Wow, I'm so hyped that you guys have been enjoying the story so far. I definitely had a little bit of trouble with the last chapter, managing to even spook myself. I have gone over and reread the chapters out, finding many typos sadly, and pray for forgiveness. I'll be going back and updating them sometime next week as I'll have a few days in a row that I'm not busy.

Big, huge thanks to GrimaxNaga who left one of the sweetest reviews like ever. To answer your concerns and questions, there was a bit of difficulty with the sister/twin perspective situation that thankfully is resolved in this chapter, and I totally understand with the whole Hoshido Nohr sibling thing as well. As for the Arcturus and the child named Nix, along with the actual Fates character named Nyx, they are not the same, but I did pick that name on purpose for future reasons and plot. I'm also super thrilled that you like how I portray the people of Nohr. I've always imagined that they were normal people, just living in a tough land and trying their best to survive with what they have, which doesn't always mean being bad. Just like the real world, we rely on each other in harsh times and environments, coming together and bonding or doing the opposite, and fighting/using other people. No single group falls into one type and I'm overjoyed that I portrayed it well.

Equally big thanks to Savixf! I'm flattered and hope that I can keep up the good work!

Warning: Sad feels await! Also, more children being creepy jerkbags! There is a scene with child abuse, (QnQ), but there are happy moments to help.

Chapter Five: Pain Known

[The Barrack's Medical Bay w/Phier, Ascalon, and Princess Jezebel (non-creepy one)]

Boot tapping the ground anxiously Phier watched the two sleeping children in their temporary beds, unsure of what exactly she could do, or what happened for that matter. Her eyes were sore from rubbing them in disbelief as she tried to come to terms that there were two Princess Jezebel, both disturbingly identical except in nature. The one she had rescued with Ascalon had explained some of what occurred in the cemetery, telling the lost captain about the cruel trick her mother pulled on everyone as the woman wanted everyone to believe there was only one child so that, in case one was a disappointment, she could do away with them. This one, the kinder of the two sisters, had feared death her whole life and was terrified her mother truly would end her once her sister got back.

Phier had done everything possible to reassure the girl she was safe, relieved when she fell asleep after a healer fixed her ankle. She didn't mention to the small child that her disturbed twin had stalked her on the night she had gone to meet up with Arcturus, or that she spoke of how she loved the wyvern lord's red eyes so much and wanted to preserve them when she died. No child needed to hear that. Those were terrors she kept to herself and on occasions, told to her dear friend when venting over tea. As she thought about him, he showed up, rushing through the ward and not even attempting to hide his worried expression. Giving her a tight hug, he thanked Phier for the rescue and following her instincts that had earlier believed something was amiss as citizens told her about the wicked princess that was going to the cemetery.

"What happened and why is there a second Princess Jezebel? Is my boy alright? I heard his head was cut and he was covered in bruises." Arcturus asked, words falling quickly from his mouth and slurring at points.

"Ascalon will be fine; the healers have already taken care of him. As for the second princess…she's her twin. I saw them with my own eyes: the one we both know and this mystery one. They're identical physically and share the exact same name. From what the girl told me her mother did it on purpose so that she could find out which one of the two was stronger and get rid of the other without anyone noticing. It's sick but, some of the concubines have done worse to their kids." She explained, pushing back a gag as she recalled how some of the mothers were.

"Gods, that's a nightmare. I knew Sinistra was twisted but that's just morbid. Poor girl. I don't know how to thank her for helping Ascalon."

"We could always hide her from her mother. That lady doesn't deserve to have a sweet child like her. There is also a small chance that Sinistra will kill her; she's threatened her with it many times apparently."

"Oh. Uh, right then. We could get in serious trouble for that though. Maybe if we change how she looks, tell her to go by a different name, she could stay here until we figure this out?"

"That is probably our best bet. We need to wake her up and…go get those three siblings for me. Your boy's friends. They'd have no trouble helping us hide her and no one would suspect them either. Hurry."

