Hello again! I said I would update before a certain time, but here I am, updating probably a month afterwards... Honestly, my mental health isn't making me feel the best lately, so I've just been keeping to myself and talking to close friends of mine to keep myself busy.

I did revise the last chapter a little bit at the end, since it needed to fit in with this chapter. I realized that after the chapter 'Leo', said person didn't actually come back to Krakenburg as quickly as I thought. So I changed it really quick and started working on this chapter.

But in any case, here's another chapter! This will be longer that the last chapter, so I hope you all enjoy! I'm sure within two or three more chapters, we'll be moving onto the Conquest route, which I've been thinking a lot about. And by a lot, I mean, a lot.

Enjoy~

"So Iago has failed yet again. Pitiful. I'll have to dispose of him one of these days... No matter. Plan B will spring into action anytime now. Oh... and to see the look on Corrin's face when it does..." King Garon began to laugh manically as Elise flinched away from the door she was pressing her ear onto.

"No, Father... How could you?" She mumbled to herself.

"Hello, Elise. Might I ask what you're doing here?"

Elise jumped in surprise, quickly turning around to see her eldest brother. "Gah! Xander, don't spook me like that."

"Be honest-were you spying on Father?" Xander asked, an eyebrow raised.

"... Yes."

Xander sighed. "Elise. You should know better. Father would not be pleased if he found out someone was listening in on him. Even you would likely face some unpleasant consequences."

"I know. It's just..." The young princess trailed off before she started to cry.

"Elise! What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do! Corrin is gone... Leo and Teale are gone... Camilla is so depressed that she hardly even leaves her quarters. What's happened to our family, Xander? How can we go back to the way things were?"

"Else..." Xander clenched his jaw before continuing. "Don't worry, Sister. When this war is over, everything will go back to normal."

Elise sniffed as she wiped her eyes. "R-really? But how can you be so sure?"

"Because I believe. That's why I can keep fighting in the face of heartache. We must all believe that what we're doing is for the greater good. We must trust in our cause and fight for it with all we have! That's all we can do, at least for now."

Ryoma sighed as he looked out into the blue sky above them. "Well, we had to take the long way around, but we're finally here. This ferry will take us right to your childhood home, Corrin."

"I know. I'm having a hard time believing this is really happening." He muttered to himself.

"Yeah, well, don't get too nostalgic or anything." Takumi rolled his eyes. "As soon as we step off this boat, there won't be any place to hide."

Corrin nodded. "You're right. We should begin preparing for battle now. There won't be any time to rest once we reach the dock."

"Before we get to that, I need to brief you on something, Corrin."

"Yes?"

The samurai continued. "Just before we boarded this vessel, I received a message from Yukimura."

"Really? How is that possible?!" Corrin's eyes widened.

"He sent a young pegasus rider from the Bottomless Canyon to find us. Both rider and steed appeared exhausted. Sakura is tending to them now."

"I see. So, what was the message?"

Ryoma pressed his lips together. "It's bad news, I'm afraid. Yukimura reports that the royal troops are still holding the line in Hoshido. But it appears that soldiers from Mokushu have joined Nohr in attacking us. It sounds like it's only a matter of time until our defenses are breached."

"No!"

"It gets worse. That message is at least several weeks old. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the situation has deteriorated even further."

"It sounds like we don't have much time left." Corrin shook his head. "We need to defeat Garon and end this war before our castle falls. How long until we reach our destination?"

"Another day-maybe two. According to the captain, we need to go far upstream to reach a docking point." Ryoma explained.

Takumi stepped forward. "But... according to the map that the Rainbow Sage gave us... Our destination is directly across the river from us. Why can't we go straight there?"

The high prince hummed to himself. "I'm not sure. The captain didn't indicate that we had any options."

"Look. Right there." Takumi squinted at the map before pointing to a spot. "A port marked Demon's Fall on the map."

"Demon's Fall? Show me!" Ryoma and Corrin moved to stand beside Takumi, carefully looking at the map where the archer was pointing.

"He's right. It's handwritten very faintly right there." Corrin glanced up at his older brother. "Have you heard of the place, Ryoma?"

"Yes, but I believed it to be a legend. They say it's a waterfall made of fire, which seemed to fantastical to be true."

"Perhaps it's worth checking out. It could save us a few precious days."

Takumi quickly folded the map. "Well, we better decide quickly. We're coming up on a fork in the river!"

"I believe it's worth a shot. What do you say, Corrin?"

"I agree. We must act quickly... or else there may no longer BE a Hoshido to save. I think we're ready to take on anything we might find at Demon's Fall. Who's with me?"

