AUTHOR'S NOTES: And here's the actual fight. There is going to be a lot of Camilla in this chapter and the ones following it. There's a reason she's listed as one of the main characters of this story after all, and so those who don't like her or my portrayal of her, I guess "so sorry mans"? Anyhoo, I'm also aware that Zola is much less of a sleazy little bastard in Birthright, but since this is Revelation (and inspired by a chapter in Conquest), we get to see him at his worst.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 27: The Izumo Summit, Part 2

Sing with me a song of Violence and Peace...

"Why are you doing this?!" They could hear Zola shouting from wherever he was hiding himself, "These Hoshidans are your enemies, not me! This is all for the glory of Nohr! Why is this happening? WHY!?"

"The Glory of Nohr will be the reformation this family will bring to the country when we are through here!" Xander announced.

"So anyone who wants to die or surrender, step right up!" Camilla licked her lips.

"And anyone who doesn't want to die or surrender…" Kamui cracked her knuckles, "TOO BAD!"

"Brother," Leo and Elise were both standing very close to Xander as the soldiers, who vastly outnumbered the five royals, closed in a lot more cautiously this time, "Only you are armed, and with the exception of maybe Kamui, I don't think any of us can fight too well with just our fists."

Kamui and Camilla glanced around to see any magic users around them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kamui smirked.

"After you, darling," Camilla cooed, knowing that Kamui was not afraid to start smashing right through the ranks. She did exactly that, with Camilla tailing her so that no one came and stabbed her in the back. Their bold and sudden moves caught a few enemies off guard just enough for the two women to steal their weapons. This was when the massacre began. They started cutting down soldiers left and right, while Xander defended his younger siblings. The Hoshidans watched the brutal massacre take place in front of them, and were surprised when they lived up to their word of keeping their "sworn enemy" safe. It only intensified after Camilla and Kamui snatched up a couple of powerful magic tomes, throwing them to Leo, who caught them both and handed one to Elise. This only made things get a whole lot more violent as the siblings worked together with remarkable synergy to take down their adversaries, even if they were using mundane standard-issue iron swords and fire tomes to do so.

It soon became clear that this was essentially going to become a curbstomp battle. Zola's soldiers were no match for the ferocity of the Nohrian siblings. It seemed their harsh training regimens had paid off. Kamui seemed to be fighting the fiercest, motivated to save the Hoshidans the same way she had been motivated against Xander and Camilla when she learned that besting them would lead to her being able to leave the Northern Fortress. While she spared anyone willing to surrender, those who did not throw down their weapons were slaughtered with no mercy and no remorse. Her siblings were no different, and all in all it became a rather grizzly display with blood everywhere, among other things.

"It's over, Zola!" Xander shouted, "release the prisoners or make your peace!"

"Always getting in my way for glory, aren't you?" Zola sighed as he appeared. "Fine… take your stupid prisoners. I'll live another day to help bring Nohr its glory!"

Zola fled the castle and then vanished, causing the barrier around the Hoshidans to dissipate. It seemed to be connected to his presence, and perhaps there had been something in the castle preventing him from just leaving on the spot.

"Do you think he's going to tell Father?" Kamui turned to Xander.

"Tell him what? That he wasted an entire unit of soldiers trying to betray the royal family?" Xander scoffed, "He's a sleazy little liar, and my word holds far more weight with Father than his."

"Furthermore," Leo reasoned, "the rest of us are witnesses to the event. The truth can defend itself against Zola's lies and treachery."

"Well then," Kamui sighed, "let's free the others and get this mess cleaned up."

Surprisingly, the Nohrian family freed their Hoshidan brethren without hesitation, albeit with little fanfare as well. Immediately, the five of them went back to work cleaning up the mess they had made while Xander went to find Izana and Mikoto.

"You Nohrians certainly know how to put on a show," Corrin quipped as Kamui unbound him as the others rose back to their feet.

"We did what we had to," Kamui shrugged, "I told you there was a schism going on in Nohr."

"Unless of course this was just an act with expendable citizens to try and bolster your reputation a cut above the usual violence." Takumi warned.

"Darling, if they were truly in on whatever your so-called conspiracy was, they would have all accepted surrendering when we offered it," Camilla retorted, "Nohr is much more straightforward than that. We save the trickery and deceit for Hoshido to do."

"How dare you!" Hinoka growled, "This all happened because of one of YOUR underlings! You should be apologizing to us, not looking for a pat on the back!"

"My, my…" Camilla put a bloodied hand to her chin, "perhaps we should have left their mouths bound a bit longer."

"No… they have rights to be suspicious of us," Kamui admitted, "but it's not our fault. You cannot blame us all for the acts of one vile worm."

"I don't want to sound like I'm turning against you too," Corrin warned, "but do you think you might be putting too much trust in Nohr?"

He was almost cut short by Camilla, still in her blood-smattered dress, who got right in his face, almost touching her nose to his.

"If you're suspecting any foul play between my sister and myself… I can and will promptly correct it." she stated. She was about to go on before Kamui took her hand.

"Camilla…" she began.

