious god.' You didn't happen to hear either of them talk about Anankos, did you?"
Xander's eyes widened. "I heard the name once or twice."
Leo followed up. "I heard it way more than that. Father raved about Anankos constantly before we left. Mostly when he thought no one was there, but it was excessive. I'm surprised you didn't notice more, Xander."
"I do try not to snoop on people," Xander pointed out.
Leo scoffed. "Yes, but Father was clearly insane at that point. It was for a good cause. You'd have never found out about his plans to destroy both Hoshido and Nohr if it weren't for us eavesdropping on him!"
"That I agree with," Xander replied.
Takumi was the next to speak. "Wait a minute, are you saying that Garon is working for Anankos then? And that we're about to go kill Anankos? A god? Because Corrin, you always talk about how we're fighting against someone that wants to destroy both Hoshido and Nohr by getting us to kill each other off, and that that person controls the invisible forces. If Garon's trying to destroy both countries, he's using the invisible soldiers, and he's suddenly worshipping Anankos, then..."
Corrin didn't respond immediately.
"We're not… we're not trying to kill a god are we?"
Corrin looked down, and Takumi's jaw dropped.
Robin chose to pipe in. "I mean, what's so wrong with that? It's not the god that you worship."
"It's deicide!" Takumi shouted.
And? What was so wrong with that? Robin couldn't understand Takumi's logic there. He was worried about killing a god not because it was going to be hard, but because it was the wrong thing to do or something? He assumed that was Takumi's concern, at least. Otherwise he would've said something about it being insane or unrealistic or suicide.
"Yes, but not of your deity. And he's evil. Very. We've already seen that he's trying to kill you and your people. And think about it, we don't know how long he's been influencing Garon. We know that his actions when kidnapping Corrin seemed surprising, at least to Xander, and definitely to Sumeragi. It's likely that Garon's been corrupted by him for a while. It's very possible that Anankos had a hand in your father's murder."
"B-but you can't-" Takumi was shaking slightly. "Y-you can't...you..you can-" Takumi brought a hand to the bridge of his nose. "No, of course we can, he's-" A sharp breath "he's...no…" Takumi collapsed. "Ghhh!"
"Takumi!" all of his siblings shouted at once, Ryoma catching him on one side and Hinoka grabbing him on the other. Takumi was clutching his head, his eyes shut as tight as could be.
At the same moment, Robin was hit with a wave of both nausea and a familiar energy. He struggled to remain standing.
Now was not the time to fall, not when he'd already been held back, not when Takumi had already dropped…!
"Brother, please! What's wrong?" Sakura cried, freeing herself from Elise to drop in front of her brother, putting a hand to his forehead.
All four Nohrians were frozen where they stood, clearly shocked and confused as to what was going on.
Takumi meanwhile kept his grip on his head, shaking. He didn't respond to any of the touches or shouts. Just kept on as he was, writhing on the ground with his siblings forming a triangle around him.
It reminded Robin of what had happened the night after the battle with the Rainbow Sage. Takumi had cried out and collapsed then, too, and Robin had felt the same sort of blast of magic and nausea as he did this time. He made eye contact with Corrin, who mouthed "Notre Sagesse" to him, clearly having the same train of thought. Robin nodded.
But why had-
Robin bit his lip.
Just now, Takumi had collapsed defending Anankos. Someone he had very much zeroed in on where the others didn't. He seemed to be fighting with himself about it, like something was telling him to defend the dragon while something else was telling him not to. At roughly the same moment, Robin was hit with the weird magical nausea that had overcome him once before, back in Notre Sagesse, when Takumi had also collapsed in a similar manner. That couldn't have been coincidence.
...Was Anankos possessing Takumi, then? Or influencing him in some way?
If so, did that mean Anankos could hear everything Takumi could?
When Takumi had collapsed in Notre Sagesse, it had been after eavesdropping on Robin explaining the Grima situation. According to Takumi, he remembered the short walk to the room, but blanked out during the entire conversation. If he really was being semi-possessed by Anankos...then that meant Anankos knew about Grima. And quite possibly, everything they'd just said.
'Well damn,' Robin thought.
'Well damn indeed,' Grima responded.
'You sure pick great times to pop in.' Robin responded.
'Of course I do. But for now focus on your little semi-possessed friend. You don't want something bad to happen to him, do you?'
