Awakening - Red Sky in Morning
Day 234 - Morning... Wait. Morning?!
"Why is it bright? ...And that's the sun. Not good. Not goo- Ow. Not good!"
Owain unceremoniously stumbled out of his tent, a man with half the clothing and twice the energy as anyone else in the camp. Running quickly past Leo, the swordsman stopped briefly as his lord looked him over, raising an eyebrow in concern.
"See, I want to say I usually know what's happening, but with you... Owain, you look like you just took a bath, yet you smell as if you haven't the slightest idea what one is."
This prompted the young blond to feel himself over, just now noticing the cold morning air on his bare skin. A lot of cold air, and a lot of bare skin.
"I can see this might be a problem," Owain excused, turning around before Leo could reply.
It was like a walk of shame, except the Chosen of the Darkness would never be caught in a shameful position. Nonetheless, Owain quickly ran back inside to put on his usual light garment of yellow... that probably should have been washed a week ago. Sniffing it quickly, the face the Ylissean prince made could only be akin to that of a grievous injury to a nonessential organ.
"A foul odor. It heightens the senses."
Is that why Ophelia wouldn't hug him when he had it on?"
Quick as the wind, the fully-dressed Owain ran through the camp, not bothering to get breakfast and instead making a beeline for the-
"Ah there you are! I've been waiting all morning! C'mon, let's get a couple rounds in."
A powerful hand grabbed his arm and Owain found himself being pulled away from his original route and towards the sand pits. Such pits that the Valmese had dug for the sole purpose of training.
"N-no wait!" Turning towards -of course it's her- Hinoka, Owain struggled to get the woman off his arm before letting out a pitiful, "We have the day off!"
It seemed to work though, considering the Hoshidan paused.
Since when did Odin ever care about that? Every single time we've had a break, he'd be sparring with the others all the same.
"So? Never stopped you before. Come on, my arms are feelings jittery," Hinoka said impatiently.
"Well, my sword arm longs for a new partner and I want to go to the town armory and-"
Shit.
"You? Abandon Missiletain? What's gotten into you?"
Owain stuttered before looking away from Hinoka. "I-I don't have time to spar today!"
Uh, bad choice of words! Actually, bad idea overall! Not even my holy tongue could spin a convincing tale!
"What."
The Tenma Princess stared through the young swordsman. Odin never skipped a spar. Especially not a spar with her.
Owain shrank under Hinoka's glare, squirming in her hold.
"I mean, I would spare the time, if I had any! I just don't, because I have plans!"
"I see."
The swordsman winced underneath the lancer's gaze, sinking deeper and deeper into a pit of worry, as if the sand gathering around his feet wasn't enough.
"So you and your friends knock out a mission, get called heroes, and that's it? Is that the end of the 'legendary swordsman's' tale?"
"Of course not, but-"
"Or am I getting weak? Is that it? Are you getting bored? You did find other sparring partners, is that accurate?"
She wasn't wrong. Owain had been sparring a lot with his cousin...
"No no no no! I wasn't saying that at all! Only a chosen few can battle the Chosen One! I'm just... Busy."
Looking past Owain, Hinoka saw Sully shaking her head from across the pits, making it clear that this was a battle she wasn't going to win.
Fine.
Odin was many things. Busy? Not likely. But he also wasn't much of a slacker. There was a good reason he wasn't going to raise his sword, let alone retrieve it from his tent.
Hinoka released her grip and sighed, before a slight smile crept onto her face.
"Alright. Looks like you've made your point," Hinoka nodded, waving her hand to make the blond disappear. "I'll find another partner today."
Owain nodded happily and ran off, thanking Hinoka the whole while. The princess watched him disappear behind some tents and twirled her naginata nonchalantly. No one except Sully seemed to be free, and the ones that could be free would certainly not want to engage in sparring. With a heavy sigh, she picked up one of the lacerated training dummies, dragging it along the sand for her personal use.
Not the best start to the day, Hinoka lamented to herself.
Due to the nature of the free day, most of the Shepherds were either in the town, resting inside, hanging around outside, or in Hinoka's case, ignoring the freedom in replacement for duty. A warrior lived a warrior life, no exceptions. Well, a few could be afforded, but Hinoka had been idle enough lately.
"Funny," Hinoka heard Sully's voice as she walked over to her, "When he showed up with the Nohrians... I didn't think he would be one of the best swordsmen we had."
The lancer raised her head and nodded to Sully, nonchalantly sharpening her own lance as she made her way to the benches beyond the pits.
