With his noisy retainers, it felt like Takumi could never get any peace. As a prince, he got what he wanted most of the time, but it felt like he could never get what he really wanted, like some peace and quiet. Spread across his bed, the best bed the housing quarters of the Great Wall of Suzanoh had to offer, he tried once again to bring a fresh zelkova leaf to his lips. Before he could blow, Oboro grumbled again.
"For the last time, blockhead, you can't move that piece that way!"
"Whoa! Like, at least cut me some slack, won't ya? I'm still pretty new at this."
Takumi couldn't blow on the leaf. Not now. Not with the constant stress stemming from that noisy pair across the room. They sat on either side of a game board, staring down at it like a vulture over dying prey. They studied it intently. Perhaps too intently. Takumi knew he was in for more as Hinata's fingers hesitantly picked up one playing piece.
"Okay... Can I move it this way?"
"No."
"How about... this way."
"Still no."
"Alright. So it's got to be this way."
"This piece can only go here. Got it?"
"But why? Horses don't move like that in real life. Haven't these guys ever seen, like, a real horse or anything?"
Takumi chose to silently watch them until he was noticed. He could easily speak up and immediately have their attention, but there was little challenge in the sport. Keeping watch over the wall was, to put it bluntly, boring. Nobody came through except for fleeing countrymen. No Nohrians in sight. No Nohrians meant no challenges, and Takumi practically lived for a challenge. It was what would allow him to prove himself worthy of everyone's adoration and praise.
Those retainers hardly paid him any mind no matter how long he stared at them, wretched things. They only continued to bicker over their game. It seemed to mean the world to them, but he knew that wasn't the case. He did not know that wasn't the case because of intuition; he learned it. When a knock sounded from the other side of his door, Oboro's foot immediately shoved the table, board, and pieces away. It flew to the other side of the room and landed with a crash. Both she and Hinata bolted to their feet, weapons ready as they rushed to the door, where they gazed questioningly at their master. Takumi, fairly relaxed, waved only a single hand at them.
"Let 'em in..." he sounded apathetically. Their visitor didn't arrive with any exciting news, he was sure. Just daily reports on the number of immigrants passing through the wall.
However, who he found at the doorway was not who he anticipated. It was a man. A man he recognized. Granted, he couldn't quite recall the name attached to the face, but he recognized the face nonetheless. Already, it appeared that Takumi was in for something less routine. As the prince rose from his bed, abandoning the zelkova leaf, the visitor dipped his head the lowest he could.
"Good evening, milord."
"Weren't you stationed in Fort Jinya? Has something happened to my sister?" The boy asked somewhat urgently. It relieved him to watch the man gently shake his head.
"The news must not have reached you, milord. Shall I explain?"
Explain the man did. En route to the wall's keep, which rested deep underneath the massive structure, Takumi, Oboro, and Hinata listened as the general spoke. Twice, Takumi had to catch Oboro by the collar of her garment when she accidentally slipped on the keep's dank stairs.
"We captured a Nohrian spy infiltrating the fortress no more than a week and a half ago. She's just as unpleasant as a Nohrian can get."
"And you're requesting to use the keep... Are you en route to the capital?"
"Yes, milord. My men have tirelessly traveled for a week to get this far. They deserve a good night's rest after all the vigilant work they've done."
Oboro, proud of catching herself after slipping again, straightened her back, naginata held tightly in her clutches.
"I'm glad you've brought this Nohrian spy." Her face contorted upon uttering the name of such a vile nation, but it brightened again when her mind wandered back to her lord. "My Lord Takumi has been in need of stimulation ever since we were stationed here."
By the time she finished speaking, they had arrived at level ground: a cold, dreary prison. Its walls, made from rotting wood, were infected with moss and mildew, and bugs aplenty scurried away from their feet. After observing such an unpleasant place, Hinata shuddered and cleared his throat.
"Whoa, milord. This isn't a fitting place for a prince like you. Maybe we should... eh... go back up?"
"No. I want to meet this Nohrian spy. If she's a spy, she must have plenty of valuable information." Finally. A challenge for Takumi to tackle. In the past, he'd watched his older brother, Ryoma, crack open tough spies. Like clams, those spies remained shut, but the fury and power that radiated from his brother blasted their shells wide open. Takumi never admitted it to anyone aloud, but he admired that side of Ryoma. This was his chance to be just like him- or even better than him!
The general, albeit reluctantly, guided the trio down the hall. The further down they traveled, the more a putrid stench plagued their nose. Oboro coughed a few times in attempt to escape the smell, but it proved useless. Before they all became lightheaded, they arrived at the very end of the dungeon, where a glowing torch watched over the final cell. Inside that cell, they could make out the silhouette of a body: the spy. She faced the front of the cell, but she did not look at them. She kept her head down, knees kissing the filthy floor. Her wrists remained tied behind her back.
"Behold, milord: our spy."
"Petite thing. She'll be easy to break." Takumi smirked as he reached for the keys hanging from a nail that protruded from the wall. However, before he could grab them, the general gingerly took him by the wrist and cleared his throat.
"Erm... Milord... Before you venture in there, I would make a humble request."
"Spill it."
"I've been made aware of your tendency to... eh... lose your temper quite easily. It is in the nation's best interest to keep the spy in healthy condition, lest we'll surely lose an invaluable source of information. When she arrives at the capital, she will immediately be treated by a Diviner, and that information will effortlessly become ours."
When the prince's nose wrinkled, the general backed away slowly. Just when the man thought he was safe from the boy, two hands gripped either of his shoulders, scaring him out of his wits.
"Just let Lord Takumi do as he pleases. He knows how to handle these sorts of things," Oboro sounded from behind him. Somewhat anxiously, the general gently nodded his head, and they turned to watch as Takumi applied the keys to the cell's iron door. Once he gained entrance, Oboro and Hinata abandoned the general to follow their lord into the room, guarding him intently.
