Deliverer of Birthright

by romeoraiden

My First Story. Two Nations. One desperate enough to bring a terrible war, the other more concern for themselves, and at the center, a sheltered Princess is forced to make difficult choices for the good of all. In her quest to do what's right many will stand with her and many more will oppose, throwing her in a state of despair. And from the chaos a Fallen Hero will rise again.

19. Chapter 19: Goodbye Dusk, Hello Dawn

*Chapter 19: Goodbye Dusk, Hello Dawn

Dreams are a wonderful thing and a complete mystery at times, the mind is known for being deceptive, even to itself and sometimes what seem like dreams feel more like a memory, as it can be hard to distinguish the two when one slumbers and said memories aren't remembered vividly, and Corrin certainly has moments of her past that she has forgotten, her time with Hoshido in her youth being the biggest one but there are also events from her time in Nohr that slipped her mind for better or worse, though there is this one memory that she certainly will never forget, and that is that one night where she could not fall asleep and had a nighttime stroll in her fortress alone while everyone else slept. Corrin's never worried too much about security since the Fortress is always so quiet and peaceful, especially at night, though while it's so dark it's important to bring a lantern. Her stroll eventually stops once she reaches the top of one of the towers, the very same one where Xander would always insist on sparring on whenever he came to visit. She would always get the oddest sense of nostalgia when coming here since Xander is the one among her siblings that would visit her the least unlike the other three who would make time for her, though Leo and Camilla would occasionally have princeling duties to attend to.

She's not alone as she initially thought, seeing Robin also here staring at the cloudy sky as it is in most nights in Nohr due to its natural link with the Dusk Dragon, or so the religion of the Dusk Faithful believe it to be the case, Corrin thinks so too but she can't say the same for most of her family. He always enjoys stargazing, rarely ever lets a chance to see the stars slip whenever it wasn't cloudy. She notes that Robin has his personal tome; Morgenstern on his right hand while his left hand is glowing with a green aura, indicating that he might be planning to cast a wind spell. He was very insistent on her and Lilith to not share the fact that he can use magic to everyone else so as to not join the military as most tome wielders in Nohr are requested to work under the Monarchy, especially foreigners who choose to settle down in Nohr for many reasons, the main one is to keep individuals with power in check to not disturb the status quo if anyone with power runs uncheck and the rules of the Nohrian Army work rather well to keep everyone on a tight leash, and while Robin was at first open to the idea of being a military mage he quickly had a change of heart for reasons Corrin can only guess and not fault him for so she complied to his wish and never told anyone. And it seems like he's about to practice his magic in secrecy again.

The green glow shines brighter as Robin prepares to cast his spell and without uttering a word, the White Mage shoots an Elwind spell at the cloudy sky, moving much faster than any she's seen fired by Leo and that's when something spectacular happens as once the spell reaches the clouds, the magical force causes the sky to split apart in a very wide range, revealing all the stars above that would be naturally covered by them, to Corrin's utter amazement as she has never seen magic be used like this.

"That was… amazing." Corrin gasped, unknowingly dropping the lantern and drawing Robin's attention to her presence.

"Corrin!" Robin uttered in surprised. He did not expect to encounter anyone at this hour and hoped to be all alone to practice his magic in secrecy while everyone is asleep, and he sure is lucky that it was Corrin who caught him.

"I knew you were good with magic, but to actually split the sky, or rather a cloud that big so easily. When I asked Leo if he could do something like that the first time I felt like stargazing he laughed me off and said that no one can mess with the sky. You always had a knack for proving people wrong." Corrin praised.

"I merely know how to be one with the wind is all." Robin shrugged. "I take it by your silk black nightgown that you couldn't sleep. Another oddball dream?" He asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Oh, yeah, you know every now and then I have the most bizarre dreams, most of them are of great battles, and they tend to feel like they're more than just dreams but somehow more like premo… hey, wait a minute! Are you dropping the subject." Corrin protested.

'I've been caught.' Robin mused.

"C'mon, Rob, you know I can keep a secret and no one's going to find out from my mouth, nor Lilith's, the least you could do is show me some courtesy." She pleaded.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Robin sighed in defeat. "I have been practicing and trying to better understand my powers and I learned I am capable of a few feats I'm sure no one else can."

"Like what?" Corrin said growing more intrigued.

"Okay, if you want to see some real magic, I'll show you something new." Robin said as he first grabs Corrin and carries her princess style.

"Hey, what are you…"

"Promise not to drop you." Robin smirked as he begins to show his new trick as Corrin experiences flight for the first time as Robin begins to lift them both off the ground and they take to the sky.

"What the…" Corrin gasped in further shock as they are already fifty feet above the tower they were standing on and only going further into the sky. "How are you…"

"I'm using the Mana within me to manipulate my body mass in order to render me completely weightless, thus giving me the Power of Flight. Or at least that's how I see it, it's a little hard to explain since not a single tome at least in Nohr has anything that really explains how to fly." Robin explained, amused by how flabbergasted her face is.

"That's because no one in human history has ever been able to fly on their own before without the aid of a wyvern or pegasus." Corrin mumbled, with her shock only growing. "Robin, this is amazing!"

"You ain't seen nothing yet." He smirked as they soon fly above the clouds and move towards the bigger one, then Robin stops carrying Corrin princess style, now only using his left hand to hold her by her abdomen and starts using a spell from Morgenstern with blue magic coming out of his right hand that fuses with the cloud and once he is done he moves them closer to it and actually stands on it. Corrin can actually feel her feet standing on the cloud as if she is stepping on something tangible, it feels like a very comfortable bed made of water.

"Oh my Gods…" Corrin shouted in disbelief as she gets on her knees and starts touching the cloud. It's so soft and fluffy, and even though clouds are made of water and frozen crystal, she isn't getting wet by touching it, nor does she feel any shred of cold from the night, instead she feels warm. And like snow, she can move it and change its shape and out of pure childishness, she makes a snow angel, or rather cloud angel from it.

"I knew you'd like it." Robin smiled, enjoying seeing her like this.

"I LOVE this! THIS is real magic! It's just incredible." Corrin said so giddy. A realization then dawned on her. "Wait, it's because of you isn't it? Over the past sixteen months, clouds have been appearing less and less around all the farms in Nohr, allowing our farmers to better raise our crop much better than ever and enough so that Xander tells me that father is actually smiling and started paying more attention to the common folk. No one thought it was possible for anyone besides mother to get him to do either of those two things."

"I took the chance to dropped by whenever Leo asked you if he could borrow my swordsmanship whenever rebellions and brigand attacks started again and he was assigned to deal with the issue. Your father sure likes to keep his kids in top shape." Robin said, not denying anything.

"Thank you. I always knew you to be a true Nohrian. Helping those in need like Xander always said." Corrin praised in gratitude with a light blush. "With all the food we've been amassing this year we may hopefully be able to delay the coming war father has planned for so that we don't have to waste such invaluable lives."

"That's purely wishful thinking, Cor, but one that I promise to make a reality however I can, and while I know it may be selfish, I rather not draw any attention to myself, I've never even met King Garon but I here he has a nasty habit of making use of anyone he sets his sights on until they are no longer useful so I rather stay as far away from his sight." Robin said.

"Yeah, he is quite the beast and mother has no qualms about enabling his bad habits at times so it's better this way." Corrin said agreeing with him. "So any particular reason why you wanted to split the clouds this time."

"Stargazing mostly, you know it to be my favorite hobby." Robin said as they both lie down comfortably in the cloud and look up to see the hundreds upon thousands of stars above them. It was like looking at a massive pitch black quilt adorned with tiny specks of light over every available surface.

"It's so beautiful." Corrin awed. "The Chevians believe that stars are actually the souls of the deceased who've ascended and have become one with the cosmic force that birthed the universe, we Nohrians believe so too but more than that the Dusk Faithful claim that they're actually Dragon Eggs. When a human deemed worthy of the standards of Heaven dies, their souls are sent above the world and incase in crystalize eggs that are set to all hatch at once on the day that the Gods finally return to live among men and begin a new golden age with the children of the stars as their vassals."

"Those sure are a lot of babies, and last time I checked, babies love to eat." Robin mused.

"Dragons don't need mortal nourishments, so the overpopulation of lifeforms won't be too much of a problem in a spiritual sense, and besides, with Qliphoth back Nohr won't ever have to worry about going hungry." Corrin cheered with total faith in the God of Nohr. "What about you, Rob, what do you think the stars are really? Promise not to shout out sacrilege if I disagree."

"Honestly, I think they're like the sun, only smaller. Astronomical objects consisting of luminous spheroids of something amazingly powerful that mustn't be mistaken for magic but something that in time can be understood with science." Robin hypothesized.

"Well, that sounds boring." Corrin said.

"It's a matter of perspective but there's more to stars than religion and science. Want to try some real stargazing?" He asked.

"Aren't we doing that now?" Corrin asked.

"Nope, we're just getting started. The best part is looking at the constellations and mapping them out." Robin explained.

"How, exactly? I've never understood how do stars form images like they do?"

"They don't exactly ''form'' a perfect image of someone or something but you can see them in the space between the stars, which works like an outline." Robin tries to explain this as best he can and points at the starlit sky again. "See those two stars?"

"Yes?"

"Now follow them down and connect them with the stars over there, there, and there." Robin instructed pointing his finger at where she should look. "Now what do you see?"

"A… group of stars that form a gibberish thing." Corrin uttered.

"Those are the stars you're looking at and not the space between." Robin corrected. "Let's try it this way then, close your eyes." She complies and does as instructed.

"Okay, now I want you to picture your brother Xander. I want you to visualize everything you know about him: his height, his hair, his facial features, even his usual princeling stance. Once you have a clear picture of him in your head, let me know."

"Okay… I have it."

"Now open your eyes and look at those stars again. What do you see?"

Corrin opened her eyes to gaze at the stars once again and this time she sees the figure of Xander himself between them, standing tall, and literally larger than life as if he is actually a god, which to be fair a lot of people see him as with how he looks.

"Ah! I see it. It's really him!" She said excitedly.

"Congratulation. You are the first person to see the constellation of the next King of Nohr." Robin said pleased. "Keep in mind though, that Constellations are not about what is there, but what about your mind and imagination fills in the blank space. They're about finding something that might not appear to be there at first but knowing deep down that it is."

"Incredible, and you say there are more?" Corrin awed.

"Yep, and we should be able to spot them all this night." Robin smiled.

"Oh, I am definitely going to catch them all." Corrin smirked with more excitement. "Any particular reason why you often stargaze, hoping to find something you yourself aren't sure you want?"

"Pretty much, I come here hoping that maybe the stars would show me an image of something that has a very special place in my heart, an image that would flash a memory into my mind. I came close a few times but I only got half an image and couldn't make sense of it, a clear sign that I've lost more than I realized." Robin said with a bitter tone.

