Ah, the morning after...

Sorry, I couldn't resist. These two are in for a twisted next few hours. I hope you guys are ready!

Before we begin, I have a review I'd like to respond to.

Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: The "twist" I "mentioned" explains something in SPOILER territory, but the Valla-Reveal isn't too far off. You'll see for yourself.

And now, let's begin.

Corrin woke up with a sore head. His eyesight was a little woozy from the prior sneak attack, but he was only slightly hurt. While his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he looked around at the room he was in. It was a small, wooden cabin, with an open roof and a lit fire pit in the center. Across from the fire pit, a familiar figure was stirring the contents of the pot upon the fire. She kept her eye on the young prince while he lay resting, and now she was smirking at his dazed face. It took a moment for Corrin to realize it was Rinkah, the warrior he set free a short time ago.

"You're finally up," she said. "Sorry about the bump on your head."

Corrin jolted upward. "It's you! From the Flame Tribe, right? What happened?"

Rinkah smirked at him. "Yes. I am Rinkah. You've been out for quite a while."

Corrin shook his head. "How long?"

Rinkah frowned. "Since midnight yesterday. It's just after dawn now."

Corrin folded his arms. "So, I take it we're in Hoshido?"

Rinkah nodded. "Just outside of it. Your friend's still out for the count, but I thought you might want something once you woke up."

Corrin then realized that Sinon was lying down in the corner a few feet away. "Sinon!"

Rinkah chuckled. "What a cliche response. Don't worry, she's just unconscious."

Corrin calmed down when she said that. "What will you do to us?"

Rinkah picked up a bowl at her feet and began to fill it with the stew. "An escort from Hoshido will be here to deliver you to Castle Shirasagi."

Corrin lowered his head. "So this is how it ends."

Rinkah smirked at his pessimistic response. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

At this time, Sinon let out a low groan. "Ugh, that hurt."

As she sat up, Rinkah picked up the second bowl at her feet. "Good morning sleeping beauty."

Sinon shook her head. "Where are we? Lord Corrin? What's going on?"

"We've been captured by the Hoshidans," he replied. "They'll be taking us to the Royal Palace for execution."

Rinkah shook her head. "Way to assume before you know everything."

Sinon turned to face her. "What do you mean, exactly?"

Rinkah tried to stifle a chuckle. "It seems that the High Prince wishes to greet you personally."

Corrin was slightly confused by this. "They will want an explanation for the unprovoked attack, no doubt."

"Undoubtedly," the Oni Savage said, passing Corrin a bowl of stew. "However, he thinks you may be someone of interest to him." She passed the second bowl to Sinon. "But you can't meet him on an empty stomach and the journey there will take about an hour."

As she finished saying this, a knock was heard at the door. "Come in." Rinkah called out.

The door opened, revealing two ninja. One was dressed in black and green garb with a violet scarf around his neck. His green hair was a dead giveaway that he was Kaze, the ninja they freed from Garon's wrathful clutches. The other ninja was dressed in faded pink clothes with black armor protecting her thighs, shins, forearms, and stomach. An amber scarf decorated her neck, hiding her otherwise exposed shoulders from sight. Her long, umber-shaded hair covered her right eye, but was tied into a white ribbon behind her.

Rinkah smiled at the newcomers. "Ah, welcome back, Kaze. I take it that Ryoma sent Kagero to aid in escorting our friends?"

Kaze nodded. "Indeed. I am sorry to say that my brother Saizo won't be assisting us today, but Lord Ryoma had already assigned him to another mission."

Kagero looked over at the two Nohrians. "Well, there's a face I'd never thought I'd see. Sharp-Shot Sinon, is it?"

Sinon frowned. "I wasn't aware that my title among the Nohrian Royals had reached this far."

Kagero smirked. "Your reputation was almost legendary, despite your sudden appearance nearly a year ago. Lord Takumi wanted to meet you personally, if only to see your skill for himself."

Sinon scratched her chin. "It would definitely explain why I'm still alive."

Rinkah shook her head. "Nope. You're only alive due to a simple fact check that Kaze did. We'll explain later."

