Author's note: So. Uh. Hi. It's been a while, hasn't it? So long that I'm not going to delay this chapter any longer, so without further ado, enjoy.


The group made their way north without much protest. Most of the land they crossed was covered in short grasses and the majority of the inclines they faced weren't particularly steep, so it was fairly easy marching. Chatty marching too, given how adamant Corrin was about their combined armies attempting to bond. The Cantan forces, as they'd finally agreed upon calling themselves after an annoyingly difficult argument. Grima thought it would do good for morale if they had an actual name for their army, while Corrin thought it unnecessary. Jakob then insisted it be named after Corrin, which Grima opposed as he doubted the Nohrian and Hoshidan forces would be content with such a system. Though they were fighting for Corrin, each side was specifically under the direction of Xander and Ryoma, and Corrin was still a relative unknown. A name was a powerful thing. Loyalty could be given in the unspoken name, but actually assigning a real name to it? Setting it in stone? That was different. Fighting under Corrin while your allegiance still lay under Xander or Ryoma was fine. Fighting in Corrin's army stripped away that initial allegiance.

Corrin's forces wouldn't do well at fighting as members of 'Corrin's army.' The 'Cantan army' did much better. Their continent was something they were all familiar with, even if most people didn't use the name often. It had been a part of their identities since they'd been born; far longer than any association they held to Corrin, whose existence had only become public knowledge a few months prior.

But that was besides the point. The army (if it could even be called that while only having several dozen soldiers) was marching north towards a castle that may or may not be there, and they finally had some sort of unifying name to go by. Azura knew their destination lay somewhere in the northern part of Valla, but even that wasn't much help. No one had any idea what part of Valla they had landed in. It was entirely possible they had been teleported to the northernmost part of the country, and that the castle was actually located to their south, meaning their current trek would only serve to move them away from their goal. Telling the army that would only hurt morale, however, so onward they marched.

At this point Grima was actually hoping to fight some of Anankos' soldiers. They'd most likely come from the direction of the castle, so by going in the direction the soldiers had come from, Grima could be assured the group was moving in the correct direction.

Corrin wasn't very receptive to this idea. She was too much of an optimist. Instead she wished for them to be going in the right direction anyway without encountering anyone at all, and that they would be lucky enough to reach the castle without further conflict. Azura was more practical, siding with Grima (Robin) though she said Corrin's idea would be nice. No one else was with them when Grima made his comment.

When the scouting parties returned as the sun began to set, it seemed Grima's wishes were the ones that would be realized. The scouts had spotted a group of invisible soldiers to the north, guarding a half-destroyed fort. Anankos had attacked when Grima had jumped through the portal, so he was aware the Cantan forces were approaching and must have sent out his forces to block the way.

And in the way those particular soldiers were. The fortress was located on the edge of a jagged mountaintop similar to those the Cantan army had been travelling to, a deep canyon on the two sides adjacent to it. There was only one way to approach it from their side of the fortress - that being the direction Grima and the Cantans were heading. So they could get there, but it wouldn't be easy.

First of all, they were at a disadvantage when it came to terrain. The fortress apparently had plinths on every tower, and the rocks leading up to it were smooth enough the invisible army could throw down logs or small boulders that would roll down the path the Cantans needed to approach from. Dodging those would be difficult if not impossible. Siege warfare was nearly always longer and more drawn out than fighting in the open on a flat space. Given the advantages this particular defensive party had, it seemed fighting at the mountaintop fortress would be a considerable time drain.

That was, if the scouting party was describing the fortress accurately.

Grima would spend the night developing their plan of attack according to what he'd been told, but the fortress was still roughly a day's walk away depending on how fast they marched and he found it a waste of energy to plan for something he couldn't see himself. Robin liked thinking through every possibility, and there was merit in that, but Grima saw no need. Maybe he'd experience a few losses if he waited until the fortress was in sight to finalize his plans, but was that really that bad? A few losses would help the army realize how serious a situation they were in. It would get them to rely more on each other. After all, there was nothing like fear to bring people together.

It could tear them apart too, of course. He'd seen plenty of that during his time flying over his home world. Plegians against Ylisseans, the people of Regna Ferox splitting into faction after faction. The crumbling of Valm in this Robin's past as some sided with Walhart because they feared what he would do to them if they fought back while others turned against him because they feared what would become of them under his reign. The destruction of Rosanne when their leader left them for reasons he thought were good but really only made the people think all hope was lost because if not even their Duke was brave enough to stand against the chaos that threatened to envelop them, what hope did they have?

Still, there was always the phrase, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' When the humans stopped idiotically fighting amongst themselves and realized Grima was a much larger threat than anything their pathetic little groups could do when split into such small factions, they banded together and fought back with a strength far more powerful than the sum of their individual strengths alone. Guerilla attacks had their merits, but sometimes a war could only be won with large battles stretching as far as the eye could see, men and women and brave warriors fighting together against their enemy because they knew if they were so injured they needed to withdraw, someone could replace them. Or, some were able to fight past their injuries even to their death because they knew there was someone to pick up their sword and continue the fight after their life was lost.

Humans had so many reactions to the same events. It was amusing. Time and life experiences could change the reaction of the same human to the same event, but some humans were so stubborn that they would keep making stupid decisions even after watching all of their comrades fall one by one because of those choices. Though, sometimes that just became disappointing. It was much more fun when they tried different things. Then again, the expressions people would make when they tried so hard at the same thing because they knew not what else could work in their favor…

Well, that was unimportant for the moment. Grima could only go so far before his authority over the army was stripped for incompetence. Which wouldn't be incompetence so much as well thought out decision making that didn't agree with the values Corrin had, but he doubted her overprotective siblings would think of it that way. Pity.