At that Arcturus nodded sharply and bolted, searching the gardens and villas first. Phier rummaged through everything in the medical ward, gathering some supplies that would help transform the little girl. Grabbing a pair of shears, she thought about names, debating which ones would work well and be believable. Her hair could easily be changed, as it was extremely fair in color and would take to dyes well enough, and the shade of her eyes wasn't too uncommon in certain areas of Nohr. If worse came to worse Phier could always claim that the girl was her niece that was temporarily visiting her while her brother worked. The claim was simple and drew no attention, mainly due to the fact that a scenario exactly like that had occurred before. Most people didn't know her personal life, so she could use it to her advantage.

With a nod of silent agreeance with herself she went over and gently shook the princess awake. Warm brown eyes opened and saw the captain, nervous until Phier gave her a reassuring smile and sat on the edge of the bed. The captain spoke, saying, "Sorry to wake you up sweetie but, I need to ask you some questions okay?"

"O..Okay. Am I in trouble? Is my mother here?" Jezebel asked, her fear growing slightly.

"No, she doesn't know where you are. I want to make sure she doesn't find you either. Now, if what you told me is true, your mother might try and hurt you…badly. Would you be willing to hide who you are and change your name so much that she couldn't find you?"

"Uhhhhh, can I do that? It would be nice but what if she finds out?"

"You can, and she won't. If you do, I will pretend that you're my niece coming to visit me and then find a way to get you somewhere safe. My brother has kids and, if we changed your hair and clothes, you would look very much like him and his family, myself included."

"That's so kind of you. I'm so scared though. Mother has always found me, and I've never fully escaped her. I came close once but…it's so far away now."

Intrigued by the news Phier asked, "Really? How and when? We might be able to do it this time."

"It was a year ago and I had snuck into the supplies a group of soldiers heading towards the border had with them. I tried sneaking away when it was dark, to cross over to Hoshido, but…I tripped on my dress and made a lot of noise. The men thought I was an enemy and when they saw I wasn't they immediately brought me back. Mother was so angry and used her magic on me. I don't want to hurt that bad again. Please help me!" She told her, crying at the end and clinging to the captain, little arms shaking with each sob.

Saddened by her tale she held the girl close, biting back bile that rose in her throat, and softly said, "I won't let her. We'll get you out and I know how. You need to trust me sweetie. It'll be alright."

About then, as Phier wiped away the child's tear, Arcturus showed up, breathless but successful as the siblings followed him closely. They all wore a suspicious expression as they saw the princess, Camilla also looking ready to fight if things went wrong. Jezebel partially hid behind Phier as the three came up to the side of her bed, Xander being the only one that was puzzled about the situation.

"Your majesties, she is going to tell you a story but, before she does, I want to let you all know that everything she is saying is true and that if it weren't for her bravery Ascalon might have died or been hurt worse than he is. Now, no questions; Just listen." Phier told them, earning a surprising 'harrumph' from Camilla, watching the princess fold her arms and pout.

Having the encouragement of both Arcturus and Camilla the scared girl was able to tell the siblings her tale, starting from when her mother first threatened her at the age of six, ending at the events that unfolded not too long ago. Brave and wanting them to believe her Jezebel rolled up her sleeves and showed the scars her mother's magic had left, as well as revealing more recent injuries both of her family members had inflicted because she was weak in their eyes. By the end Xander barely held onto his stoic expression while Leo had turned his eyes to the ground, knowing how painful some of those wounds had to be, and Camilla looked beyond ashamed of herself. For so long she had resented the girl, believing there had only been one princess and when she had been kind it was only to trick her. Now she knew the truth and it hurt worse than anything.

"Now, I have a plan to help her escape but, I need your help. All of you. Will you lend me your hand?" Phier asked gently, understanding how they all felt at the moment. Together they nodded and awaited the captain's words, a fire burning in their eyes as they were determined not to fail. "Excellent. I'm going to change what she looks like and, until I can get her to the border, she is going to pretend to be my niece. I need all of you to keep her and Ascalon far away from her twin. She's very cruel however, she is strong and can summon the Faceless. If it looks at all like she might suspect something, one of you needs to hide with them in the hidden passages while another comes and gets either Arcturus or myself, alright?"