Corrin looked back at the tribeswoman. "What do you mean 'later'?"

Rinkah chuckled. "You two are in the middle of a meal." She then gave the ninja a knowing look. "And I know that our escorts will need some nourishment before we all head back."

Kaze moved to Rinkah's right before taking his seat next to her. "Running such a long distance has given me a small appetite."

Kagero looked back over her shoulder. "We should eat quickly. There is a strong blizzard rolling in and I'd rather not be caught in it if at all possible."

Rinkah chuckled. "Just make sure you have enough energy to move even if it does hit us."

Turns out, they left well before it even arrived. The five of them kept up a brisk, yet steady pace throughout the entire trip and they were able to reach the capital city unhindered. The trip was spent slightly in silence, but about halfway into the trip, Kagero posed a question for Sinon.

"My lady, I hope I'm not being rude here."

Sinon shook her head. "I'm no noble. 'Sinon' will do just fine."

Kagero took a mental note of this. "I understand. I wonder if I could ask you something."

Sinon saw the curious look on Kagero's face. "What is it?"

"Well, I understand that your goal in any fight is to disable the opponent, rather than kill, if you are able."

Sinon shrugged. "It's not just me. My friends, Yuuki and Aiko, try to keep from killing others whenever they can."

Kagero raised an eyebrow. "I'll keep that in mind if I see them in battle." Kagero returned to what her original question was. "I wanted to ask: if you and your friends prefer to spare your enemy, why did you sign up with the Nohrian Royal family?"

Sinon frowned. "Hey, I get what you're inferring, but I'd rather you learn the facts before you assume anything."

Kagero eyed her worriedly. "What I want to know is why you'd serve a king who thrives on brutality and eternal war."

Sinon sighed. "I was asked by someone to look after one of his children. That mission lead me into service as a protector of Corrin, one of the most merciful royals within the Nohrian Royal Family."

Kagero looked towards the aforementioned lord. "He did save Rinkah and Kaze from execution…"

Sinon nodded. "While he did order us to stay our hand, we would've done so anyway. It wasn't in our nature to execute prisoners back home. We'd rather capture them, recruit them to our side, or gain any information before letting them go."

Kagero looked at the sniper suspiciously. "Wait, what? I thought you four were from Nohr."

"As if," Sinon sighed. "Nohr is a nice place, but our home is far away from here and much more welcoming."

"And what nation is that?"

"Classified."

Kagero was left with more questions than answers. "Intriguing. You are just full of surprises."

Sinon didn't want to disclose anything more. "How long do you think we'll take?"

Kagero decided to drop the conversation. "Only another half hour or so. Ryoma wanted Corrin personally and Takumi wanted to see you for himself."

Sinon sighed. "An archery competition with the younger prince of Hoshido? Who's he trying to impress?"

Kagero chuckled. "I guess you could say himself."

Sinon rolled her eyes. "I hope he doesn't cause trouble once I win."

Kagero went silent after that, internally hoping that the sniper would go easy on the young prince.

Across the Hoshidan countryside, a pair of twin Nohrians were rushing across the blizzard-ridden forest. Their clothing did little to protect them from the harsh environment, but it kept them from freezing in their tracks as they ran. If these two had any other mission, they wouldn't have come this way or even run so fast. However, the two former fairies, Aiko and Yuuki, had one sole goal in their attempt to cross the Hoshidan tundra: protect Corrin from any who wished to harm him.

"Yuuki!" Aiko called out, shouting to avoid being drowned out by the blizzard's roaring winds. "Are you sure they went this way?"

"No!" Yuuki hollered back. "But our only lead is the Hoshidan Capital! The sooner we get there, the better!"

"I just hope Sinon is there with him!"

Yuuki smirked at her sister's concern. "Don't worry! She'll be fine! If anything, be worried about this weather!"

Aiko shrugged. "And I wonder why you never stop smiling…"

Before either of them had traveled far, they came to the edge of a clearing. Close to their side of the field, two red-haired ladies were sending villagers inside the perimeter of the fortified village nearby. The first lady was younger looking, shorter in height, wearing white and red robes with a matching cape, white leggings and red sandals, and carried a small rod with decorative ribbons extending from the top. The second lady was on the back of a white pegasus, wearing white and red Royal garb, white and gold-trimmed flexible pauldrons, and red boots with white trim, holding a long red lance with a curved blade: a Naginata.