Instead he pulled out a fire tome, flipping it over a few times. One of the other scouting parties had realized the caves Grima had spotted while sitting at the mill were actually far more accessible than he'd initially believed. The reason for the odd carvings he'd seen was that they actually formed a well-hidden path to the cave interior. The pegasus knights hadn't been able to enter the cave since they were unsure their steeds could land safely on the boulders without twisting an ankle, nor could the cavalry make it up the cliffside due to all the brush that littered the path to the cave entrance. But they insisted the caves were empty and looked safe and open enough for their army to fit inside. All they needed was a safe path up.

Grima provided said path. Or, the way to create it.

Fire tomes had been passed to the mages with them, who would burn away the brush to clear the way for cavalry units and the soldiers who were less inclined to crawl through rough vines and briars. Flying units would have their mounts walk behind them on the path rather than risking injury on the rather precise landing they would have had to otherwise make. A part of the path would be left open in case they came across boulders the horses could not get past, so that a team of wyverns would push the boulders down the cliffside and out of the way without accidentally hitting (and likely killing) any of the Cantan soldiers.

Something seemed wrong about the situation though, even as Grima's plan was carried out without a hitch. Some of the brush they were burning was just placed on the ground, not actually growing there. Though the wind was strong on their way up the mountain, he doubted it had been conveniently blown there when there was no similar brush in the other crags of the mountain. Other chunks of thorny vine had large holes in them, discreet at first but obvious when fire destroyed the front sections and left the middle open for exposure. The boulders they went to push all had pits only a few feet away that meant they didn't roll very far when disturbed, instead catching in the dirt to allow people through.

After a short time, it became obvious what Grima was seeing.

These caves weren't as uninhabited as the scouting party had claimed they were. Inside there were people, smart enough to hide their presence to any outside persons who might have viewed their home from a distance and wanted a way inside.

Well. Smart enough to hide their presence from most people. But Grima found it exhilarating to poke holes in people's plans and uncover the secrets they had hoped never to be found, so their plan was not foolproof and their quiet life of deception and solitude was soon to end.

By the way the blockages were structured, Grima was certain that the Cantan army wasn't about to find themselves up against Valla's finest soldiers. The blockages weren't made to slow an army to give the garrison time to prepare themselves. The caves themselves were open in front, which meant that as soon as the army made it to the top, they would be granted entrance. In all likelihood, the cave residents were normal people. Perhaps handful would bear arms, but it would be nothing the Cantan army couldn't handle. Nothing Grima couldn't crush even without them. The cave residents posed no threat, whoever they were.

Grima glanced over to Azura, wondering what he should say to her. In most cases, he'd prefer not to talk to anyone at all. It was a pain pretending to be Robin, but he felt as though he owed it to the boy to try. Dragons weren't appreciated in this world. Not the ones that were actually known to still exist, and not in a way Grima wanted. The Dawn Dragon and Dusk Dragon that had likely died centuries ago were revered by their respective countries, but Grima? A foreign being they had never heard of, who had possessed their tactician? And who the three not-so-Nohrian retainers hated in a way he could never abate, even if he had not been the Grima to destroy their world? Dropping his act and announcing his presence would create a mess he didn't want to deal with. But Azura was a smart woman, and she'd realize something was wrong with him if he talked to her. 'Wrong' being a subjective term he did not agree with. But a term she'd likely come up with regardless.

Azura chose that moment to look over at Grima for the first time since their trek up the mountain had begun, eyes widening as she realized he had been staring at her. Unfortunate timing.

Sighing, Grima made his way over to her. He kept his eyes forward as he talked. Eyes were the key to the soul, and making eye contact would do nothing good for maintaining his increasingly annoying charade. "How sure are you that Valla's human population has been exterminated?"

Azura frowned. "That's an...interesting way to begin a conversation."

Grima shrugged. A Robin move. "Yeah, but I figured you'd appreciate me being honest with you upfront rather than trying to skirt around the topic until we got comfortable."

"I do," Azura responded, going silent for a few seconds. Then, with a sigh, "And, not entirely sure. My memories of my childhood are not perfect. The destruction I saw when my mother took me away was immense, and I have never come across another living human being in my returns to my homeland. But, it isn't as though I've seen enough bodies to confirm my suspicions either. No one ever said everyone was dead, as my mother refused to talk about Valla until the end and I had no one else to speak to. With everything I saw I assumed I was the only one left but… it's possible that's not the case. There could be a few pockets of people living, hidden, in this land. Why do you ask?"

Her eyes were still on Grima's face, impressive given the terrain was rocky enough she risked a serious fall if she didn't watch where she was going. Sighing once more, Grima returned the gaze.

"I don't have to tell you why, do I?"

Azura bit her lip, though her gaze did not waver. "You believe we'll encounter living residents of Valla when we reach the caves?"

Grima nodded. "I'm sure of it." For one, a particularly strong gust of wind had carried a scent down from the caves that was distinctly human. Living human. Though Grima wasn't about to admit that to anyone, as humans themselves would never have noticed such a thing. "Look at this path. The way it is blocked is distinctly human. The invisible soldiers, while bearing impressive combat abilities, haven't shown themselves to be capable in areas that require a lot of thinking. I don't believe they're the ones that tried to hide the way up to the cave."

