Andromeda: Yay new chapter. Just two questions: Will Teale help Hoshido in the conquest route? Will Teale die in your story? Sorry I like him but Im curious.
I have an idea on what's going to happen on the Conquest route, but that's going to stay a secret!

Guest: Update please
Sorry for the wait!

GhostDespair: I really hope you update soon
I've been meaning to update for a while, but haven't really gotten to it, I'm sorry!

I'm sorry I haven't updated this story, or any of my others. Christmas was kind of chaotic, and then New Years wasn't much better for me. I've been having a few health problems recently and I decided that I should probably update while I actually have my mind on it, so here it is! Again, sorry for the wait!

I yelled in frustration as I continued to destroy anything I could find in my room. News of Flora's death had reached me, after my siblings decided as to who should tell me. Fortunately, no one had to tell me, as I heard them discussing the matter near the training room I was headed for. We both knew that there were risks in the plan Flora had told me, and we both expected her to succeed. Not for her life to end by being burned alive. Deep down, I knew that Flora had decided that if she didn't win this fight, she would end her life before going back to King Garon, but a small part of me couldn't accept that.

That had been a couple days ago. I still had sudden fits of anger as I either lay in bed or pace around the room in frustration. Leo had come by a few times, but only made it so far as my door. It had been locked for a while now, since I first started to throw any item in my room that I could see. While I tried to calm down, I listened to Leo talk to me through the door. The way Corrin was going, it seemed that he was going to be heading to the Woods of the Forlorn. It was the most direct way to the castle, and at this point, Corrin's army seemed to be winning this little war.

Shaking my head, I grabbed my sword and strapped it to my waist as I left the room. Leo said that he was being sent to the woods to finally get rid of Corrin. Not that I doubted my brother, but I felt as if I needed to be there. If it was for answers, I prayed to whatever would hear me at this point. I silently walked down to the stables, ignoring anyone that tried to greet me or even ask where I was going. They weren't important right now. All I needed to do was see Corrin face to face and demand answers for this unforgivable death of Flora.

"Lord Teale, what are you-"

"Prepare me a horse as quickly as you can, and when I leave, do not inform anyone here." I interrupted the stable maid as I stood in the doorway. She scrambled around, but saddled a horse in record time. "Did Leo leave already?"

"Y-yes, he left only a few hours ago..." She trailed off as she handed the reins over to me.

I sighed as I pushed myself off the ground and seated myself on the horse. At least I still had time to find them before someone else I cared about died.

Getting to the Woods of the Forlorn was quicker than I remembered. I slowed my horse down before jumping off of it, drawing my sword once I started to walk deeper into the woods. Dead Faceless were scattered across the ground as grew closer to the sound of weapons clashing together. Faceless that were actually still alive at this point didn't think to attack me, which greatly helped me in getting to my brother quicker.

"Lord Teale? What're you doing here!?" I paused as I heard Niles call out to me, looking as if he was retreating.

"I'm here to help Leo. If you're retreating and I'm assuming Odin is as well, then I have to stop Corrin myself." I said as I continued to walk. "Go nurse your wounds and I'll take care of it." Thankfully, he didn't comment anymore and if he did, I was already out of hearing range.

It wasn't hard to find Corrin, since he was wearing white and blue armor, obviously of Hoshidan origin. He stood before Leo, who held his tome in his hand as their conversation made its way to my ears.

"I suppose that means I'll have to kill you with my own hands." Leo stated, a smile on his face.

"Leo, be honest. Did you really mean what you said earlier? Have you... have you really always hated me? Because..." Corrin paused. "I've always loved you."

"There's no point in answering that. It's all over now." Even from the distance I was at, I could see the hesitation in my brother's eyes as he readied himself for an attack. As Corrin ran forward, Leo quickly summoned his magic, having Brynhildr create an enormous tree from the ground. The Hoshido prince easily dodged it as he brought his sword up to attack. It was obvious that Corrin had already surpassed Leo in battle, as after only a few strikes, the blond was breathing heavily as he crouched on the ground, his steed long forgotten after he was knocked off.

As if something snapped, I rushed forward, blocking Corrin's sword as it was about to hit Leo once again.