"Oh, Robin." Corrin said now growing concern before gaining back her smile as she holds on to his hand. "You'll get them back, I promised I'll help you."

"That means a lot to me Corrin." Robin smiled back at her for her kind words. Corrin then does something unexpected as she lies back down on the cloud, except this time she gets really close to Robin and wraps her right arm around him, startling him a bit. "Cor…?"

"How wonderful would it be for this moment to last a lifetime." Corrin whispered in his ear with a brighter blush.

Seconds later, Corrin snaps back into reality as that really was a dream based on a memory and she finds herself back in the room she requested for herself, Lilith, Mozu and Felicia since they insisted that she sleep with them and since there were only three beds, Corrin and Lilith had to share one, of which they didn't mind at all.

"Shit… that really was just a dream, and that last part never happened, I wasn't that courageous enough to confess then and now is not the time." Corrin whispered while hissing over her misfortune, And no longer able to sleep, she gets off the bed and gets dressed, putting on one of the clothing Oboro made for her, one fit for female spear fighters, don't know why she gave her this uniform since spears aren't her thing even though she has trained to use them but regardless, she puts it on and starts to take another nightly stroll, though she does catch a faint sign that the dawn is upon her, either way, it's deathly quiet in the castle so she better savor every single moment of peace she can for when the time comes to fight again. And after thirteen minutes of strolling around with no path in sight, this castle is really huge on the inside she ultimately stopped in the training grounds located behind Shirasagi where the Royal Family and Royal Guard train and it looks fancier and more equipped than the one in Fort Jinya. She's a little surprised to see that Ryoma is also up and is just standing at the center lost in thought or daydreaming, and dress in full armor no less. She swears, she's only ever seen him wear the same thing, not that she's one to talk but still.

"Ryoma." Corrin called him, getting him out of what he was thinking as he looks at her.

"Ah, Corrin, I'm not surprise to see you up this early, Kaze said that you're pretty much a morning person." Ryoma greeted.

"That wasn't always the case but recent events have made me jumpy." Corrin replied.

"Perfectly understandable, many of our comrades feel the same way as of late." Ryoma said.

"You mean to tell me that ninjas aren't usually this up an about." Corrin asked as she knows that there are several of them on the lookout for any threats for their Prince.

"Nevermind them, they're always like this, and even I sometimes question if they ever sleep." Ryoma joked.

"Don't they get uncomfortable staying in these positions, I can't imagine Kagero likes staying upside down in that ceiling for too long." Corrin asked, knowing that on their right, Kagero is upside down stealthfully hiding there and at night it's truly impossible to see her but out of a friendly gesture she exposes her hand to wave at the Princess.

"Believe it or not they're more comfortable when they're like this. Don't ask why, it's weird." Ryoma explained. "And you've learned how to spot them. Fascinating."

"Robin learned some tips on how to and taught them to me. Also, Kaze was more than willing to give me more than a few pointers." Corrin said. Corrin next hears the low growling of Saizo once he heard that.

"You did what?!" The Red Ninja groaned to her brother as the two begin to argue in the shadows with Ryoma none the wiser.

"She was really curious and I felt entitled to teach her how to defend herself against stealthy attacks." Kaze said innocently.

"Imbecile! Ninjas must never share the ancient secrets of their clans to outsiders, even our assigned lords." Saizo growled, really trying his hardest not to smack his brother for his insolence.

"Have you ever stop to think that maybe if you had helped Lord Ryoma with his training against stealth attacks, he be more fearsome, and maybe Yamamoto wouldn't had…"

That was the last straw for Saizo as he does smack his brother, causing him to fall off the roof and crashes down on the training ground for Corrin and Ryoma to see.

"Argh!" Kaze made a weak groan.

"Someone pulled the Saizo panel." Corrin said bemused.

"Do I want to know what just happened?" Ryoma asked most confused.

"Nothing worth your time, High Prince." Kaze bowed as he brushes off the whole incident and disappears into the shadows.

"Why do you put up with Saizo?" Corrin hissed.

"He's not so bad." Ryoma replied.

"You'd never engaged in a proper conversation with him, have you?" She questioned.

"No one but Kaze can pull it off." He replied grimly.

"Figures." She rolls her eyes.

"Dropping the subject entirely, I get the feeling that you're not just up and about because of being a lighter sleeper." Ryoma guessed.

"Geez, what gave you that idea?" Corrin said both sarcastically and venomously, even looking hostile towards Ryoma, who raises both his hands in defense.

"Still mad, I get it. I was completely out of line yesterday, and I'm sorry." He muttered nervously.

"You have a lot to apologize for, you fucking lobster." She hissed.

"I promise to make it up to you, for now, I believe the best thing for both of us to do is bent our stress." He suggested.

"I suck at meditation." Corrin replied.

"I'm saving that for Rinkah, I was really suggesting we spar some more." Ryoma said.

"I'd like that." Corrin agreed, and Ryoma draws Raijinto. "Whoa! You want to spar with our Sacred Treasures? Isn't that going too extreme?"

"We'll be fine, and besides, you've got to start learning how to use your transformed sword." Ryoma suggested.

"I know how to use magic weapons like the Levin Sword, Flame Sword, Wind Sword, Runesword, and Iceblade. They're the only type of magic I've managed to use and that's not too impressive considering that anyone can harness their power with thought alone and speaking of Wind Swords, the Empty Night form seems to be just the same as its power while also identical to the Fujin Yumi." Corrin explained.

"I sense it too, however, the concentration needed to use my Raijinto is ten times that of the amount when I use a regular lightning blade, the latter being much easier to control. Unlike regular magical relics, a Sacred Treasure must be treated as an extension of the wielder's body, an extra limb that must be well trained and the muscle memories perfected. Our fight will determine how far you can go with the training you already have with a wind sword." Ryoma instructed.

"Well, if you insist." Corrin said as she draws Yato, take a few steps away from each other and get into their fighting stances before they begin their showdown, that lasted a lot longer than they intended, even as the sun finally rose up, they kept at it, both having the stamina to fight for an hour, though they did stop for a few minutes of rest before continuing, with Corrin using her limited knowledge of wind swords to channel her new power, so far only able to summon Elwind attacks that Ryoma can parry easily but some packed enough force to make the Swordmaster almost lose his grip on the sword, with the Ninjas guarding them watching intently, some even forgetting that they are on guard duty, it's rare for them to see their High Prince exert himself this much on anything.

Corrin howls as she swings her newly changed sword horizontally at Ryoma that the High Prince swiftly blocks and upon impact the two sword release a minor shockwave from the magic they both radiate, of electricity and wind. Ryoma pushes Corrin back hard enough that she nearly trips but is able to maintain her footing in time to parry three swift attacks from Ryoma, though by the third swing she nearly loses her hold on her sword, Ryoma is hitting hard even though his attacks aren't as fast as he is actually capable since he's holding back just the right amount that he is sure his sister can keep up. Corrin, on the other hand feels like she doesn't have the luxury of holding back and pushes onward, delivering a stronger swing while the aura that permanently remains with the Yato glows brighter for a brief moment, signaling that the blade will use more power that Ryoma picks up on in time as he puts more strength into blocking the next swing, and it was a wise choice as Corrin's strike blows him almost sixty feet away from the training grounds and he ends up on his knees and supposedly hurt by the impact. However, one look at his face can tell anyone that he is just fine if his smug is any indication as Corrin succeeded only in making her big brother take things more seriously.

Raijinto releases more lightning magic that starts to bond with Ryoma and in the blink of an eye, the High Prince vanishes from sight, startling Corrin as she starts looking at her surroundings to see where he might be at. One of his Sacred Treasure's many qualities is that it imbues its wielder with the speed of lightning, or at least to a certain degree since lightning magic used by humans isn't as fast as a real lightning bolt but since Raijinto is a holy sword it stands to reason that the speed might be the real deal, though it didn't do Ryoma any good against Greed or even Xander since the former is a Demon and the latter has a Great Sacred Treasure as well that grants invulnerability. But Corrin is inexperience with her sword's power so she can't keep up, especially once Ryoma returns to view and is now right behind her with his sword ready to strike, however he makes a little sniff from his nose that Corrin's ears picked up easily, alarming her to Ryoma's location to make a counterattack and thrust her blade to him but Ryoma vanishes from sight again only to quickly reappear at her left and swiftly points his sword near her throat, getting her to cease her struggle entirely.

"Let's take another ten minute break for you to relax some more, it's clear that you have a bad habit of overexerting yourself when your desire to win takes the better of you." Ryoma said playfully.

"You sniffed on purpose just to get my attention." Corrin surmised annoyingly.

"You wouldn't have noticed me otherwise, your reflexes may be superior to the average Swordmaster and Spear Master, and your eyes and ears don't fail you often to spot danger but your no demon or master of a Sacred Treasure yet." Ryoma said somewhat smugly as he pulls his sword away from her.

"Whatever…" Corrin sighed in defeat as the two go to lie down and rest, and in the nick of time, Jakob arrives with breakfast.

"It's feeding time, Milady." Jakob said warmly to the Princess as he presents her meal.

"Oh, Veggie Chowder. My favorite. Thank you Jakob." Corrin smiled with a hungry expression.

"No thanks are necessary, your Gracefulness." Jakob bowed with respect.

"Odd, I could've sworn you said that Surf and Turf was your favorite meal." Ryoma said recalling a previous conversation she had with her.

"Sometimes Surf and Turf is my favorite, sometimes it's Veggie Chowder, and sometimes is Tangy Coleslaw. I'm more of a top ten kind of gal." Corrin corrected.

"Robin wasn't kidding when he said you were very undecisive." Ryoma said amused.

"Oh, don't take his side on the matter!" Corrin snapped with visible offense on the manner of her issues. "I can be decisive when I want to be."

"I'll hold you to the promise that you'll be better at it then." Ryoma smiled, wisely choosing not to address the fact that her indecisiveness is a critical issue that must be conquered soon. "I should really have breakfast right about now as well, got a big day ahead of us."

"Oh, here you go, High Prince." Felicia called out as she comes in with Ryoma's breakfast. Naturally, people weren't optimistic about Jakob and Felicia joining them, especially after Robin technically broke them out of prison, quite a hassle that was but Mikoto was in too much of a good mood to care as she brushes off the complaints too questionably smoothly and gave the two leeway as long as their loyalty to Corrin is absolute, which seems to be the case given Jakob's… obsession, in all honesty, and Felicia being too innocent for her own good, she's like a less shy version of Sakura, or at least that's how Mikoto sees it. She has yet to see how clumsy the Maid really is.