"We're all with you, Corrin!" Ryoma nodded. "I'll inform the captain."

"Leo, my back hurts." I complained as I had a cheek pressed into his back. It had felt like forever since we started our journey away from the Woods we battled Corrin at. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if it had been more than a few days. "I bet Elise is worried about us. Camilla too; she doesn't have anyone to dote on while the both of us are away. I wonder if Xander-"

"Teale, please, just stop talking." Leo groaned as he pressed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. I could just imagine the roll of the eyes that he had the habit of doing when talking to me. "Do you recall when I said if you were quiet, I wouldn't say anything about your arm?"

"Yeah, and? My arm is basically healed already."

"Ah, Lord Teale, if I may interject," I turned my head towards Niles. "It seems like you're starting to make a trail of blood." With raised eyebrows, I looked behind us to see that there was indeed a small trail of blood drops coming from the tips of my fingers.

I hummed, looking at my limp arm. "So it seems." Now that I studied it, it looks like there's also some dried blood on the side of Leo's horse, already stained the right sleeve of my shirt, and started to dry underneath my fingernails.

"Teale, why didn't you say anything about your arm?" Leo carefully asked, trying to keep his temper in check.

I tried to shrug with one shoulder. "I don't know, I didn't even notice it was bleeding. I honestly can't really feel it right now."

"Odin, Niles, do either of you have a Vulnerary or Concoction?"

"I do not, Lord Leo. It seems it slipped my mind to pack any." Niles replied.

"Neither do I! I'm afraid that I had forgot to buy any before we left!" Odin nearly shouted, making me wince.

"That's alright, I don't mind."

Leo scoffed. "You should mind, Teale. You're bleeding out, and making a trail for someone to follow."

"What do you want me to do about it? I don't know how to use a Heal staff and I can't really bandage it up myself, since it's basically dead weight at this point!" I lightly hit my forehead in between Leo's shoulder blades, making his jerk slightly forward.

"We'll stop for now so we can actually dress your wound. We'll continue traveling tomorrow once we're sure it's not bleeding." Leo ordered as he stopped the horse. "Niles, have you been practicing using staves?"

"Indeed I have. I completely forgot that I had a staff on me." Niles smirked as I glared down at the man.

"I feel like that was a lie." I stated as Leo helped me down from the horse. "If you know how to use it, then please try to at least stop the bleeding. I think I'm starting to get light headed."

Leo sighed, shaking his head. "Why me?"

I shook my head with a grin as I sat down on the ground to rest. Falling silent, I stared up at the sky and listened to Odin and Niles bicker back and forth while Leo was trying to stop them. For some reason, something in the pit of my stomach told me that something horrible was going to happen very soon. But what?

"This is quiet the passage. It's more like a catacomb than a tunnel." Ryoma looked around the stone walls underneath the capital of Nohr in amazement.

"Yeah, there's some spooky stuff down here for sure!" Elise smiled as she skipped beside Corrin.

"Heh, Thank you for the warning. But I think we'll be alright."

"Yes, thank you so much for accompanying us here, Elise. We'll be all right from here. I'd recommend that you stay with Cassita for a while..."

Elise's smile fell. "What? Why?"

"Because... we're heading to the castle. That means we'll be facing off against King Garon, and likely Xander too. Things could get ugly, and there's no need for you to be there."

"So what you're saying is... you're going to try and kill Xander and Father. Right?"

Corrin paused, conflicted. "I...I'm afraid I must do whatever it takes to end this war. Ultimately, I have to do what's right for the people of Hoshido and Nohr. If that means killing King Garon or even Xander... Well..."

"I see..." Elise thought for a moment before continuing. "That settles it. I'm coming with you!"

"Huh?! No, Elise! It's too dangerous! And I can't let you fight your family! That's a burden I must bear alone."

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm not going to fight anyone, and neither are you! I'm not siding with or against you, Brother. I want to help bring both sides together! I want the war to end just as much as you do. So! I'm coming with you to let Xander and Father and everyone else know how I feel. They're still super mad at YOU, but maybe they'll hear me out! Maybe we CAN end the war without any more fighting! Don't we at least have to try to end this without hurting each other more?"

"Elise..." Corrin shook his head before smiling. "All right. I suppose you won't be in any danger from either side. Just promise me that you won't do anything reckless."

"Yep, yep! I promise!"

"All right, then. Let's get moving!" Corrin ordered as they continued to walk down the catacombs.

"So far, so good. This passage appears to be well traveled. Although... I see a fork in the road ahead. Which way do we go, Elise?"

"The path on the right leads to an area near my quarters. Camilla said that the other path leads more or less to the throne room."

