Nohrian law was blunt on the subject of traitors. There were many ways to be labelled as a traitor, but they all led to one punishment.

Death.

And Corrin was, undeniably, a traitor for the choice she had made.

It didn't matter that she wasn't really of Nohrian blood or that she was a princess of Hoshido, wrongfully taken from her life all those years ago after her father was murdered. What mattered by Nohrian standards was that she had been of Nohr and her choice had been to turn against them.

The clash with Hoshido was officially classified as a tie. Royals of both kingdoms had checked each other, enough for both forces to retreat for the day. The barrier dividing Hoshido had disintegrated, meaning it wasn't just the Faceless that could enter Hoshidan lands now.

This was true war.

But to him, and to his siblings, it felt like a loss. They had gone to the border, desperately clinging to the hope that Corrin was alive, that she had survived the fall. They had hoped – he had hoped – that despite war, despite Corrin's entering the real, cold world, they could be each other's rock in the dark of Nohr, keep each other afloat.

That hope had only been further lifted when they saw it was true – that she was alive, and whole, and healthy, and by the dragons the coming war would ravage their hearts violently but at least they would have each other.

Their hopes had been completely shattered when Corrin chose Hoshido.

Leo wasn't a fan of blood ties holding much meaning. His own mother had been a manipulative woman, always seeking to use him. His siblings, with half their blood in common, were closer to him than some full-blooded brothers and sisters he'd seen.

Blood didn't have to matter. It didn't. It was the connections, built by time spent together and emotions gathered, little by little until there was an abundance of it before anyone realized that really made relationships relevant.

That was their claim to Corrin. And she had chosen blood over what they offered, like all their time together had been inconsequential.

Leo rubbed the bridge of his nose, stressed. No. From her point of view, she was escaping a family of criminals to her rightful family, her true family. Ones that could offer her a far better future.

Brothers that didn't look at her the way he did.

The gods had a funny way of granting his wishes. He had begged them to be kind, to not take Corrin's life, and they had.

Did he wish she was dead?

Never. But this was hardly better, perhaps even worse, because now there was a chance they would have to be the ones to end her.

He might have to be the one to kill her.

Elise had tried to convince Corrin to return to Nohr, and Corrin had refused her. Elise, who was clearly free of any sins they could be accused of. The one person no one could say have been involved in Corrin's taking.

If even Elise couldn't have convinced Corrin, then who could have?

"She just said she was sorry," Elise confided to him, quietly. She had cried on the way back, silently shedding tears on the back of her horse. The rain had hidden her tears, and when she returned to the castle Effie had fetched a cold cloth to press over her eyes, but they were still rimmed with red. "She said it was the only way."

Elise was the only one of them that didn't know what it was like, to have to fight a brother or a sister. It was worse for her, in a way, because she had loved Corrin. They all had.

It was easier to fight someone who was hostile to you from the start.

"I just told her to come back home with us," she said in a tiny voice. "I should have said something better."

Leo barked out an attempt at laughter. It came out brittle and dry. "I doubt there was anything that could be said to change her mind."

Because he sure as hell couldn't think of any arguments convincing enough, himself.

Her face fell, and Leo bit his tongue. Now wasn't the time to lash out at anyone – especially Elise.

Instead he reached over and awkwardly hugged her. Elise, naturally, hugged back tightly and buried her face into his shoulder.

"What do we do now, Leo?" she asked, frightened.

Leo didn't have to voice his answer. She knew, and he knew.

And their hearts broke.

Like he should have, before the truth came out and Corrin left them, Leo folded away and all foolish emotions within him. War didn't have the time for petty feelings, and they were at war now. It was chess, on a scale large and complex with far more serious consequences than ever.

He needed to be pragmatic. Cold. Logical.

Sentimentalities had to be disposed of for him to win, and regardless of how victory here would taste like ashes in his mouth and leave him empty, he needed to win.