"What's wrong? Is this something that's happened before?" Xander asked, concerned.
"No, it-" Ryoma and Hinoka said at the same time, cut off when Sakura responded with a "Yes."
The two looked at her, confused.
"When we were in Notre Sagesse, he also collapsed. I wasn't there, but I think it was like this." She glanced over to Corrin. "Oh, but Corrin was! And Robin and Azura too. Please, do you know what's wrong?"
Robin didn't reply. He still felt queasy, even if the main kick to the gut the initial blast of magic caused was over. So he kept his mouth shut for the time being. He didn't want to aggravate the feeling.
Corrin instead responded for him. "Well to be honest, we're not totally sure what happened last time. We were talking in our room when we heard him cry out outside the door and found him on the ground. He'd come over to talk to us but had ended up like this before he could say anything."
"But why?" Ryoma asked. "Do you have any idea what caused it?"
Corrin, Robin, and Azura exchanged glances once again. They'd never discussed the Anankos possibly possessing Takumi thing, so Robin didn't know what the other two were thinking. They probably had three separate stories forming in their heads, and that was dangerous. Now was the time to be united, not divided.
He pushed back the nausea, which was dying anyway, to supply a reason. "Probably some combination of stress, exhaustion, and injuries. Takumi took a blow to the head back in Notre Sagesse. It must've been a delayed reaction to that. This must be a recurrence because of all that's happened today. The intense heat combined with two battles and the stress of almost being killed by the those paladins and the argument on top of it was probably too much. We've been marching ever since Notre Sagesse, so he hasn't had good recovery time. I'm sure if we let him sit down and sleep for a little he'll be fine. This isn't nearly as bad as last time, and we don't plan on working harder than we did today. I believe he'll recover in no time if we let him rest and don't try to push him too much."
"Blow to the head?" Hinoka repeated. "He's been walking around with a head wound all this time? Oh Takumi, what were you doing!" She then narrowed her eyes and looked at Robin. "And what were you doing letting him walk around like that if you knew he'd been injured?"
Takumi didn't respond, nor did Robin. Takumi had stopped shaking at least, and slackened his grip on his head. His eyes were still closed though, and he was biting his lip hard enough Robin was worried he'd draw blood. Mostly out of it, but not entirely.
"He was healed by Jakob, so it wasn't as though we purposefully left his wound untreated," Azura explained. "According to Jakob, he'd healed all he could, and the only thing that could help him further was rest. Something he unfortunately did not have much of."
Elise let out a long "hmm" and shifted her weight back and forth, pursing her lips. "Wait, when did he get hit in the head? I was with you guys in the last room and he looked totally fine then. I don't get it."
Three pairs of eyes widened.
Damn, Elise was breaking through their lie, even if she didn't know it!
Given they were all coming up with lies on the spot and hadn't talked to each other about it beforehand, there were bound to be holes somewhere. Couldn't they just finish the conversation and be on with it without more of them getting revealed? Takumi was still ill on the floor, they should have been focusing on the present, not questioning the past!
"Well, there was one more room, remember?" Corrin said hesitantly. "You know that weird door that Takumi, Azura, Robin, and I touched? The one that sent us down to the bottom of the mountain?"
Elise nodded.
"There was one more room between that door and the Rainbow Sage's door."
Robin turned to her in confusion. He didn't remember another room.
Then he realized that Corrin was probably making the extra room up as a way to cover for them. Elise had no way of contradicting that statement. She wasn't there with them after they touched the transport door, so she couldn't say whether or not they'd gone somewhere in the meantime.
'Smart move, Corrin!' Robin thought, proud of the girl. She could do well in a pinch.
"One more?" Elise frowned. "I thought the onmyouji guarding it said it was the last floor."
Corrin paled, so Azura followed up for her. "He said it was the highest floor, not the last one. The room we were transported to was closer to the base of the mountain, judging by how far away the clouds seemed to be through the window. It only had a few enemies but the four of us were taken by surprise, so I wasn't expecting it when an Oni Savage came at me from behind. Takumi shoved me out of the way but took a blow to the head in the process. He got up to fire a few arrows at the remaining opponents and insisted he was fine so we didn't press him past making him take a vulnerary, but we were obviously in the wrong as he revealed himself to be more gravely injured later when he collapsed."
