Alrighty everybody, we are back in action, and ready to plunge into the story and its many new twists and turns. Thanks for continuing to read and support this and me. It's really amazing and kind. Anyway, hopping right back in!

Song of the Chapter: World Gone Mad by Bastille

Warning: Language. Mild Chapter

Chapter Twenty: Champion of the Traitors

[Plains of Hoshido- Next Day- Ascalon and company]

The group rested not too far away from where the battle had taken place just a day ago, ignoring the smell of death and blood that tainted the air, huddled around a fire and enjoying the meal they had all worked to prepare. Reina told them stories of her military exploits, cracking a few jokes about the veteran soldier with them, letting him join her as she explained that he was the person she faced on her very first mission years ago, telling the others that she had received her face scar from him, as he had gained his from her. Gunter chuckled and reminisced on that memory, stating how he had been impressed that the young girl had managed to land such a detrimental blow, glad they were no longer enemies as he knew she was quite powerful now, even being a retainer to the queen no less.

Not too far away Ascalon on and off listened, still bothered by what he had seen earlier and the pain he had felt, the awful feelings and sensations he had endured. Shivering as he recalled the icy clutches that had almost smothered him, the Draco Knight continued keeping watch and gazing out into the darkness before him. Minutes later a slender figure sat down next to him, startling the man and drawing him from his thoughts.

"Hey Azura. How are you?" He asked, tired and mentally done for the day.

"Confused actually. Ascalon, when in that place, were you able to only see him? Your reaction to the reinforcements that arrived was a bit…odd. We haven't seen each other in a long time but I know you well enough to be able to see something has been bothering you." She explained to him, her question clear and sure.

"Ah, that. This is going to sound weird but humor me okay? Down in…home, I was able to see all of the enemies. None of them were invisible. Not too long ago my eye was hurt, badly, and I was certain that if I lived, I would never be able to see out of it again. Yet, the odd thing is, not only can I see, but my sight is better, much better, and my other eye is the same now too. Weird, I know. Were you able to see them?"

"No, I could not see them. I see them the same as everyone else. Perhaps whatever damaged you actually worked well with your DNA and only empowered you?"

"I doubt it, but maybe. Oh, speaking of odd things, have you seen anything like this back home, or in Hoshido possibly?" He asked, pulling out the tile piece secretively and showing it to his sister.

Eyes widening some she carefully held it in her delicate hands, running her thumb over the smooth surface, before saying, "Only once. It was part of something much larger, maybe the size of a big room, and it had many symbols on it as well as writing but…I barely know any of the words. It was in an ancient temple, one that has existed before Hoshido and Nohr, maybe even home, back from when the major groups of people in the land were the Elemental Tribes."

"The Tribes? So, the Ice Tribe is part of this. Okay, that helps. Do you know what they were used for?"

"I know some, as two of those tribes formed home long ago. The Earth Tribe and Spirit Tribe to be specific. There were seven tribes: Ice, Fire, Wind, Earth, Light, Dark, and Spirit. Each one served as a steward to powers gifted to them by the First Dragons, and the seventh tribe, Spirit, held a special bond with ancient gods and dragons, alive, dead, or in slumber. They made these massive tiles for their chosen people to communicate with them, ones marked by time and fate, and were able to speak and have their messages delivered to the rest of the world."

"So what happened that made the use of them not common anymore?"

Grimly she looked at him and said simply, "The establishment of our home, and the other kingdoms. Humanity drew a line, created a barrier between the groups, isolating them and secluding all to their respective lands. Earth and Spirit were trapped below, Ice residing in Nohr, Wind and Fire in Hoshido, and Light and Dark stuck in a small space on the border. One we were just at."

"The Bottomless Canyon?"

"Correct. Without the communication between them, many lost faith and time, forgetting as is normal, and left the tiles behind as well. Now, answer me this: how do you know about them and why do you ask?"