Corrin nodded. "Right. Left path it is."

"But... she also said the left path is like a maze. She warned me to NEVER take that path, you guys!"

"Don't worry, Elise. You wouldn't believe what we've had to overcome to get here. I'm confident that we can get through anything together."

"If you say so..." Elise shifted her weight, looking down at the ground.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just... you almost seem like a different person now. You're so... commanding. I guess I just have to get used to you being all grown up..."

"It's true... I've done a lot of growing since I left Nohr. But don't worry, Elise. I'm still the same old Corrin. And I'll always do anything I can to protect you, Little Sister."

"Aw, thank you. I'm so glad you came back! I love you so much!" Elise jumped towards Corrin, latching onto his torso.

Corrin laughed, returning the hug. "Woah! Easy with the monster hugs, I almost fell over!" Elise only laughed in response, hugging her brother even tighter.

Soon, the group continued to walk, deciding on the left path towards the throne room.

"This part of the tunnel seems a bit ominous. Be on guard, everyone!" Ryoma ordered, a hand on the hilt of Raijinto.

"Yeah, are you seeing all of these traps?" Takumi commented. "Most of 'em have been sprung, but I bet there are even more that haven't."

Hinoka nodded. "And the ones that did spring look like they were pretty effective. I'm seeing more corpses that I'd like."

"C-corpses? Eek! I though those were just decorations to make it spooky!" Sakura squealed, hiding behind her older brother. "I'm scared, Corrin."

"It's okay, Sakura. If you want to close your eyes, I can lead you through this part."

"Oh..." The young princess breathed out a sigh of relief. "th-thank you so much..."

"What about me? I'm scared too!" Elise puffed her cheeks out as she stood beside Sakura, clearly jealous of the affection.

Corrin huffed a laugh, amused. "I can help lead you, too, Just come over to this side." Elise smiled as she skipped over to the other side of Corrin, immediately grasping onto his arm.

"Yay! Heehee!" Elise paused, looking around. "Uh-oh.. do you hear that? There's someone behind us!"

"Elise... Have you ever seen any Faceless down here?" Corrin carefully removed the girl from his arm as he drew Yato. From across the bridge, he saw a woman with purple hair walking their way.

"Ah, Elise. There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

"Camilla! What are you doing down here?"

"Like I said, I was looking for you. Are you hurt, darling? Who are these people? Are you being kidnapped right now?!" Within a few seconds, Corrin could see the beginning of Camilla's wrath brewing in front of them.

"What? No! These are-"

Camilla's eyes narrowed. "The Hoshidans! I knew it. Well, I'm so glad we could meet down here. How DARE you bother my baby sister. I shall now make you all dearly regret ever stepping foot in here!"

"Hold on, Camilla. It's me, Corrin! We're not kidnapping Elise!"

"Corrin! How can this be? You're back in Nohr!"

"It's..." Corrin paused. "...a long story."

"Well, have you come to your sense? Are you returning to Nohr for good?" Camilla softly smiled at her little brother.

"Oh...um... Sorry, but no. I want Hoshido and Nohr to be at peace, and that can't happen while Garon lives."

Camilla hummed. "I see. So you want to come back, but these awful people are still confusing your little head. Don't worry, darling. Big Sister is here to take care of these monsters for you!"

"Camilla, no! You don't understand!"

Elise stepped forward. "Please listen, Sister!"

"Don't worry, Elise. I promise to save our precious Corrin. Once I've killed all his friends, he's sure to remember his true family. Right? Right!" Camilla nodded to herself as she pulled out her axe, ready to fight for her brother's life.

I sighed as the castle came into view. It had taken a while, but we finally made it back. After resting a bit and patching up my arm, Leo decided that we were alright to travel. As of now, I had my arm in a makeshift sling to keep it lifted and to make sure I would notice if it started bleeding once again. Niles really did a good job making sure that the bleeding had stopped and I could at least feel my arm to the point where I could move my fingers slightly.

Walking through the desolate town, I stopped and looked around for a second.

"Teale, we need to report to Father." Leo stated, stopping to look back at me.

I waved at him with my left hand. "I'll meet you there, I want to see something really quick."

"But-" Turning to look at him, Leo stopped as he saw my expression and sighed. "Fine. But be careful, your arm isn't completely healed yet."

"I'll be fine." I shook my head with a smile as I walked towards the secret passage that I had found when I was playing outside as a child. Carefully, I removed the cape from my back and put it over my head to obscure my face slightly. Once I was out of sight, I had quickly and quietly made my way down old stone stairs that lead to the city under Nohr. I remember coming here when I had nothing to do as a child, or if I needed to go somewhere to calm down. Nonetheless, the lively city in the catacombs was so much different than the city above it.

