Here is chapter 2 ! Enjoy

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Once an Ally

Chapter 2 - Trapped

Alfonse's battle instincts kicked in, the young man quickly scanning their surroundings before giving out his orders.

"Anna, Corrin, could you survey the area? Just in case the people who did this to her are still around. Sharena, we're going to need warm water."

"O… okay!" His sister answered, trying to spot pieces of wood that would help her in starting a fire.

He had more knowledge in first aid among the four of them, and he knew he could count on Anna to be careful if she spotted any kind of danger. His steps were still careful as he closed in on the wounded girl, showing her his empty hands.

"I'm prince Alfonse of Askr," he greeted her quickly. "I have a few vulneraries on me and would like to offer assistance. You can let go of the lance."

Her pale blue eye stared at him for a long time, a shiver running through her entire body as she fought against the overwhelming pain. He spotted dried tears on one side of her face, anger seething inside. Was he asking for too much by hoping for a world where everyone could stay safe?

The blonde tried to speak up, but the only sound coming out of her was a shuddering moan and Alfonse kneeled next to her, quickly asserting the damage. She was wearing a torn cape laced with feathers that had once been white, graying with ashes from the fire she'd been exposed to. Blood stains on the snow traced her fragile steps up to her resting spot, the prince wondering why the symbols drawn on her clothes reminded him of something. Everything about her looked foreign.

"You must be freezing, and we need to stop the bleeding," he said, gesturing for the wound she was holding.

She blinked as quickly as possible, whimpering at the throbbing that came from behind her eye. Everything hurt. Alfonse removed his white cape, setting it in a bundle to support her head. He offered her water, gathering from the cracks on her lips that she had been running for a while. The poor thing was too weak to offer much resistance, merely tensing as a reflex, her trembling weak, her voice crackling on every sound she mustered. She coughed up on her second gulp, Alfonse taking away the gourd, turning his attention to the wound on her side.

"I… F…Fjorm," she managed.

"Is that your name? Fjorm," he repeated. "We're going to look after you now."

"The coast is clear," Anna called out from behind him, Fjorm jumping in fright.

Alfonse could only wonder if those wounds were due to a run-in with bandits or something much more sinister.

"We'll have a fire started in no time. I'll melt snow," Sharena suggested, taking out the small bowl she had tucked in her travel bag.

Alfonse focused on Fjorm, unsure whether he could move her around.

"Anything broken?" he asked her.

She shook her head, blond hair moving around, rough and sticking in places. Taking off his gloves, he noticed just how wet and frozen her clothes were.

"This can't be good. How long have you been out like this?"

Fjorm blinked at him, her eye losing focus, the shivers remaining, her breathing laborious. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that Corrin had taken it upon herself to mount up a tent.

"The girl clearly needs fresh clothes and to be out of the cold," Anna observed.

"I don't…" Fjorm tried speaking up.

She had to be quite overwhelmed.

And overwhelmed she was. The young man, Alfonse was it? He encouraged her to keep pressure on her wound, lifting her in his arms with a grunt. The blonde girl he called Sharena took the lance from her hand, promising she would keep it close to her. Fjorm couldn't fully understand the other two voices, her hearing spotty, and everything ached. The burned flesh on her side was throbbing and her fingers tingled from being touched by Sharena.

"Is this frostbite, Alfonse?"

Fjorm had a protest ready, because the cold couldn't hurt her, the cold was familiar and so much better than the fire set ablaze on her skin but her voice was a weak moan, unbefitting of a princess and her brain was jumping back and forth from her time in a cell. The guards hadn't carried her like this then. She would be hurtled and shoved around, the princesses visiting her sneering and mocking her weak pleas. What should have been negotiations had become a nightmare and she wanted to wake up or to just sleep without a single dream, without any hint of pain wrecking through her.

"It's the early stage of it. Hold the flap open for me?"