"Then what do we do when we find the people inside?"

Oh there were plenty of things they could do. Slaughter them and take their supplies, push them off the cliffs one by one, force them outside and bar them entry… "I don't know. They're your people. Do you have any ideas?"

A blush crossed Azura's face. "My people? I haven't ever spoken to them. I left Valla. What right do I have to rule over a people who I abandoned?"

"You didn't abandon them," Grima insisted. "You were torn away from your people as a child by a mother who gave you no other choice. Was it a good decision? Undoubtedly, as your survival was paramount. But the decision was not yours. Do not blame yourself for things outside of your control."

Azura stared at Grima, frowning. He realized he'd dropped his charade once more. He knew Robin's personality inside and out, so why was he having so much trouble mimicking it? It wasn't that he didn't know how to do it, more that he kept forgetting. Or felt it wasn't his place and unconsciously avoided it. Whatever the case, it was annoying.

He cleared his throat, trying to channel his inner Robin (who was still conspicuously missing). "What I mean is that it doesn't matter that you left. Anankos was trying to kill you and your mother. He killed your father, right? He was probably trying to get your whole family line, and had you stayed, you would've been next. You couldn't have done anything back then. You would've been killed and nothing more, and that would've done your people no services. Instead, your mother took you away and you survived long enough to bring an entire army back to kill the beast that destroyed your home. Yes it's an admittedly small army, but it's still an army! It's a lot more than one little girl could have done.

"So when you meet those people up there, you won't be the little spoiled princess who abandoned them. You will be the girl that sacrificed so much and has endured so much to return as a savior, bearing promises of their freedom from the terror that has caged them for so long. You are their key to survival, and to reclaiming the land they have been locked away from for so long. Don't doubt yourself. You are much more than any of them."

A blush crossed Azura's face. "It's sweet to hear you believe in me, but I'm really not. I'm just a person. Saying I'm a savior… I want to make up for leaving, but I don't think I'm anything that amazing."

"Then you undervalue yourself. You've served this army in a way no one else has or can. Your powers are unique, pendant-born or not. And we would never have made it to Valla without you, so you've done at least some good."

"Thank you," Azura finally conceded, turning her eyes away from Grima to watch her step as they passed over a particularly uneven patch. "As for what we should do… I'm not sure either. We could explain who we are, first. Having only you, Corrin, and I enter the cave while the rest of our friends stay outside so we don't seem threatening. I think that the people of Valla do know of the existence of the other world, even if none but the royal family had the ability to cross back and forth. Other than the few portals that lead there and back, but I don't think many people used them, and for all I know they might think the other world is only a legend, not truth. I'm not sure. It's been so long since my mother told me the stories, and with her gone I have no one to ask about it."

Grima considered trying to comfort Azura for a moment. Her expression grew somber when she spoke of her mother, and her face turned even more toward the ground with her last sentence. But he wasn't good at comfort. Not like Robin. He would mess it up somehow were he to try. So he decided to ignore the statement and focused on her plan.

"That's as good an idea as any." Ordering the soldiers to kill civilian Vallites probably wouldn't make the Cantan forces like Robin very much, even if it was quick and relatively easy. "I'll pass the message along to Corrin."

Not that that would be very difficult, with the way Corrin was jogging up to the two of them. She must have noticed them talking and wanted to join in.

"She must have sensed us talking about her," Azura chuckled, bringing a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. Why, Grima didn't understand. It was obvious what she was doing. And why try to mask her expression? There wasn't anything wrong with her amusement, nor did he believe Corrin would be upset at it. If anything, Corirn would mimic the action. The two princesses were on good terms.

"Hopefully whatever you were saying about me was good. Right? No teasing?" Corrin asked, slowing her steps to match her companions' pace.

"We weren't so much talking about you as saying we should," Grima responded, before letting out a chuckle of his own. "Though I suppose we have plenty to say should we want to. We could congratulate you for how far you've come along, for example. Either focusing on your accomplishments or all the mistakes and embarrassing moments along the way depending on how we felt like remembering your path. After all, you've grown a lot, which means the early days were a bit… unfortunate."

Corrin huffed, putting up a dramatic frown. "Oh, really? Well how about we bring up all of your silly mistakes too!"

"Like?" Grima drawled.

Corrin smirked, raising a finger as though she was about to count off. "Like…" She paused, holding the finger in place. "Um. Give me a second."

"You shouldn't make claims you cannot support."

"How about when we first ate with chopsticks while in Hoshido and you were so bad at holding them you had to resort to stabbing them through your food instead of picking the food up?" Azura provided. "Or when you tried to shake Takumi's hand, only for him to stare at you because that was a Nohrian-only custom?"

Grima frowned. "Mistakes born from ignorance are completely different."

"Oh?" Corrin replied, a sly smile crawling onto her face. She put a hand on Grima's shoulder, leaning on him slightly. "Are you sure? Because that's what you were making fun of me for, right? Ignorance? I don't think you were much better on that front. I knew how to use chopsticks, for one."

A twitch. "Chopsticks are unimportant!"

Azura shook her head. "I wouldn't say that. They're essential for most Hoshidan cuisine. Both because that's respectful when in Hoshido, and because many meals have been developed with chopsticks in mind, meaning chopsticks are much more efficient to use than Nohrian utensils."

"This is ridiculous," Grima muttered, shaking off Corrin to walk a few feet ahead.