The twins sprinted forward, levin swords drawn, but held low behind them. If they could help in anyway, they weren't going to pass up that opportunity. In response, the Pegasus Knight pulled up the reigns on her steed. The Pegasus brayed in response, causing the twins to slow their pace as they drew nearer.

"Stay right where you are, Nohrians!" The Pegasus Knight hollered.

Immediately, Yuuki yelled out to them. "Hold on! We're here to help!"

The naginata wielder lowered her weapon slightly. "Why should I trust you?"

Aiko and Yuuki were within normal speaking range now. "We're not here to fight others. We're only looking for our liege."

The younger red head spoke up at this time. "W-Who is your liege?"

Yuuki sheathed her levin sword. "Prince Corrin."

The rider's eyes widened when she heard that name. "Is it true? He's in Hoshido?"

Yuuki shrugged. "We can only hope. In the meantime, allow us to help you out."

The rider guided her mount to land on the ground beneath her. "Why not? I'm Hinoka. This is Sakura. We were helping the villagers get to shelter before the faceless attack."

Sakura looked off to one side. "Looks like we were just in time. The faceless aren't too far off."

Hinoka locked her gaze to where Sakura was looking. "Crap! We need to go!"

Yuuki drew her levin sword again. "You two lead the way! We'll cover your escape!"

Before Sakura could take two steps, she yelped in pain and tripped. "Ow!"

Aiko dropped her levin sword and knelt down. "Sakura!"

Sakura turned over, revealing a swollen right ankle. "I don't think I'll be able to walk from here and Hinoka's pegasus can't carry multiple people."

Aiko sighed. "I'll help." Reaching down, she pulled Sakura up so that she was held up off of her hurt ankle. Yuuki grabbed Aiko's levin sword and turned to watch their back.

"I'll help you walk, but you're going to have to stay off of that ankle." Aiko told her.

Sakura nodded. "I'll try, but we'll need to hurry."

Yuuki called out to Hinoka. "Lead the way! We'll help Sakura."

Hinoka merely twirled her naginata. "Just keep her safe!"

Some time later, in the Throne Room of Castle Shirasagi, Kaze, Rinkah, Kagero, Corrin, and Sinon arrived. As they entered the massive hall, Sinon took note of two Hoshidan royals already in the room. The first was a Swordmaster with brown, spiky hair, white robes, scarlet armor over those, and golden trim around all of it, matching his aura of leadership and courage. The second was a younger, blonde haired man with blue and white robes decorated with red ribbons and lined with snow-white fur, black pants tucked into black boots, brown guards on his forearms, and a red ribbon holding his hair into a warrior's wolf tail. In his left hand, he held a golden bow with a special design, perhaps a magic bow similar to Sinon's. Kaze and Kagero approached first, quickly kneeling before the Swordmaster.

"Welcome back, Kaze, Kagero. Good work," the Swordmaster addressed them.

"Of course, Lord Ryoma," they both said simultaneously.

Corrin's face mirrored his realization. "Did...did you just say Lord Ryoma?"

Rinkah chuckled under her breath. "Yes they did. This is the High Prince of Hoshido, Prince Ryoma. The archer next to him is his younger brother, Takumi."

Sinon nodded, curtsying in respect for the archer. "I've heard quite a lot about your skills, Lord Takumi."

Takumi tried to hide a smirk, but he was terrible at it. "The Sharp-Shot Sinon herself? It must be my birthday."

Rinkah smirked at him. "Don't get cocky. I've seen her skills and you have quite the competition."

Takumi regained his prior frown. "Don't disappoint me."

Ryoma cleared his throat to get Takumi off of his arrogance train. "Can you talk about this later?"

Takumi merely complied. "Fine."

Corrin lowered his head. "If you're going to execute me, please get on with it."