"He isn't," Hinoka retorted. "Not when he shirks his training after a victory."
"If you say it like that, yes. But he's dedicated. Skilled."
"If he wants to keep up with everyone else, he'll do what everyone else should be doing."
"Not everyone has to train constantly. The way I see it with the kid, it looks like he's got his mind set on winning fine enough."
"Thinking he'll win doesn't mean he will," Hinoka retorted.
Where is she even going with this random conversation?
"You're his sparring partner. He's good. And weird. Funny, he doesn't seem the serious sort most of the time. Where do you think it comes from?"
When Hinoka had first met Owain a few days before the invasion, she took a liking to the enthusiastic Ylissean quite instantly. He was a good swordsman, a pretty good mage as well. But he was a fighter, most of all. It didn't take a warrior to see that in him.
"Odin does act... strange, most of the time. But he fights with a fire that isn't matched by most anyone else here. That's what makes him a good partner to train against."
"Hmm? Everyone here fights with fire, 'else we'd be dying left and right," Sully corrected. "What makes him special?"
"His fire doesn't come from the fight. It comes from within. You can see it in Lucina's eyes. You see it in his. Like a deer surrounded by wolves, with a sliver of a chance to escape."
Hinoka had seen it plenty of times. On her first mission with her soldiers, a Nohrian scout had been swarmed by her Tenma Knights near the border. It should have been a quick kill, yet the intruder had taken down three fully trained riders before he himself succumbed to her blade.
There were a few soldiers that could summon the strength to make their last fight a noble one for the books. Fewer still ended up surviving afterwards.
"Fear. That's what you see. That's what gives them the edge in a fight. The instinct to survive," Sully analyzed. "It's a strong thing, fear."
"Fear?" That couldn't be right. Lucina's courage was unparalleled. Odin was simply too bold to care about meager things like odds and danger. It's like he and death were afraid to be near each other.
"They've lost already. They saw their world fall apart around them. They are very determined not to make it a habit."
Sully remembered the first time she saw Lucina happy, back in Ylisstol when she had saved him and Exalt Emmeryn from the Plegian assassins. Like a burden had been lifted from her heavy shoulders.
Like her first victory in a long string of defeats.
"Perhaps," Hinoka replied, her voice hitching just a little.
Sully stood up slowly, resting her lance against the wall as she took off her neck guard. Ugly thing it was, but it had kept her head cleanly attached to her torso many times throughout the years.
"No, I'm... pretty sure I'm right. After all, I see it in you too, Princess."
"Huh?" Hinoka asked. As far as she knew, she was quite courageous in battle.
I've beaten my fear. I've conquered it and wear my scars proudly.
"You lost too. I'm guessing at a young age."
"That's behind me."
"Not quite. It's within you. That's why you fight like a wolf in a pack. Not for yourself, but... for her."
Sully was no stranger to watching her own. She had Chrom's back in a fight, and he had hers. There wasn't anything in this damn Risen-infested world that could put Chrom on his ass before she'd have a say first.
Corrin probably wouldn't notice it that much, but Hinoka would circle ever closer to her, protecting her from threats unperceived. They had similar roles, the two red-headed knights. And that was pretty cool.
"You fight with fear. Not because of it, but with it," Sully stated, looking stern and yet not finding any chip in the Princess's steel. "It's dangerous and powerful."
"I appreciate this analysis but please tell me where this is going. Nothing scares me anymore."
"Ryoma spoke to me about you, Princess. I know we're not close, but fear is a strange thing to keep within you. But you can't be afraid of it any longer. Your brother told me that much."
Ignoring her lack of decorum, Hinoka took the bait. "I've fought our enemies countless times without fail. Why is Ryoma worried for me?"
"You're fighting for your sister, your family. That's understandable. That's honest. You fly into the thick of things without an ounce of caution for yourself and emerge unscathed."
"Then why go through all this... talking to tell me that I'm fine?"
Sully shrugged, as if that were the natural course of action.
"No one wins a war going into a fight scared for someone else."
Hinoka's scowl deepened ever so slightly. Sully took that as a sign to continue.
"Corrin-"
"Kamui."
"Kamui's here. She's by your side. And yet you fight as if she's going to disappear again."
"The second I lose focus is the second I lose her," Hinoka admitted. "I have the ability to keep that from happening again. And I will."
"Ryoma told me you'd say something like that."
"He places a lot of duty on a stranger. Why is that?"
"It went something like 'we're similar in heart' or something. Maybe we are, that's fine. All he asks is that you fight because you are in danger. Not Kamui."