"Teale?!" Both Corrin and Leo shouted, confused. I bared my teeth as I roughly pushed Corrin, watching as he stumbled back.

"I won't allow you to dispose of my loved ones anymore! I'll defeat you here if I have to, but not before I get answers!" I shouted, rushing forward with Mercym held tightly in my hand. Almost mindlessly, I swung my sword around, recalling every trick I knew when it came to sword fighting.

"Teale, you're mistaken-"

I yelled out in fury as I locked blades with Corrin. "What is there to mistake? Flora is dead because of you!"

"We- I didn't kill her! She ended her life by herself!" Corrin argued, pushing forward so our faces were only inches apart.

"That's bullshit!" I growled, throwing my head forward and squinting my eyes as our foreheads painfully met. Corrin groaned as he stumbled back, lowering his sword. Kicking him in the stomach, he finally fell backwards, his guard completely down. "I'll make you pay for what you did!" Just as I raised my sword above my head, a sharp pain in my shoulder and arm made me gasp as I dropped Mercym to the ground. Glancing to my right, two arrows had embedded themselves in my forearm and right above my collarbone. Suddenly, I was pushed backwards, hitting my head on the sharp ground below me.

"Teale!" I heard Leo call out as I rolled over to my left to push myself up. Corrin stood above me, a pained expression on his face.

"What're you waiting for? Why don't you kill me?" I hissed as I sat up, gripping my shoulder.

"No. Accept your defeat, and we can end this together."

Leo humorlessly laughed from in front of me. "Don't you see? This can't ever end! Not until one of us is dead."

"No! I can't accept that. There was no need for our kingdoms to be at war in the first place. This is all Father's doing, Leo! He fooled us all!"

"You've always been naive, Corrin. This is war! This is life and death! Only the strong survive! If Nohr bows down, we'll lose everything. Our land and our people... our culture and our legacy... Our families... even our lives. I won't let Hoshido take anything more from us! I won't back down!" Leo shouted.

Corrin shook his head. "Am I the one who's naive? Or it is you, blind to Garon's lust for power?"

I barked a laugh as I pulled the arrow from my arm. "As though the Hoshidans have never ended a life to serve their own purpose."

"Exactly. They would slit your throat in an instant if they thought it served them."

"That's not true!" Corrin argued. "From the moment I arrived in Hoshido, I was treated as if I belonged. The same goes for Azura, and even Teale. King Garon is mad with power, and he must be stopped!" My eyes widened as he stepped forward, pointing the Yato towards Leo's face. "Don't move an inch, or I will be forced to end you."

Leo scoffed. "I don't doubt your ability to hurt me, dear brother. Go on. Kill me. End this battle just as you wish." When Corrin stayed silent, Leo shook his head. "What are you waiting for? I'm not helpless, even in this position. I could kill you right now with a spell. Make your move."

"No..."

"Why? What's wrong with you?"

Corrin squinted at the blond. "Me? What's wrong with you? Why haven't you cast your spell?"

"Because..."

"Leo, I know you. We grew up together. I know you've got a good, kind heart."

"Shut up!"

"No, listen..."

Leo shook his head. "I told you to shut up! What makes you think you understand anything about me?!"

"Because we're family, Leo. Regardless of my true lineage, I'll always think of you as my little brother." Leo angrily sighed as I chuckled to myself. "I won't even give up on you. You said you'd kill me... but I'm still here. If you really wanted me dead, you could have done it a dozen times by now. I believe in our bond, Leo. I have to believe you wouldn't really kill me. As one who betrayed Nohr, maybe I don't have the right to say this but... I don't want to fight against you, or Teale, or anyone in Nohr, but especially my family. I still love you, Brother. That will never, even change."

Leo sighed as he carefully pushed himself up from the ground. "I... I'm sorry, Brother. I lied to you."

"Leo. It's okay."

"I never hated you. Not... not ever. I was jealous at times, sure. You were always Xander's favorite. And Camilla... she always doted on you so..."