They all nodded, none of them hesitating or questioning if things would work. These children, who she hoped would be the future heirs to the throne of Nohr, were determined to make this work more than anyone else. Leo gave the princess a new name that he knew would be found in the countryside, Rosalynn. Camilla helped dye her hair and cut it short so that it resembled Phier's own hair, apologizing to the girl and giving her a warm hug. Xander drew out a rough map of the castle and villas, marking the entrances to the passages and telling her hope to open them. The captains watched in awe at how resourceful these children were, hearts burning in pride at the sight of them coming together to save an innocent person, even though they knew the risks were high and if they were caught it would be bad. Arcturus kept watch of the medical ward, making sure they were alone, as Phier explained the plan to Ascalon when he woke up groggily. By the time dinner rolled around Jezebel was no more, and a new girl stood in her place, wearing commoner's clothes and making herself sound more like the wyvern lord who save her.

"Alright, you all did great. Now, we just need to keep this ruse up for a couple of weeks until My troops are sent to the boarder again. Ascalon, you'll come with and we'll hide Rosalynn in the supply box George is going to carry. That way we can keep her close and if a fight breaks out you two can quickly fly her over into Hoshido. I'm so proud of all of you, and hope that one day you'll be the royals I serve. Always remember this day, and how strong the truth is." She told them as she kneeled before the children, smiling brightly at them, a rare sight indeed.

Feeling good about what they accomplished everyone said their goodnights and went their separate ways until it was only Ascalon and his father left. Arcturus, relieved that his boy was safe and sound, carried the sleepy child in his arms and back to the shared room that was their home. Setting the boy down on his small bed he paused when he grabbed his hand, looking back at the child only to find him gazing at his solemnly. Worried he sat on the ground next to him and waited for his son to speak.

"Dad, in the graveyard, before the monster hit me, I ran into a tombstone. It had your last name on it, Avenstar, but the first name was Nix. Who were they?" He asked, saddened and his voice seeming so small and so unsure.

Arcturus sighed heavily as his heart ached with deep regret. He knew eventually he was going to tell him about them, he just didn't know it would be so soon. Like everything about this blue haired boy that he held dear, things happened when least expected. Taking a deep breath and releasing it he told him, "Not too long ago I had a wife and son; Her name was Hela and his name was Nix. I loved them so much and loved that they saw the world differently than most…in a way that you see it. However, my son wanted to learn about Hoshido, what they were like and what they practiced. He even dreamed about being friends with someone from there. My wife and I indulged him and his dreams, giving him things to study, bringing back trinkets and other items when I could. One day though, my son wanted to surprise me while we were traveling, and he and my wife crossed the border into Hoshido…to go find a flower that I had read about and wanted to grow someday."

He leaned his head back as he gazed at the ceiling, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as the captain continued, "They found them, buying the seeds from a merchant over there. When they crossed back over into Nohr though, they were caught by a group of guards. Hela and Nix tried so hard to explain that they had done nothing wrong however, they didn't know that the merchant had followed them. He thought she was a spy and soon a fight began. Both sides killed my wife and child, because of a misunderstanding over flower seeds. In order to not be executed as a possible traitor, King Garon ordered me to swear allegiance to him and told me that I could not visit their graves. I agreed and watched from far away as my family was laid to rest."

Story done Arcturus hung his head in shame, guilt rising as he cursed internally at himself for failing his wife and child. Yet as he tried to wallow a small pair of hands pulled at him, bringing him into a warm hug that soothed the man's great sadness. Ascalon held his father close, hoping that he could help him feel better. He knew his dad could not see that it wasn't his fault, that he blamed their deaths on himself, but he tried anyway to give him a reason to smile again. Fate had taken away so much from both of them, yet it gave the two something bittersweet to bond over, a pain both of them had known and hopefully could overcome together.

Being strong for his father Ascalon asked quietly, "Do you have the flower seeds?" His father nodded, letting the child continue to hug him. With a warm smile the strange boy told his dad, "Then after we find peace and the world is better, we can plant them together. We can have a garden and have those flowers, so we can always remember them, and how much they loved you."

Welp I think that's enough feels for one chapter. Hope it wasn't too terrible and that it all made sense. Thank you all so much for the support and stay tuned for more!

Also, here's a quick guide to help with name pronunciations.

Ascalon - ask-ah-lawn

Arcturus - arc-tur-us (lol, exactly like it's spelled)

Phier - like the word 'fear'