Words stuck in his throat, the general let out a small choked laugh and said, "Uh, well…I was in the woods near Castle Krakenburg, running from an enemy controlled by you know, and I fell down a hill and landed on one. Something told me to push my hands down on a certain part and then boom! I was in a different plane, I think. I could speak about certain things and was fine. All around me were these figures, some human like, others not, and some of them I knew from stories Milla and I had read…Azura I think they were gods, some of them even draconic. Weird ghostly forms of my parents showed up too and, oh silent one was pulled out into a physical form. I almost killed him, but he broke the tile and it ended the entire thing."

For a long moment the princess couldn't speak, too stunned by what she heard to even breath properly, and several minutes later she told him, "I don't know how you did that, but we must find another one. No one has been able to activate them for thousands of years. I have not tried but, I also felt no pull to try. I don't why you're so important though; you're no different from Corrin and I."

"Wait, Corrin? Oh shit, that's right. Him and Mikoto are like us too. I hope he remembers soon."

"Me too. Until then, we have each other, and our song. Would you like me to sing some?"

Nodding, adding to be quiet, he cozied next to the songstress and listened happily to her beautiful voice, missing Arete and his mother dearly. Azura warmly sang, pleased to have someone around her that she knew had loved her no matter what, someone she didn't feel guilty about receiving care and compassion from. Brother and sister spent the next few hours guarding the perimeter, catching up and telling of their adventures and journey through the near two decades they had been apart. It was a sweet and much needed moment of peace for the duo, each one relaxing and enjoying the night. When the time came, Ascalon swapped shifts with Reina, thanking her and going to sleep on his patch of ground, bundling his scarf under his head to act as a pillow. It wasn't long before Corrin, Leo, Hinoka, and Azura all huddled around him, seeking a familiar and comforting warmth and safety that was always associated with the man.

Early in the morning, as the sun was rising and brightening the sky, there came the cry of alarm and the sweet cuddle puddle was broken as the Draco Knight snapped up and to attention, springing to his feet and quickly dashing over. Sprinting over like his uniform was on fire, Ascalon readied his lance only to skid to a halt next to Felicia, the one on the morning shift who had her knife pointed at a woman in witch clothes identical to the ones they normally fought. However, this person didn't have the glowing eyes, mask, or pale blueish grey skin like most of them did. No, this person was pale but with a normal color, dark hair, and the most exasperated expression on her face as she folded her arms over her chest and tapped her booted foot on the ground. Still Ascalon was nervous as he had had one too many bad encounters with the malevolent kind.

Clearing his throat he asked, "Who are you and what do you want? Why are you here?"

This caused her to gaze at him, apparently surprised, and say, "Ascalon? Shit you're alive! Gosh, I'm so happy to see you!"

"Ha, sure thing! Now, really, who the fuck are you?"

"…You don't recognize me? Elina…from the "circus"? I performed magic tricks and read people's fortunes."

"There were a few people who did that. Also, I don't recall a witch working there? How do I know you aren't with Iago?"

"Oh sweet gods in heaven give me strength! I was in a costume when I worked there! Lon seriously, take a good hard look at my face and try to tell me I'm not familiar."

He did so, still unsure, and soon began to indeed recognize the young lady, listening to her recall certain times they had hung out, how she was close friends with Laslow and even dated him for a bit. When she brought up the one most embarrassing moment they had shared, one where she had walked in on him and Ryoma, or Yora in her story, he quickly cut her off and shouted, "Yeah! I totally remember you know! Ten out of ten, never fucking talk about that again! Geez, seriously! Fucking hell!"

Felicia, who was thankfully confused and did not fully understand what was going on or why Ascalon was suddenly beet red, asked, "Sooo, is she a friend?"

Elina, snickering some, nodded and answered, "Yes, I'm a friend. I'm part of the rebel group that works in the Etilav circus that's normally situated on the border between Hoshido and Nohr."

"Normally? Is it not there now?" Leo asked as he walked over and joined them, Hinoka close on his tail as she was still worried about his injures. "Also, hi, I'm Leo, Second Prince of Nohr."