"It hasn't affected me. Why is he worrying about this?"
"Maybe I'm seeing things. Or maybe that Pegasus of yours isn't comfortable to fly with you anymore. She doesn't feel safe. And maybe Ryoma's seeing that too."
Sully was right. Byakuya, aptly named for the dragon that created Hoshido, seemed uneasy nowadays. Maybe she could see how Hinoka's eyes weren't dead ahead but rather down below, watching out for her sister instead of herself.
"...For how long?" Hinoka let out, a little more doubtful than she should have been.
"Just recently. He's asking you to find some semblance of peace for yourself. Whatever that means. Honestly? Just keep kicking ass. Just don't kick more than you need to."
"I... See. Well, this is news to me. Aaaaand now Odin must think me a fool."
"Not in the slightest. You're still his sparring partner after all. Maybe you ought to ask him what fuels his courage? Or his fear, whatever you think it is."
"What an odd question that would be. Besides, he's probably busy."
"Perhaps. But then again, maybe not."
"You want to understand the kid? Tail him. He went towards the medical tent. Maybe he's unwell."
"It's none of my concern," Hinoka replied, shaking her head. "Odin wants to do something, let him. I am not his mother."
"You're his friend. Why don't you see for yourself? Clearly you are having deep thoughts. Once those are out of the way, come back here. I've always wanted to go one on one against you. Consider it my punishment for acting as Emperor Ryoma's proxy."
Hinoka nodded and made way, leaving her lance on the rack.
It wasn't too far to the medical tents, but Hinoka took her time nonetheless. Her conversation with Sully opened up some memories she'd rather not remember.
"What am I afraid of? Losing Kamui?"
It was strange. She didn't feel like that was the case. So what was it? Fear for Kamui getting hurt? Maybe.
Anyway, Odin had quite the head start on her, so she would probably walk in on him being checked on. If he was even hurt, that was.
He's probably not feeling well.
Or maybe it was something in the portal? After all, Kana and Morgan had been afflicted by some ailment that left them too scared to leave their room. Perhaps Odin had been suffering from the same demons too. After all, it took a certain courage to return to the hell he had just escaped from a few years before.
Thinking to herself, it took her nearly five minutes to reach the destination she was walking towards, a journey that could have easily be made in two or three. But she arrived soon enough, and as she was about to open the tent door, she heard a soft, gentle voice.
"...and you wouldn't believe the joy I'm feeling! I mean... we're feeling. You were so brave, Sevvy. Braver than any of us. Braver than all of us! I don't think you can even hear me right now. I'm so sorry. How long has it been? First Nohr, now this. If things weren't so grim, I'd consider this an adventure! I can't believe we got separated... But you're here. You're here, safe with us. There isn't a chance in the world that I'd leave you by yourself again..."
"..."
"When you come to... I hope you wake up and forget everything... I want you to forget about Ylisse, about Grima, about everyone that died. No. Don't forget Ophelia. She missed you so much, these few years. But you can forget about me and all the pain you had suffered alone... If you wake up in peace... That would mean everything to me. Just as long as you forget everything else."
"..."
"Funny looking blacksmith we have here."
"I uh-!" Owain turned around to see Hinoka, arms crossed with a small hint of smirking in Severa's tent. Sighing with a frown, he admitted defeat.
"Guilty as charged," Owain laughed, before pointing at Severa. "And this... is why I wouldn't want to fight today. The clerics told me yesterday that I could see her first thing and..." Hinoka put up her hand, shaking her hand.
"It's okay. I'm not in charge of you, after all."
Hinoka looked Severa over. Nohrian armor, that much was certain. If she recalled correctly, she was one of Camilla's retainers! At least, the one that wasn't as intimidating as Beruka.
"Tell me about her, if you... would."
Owain smiled immensely, almost excited to show off Severa to Hinoka.
"She was originally one of the Shepherds, along with me and Luci and the rest. She... didn't make it out of Ylisse like we did, though. But oddly enough, we found her in Nohr. Me and Inigo, I mean."
"So from Ylisse, the three of you ended up in Nohr?"
"...Yes. With help."
"She must be quite important if you wanted to see her first thing in the morning."
"I'd have visited her yesterday if I could have," Owain whispered, stroking Severa's red hair slowly. Hinoka lightened as the truth dawned on her.
"She... She is Ophelia's mother?"
"Severa. Last Pegasus Knight of Ylisse. You might know her as Selena, retainer to Princess Camilla of Nohr. Titles don't matter much to me. Except one."