Against his expectations, the spy remained exceptionally still, even as he drew nearer... and nearer... and nearer... Once close enough, Takumi could observe that half of the spy's body, including her face, was covered by a burlap vegetable sack. It disappointed him that he would not get to see her eyes. Surely, they would be filled with fear as she cowered in his presence.
"What an unusually quiet girl," Takumi commented.
"She wouldn't utter a word to Chief Tactician Yukimura. Not even after he briefly tortured her. The girl is fiercely loyal to whoever has sent her," the general explained from the outside of the cell. "It's also possible she is sleeping. Shortly after arriving here, I commanded for her to be fed."
"Sleeping? Not on my watch." Takumi clapped his gloved hands together, producing a thunderous boom that echoed throughout the keep. "Wake up, you filthy Nohrian!"
The spy did not even flinch, which sparked an anger in the boy. When he watched Ryoma interrogate his spies, he could make them flinch just by looking at them. How was he supposed to surpass his brother if he couldn't make this spy even react to his presence? "Dammit. Think you can make a trifle out of me? You're a damned fool to think you can!" Impulsively, the boy reached down, snatched the top of the burlap, and yanked it off the prisoner, revealing her body for all to see.
The room went quiet.
Their 'Nohrian spy' was nothing but a sack of hay and a head of cabbage.
Both Oboro and Hinata looked over their master's shoulder, eyes widening. They didn't know how to react, so they kept their lips sealed tightly. When the time was right, all three turned around, glaring at the general behind them. His face was completely white, eyes just as wide as saucers, if not wider. While his retainers were busy staring the man down, Takumi returned to the substitute and gave it a hefty kick. As expected, the bag of hay simply flopped over, and the cabbage rolled onto the ground, dirtying its bruised leaves.
"What is this?" the prince asked sternly, legitimately baffled.
"I-I...I..." The general was at a loss for words.
"Well?" Hinata pressured him to speak up.
"Im-Impossible! Some careless fool must've made it to where she could escape!"
Oboro shrugged.
"If she's a spy, she probably knows a thing or two about picking locks. This keep's pretty old and outdated too, I've heard."
"Well don't just stand there!" Takumi bellowed. "She couldn't have been out for too long, so that means she's probably still here somewhere in the wall! Find her!"
Wordless, the general rushed ahead of them, scaling the stairs before they could. However, rushing was not the best way to climb those moist, slippery stairs; seconds after he disappeared into the staircase, they heard his body crash onto the floor. Oboro couldn't help but chuckle darkly.
"So, like, where do we even start, milord? She could be... like... anywhere in this place!" Hinata spoke up. As he began to depart from the cell, Takumi crossed his arms tightly. A slight smirk appeared on his lips.
"We start by spreading the news to all the hands we have available. Then, we make sure all the exits are blocked off. We'll box this girl in one way or another." The boy paused, drinking in a long, healthy breath. "Ah... This is just the sort of sport I needed right about now."
Soon enough, the keep was empty again, leaving the door to the cell wide open. After all, it wasn't as though they were interested in entrapping nothing but a head of cabbage and a bag of hay... But that wasn't all Takumi and his company left behind. While they were in the cell, the poor souls forgot to look up, where they might've found a shadow hiding in the corner like a preying spider. Once certain she was spared from an audience, the shadow dropped to the floor, dexterously landing square on her feet. After clinging to the wall for so long, it was to be expected that her hands were covered in icky black mildew. She ran her palms over her clothing, then smirked deviously as she wandered leisurely to the cabbage on the floor. She set her foot, also covered in mildew, on the vegetable and sighed.
"You know, I really hate cabbage. But you... You're not so bad."
It was only a matter of time before an entire parade of panicking immigrants began to pile at Suzanoh's gates. They screamed, shaking their fists at the soldiers who stood on the other side. All the constant shouting made it difficult for the news of the situation to spread.
"I'm sorry, but we're temporarily in a lockdown. Nobody can enter. Nobody can exit," explained one guard, stoic in the face of a fuming farmer, who stood on the other side of the iron bars. The man seemed tempted to toss his torch into the mess.
"It's come to this, has it? Turning yer back on the nation? Them Nohrians're comin' right for us! 'Fya'll don't let us through, they'll plow right through us. They'll kill us men and steal our women! Let us through!"
The soldier's face seemed pained, but his partner set a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
"Remember. These are Lord Takumi's orders. We cannot let the spy escape at all costs."
"You're right..." sighed the weakened soldier. "It's just... seeing all these people... They're terrified for their lives. They all remind me of mom and pop back at home. Just couldn't imagine what I'd do if they were in this sort of trouble."
"Your family's safe in the capital, aren't they?"
"Yes. The Goddess has truly blessed me and my family."
They smiled at one another, comforted by the other's support. In the face of a crisis, they knew, holding tight and sticking together was the best they could do. How it comforted their restless souls, both caught in an unpleasant war. Theirs was a strong brotherhood...
The third soldier really liked that.
"W-Wow. Do the two of you... ehe... have a thing going on or something?" asked the third soldier, beet red and sweating profusely. The other two turned away from the rampaging crowd as their brows furrowed. They both stared at the newcomer coldly.
"Just who're you?" asked one guard. He was justified to find the soldier strange. Though women were not forbidden from the military, it was still an anomaly to find one in uniform. Secondly, the girl in particular seemed oddly young to be armed with an intimidating weapon like a katana. A shiny, silver katana at that. Poor thing barely knew how to hold it properly.
"New recruit. My second day here. It's pretty exciting to be guarding our Great Wall." She brushed a long braid over her shoulder as she spoke. "Now, let's get back to that little heart-to-heart the two of you were just having. Don't mind me, I'm just watching. You can continue."
One guard dropped his brows.
"You're not supposed to be here. Two per station. No more, no less."
The girl gave them a puzzled expression.
"Then where am I supposed to go?"
"If you have nothing better to do, at least find a partner and go out on patrol. The spy that's on the loose needs to be found as soon as possible."