Behind him, Azura and Corrin giggled, whispering something to each other that Grima didn't care to listen in on. Let the girls have their fun. They were only children, they didn't understand which buttons to press and which not to. It wasn't his problem that they acted like that. Besides, Robin wouldn't appreciate it if Grima went off on them.

Corrin jogged back to his side with a smile a moment later, Azura coming up on her left."But really, what did you need me for?"

Grima looked up to the top of the mountain, only twenty or so minutes of walking away as long as none of the final obstacles proved more obstructive than their predecessors. "I don't believe the caves are as uninhabited as the scouting party said they are."

Corrin's eyes narrowed, expression growing serious. "Do you think Anankos expected us to come this way and already sent his guard?"

"No. I don't believe he knows of this place at all," Grima said.

"Then who…?"

"Vallites. Living ones," Azura responded, drawing Corrin's wide-eyed attention. "Think about it. This path is much too well directed and blocked for it to be natural. This isn't the work of weathering or animals. There have to be humans inside. Living, breathing people, not the puppets Anankos has working for him."

"I thought you said Valla was a dead land. That Anankos had killed all its residents," Corrin recalled.

Azura shook her head. "Not quite. He destroyed this place, which I knew, but I never confirmed that he killed everyone. I had only assumed that, since I'd never seen anyone else. But after what Robin has said… I'm beginning to think I was wrong." She sighed, a bittersweet expression crossing her face. "Never in my life have I been so desperate to be wrong! If there were other Vallites...even if I was not raised here after my first few years of life, it's still my home. I want the best for it. If there are other survivors… I would be so, so grateful."

She choked up with her final words, eyes going misty and voice growing soft. Corrin immediately went to her, gently lifting Azura's hair with her right hand as she wrapped her left arm around Azura's shoulders, pulling her close. She didn't say anything, just kept walking with Azura by her side. Azura, meanwhile, had her head tilted toward the sky, unfallen tears glittering in her eyes as they reflected the bright sunlight of a land so foreign to Corrin and Robin, but so familiar to the woman upon whose eyes they lay.

A minute later Azura wrapped her right arm around Corrin's waist, whispering a thank you. Corrin then pulled her into a hug, hugging Azura tight enough Grima could see the fabric strain.

Then she released her grip and the two split apart, each bearing their own smile. Corrin had a wide grin, pleased with her actions, while Azura's smile was more reserved. Happiness after pain. Memories of hard days and hopes for a better future. Something dripping with overly drawn-out sweetness like that.

The three continued walking, speeding up slightly to make their way to the front of the army. As they moved along Azura explained to Corrin their plan, for the three of them to enter the cave and talk to the natives while the rest of the Cantan forces waited outside. Azura would take the lead, being the one most familiar to the land, while Corrin and Robin would be there to provide some friendly (Grima had to laugh at that. Him, friendly!) faces the Vallites could get used to. With Corrin also doubling as emotional support. Thankfully neither girl tried to include Grima (Robin) in that position.

After discussing their plan of...well, not attack. Their plan of peaceful conversation, the trio caught up with Xander and Ryoma, who were chatting about Corrin of all things. Not the alliance they had proposed, not the strange land they found themselves in, but Corrin. Xander was in the middle of recalling a story about some incident where Corrin had tried to surprise him with a birthday cake three weeks before his birthday because she wasn't sure when she would next see him, only to have to throw the whole thing out because she'd recruited Felicia to help bake and things had gone less than admirably. Still, he appreciated her attempts, and thought it was cute when he'd entered the fortress only to find an eleven year old Corrin with frosting in her hair that she must've missed when cleaning up since the white had gone unnoticed in her matching locks.

Ryoma clearly got a kick out of the story, letting his face drop into his hand as he let out a hearty laugh, Xander bearing a much more reserved expression as he chuckled quietly. Grima had noticed Ryoma was much more free and open with his emotions than Xander was. They made an interesting duo.

Corrin elbowed Grima before he could make any comments on the story, shouting out to her brothers to get their attention (before they could recall any other embarrassing stories about her) as she closed the distance between them.

Ryoma perked up at the sound, clearing his throat to stifle his laughter. "Corrin! How is the walk treating you? It's quite steep here."

"Well enough," she replied, walking between him and Xander, who had waved to greet her. Corrin seemed as though she was being very careful to avoid showing any favoritism. "I haven't exactly been sitting around these past few months, you know. I'm not going to get taken out by a little walk like this."

Xander nodded. "Especially after having spent so long living in the Northern Fortress, I suspect. Though a great tower along our wider defenses, you can't deny its breadth spans more in the vertical than the horizontal. I remember one of my generals claiming it had the most stairs in once space in all of Nohr, and a fair few training sessions with you where we simply spent the day running up and down them."

"More than a few!" Corrin shot back, lips tilting upwards. "I thought my legs were going to fall off after those sessions. I liked training on the top of the tower where we got a breeze and had no stairs a lot better."

Xander hummed. "To be a great soldier, one must train all aspects of the body, little princess. Nothing is gained without hard work and pushing the body to its limit. Though admittedly harsh, you excelled in those training sessions. I'm amazed with how capable you've become over the past few years and months. It's astounding."

Corrin brought a hand to her head, running it through her hair. "Come on Xander, there's no need to exaggerate! I'm just as good as anyone else who would put in the effort, trust me. There's nothing special about me."

Grima would disagree. She could turn into a beast that was most definitely not a dragon but spectacular nonetheless. Her blood was more than human, and he'd seen no other like her. Special was an understatement.