The witch cackled at that comment and responded, "You mean ex-prince, right? Ever since yesterday a royal order has been put out on all of your heads, as well as the other Nohrian royal children. Although, you have the worst conditions placed on you Lon. Like, they're pretty nasty. And yes, the circus moved to the underground."

"What?" was all the nervous Draco Knight could say, heart skipping a couple of beats.

"It's true. As of this morning, every royal child of Nohr was branded as a traitor. A new level was created just for you though, as you have been marked as the Champion Traitor, one that shall receive a new and improved version of the Traitor's Execution if you're ever captured. Anyone that hides you will have their soul removed and be sacrificed to the Silent Dragon, whoever he is."

Leo clutched his brother's arm tightly at the mention of this, appalled that his father would go this far into madness and allow the evil tactician to use him in such a way. Azura, who was walking over with Reina and Corrin, stopped in her tracks too, heart in her throat as she heard this grim news, terrified at the power that Anankos could attain from claiming the lives of the innocent. Whoever the person in charge of this destruction was clearly an apostle of the corrupted god, serving him and finding some way to strengthen the cruel coward that was orchestrating this deadly situation.

"How many have died? Do you know? How did you make it to us?" Ascalon asked, breaths coming in shallow and small.

"I made it here purely because I can teleport and was fast and quiet. As for people…enough have died. I don't know the exact numbers and don't want to know them. Almost the entire kingdom has fled to the underground and some can't as certain areas are being held captive and watched 24/7. No one has heard anything from the Ice Tribe or the Wolfskins."

"Gods, what is the world coming to? We need to regroup with everyone and then do what we need to. Have you heard anything else that might be of value? Maybe where some important people are at the moment?"

At this Elina paused, holding her chin in her hand as she thought long and hard, nails tapping softly against her hip on her other hands, and finally perked up and answered, "Well, last I heard, all of the royals were at Castle Shirasagi but Kaze and Rinkah were leaving the Wind Tribe. Saizo needed to go the forest of Mokushu for something. There are rumors that Garon might be traveling soon though, maybe on a literal war path."

"Right, that would be bad. Okay so what needs to happen is we need to get the others to leave the castle and join us, maybe in Mokushu or Izumo; they're both near each other. We need to split up some, just temporarily, as clearly time is not on our side. Who would be able to reach the castle the fastest?" Ascalon explained, posing his question to the bunch, watching as immediately Hinoka shot her hand skywards.

Ready to answer the fierce princess told him, "Leo and I would be the best choice. We fly quickly and, while I'm good at fighting, Leo is still hurt fairly badly. He wouldn't do well if a battalion appeared and needs to be properly healed, which my mother can do as well as Sakura. If it's just us, there will also still be a decent amount of you left here incase you do indeed need to fight anyone, and there's Reina who is very skilled and can fly too."

"Okay, well that would definitely work in our favor. While you two go and gather the others, or at least let them know where we'll be, we can take care of going to the Wind Tribe and then meeting the others at the port town near Izumo and Mokushu. I forget the name of it but nothing else is nearby there, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Then we can make a plan from there and return to the Bottomless Canyon. Sounds good everyone?"

At this the group nodded, Leo a bit reluctant as he didn't want to leave his brothers again, and after sitting down to have breakfast the pair climbed back onto their Pegasus and took flight. While Elina acquainted herself with the others, Ascalon and Reina worked on charting the fastest course to the Wind Tribe, altering their trail in a few areas as they knew things may be dangerous and Faceless enemies might be on the prowl. It didn't take them too long to settle on a path, one that would wind through a forest and then take them straight to the back entrance of the Tribe's territory, through a mountain cavern and then right on up, or so they hoped. From there the Draco Knight rallied the bunch together and explained the plan, that there would not be much time for sidetracking, and then proceeded to explain their marching order for when they reached the winding stairs that they needed to traverse. Everyone understood, no one really having any questions as he had described things clearly and in a straight forward manner, as usual of him, and together they packed up their measly camp and made for their destination.