"Oh! Right! The spy! How could I forget about her?" She dashed up a flight of stairs, leaving the two guards to go back to dealing with the rioting countrymen. With all the ruckus going on, the girl easily hid herself in plain sight, gritting her teeth and muttering beneath her breath. "Yikes. Word about me's spread pretty quickly around here. Lucky I found this uniform to wear."
Actually, she didn't find the uniform, as she had put it; she stalked it first, waiting until it left itself defenseless and alone. That was when she pounced and robbed a soldier blind. She used the rope from her prison cell to gag his mouth and bind his wrists and ankles. It took doing, but she managed to drag him to the nearest, and darkest, corner. A barrel and a clique of crates solicited in that corner, but she only took advantage of the former. After turning it on its side, she stuffed the body of the unconscious (almost naked) soldier into the barrel. Finally, with her feet and legs, she shoved the barrel upright again. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all. She felt worthy enough to clap her hands together, congratulating herself.
As to be expected of Hoshido's most famous landmark, the Great Wall of Suzanoh was gargantuan. Down hall after hall she wandered. She attempted to create a mental map of the area, but several forks in the road easily got her lost. It was as though one hall kept multiplying into more halls. And more halls. And more halls! A crawling sensation on the back of her neck made her restless, hot flashes racing up and down her body. Nonetheless, she kept her cool. She was Nina after all; a thief descendant of another great thief. It wasn't in her nature to panic unless the water really started to boil. It would be a while until that happened, she comfortably predicted.
Unlike a rich man's villa or a wealthy estate, the wall was not full of too many valuables besides the many weapons lined neatly across wooden racks. She wasn't interested in finding something fancy anyway. What she truly coveted was some sort of exit she could somehow exploit. With the lockdown in place, such a thing would be difficult to find, but she was awful capable of making unorthodox means of escape. She simply had to lay low and be careful until an opportunity showed itself to her.
When she came across a room, she made an effort to peek her head inside and look around... all in the name of finding the spy, of course. At least, that was what her story would be if she crossed paths with a fellow soldier. Most rooms were barracks, consisting of cheap, unoccupied beds, but she did stumble upon what looked like a storage room. Spears, swords, and armor alike were lined across the walls. She made sure to securely slide the door shut when she stepped inside, eyes cautiously scouting for any unwanted guests. Once she was sure she was alone, she went to work.
The room housed a handful of barrels, but they were filled to the brim with supplies, so she could not hide in them. Besides, she wasn't entirely interested in finding a place to hide. Her best option was camouflage. She spotted the first problem when she passed a bucket of water, into which she peered to gaze at her reflection.
Two long, braided strands of hair flowed down her back, almost touching the bottom of her hips. They were certainly denoting, which would be an issue if the general from Fort Jinya remembered to make that part of her description. If that were so, the whole wall would soon know she had braids...
Nina sighed as she unsheathed the katana on her hip. She held it up, studying how it reflected the golden glow of a torch hanging from the wall. The pad of her index finger caressed the sharp end of the blade, and she delicately applied pressure. Not even a second later, she released a hiss and ripped the finger away, observing the blood now welling out of a cut.
"Yikes, this thing's sharp. It's definitely gonna get the job done." But the job made her hesitant. Those braids represented nearly a decade, almost all her life. They revived memories of her room in the Deeprealm. Every once in a blue moon, she used to sit on her bed in that room, allowing herself to be groomed by her father. When she was too young to do it herself, he often pulled her long hair into a pair of tight braids. He always thought they made her look good.
To rid herself of the reminiscence, she violently shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," she reminded herself. Promptly afterward, the katana's blade found itself behind her neck, slicing through thick strands of hair with ease. When its job was done, it returned to its sheath, and Nina released a heavy, burdened sigh. Her hand went to feel for the braids that were no longer there. The sensation was so foreign she almost panicked.
All there was to do with the excess strands of hair was to hide them. Hiding, however, was not enough for Nina. Being a thorough girl when she worked, she wanted to make sure they were never found. All she had to do was hold the tip of the hair to the torch for it to quickly catch fire, and she patiently watched the flame eat its way up the strand until it grew frighteningly close to her fingers. It was then she simply dropped what was left into the bucket of water.
With that said and done, she returned to the racks, where she scouted for more tools. A helmet, which rested amongst others of its kind, caught her fancy, and she immediately made it part of her new uniform. It covered her hair almost perfectly, save for a few bangs that peeked out, and it made her face seem less narrow. A yumi would certainly come in handy since she was nowhere near adept when it came to fighting with swords. She grabbed a quiver and stuffed it with arrows, then began working on tying it to her waist...
Until her sharp ears caught a dreaded noise: the sound of the door opening. She whirled around instantly, and she found an unpleasant sight: two men and a woman, all armed with menacing weapons. The leader of the three, a boy with silky, silver hair, approached her with a scowl, and his followers guarded him vigilantly. Nina's heart froze the second she realized who it was.
"Ah! My prince!" Her spine straightened, bending only to allow her head to dip in his presence. Fists firmly on his hips, the prince observed her face closely.
"What're you doing here?" he interrogated harshly.
"I-I figured the spy might've been hiding in here." She remembered to fake an accent. It was not a good accent, but she was left with no other choice than to make the most of it. "I couldn't find her, so I went ahead and restocked my arrows just in case I-"
"Don't you know you aren't supposed to be alone? Everyone is assigned a partner."
Drawing her hands over her chest, she locked eyes with the boy before turning her head toward the floor. She blinked a few times nervously.
"I... think there was an uneven number of soldiers, sir."
"Whoever was in charge should've known to put you with another pair if there was an uneven number! Gah! What did Ryoma put me in charge of here? A circus? Who's responsible for you?"
"S-See, I um... I'm a new recruit, so I'm not quite familiar with everyone's names just yet. If I saw the guy, maybe I can... uh... you know..." Olive eyes nervously gazed back up to light brown. The prince appeared as though he were prepared to snarl, but that was before one of his followers, the dark-haired woman with the naginata, approached him from behind. All she had to do was set a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
"Now, Lord Takumi. This sort of stuff happens a lot, so it's nothing to worry about. I'm sure she'd do fine with us."