And clumsy she is as Felicia trips yet again, a loud screech from her mouth, falling to the ground and she might've dropped the food on Ryoma's face, thankfully Kaze showed up right in the nick of time and caught her, preventing her and the food from falling.

"That would've been too close for comfort." Ryoma muttered more relief than he sounds.

"Well, it's nice to see that nothing has changed much with you two." Corrin smiled nostalgically.

"I disagree." Jakob gave a silent hiss in annoyance.

"Oh, I'm so useless." Felicia sobbed in hopelessness.

"The training grounds aren't always well kept so trips are unavoidable but be more careful." Kaze advised gently as to not hurt her feelings.

"Your Nohrian servants are certainly unique." Ryoma complimented as he takes his food to finally have his breakfast.

"Yeah, they're both one of a kind." Corrin said joyously to have them both back.

"As always, you honor me, Milady." Jakob said extremely flattered by her words despite being so composed.

"I promise to do much better next time." Felicia cheered.

"Oh, and how about you, Kaze, I forgot to greet you good morning." Corrin said turning to the Ninja.

"There's no need for that for me, Milady." Kaze said politely. The green ninja notice a discreet scoff from Jakob aimed right at him that the others don't. The Butler really doesn't like him by how close Kaze is to Corrin. He's really overbearing about the Princess, and he really went over the edge when he found out that Robin and Kaze are now her new retainers, the Ninja just knows he's going to have the worst headaches of all time in the future to deal with him now that they'll be working together. Really though, Kaze should be the one holding a grudge after their first encounter and yet the victim is the mature one.

"Well, anything to keep you happy, Corrin." Ryoma smiled at her, naturally much preferring to see her sister smile. "And keep in mind that I'll try my best to help you feel more at ease."

"Yeah, you've made that pretty clear the last twelve times." Corrin said innocently. "And if you insist on it so much, might now be a good time to hear a little bit about what it was like growing up in Hoshido before Nohr, I wasn't exactly keeping an open mind when I first came here. Like your perspective on the family."

"Of course, I've been anticipating for this to come, actually. And our siblings are the best way to start, like little Hinoka, the crybaby." Ryoma reminisced.

"Hinoka… a crybaby? I can't see it." Corrin said having a hard time seeing Hinoka be a crybaby. Sure, she has seen her cry before but those were more sympathetic tears due to feeling useless.

"She has matured tremendously. Now she's an excellent model soldier." Ryoma said before turning to Kaze. "Kaze, you remember what Hinoka was like in our youth as well, don't you."

"Yes, though the reason for her immaturity was because all the other noble girls kept making fun of her for wearing more male-like clothing due to her big dreams of being a powerful warrior and actually thought that dressing up more like the late King would make her looks stronger." Kaze said, recalling those days fondly and how Hinoka would always run crying to the first familiar face she saw to cry on their shoulder whenever she was made fun of for not being ladylike enough and since he was closer to her age and knew each other well enough, he was more than willing to comfort her, whenever he visited the castle that is. "She was never interested in katanas, though."

"We all at one point want to look more like our heroes." Corrin guessed.

"I know better than most." Ryoma said as he two preferred to dress up to look more like his father, and actually still does since Sumeragi was a Samurai and so is he right now, just redder. Sumeragi didn't like the color red, not that Ryoma remembers. "And of course, you know about Takumi. I understand that the relationship between the two of you isn't ideal, toxic being the proper word to describe it but when he wakes up, can I ask you to give him one last chance to rekindle. I think being possessed by that Demon was punishment enough." Ryoma pleaded, still holding on to the hope that things between them can get better. "In spite of his missteps he is one of the most righteous men you'll ever know and I am saying this from an unbiased view since our soldiers respect him more than he would ever dare boast and is popular enough with our citizens."

"I'll try but I don't think I can make any promises when he's concern." Corrin said somberly while placing her right fingers near her eyes. She did not tell the others the extent of the physical pain she endured and plans to keep it that way. She can still feel the sting of having them cut from her eye sockets as well as remember the wicked laughter of Takumi's voice, reveling in her anguish. What hurts the most was the fact that she still doesn't know who she should hate for it, the demon, or her brother. They both have the same dark thought lingering on their hearts if Envy has one at all. "Though, the Rainbow Sage seems to think likewise since he too insisted I rekindle with him."

"All the more reason for you to comply!" Ryoma declared with a bit too much enthusiasm that he immediately makes a fake coughing sound to keep himself composed.

"Went out of character a bit, didn't you." Corrin said smugly. "Don't feel ashamed, I speak with certainty when I say that anyone would do crazy things for family."

"I quite agree, Lady Corrin." Kaze said recalling how complicated his relationship with his twin brother can be at times and how sometimes he wants to slam him to the ground for his rudeness, see how he likes it, but there is sibling love between them even if it's rarely ever shown, or at all.

"You have me there, though I've never had such opportunities to be no more than just the big brother sticking his neck out for his siblings, at least not during simpler times." Ryoma smiled delightedly. "Now, where was I? Ah yes, I want to bring up my thoughts on Azura next. As you know by now, she's always been a bit distant. Even as a child. She's kind and wise, but I wish she knew how to open up a little bit."

"Can you blame her for being so reclusive?" Corrin asked.

"Not at all, what we did to her was devilish and hypocritical, however at the time, I'm ashamed to admit that I saw it as justice due to how angry and bitter I felt because of your loss and did not care for her much until a year later when I began to interact with her and realized that my thoughts were that of a monster." Ryoma said with regret.

"Monster is too harsh to describe the broken heart of a kid." Corrin countered.

"So I've been told before, even still whenever I look at Azura, I feel that no matter what I have to make it up to her somehow but for some reason, I never had the chance to do so." Ryoma said.

"Well, you care, that's a bigger step than most."

"Naturally, I am the eldest, I feel a certain responsibility to everyone under my care. And, of course, I spend a great deal of time in self-reflection. I'm not without my faults."

"I don't think perfection suits humanity." Corrin sighed.

"And you already know what a gentle soul Sakura is, always worrying about others. My hope for her is that she can learn to be a bit more selfish, at least enough to stand up for herself and also more capable of making more friends, it would serve her well. I've noticed that she has been spending time with Mozu, Lilith and Hayato lately."

"Well, they are closer to her age, except maybe Lilith but they've been getting along well, and Sakura loves the carrot stew Mozu makes." Corrin explained.

"Makes sense, she's always wanted to know how farmers raise our crop and more so how to cook for herself." Ryoma said.

"If that's the case maybe you should give her some lessons on how to cook, Jakob, you are well versed with Hoshidan dishes." Corrin suggested.

"I would but I've reached my limits with students given the disaster that was keeping Robin's poison away from the kitchen." Jakob replied.

"Oh, come on, he turned out okay and the kitchen only blew up once." Corrin countered.

"He set my butt on fire." Jakob hissed.

"I said okay, not great." Corrin whined.

"And how could we forget his crime of incinerating Prince Xander's hair and leaving him bald for months that he was forced to wear a wig." Jakob reminded her, causing Ryoma to uncharacteristically snicker at the mention of the misfortune Robin did to his rival.

"Ah, that's nothing, remember when Camilla's retainer, what was the red head's name again… Severa…?" Corrin wondered.

"Selena." Felicia corrected.

"Right, there was this one time when Garon finally agreed to have that family dinner in the fortress with me and Selena persuaded Xander to have more of a sense of humor and he made that dumb joke and the rest of us panicked because we thought there was something wrong with him and immediately send him to the infirmary while he desperately tried to calm us down and father made it worse by putting the fortress on lockdown because he thought some rogue warlock cursed him." Corrin said and that really got a laugh out of Ryoma and a little from Kaze and Felicia.

"See, I can make people laugh as well, my sense of humor is not shallow." Corrin smirked.

"At the expense of others, maybe." Ryoma snickered.

"Oh, don't even start with the criticism." Corrin whined.

"I give no judgment on the matter." Ryoma shrugged.

"I'm glad to see that you're all doing well." Mikoto said as she, Hinoka and Sakura arrive in the training grounds to greet them.

"Hello mother, sisters, I trust all is well." Ryoma smiled at the three.

"The same as always when we're home and together." Mikoto stated.

"Good. And Takumi?" He asked. As soon as Takumi returned to Hoshido he locked himself in his room and refuses to talk to anyone, clearly not ready to talk about the great horrors Lilith described that Envy put him through, of which they themselves are not sure how to handle.

"Physically, he is better than ever, according to Lilith who can discreetly examine him without him ever noticing but emotionally, he's even more fragile than ever before." Hinoka said with sorrow over her brother's current state.

"The Sinners are gone for now and away from Takumi, that's much a win as we can hope for at times like these." Mikoto said trying to be optimistic.

"Yeah, and what about Anna?" Corrin asked.

"She's also up and about and seems lively but I suspect that she's putting a lot of effort to hide her emotional scars, who knows how long she's been possessed by Greed." Kaze said.

"Based on what Robin and Azura told us, the Anna who's affiliated with the Black Bulls has been searching for her for nearly two months so I say she's completely traumatized." Ryoma affirmed.

"That's another life in shambles that Wrath and his kin will also be answering for." Corrin swore with a small hint of venom as she gets on her feet and raises the Noble Yato in her hand.

"Consume your heart with patience, not vengeance Corrin. Believe me, just because we cannot begin to understand how you feel, does not change the fact that we know more so the consequences of letting your thoughts become clouded." Ryoma advised.

"I know that, for the most part." Corrin sighed in defeat. "Anyway, how are we wit the war effort?"

"In spite of the larger numbers, we've managed to hold more of the Nohrian forces from coming through our borders for the most part with our strongest spells, however it won't be long before they breach us but by then we're sure we can intercept them with our armies." Hinoka said.

"And are you're confident on wanting to focus on retaking Kyoto and not taking to the frontline some more?" Corrin asked.

"Yukimura believes this is the best course of action. Kyoto must be saved and Yamamoto brought to justice and we need to assess the true depth on how many traitors there are in our midst and bringing Yamamoto in might be our best shot." Ryoma affirmed. "And I can take a quick guess that you want in on this?"

"I do, I want to really begin to do my part for Hoshido and bringing a corrupt noble low sounds like the best way to start." Corrin answered with enthusiasm, which seemed to satisfy her brother. Though, in truth, she has another reason for wanting to meet this Yamamoto.

"Very well then, I can say with certainty that your strength will serve us well." Ryoma nodded.

"I second that." Hinoka added.

"What about the company we'll be bringing along, will such small numbers be enough to take back a whole city? Robin told me that Kyoto is the largest city in Hoshido and the most heavily guarded, second to Suzanoh." Corrin reminded them. "I mean, sure, Yamamoto may have an army but we have a Robin, which pretty much keeps things in our favor but I can't shake the feeling that things are going to fall OUT of our favor regardless."