I groaned from my spot on the ground. "What am I, chopped liver? I was always there for you, Leo! And since we're sharing, so what if I have a hot head? That doesn't mean since I attacked you multiple times I want you dead!" I tried pushing myself off the ground, but fell back down when my arm responded by shooting pain all the way up to my collarbone. "Ah, shit!"

"I understand. There's no need to say anything more. But, Leo, Teale... please. Please join us! Help us put an end to this war."\

"You're asking us to betray our father. And Xander. And everyone else... How can we do that? I can't hurt our siblings! I won't do it!"

Corrin sighed. "I... I can't answer that. Only you can. I'll admit, it's a tough road to tread."

"You'll have to find your own reasons for joining us. We can't give you the answers. But I do have something that can help you... clarify your thoughts." Azura explained, walking over towards me. She crouched down, carefully helping me to my feet.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I stood up, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to clear my vision.

"Take this. Look deep inside it. You might find it helpful." She answered, handing a white rock the size of her palm to Leo.

"Huh? What is it? It looks like some kind of crystal." Leo speculated, turning the stone over in his hands.

"It's..." Azura paused, as if searching for the correct words. "... not something I can explain. You'll just have to try it for yourself."

Leo nodded slowly. "I see... Understood." He looked up at my younger sister. "So you're Azura, Teale's younger twin. You were originally a princess of Nohr, right? Does that mean... Are we related?"

"Yes, I am Azura. But I'm afraid we're not related."

"But I thought-" Corrin started, but stopped when she raised a hand.

"I'm afraid I haven't been able to share everything about our past quite yet..." Azura quietly answered.

"Does that mean you're not originally from Nohr after all? Why are you being mysterious? Why can't you just come out with it?"

"I assure you- I have my reasons. If Teale hasn't told you anything, it's because we have already given you everything you need to find the answers. That's all we can do."

Leo was silent for a moment. "Very well."

"Leo, what are you going to do?" Corrin asked.

"Look at a rock, apparently." I rolled my eyes as I wrapped my good arm around Leo's shoulders, looking at the crystal in his hands. Leo silently sighed, choosing to ignore my comment.

"I don't know. I'm not ready to completely forgive you for betraying Nohr and tearing our family apart. There are a lot of questions that I need answered."

"I see. Teale?"

Looking up towards Corrin, I moved my hand off of Leo's shoulder in an 'I don't know' gesture, since I couldn't really shrug at the moment.

"To be honest, all of this may be moot. None of you realize just how strong Xander has become."

"Leo, I've sparred with Xander dozens of times. I know he's strong, but I'm ready."

I pressed my lips together and raised my eyebrows as Leo barked out a laugh. "You mean your friendly little tickling contests up on the roof? You do know he always went easy on you, right? You... know that, right? Xander means business now, Corrin. He is not to be taken lightly. You may have stopped me, Teale, and my small army of Faceless today..."

"But I doubt the lot of you could defeat Xander all at once." I finished for Leo.

"He can't be... THAT powerful... Can he?" Corrin asked, his brows furrowed together.

"What can we do, Leo?" Azura asked.

"Truly, there may be nothing you can do. But I know one thing you can TRY. Make a pilgrimage to Notre Sagesse."

Ryoma crossed his arms. "Notre Sagesse... land of the philosophers? What possible benefit lies there?"

"Notre Sagesse is home to the Rainbow Sage. I don't know who he is or what he does, but both Xander and Teale visited him ages ago. Upon returning, they both put on a display of power the likes of which I've never seen."

"I hate to ask... but how far away is Notre Sagesse from here?"

"It's more than halfway back to Hoshido, I'm afraid. The most direst route there would take us back through Cyrkensia. And then we'd still have a lengthy boat ride ahead of us..." Ryoma answered, closing his his eyes.

Corrin sighed. "Then it's hopeless. We've come too far together to backtrack like that."

"So what will you do, then? Facing off against Xander as you are now is one of the many forms of suicide." I stated, carefully pushing myself off of Leo to stand on my own.

"I suppose I have no choice, I'll have to go to Notre Sagesse alone."

Takumi stepped forward, surprise on his face. "Are you serious, Corrin? Please don't tell me you believe these clowns."

