AUTHOR'S NOTES: And now that I've returned from vacationing we are back to our regular programming. I might even be able to post three chapters this week (with the extra one on Saturday) to make up for lost times. Either way, here's the aftermath of the battle in the plaza, and a bit more of the story's divergence. Much like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, not all of the details I drop will make sense at first, but sooner or later everything will get tied together. I generally am not a big fan of loose ends and the like. To me that's bad storytelling, and so chances are, if I leave a detail somewhere, it's probably important later down the line.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 34: The Blades of Legend

Sing with me a song of Stories and Swords...

Kamui slowly rose to her feet, glancing around her. "What…" she clutched her head, "what just happened?" She felt clear, however. She understood her dragon form a little better right now, although glanced down at her neck to find a pendant there that she had not been wearing before.

"Are you alright, Kamui?" Azura spoke, "you… transformed into a dragon and rampaged through town. The stone around your neck helps keep your dragon blood in check, so it does not happen again. Don't worry… Corrin has one too."

"Gods!?" Kamui gawked, glancing around in terrified horror, "are you saying that I did this? The town, these people...no. No, there's no way that could have been me!"

"It wasn't you, darling," Camilla stepped up to give her some reassurance, "nor was it your family. The culprit… was your father."

"No." Kamui's jaw dropped at the implications this had.

"Don't frame Hoshido for your tricks, Nohrian!" Takumi warned.

"Our tricks?" Camilla put a hand to her chest, "Darling, I'm not saying it was Hoshido's fault at all. I am, however, pinning the blame on what I saw. The figure me and your brother fought was indeed Sumeragi. I remember his face—I was there when he was killed."

"Ryoma…" Hinoka looked terrified at the implications this had, "is she…"

"She… is telling the truth." Ryoma frowned, "but that is NOT the Father we knew and loved. It was a monster—corrupted by some level of foul magic. While I would normally suggest that it is Nohrian in design, I will try to remain reasonable until we know more."

Roku and Zenzi quietly exchanged looks, but kept straight faces. There was already a lingering suspicion of them ever since they refused to divulge their kingdoms of origin, but they also did not want to trigger the curse that would wipe them from existence.

"Smart man," Camilla cooed, "for it would behoove you to remember that Nohrians and their magic are much more straightforward than even the duplicity shown by your two youngest siblings," she glanced towards Takumi and Sakura; the former scowled and the latter squeaked.

"You've gone off the deep end, Camilla!" Oboro got right in Camilla's face, "Lord Takumi and Lady Sakura aren't behind this and you know it!"

"Goodness," Camilla actually looked a little thrown off, "no, but I am not accusing them at all. But I know what they can do. They are in two places at once, and that is Hoshidan magic. I am wondering simply if I was wrong about Sumeragi's death… if what I saw was a duplicate much like what two of his children are capable of… and then he came back."

"To do what!?" Hinoka took the defensive, "kill his wife and threaten his child? Camilla, tell me—what the hell would that even accomplish? What is the point of that?"

"I can think of many things," Camilla mused, "vying for more power; inspiration from my own father… but if you want to know why I am saying any of this, it's for one simple reason."

"Make it good," Ryoma warned, "for while I will hold my own against slander aimed at my name, I will not tolerate any slandering directed at my siblings or at my father. I knew him better than you could ever dream of, Princess. I will not see his good name tarnished by Nohrian lies."

"All I am saying," Camilla cooed, "is that we could point fingers at each other all day long and not get anywhere. If you want straightforward Nohrian truth… I really hope that it is not a Hoshidan machination either. The very act of what happened here today disgusts me on a level I cannot even begin to explain. I am infuriated at the death of my dear sister's beloved mother, and I am willing to rend her killer limb from limb if I am given the chance. HOWEVER, I will also not accept the blame landing on Nohr's shoulders without some solid, definitive proof. I am simply suggesting that we should not point fingers until we know what is going on…"

"And what if neither country is to blame?" Zenzi blurted out, "What if this is not Hoshido or Nohr's doing at all, but someone that wants to see them both gone?"

"And who would do that?" Ryoma tilted his head, "Izumo? One of the tribes? Notre Sagesse?"

"I-I don't know," Zenzi admitted, "I'm mostly just saying what if Princess Camilla is right? What if this isn't Nohr's fault either? I obviously don't think it's our own countrymen, but what if it's not the Nohrians either though?"

"Think of mother's last words," Corrin stepped up, "would she really want us turning against each other?"

"No she would not," Hinoka asserted, "Although it makes me wonder…"

"I have suspicions of Nohr too," Corrin admitted, "But I will wait for evidence just as Ryoma will."

Kamui sighed. "I really don't want anyone to become enemies over this," she began, "but now that you mention it, there's something we need to discuss, brother."

"We can discuss it here then," Corrin asserted. "I do not think it needs to be private."

"Very well. I do not fear their judgment either," Kamui dismissively waved at her Hoshidan kin.

"So let's hear it;" Corrin suggested, "or are you retracting your gratitude for our hospitality?"