"That was probably part of the reason he went over to talk to us," Robin suggested, trying to back Corrin and Azura up so the others could see all three of them remembered the same thing (even though they clearly didn't) . "Maybe he realized he felt worse than he'd initially thought and came over to say something. He tends to be quiet about his injuries and illnesses, I've noticed. He doesn't want to weigh us down so he doesn't mention it. Unfortunately, this time it came back to bite him."
Robin stopped talking and waited for the others to take in the information. He slowly moved closer to Corrin, as did Azura, so the three were standing side by side, Corrin in the middle. Corrin whispered down to Robin, "do you think we did it?" and Robin whispered a "yep" back. It looked like they were in the clear, at least for the moment.
He could see the gears turning in the Hoshidan royals' heads as Takumi moved into a more and more relaxed position. The prince now just looked like he'd fallen asleep in an inconvenient place, rather than had a minor seizure and almost ripped his hair out.
It wouldn't be fun for him to wake up and realize what had gone on, but it wasn't as if there was anything else he could do.
The most important thing would be for him to keep his mouth shut, which knowing Takumi he'd probably do. He didn't like to talk when he was embarrassed. Sometimes he'd try to dig himself out of a pit for so long he only dug himself deeper, but if he knew he was down and couldn't find a way to climb back up he'd keep quiet and wait for everyone to forget about what had happened.
Robin doubted this incident could be forgotten, but it could be pushed aside.
None of the other troops appeared to be looking over, and the rush of wind had covered the cries of Takumi's name, so chances were this little incident was known only to the royal families, and not anyone else. The more people that knew the more questions which could arise, and that wasn't any good for keeping together a story that had been pieced together on the spot without any conference between the storytellers.
Which was exactly why they needed Takumi to keep his mouth shut.
As soon as the opportunity arose, Robin, Azura, Takumi, and Corrin needed to get together away from the others so they could agree on a story of what happened. Or at least, Takumi and one of the other three. The four-way meeting could occur later. For the moment they needed to keep him from inadvertently revealing they'd all lied, whatever short or long meeting that took.
Hopefully Takumi wouldn't have a problem going along with their lie. A head wound definitely wasn't a fun thing to pretend to have because it meant his siblings would try to force him to sit out of battle, but it was better than revealing he was possibly possessed. Robin knew from experience the kind of damage that could do. The kind of trust that would be broken.
Even if the others wanted to believe him, they couldn't. Not fully. There would be a disconnect that couldn't be repaired for a long time, if ever.
Robin liked Takumi, and he didn't want him to endure that. So if he needed to get a few people wrapped up in lies to do it, he would. So long as he had Takumi's consent.
Leo then cleared his throat. "What do you suppose we do with him?" He pointed to Takumi. "If Prince Takumi's injured, he'll slow us down on our trip to...wherever Corrin's leading us. She's yet to explain that, actually. I do hope you'll be getting to that soon."
"Of course I will!" Corrin retorted with a pout. "We've barely had any time together for me to explain. Takumi's the more pressing matter right now."
"And what do you plan on doing with him?" Camilla asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Leo has a point."
"We're not leaving my brother behind," Ryoma said in a firm voice as he rose to his feet. Hinoka remained on her knees, holding Takumi. "Not in a place like this."
"You can send some of your men to take him back to Hoshido," Leo suggested. "We're not that far from the border, and we've killed off pretty much everything in the area. There's no danger of attack. He'll be fine."
"If he'll be fine, then there's no need to leave him. He's coming with us," Hinoka said. "I finally got my full family in one place, and I'm not going to let it be broken so soon. Takumi's strong. He'll recover swiftly and be back on his feet in no time." Her decision was clearly made, determination clear on her face. Robin was glad she was backing Takumi up. Not only did it make his job easier, but it was always nice to see siblings, and anyone, really, stick up for each other.
Ryoma nodded. "I second that. Corrin, Azura, and Robin said that my brother recovered almost instantly the last time, if he was able to go straight into a march and then fight in another two battles without any loss of performance. He was far stronger today than in any battle I've seen him in before. Perhaps he's ill at the moment, but he has power to him. We cannot afford to lose him. Nor can we afford to lose the troops I would have to send away to take him back to Hoshido. He's both a skilled fighter and a motivational force for my soldiers. Not to mention someone I trust to fight at my side. I also say we take him." He looked to his youngest sister. "Sakura?"
