AUTHOR'S NOTES: I apologize for the sporadic delays this story faced. Like my others, it is not about to be abandoned by any means, especially not this close to the really juicy parts, since of course, after this slightly lengthened Hoshido arc, we reach the path-splitting chapter which will thus kick off Act III. Without spoiling too much, I'm also not about to have all of the royal siblings go into angry-jerk mode because of a girl not wanting to fight either family that loves her. I've got a special set of tricks in mind for that, although it's a ways off. In the meantime, here's how Corrin and Clan Hoshido deal with their lost Nohrian sibling.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 18: A Nohrian Among Hoshidans

Sing with me a song of Monsters and Cold…

Corrin and Ryoma began making preparations to move out to come to their sisters' aid, and Kamui tagged along behind them, her mind processing a variety of things as it so often did. On the forefront of her mind, however, was a rather important question.

"So are you going to trust me with a weapon?" She cast her eyes towards Ryoma, "because while I'm pretty sure I could twist a few necks barehanded, I don't think that'd work against an 800-pound monster quite as well."

"I suppose that it's a high level of trust for us to put in you, Kamui," Ryoma gave a short but amused chuckle, "but I don't take you as the type to bite the hand that feeds you."

Kamui nodded, but otherwise remained silent. Those were bold words in her eyes, especially considering that she still thought of herself as a captive. Still, deep down she knew Ryoma was spot-on; she was not going to be the aggressor in a situation like this unless they were sparring."

"How capable of a fighter are you?" Corrin had to ask as they made a brief stop at the armory to gear Kamui up.

"Confident enough in my own skill and savagery," Kamui smirked, "if anyone wants to spar afterwards, I'm totally game. I've gotta see how my twin brother holds his own against me-or perhaps I can challenge the great Prince Ryoma."

"Have a violent itch, do we sister?" Corrin raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I want to kill a man who I could learn so much from?" Kamui pointed out, because deep down she knew that friend or foe, there were surely plenty of tricks that she could learn from the Hoshidan Royal Family. "I mean sure, we might draw a bit of blood, but that goes both ways. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not invincible."

Kamui's face lit up like a kid in a candy shop when they reached the armory. Weapons of all kinds lay scattered around the room, organized neatly by size, type, and make.

"Just don't take too long deciding," Ryoma pointed out somewhat playfully, before Corrin turned to him out of Kamui's earshot.

"Do you think the others will trust her?" he asked, "Or that she will even wish to remain with us once word gets out to Nohr of her location?"

"If the Nohrians come back for her, we will offer her peacefully, but the choice is hers to make." Ryoma asserted, "we may not like the decision, but if we retaliate towards Nohr the way they do to us, then we lower ourselves to their level. If your sister wants to spar, perhaps even I could learn a thing or two from her. In the meantime, she needs our patience if we hope for her to remain with us."

Kamui returned moments later with a katana in her hand, running her fingers appreciatively along the sharp blade.

"It's not quite what I'm used to," she commented, "but I think I've figured out the balance difference between this thing and a Nohrian sword. I'm ready when you two are."

"Just try not to be too reckless," Corrin warned, "this is not a sparring match we're fighting against here."

"Don't worry," Kamui assured him, "I think I know what I'm doing."

"Then let us be off." Ryoma declared, "It is not far, Kamui, but I want you to see the truth with your own eyes…"

Back towards the icy north went the three of them, joined by a small contingent of soldiers, as well as Rinkah, Kaze, and Corrin's retainers Roku and Zenzi. While it was not a full-fledged battle, the mighty Faceless were powerful juggernauts that could decimate normal soldiers if they were not careful.

Sakura and Hinoka were about to learn this firsthand.

"I-it's like they came out of nowhere!" Sakura cried as she and her sister fled. "And then I have to go and sprain an ankle! I'm sorry for slowing us down, sister."

"Don't worry about it, sis," Hinoka clutched her naginata tighter, "we'll be okay. These stupid beasts don't stand a chance against me."

"I… I hope you're right..." Sakura stuttered.

They were hidden behind a cluster of snowy rocks, but Hinoka was on the defensive. She knew she was outnumbered and outgunned, but didn't want Sakura to worry any more than she already was.

"Hold strong, sisters! I'm coming for you!" Sakura and Hinoka's ears perked up as they heard their brother Ryoma's voice. Perhaps more surprisingly than Ryoma was an unfamiliar voice that raced right into the fray.

"FOR THE GLORY OF NOHR!" Old habits died hard. Hopefully she wouldn't get her head bitten off for that one. The remark obviously caused a great deal of alarm to both princesses as well as a number of Ryoma's troops, but it was clear that Kamui was not only a skilled and vicious fighter, but that she was on their side considering who she fought against, and who she protected. She had a keen analysis of the battlefield, locating the monsters and noting the position of the Hoshidan troops. She darted around to help ensure the safety of as many soldiers as she could, zigzagging through the snow, rocks, trees, and Faceless in an attempt to reach the princesses. She was so fixated on the end goal that she completely overlooked the dragon veins in the area, as well as a small village nearby that hadn't been evacuated.