From his left, he noticed someone approaching. Upon turning, Corrin noticed that it was a woman. She was dressed in a white dress with a teal collar and gold decorations all over. A golden, sun-shaped crown held back her long, straight, black hair. Undoubtedly, this was the queen of Hoshido.

The queen smiled at Corrin. "I cannot believe it is really you..."

Corrin looked at her with a confused look. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"

She simply beamed and wrapped her arms around Corrin. "I've missed you so much, Corrin! Welcome back, my son!"

Corrin was taken aback by this. "Wait, son?! What are you talking about? That's not possible…"

Sinon smirked at him. "Well, think about it. Do you remember your mother or even know her name?"

Corrin frowned at this. "I don't remember, but King Garon is my father. None of this makes sense."

The queen let go of him, taking a step back. "It's a sad story, to be sure. When you were younger, you were abducted by Garon's forces and taken to Nohr. I am your mother, Mikoto. All this time, I never thought I'd see you again!"

Ryoma stepped forward. "It may be shocking, but this is the truth. I am your older brother, Ryoma."

Corrin shook his head. "No, no, no… Xander is my older brother! Leo, Camilla, and Elise are my other siblings…"

Sinon shrugged. "From what I've heard, they raised you as their own after you were abducted. The Nohrian Royalty became your adoptive family."

Ryoma nodded. "I still remember the day you were taken. Back then, there was strong tension between the two nations, but war had not yet erupted. It was only when King Garon lured King Sumeragi-our father-to Cheve under false pretenses."

Takumi gripped his right wrist tightly with his left hand. "To think that madman murdered our father in cold blood when he promised a peace conference."

Ryoma sighed. "To make matters worse, he kidnapped you."

Corrin looked down at his hands. "No. That's just not possible…"

Mikoto looked at Corrin with concern. "Do you not remember any of this? Nothing at all?"

Corrin sighed. "Nothing but fragments. I can't even describe what they are."

At this moment, Corrin began to see two quick flashbacks. The first was an image of an alley, but it was too blurred to tell anything else. The second was a black gloved hand, but Corrin couldn't tell who it belonged to.

Corrin shook his head. "It's all hazy and I can't tell what they really are."

Sinon calmly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Corrin. You'll piece them together eventually."

Mikoto nodded. "In any case, what brings you here, Lady Sinon."

Sinon mentally grew annoyed. "Forgive me, but I'm no royalty. Regardless, I couldn't leave my liege on his own. I am his retainer, after all."

Takumi nearly choked on his own breath. "What?! Sharp-Shot Sinon is Corrin's retainer?!"

Sinon nodded. "In any case, I'd like to continue fulfilling the role, should Queen Mikoto allow it."

Mikoto smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. We'd be grateful for your help, Sinon."

At that moment, a samurai rushed in through the far end of the throne room, stopping to kneel upon reaching the group. "Lord Ryoma! I have urgent news. We're being attacked from the north!"

Ryoma threw his arms down to his sides. "No! Hinoka and Sakura are out there!"

The samurai continued. "Furthermore, they were helping the villagers get within the fortified town of Nashigami. They should be making their way back as we speak."

Ryoma nodded. "They'll still need our support. Kagero, Kaze, both of you join me."

Takumi grabbed his bow. "Brother, I'm coming too. You'll need my help."

Ryoma smirked at him. "You'll get the chance to test your skill against Sinon, that's for sure." Ryoma looked over to Corrin and Sinon. "Corrin, I want you to join us. You'll need to see the truth for yourself."

Corrin looked over his shoulder at Sinon. "You don't mind coming along, do you?"

Sinon grabbed her bow. "Do you really need to ask?"

Corrin smirked. "Then let's move out."

The winds of the blizzard had died down slightly, making the travel back to the capital less treacherous, but still nearly impossible. Aiko still had Sakura balanced on her shoulder, but the young healer was slowly starting to give out as she stepped forward. Yuuki and Hinoka kept up their guard, watching out for faceless approaching. However, they soon came to a small range of small mountains covered in faceless.

At this point, Sakura's other ankle gave out completely. "I-I'm sorry about this! Of all times to get a swollen ankle."

Aiko set her down. "Don't worry about it. We'll hold them off, so just take a quick rest."