He also noticed Xander's lip quiver for a split second when Corrin claimed her results could be achieved by anyone who expended the same effort. Something in Xander didn't agree with that statement, obviously. From the bits and pieces he'd learned while listening in to Robin's conversations with Camilla and Leo, he knew Xander trained harder than anyone they knew. To a point it was near-self destructive, and in tales he doubted were exaggerated.

Corrin on the other hand had improved at an astounding rate, as Xander had phrased it, beyond the effort she had put in. Not that she had been lazy in any sense of the word, or that she was improving without any effort. She had put her heart and soul, her body and blood, her spirit and everything into her actions over the past few months he'd known her. But very few people would have improved to the degree she had even if they had done the exact same thing. There was an innate power in her that no normal human could replicate. It was amazing.

But for someone like Xander, who tried even harder and still did not grow as fast (though he was still an amazing man in his own right, and at the moment more powerful than everyone around them including Corrin, but save Robin/Grima and possibly Ryoma, though Ryoma would only be an equal at best), it must have been frustrating to watch her growth. He loved his sister, that much was clear. He wanted the best for her. But it would always hurt to watch someone do what you could not do but so desperately wanted, no matter how much you wished for that person to succeed. For them to take hold of your greatest desire, something that you had perhaps eventually resigned to believing was completely out of reach, but suddenly realized was just out of reach for you.

Grima would love to talk to the man some time. He had the makings of a true leader. Mostly. He sacrificed more than a good leader should, so Grima would have to talk him out of that, but the foundation was there. After all, while sacrifice for your country was good, when you were the king all that meant is that your death would leave your people without a leader, without a direction. Those who followed in his footsteps would never lead exactly as he would. His ideals were his alone, and no number of attempts at mimicking them would ever do so perfectly. So while self-sacrifice could seem romantic and sweet, there was a time and place for it. A certain extent to which it was good, and an extent to which it only served a detriment to the final goal. A certain position or people for whom it would serve no good.

While Grima was busy thinking, Corrin had finished her explanation of the plan to Xander and Ryoma, Azura filling in here and there.

Xander seemed wary of the idea. "Are you sure the Vallites will be peaceful? If the only other living beings in this land, if the invisible soldiers can be referred to as such, are hostile, isn't it likely they will treat you as the same when you enter?"

Ryoma nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Entering an enclosed space with dozens of people who will see you as an enemy is dangerous, even if you don't think of yourself as such. In the time it takes you to explain you don't mean to hurt them, they could come forward to injure you. It's too risky going in with just the three of you."

Corrin opened her mouth to respond, but Grima jumped in the conversation before she got out any words. "I disagree. Going in with any more than the three of us would only make things worse. I understand why you're worried about the situation, and acknowledge it has its inherent risks. But we've come too far to descend back down the mountain, and it would be too dangerous to stay in the open like this, not to mention uncomfortable and likely to leave us in poor condition for the march and possible battle tomorrow."

"How can you ensure your safety when entering, then?" Xander pressed.

"We'll just have to trust the people not to attack us," Azura responded, voice soft as always. "It's clear who and what Anankos' soldiers are. Even when they're fully visible, they still flicker. They still have a purple aura about them. Their eyes are lifeless. The Vallites will be able to tell we're not like them. They have to at least hesitate when they see us. And we'll enter unarmed, so we won't seem threatening."

"Unarmed!?" Ryoma repeated, incredulous. "Then you'll have no way of protecting yourself if they do attack! Please, if you won't allow us to join you, you must at least arm yourself for self-defense. I won't allow you to throw your life away."

"It won't be throwing our lives away!" Corrin shot back, frowning. "It's for a good cause. For them as well as us. They need to learn to trust us. We can use any help we can get, and befriending them might help us learn valuable information we never would have found out otherwise. Not to mention it's the right thing to do."

"And-" Grima added, drawing the word out. "We won't be completely unarmed. We'll just appear to be unarmed."

Xander raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Grima moved closer to Corrin, grabbing her wrist and raising it. In her hand was a glittering teal orb. "Though she will leave the Yato behind, Corrin will have her dragonstone and can transform if things go badly." He dropped her wrist, putting his hand in his coat and drawing out a tome. "And I have a spellbook to give us means of escape if necessary. Azura will leave her naginata with you as well, but she can back Corrin and me with song to keep us invigorated depending on how many Vallites try to attack us and how much aid we need. She will also be available to run out for backup depending on the situation. We've thought this through, trust me. It will be fine."

He placed the tome back in his coat as Xander and Ryoma exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them.

Xander took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He locked eyes with Corrin. "Are you absolutely certain you can defend yourself if the need arises? That you will be able to escape without sustaining serious injury or provoking an attack you cannot safely exit?"

Corinn nodded, maintaining eye contact, her face growing serious to match Xander's stoney expression. "Yes."

Xander continued to gaze into her eyes, his chin held high as his eyes looked down at Corrin, so much smaller than him, so much more fragile in his eyes. Twenty or so seconds of silent staring later, he finally nodded, relenting. "Then I trust your judgement and abilities. I will await you at the cave entrance. If you have need of any aid, simply call out my name and I swear that I will be only seconds behind, Siegfried in hand."

"Of course," Corrin responded, waiting a second before she stepped forward to give him a hug. Xander was surprised by the action, freezing when Corrin's arms wrapped around him. Though he relaxed his shoulders slightly after the initial contact, a heavy stiffness remained. "Thank you for trusting me."