Sharena did, Fjorm wincing as the movement jostled her weary bones. Her muscles were spasming in an attempt of keeping her warm and her feet felt frozen in her boots. She wished she could have gathered more layers, she wished she hadn't tripped on her feet a dozen times as she ran for her life, but she was this weak, pathetic pile of shivers now and there was no fixing it by herself.

I'm a burden again. The first official mission my sister gives me, I blunder and now I'm having other people look after me!

Alfonse laid her down as gently as he could, his hand warm against her forehead. She was chilled down to the bones. Was that why everything was so blurry when she managed to blink her eye open?

"We'll dress that wound and get you changed into dry clothes," Sharena explained after shooing her brother out of the tent.

"We…?" Fjorm croaked.

"The name's Anna. Are you a princess in distress from another kingdom? Your clothes look way too sophisticated for it to be anything else."

"I…"

Tears fell down as Fjorm thought of her people. Gunnthrá had no way of knowing what had happened to her, she might still believe the treaty was taking place, but every member of her retinue had been killed and Fjorm had found herself with no other choice but to run once she had reclaimed her lance.

"Don't bully her, Anna, she's in shock," Sharena reminded her friend.

"Just trying to make conversation," the commander shot back as she struggled with Fjorm's boots.

Sharena couldn't help a gasp of horror as the cloak came off, pulling on the raw skin, exposing bruising all over the young woman, and a long gash that was at least superficial. The scorch marks ran from her shoulder to her mid-thigh.

"I hope our clerics will be able to fix that for you. I'll clean you up quick."

Fjorm tried to hold on to her consciousness, but the pain was getting too much and she faded in and out.

Standing outside, Alfonse tried to gather some sort of clue to the wounded girl, Corrin spotting a spark among the snow first.

"Look what I found!"

It was a small circlet of gold with a diamond shaped sapphire nestled inside an array of gold.

"I think she might be from Nifl," Alfonse whispered, finally recognizing the emblem he'd seen on her tattered clothes. "She's a very long way from home."

Corrin felt sorry for the so-called Fjorm, but couldn't help wondering what her various sibilings would have done in front of the same situation in comparison with Alfonse. He hadn't even questioned the idea of helping her. Takumi would have been on his guard, expecting a trap. Leo would have said it was looking for trouble, but she knew extending a hand was the only way she ever wanted to answer.

They stood in silence for a while, Alfonse checking the fire, fighting against his urge to pace impatiently.

"What do you know about Nifl?" Corrin asked him.

If she was stuck in this world, she might as well try to understand it a little.

"They were in a war with Muspell. I don't know neither kingdoms very well," he admitted. "The news doesn't get this far."

"There's a lot of turmoil in this world," Corrin sighed.

Alfonse felt a pang of guilt at her comment.

"Like I said before, I don't intend to force you to battle if you'd rather not. If we weren't in such need of help, I wouldn't be summoning people away from their home."

"The other heroes you called so far. I bet they've handled it well after all?" she suggested.

The prince gave a stilted shrug.

"Most of them have. It takes time… Don't rush yourself, okay?"

Corrin didn't like the impression he treated her like a wounded child. She had been protected for so long, it had kept her away from all the truths she needed to take the correct decisions.

"If I came all the way out here, it's because I feel ready to face the music. I could never sit still back home."

Alfonse had no words for that, his eyes turning to the tent where Anna and Sharena were treating the wounded noble. Corrin couldn't rest easy with the silence and wondered if they'd ever summoned a hero who'd been in bad shape.

"Like… do you have any way to control the summoning like you did with picking me out?"

Alfonse turned back to her, looking taken aback. As he reflected upon his answer, a blush came to his cheeks.

"We try to summon people during decent hours to avoid some embarrassing situations. It happened once that we summoned a guy who had been in the middle of bathing… Wounded heroes were summoned a few times, but, nothing that we couldn't fix with our healers."

"It's perfectly random then," Corrin understood, "isn't it?"

They had tried to explain to her how certain orbs could provide a precise summoning, depending on a ritual that involved using something linked to the hero they wanted to summon. She had refused to hear much more about it, since it was hard to be angry at the only people she could depend on in this new world.