Fortunately for Hoshido, there were others watching out for that. Corrin activated the Dragon Veins to help minimize the Faceless' defenses, since they were using the rough snow to form a sort of makeshift fortress in some cases.

"I'd be fine with never fighting these things again…" Zenzi sighed as they stayed ahead of the Faceless by using their blinding speed to their advantage.

"At least these enemies are visible." Roku riposted. The two of them stayed between Corrin and Kamui with a close eye on the latter in case she tried anything dangerous.

However, despite their suspicions, it seemed that Kamui was indeed supporting the Hoshidan army to push the Faceless back. Rinkah was the one to reach the village, and she basically ran through the streets warning people of the nearby attack.

"Either lock up tight or get the hell outta here! We've got the situation mostly under control, but let's not take any risks here!"

As she raced out to rejoin the fray, an older man, most likely the village elder, stopped her.

"Thank you for coming out of your way to warn us, bold warrior." He looked her right in the eye. "None of us were even aware of the commotion and would have never known. We're grateful for your selfless action, and wish for you to take this as a token."

Rinkah looked at the object in her hands at first with skepticism, and then with slight amusement: a Goddess Icon.

"Thanks?" She shrugged a shoulder, "now stay safe out there. I'd hate to bash these monsters' heads in only to find this place in ruins."

Smaller villages and tribes were more relatable to her than large cities and kingdoms. Similarly, smaller groups of people were easier for her to handle than legions or crowds. Once she was back out in the open though, she brandished her club and carved her way through the snow to reach her friends and adversaries, protecting the former and lashing out fiercely at the latter.

Kamui was the first one to reach Sakura and Hinoka, and so despite her chant about Nohr earlier, it seemed that she was not about to become a turncoat.

"You two alright?" she grunted, "You've got a slew of Hoshidans coming to help in just a moment" She glanced back even, and was pretty sure she saw Zenzi and Ryoma leading a rapid approach from the south. However, even then more Faceless were coming from the east, and Hinoka was too busy watching over Sakura to get terribly involved in the fighting.

"We're fine;" Hinoka's reply was heavy, as if she was a little fatigued. Had the two of them been running? Kamui might ask later. "Who are you though? I recognize most of my brother's troops, and even you look oddly familiar… and thanks for the help; but it'll take more than a few dozen 800-pound monsters to stop me." She didn't want to get too excited. If it was Kamui, which she had a gut feeling it was, she was not quite sure how to react; if it was just a chance lookalike though, she couldn't be so sure.

"Well someone's confident," Kamui chuckled, "we've got your back. I've got to show a certain brother of mine who's the superior fighter, after all…"

"Hey, that reminds me!" Hinoka called out right as Kamui pivoted on her heel to race back into the fray, "you never told me your name."

"Kamui," Kamui grunted as she raced back out into the snowy battle, the white ground flecked with shades of dark red. "Nice meeting you two; stay safe!"

"Kamui!?" Hinoka actually froze for a moment, and not because of the temperature. "It can't be… no, this is too accurate to be a coincidence…"

But Kamui was already back in the fray, helping fend off the Faceless. She picked off a few more of the stragglers as the surviving Hoshidans began congregating again to move in towards Sakura and Hinoka. Roku and Zenzi both turned towards Corrin as they watched Kamui take down the final two Faceless with two powerful swings from her katana.

"She is talented," Roku commented, "I'd almost say she has skill to outperform yours."

"I suppose that Nohrian aggression was put to good use," Corrin commented, "Hopefully she'll remain on our side." It wasn't that Corrin didn't trust his sister; but he knew that it was easy to go against monsters, regardless of their country of origin. He wasn't quite sure that Kamui would stick with Hoshido if the Nohrian army came and invaded, however.

The three of them were a little surprised when they saw Rinkah go out of her way to approach Kamui as the latter had been making her way back to Ryoma to report the damages and outcome of the battle."

"I'm impressed," she admitted, "Seems you Nohrians know how to fight."

"You'd know," Kamui elbowed her, "but yeah, in Nohr you basically learn to fight as a child or you die by the roadside. It's the hard knock life."

"How'd you do?" Rinkah tilted her head. Kamui only had a couple inches over her.

"21," Kaumi shrugged, "I was kind of expecting a legion, but I made do pretty well with what there was. How about you?"

"25," Rinkah smirked, "Looks like you owe me 10 silvers, Nohrian."

"Don't get too used to it, princess;" Kamui dug a few coins out of her pocket and tossed them Rinkah's way, "I was under pressure."

"Right; right, that's what they all say." Rinkah pocketed the money as the rest of the Hoshidan soldiers reunited around Ryoma as they approached Hinoka and Sakura. Corrin, Roku, and Zenzi followed suit, and shortly afterwards, Kamui found herself surrounded by Hoshidans. She remained stoic but wary, unsure what exactly was about to go down, but she knew that the notion of having a little time to herself after the exhilarating battle like she had originally planned, was simply not going to happen here. The royal siblings were approaching her, and they had something on their minds.