Yuuki tossed Aiko her levin sword. "You'll need this from here on out."

Aiko caught it, twirling it around in front of her. "Undoubtedly, this will be tough."

Hinoka pulled up on the reigns of her steed. "These guys are no match for us!"

Sakura turned her rod over in her hand nervously. "I hope you're right."

Unbeknownst to them, Ryoma, Takumi, Corrin, Kaze, Kagero, and Sinon had arrived at the southern end of the mountain range, across the terrain from Hinoka's group. With weapons all drawn, the six of them fixed their eyes on the faceless army before them. Sinon stepped forward first, firing one of her fire arrows into the mask of the nearest faceless.

Takumi glanced over to Sinon's bow. "A magic bow? Interesting."

Sinon smirked. "I'm guessing you've never seen something like the Galesbane, have you?"

Takumi's response came with his own arrow of light materializing in his fingertips. "Not too much different from my Fujin Yumi."

Sinon frowned at him. "Well, now my gift from the ancients doesn't seem so special."

Takumi glanced back to her. "Time to show me what you're made of."

With the two of them constantly trying to out shoot each other, Ryoma and Kagero made their way up the western side of the mountain range, slowly trekking through the terrain and cutting down faceless that drew near to them. As they separated from Corrin and Kaze, Kagero posed a question for Ryoma.

"My lord," she inquired. "Are you sure that it was wise to bring Corrin along? We could've easily taken care of this ourselves."

Ryoma laughed at her remark. "It's not just about having Corrin help us. I wanted to show him the truth and have him show us his strengths."

Kagero was slightly confused at his answer. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

As she said this, a rumbling sound came from the eastern side. Kagero looked over to see that Corrin had activated a Dragon Vein, flattening one of the mountains with a blast of fire from his palm. This opened the way for him and Kaze to rush forward and even the playing field against the faceless.

Kagero's eyes widened in shock. "Did he just use a Dragon Vein?"

Ryoma smirked. "I figured he could use them better than I could. That's why we're on the western side."

Kagero shook her head. "No wonder you're confident in him. He's got your blood."

No, Ryoma thought, Not my blood, but his father's instead.

Across the range to the northern end, Yuuki and Aiko were flanking a few faceless that managed to cross the closest mountain to them. Their levin swords weren't doing a ton of damage, but they were wearing down the monsters significantly. Yuuki finally got sick of it, rushing forward with her steel sword in hand. She ducked and rolled under the legs of the first faceless before leaping over it from behind, slashing its neck and beheading the monster. She dashed around it before thrusting both of her blades into the mask of a second, firing an electrical current throughout the undead beast's body. Kicking off from the second's face, she landed next to Aiko as both beasts simultaneously combusted, exploding in a puff of violet smoke.

Aiko placed her left hand on Yuuki's shoulder. "Calm down, sis. You don't have to go all out just yet."

Yuuki grinned mischievously. "Who said I was going all out?"

At that moment, a shuriken flew into the back of the third faceless's head, causing the creature to disappear in the same smoke. Before them, the twins saw a ninja dressed in pink garb, brown armor, and a burnt yellow scarf, along with a red armored samurai approaching them.

The twins lowered their blades as Yuuki waved to them. "Thanks for the save!"

The ninja smirked at her. "Don't thank me yet. We've got more on the eastern side."

The samurai nodded. "Kagero, see if you can help the others over there."

The ninja, most likely Kagero, nodded. "On my way, Lord Ryoma."

Kagero took off, sprinting across the snowy terrain. Ryoma took a good look at the twins, seeing their nearly identical outfits were most likely Nohrian. He frowned at them, wondering why they were here in Hoshido, though he wouldn't jump the axe to assume anything just yet.

Instead, he focused on another topic, seeing Hinoka and Sakura a short distance behind them. "I can see that you have taken care of my sisters in my absence." He smiled at them, loosening his mask of suspicion. "Thank you for that. However, once this is over, I'd like to know why two Nohrians are here in Hoshido."

Aiko returned the smile. "We're here looking for our liege, Prince Corrin. Silver armor, navy cape, no shoes, and carries a violet blade?"