[Castle Shirasagi- Same Day- Sakura, Elise]

The two sisters sat in the stables, grooming Elise's horse and discussing simple matters such as what they looked for in a staff and how it was frustrating at times to be treated as a small helpless princess. Both knew decently well how to defend themselves and exactly how gruesome the aftermath of battles were. Yet still each one had been treated like a child for so long, protected by their older siblings and kept from knowing all that was going on. Elise told her new friend of the time when she finally set her foot down and had stood up to Xander, shivering as she remembered that day years ago and how dire the situation had been, how bad of shape Ascalon had been in. Sakura listened carefully, telling the Nohrian princess that she had been very brave to be so strong and caring in such a hard time. Sakura had had many occasions where she had silently proved to her siblings that she could handle herself, as well as proving to her retainers as well, recalling a recent time when Subaki had be shot down during an evacuation of a village in the north.

"Was he okay? I mean, he seems alright now and that wasn't too long ago." Elise asked in shock. Adding to her question she asked, "And I heard your other retainer had been hurt as well. What did you do?"

"He was shot down from his mount and broke his leg, and Hana had taken a terrible hit to the head. There were not too many enemies left though and, well…I had found a bow and arrow set in one of the villager's houses and did what I could. Truly the gods were watching over me that day as all of my shots made their mark. I just wish I could have been faster. Subaki and Hana are alright now but if I had failed even once, goodness I don't wish to think of that." Sakura explained, wrapping her arms around herself to give some small comfort.

"Wow, I can't imagine how amazing you were. You really are something else; I probably would have panicked if some one could bring Effie down. You did your best though and I'm sure everyone now knows you're more than just a pretty face."

"I can only hope so. Honestly, I-I drew inspiration from Ascalon. He and my mother taught me how to shoot a bow. I m-miss him a lot. I hope him and Corrin are okay, as well as Azura."

"Me too." Elise replied, heart heavy and saddened at the idea that they were all still missing. "We'll see them all soon though, I'm sure of it. Besides, Lon can never stay away from Camilla too long."

Laughing at the last comment Sakura smiled lightly and added, "They really are something else, aren't they? I just hope they finally tell one another the obvious before they're one hundred."

Giggling as well, Elise nodded and finished up grooming her mount, feeding them and apple before leaving with the Hoshidan princess. Together they walked back to the room they were using for their medical experiments, both eager to continue the search for a cure to the ailment Leo and many others suffered from. Hours passed quickly after and once again the pair fell asleep in front of the fire, discussing medical matters and eventually music.

As the night passed many in Castle Shirasagi grew more acquainted with their new allies, some of them knowing each other well and others forging new relationships with the Hoshidans. Many of the retainers were housed in the same area, which made for some of the most hilarious and interesting of interactions. Subaki was relaxing in the back corner, watching it all as he had to make sure he knew something about everyone before interacting with them, so he would be perfect when they did eventually talk. He saw as a rowdy bunch played card games, noting the one with long red hair similar to his own was quite a hot head and he needed to be careful in approaching her. Orochi was all too pleased to tease the girl and others as she practically robbed them in said game, none knowing the purple-haired lady most likely knew what they'd have in their hands before they did. A blonde fellow, next to the angry girl, by the name of Odin was complaining and being quite dramatic, exclaiming several things to the third in the trio who went by the name Laslow.

On the couch nearby was the one with an eyepatch name Niles, someone he had already learned a bit about from Ascalon, was trying desperately to flirt with Hana and Setsuna, failing on both fronts and groaning as the two Hoshidan ladies got up and left. Chuckling at the sight Subaki took out a small note pad and marked another loss for Niles, as this was the fifth one this night, and then tucked it back away. Kagero was not here, as she was still recovering from the even in the plaza, and Kaze was tucked away into another corner of the room, sipping down his drink and eyeing Rinkah as she tried to hide that she was sneaking several pieces of candy into her mouth. She wasn't a retainer but, after everything, no one truly minded her being there. Everyone else was getting along decently despite their cultural differences and backgrounds, the quiet ones sticking near other quiet ones while the friendlier participated in any activities.