"I've known you for years, little princess, and trained you the best I could. You're a capable young woman. If you truly believe you can do this, it's not my place to stop you. What you've accomplished these past few months is beyond what I could ever have imagined you doing in such a short time. Besides, your tactician seems more than capable. Especially with what my retainer has told me of him. I trust he will keep you safe, right?"

Grima let a sly smile slip onto his face, tilting his head back a little to stare Xander directly in the eyes. "The safest."

Corrin let go of Xander, taking a step back to give her space to look at Grima. He didn't look back at her, but he could feel her displeasure with his tone at the back of his neck. She didn't voice it though. She must've known he could tell it was there regardless of what she had to say about it.

Xander didn't bear a similar expression. He must've been thinking along the same lines, but he was the type to hide his emotions. He was careful about showing the extent of what he felt, and to whom. Ryoma meanwhile wore a frown. Not the same type as Corrin, but the frown of one who was missing something and not very happy about it.

The four royals then took a few minutes to discuss how they would inform the rest of the army about their discovery. Or assumption, but Grima and Azura were sure enough of the Vallite's presence that it was fair to call it a discovery even without having explicitly seen the people they knew to be present in the caves ahead of them. The royals would take turns explaining the situation, with Corrin and Azura at the lead and Xander and Ryoma present to make sure their soldiers obeyed. Grima would stay at their side, silent, the silence heavily suggested by Xander. Grima did not object. He didn't care to speak to the soldiers anyway. It was a waste of time and breath.

One of his favorite things about the Risen was that they needed no explanations. If he told them to destroy a town, they would destroy a town with no questions asked. If he told them to wait in the middle of the desert while he explored one of Plegia's numerous expansive temples, they would wait until he returned even as their rotting skin fell off their bodies and the chains some wore burned welts into their sides. He didn't need to waste any breath explaining to them that that town needed to burn because he'd been notified it was aiding the Resistance, nor did he need to calm the Risen and tell them that while waiting outside might be a bit unpleasant, it was for a good cause as the temple he needed to examine was fragile and the weight of so many bodies within its walls could risk collapsing some of the older parts of the floor. He just said 'attack' or 'wait' and they did it. Sometimes he didn't even need to say it. He'd just direct his will toward them and they would carry out that which he wished to occur. Easy as that.

At least this time no one tried to talk back. Some of the other royals came up to Azura and Corrin to try to convince them not to go in alone, but they gave the same explanation they'd given the crown princes. It was necessary. Though they would leave some weapons behind, they would be far from unarmed. They would only go so deep in the cave, to make sure they were close enough for Keaton and Kaden (who had volunteered themselves, having better hearing than regular humans) to hear if they called for backup. There was no need to worry.

Leo and Hinoka were the loudest dissenters, but their siblings eventually convinced them to calm down and let their sisters (and Robin) go in alone. Takumi was oddly silent on the matter.

Grima debated whether or not he should have Takumi join them. The boy was clearly unwell. Though he was faring far better than he had when he'd collapsed before the canyon, he hadn't fully regained his health. Grima suspected it had to do with their being in Valla and their proximity to Anankos. Anankos had some sort of influence over the boy, whether that be something that only allowed him to use the boy as a listening tool, or something that might grant him control over the boy's body. Grima wasn't familiar enough with the other dragon to tell without getting closer to Takumi than the boy was comfortable with. And not in a way that wouldn't raise alarms with his siblings. Perhaps later, when they set up camp, he'd invite Takumi to his tent for a discussion. Try to see if he could figure out what Anankos was doing to him, or perhaps even release the boy from his grasp even if only a little.

He wanted to keep an eye on the boy, and leaving him out of the cave wouldn't help him do that. But bringing Takumi with them also had its risks. If Anankos managed to influence him enough to get Takumi to attack, they would lose all possible trust the Vallites might have otherwise placed in them.

So, Takumi would stay behind. It would be only the trio who entered the cave until an alliance or other agreement was secured.

And when they reached the top, that was what they did. Well wishes from the rest of the royal siblings as Grima, Azura, and Corrin entered the cave, but no followers.

The walk was quiet, at first. No rhythmic sound of water dripping from a stalactite to a pool below. No wind howling as it was sucked into the cave entrance, bouncing around on the cave walls until the air eventually stilled. No bats, or rats, or other creatures who preferred dark places making squeaks or other small noises that could have filled the space around them. Just quiet. Just the steps Grima had asked Corrin and Azura to muffle as well as they could.

For a few minutes, at least.

The cave system was deep. Winding paths, subtly carved by human hand into something more easily traversed by those who did not have wings or claws to propel themselves through the space. A few splits in the road, so to speak, where one was just faintly different than the others in a way to indicate which direction was the correct one.

There was enough space between the cave entrance and wherever its inhabitants were living that it would be quite possible for the entirety of the Cantan forces to enter the cave and spend the night there without so much as seeing a single Vallite. But Azura wanted to speak to them, and they could be valuable allies with their greater knowledge of Anankos' actions over the past several years, so it was for the best that the trio continue on until they found the Vallites regardless of whether it was necessary for a peaceful night's sleep.

Eventually, the crackle of fire joined the muted sound of footsteps, a few steps later joined by a low stream of light coming out of a door specially fashioned to blend into its natural environment. If an intruder were to just see the light, they might think it an opening to the outside and ignore the source. The opening was much too small to crawl through. But the sound was there too, and in a dark cave, humans needed light. It was clear what waited in the area the fire came from.

Grima stopped a few feet away from the door, taking a deep breath.