"Nothing so fanciful," Kamui shook her head before stepping forward getting right up in Corrin's face. "But if you EVER say that Nohr was the only party responsible for the war again… I will murder you where you stand."

"Explain yourself!" Corrin jumped back as Takumi's arm reached behind his back for his weapon. Camilla responded by reaching behind her for her sword as well, although neither party drew their weapons just yet.

"I will tolerate that ignorant lie no longer," Kamui crossed her arms, "Nohr's been struggling since long before I or even King Garon came into the world. Our land became barren beneath our feet; we freeze during the night; some of us burn by day. Countless lives are lost to starvation, famine, crime, and pestilence. It's no wonder we Nohrians don't venture out much."

Kamui paused, realizing she had the full attention of everyone in the hall. "And when your people refused to trade with us, we had no choice but to steal what we needed. Make no mistake, brother: Nohr's first invasion of Hoshido was not out of greed or a lust for power. It was out of desperation. After our initial defeat, we were labeled as criminals and monsters, and any Nohrian that successfully crossed the border for any reason was slain on sight. This brewed further enmity between the two kingdoms, and here we are today. If Hoshido is truly innocent, then how does that explain the spy network entrenched within our borders? Were they not able to see the plights of the Nohrians and offer to help?"

"Do you truly think that Hoshido's inaction justifies King Garon's atrocities?" Hinoka was the one to speak up, "or how their Faceless monsters roam our lands, blighting it wherever they go? Nohr has killed thousands of Hoshidans, Kamui. Most of the victims are people innocent of the crimes committed against Nohr."

"So do you expect us to just forgive and forget?" Kamui pointed her sword towards the others, although less as a threat and more as a gesture, "to forget that in Nohr's time of desperate need, Hoshido turned them away? It is easy to turn down those who have nothing when you are the ones with everything."

"That does not justify the murder of innocents!" Hinoka argued, "We're not asking you to turn against your friends or family there. All we're asking for is a chance to be heard…" She stepped forward, throwing her spear aside. "And all I'm asking you personally, Kamui…" she muttered in a shaky voice with a lowered head, "...is a chance to get to know my sister."

Kamui lowered her sword, noticing the sincerity etched into Hinoka's expression. Her siblings watched intently, wondering how Kamui would react.

She sighed. "I'll give you that chance, Hinoka." Kamui conceded, "it does not assure that I will abandon Nohr in favour of Hoshido, but I believe in fair chances and 2nd chances. I will try my best to prevent envy and old grudges from clouding my judgment. However… While I understand that Hoshido and Nohr are on hostile terms, I will not stand by listening to everyone around me slander my former home. I was happy there. I may have been a royal, but I lived the life of a common soldier locked away in a gods-forsaken fortress for most of my life. Privilege was not something I was well-acquainted with. The scars that riddle my body are marks of my trials and strengths. Xander and Camilla honed me into the warrior I am today and I owe them everything for it. BUT… more important than any of that, I want you all to know that I hold and harbour no ill will towards Hoshido, or towards any of you—not even you, Takumi. I understand that my word are harsh and that they might cut deeply… but it hurts me to hear them. I want to love Hoshido the way I love Nohr. I want to see my mother's dream of a single united family realized, and I will try to make it a reality at any cost."

"You know what I'm gonna say then, don't you?" Takumi spoke up.

"Yes… yes I do." Kamui admitted, "And you're not wrong, Takumi. All of you have full rights and reasons to be suspicious of me."

"That we do," Takumi nodded, "Starting with why you have your brother's sword."

Kamui glanced at the golden-colored sword in her hand, before realizing that she did not recognize the blade.

"I… found it in the rubble next to me?" She glanced at the ruins of a large statue that formerly dominated the plaza as a sort of centerpiece.

"No…" Corrin's eyes widened, and he brandished a sword identical to the one in Kamui's hands, "I've got mine right here."

"How ironic that the Dusk Yato is found in Hoshido," a voice spoke up. A few heads turned and identified the speaker as Yukimura, Mikoto's old strategist. "Although… considering the origins of the Dawn Yato… perhaps it makes sense."

"That might explain the Nohrian stories of a missing sword for one," Camilla quipped, "but I suppose those wrongs have been righted if this blade has truly chosen Kamui."

"If this is truly the blade that can bring peace to this world," Kamui began.

"Then I will happily wield it at your side as well, sister." Corrin joined her to Kamui's surprise. "Let us call your siblings, sister. We will find a way to break the news to them and end it peacefully. If Nohr is behind it, I'm sure they will know-provided that their remarks in Izumo were true."

"This is not Xander's work, and I don't want to ever hear you even insinuate that again," Kamui warned, "I will stand at your side, brother. Do not make me regret that decision."

Sakura heaved a sigh of relief as the tension began dissipating. The survivors returned to Castle Shirasagi for one final night and to send word to Xander, Leo, and Elise, but even Kamui knew that tomorrow was the last day of indecision. The Day of Reckoning had come.