Her eyes widened. She looked close to tears. "W-well, I don't know. I want him to be with us too, but I...I don't want him getting any more hurt. If he doesn't have time to recover then maybe he'll get hurt even more and that's…"
Elise bounced over to Sakura once more, lifting up her head. "But your brother is strong! Prince Ryoma and Princess Hinoka said that! And you've seen it! He's definitely going to be okay, so pick your head up! This is just a teensy bump in the road, and then he's going to be all back to normal in no time! You can't break up family, Sakura! You never know how much time you're going to be able to spend with them before something else takes them away, so treasure it!" She looked down to Takumi. "Plus, we don't have many archers. And we don't have any super cool magic wind bow archers like him! He's unique and funny, so I would be sad to see him go. Even if he's stubborn and kind of rude sometimes, he's not all that bad!"
...Well, way to compliment him with an insult. Elise really needed to think a bit more about what she was saying. But he was glad she was there to try to convince Sakura. They needed that convincing power.
If Anankos was really using Takumi, then leaving him alone in Hoshido wouldn't be good. Garon was doing extreme damage in Nohr as it was. Giving Anankos a direct connection to Hoshido would only make things on the continent worse.
Not to mention Takumi would be the only royal left, so he could call big shots that could make big problems. Hopefully Yukimura would have enough sense to either talk the possessed Takumi out of some of the insane destruction Garon was up to, or would block the moves entirely. But that could get him killed, and Robin didn't want to risk that.
It was best to keep Takumi where Robin could keep an eye on him. That meant with the group.
Camilla hesitated. "I don't know. Is keeping him with us really for the best? Xander?"
Eyes turned to Xander, whose frown deepened. "This decision is up to the Hoshidans and Corrin. I will abstain from voicing my opinion."
Sakura spoke up once more, tears gone, her worried expression replaced with confidence. "Elise is right. I would like for Takumi to stay too."
Robin smiled. It was good to see Sakura voicing her opinion without stuttering or looking away. She was growing too.
And with that, Corrin was the last one left. Her decision was what would determine if Takumi stayed or not.
Just as Camilla had, she looked hesitant as well. "I'm not sure either. He is injured, and I don't want him getting worse. I've only just found my blood family. I don't want to lose one sibling already. So I think it might be best to-"
Robin elbowed Corrin in the side.
She swung her head to look at him, but Robin kept his eyes firmly on Takumi. He turned to Corrin with a puzzled expression on his face after a second, pretending he didn't know what had gone on. Corrin stared at him quizzically for a moment longer before she seemed to get the point. Robin was glad. He was slightly worried she wouldn't.
'Well of course she did. You never wear such an innocent face. Anyone who knows you well at all would be able to tell that expression was a sham.' Grima commented with a chuckle.
Robin made sure to mentally elbow him too.
'What are you do-'
Robin had a feeling his mental elbow had worked, and made an effort to shut out Grima to focus on the present.
Corrin had straightened, and decided to revise her answer. "As I was saying, I think it might be best to take Takumi with us."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's what you were about to say. You were just talking about how he's injured and how you don't want to lose another sibling. That doesn't sound like the sort of lead-up to a statement of taking someone with you. Don't think I didn't see that elbow from your friend there."
"What elbow?" Robin said, feigning innocence. Or ignorance. Both. "I was trying to put my hands in my pocket and bumped her slightly, but it was no elbow to the gut. Really, Leo. We're not all trying to start a fight."
Leo hummed. "Oh? Because that's not what it looked like to me."
Robin shrugged, raising his hands with the motion. "Maybe not, but this is Corrin's decision, and Corrin was the one who felt it. Anyway, are we taking Takumi with us?"
"We are," Corrin affirmed. "I don't want to lose a sibling, so I want to keep him by my side. Who knows what attacks Anankos will send to Hoshido. Our goal is to stop him at the source, but some soldiers might get past us in the meantime. I think it would be best to keep Takumi here, where we're constantly ready for attack and he's surrounded by the best soldiers Hoshido and Nohr have to offer. He'll be just as safe as we are this way."