"I guess it's fairer that way," Alfonse sighed.

He knew it wasn't a perfect angle to look at things, since Corrin's situation was anything but fair, but she nodded back to him. A few more minutes passed, and she couldn't handle the inaction.

"How about I go dig for more orbs?" the half-dragon princess offered. "I can't do anything useful here."

"At least wait until Anna or Sharena can accompany you."

"I'll be fine on my own," Corrin decided, a challenge in her crimson eyes.

Alfonse understood the matter at stake and held on a sigh. He could have gone with her, but there was still blood on his hands from briefly holding Fjorm, and he really wanted to make sure the poor girl was fine before moving. It was hard to tell why.

"Just stay safe. Don't be afraid to call for help if anything comes up."

"Al, can you come here?" Sharena called from the tent, settling both of their minds.

…

On the following morning, Fjorm woke up wrapped in a white cape that smelled like old books and pine. Sharena greeted her with a smile and a small breakfast, Fjorm only swallowing two mouthfuls, her stomach churning in protest. It was hard to remember the last time she'd eaten anything. Corrin had gathered four more orbs by digging and also a racoon corpse, which she had called Anna's treasure, much to the red-head's displeasure, even though she played along with the joke if it meant bothering Alfonse.

As soon as it was determined their new protégée would handle the ride, the group collected their things, Alfonse insisting on keeping his cape around Fjorm. He climbed into the saddle and lifted her from Sharena's hold to have her sit in front of him. Weak as she was, the princess of Nifl laid against his chest, making herself small, a bundle of feathers and bluish blond hair. Her face was less swollen, both of her eyes open now. She looked at the prince from beneath her eyelashes, shifting around as best as she could, his left arm tentatively wrapping around her to secure her stance.

"Careful not to fall," he warned.

She couldn't help a small gasp as the very first step of the horse had her bumping into Alfonse a bit roughly. Trying to keep her distances from the man in this current situation was ludicrous. And despite how cold she still felt, she couldn't help her growing blush. Her face was basically lying in the hollow of his neck and she could smell the pinewood so well now. The white fabric around her was his cape.

"This feels a tad improper."

She couldn't see his own blush but guessed it from the nervousness in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I just don't trust the others to keep you on the saddle."

"I heard that!" Anna shouted, pretending offense.

Fjorm simply snuggled her face deeper in the white cape, her arms tightly held against her chest, her legs dangling by the side of the horse, counting the bumps her head made against his chest. It was a funny thing, how reassuring it was to know that chest would remain there at every new step his mount took.

"My armor isn't too rough?" he asked her after a few minutes.

"I'm fine," she whispered, her brows furrowing as she realized how thin the fabric of his clothes was from looking at the arm he kept around her. "Aren't you cold?"

"I'm fine," Alfonse told her.

But the light brush of her hair against his chin was a bit unnerving, and he was glad for how cold the air was.

…

Corrin had managed to eat enough of her dinner to get Sharena to stop worrying. She pondered if everyone summoned by those powerful orbs got this one-on-one treatment, or if they were trying to make her feel more comfortable with the idea of combating her brother. Why am I even still here? She mused, and again thought of running away. Even if just to talk to him, find out why he was fighting with this Veronica. Xander fought for Garon. She reminded herself, and tried to blink away the image of her sister, her dear Elise, being struck down before her as Xander blindly followed their his father's orders. She dropped her chopsticks and stood from the table.

She looked around for the path she knew to the lake and bit down on her bottom lip, recalling there was no such place. She instead tried to remember where Lilith's shrine was, making her way through the rows of tents. The air was filled with smoke, cooking meats, unwashed bodies, wet leather, and mud. The familiar scents of a battle camp. Your dying wish was for me to see that peace you died for. Corrin thought, her eyes burning as she thought about Azura fading in her arms, having sung her song that allowed them to defeat Garon.