"Your wife," Hinoka realized.
Owain nodded, and just now did Hinoka notice the band across his finger that Severa shared across hers.
"You've probably figured it out by now, but finally, the three of us are finally back in Ylisse. Or at least, as close as we can be to it."
"She wasn't there before. What happened?"
"When we went through that portal back during the border conflict, there were only two of us. Selena disappeared during a previous battle. I remember Princess Camilla panicking and nearly razing the castle to rubble when she thought Selena died. But I knew she didn't. I... could feel it. I had a feeling that she tried to go back to Ylisse. And not this one."
"Who do you think gave you that idea?"
"When Naga charged it upon us to save the Ylisse in the future, that portal took me and Inigo to Nohr. And you already know the rest. I want to think that Naga is the one that gave me a chance to rescue her from Old Ylisse."
"How did you find her?"
"We found her... and this one," he turned to the previously unnoticed Hoshidan rider across the room, "Unconscious by the ruins of the portal. I don't know how they were still alive, or what she was doing there for that matter. But what is done is done, and she's safe with us again. Once she wakes up... I don't know."
"I'm happy for you," Hinoka said, smiling. "This is wonderful news. I... should leave you be."
"You sure? I will probably not be sparring with you much more once she wakes up. She is after all a better swordsman than myself."
"I'll be the judge of that," Hinoka replied, leaving the tent but leaving the flaps open.
"When you're done... I'll see you both in the sand pits."
"You didn't ask him?" Sully asked.
"No."
"Ah, I see it. That squint of discernment." Hinoka's squint turned into a glare.
"Of what? Don't be absurd."
"Maybe the question didn't need to be asked," Sully joked, stretching her arms and flipping her lance around for balance. Wanting to argue further but deciding against it, Hinoka sat down next to the redhead lancer.
"Now that Kamui is safe... I haven't been as passionate about being a warrior as I should be. I mean, I should be vicious to the Nohrians! They kidnapped her from me and... Took such good care of her. They were a better family to her than I could ever be."
"Princess, you are looking at this way too hard," Sully said with a sigh. "Some of us are born to fight, simple as that. You don't need a good reason. Just a reason. And lucky for you, you have the best reason you could ask for: your family needs your help. That's as good a reason as any!"
"I haven't even felt anything different! But now it makes sense. I don't want it to make sense. I'm not in fear of what's in front of us. It's something else... I don't even know what I feel anymore."
"Apathy, maybe?"
"The only reason I am who I am is because Kamui was kidnapped. And now that she is safe, what purpose do I have? As a princess, my duty is to those before me, after me, and around me. How can I serve them when I feel so... obsolete? I can't even avenge my fallen sisters because the one that fell them just happen to be my sparring partner's wife!" Sully scoffed and went back to her lance. "But we can't just fight Nohrians anymore... They're our allies."
"So, that's what your fear is. It isn't that Kamui is in danger. It's that Kamui doesn't need you. Hoshido wouldn't need you."
"...Yeah. That's what I dread the most."
"Listen good, Princess." Sully got up suddenly, her lance shining and sharp as ever. She replaced it with one of the practice spears and started warming up. "You're a princess of Hoshido, a damn legend on this continent. Your sister, both of them actually, look up to you like it or not. Are you really going to let your doubts get into your head now that you've made them apparent?"
"Ignorance was bliss," Hinoka sulked, staying seated.
"Perhaps it was, but Ryoma wanted you out of your doldrums. Once we're done here, you're paying him a visit."
"'Once we're done?'" Hinoka wondered aloud.
"You and I are going to fight, and we are going to fight hard."
Hinoka rose, hesitantly before Sully tossed her a spear of her own.
"Now come on. Commander Corrin has to keep you around for something."
Robin awoke to the clang of blades, rolling his eyes at the sound. Gently getting up as not to wake up Corr- She was already awake, reading a book.
So much for that.
"They just started. Don't worry," She said offhandedly.
"Good morning to you too," Robin grumbled, not bothering to put on his boots as he donned his coat and peeked out outside. Sully and Hinoka were grappling in the sand pits, countless shattered lances at their feet. Without a word, Robin went back inside, took off his coat, and crumpled into his bed. Morgan and Kana peeked at their parents, but didn't say a word.
"Let me guess. 'What the hell is wrong with this army?'" Corrin mimicked, flicking Robin's nose with a giggle. Robin smiled, shaking his head.
"Actually, things are about right."