Quickly weaving around the people, I made my way towards the path that lead straight to Elise's chambers. The only reason I knew it was there was because Camilla had shown it to our little sister, who in turn showed it to me before we promised to keep it a secret between the three of us. I slowed down to a stop when I came across the fork in the road. Tilting my head, I narrowed my eyes as I thought I heard the sounds of metal clashing down the left path. That path was the one that led to the throne room, so why would there be fighting going on that way?

Unless Corrin's group had gotten here before us. I shook my head as I quickly ran down the left path, hoping to find that I was wrong. I pushed myself to run faster as I started to come across Nohrian troops, laying on the ground unconscious or dead. Even if I made it there in time, I was useless with my sword hand out of commission. Shaking my head, I drew Mercym with my left hand, prepared to fight anyways. When I came to the passage that led to the throne room, I saw Camilla in front of Corrin, holding her arm as if she was hurt. I barely heard them talking as I slowed down to a walk, wiping the sweat from my brow.

"So... it wasn't meant to be... you coming back to us..." Camilla sadly stated. "And now it looks like I'm losing my precious Elise, too..." I frowned, looking over to see Elise standing with Corrin. What the hell was going on here?

"Camilla. You're not losing anyone. Elise is just coming with us to help persuade King Garon and Xander." Corrin explained.

"Persuade them? Is it... possible?"

Elise crossed her arms. "Well, we won't know until we try. We have to change their minds to stop the fighting! I'm just doing whatever I can to bring our family back together again. It turns out we all want the same thing, Camilla! To be together again!"

"Oh, Elise..."

"Listen. When the war is over, I want to establish a peaceful alliance. If Nohr and Hoshido are on cordial terms, we don't have to be estranged. I must believe that if I end the war, I'll be able to return to my family one day."

Camilla eyed Corrin carefully. "Do you really think peace is possible? I'd love to be a family again..."

"What is the point of believing otherwise? We will either forge a peaceful future or die trying."

"I see." The princess was silent for a moment. "Well, I suppose it would be wonderful if we could all get along... I think I understand what you're trying to do. I hope you can make it happen."

"Thank you, Camilla."

Camilla smiled, closing her eyes. "Yes... I can imagine it now. Xander, Teale, Leo, Elise, and... the Hoshidan Prince Corrin. We could all have a picnic! And there would be games, and food, and... Oh, dear... I'm feeling a bit woozy..." As soon as she said that, Camilla collapsed to the ground. Now that she said that, I was starting to realize that the people before me were a little bit blurry. Silently, I leaned against a wall not too far away from the conversation. Should I say something?

"Camilla, are you okay?" Elise asked, crouching down to her sister.

"Her pulse is strong, and she's breathing normally. I think she's fine. But she took quite a beating in that fight, and she must have been exhausted." The red haired woman shook her head. "No matter. We can take care of her. The rest of you are free to go."

"Oh? You won't try to stop us?" Corrin asked.

"Yeah! You heard what she said, right? We can't go against Lady Camilla's orders just because she's unconscious! As much as I'd like to keep fighting..."

The blue haired woman beside her silently sighed. "Selena... anger is clouding your judgement."

"Whatever, Beruka! I'm tired-why don't you pick up Camilla and carry her back to her quarters."

"Why me?"

Selena rolled her eyes. "Did you not hear me? I'm tired! That's why you!"

"I see." Beruka answered before carefully moving Camilla so she was leaning on her shoulder.

"All right, Corrin. Get out "of here before we change our minds! You just gave Lady Camilla hope... Don't go breaking her heart again!"

The blue haired assassin nodded. "Go ahead, Corrin. Hurry."

"Right. Thank you." Corrin watched as Camilla's retainers walked away before he continued talking. "And thank you, Camilla, for finally understanding my aim. This war is coming to an end... I promise."

I let a forced sigh out between my clenched teeth. "Man, I'm glad I didn't have to fight at all." Everyone turned around quickly, prepared to fight if necessary. Letting my eyes close and my head hang limply near my shoulder, I waved my hand that wasn't in the sling. "I'm not a threat, calm down."

"Teale, what're you-" I heard Corrin start to ask me before I promptly slid down the wall, passing out.

Oof, I hope this is satisfactory for now! I'm excited to finish Birthright, but I don't want to just rush through it and make the story seemed forced. If you think that's what I'm doing, please let me know and I'll look over it and take my time to revise and write another chapter.

Thank you for reading, and don't forget to review! Your input is important~