"The company of soldiers we've assembled are our best that we all trust to help in our endeavors." Hinoka explained with great faith with their troops.

"My own army? And are you sure they're completely on board with being near me?" Corrin asked very concern over having to face the people now.

"Not to worry Milady, we have chosen our soldiers carefully and we can assure you that the men and women that will accompany us are among those of our people who trust you enough to want to work together with you. You'll be fine." Kaze assured her but she isn't feeling so confident but does not want to address the matter and lifts up a confident expression.

"I'll take your word for it then." Corrin replied before turning to Jakob and giving him a stern glance. "And Jakob, I trust that you'll behave for the entirety of our endeavors."

"Of course Milady… I… disgracefully confess to my folly on the mess from last night." Jakob said shamefully as he did not behave well yesterday when he found out about Robin and Kaze.

"Yes, I really cannot stress enough how bad I feel since I didn't react well to the whole Halloween thing." Ryoma said while awkwardly scratching his left cheek.

"Good for me, because I'm not apologizing." Corrin replied bluntly.

"Corrin, you promised you be nicer to your brother." Mikoto lectured.

"I never agreed I would do so immediately; he was completely out of line and made things infinitely worse." Corrin scuffed as she recalls the events that transpired last night.

(Yesterday)

Several hours after returning to Hoshido, dusk had finally settled with the moon already visible in the sky above and everyone is preparing to sleep, among them is Azura who had spent the entirety of the day sulking and expressing her anguish with Robin as her only source of comfort which took longer than the Tactician realized, not that he would ever dare complain since she needed this and he certainly cannot fathom why she waited this long to let out her feelings.

"Well, I certainly hope you're feeling better now. Not that I expect you to be perfectly fine already but at the very least enough to sleep well." Robin said still feeling concern for the Songstress.

"Way better, honestly." Azura replied with a sincere smile. She's still in distress over her situation but there is significantly less weight in her heart than before. "I am grateful that you were willing to put up with that side of me, though there is no need for you to walk me to my room, the castle is the most guarded building in the Kingdom."

"It eases my conscious when I'm the one overseeing the safety. I know I can't remain beside you all night but it's enough for me to take you there myself." Robin said kindly.

"You're too kind for your own good sometimes." Azura smiled.

"I get that a lot."

"Oh, there you two are." Corrin greeted as she, Mikoto, Hinoka, Sakura Lilith, Mozu, Felicia and Jakob pass by as they all find themselves in the entrance to the castle. "Where have you two been?"

"Relaxing in my room, I planned on staying there all day but my poor habit of walking about at night forced me out." Robin said being largely truthful.

"I spent most of my time near the lake, and from where I was sitting, I'm sure nobody noticed me there." Azura completely lied because she knows what it would sound like if they find out that she was with Robin the whole time and she doesn't want to talk about her breakdown but if they find out where she really was she'll have to tell them otherwise they'll jump to the ageless and infuriating conclusion that they were together getting intimate, especially Corrin and blow a jealous tantrum and everyone minus perhaps Robin quickly deduced that she's in love with him. Now that she really thought about it, that was a really awkward position they were both in when Robin offered her comfort and how much she needed him. Gods, that came out so wrong, her heart is pounding so fast it feels like it's going to burst, it's a miracle that Azura is not blushing at this very moment, especially since he wasn't wearing a shirt at the time. The anguish replaced with embarrassment and comedic fear for her life.

"I d-didn't see you there w-hen I… passed by." Sakura replied, strengthening Azura's lie.

"Thought as much. Though I am heading now to my room to sleep."

"And we were just about to say goodnight to you before I hit the bed with Lilith, Mozu and now Felicia." Corrin smiled at her.

"A good night to all of you then. Oh how thoughtless of me to forget, we have yet to introduce ourselves." Azura said turning to meet Felicia and Jakob. "You two are also friends with Corrin?"

"Wow, she looks exactly like Queen Arete." Felicia said in awe once she noticed Azura.

"The resemblance to her Majesty is truly remarkable." Jakob added.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Azura replied.

"It was meant to be, Milady, and it is truly an honor to finally meet you and I thank you for the support you have given to my Mistress so far." Jakob bowed in respect.

"Well, it's good to know you have a soft side after all, though I don't recall you giving me a thank you for helping you get out of prison." Robin noted.

"Bite your tongue or I'll cut it out of your mouth." Jakob sneered with clear distaste for Robin.

"Ouch…" Mikoto winched at the sudden cold words.

"Not even for my sake can you two get along." Corrin lectured with disappointment in her face.

"He started it!" The two men argued while pointing an accusatory finger at each other. The sudden immaturity got a giggle from every girl present.

"Even in my own home there seems to be unexpected ruckus." Ryoma said not unkindly and he and surprisingly almost all their comrades, minus for Takumi, Oboro and Hinata arrive as well.

"It's only been a day and already we could not help but reunite it seems." Corrin said playfully.

"It's really not that big of a deal." Rinkah said bluntly.

"Don't be like that Rinkah, you know she's just being friendly." Kaze said.

"We're still missing three key figures as well as gain some new faces." Hayato noted as he stares at Jakob and Felicia, and while the rest of them can discern that they may be Nohrian by their faces, or at least from the West side of Horus, they can't do so by their clothing since the butler and maid were forced to wear monk and shrine maiden attire respectively to avoid prejudice from the Hoshidans. There's a lot the two will need to be getting used to and while Felicia doesn't mind the maiden appearance, Jakob may require a little more time dressing up like a monk, at least there are more pockets for him to store his knives.

"These two are invaluable comrades of mine that I would like you all to get along in the foreseeable future, and I assure you that they'll be most helpful." Corrin assured them.

"Oh, so these are the not so dead friends of yours from Nohr?" Hana asked as Robin gave them all the heads up while Corrin visited the Rainbow Sage and urged them to remain quiet as he wanted it to be a surprise, which worked perfectly.

"That's them alright." Rinkah said callously, recognizing the two from the day King Garon forced her and her comrades to fight to the death against Corrin to test her. Corrin may have spared them but that doesn't mean she no longer holds a grudge over the humiliation the Nohrian Royals put her through.

"Yep, the old book club from the fortress is back together again." Robin replied.

"You were never invited to book club, you fool." Jakob scoffed at him.

"Shut up, Joker. It was hard to be there when you wouldn't stop giving me subtle signs that you poisoned my drinks." Robin spatted back at him as gently as he possibly could.

"I told you never to call me that!" Jakob glared daggers at the Tactician, while also threatening to throw actual daggers at him.

"Where did Joker come from?" Mozu asked.

"Oh, that's Jakob's real name but he doesn't like it." Felicia explained to her.

"Is there some sort of rivalry going on that we should know about?" Ryoma questioned.

"I'm not sure how to properly explain this, except that these two are a working progress." Corrin sighed in embarrassment over their behavior. "But really, it's nothing to concern yourselves with."

"Technically, we should be concerned because the last thing I want is for my daughter's retainers to have a rivalry that would jeopardize your progress in combat." Mikoto replied.

"Really, because no one seems to do anything about the constant bickering that Hinata and Oboro, Hana and Subaki constantly have over who is doing better for Takumi and Sakura."

"Oh, those four have always been like that and are at their best when they're being competitive." Ryoma shrugged amusingly.

"Thank you." Hana and Subaki replied at once.

"Beg pardon, your Majesty, but what'd you mean by 'retainers', as in more than one? I assure you that Lady Corrin has only ever has one TRUE Retainer, which is I." Jakob commented.

"Oh… right, I forgot to tell you, Jakob. Since I thought Wrath stole you from me and with everything going on, I was urged by my mother that I needed knew Retainers to aid me through all this mess." Corrin explained nervously, knowing how badly Jakob will react to this news, like right now.

"WHAT?! Did you find someone more qualified than me? Is that it! WHO?!" He demanded hysterically before quickly coming up with the answer himself, with his glare on Robin intensifying to the level that it rivals Oboro's demonic glare. "YOU!"

And in the blink of an eye, Robin finds himself annoyingly preventing two daggers pointed at both his eyes by holding back the now jealously enraged Jakob's wrists and Felicia in the middle, fruitlessly trying to keep them apart, with all the Hoshidans watching the events completely baffled.

"OH, COME ON!" Corrin cried indignantly.

"I knew it! I knew you were out to replace me!" Jakob shouted scornfully. "Don't think I never noticed the way you look at Milady with predatory eyes!"

"Jakob, enough!" Felicia pleaded.

"Just what could you possibly have to offer Lady Corrin that could ever hope to surpass me?" Jakob demanded.

"Well, I'm stronger for one." Robin pointed out as he effortlessly removes the daggers from the Butler and throws them both behind him. This does little to impede him, as Jakob leans in closer, officially invading Robin's personal space, something that is about as frequent as Corrin crying whenever she loses a sparring match with Xander.

"Owie…" Felicia mumbled as she is being squished.

"HA! Only a brute without purpose would say something so frail. A man with no past could never understand what it means to serve a master, nor fathom the extremes a retainer must take for their sake." Jakob scoffed.

"What, like you creating a custom blend of tea exclusively for her, or clear even the smallest pebble on the floor so that she doesn't step on any?" Robin questioned.

"Milady's feet are delicate and must be cared for equally so." Jakob argued.

"Wow… Robin wasn't kidding about people being overbearing around my sweetheart." Mikoto said flabbergasted by this… interesting discussion.

"Respect." Subaki complied as he too would take such measures for Sakura, though he would never be as extreme as Jakob since he knows how it would make his mistress uncomfortable.

"Would you two knock it off! This is embarrassing!" Corrin demanded. "And for the last time, Jakob, I don't want you wasting your life making the floor spotless for me to travel. I've done alright so far traveling this gone mad continent no problem."

"I only want what's best for you, your Highness, plus I was under strict instructions from Queen Arete to ignore your whining and keep the fortress spotless to suit your every need." Jakob objected.

"Of course she did." Corrin mumbled.

"Huh, how odd, that sounds like something I would do if you had lived your life here with us and still kept on walking barefooted." Mikoto admitted.

"Ignoring that…"

Kaze sighs over this argument, unable to prevent himself from feeling depressed.

"Feeling inadequate in comparison to those two?" Setsuna asked Kaze, noticing his distress.

"Yeah… I really haven't done much for Lady Corrin's best interest for the majority of our endeavors." The Green Ninja said feeling somewhat like a failure.

"Don't worry, as long as you continue to be good with what you do best, you'll always be acknowledged." Setsuna gave words of encouragement.

"Why does everyone in my family have such obsess retainers but me?" Hinoka protested. "And how come instead of relief I feel…"

"Don't you dare say that word." Ryoma warned, knowing that she is about to say she's jealous and after the crap they went through, they better not say anything regarding the Seven Deadly Sins. They really need to do something about Jakob's wrath and obvious envy.