"All right, Azura. What we do next is up to you. We can try to barrel down the door, we can try to call out to those inside, or we can do whatever else comes to mind. It's your choice," he whispered, trying not to alert whoever was standing guard on the other side.

She nodded. "I understand. Of those…" She cleared her throat, raising her voice so that she might be heard by the Vallites who most likely were not expecting any visitors, especially not those who could speak. "Excuse me? Is anyone there, where the fire light is? I have two friends with me, and I would very much like to talk to you."

A loud clatter. Something knocked over, armor shifting as its wearer shot to their feet or otherwise moved. Hushed but audible whispers as the people on the other side, of which Grima expected there were two based on the different voices, frantically tried to react to what was undoubtedly a new situation. The slap of hard-soled shoes on the cave floor as one of those people ran off in the opposite direction, crossing in front of the fire in a way that momentarily disrupted the light stream coming out of the crack between their hidden door and the natural cave wall.

Azura bit her lip, continuing. "My friends and I are not armed, if you are worried. I'm not sure if the gap in the entrance is large enough for you to see, but if it is then we can try to do some turns to prove it to you."

"Do that," a strong voice ordered from the other side of the door.

Azura glanced at Grima and Corrin before walking directly in front of the light gap. She started by bunching her hair in her hands and raising it over her head, slowly turning so whoever was on the other side could see that she carried nothing other than the clothes on her body and her pendant, which would hopefully not alarm them in any way. She even lifted aside her half-skirt, not in any way that was indecent thanks to the leggings underneath, but just enough that whoever it was could see she wasn't hiding anything underneath.

Corrin was next, doing a similar circle, though she lifted her cape rather than skirt.

Then was Grima, who first took off his coat to shake it around to show that no weapons would fall out, and that it contained nothing. Which wasn't exactly true, since a modified tome was stored in what appeared to be a patch in the fabric, its weight masked by the heaviness of the coat that caused it to appear thick and saggy all around. He made his own circle afterwards, hands on the back of his head as his hair wasn't long enough to need to be held back. Such a poor choice on Robin's part. It looked so much better long, but the boy didn't even like it to touch his shoulders, much less the small of his back or any longer. Azura had much better taste. Maybe he would mention that to Robin when he finally woke up from his annoyingly long nap.

"Does that work for you?" Grima called when he was done, putting the coat back on Robin's body. It didn't get quite as cold as Grima's did, being more human than manakete (though there was...some, increasing influence. Which the boy seemed not to have noticed for the most part), but the cave wasn't at all warm and Grima didn't enjoy the chill.

"Step back," the voice on the other side snapped.

Grima did as he was asked, though not without a heavy sigh to indicate his displeasure. Corrin elbowed him for that, but he paid the action no mind. She could be so temperamental. It wasn't as if his sigh alone would deny them any support.

Corrin and Azura joined him, the three standing in a row ten or so feet away from the door.

Then, a new voice filtered through the crack.

"Why have you come here?" it asked. The voice was feminine, and soft. It didn't hold the biting strength of the woman who was serving as the door guard, and if the approaching steps a minute or so before were any indication, the voice didn't belong to a guard at all. Was she the leader of the little Vallite hideaway, perhaps?

Azura was the one to respond. "The three of us are traveling with a larger force aiming to defeat Anankos and end his hold on Valla. It's still a long way to the castle though, and we need somewhere safe to stay the night. We thought this cave would be a good place to stay the night, but when we realized there were other people living here, we thought it would be good to get their permission first. And to talk."

The guard scoffed. "Larger force? What force? There are hardly any people left in Valla. What larger force could you have? And even if you did have it, how do we know you're not more of Anankos' soldiers, come here to kill us once we've got our guard down?"

Azura took in a breath, frowning. She glanced over to Corrin for help, who shrugged in return.

"They do not fight for Anankos," the other woman responded. "Anankos' supply of human soldiers is small. He wouldn't send three of them all this way just to do that; it would be a waste of resources if they died. His invisible soldiers are infinite, as far as he could tell. If he wanted to eliminate us, he would send them after us. He considers them expendable."

"Lady Ilna," the guard began, before she was cut off.

"Nadia. Please step aside," the other woman ordered.

"Yes, milady."

A second later, there was a great deal of noise as whatever mechanisms keeping the door in place were moved and the door was pushed open.

Immediately behind it were the two women - one tall and probably in her mid-forties, wearing a long black dress with one leg revealed, similar to Azura's. Unlike Azura, the revealed leg was not clothed in leggings but instead in a large brace, something which likely prevented the woman from bending her leg or moving it well at all. Her sleeves were baggy though, tight at the shoulders and wrist but billowing out to the elbows in a partially sheer purple fabric. The other woman was at least two decades younger, and wore a grey and navy uniform resembling that of a pegasus knight, though she wore only short boots unlike the thigh-high ones Grima was used to seeing. Both had short lavender hair that curled where it ended at their shoulders.

"Is it alright if I step a bit closer, dear?" the older woman, Ilna by her voice, asked Azura.

"Of course."

Azura stood in place as the woman took a few steps forward. They were slow, and the woman had to move her leg awkwardly to do it. But she was able to move forward on her own, stopping just a foot away from Azura. She looked the princess up and down, blank face revealing nothing of her thoughts.

She did pause for a few seconds on Azura's pendant. She didn't touch it, just looked. Then she turned to Nadia.

"Get your father. I want-"

"Attack!" someone shouted from deep within the cave, startling everyone present and drowning out whatever else Ilna was going to say.