"Interesting logic," Xander commented. "But I'll accept it, Little Princess." He moved to address Ryoma. "Would you like to wait until your brother awakens to move, or should we have someone carry him? I would be happy to lend the horse of one of my subordinates. Or mine, if you'd think it best."
Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "You would be willing to lend your own horse for such a thing?"
One corner of Xander's lips raised into a partial smile. "I would be happy to help an injured prince. We're to be allies, are we not? Trust is formed on the back of mutual aid. I believe this would be a good first step, would it not?"
Ryoma's other eyebrow went up, joining the first. "I suppose it would. So-"
"Wait what? Why are you guys trying to put me on his horse? I don't get what's going on here."
Takumi rose, and several mouths dropped open.
"Brother!" Sakura whispered in elation, jumping into his arms.
"H-hey!" he protested, trying to push her off. "What are you doing? I'm all right! I just fell down for a second, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Hinoka asked. "You were-"
"I'm fine," Takumi repeated, cutting his sister off. "I got caught by a dizzy spell. I think I'm dehydrated."
"It's not good to do that, especially not when you have a head wound."
"Head wound?"
Takumi looked around, eyes widening when he saw Corrin, Azura, and Robin all nodding fervently. Corrin was also pretending to punch herself in the head, while Robin was leaned back with a hand on his forehead to mimic a swoon. It was dramatic, but they needed to get the point across. No one else was looking at them anyway.
Takumi put on a fake laugh. "O-oh yeah, my head wound. Sorry. I'll be more responsible next time. I wasn't expecting a second battle so I thought I'd be fine, and by the time it came up I was so into it I completely forgot about my head. I'll do better next time, Sakura. I'm sorry to worry you."
Sakura smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy you're okay now."
Takumi nodded before looking around. There was still no crowd looking at them. They'd been lucky enough to escape the troops' gazes somehow.
It was probably due to requests of privacy from the royals, now that Robin thought about it. These soldiers were top class, and devoted specifically to Ryoma and Xander. They could be trusted to listen to orders. They wouldn't eavesdrop on their superiors if told not to. Ryoma was a man who worked on trust, and he'd earned theirs. Xander was a man of loyalty, and Robin could tell they were loyal to their crown prince to the utmost degree.
"Where are we headed now?" Hinoka asked once she had gotten her own turn to hug Takumi. "Reina mentioned something about a portal in the Bottomless Canyon, but she didn't give a precise location or instructions on how to use it."
Corrin gestured to the troops spread out across the battlefield. "Let's get everyone together and Azura will explain when we're a bit closer. That way we won't forget how things work. Is that okay with you all?"
And that way they wouldn't have much time to think about the insane way they were going to get to their destination. The less time they had to doubt the choice, the better.
"It is," Xander responded. His siblings agreed.
"Of course," Ryoma replied, his own siblings echoing him.
"Perfect," Azura said, finally taking part in the conversation once more. "I'll lead the way."
The troops were gathered, and the group set out. Takumi got several wary looks from the Nohrian royals, and his own siblings kept close to his side in case he fell, but there were no mentions of his sudden collapse, nor any relapses.
It was odd, how quickly everyone had been able to put Takumi's illness away. But Robin was glad for it, so he didn't press anyone. Nohrians tended to keep quiet about personal matters and didn't interfere with others'. Hoshidans were more open, but Robin felt like Ryoma, Hinoka, and Sakura kept quiet because they respected their brother's choice and didn't want to upset him. Whatever the cause, it was best to run with his blessings, rather than risk chasing them away.
Robin's mind turned to the jump spot. It would be interesting explaining to everyone that they needed to throw themselves into a seemingly bottomless pit full of jutting rocks that could easily kill someone upon impact. Thankfully it was Azura's job to explain, not Robin's. Because even if he'd gone to that place before, that didn't mean the jump seemed any more sane, and it certainly didn't mean he had any confidence in his ability to convince others it was.
Author's note:
This story is now officially over 250,000 words, not including author's notes (which increase the WC). That's...really long. And there's still more to go. Probably a year or two. Depending on how fast I can get out the next chapters. Right now I'm debating on how to write the next chapter because I have my original plan and then I have something I thought up a few days ago and love for self-indulgence, but am not sure about for publishing. We'll see, and thanks for reading.
Originally posted March 12, 2019. Word count: 12,756, not including author's notes.
Until next time, Mariyekos.