"And I'm pulled right back into war against my own family." She lamented, reaching into her breastplate, tugging on the chain around her neck. Next to the dragonstone was an elaborate silver pendant, and she bit her lip hard while looking at it. She could almost hear her voice singing to her, you are the ocean's gray waves. She would tease Azura saying she had never seen the ocean, so how did she know that she wasn't lying. Azura would just roll her eyes at her and call her childish, and resume her song. "If you were here…" she paused, squinting back the burning in her eyes. You'd tell me it's destiny. That I was brought here for a reason. She looked around the rows again, and thought she saw the small pond where Lilith was. She walked towards it, the pendant gripped hard in her hand.

She sat down next to the water, dipping her fingertips into it. She missed the lake, sitting on the dock letting her feet dangle, watching the minnows swim at her feet and the odd tickling when they gave her experimental nibbles. She remembered Azura promising to teach her how to swim, and she bit down hard on her lip as she squinted away another burn in her eyes. Hinoka tried, but their free time was limited.

"Corrin?" she flinched, turning to see Lilith coming out of the tent.

"Hi Lilith." She greeted, a genuine smile coming to her face. It was nice to see her dear friend again, regardless of the oddity of the circumstance.

"Welcome back!" she greeted, chirping excitedly and doing a quick twirl. "I missed you while you were gone, how did the little adventure go?"

"I missed you too." She told her friend about the long ride through the forest, and the strange ruins they came across. She counted their journey as a double success, they found those powerful orbs the Askrians were searching form, and were able to rescue a young woman. Destiny. She thought, hearing Azura's voice from the back of her memory.

"Wow! She's lucky you guys were out there. What were the chances." Lilith commented. Corrin nodded her agreement, trailing her fingers in small circles in Lilith's pond.

"Azura would have called it destiny." She spoke her thoughts aloud. "Elise would probably want to bring her candy to cheer her up and make her feel better." her voice began to crack, and she bit down on her bottom lip, her sharper canines drawing blood.

"I miss everyone too." Lilith sighed, dropping herself and resting her head on Corrin's knee. "But at least I know they're happy." She added. "So I can be happy too. Even if I miss them. And at least I get to see you again."

"You too Lilith." She smiled.

"You must be tired. Why don't you go to bed?" She suggested. She wasn't sure she would find a restful sleep, her restless tossing and turning would probably just keep Lilith up. But her friend had never complained, and if anything merely offered her words of comfort to chase away the quickly fading memories of the nightmares that caused her to thrash about.

"Yeah. I should." She agreed anyway. The little dragon lifted her head so Corrin could stand up, crouching to enter the small tent and sat on her bedroll tucked up against the tent's wall so she could peel off her layers of armor, and not for the first time found herself wanting for spare clothing as she slipped under the wool blanket, still in the long sleeved shirt and pants that kept her warm beneath her armor and drifted into another fitful sleep.

_._._._._.

The days were short, and her nights cut even shorter by the memories haunting her. Only in her sleep did Azura let her emotions show, and that wasn't a decision, the poor girl forced to go over the dreadful events leading her back to her old prison. Norh was cold, and the castle hadn't changed. The wide bed threatened to swallow her whole, the covers barely helping her stay warm.

Like she could feel warmth anymore.

Garon had won, defeating Corrin and breaking the poor girl as punishment for disobeying his will. Azura couldn't get Corrin's screams out of her head or forget the look on Sakura and Hinoka's faces. It was almost a good thing that Elise was gone. This way the girl didn't have to see her adopted sister reduced to a bloody corpse.

Azura had been singing to keep everyone fighting, trying to keep up with Corrin despite the ranks of Risen coming back for more. The blue-haired dancer had taken a hit in her rush to follow Corrin, Leo's sword had dug deep in her scalp, her hair covering the jagged scar that still felt tender even now.

It had been only four weeks since the fateful battle and being taken back by Norh. The lock clicked open as the maid brought her breakfast once again. Azura was already dressed in dark colors, as the country was mourning the crown prince. Only Xander was to be mourned, Elise left forgotten much to Camilla's dismay.