Nadia's eyes widened. "See! I told you they were-"

"It wasn't them." Ilna shot back, eyes narrow. She looked Azura in the eye. "If we arm you, can you three fight?"

Azura blinked a few times. "You trust us not to attack you?"

Ilna nodded. "Yes. Not to mention, if you're traveling with such a small force as to be able to all stay in this cave and expect to be able to defeat Anankos with that force, you have to be formidable warriors. You will help us, won't you?"

"In any way we can."

"Good. Now, please follow Nadia. She'll get you whatever weapons you need and guide you to the exit on the other side where Anankos' forces are approaching from. There are only two entrances to our home, and the other is in the opposite direction from where you came from. The terrain should work in our favor, but you never know when it comes to the strange beings Anankos has under his employ."

"Thank you, Lady Ilna," Azura said with a bow, moving to follow Nadia who had run off down the passageway and passed behind a corner. Grima and Corrin trailed behind her. What an interesting turn of events.

Ilna chuckled, a warm sound. "You're welcome. And good luck, your highness. I know you're capable of great things."

Azura froze for a moment, turning back to Ilna. "You-"

Ilna smiled. Knowing, bittersweet. "Please follow Nadia before she gets too far. Unfortunately my leg injury prevents me from fighting on the front line these days so I cannot join you, but I will do my best to keep things running here so you and your two friends can be sure to return to the rest of your group." She sighed. "Your mother was a sight to be seen on her pegasus. Untouchable. Even if I have not yet seen you in battle, I know you've inherited her majesty's fighting spirit. Her will to succeed. So please, help us in our time of need, and I swear I will repay you."

"Y-yes." Azura swallowed hard. Jolted slightly as Nadia popped back around the corner and shouted for the trio to hurry up. "I will be back to talk soon."

"Of course," Ilna replied.

Corrin looked back and forth between the two, not entirely sure what was going on.

Grima wasn't either. But from the sound of it, Ilna had known Azura's mother, and had gathered who Azura was from her appearance and/or pendant. Nadia had called her 'milady.' Perhaps she was an old Vallite noble, or someone well acquainted with Azura's mother. Someone important.

Whatever the case, she trusted Azura. She would be an important figure when it came to dealing with the Vallites. An essential tool for gaining their trust.

So Grima put a hand on Azura's shoulder to draw her attention, then pointed down the hall reminding her of where they needed to go. They could talk to Ilna later. To make sure they gained the rest of the Vallite's trust, they needed to get going. If they could impress them in battle, if they could help save lives, that would earn them a trust and respect they couldn't earn on Ilna's word alone.

Spilled blood was a powerful thing indeed.

Azura finally turned back, jogging down the hall to meet up with Nadia. Corrin took a moment to follow, throwing a confused glance at Grima in the meantime who simply raised an eyebrow in return. She sighed at his response, chasing after Azura without waiting for Grima to comment further. He started his jog a second later.

A battle with Anankos' forces in the land Anankos called home. What a sight to see.

This was going to be fun.


Author's Note:

First things first, there's not a battle here. However, as you can see, the ending is 100% set up for a battle in the next section and there is in fact a battle in the next chapter! Which is, drumroll please, going to be published in a few minutes once ffnet processes it and I add in the author's notes there! I did it! After at least a year if not two of promising that so sorry guys! I hope you enjoy it when it comes up.

Now, onto some things that are both more and less relevant. Huge huge huge shout out to ReunLuet on twitter for motivating me to write this again. I tried to write this chapter so many times. The google doc I wrote this is tracks edits, and I can see that I tried to start this in September, November, February, March, May... and got about 200 words down in all that time. I lost my passion. I knew where I wanted to take this story, but I just couldn't find the motivation to write. Everything I got down was crap. This was a 3.5 year old story. Who would care about it. Then on twitter I started blabbing about my writing and disappointments and ReunLuet comes and talks about how they really loved R&R, and we chatted a bit, and I decided to give it another go. A month and about 20,000 words later, here we are. 2 chapters up in time for the 4 year anniversary. So I can't thank ReunLuet enough (because once I got my groove back, writing this was really fun!). I might have stopped posting for a year, but my intent was never to abandon this story. I'm not joking when I say this came to my mind on roughly a weekly basis. I want to finish, even if it takes a while. I know how it ends. How I get there is a bit shaky, but I know. And I want to share that with you.

Future updates won't be in double updates like this one, at least not for a while. I've written well over 100,000 words of fanfic just for Three Houses over this past year (about 50,000 words are unpublished, and are undergoing revisions to be posted as an updated story which is now at a published 68,000 words just from the first 25 or 30,000 words of the draft) and I have a few fics/series that are still ongoing that I'm going to be working on. If you want to read those, I've pretty much migrated to Ao3 at this point, though I will continue to post this fic both here and there. I'm still attending university, just online this semester, and classes start in just under two weeks for me. I can't write as much as I had this summer, so updates will be a little slow. But they'll come. I'll try to switch between my current projects so this one doesn't get left behind!

Now then. That was a really long note, I know. I won't bore you with any more rambling. We have a long-awaited battle, after all! Thank you once again for sticking with me. 4 years. Wow. It's sure been a while. Here's to... hopefully not 4 more years because if I post on a semi regular basis this should not take that long to finish, but here's to probably at least a year more and a finished fic!

Originally posted August 4, 2020. Word count: 9,331 not counting author's notes

Until next time (which will be in about 20 minutes!), Mariyekos