"Yeah! Like, now that the spy's loose, she might be gunning for your highness' head. The Nohrians could've sent her on an assassination mission for all we know! You need as much protection as we can get!" the other, the man with the intimidating sword, chimed in.
Takumi, while furrowing his brows, cross his arms hesitantly and judged poor Nina, who cowered before him. Occasionally, her eyes darted around the room, plotting a means of escape if things took an undesirable turn. She made sure to keep her intentions well hidden, though, as Takumi gave off unfavorably perceptive vibes.
"I want your name," he said simply, to which Nina hastily replied:
"Mozu."
"Mozu..." He nodded his head toward the doorway as he turned toward him. "You're coming with me. Oboro. Hinata. Keep her in plain sight."
Nina ended up leading the herd as they prowled through the hall, and Oboro and Hinata remained at either of Takumi's sides. The first time Nina awkwardly peeked over her shoulder, Oboro took her naginata and jabbed her back with its sharp tip, withdrawing a yelp.
"Here's a little tip, greenhorn: if you're given the privilege to guard Lord Takumi himself, don't think you can get away with slacking. Keep your eyes forward and your weapon ready. You never know when trouble may show up."
Wordless, Nina dug into her newly obtained quiver and loaded her yumi, allowing the shaft of the arrow to rest on the riser. In the meantime, her eyes narrowed distastefully, for a few annoying pangs continued to erupt in her back.
"According to our general, the spy is young. Teenaged, presumably. That's good. Teenagers are pretty stupid in comparison to adults."
Hinata, somewhat awkwardly, glanced at his liege.
"But... Lord Takumi, you're a t-"
"Shut up, Hinata," Oboro snarled. On a dime, her voice returned to softness. "What else did the general say about her? The more we know, the better."
"He also said she had white hair." Nina's chest ached immediately. Never before had she been more grateful for a helmet. "It's long and braided too. That'll definitely stand out." However, Takumi followed up with a heavy sigh. "Except I'm sure she's at least clever enough to take them down, so we should be looking for someone with long, wavy hair."
"Lord Takumi..." Oboro sounded slyly. "Since when did a boy like you know that braids make hair wavy?"
Takumi responded with flipping his ponytail in the air, smirking playfully.
"Forgetting about this? My hair's been long ever since I was a child," he stated. "Not to mention mother loved playing with it. Hinoka liked to keep hers short, and mother thought Ryoma was too manly to have his hair played with. She begged and begged me to let her braid it for almost every occasion." Eventually, his walk came to a pause. Oboro and Hinata immediately stopped at his side, but Nina needed to time to notice and backtrack. Takumi's head began to hang as he released an even heavier sigh. "It annoyed me a lot back then... and I was cruel. I... wish I could apologize for treating her that way."
Hinata drew near to his liege, but Oboro drew nearer. One of her arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him close.
"Don't worry, Lord Takumi," she assured him. "She'll be avenged. Soon, all of Nohr will pay for what it's done to your mother and Hoshido. We'll start with catching that spy."
"That's the spirit!" Hinata cheered. "That spy isn't getting out of this wall. She'll be ours again in no time."
Pulled out of the mire, Takumi nodded softly and proceeded with long, confident strides.
"Right. You're both right." He frowned when his eyes fell on Nina again, who had turned around and watched intently from a distance. "Ahem. Mozu? Aren't you supposed to be keeping watch?"
"R-Right. Sorry." She scampered further down the hall after her party picked up its pace again. Words occasionally attempted to leave her mouth shortly afterward, but they almost always fell flat. Eventually, though, they did work up the strength to escape. "Was... Lord Takumi's mother... um... hurt by Nohrians?"
"She sure was," Hinata replied. "But not just any Nohrian; his older brother Corrin killed his mother!"
The familiar name sent fire to her chest. She was so consumed by the shock that Oboro's angry hiss went completely unnoticed.
"Hinata, don't you think that sort of information's a bit private?" she inquired before ramming her naginata against Nina's back again. "Keep your nose in your business, alright greenhorn? Just do your job."
"Oboro, Oboro..." Takumi groaned while taking hold of her spear by the shaft. Gently, he lowered it, directing its aim away from the girl in front of them. His feet took him to Nina's side, where he silently glanced over at her hands. Her left hand clutched her yumi by its grip, while her right held the butt of the arrow just below the nocking point. "Speaking of Nohrians... you hold your arrows like one."
Eyes widening, Nina turned up to the boy.
"R-Really now... How do you hold yours?" she asked, noting his own yumi and quiver. Without a sound, Takumi withdrew an arrow with finesse. He could place its butt in the string without looking, and he effortlessly drew it back. Both the string and the arrow, strangely, glowed a curious teal color, but that was not what was meant to hold her attention. What she was supposed to see was how his fingers were vertical when he drew the arrow. Her own fingers, however, were horizontal.
"This is the traditional torikake draw," Takumi explained coolly. "What you're using is the Nohrian draw."
Nina slapped on a grin.
"Oh, of course! The torikake draw! My big brother showed me that technique when I was younger, but I ended up being more comfortable with the Nohrian style." Takumi appeared to buy it since he calmly retired his aim and replaced the arrow in his quiver. He simply shrugged.
"Whatever betters your performance, I suppose."
It felt like Nina constantly scraped by their suspicion, but that might've been because she teetered on the edge of completely losing her composure. If she wanted to make it out alive, she had to become a Hoshidan in both body and mind. To start, she unknotted her shoulders and relaxed.
That's right...
She was no longer Nina. She was Mozu. She enjoyed eating flavorless rice balls and soup that had no meat or vegetables in it. She wore stockings while she wore her sandals, and she worshipped that 'Amateersu' woman. She didn't call a bow a 'bow', nor a spear a 'lance'. That was stupid. And she definitely preferred to eat using a pair of sticks. If she had to keep telling herself the same thing until she believed it, she would: she was a Hoshidan.