Ryoma chuckled. "Well, it looks like your good deed helped to end your search. Corrin's with us, just on the eastern side of the hills."

Yuuki's eyes beamed. "Thank you! We appreciate your help, uh…"

Ryoma nodded. "Ryoma, High Prince of Hoshido. But please, just Ryoma will do."

Aiko and Yuuki nodded. "Thank you again, Ryoma."

Ryoma couldn't help but let another laugh slip. "Come on. Let's go get him."

After all of the faceless had been cleared, everyone had reconvened near the northern end of the range. Sakura's ankle wasn't nearly as hurt as before, thanks to Kaze bringing an extra vulnerary with him. Corrin was happy to reunite with his retainers, but when he turned to see the princesses, one of them surprised him.

Sakura was smiling nervously at him. "Thank you for coming to our rescue. We wouldn't have lasted much longer without your help. I have to ask though… who are you?"

Corrin smiled at them. "Oh, right. My name is-"

Hinoka interrupted him. "Corrin. His name is Corrin."

Corrin nodded. "Uh, yes. Nice to finally meet you properly."

Sakura noticed a single tear rolling down Hinoka's cheek. "Are you alright, Hinoka?"

Without warning, Hinoka rushed forward and wrapped Corrin in a large bear hug. "I've missed you so much!"

Corrin was flabbergasted at Hinoka's actions. "Hinoka?"

Ryoma smirked as Hinoka began to weep tears of joy into Corrin's shoulder. "Hinoka was closer to you than anyone else, Corrin. When you were taken, she cried for months on end. One day, she stopped crying and picked up the naginata, hoping to grow strong enough to rescue you from Nohr one day. Fortunately, she didn't have to fight for your return."

Hinoka wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm not really this emotional. I'm just so happy you've returned to us."

Sakura looked back and forth from Corrin to Hinoka. "Wait, is this really Corrin?"

Ryoma chuckled. "Yes, Sakura, it is. I'll fill you in on the whole story later, but for now we need to get you two back to Castle Shirasagi. Let's go before Nohr deploys more monsters."

Corrin shook his head. "Wait. What are those things, anyway?"

Takumi huffed. "Target practice."

Corrin raised an eyebrow. "Could you be more specific?"

Takumi denied his request with an alternative response. "Undead target practice."

Sinon rolled her eyes. "They're called faceless. Dark Mages can sometimes summon them to attack. The have no will of their own and only know one thought: destroy everything."

Ryoma nodded. "Correct. You seem to know a thing or two about them."

Yuuki chimed in. "The three of us have had to fight these things before, so we're not a fan of them either."

Hinoka smirked. "They're the only thing that Nohr can throw our way. Mother put up a magical barrier that nullifies the will to fight against us." She turned to face the twins. "Though I wonder why it didn't work on you two..."

Yuuki shrugged. "We have no reason to fight you, that's why."

Ryoma cleared his throat. "Regardless, Nohrian Dark Mages send those things across the border to terrorize our countryside. It's the only thing that they can do at this time."

Corrin shook his head. "But...the Nohrians wouldn't do this to merely terrorize civilians, would they?"

Sinon frowned. "Unfortunately, yes they would. You may not know about the entirety of Nohr outside of your adoptive siblings, but King Garon doesn't care who he kills, bludgeons, slaughters, terrorizes, or decapitates to get his point across."

Yuuki nodded. "His dark methods also reflect the state of his army and nation in general. All civilians under his control fear him and his wrath, though they still suffer without reason."

Corrin looked down at Ganglari. "I can't believe it…"

N-Sight: Well, what's the question now?

Sinon: Are you seriously going to mirror the story from here on out?

N-Sight: Mostly, but there are a few detours I have planned.

Aiko: Like what?

N-Sight: Let's just say, there's an exposition chapter up next.

Yuuki: UGH! We need some action!

N-Sight: Relax. Besides, Takumi still hasn't challenged "Sharp-Shot Sinon" to a match yet.

Sinon: I swear if you use that name again.

N-Sight: And, that's my cue. I'm gone!

Sinon: OH, NO YOU DON'T!