"Right, right, I'm sorry." Hinoka mumbled. "But seriously, why do I always get the short end of the stick?"

"This is literally the only time I've ever heard you complain about Setsuna and Azama, any at all complaints I hear about them is from everyone else."

"Seriously, Jakob, this obsessive need to serve Corrin's every whim is largely unhealthy and we both know that Corrin wants you to take a vacation already, and after the ordeal you went through to get here, you really should instead of joining a fucking war." Robin advised as he gently pushes Jakob away from him and frees Felicia from her very uncomfortable position.

"Oh, you liked that, wouldn't you?" Jakob continued with his hate fest.

"Kaze, you want to help your partner out of whatever this is?" Robin pleaded.

"No thanks, my self-esteem has been degraded enough on this war." Kaze muttered.

"Partner? Oh, I see what's going on, so you were in on this too, have you." Jakob directs his attention to Kaze next.

"Excuse me?" Kaze asked.

"Sasquatch, don't play dumb with me, that's Felicia's job! I knew there was something off about you from the moment I saw you in Krakenburg, the look in your eyes when you first met Milady is all the telltale signs of a thief." Jakob said accusingly.

"Hold on a moment, you got it all wrong." Kaze said while blushing at the accusation.

"This is a thing." Mikoto smiled, kind of liking this scenario as the male servants of Corrin start to bicker. "So many sons in laws to choose from, who will be the lucky groom and who will give me strong grandchildren?"

"Pretty sure the winning contestant has already been decided." Reina playfully whispered in her ear.

"You stay out of this! This is one of the parts of my life that I especially don't want you involved in any way." Corrin protested.

"I'm your mother dear, I am legally allowed to get involved." Mikoto smirked and winked at her groaning daughter.

"I hate when she gets like this." Hinoka mumbled.

"Mother, no." Ryoma growled in mild irritation, giving off a hint of an overprotective brother.

"Are we really going to let these Nohrians travel with us? It seems rather risky even if their absolute loyalty is revoltingly clear." Saizo asked his liege.

"Risky? Fifty-fifty. They mean well, Felicia at least and they obviously make Corrin happy, so I'll give them a chance." Ryoma decreed.

"This seems like spoiling, and that may not be such a good idea with someone with a mentality like Lady Corrin, pardon me for speaking so bluntly." Kagero insisted.

"I'm making up for stolen time, leave me alone." Ryoma harshly argued with his retainers to be silent but the sweat they both drop is not because they are offended but just that they're left without words to comment at the sudden change in silly atmosphere.

"I'm glad I don't have Retainers." Azura sighed in relief.

"Totally." Rinkah and Hayato nodded in agreement.

"You two are inclined to have a few?" Azura asked.

"Well the leaders of the Elemental Tribes are viewed as royalties of sorts, especially since we each own important regions within Horus and as the children of our respective Chieftains, we count as a Princess and Prince ourselves, so having Retainers have been recommended to us before but I need no one's help with nothing." Rinkah said arrogantly.

"Same here." Hayato added. "Want to bet how long either of us can go before we are forced to have some?"

"You're on." Rinkah agreed.

"Tempting." Azura wondered if she could get into that.

"We're right here, you know." Orochi protested, unable to feel like she shouldn't feel insulted with the conversation of these three.

"Lady Corrin, please tell me this is all some huge misunderstanding. Tell me that you have not allowed this scoundrel to replace me as your Retainer?!" Jakob pleaded with her while pointing scornfully at Robin, who looks like he doesn't care about anything anymore.

"What? No, no, Jakob, no one could ever replace you. You have no equal and there's no one else like you. My greatest gift from Camilla." Corrin assured him while in a tone that sounds like she's speaking to a child. "You are my one and only Butler."

"Milady…" Jakob mumbled while blushing, achieving a newfound inspiration.

"Aww…" Sakura, Mikoto and Felicia said sweetly, touched by this lovely scene.

"But considering how awful things have been going for me, I need way more help than I can get, so consider Robin and Kaze your new partners." Corrin said bluntly, knowing How Jakob would react to this.

"WHAT?!" He gasped in horror before pinching the tip of his nose with intense irritation. "That's even worse than being replaced."

"Wow…" Robin hissed.

"You know, I'm the one who should be holding a grudge since you're the one who threw knives into my chest." Kaze pointed out.

"He did what?" Saizo demanded.

"You weren't even a gift from Camilla, you were her young butler before Corrin literally blackmailed her into giving you up and she even manipulated Xander to helping her with your adorableness." Robin reminded Jakob, based on the oddball of a tale Gunter told him regarding how Jakob went from being a young boy Camilla befriended in the streets of Windmire, brought him to live with her in Krakenburg as a rookie butler, only for a young and infatuated Corrin to snatch him all to herself. It is the only kind of resentment the usually overbearing and loving older sister holds towards Corrin.

"That just perfectly proves how invaluable I am compared to you!" Jakob argued.

"That is not what happened!" Corrin shouted in denial.

"I would give anything to hear this tale in full detail." Hinoka said completely hooked into something so juicy regarding her archrival.

"Shut the fuck up, Hinoka!" Corrin warned.

"This Injustice cannot be allowed, It's already unacceptable enough as it is that you would have forgiven him after what he had done to you on last Halloween!" Jakob continued to be a petty baby about this.

"OH! MY! GOD!" Both Corrin and Robin snapped in outrage and embarrassment with Corrin blushing so madly that her face is as red as Hinoka's hair.

"You, Xander and Camilla are never going to let that go!" Corrin cried.

"Again with that Nohrian holiday." Mikoto wondered, remembering how flustered Corrin got when she unintentionally brought up Halloween.

"How did Corrin even participate in that strange holiday if she was locked in a Fortress her whole life?" Ryoma wondered suspiciously.

"Jakob! For the hundredth and last time! Robin didn't FUCKING RAPED ME WENT WE SNUCK OFF TO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN IN WINDMIRE!" Corrin snapped as harshly as she possibly could at the Butler, suddenly forgetting the people around her as she said so and ignoring their shocked cries with Robin covering half his face from all the humiliation, while Felicia looks very uncomfortable with this same old argument.

"Then why did you return home with nothing but some bed sheet that can only be found in the cheapish motel in the Capital, smelling like alcohol and mustard of all things when the both of you snuck off together and he was nowhere to be found for ten whole months?!" Jakob demanded accusingly, furthering the shocks of everyone, mad blushes and girly squeals all around with Mikoto dropping sweats from her face over the intense argument and revelation while Ryoma is popping a few veins on his face and neck in anger.

"I was drunk! Like almost the entirety of Krakenburg over being able to celebrate an actual banquet in over ten years!" Corrin protested. "And I wasn't wasted enough to forget the whole night, I just lost all my inhibitions and went crazy, broke a ton of noses and teeth of anyone who I wasn't interested in. I was finally twenty and still I lacked a real woman's fun and excitement okay! I just wanted to go crazy and forget for one night that I was a Princess!" She lashed out like a rebellious teenager while making a mess of her delicate hair until she ends up looking like one of those crazy women in the street.

"And that justifies you going out and walking straight to a lion's den and run around, giving all those wretched dogs in Nohr the impression that you're for sale!" Ryoma screamed, getting in on the scolding.

"Are you calling me a prostitute!" Corrin snapped in uproar at the implication. "Where do you get off, trying to get your ass in all over what I do in my life all the sudden! You know damn well I can be with whoever I want!"

"Because I am your older brother young lady and the man of this family. Plus, you're royalty and no sister of mine shall ever engage in such harlot events ever!" Ryoma scolded. "I understand that you had a hard life and had little to no chance to explore your womanhood, much less had someone to court but there are certain bounds that must never be cross when finally able to take part in events like banquets."

"This is the most awkward I have ever felt." Azura mumbled.

"This is why we're never invited anywhere; you always start a riot everywhere you go." Felicia sighed sadly to Jakob with how things are getting.

"Well it's a good thing that I'm not really your sister, and I sure need no one telling me what I can and can't do with my life and I'm sure as Hell in a period where I don't need you!" Corrin fought back not about to be scolded for something that happened more than a year ago.

And again, Corrin's words visibly hurt Ryoma, this time physically, and that says nothing about how Hinoka and Sakura feel about this argument with Corrin implying that she doesn't need or want any of them for anything with her life problems. Ryoma, however, will not relent, he will be the older brother Corrin sorely needs in her life and just because she said so, doesn't change the fact that she does need her big brother.

"Don't use that tone with me! You are the frailest woman any of us have ever met, so much so that Sakura should be giving you her sympathy instead of healing your broken bones every time you get a slap in the face by your past!" Ryoma deliberately insulted.

"OH SNAP!" Subaki and Hana uttered at once over the audacity and admittedly, amusing comeback.

"Things are really getting heated now!" Azama laughed, while also cheering for more, same with Hayato.

"Should I be offended by that!" Sakura asked flabbergasted.

'In hindsight, I am glad to have met all of you and have been given the opportunity to be present for all these silly arguments.' Rinkah secretly admitted over how her friends are like.

"You Son of a Bastard!" Corrin was at her last wits, attempting to punch some manners into Ryoma but Robin holds her tightly to keep her from getting physical.

"Weren't you originally arguing with Joker?" Robin muttered.

"I'll deal with him later! And I am NEVER discussing what really happened on Halloween!" Corrin declared as she releases herself from Robin's grip. "It was MY special night and I loved every second of it! I already got enough nightmarish lectures from my Nohrian Family who swore I would never be allowed to be courted until I was forty."

"Finally, something the Crown Prince and I can agree on!" Ryoma replied, liking that punishment for her.

"FUCK YOU!"

"Having siblings must be hard." Orochi sighed, having no real words to this odd argument.

"I can't speak for everyone who's an older brother but life with a younger brother has never been a bad thing for me." Saizo noted.

"Your brother is Kaze, who's better than you, so you two don't count." Kagero said flat out.

"If that's how you feel you should've dated him instead as I told you too." Orochi said with a smug, earning her a slap to the face from Kagero.

"What did I tell you about butting in on my personal life." The Ninja Lady growled.

"Totally worth it." Orochi maintains her smug while she rubs her right cheek.

"Well, I'm glad someone enjoyed her night because I don't remember squat, especially how I ended up in Nestra while in a wagon with hobos." Robin muttered, still none the wiser on how he ended up in that bizarre situation. Well, it wasn't all bad since the hobos were extremely nice people and gave him new clothing since he woke up with nothing on.

"Oh for Dawn's Sake, you two are beacons for trouble. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to go through so many misadventures." Azura sighed, wondering on what other incidents these two have been through. And why does she wish her life was almost as exciting as theirs.