According to Takumi's directions, the quartet arrived on the bottom floor, where they stopped at a large, well-lit room. Unlike most of the rooms in the wall, it was spacious, but most of that space was taken up by cabinets, tables, and chairs. A wide cubby shelf covered almost all of one wall, and it was stuffed with neatly-stacked scrolls. Crates and barrels loitered in a darker corner, their contents unknown. Some detailed maps of the continent hung on other walls. One scroll, which was unraveled and pinned on the table in the center of the room, caught Nina's attention.
On one section of the map, around the Wind Tribe's territory, a cluster of black game pieces were bunched together. Surrounding the wasteland, far more white pieces stalked through the forest. A variety of groups, both black and white, roamed the rest of the continent in no apparent pattern. Most notably, the black clusters were almost always smaller than the white.
While Takumi went back and forth between an unraveled catalog and counting the number of scrolls in the cubbies, Oboro approached Nina. The butt of her naginata met the ground, and she propped herself against it, leaning toward the other girl in the meantime.
"Since you're a new recruit, you probably don't know much about the war situation, eh?" asked the woman confidently.
"Not really." That was partially the truth; back with the Nohrian army, not many of the younger recruits were allowed to take part in the war council meetings, including her.
"Let me learn you a thing or two." Oboro's finger harshly stabbed one of the black game pieces. "The black ones are the Nohrians. We're the white. This map sorta tracks where everyone's at on the continent. It's not precisely accurate, of course, but it's close."
"Time out," Hinata sounded as he too approached the map. "You tellin' me the Nohrians wiped out the Wind Tribe and're occupying their territory?"
"Wouldn't put it past them," Oboro responded as her face scrunched again. "You can't honestly expect them not to commit war crimes, can you?"
"I sure wish that were the case," Takumi sighed from the cubby shelf. He returned to the catalog and tapped the ends of a few more scrolls. "The Wind Tribe decided to break autonomy and take sides; they aided the Nohrians against Isogai's faction in a very messy battle. A lot of Hoshidan blood was spilt on that desert, and it's all thanks to them. From now on, the Wind Tribe is our enemy as well."
Nina had to fight a smile.
They were still safe. Corrin and the others were safe. As he swore, Chieftain Fuga pledged his loyalty to Corrin. There wasn't a doubt in her mind everyone was in the protective territory of the Wind Tribe. Such wonderful news was exactly what she needed. Her capture had indeed dampened her spirit, but it dampened her spirit with oil. A spark ignited in her, and she was consumed by a giddy, confident blaze.
"That's not a good thing, newbie," grumbled Oboro, who had noted her sudden burst of vigor. "Quit smiling."
"I know it's not, but judging by how much the Nohrian numbers are dwindling, it's safe to say I know why we have a spy on our hands. The Nohrians are desperate for some sort of advantage- any advantage. The spy's here to collect lots of our information."
"Welcome. Glad you could catch up with the rest of us," Takumi huffed while turning from the shelf. "Of course the spy's here for information. That's the reason we're in this room- to make sure she hasn't taken anything yet. If she hasn't found a means of escape yet, she'll definitely be on the prowl for information she can scoop up." The catalog, once unraveled, was curled back into a compact scroll. "Doesn't look like she's checked this place out yet, though; everything's still here."
"Sounds like we'll be settling here to puppy guard, then," Hinata concluded.
"No, we can't." Takumi shook his head, ponytail swishing behind him. "I still have to be on the move throughout the wall so I can know what's going on. I am the one giving the orders around here after all."
"Lord Takumi!" Nina exclaimed, zipping to her temporary leader. The speed at which she approached the boy ignited Oboro's temper, and she went after her immediately. "We can't just leave all this stuff here, can we? The spy could be anywhere, even near here! What if she-" A yelp spilt from her mouth when Oboro smacked the back of her head.
"Do not approach Lord Takumi and scream at him like that!" she snarled. Detached from most of the drama, Hinata shrugged and tended to an itch on his head.
"I mean, the new girl's not wrong, though. We can't just leave all this stuff unguarded, even if it's for a few minutes."
Nina slithered away from Oboro and arrived at Takumi's other side.
"Precisely. So why don't you let me guard this room while you go about your business? It's not like you need me around to protect you; your retainers are way more experienced than little old me."
She thought she sounded quite convincing, but that was before Takumi's gaze hardened, especially as he looked deep into her eyes. Regret flooded into her head, especially as she reviewed what she'd just let spew out of her mouth. Now that she thought about it, her words were unpleasantly forceful and insistent. The look Takumi continued to give her almost melted her skin. She sort of hoped she would melt. If she melted into nothing but a pile of goo, she could easily slither between the cracks in the walls and make her escape.
"There's a reason I wanted everyone to be in pairs, you know," he said deeply. The deeper his voice went, the more his dark eyes seemed to glow. "The Nohrians wouldn't send a stupid spy. By now, she's probably disguised herself as one of us. She could be posing as any soldier in this wall. Nobody is allowed to be alone."
With wide eyes, Nina slowly nodded to show she understood. In the nick of time, the relaxed Hinata chimed in.
"Guess that means we gotta take all this stuff with us. Think there's not too much to carry?"
Takumi's harsh eyes left Nina so they could land on his retainer.
"No. We have plenty of means to move it."
His means were fairly simple: stack the scrolls inside a spacious, and vacant, trunk they pulled out of the corner of the room. All four took turns making brisk trips between the box and the cubby wall. The metal containers that protected such precious information made satisfying noises when they clinked together at the bottom of the trunk.
"So... what sort of information's written on these papers?" Nina inquired in the midst of their busywork. Oboro "accidentally" bumped into her on her way back to the wall.
"Rosters, maps, letters... it's a mess of information, really. We also have a lot of intel on the Nohrians recorded," Takumi replied after carefully dumping some scrolls into the box.