As for himself, he was taking time to study but also cool down from everything, as he had dealt with his own dangers before the events of the plaza incident. He was strong and had to stay that way for everyone else. He honestly was terrified as he had never been knocked from his mount so terribly, by invisible enemies none the less. First, they had battled a hoard of Faceless, which he was accustomed to at this point, but then, right as they thought things were over more foes showed up, near impossible to see, and next thing he had known he was in pain and falling. Subaki hadn't fully registered that three arrows had struck him, that Hana had been thrown and knocked out after hitting a boulder. All he had truly recalled was hurting and Sakura fighting off the mystery foes with a random bow she found. It was probably the biggest failure in his life, if he was being honest with himself, and he still was unsure as to how he would bring himself back from such a devastating and humiliating defeat. At least Sakura had not been injured.

Sighing heavily, he leaned back into the crook between the walls and contemplated things, registering that things were dying down for the night. Not too much later everyone began to retire to their separate rooms, new and old friends biding each other a good night and confirming plans that were made for some time later. As for himself he waited until the area was finally empty, alone at last with his thoughts, and began to clean things up. He needed to do something to distract himself and only wished there was someone he felt comfortable enough to talk to about these emotions without feeling like an absolute failure. Knowing there was probably none, especially in Hoshido as he had to keep up an appearance, he continued to carry on the duties he normally did with Reina, sad that she was not there to join him at least. When he finished sweeping and was about to put the broom and dustpan away an odd sensation crept into the back of his mind, warm and comforting but foreign, and the Sky Knight paused, unsure as to what was happening. He blinked a few times, seeing if the deterred the peculiar sensation, only finding that it was growing with each moment and that a glowing was present under his feet, peeking through the stones that tightly wove together and made the barracks floor. One had been damaged this night however, and curiously he crouched down low to examine what rested behind the cracked stone.

Pale blue greeted and softly called him towards the fracture in the flooring, almost pulsing like a small and slow heartbeat, and in a trance like state the red-haired man began to shift the loose pieces aside, pulling out several in tact stone tiles as well as the broken one. Not too much later was he able to at last lay his eyes on a small bit of something that he knew was quite large, bewildered at the lovely blue tile that rested underneath such a place and confused as to why the symbol for light was on it. Casting all caution to the wind he removed the glove from his hand and reached downwards, placing his palm on the perfectly smooth blue tile and running his fingers along the outline etched into it. Subaki couldn't be certain but he felt like he had to put both hands on this surface. Listening to his gut he cleared away more stone and soon was able to fit both palms on top, hesitant for only a moment before reaching forward and doing exactly what he had been set to do.

In a blink he saw all of the lights in the room go out, snuffed by so invisible wind, and then watched as they were relit with unnatural blue flames that gave the room and eerie glow. Bewildered and beginning to panic he tried to pull his hands away, only to find a pair of hands on his shoulders pushing him downward but only enough that he could not move. Soon the room faded, and the floor became nothing but the tile and the abyss that was the night sky while the ceiling was that of the daytime. A few figures lined the now circular area, some feeling familiar while others did not even in the slightest. Subaki, lost as to what was happening, slowly felt the pressure taken off his shoulders and took this as his cue that he could stand, which he did do but fairly slowly.

Nervous but trying to be strong he gazed at them all, calming himself some before saying, "Hello, my name is Subaki. I'm sorry if I disturbed something I should not have. What is this place?"

"We know who you are child, maybe better than you, and have called to you in our time of need." A pale elegant figure in Hoshidan clothes stated, smile soft and kind. Gracefully the swept their hand forward to gesture at the others as they stated, "This place is an entrance to the Spirit Plane, one few can enter or connect to as only certain bloodlines were given that privilege. Do you recognize the symbol that called you here?"

"Uh…I-I yes. Yes, I do. It's the symbol for light, one that has also represented my family for as long as I can remember. Why? Who are you?"