Azura didn't look at the maid walking in, instead focusing her attention on the glimpse of sky she could make out through the curtains. They had been nailed into the rock, bars making it impossible to try and pull them open. What little sun could shine on this land, and she couldn't even see a single ray. She tied her long hair in one heavy braid for this day, since letting it loose felt wrong. Her voice had stopped working. The only sounds she made were from the physical pain inflicted on her whenever she refused to answer a question. She was void of emotion in every waking moment. Like a ghost stuck inside of her own body, frozen down to her core.

Leo had slapped her twice as he questioned her, desperately aiming to learn the weaknesses of the Hoshidians still left. Camilla had visited her once, unable to talk either, simply staring at her, her eyes hooded with fatigue, her skin all puffy and red. Grief was etched into every one of her features and Azura could barely stand the look in those lavender eyes.

She had refused to cry except for her first night in captivity. Time was supposed to mend this fresh wound. Even with so many dear friends lost, it seemed she had no other choice but to survive. She was still looking for a meaning to her life in this place. Garon had made it sound like he wanted to marry her to Leo at some point. Keep her dynasty entwined with his. The prince wasn't happy about it, already nurturing feelings for another, but feelings were of little matter to their ruler.

What use am I to him?

She mustered her best bland look, raising the walls she had carefully laid around her mind to endure the assaults of blond-haired despots over the years, staying rooted to her chair as the sorcerer prince extended her a visit, dressed in actual clothes instead of his suit of armor.

"You're starting to look like a ghost, princess Azura," he sighed.

She stayed silent, stilling her limbs to make sure the quivers of fear wouldn't show as he approached her.

Leo's ears blushed under his pale hair, shame mixing with embarrassment.

"I'm not going to question you any more than I did," he declared, his eyes evading hers as he went on, "I… My actions were…"

Azura paled, unsure if she could deal with the real Leo who had been her friend back when they were children. She'd read stories for him and Corrin whenever the siblings found a chance to gather together.

Leo scratched at his hair, collecting himself as best as he could.

"What I meant to say is I'm sorry. My conduct was despicable."

A flash of pure pain glimpsed at her from his dark eyes, his eyelids quickly hiding it, the raw emotion staying with her as she wondered if he was still mourning his adopted sister.

I'm just glad Corrin didn't get to…

Her thought shattered on itself because while she didn't want to wish any suffering on Corrin, anything should have been better than a world without her one true friend.

"I'd like to make amends, especially since my father is dead set on our alliance."

"You could follow his example and take a few courtesans under your wing," Azura observed, unable to forget the disgust the prince had expressed when he'd first explained the arrangement to her.

Leo blinked at her, the color fading from his face. A broken smile stretched his face, a self-derisive chuckle soon following, Azura gulping down anxiously as she wondered if she wouldn't have done better to keep her mouth shut.

"That must be the most polite way I was ever rejected," he sighed from beneath his gloved hand. "I don't intend to force you into anything, lady Azura, I've already been a boar and a brute. I was hoping… Maybe I could give you a tour of the gardens…?" He gestured awkwardly at the room,"You don't have to stay confined in here." She couldn't help raising one brow at him, seeing as she was locked in her room all day long, Leo struggling to keep his cool. "Can I at least try to be nice to my fiancée?"

"Is that truly what we…?"

Her voice shook halfway through the question, Leo wincing since he was a lost cause when it came to comforting people. His guilt eased some of her fear. He looked much smaller without his cape, and yet, it was the glimpse of grief she sensed from him that helped Azura in taking a full breath despite the fact he was standing in the same room as her.

It was a terrible fact that lately, Leo had been the one thing she personified as Garon. The evil King wouldn't come over to see her, but his will and claws were still finding their ways to her.

Why did any of his children obey him? Why couldn't they wake up and see how badly their people were suffering while they suffered just as much in their golden cages?

"It may look like a chain, but if you wear this ring, you can go out and around the castle as you please," he offered, holding up said ring for her to see.