"Your blackout was the result of all the Hellgrammite you took, so your out of character episode into an animal aside, that was pretty much my fault." Corrin apologized.

"You have to do more than apologize. Xander and almost everyone was murder happy about chopping off my head when I came back if it wasn't for Arete who left me off with a warning, but being on everyone's death notes still stung, and Elise kept insisting that Kana would be an adorable name for a baby of either gender?" Robin demanded angrily. "Plus, Camilla sent assassins after me, and I know it was her since Beruka was among them."

"She did what?!" Corrin gasped.

"Aww… a grandchild named Kana. How beautiful." Mikoto giggled, completely delighted and already daydreaming about being a grandmother.

"Kana does not sound gender-neutral." Hinoka countered.

"Yeah, Loki sounds more preferable." Reina added.

"Oh, shut up, what do any of you know about being a mother." Mikoto pouted.

"Nothing at all." Reina sighed, while Orochi pats her in the shoulder.

"Exactly."

'It stings how thoughtlessly she sides with Elise.' Sakura thought while pouting herself.

"Hellgrammite? Isn't that the Anti-Magic drug Nohr invented to render Mages unable to use magic and leave us docile?" Hayato asked.

"Yeah, real mean sons of bitches." Rinkah hissed angrily. "That's what those dogs used to keep me from using my powers when they captured me."

"I hear that having too much makes Mages go crazy and wild like an animal?" Setsuna asked.

"Oh yeah, Robin did go crazy when I unknowingly forced seven Hellgrammites on him thinking they were something spicy as a joke." Corrin said while looking away from everyone, not wanting them to see the heavy blush on her face. "Turns out I am super selfish when I'm drunk."

"HA! She's hiding her face when she said that which means she did more than see our dear Tactician act like a wild animal." Azama accused amusingly, earning him the claw-like pommel of the Noble Yato thrown right at his face by Corrin, knocking him straight to the ground with a broken nose.

"You broke his nose!" Hinoka shouted as she and Setsuna check on the Monk.

"I've been waiting to do that for years." Orochi cheered sinisterly.

(Present Day)

"I think the whole castle heard our outburst and I can already hear the gossips further encouraging me to leave Hoshido." Corrin muttered in distress.

"Everyone did overhear, and now the only way we can stop the gossip is by giving them something juicier." Mikoto said.

"What could be juicier than Corrin having an affair with her retainer?" Hinoka asked.

"I don't know, me seeing someone else." Mikoto suggested.

"NOOOOO!" All of them minus Corrin, Jakob and Felicia argued against.

"Fine, but I'll keep that as my trump card." Mikoto pouted.

"W-hat even is H-Halloween, if you d-don't… mind me asking?" Sakura asked nervously, more so to drop the current subject. Corrin sighs seeing this coming and very reluctant to talk about it.

"Halloween is the most important Nohrian holiday where the people celebrate the Kingdom's foundation, exactly on October 31st, or Wyvern Moon 31st as the people in Fódlan prefer to call it but it is also a night where the people engage in the most strange but fun parties where they dress up as monsters or anything they want, and children would traverse their neighborhood and get free candy from people in something call Trick or Treat, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories." Mikoto explained to her.

"Wow, Azura would be great on Halloween." Hinoka said intrigued as she never bothered to learn Nohrian culture. "In Hoshido we also naturally celebrate our founding day, and it's called Christmas."

"I heard, and Halloween was especially celebrated in Windmire and a lot more effort was put into it, not to mention that the Royal Family was traditionally obligated to walk among the citizens and greet them. Last year was going to be better than most since they had amassed enough food for the whole capital to enjoy and after years of longing to see the activities while I remained trapped in the Northern Fortress, I at last saw an opportunity since Garon could not attend Halloween that time, being forced to settle some domestic dispute in Westmarch and for some reason the whole family joined him. Not wanting this chance to slip through my grasps, I persuaded Robin to fly me to Windmire and finally gaze upon Halloween. And that's where it went all downhill from there." Corrin muttered in distress as that day comes back rushing at the front of her head as she tries to keep it buried.

(A Year Ago)

Halloween is truly something to cherish with so many people to see and many more things to do, this was truly a night to be proud to call yourself Nohrian and there is one more event from Halloween that takes place in the aftermath of November 1st that basically only those who are sober can partake in, which is the Walk of Shame parade. Without fail, every year at the end of Halloween people end up walking home feeling dirty, shameful and wake up from a hangover from a party of the streets while everyone who's sober watches them and make fun of their state, and this year all the Retainers of the Nohrian Royals have gathered together to witness the display while in a café.

"Look at them, heading home after their dirty, filthy hookups." Selena chuckled with sadistic pleasure watching so many of them with their embarrassed faces, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Looks like that bee got beesy." Charlotte mocked watching a woman, dress as a bee walk by, looking calmer than the rest.

"Looks like that maid didn't turn down somebodies bed." Laslow added, seeing another woman dressed as a maid and is pretty sure she isn't really a maid. They next see a man dress as a wolfskin and Peri makes a howling sound.

"Hey doggy, why don't you try and get a bite at me next." She dared.

"Why, Peri, you dirty girl, I didn't know you were into that stuff." Zero mused in a flirtatious manner.

"This is so stupid." Beruka muttered, not sure herself how could she allow Selena to drag her into this.

"Oh, live a little, would ya, we rarely get a chance to hang out just the ten of us." Selena lectured.

"Indeed, comrades in arms shouldn't just band together to answer the call of duty, one must also share tranquility with comradery and fuel the fire in our hearts for when the time to answer the call of justice finally comes." Arthur declared with great enthusiasm that rivals Odin's theatrics.

"Truer words have never been spoken, Brave Scion of Justice. Though the Darkness's call for action remains silent and still we must remain vigilant that does not excuse the fact that our eternal souls must relish with the simpler things in life." Odin added.

"By simpler things, you mean food than I'm down for that, cause I'm hungry." Effie said, waiting for the breakfast she ordered.

"With everything you ate yesterday, I would think you'll at least skip breakfast and wait for lunch." Benny said.

"What, that's crazy talk, I couldn't possibly wait that long, even I have my limits you know." Effie argued.

"What you just said is crazy talk, you constantly eat enough for a whole battalion." Selena lectured.

"So, I have to keep my strength up at all times for Lady Elise's sake."

"What were you, raised in Hoshido? Food is no different than gold in Nohr and excluding yesterday everyone should only eat what they need and not as much as they want." Charlotte reminded.

"Well, that's just stupid."

"Tell that to the King and pretty much the entire nobility, who would be more than happy to execute you for it." Beruka countered.

"Hell, the only reason we haven't told on you is that Lady Elise of all people literally blackmailed us and even Lord Xander and Lord Leo to stay quiet." Zero added while glaring at Arthur. "I can easily tell where she found such sensitive information about us."

"One should not reject their friends for who they are but embrace them." Arthur said adamantly.

"Just wait until I get even with you, bub." Selena cursed.

"AHA! There is nothing you can do to hurt me physically or mentally that I don't already do to myself." Arthur declared proudly.

"Shit, he's right." Selena cursed.

"Your questionable amount of bad luck is nothing to be proud about." Benny objected.

"Well, he has to cope with his life somehow." Effie pointed out.

"I didn't even know the Princess had it in her." Laslow said remembering when Elise actually blackmailed him and Xander of all people to keep quiet about reprimanding Effie.

"Says a lot about her determination on whatever she sets her mind on." Odin smirked.

"Hey, look, the Royal Family is back already." Laslow said as he sees the Dusk Family traveling in horses with an escort of Paladins, Dark Knights, Rangers and Sorcerers guarding them as they make their way to Krakenburg and worsening the Walk of Shame for those in it who desperately cover their faces to avoid the superior shame.

"Hello everyone, how you doing?" Elise greeted the retainers. "I hope you all enjoyed your day off."

"We most certainly did your Highness. A joyous night as always." Arthur gave a big thumbs up. "I trust the unwanted predicament was settled wonderfully and beautifully."

"Those are not the words that I would use to describe that hassle, and we're in need of a new Minister of Domestic Affairs." Leo said most displeased.

"Speak for yourself, I think that went rather well." Camilla said looking pleased instead.

"It could've been worse." Arete added. "Wouldn't you say, dear?"

"Hmph." Was Garon's only reply while maintaining his usual frowning expression.

"He thinks it went well." The Queen said next with more humor.

"All that matters is that things might improve with our newest candidate in mind being much more trustworthy. All and all, I say last night was better than the previous holidays." Xander said prouder himself. "So this is the so-called Walk of Shame. It certainly feels fitting."

"Hey, look Effie, a giant banana for you to eat." Elise laughed pointing at a man dressed like a banana, who immediately bolted from sight as soon as Elise pointed at him.

"How utterly insightful." Leo scoffed with distaste.

"Everyone's a cockroach during our founding day." Garon added.

"Don't be rude, this is the most fun they get to have as a people." Arete insisted.

"Honestly, does it get any better than this?" Laslow said most happy.

"Ah… yes, yes it can." Zero replied with the most satisfying smug he can muster as he points at the newest candidate of the Walk of Shame that certainly none of them will ever forget.

Corrin walks through the streets alone feeling more ashamed than anyone this morning since all she has to cover herself is a smelly old bed sheet not recalling what happened to the dress she was wearing when she came to Windmire and her hair is a complete mess and smells like muster for some reason, while the rest of her smells like alcohol. Also, she has a bruise on the right portion of her forehead that looks a few hours old, no doubt due to getting hit by something blunt.

"My head hurts so much I think I'm going to burst." She groaned, either because of all the alcohol she drank or by whatever hit her head, probably both. She soon notices two men sober enough to not be a part of the Walk of Shame passing by who can't help but want to take a peek at her, causing her to snap at them. "What, you've never seen a woman with bedsheets before. Get lost."

"Hey, you're the drunken bitch that broke all of my brother's teeth." One of the men snapped at her enraged.

"Yeah, be grateful that's all I did, cause I don't need a blade to castrate you pigs, now get!" Corrin becomes more hostile and intimidates the two men enough to actually run away in fear. "That's right, runaway you filthy animals, I'm the only conqueror in this city."

Corrin takes a deep breath to calm herself some more. "Now where's that wagon, I couldn't have thrown him that far and I really hope I didn't give him a concussion, or worse." She said nervously and desperately looking for Robin. "I can't believe I threw him off the window like that, he's never going to let me live this down." She looks around and sees all the Retainers, looking at her with shock expressions, even Beruka, minus for Zero who maintains his smug.

"Hey, you're the assholes and sluts who drew a brick at me!" Corrin snapped, mainly referring to Selena and Peri who went on a rampage on Halloween after drinking too much.

"You're one to talk." Selena sneered.