"We are the gods, dragon or not, alive or not, and this is where we have gathered since ancient times in order to communicate with your world through people that could reach us, people from the seven different tribes. You are one of the last people existing from the Light Tribe, as they were genocided centuries ago. Now the time has come, and fate has been dramatically changed, and in order for the world to survive you, and one person from the other tribes, will be needed to assist Corrin in his goal. We need your help finding the others. We tracked down one from one of the missing tribes but not the other two."

"Holy shit." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else, eyes wide in shock and awe. Quickly he composed himself and asked, "Who did you find? Also, I only knew there to be six tribes; what is the seventh?"

This time a darker figure in more Nohrian like clothes spoke, voice raspy and sounding like someone who had a bad cough for weeks, saying, "The seventh tribe is one that was formed in a hidden land, one made to communicate specifically with those that had passed on so they may learn from them. They were the Spirit Tribe, people who held a close relationship with Fasankos the Resounding Dragon. We recently were able to reach a man named Ascalon, maybe you've heard of him, and were pleased to find that he has some of his mother's tribal blood in his veins. We are missing the Dark tribe representative as well as the Earth Tribe."

"The Earth Tribe was wiped out centuries ago though. There might not be anyone remaining from them. Also the Dark Tribe went into hiding as well and I doubt they'd be keen on doing whatever it is we'll be doing."

"Light tribe was practically destroyed too and yet here you are. You'll find them, as light always finds everything. The Dark one will be drawn to you and the Earth one will be someone that grows when you spend more time around them. Keep your sharp eyes even sharper because destiny is resting on all of you. The other tribe people will show up, don't worry."

Winded and unable to really say no, Subaki huffed and simply replied, "Sure, no problem your…eminences. Expect perfection, nothing less."

Only nodding they soon began to fade and before he knew it the Sky Knight was left alone in the now clean barracks, stones recovering the blue tile underneath, and the weight of the world on his shoulders. He took a moment, taking in deep breaths and releasing them slowly so as to remain calm, reassuring himself that he could do this and apparently even the gods believed he could. Maybe, just maybe, this was their way of offering him a chance to redeem his terrible failure from before, a chance to do better, and he would not fumble this time. Resting on his knees he leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, laughing some at the insanity that had been the past few weeks, and then told himself it was time to begin searching, since apparently light will find everything.

Hey everybody, sorry for the really late chapter and short chapter. Things have been hectic as all hell and holy moly moving across states is hard! But, I'm excited and will have more time and peace to write once I'm settled.

Also, normally I put stuff about comments in the top area but recently I got two really great comments and I just wanted to thank those folks because I appreciate it a heckin lot!

Firstly, thank you Goldenyoshistar1, I really wanted to try and give a bit more life to certain characters as I know some of them are great, but we never really learn much about who they are. Kagero is one of them and she has so much too her but there was a lot unknown, so I did my best to add but not dramatically change her.

Next, thank for reading the story in general. The fact that you gave such a high praise in your second review, especially since some things are not your comfort zone, is honestly amazing and I am really flattered that you think so highly of my story. I feel you though on the fanfics that are great and super long and then just don't update, as I have a few of those I follow and read myself, and like I promised to others, I promise to you and everyone that reads this that I will finish this story, even if it's for one person in the end.

Lastly, holy shit, I'm super glad you like Ascalon. Like, wow, that was stupidly awesome praise you gave our boy and I'm unsure of how to respond except with a "Holy moly thank you!" and the fact that after I read that my fiancée and I actually discussed what he would have been like in the other paths of the Fates games. Sadly, both of us are pretty sure he'd be killed in the beginning of Birthright as he'd be marked a traitor and executed. Ascalon definitely would have survived in the other paths though so, yay!?

Also, thanks again to my loyal readers and the lovely people that messaged me when I posted the chapters addressing the comment issue. You peeps are soooo great and your words make my day!

Final note: once this story is done, or almost done, I will be working on making another Fire Emblem Fic, one for the Shadows of Valentia game, and will possibly be continuing my Curse of Strahd fic. Clearly this one is priority though.

Until next time!