Azura wanted to protest, because her heart had been the one thing belonging to her, but her resignation came back. It wasn't like there were many sane parts left in that heart to love someone. And walking out of her royally-furnished cell would be so much better than sitting here getting cold.

"No one will ask me to sing?" she asked.

It was a mistake revealing just how terrified she was of such a request, but Leo's eyes darkened with understanding.

"I know people would love to hear you, but you'll be free to keep your songs to yourself."

She heaved a deep sigh of relief, the hint of a smile showing.

"Thank you."

Azura stood up from her seat as Leo shook his head at her, unsure why she even felt the need to thank him. Her shoulders were drawn inward despite her best efforts to stand strong, her pale hand reaching out. The prince carefully kept his distance as he dropped the golden band in her palm.

"Am I free with that?"

"Well, as long as you don't try to… What's that light?!"

Azura blinked, her eyes unable to see through the veil of darkness covering her. The sensations in her limbs told her she was falling, but she didn't move. Her stomach did though, and she was glad she hadn't touched her breakfast. Bile burning up her throat was enough.

Had the ring been cursed by Iago? Had Leo trapped her in a different prison? What was happening to her?

The dizzying impression halted as suddenly as it had started, her knees buckling and hitting dirt, her hands catching her just in time. For some reason, the lance that had been kept in Garon's armory after her forced returned to Nohr thumped on the ground by her side. She would learn soon enough, the weapon had been summoned with her.

"Azura?" A female voice asked her.

Looking up with a startled expression, the princess held her breath, instantly understanding she wasn't in Nohr or Hoshido. This didn't even look like Valla.

"You know my name?" she whispered, her face and stance guarded as her fingers wrapped on the hilt of her lance.

She had no idea if the weeks spent in isolation had left her too weak to lift the weapon, but she wasn't going to hesitate when she didn't know what her situation was. The blond lady looking down to her with a kind smile and empty hands looked gentle enough, but the man standing behind with his hood pulled up and his hands buried in his pockets reminded her too much of past captors.

"We summoned you here. It's complicated to explain, but hopefully, we can be good friends when you get used to Askr. I'm princess Sharena and this is Kiran."

The man waved at her nonchalantly. Azura wondered if she was going to visit many more worlds in her life.

"Does this mean you could have summoned anyone at all and picked me of all people?" the blue-haired princess asked as she struggled to her feet.

She still felt quite light-headed, but her lance served as a good crutch.

Sharena frowned at the flatness of her voice.

"We…"

"It was a bad choice. I only bring bad luck to people," the singer sighed, closing her eyes shut as she willed away the pain usually coming with that thought.

It was her truth and she would accept it.

"That's such a sad thing to say!" Sharena protested. "I heard you were both a dancer and a singer and we need all the support we can get!"

Azura wanted to ask why she should be so inclined to even give lend them her support. She'd been bullied into taking a side before, trapped by circumstances and this felt only like a repeat of her fate to be an eternal prisoner. Bitter words threatened to cross her lips, but it was bile rising up that made its way up, the princess bending over and dropping her lance as she tried to hold back the urge to retch. It was to no avail, her breakfast from another world greeting the sand and stone on the ground.

"Oh dear…" Kiran turned as white as his coat.

"That's the travelling hitting you," Sharena explained, apologizing as she knelt by the girl to hold her hair for her. "I'm so sorry…"

She sounded genuine and it made Azura wonder if maybe this time wouldn't be different. She let Sharena help her back to her feet once the worst of it was over, feeling self-aware as she tried wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve. Her dress was covered in sand and dubious stains now, making her skin itch.

"We'll get you to our camp, so you can clean up and catch some rest. My brother is better at explaining the situation than I am," Sharena apologized once more.

Azura followed her, remaining tense until she saw one gray-haired girl walking between the tents. The lance she'd been holding nearly dropped from her hands at the sight. It had to be wrong, she remembered her blood on the mud and Garon's laugh, but those red eyes looked quite alive.

Corrin.

To be continued…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.