The Hoshidans could certainly do with suddenly losing that information, Nina believed. Her meticulous mind plotted ways to hoard the trunk to herself. As if he colluded with her, Takumi seemed to make her goals a reality. Nina failed to notice how the prince summoned Oboro to him, where he pulled her face close to his to transact a low, inaudible whisper. As her lord spoke to her, Oboro occasionally glanced at the girl, who continued to work with Hinata and deliver the final handful of scrolls to the trunk. The two sealed the box tight as Takumi pulled away from his retainer, whose face had colored red with both embarrassment and temper.
With only a clear of her throat, Oboro made her way over to the trunk and secured two straps on its sides. Using the straps, she hoisted the box into the air and eyed Nina forebodingly. Nina got a chill when she realized she was being stared at.
"Turn around, newbie," Oboro commanded. For the time, Nina was not one to argue, which was why she immediately put her back toward Oboro. Unexpectedly, the straps holding the trunk landed on her shoulders. The trunk, surprisingly, was not as heavy as she anticipated, especially after seeing how many scrolls had been stuffed inside. The weight that made her muscles stiffen belonged mostly to the trunk itself, being crafted from a finer species of wood.
Unfortunately, since the weight caught her by surprise, the trunk pulled her to the ground, and she began to flail like an overturned turtle. Takumi's lips parted slightly at the sight. His eyes rolled frustratedly as Hinata snickered.
"Man, you sure the army's the place for you?" asked the man once his snickering cleared. He humbly offered Nina a hand and pulled her back to her feet.
"Doesn't matter at the moment," Oboro sighed while walking around to Nina's front. "That's important information you're carrying there, got it? You're in charge of it."
Nina blinked furiously. It was exactly what she wanted, and she never anticipated to get what she wanted so easily. Hoping to put on a good show, she awkwardly took the straps and readjusted them on her shoulders.
"You sure you want to make a 'newbie' responsible for something so important?"
"Oh, trust me, I sure don't, but Lord Takumi does. With the spy on the prowl for that information, carrying that trunk's sorta like painting a target on your back. For a lack of better words, you're the most disposable of the four of us, so it looks like you're the lucky girl! You should feel privileged to carry those in Lord Takumi's place."
If she were sincerely a soldier belonging to the Hoshidan army, Oboro would have rubbed her the wrong way a long time ago. Alas, she didn't have time for petty grudges. An urgent mission still breathed down her neck, and she intended to see it fulfilled. That didn't mean she didn't gaze at her superiors with daggers for eyes (when they weren't looking).
It took time for Nina to get adjusted to the new weight on her back, but not too long. Thankfully, Takumi no longer forced her to the very front of the party, having noticed the bulky backpack slowed her considerably. That still did not mean they did not pressure her to keep up her pace. Oboro and Hinata, at Takumi's command, kept a consistent eye on the girl in the meantime.
Nina had no clue where they were headed, but that was the least of her worries. Attempts to conjure up an escape plan took the forefront of her time, attention, and focus. Every scenario played out in her head, but they almost always ended poorly, and she was hesitant to put any plan into action. When she did put one into action, the other three would immediately see who she truly was, and she was in no position to blow her cover.
Luckily, her tireless thinking came with an intermission. En route to... somewhere... an interesting sight caught the four's eyes: two burly men escorting a small-framed woman, who pleaded excessively. They walked speedily down the hall as though they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Takumi, as one would expect, called out to them, and the two guards immediately drew to a halt and faced their prince.
"What's going on here?" The boy trudged up to the three, his retainers following closely.
"We've caught the spy, sir!" answered one man with a stoic face. His declaration only made the woman plea with more desperation.
"No, no! I'm not! I was just checking to make sure the spy wasn't in the treasury! I was just checking!"
"Shut up, you filthy Nohrian!" barked the other before turning to his prince. "She matches the description almost precisely, milord. She has long, white hair and fair skin. We caught her infiltrating the treasury!"
Sure enough, the woman did share similarities with Nina, except Nina did not have tears spilling out of her eyes by the bucketful. She made no attempts to escape, so she simply let herself be held up by her captors, who both tightly held either one of her wrists.
"Milord, you must believe me. The spy is still loose somewhere in the wall. If you choose to call me the spy, you'll only give the real one more time to escape!"
Takumi was drawn to the girl like a magnet. Contrary to his princely status, he knelt to the woman's level and took her by the chin, which he pressed against to tilt her head up. He got a thorough look at her weeping face before allowing his brows to drop.
"Kazuha?" he asked out of the blue. The single word from her prince brightened the woman's eyes, and a grin spread across her face.
"Milord, you...you remember me?"
Nina's shoulders stiffened again. Great. Takumi knew the woman. So much for making a scapegoat out of her. Part of Nina was glad to see an innocent woman not punished on her behalf, but another part knew something so horrible might have been necessary.
"Thought she looked like that girl I always see in the mess hall," Hinata sighed. "Glad Lord Takumi recognized her, otherwise we would've made a huge mistake."
However, Takumi's expression darkened, and only the accused was the first to witness the sudden change. She cowered before him again, hope extinguished.
"Just as I thought," Takumi grumbled. "The spy did choose to be an imposter." Smugly, he smiled down at the prisoner. "See, Nohrian, you may think you're clever, but there's not a single 'Kazuha' in this wall. That's all the proof I need."
"No! Milord, one thousand pardons, but you're making a mistake! I am not the spy, and my name is Kazuha!"
Takumi's three followers, with expressions of sheer astonishment, watched as he turned from the woman, scowling at the burly soldiers standing stoutly before him.
"Take her to the keep. Don't lose her, and do not hurt her. She needs to be in good shape for my interrogation." The woman continued to wail in the meantime, refusing to quiet down when the soldiers barked at her. Out of respect, the two gave their prince a quick bow and proceeded to haul the captured away.
In the aftermath of the event, the three retainers had a moment of silence, awkwardly looking around in attempt to soak in all that had unfolded. Hinata in particular appeared to have a difficult time processing everything.
"Just like that, huh..." he spoke thoughtfully. "All this build up, all this tension... and the spy was captured just like that." He then shrugged carelessly as though he'd already gotten over it. "Huh. Whaddya know? It's a crazy world. I sure am glad we found that spy, though. Lord Takumi would've been in a bad mood if we never did."