"We're the least of your worries." Zero replied as he begins to laugh maniacally at how bad this really looks for Corrin.

"S-S-Sister…"

"Oh, Crapbaskets…"

The familiar mortified voices of her sweet little sister and beautiful mother send a shiver down her spine as absolute fear begins to take whole over her. Every fiber of her being refuses to turn around and face the Hell on her left but as hard as she tried, another part of her painfully reminded her that there's no running away from this and turns around and all of Windmire is beset by the loudest, most horrified and girlish scream any of them have ever heard in their lives.

(Today)

"That day marked the first time when my daddy issues really became noticeable to everyone and when I was officially grounded for the first time in my life." Corrin muttered recalling that dark morning and petrified and ashamed expressions of her Nohrian Family, even Garon's. She didn't even think that anything could actually shock him. And as all the Precursors as her witness, there is no way in hell she will allow her Hoshidan family to learn all the details of everything that went down.

"It bothers me more than it should hearing you call Garon daddy." Ryoma said.

"Well, it physically hurts him, hence why he forbade even Elise to ever call him that. She was eight at the time." Corrin replied.

"The more you know." Hinoka chuckled.

---

"Breakfast time, Milord." Oboro called as she enters Takumi's room chamber with breakfast for him. Said Prince that has been docile since his awakening after being freed from Envy and lies sitting in a chair while looking through his window that has the best view of the Capital from the Castle and remains there motionless. Being a 'Meatsuit' for a Demon really messed him up and hasn't spoken since he got out of the Astral Plane and according to Lilith and the Ninjas who have been watching over him all night, he hasn't slept either, all he's done is stare at Suzanoh with lifeless eyes.

Oboro leaves the food in a table before walking back to his side and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked, knowing it to be a foolish question but felt compelled to ask it. No response from Takumi though. "You must be hungry? I got you your favorite."

Again, no response.

"You should know that things with the Rainbow Sage went well in the end with him bestowing power to Corrin and now the Barrier of Concord is starting to be restored little by little so we will soon be able to take back our lands." She informed but again no response, urging her to next bring up a topic that would surely make him curious. "You wouldn't believe what came after because it turns out that Lady Corrin has quite the tales that you especially would love to hear in full details."

Again, no response.

It hurts her so much to see her Lord be reduced to such a state, who she knows to be so outgoing and outspoken, headstrong, valorous, cunning, and handsome. Her hatred for the Demoness easily overshadowing her vendetta against Nohr over the loss of her parents, something no one thought was possible. Though in truth, she feels responsible for his current state as well. She never paid much attention to lore on Demonology but she knew the basics, that they're evil personified, live only to spread chaos and death, and are able to possess people and bring out their darkest traits, and if there's one thing that she will never openly admit but will also never dismiss is that Takumi is also very petty, insecure and envious, his emotions can be just as frail as Sakura's at times and his desire for more power makes him a danger to not just himself but others and the Seven Deadly Sins are monsters born of such emotions, the realization that Envy didn't die from being decapitated should've immediately been a red flag that she may have found his way into Takumi's soul with how jealous he is of Ryoma, Hinoka, and now Corrin's strength and dominance over him but Oboro denied these ill thoughts out of fear on how the others might treat him and now he has paid the price for her inaction. Surely, Lilith could've found a way if she had known the problem sooner.

"I'm so sorry, Milord, this is all my fault." Oboro admitted while sobbing and holding him in a warm embrace, wanting this moment to last forever.

"It's more my fault than anyone else, Oboro." Finally, words come out of Takumi's words, raising Oboro's hope into infinity.

"Milord!" Oboro cried in relief as the two look at each other in the eye, his remain lifeless but this is still progress.

"I know it's bothering everyone to see me like this but… I just need time." Takumi said.

"Of course, Takumi, dear, whatever you need, I promise to provide." Oboro replied for more enthusiasm.

"Then can you not tell the others about this yet; I want a bit more time to myself."

"Of course, does… does that mean I should leave now." She asked nervously.

"No, it's fine if it's just you." He replied, making her happier and with a blush.

"Yes!"

"I'm gonna be out of action for a while, I won't try to find a way around it, much less use the Deeprealm to 'accelerate' the process. I much rather remain here, in Hoshido. I've been away from our home far longer than I would ever prefer." Takumi said with longing.

"I can speak with confidence when I say we all feel the same way." Oboro replied, also missing the sight of Suzanoh, they've never been away from the Kingdom for this many weeks, made even longer by their interdimensional experience. "Things will get even stranger, though."

"I don't doubt that." He replied. "Oboro, there's something I need you and Hinata to do for me."

"Anything."

"Look after my siblings for me, please. Since I won't be there, you two are the ones I trust the most to do this. It'll be alright to leave me here in the castle because of all the defense." He requested.

"Including Corrin?" Oboro asked to backcheck.

"Especially her, she's at the center of all this mess after all." He pleaded.

"Of course, leave everything to us." Oboro said assured of herself on that end.

"Thank you." Takumi said, finally smiling again, and there are even hints that life is returning back into his eyes. This was the last straw for Oboro, no longer able to hold herself back and pulls Takumi in and kisses him with no more words to give as the two just close their eyes.

---

"Oh, Anna!" The Anna in league with the Black Bulls shouted with joy as she rushes to the Anna who's been missing for months as Robin brought her to the hideout of the Black Bulls once she checked out and also brought Azura along with the two and Shura watching the sisters embrace each other in a loving embrace.

"Anna…" The Anna who suffered the agony of being the vessel of Greed cried sorrowfully in her sister's arms, the free spirit and seemingly untouched demeanor that Annas are known for completely gone, breaking down like Takumi did once near a familiar face.

"Oh you poor thing, what has happened to you, you've lost your fire." The Black Bulls Anna said ever so worried.

"I…" The Recovered Anna tried to speak but she could not muster the courage to do so.

"That's not important right now, what you should do is take her somewhere safe, naturally the best place would be her home but anywhere that lacks gold would be way more preferable." Robin suggested.

"What are you nuts; gold is the lifeblood for us Annas!" Black Bulls Anna objected adamantly.

"Actually, I think I rather go and visit Uncle Jake's farm and stay there for a while." The Recovered Anna agreed to Robin's suggestion, getting a horrified gasp from her sister and even makes Shura raise an eyebrow at this sudden response.

"Uncle Jake but he's all boring and charitable." She argued.

"Trust me, it's for the best that she walks this path for a while, the things she went through are life-changing." Robin insisted.

"Well, alright, but let's get you all dressed up to look more Anna like. Hoshidan kimonos don't suit us at all." Black Bulls Anna suggested as she takes her sister to her room.

"I know, I look silly but it's not like I could say no to the royals who decided to bother themselves with nurturing me." The Recovered Anna replied.

"I get you darling, and I don't object. Did you managed to swipe one of their pieces of jewelry at least?"

"Anna!"

"What…?"

"Ryoma told me about the Anna family and their magical origins. Are all the females born into the family really identical in appearance and are called Annas while the males are naturally different?" Azura asked awestruck.

"Yep, and they're all about the merchant's life. Now granted, there have been plenty of rare instances where the daughters are born with different facial features. Though they are greatly loved, those girls are often seen as defects." Robin explained.

"Well, that's a good way to let you know you still love your kids for walking their own paths." Azura said sarcastically. "But how can they all tell each other apart."

"That's a trade secret that will obviously cost you if you want to learn." Shura said as she earns their attention.

"I know better than most. Anyway, I kept my end for Anna, questionably way quicker than expected, truth be told, trust that I'll keep yours too." Robin assured.

"I'm counting on it." Shura smiled confidently.

"Neither of you mentioned it but what was it that you want in return for giving us the Warp Tome and Weisslogia Gem?" Azura asked.

"Money, what else? Lots of it. It may seem pretty base and pathetic to those with noble goals but if you stick around, you'll find mine just as noble too." Shura said.

"Like restoring Kohga." Robin concluded.

"You know it." Shura replied while tightening his grip with determination.

"Kohga? You're one of the survivors of the lost nation?" Azura uttered surprised.

"Don't look so surprised, though I do find it intriguing how someone so esteem as yourself would bother to know anything about a bygone place." Shura said.

"I learned much during my stay with the Hoshidan Royalty, as well as the true tragedy of those events, such as the lengths the survivors went through to retaliate against Mokushu, Hoshido's inaction and the loss of Queen Ikona." Azura replied.

"I don't remember much on how things went down, I only know what I was told by my parents who longed for the chance to return to those glory days and resent both Nohr and Hoshido for the parts they played in the lives that became the norm for us, though not to the same extent as the other survivors who founded that band of savages known as the Blackhounds." Shura explained.

"That would explain why those guys mainly terrorize Hoshido." Azura concluded.

'And why their brand resembles that of the fallen nation. I wonder if this Hans is also from Kohga?' Robin mused. Corrin mentioned to him the Berserker she brought along to her expedition but didn't interact much when he was in her service, mainly due to Gunter and Jakob making sure she does so as little as possible and he was very stoic and wisely chose not to do or say anything that could lead to trouble, however he did make some vague mentions on hoping to get the chance to cut open any Hoshidans they may come across with sudden ferocity and venom that she did not pick up on at the time, so most likely yes.

"So you founded the Black Bulls with the intent to amass enough gold to buy off the lands Mokushu stole to restore your nation." Azura concluded.

"It's safer than going to war again, plus Mokushu's current Daimyo cares more about gold than land so there's hope to get on his good grace as I have in the past." Shura explained.

"Swallowing up your family's pride to restore their honor in a more peaceful fashion. You are nobler than you give yourself credit for." Robin praised with Azura nodding in agreement.

"You overestimate me, my hands are as dirty as any bandit, I just have my endgame all set, and even then there will be a lot more to do." Shura shrugged.

"Maybe, I just hope mankind doesn't get swallowed up by sin first, otherwise all will be lost." Azura said with worry regarding the demons.

"You make it sound a bit too literal." Shura said.

"She is, and this is something I wanted to discuss with you, it concerns the true enemy and instigators of the Third Twilight War." Robin said.

"You mean besides Garon and his mad dog, Iago?" Shura questioned, concern.

"It'll be really hard to believe." Azura said as they tell him their story, only the parts with the Seven Deadly Sins.

"You're right, it is hard to believe." Shura rubbed his chin as he processes the information. "I mean, dragons are one thing, since we have Wyverns who are arguably proof enough and the Grimm are more beasts made entirely out of pure dark magic than actually demons based on all the historical and religious books I've read but actual demons? Of the world's foulest legends no less. That's borderline asinine if you ask me."

"We wish we were being asinine, more so in this case, I mean, but it's the truth and the Anna we rescued can confirm our claim since she was possessed by the literal embodiment of Greed for months until the Rainbow Sage freed her and Prince Takumi from the Sin of Envy." Azura reassured him.