"Takumi, I've known both Leo and Teale my whole life. I believe they're telling the truth about Xander. So, even though this is a setback... I believe it gives us the best chance at victory." Corrin explained.

"Unbelievable." The archer shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I'm not asking anyone else to come with me."

"Who said anything about not going with you? I just want to make sure you think long and hard about this." Takumi stated, crossing his arms.

Corrin looked confused. "But..."

"We're all with you, Corrin." Hinoka assured him with a smile on her face. "Right, everyone?"

"Of c-course!" Sakura immediately agreed.

"Really, I can make this pilgrimage alone..."

Ryoma slapped a hand onto his younger brother's shoulder. "Nonsense! We can stand with you, Corrin."

"Did you really have any doubt? We will all follow your lead." Azura chimed in, a smile also on her face.

"Thank you, everyone. I'm... humbled to have your confidence and support. Especially you, Ryoma. To think... you could be king right now..."

"Very well. I suppose if you're all determined to do this... I shouldn't hold this back. Please, take this." I looked over to Leo to see him handing Corrin one of his tomes.

"What is it, Leo? A book?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, a warp book. It has the powe to transport you instantly to Notre Sagesse. Consider it an even trade for the item Azura gave to me."

"What?! That can't be possible, can it?" Corrin asked, clearly thinking of a way to repay Leo.

I whistled. "Man, I wish I could get my hands on one of those books. Just take it and run, Corrin."

"Oh yes, Corrin. Believe it. This is why I've always put my faith in books rather than blades. Given the size of your party, I'd say this book has the power for ONE round trip. So, don't push your luck with it..."

"One round trip should be plenty. Thank you, Leo!"

"Yes, well... I wasn't sure that helping you would be the right decision. But after seeing how determined you are... I suppose it just seems right. You've always been a bit reckless, haven't you?" My blond haired brother shook his head.

"Thank you, Leo."

"It's time for us to go now. We'll see each other again. I'm sure of it."

"I mean, if I don't bleed out first." I sighed as Leo pulled me up by my left arm onto his horse. "By the way, whoever shot me, good aim!" Takumi smirked as Sakura started to profusely apologize. With that, Leo had already started his way out of the forest. I sighed, wrapped an arm around Leo to make sure I didn't fall off of his horse.

Once we were out of the forest, he slowed his steed down to a trot. "So you did hear me talking to you through your door then?"

"Yeah, during the few times I wasn't throwing everything around in my room." I grimaced. "Hopefully, no one has walked into my room yet."

"Quite a few butlers and maids were informing us that you were causing a lot of ruckus for the last couple days." Leo commented.

"Obviously I wasn't in my right mind."

He was silent for a moment. "Because of Flora's death?"

"Yes." I quietly answered. "Before Corrin went to the Ice Village, we had planned for her to just stop him there, and if she couldn't, she told me that she would rather die than to come back to serve under Father. Part of me told me that Corrin had killed her, but I knew that wasn't the case. I couldn't stop myself from coming out here to demand answers from Corrin, because I was afraid that you would also be killed."

Leo hummed. "I'm still here. I'm not as weak as you think I am."

"I didn't say you were weak." When he stayed silent, I pursed my lips. "If I wasn't injured right now, you know you would be gripping your sides, asking me for forgiveness."

"Yes, I know that. It'll take quite some time to go back home, so I suggest you be quiet on the way back and if you're not, I'll tell Camilla and Elise what happened to your arm."

"...Fair enough."

I sighed as I put my forehead in between my brother's shoulder blades. I was silent as I began to think of how it was before this little war started, before Corrin had left us for Hoshido, and how happy we were as a family.

Would we ever go back to the way it was?

I'm sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than the other ones, but I'm a little pressed on time, and I think I've made you all wait enough. I will try to update more often this year, and hopefully work doesn't get too much in the way of my updates!

Which reminds me, I will most likely not be updating on January 15th specifically, since I have a major doctor appointment that day. I'll try my best to get another chapter out by then, but if not, it will be out soon after.

My birthday is also coming up soon on the 10th, so I'll be out of town that day as well.

Once again, I'm sorry for a delay, and let me know what you think of this chapter! Your criticism is always appreciated!