"I sure would've," Takumi agreed while watching the two men turn around a corner. With them out of view, other things were allowed to take hold of his attention, such as Oboro. "You two responded well to this situation, just as I expected out of Hoshido's finest. Well done."
Excellent.
Nina knew she should've taken a moment of silence out of respect for the scapegoat, but that was the least of her concerns. What concerned her the most was getting away from Takumi and his gang. Fast. With her validity no longer under scrutiny, she felt more confident to make more risky movements, such as gently easing away from the group. Unfortunately for her, Takumi caught on far quicker than she would've liked.
"Mozu," he muttered after she'd taken a handful of steps away. "What're you doing?"
The girl's eyes widened, and she began eying around, hoping to put on a sort of innocent facade.
"Well... With the spy captured and all... I should get these back to the council room." She swung her arm around to give the trunk on her back a hefty slap. It responded with a low thump. "I'd hate for all this important stuff to get misplaced somewhere on accident."
"Except, if you went alone, that's precisely what'd happen. New people get lost here all the time, and I doubt you'd be any different," Oboro argued, much to Nina's chagrin. Her words clearly caught Takumi's favor, for he immediately nodded and motioned for her return.
"I want you to stay with us until we go back there. You don't need to be alone right now."
It was good she stood further away from them, for her cheeks grew spots of red, and her hands, with a slight quiver, became clammy. Nonetheless, she smacked a smile on her lips and nodded, then scampered over to them.
"Yes sir."
If they were not to return to the council room immediately, Nina couldn't help but wonder where they were headed instead.
Her best guess was that they needed to find someone, someone important, and relay the big news. The woman soldier was most certainly captured in her place, but that was not a license for Nina to throw all care out the window. The fear of stimulating their suspicions kept her from asking too many questions. Luckily, Oboro was there to ask for her.
"I suppose we're off to spread the news?"
"Definitely," Takumi replied. "The travelers outside the wall have been kept waiting for some time, so they deserve an explanation of the situation. I'd like to conduct an announcement."
Though Nina had no idea how they were going to get back outside, Takumi seemed to; as though he followed a map in his head, they strategically turned around certain corners, which led them to a stairwell that looked almost exactly like all the others. Slimy and slippery was the way to describe the stairs going to the dungeon, not the stairs scaling up the interior of the wall.
Nobody lost their footing even once, but that did not mean the journey was without its obstacles. Nina found the stairs, in addition to the weight on her back, exhausting, especially when she had to pick up her pace to keep up with her party. The poor thing feared the stairs never ended, but that was before they were deposited into a smaller hallway. At the end of it stood two burly guards, both watching Nina in particular with immense prejudice.
With ease, Takumi bought his passage past the men with a few words. The guards stepped aside, allowing him, Oboro, and Hinata through the door. When Nina scampered after them, the guards resurrected their formation to trap her in the hall, using their broad shoulders as barricades. She glanced at them awkwardly, noting their intimidating faces.
"It's okay. Let her through too," she heard Takumi say behind the men, who immediately obliged his command. With no time to waste, Nina stepped through the door and gave her thanks to Hinata, who charitably held it open for her. It surprised her to find that they were no longer within the wall, but on top of it instead.
A chilly breeze nipped at her skin. For a moment, she wondered why she did not feel her braids ride the draft, but that was before she was distracted by a realization: they were outside. Outside! She could practically taste her own freedom, fingers able to stroke its smooth, glossy skin. All she needed was a little extra reach so she could grab it.
It might've been harder to obtain than she originally thought, though. Lined across the top of the wall were uniform archers, one stationed behind every other battlement. They stood stoutly, yumis loaded with a shiny silver arrow. Their gaze was so attentive it didn't spend a second distracted by the sight that pooled below: a sea of travelers. Some were at the front of the wall, banging on the gates and demanding to be let in. Further back in the crowd, merchants, villagers, and farmers alike ceased their protests to pitch tents and start cooking fires. The warmth of the fire's light attracted those nearby, and for good reason: snow delicately fell from the sky, adding to the collection on the ground.
"Would you take a gander at that." Hinata wolf whistled afterward, hands on his hips. He squinted his eyes as he viewed the spectacle. "The wall shuts down for only a few hours and the line already gets this crammed. I can barely see the end of it." The draw distance was not optimal with the flurry weather.
"Goes to show just how many Hoshidans are in trouble," Oboro commented. "It's a miracle Emperor Ryoma is letting them stay near the capital. They'll be safe behind this wall."
The comment raised one of Nina's brows.
"Will there be enough room?"
"We'll jam them all in here if we must," Takumi grimaced at the sight of his troubled people. "It's better than dealing with hundreds of bloody villages and towns. Nohr's on its way, and it leaves destruction in its wake."
It truly was a wonderful thing for Ryoma to do for his countrymen. She'd heard of the thousands of desperate immigrants pouring into sanctuary to save their lives, but she'd never seen it, nor had she envisioned it in detail. Seeing it for the first time sent chills down her spine. Going off of Siegbert's somber reports, she had reason to believe King Garon would never do the same for his own people if the tables had been turned.
That didn't matter.
Peering over the side of the wall was a bigger deal than pondering, which was why she leaned over an unoccupied battlement to take a gander at the drop. The wall stood higher than she anticipated. Simply gazing at how small the crowd's heads looked made her head spin, so she backed away slowly. Oboro's prejudice eyes watched her the entire time.
"Afraid of heights, rookie?" asked the woman with two crossed arms.
"A tiny bit..." Nina shook her head in hopes of being able to focus again. "It's a long drop."
"Don't slip!" Hinata chuckled.
Slip.
What a good idea.