"Don't 'Camilla' me, darling…" Camilla pouted as Kamui pulled her out of Corrin's face. "Anyone who threatens my bond with you will be dealt with… and as much as I lament the blood ruining my beautiful dress, I'm not afraid to spill a little more on it at this point."

"Camilla, please." Kamui tightened her grip on Camilla's wrist, "you know me; I'm not the happy peaceful shrine maiden on the mountain or anything here… but that's my brother."

Before much else could be said, however, Ryoma spoke up.

"Enough!" He mostly directed this at his own siblings, but also to Kamui and Camilla. "We are… thankful that you saved our lives. I will accept your story that none of you were involved in this setup until I find evidence proving the contrary. In the meantime, know that were this situation reversed, that Hoshido would have done the same. As such, we see no need to express further gratitude for your actions."

"My, my, but aren't you the responsible one?" Camilla glanced towards Ryoma, licking her lips.

"As High Prince of Hoshido, it is my duty to help reflect the behaviour of my kingdom in anticipation of taking the throne someday." Ryoma stated with a stoic expression, though both Corrin and Kamui were fairly certain his eyes faltered for a moment onto parts of Camilla's figure. "We are here for a civil peace talk, just as promised. I will not blame any of you for your father's atrocities against our father and King, provided you offer us the same respect."

"Oh, there's so much more than just respect I can offer." Camilla cooed.

"Camilla are you flirting?!" Kamui gawked.

"I was simply referring to honor, silly," Kamui was fairly certain Camilla was lying, "this is a man who has held his tongue unlike the rest of his barbaric siblings. I honestly commend it. He's a better man than I am in that regard."

"Now, now, you lovely people…" a voice interrupted them. Heads turned to see both Mikoto and Izana, who were both unharmed, and were led by a triumphant (but bloodstained) Xander. "Everyone important is safe and well, and the bad guys are deader than dead. I do wish you hadn't made such a nasty mess in my beautiful waiting room, but you did save me and my beautiful hair, so I owe you that much of a thank, royal family of Nohr!"

"We were just acting as Nohrian Royals should," Xander reasoned. "We do not wish to tarnish the glorious name of Nohr any further by perpetuating our father's violent ways-or by slaying our enemies through cowardice and backhanded tactics." He trailed off, almost as if he knew Izana would cut him off if he continued.

"Well, that's wonderful and such. Like I said beforehand, there will be none of your silly violence nonsense in my house… unless you're saving me again. But I don't exactly plan on letting that happen either. Anyways, you Nohrians should get cleaned up. That banquet is almost ready and we don't exactly want to get blood all over everything, no?"

"An excellent point." Xander concurred, and they found a few side rooms to get changed in. Kamui was slightly surprised when Camilla joined her, but the two had changed together many times in the past, usually when Camilla took her to a spring.

"I don't like them," she told Kamui as she began undoing her dress, "But I don't like anyone trying to separate us, darling."

"They're not that bad, but I'm genuinely torn," Kamui stripped down to her smallclothes as well, as Camilla stepped out of her dress, making sure it didn't snag on her heels, which she still had on. "I'm not really an idealist, but after being with them, I do kind of wish there was a way for us to coexist together with them."

"Have I been ousted as your favourite sister?" Camilla pouted.

"Camilla, don't even do that," Kamui was already pulling a new dress on (although unlike Camilla, she was not wearing shoes). "I hate to see a grown woman pouting in her underwear."

"You must not realize just how much I truly missed you," Camilla asserted, putting her hand under Kamui's left jawbone and caressing it, "I spent so many years of my life being with you, darling. Perhaps I'm possessive, but I play for keepsies."

Kamui sighed. She knew that Camilla was the closest thing she ever had to a mother figure before Mikoto, but Camilla was also an awesome older-sister figure that Kamui did not want to lose from her life.

"I'm shooting for these to be actual peace talks," Kamui insisted, "Hoshido has a lot of ammunition that they can rightfully use against us, but like Xander, I refuse to handle Nohr the way they do. I do not want to take sides against my families, but I feel like if bad comes to worse, I will side with Nohr."

"That's my girl…" Camilla shamelessly swept Kamui off her feet and buried her face into her ample breasts. Kamui couldn't help but laugh when she was released, although it was also somewhat awkward.

"You know I hate when you do that," Kamui shook her hair out of her face, "sister, please put some clothes on."

"I was distracted," Camilla reasoned, as she pulled her new dress on, "you do realize you're stuck with me forever, right, sister?"

"Well yeah," Kamui reasoned, "but do you really need to baby me the way you do?"

"Yes." Camilla replied almost too swiftly. Kamui was at a loss for words for a second.

"I… you know what? I can't argue that." She knew that despite how awkward others might have viewed it, that she had a unique bond with this woman in particular. Camilla was an embodiment of everything Kamui remembered about her childhood, and while some of their interactions had given birth to a few odd quirks in the pointy-eared princess, Kamui simply embraced these eccentricities and moved on, not caring what detractors might say, for better or worse.

"Well then," Camilla straightened her dress, "let's meet up at the banquet hall."

Kamui followed Camilla out, and back into the banquet hall. The discussions that would go down here would likely determine her fate-both for Hoshido and Nohr.