"What a mess, and we humans are barbaric enough and now we have to deal with true evil." Shura hissed. "And you're telling me that the famed Rainbow Sage wants you to concern yourselves more on fighting Nohr instead of those bastards."

"Basically, but he also told Corrin that she and more or less all of us must follow the path we believe to be just enough and be ready for when we must face them, and so far the Sins really seem to be avoiding confronting the Nohrians, in particularly the Grimm, so maybe they'll become less involved and go into hiding if we can get at least one of them to spot them." Azura surmised.

"A good conclusion with a major hole, Garon has been spying on us for a fair amount of time, and with his Seer Grimm no less so he himself must know at least about what went down in Izumo but nothing game-changing has occurred yet but until we encountered them again and with a decent amount of Grimm thrown into the mix we may never know what's there real problem with Nohr." Robin added. "Regardless we are fighting this war on two fronts, three counting the corrupt nobles in Hoshido. We're not asking you to help us in this fight, but at the very least we hope you can share with us what you believe to be worth our notice, Shura."

"I don't mind but I definitely don't want to pick a fight with real monsters from Hell so I'll lend a helping hand, but don't consider the Black Bulls to be your official allies in the war. It matters not to us which kingdom wins." Shura declared.

"That's fine, this is all for benefit after all." Robin stated.

"Still, we're grateful with whatever you can give and we give our thanks and wish you luck because I'm sure we're all going to be in the same deep kind of trouble." Azura said as they bid their farewells.

"Don't worry too much for us." Shura shrugged.

"I'm afraid I must. We should be going now, so give the Annas our best regards and take care of yourselves." Robin said as he warps himself and Azura back to Hoshido in mere seconds, back in the training grounds where there doesn't seem to be anyone around. "Nothing left but to go to arms against this Yamamoto."

"Indeed but first you should come with me, Lady Mikoto had a gift to give you and Corrin." Azura said.

"Me? Corrin I can understand." Robin said skeptically.

"Just humor her." Azura said as she escorts Robin to a room that houses many hoshidan style suits of armor, some of which are spectacularly designed, the kind you expect from royals and nobles, the one that Azura pays attention to is one encased in a glass display box, a suit of white armor with gold and blue designs and a cape that looks perfect for Nobles bread for battle.

"Nice armor." Robin complimented, marveling at the sight of it.

"Indeed, it's a traditional combat armor meant to only be worn by the Royal Family and their most trusted friends when a show of strength and character is needed or are forced to utilize brute force. And since we're faced with the latter, this is basically what the public expects their generals to look like." Azura explained. "Divine, all righteous and pretty much favored by the Gods."

"And you want me to wear it?" Robin concluded.

"You'll be the right hand of one of the newest commanders of the Hoshidan Army, as such it would keep the minds of soldiers to stay at ease by being led by someone who's at least Hoshidan at heart, this is just insurance." Azura added. "I can already tell that you'll look great wearing it but you don't seem to agree."

"It's not that I hate it, I just don't see myself as someone who would stand beside the nobility and having such a life. I much prefer living in the plains among the common folk." Robin professed unsatisfied.

"I see. I can't say I disagree with your world view since royalty isn't as perfect as the poor make think it to be, but then again what lifestyle isn't imperfect? Whatever makes you happy in the end, although right now what Horus needs is not the Everyman but… let's say… the Superman." Azura described, earning her a chuckle from Robin.

"Superman? Come on, why do people keep thinking so highly of me? That's something Owain and Cynthia would come up with." Robin said humorously.

"Think of it as you will but it will do everyone right if you wear it." Azura insisted. "Of course, to wear this requires you to also have a noble status which will be given to you in due time and you can relinquish it whenever you like once the war is over."

"Fine, I look great in white anyway." Robin discards the uniform from Nohr and puts on the Hoshido Noble uniform that makes him look like a king more so than a general, and for good measures to his new look he brings out both Levin Swords while he looks himself in a mirror, and he certainly looks fantastic, Azura seems to think so.

"Is wielding both swords necessary? There's a reason most people don't use more than one Magic Weapon at a time because it's just as strenuous as the Tomeless Arts." Azura advised.

"To an extent, I can handle it but not too often. I may be adept with dual-wielding but I much prefer to use one and leave the other hand empty to use my spells." Robin said.

"I much rather you save an arm for me when I need to fly." Corrin said entering the room, wearing a very similar getup to Robin, which fits them perfectly and matches them together even greater. To the common folk, they both would be mistaken for the true King and Queen of Hoshido by the majestic appearance their white hairs and armor give them.

'Smooth, Corrin.' Azura mused.

"Well, you certainly look like a Warrior Princess of Light." Robin complimented.

"Jakob said much the same, of which I don't disagree." Corrin smiled. "I am in need of light after all, now that my time in the Dusk is over."

"I'm sorry." Azura said with regret, knowing how horribly the attack on Cyrkensia was for her as well.

"Don't be, people do stupid things when they want to win so badly, and just because I'm still mad doesn't mean I should keep acting like we're the ones in the wrong." Corrin said doing her best to brush off the hurt she still feels in her heart. "Still friends and sort of, kind of sisters?"

"I would like that very much." Azura smiled with much bliss to hear Corrin ask that.

"Ready for the next battle?" Robin asked his master.

"No, but when will I ever be ready to strike down enemy lives?" Corrin replied with weak sarcasm. "On the bright side, I have you guys to speed things up."

"Truly, we will do our best to make sure Kyoto is successfully saved. We may be outnumbered but our advantages are numberless." Azura said confidently.

"The odds will always be stacked against us but that doesn't mean certain defeat, we simply have a lot of obstacles to overcome." Robin added.

"Wish I could share your enthusiasm." Corrin sighed ashamed of herself. "I can count on the both of you to stick with me through all of this, right?"

"To the bitter end." Robin promised.

Despite his words, Corrin still feels so much unease, the recent dream she had returning to her thoughts, filling her with more sadness than joy.

'Robin… I never had the courage to say it but the thought of you getting your memories back always scared me because I hated the thought of you leaving and never coming back. That night when you first took me flying was more precious to me than finally leaving the Northern Fortress because, in that moment, it was just me and you and all the world's problems below us without a care at all as I was finally free. I don't care how selfish it makes me; I want that again more than bringing peace to Horus. If I could just have you, losing everything else wouldn't be so awful. But now that I know the state of your soul, I just don't know what to do. I can't handle not knowing anything, I never could. But deep down I just know I'm going to know everything soon. But unless I hear it from you it'll all be so meaningless.'

---

Back in the Sevenfold Sanctuary, Quill remains with Hydra and is momentarily sitting alone in a Nohrian style dining hall, blissfully writing something on a piece of paper that might be a poem given his fascination with the Shadow Comedy, though he is not alone for long as Hydra walks in to meet with him and places a book beside him, tempting Quill to stop what he's writing and sees that it's the same book that he left with Corrin during the Necrodragon attack.

"I left this in Corrin and Lilith's possession for a reason, you know." Quill said to Hydra as the Sage takes a seat on the other side of the table in front of him.

"I know, and while I appreciate it, your blessings and protection spells always draw too much attention, typically unnecessary ones. That's why I gave her my own Blessing instead, which she will unknowingly pass on to the rest in due time." Hydra explained.

"It's really nostalgic to see you be proactive after being isolated so long." Quill complimented.

"I can say the same about you, I've spent centuries worried how you've been using whatever power you can muster at times to prevent Nohr from falling apart when things are at their worse, more so their warped economy. And then there's your habit of entertaining young minds in the slums with poetry." Hydra said.

"I have my hobbies and toys to make these lonely years bearable. And safely too, which is more than I can say for you, meddling with the Windows between Realities and watching other worlds and the endeavors of all those heroes and villains, feeling tempted to drag one or more here to help with our problems." Quill noted. "I'm surprised you hadn't yet."

"I see someone hasn't lost his bad habit of stalking whatever peeks your interest." Hydra sighed.

"I'd hardly call it stalking considering that it was a challenge not to notice what you've been up to. You know opening a window draws too much attention with that kind of surge of energy running loose. I'd be hard pressed to believe if nobody else outside of humanity noticed." Quill countered. "Just because you know what you're doing, doesn't change the fact that it's risky, and forbidden for even us to meddle with other worlds."

"Tell that to the Warmaster. This isn't the first time he's traveled to other worlds by mistake." Hydra said.

"Mistake being the keyword. He's always been an unfortunate soul. Though, you're not convinced, are you?" Quill questioned.

"It makes no sense how he ended up here, his soul was completely destroyed when he slew Grima. Reconstructing a soul can only be done by two individuals and they've both long since passed from all worlds." Hydra said, sounding frustrated. "Not knowing the answers, it's like Degenerating all over again. The inability to answer is maddening."

"You say that and yet you weren't pressed for answers when he came to you that day." Quill reminded him.

"He was just as riddled as the rest of us and unsurprisingly unhappy about being given yet another chance to live again. A poor lost soul is all he's ever been and all he'll ever be. And in his current state, it wouldn't be difficult to say that Sothis might be responsible." Hydra explained.

"The nuisance from Fódlan, let alone the dead have no place in this chest board." Quill declined. "Besides, I doubt that misanthropic daughter of hers even knows what the hell is happening outside of her fantasies. Especially those she has under her claws."

"That's cold even for us." Hydra bemused.

"Yeah, well life is nothing if not a hassle and all people are hassles. Just take a deep breath and relax. The truth will come at its own pace, not like we have the power to force it out into the open all the time." Quill advised.

"I get that but this is the fate of our world we're talking about, any kind of unknown could prove catastrophic, and what if his lingering existence is because the Fell Dragon lives on." Hydra suggested.

"That child is gone, my friend, cease your paranoia at once and clear your mind, you're useless to me and your daughter if you point your blades at Robin, or need I remind you why he's so eager to die in the first place." Quill warned.

"I've seen his unjust fate in both timelines and the sins of Ylisse, just like everyone else." Hydra countered.

"Then speak no more of this and calm down already. You're making me nervous and my poems demand absolute patience." Quill instructed as he returns to his writing. "Thanks for returning my book."

"You're welcome."

---

Okay, so twenty days isn't exactly that long but regardless, I'm sorry for the wait and that I don't have much to say, except that I hope you enjoyed this more comical chapter, no doubt one of my personal favorites and a nice show of Corrin parting ways with her old life as she embraces her new one despite still having the same friends from before, minus two still at her side. Plus, Corrin will now be using her Hoshido Noble uniform and Robin too, since he's earned a noble status to the eyes of the Royalty, at least to make his role as a commanding officer more official. I must say 65 Favorites, 101 Followers and 47 Reviews are some nice numbers for me, I'm glad to have kept this much support. Till next time.