Nina peered over the side again. Her careful eyes searched for specific points of interest the second time, and what she found pleased her. If one were to slide down the wall, they would not face a steep, uninterrupted drop. Instead, one might bump into a few structural pillars or platforms for a handful of ballista cannons adorned on the wall's side. Those inexperienced would be in for a nasty fall should they be pushed off the wall's top, but one with considerable dexterity could certainly stick a safe landing. She could make things work... provided she didn't have countless archers gunning for her. If she were to jump when she thought everyone's guard was down, she would undoubtably raise suspicions, and she might not be able to escape before it rained arrows. But if the whole ordeal were portrayed as an accident... she would be home free with a motherload of information on her back.
She remained notably close to the edge, anxiously preparing herself for her show. The moment she worked up the courage to approach an opening in the battlement, though, it fled, dooming her back into timidness and inaction. A pressing deadline kept her from getting too lax, especially as she watched Takumi clear his throat and roughly beat his chest.
"My people!" he announced. Whether he managed to grab the attention of the crowd below was beyond her. Luckily, it didn't interest her either, which was why she zoned out, hoping to soothe her frantic nerves. Her hardening eyes stared at the ground, which was crafted from solid brick. Slush covered certain patches. It would behoove her to find a patch that looked especially icy, a patch unforgiving to feet. She settled on a promising area not too far from where Takumi stood speaking to his people.
Wordless, Nina turned around, gazing at the darkness that loomed beyond the horizon. It looked especially grim. She needed that grimness. It was a hefty dose of reality before it was time to put her plans into action. After slipping her head through her bow, she forced a yawn out of her lips, then lifted her arms up to stretch. She felt the scrolls shift in the trunk as she gradually leaned backward, weighing her further in her desired direction.
Hinata, having noticed her noteworthy movements, gave her his eye, as did Oboro, who suddenly tightened her grip on her naginata in anticipation. Nina's feet took her back slightly, allowing the weight to have its way... until she finally built up the momentum to shuffle around. Part of her pretended to be slipping, while another part struggled to keep control of her direction. Her feet scrambled around more until she felt it: the edge of the wall. With a yelp, she plummeted, calling for the help of her lord, whose speech came to a screeching halt.
Down below, the crowd ceased their rioting to gaze at the spectacle in shock after the girl landed on a cannon's platform. As she intended, the trunk on her back suffered the most of the impact, sparing her from a sprained ankle or worse. Quickly, she slipped her arms out of the straps, hopped onto her feet, and looked up at the crown of the wall. The archers, Takumi, Hinata, and Oboro gazed back down with as much shock as the crowd below. The sight made Nina chuckle darkly and pull her box back over her shoulders.
"Don't worry, Lord Takumi! I'm okay! I had the trunk to land on!" Nina exclaimed.
Back on top, Oboro scoffed with sheer disbelief.
"Just like you said, milord. She took the bait."
"I knew it," Takumi growled. In an instant, a teal arrow materialized in his hands, and he drew it back on the string of his Fujin Yumi. "Archers! Stop her! She's the one we're after! Aim for her legs or arms!"
Her pupils shrunk, for several arrows more took interest in her, gazing at her lustfully. With a hiss, she securely fastened the box once more and started to move again, careful not to remain still for long. She gracefully pounced off the platform, aiming to ensnare a banner with her hands. Up the banner she scaled until she could pull herself onto the flagpole, where she stood with excellent balance. An arrow whirred past her ear, evoking a crawling sensation that crept up her back and grabbed the back of her head. The sensation forced her to move immediately, using the flagpole to push off of. Two quivering, and clammy, hands caught the edge of the neighboring platform, and she climbed aboard.
Below, the terrified crowd scattered, for stray arrows began pelting the ground. Within moments, the mass pushed back, clearing the front of the wall. The sight made Nina smile. She had not yet reached a height where she could safely jump to ground level, but she could certainly get there soon. She'd be home free the second she could get on the ground, for all she'd need to do is make a break for the neighboring thicket.
An arrow stabbed her shell shortly after her feet were on solid ground, and the sound made her growl.
"What're these idiots trying to do? Kill me?" She trudged forth, decorated by a frustrated scowl. "Whatever. It's not like it'll be too bad if I died here, I guess. It might make a few people sad, but everything I know will die with me." A few arrows more landed on the ground next to her, and it prompted her to quicken her pace. "Still doesn't make it preferable."
She dashed, but it wasn't a wise choice; soon into her sprint, her feet found another icy patch on the ground. She slipped, and, unfortunately, she wasn't faking it. Her body fell forward, and she crashed onto the cold, wet ground. Her hands struggled to support her as she brought herself back up, but they ended up slipping too. She was reduced to hissing and cursing, but none of it could get her out of the way quick enough. A sharp pain erupted in her calf, and she recognized the sensation immediately. One long howl escaped her lips, but she felt inspired to power her way onward. With doing, she eventually found herself back on her feet, but she easily crumbled at the authority of her quivering, and bloody, leg time and time again.
"Dammit, not now!" She shed the box from her back. It didn't matter if she escaped with it or not; what mattered was escaping alive. With the weight on her back gone, she used her all the strength in her arms to latch herself onto an icy water spout. Of course, she was slowed considerably by a bad leg. Her diminished speed catered to Takumi, who watched her from the top of the wall with an iron gaze. Hinata eagerly leaned over the battlement, eyes wide as he watched the escapee gently lower herself closer to the ground.
"M-Milord! She can still get away!"
Though Takumi did not even appear to acknowledge him, Oboro cleared her throat harshly.
"He's got it," she grumbled. In the meantime, their lord's focused eyes followed the girl, awaiting the perfect opening. His retainers' muscles tensed when he finally withdrew another arrow, which glowed in preparation for firing. His hand and arm, as if crafted from stone, did not move until it was time to let go. The arrow rushed away from them. As it drew closer to the girl, its trajectory gradually skewed until it struck the girl in her last good leg. A second scream followed, and they watched as she detached from the spout and plopped on the ground below. Takumi relaxed, and a proud smile spread across his lips. In the meantime, Oboro gave him a hefty pat on the back.
"You have good instincts, milord," she praised.
Obviously proud of his work, the boy simply nodded and looked down at his prey.
"Well, my instincts say we better hurry down there before she tries to crawl."