Takumi and Sumia - Ending the Nightmare
A few days had passed since the Valmese had unexpectedly ambushed the Shepherd encampment. Thanks to Commanders Leo and Takumi's talent for battlefield tactics, the Conqueror's legions had just as suddenly vacated back to safer territory, leaving the small militia to clean up the mess. Nursing the [Valmese] wounded, interrogating the [also Valmese] captured, and burying the [singularly Valmese] dead took the upwards of another day and a half. In the end, there was nothing left to do but to anticipate the return of Lucina and Kana, who would in turn hopefully have one or both of their kidnapped leaders in tow.
It had been two days since the duo had left, and they were expected back within a few more. Chrom was nervous, yes, but he had full faith in his daughter and the son of his best friend. Morgan on the other hand, was terrified at the thought of her younger brother all alone with nothing but Lucina protecting him. Yes, he could protect himself, but she preferred he not have to do so. The tactician-in-training spent the later half of the second day begging Leo and Takumi to let the Cabal catch up with her brother. Her fears were so severe that, after enough fruitless nagging, she decided she didn't need permission. She made plans to go, alone.
"For the last time, Morgan, I can't just let you leave with your little group. Scratch that, I can't let any of you go at all."
Sure, the Justice Cabal was a legitimate force, but against both the Nohrian and Valmese armies, they didn't stand a chance without the main Shepherds. Both Morgan and Takumi understood this, but only the former had a calm head regarding this situation.
"You don't understand-" Takumi noticed how desperate the young tactician was, both in her pleading eyes and her white knuckles. He had half a mind to let her go, but he had to use his full mind due to his role as Commander now. Were he just the young passionate prince of a few days ago, then sure. But that would be just his emotions speaking, not his logic. So in the attempts of learning from that Nohrian shit, he had to be smart about this, not just passionate.
"What, that he's your father? Your mentor? Our commander? I know very well how much he means to you, to us, but we're already in a vulnerable spot. To move even a single piece out of their place at a time like this, even if it's for her own father, would be suicide."
"BUT KANA AND LUCINA ALREADY WENT!"
"That was Captain Chrom's call, not mine. Then again, I would trust Princess Lucina to preserve herself out there. As far as I am concerned with, she is used to being in enemy territory." Morgan's shoulders fell slightly, and Takumi breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Good. Calm her down.
"And my brother?"
"He has Lucina to protect him." He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth, but Morgan didn't seem to capitalize on his slip-up.
"It should be me. It should be his own sister, looking after her brother. Not some murderous princess! Can't you let a sibling look after her own? You understand that, don't you?" Takumi nodded, sighing as he leaned back in Robin's chair. Sure, Lucina was cold. Murderous? Probably not. Morgan's anger was still apparent if an outburst such as that made its way out at a time like this.
...I think.
"I do. I would do anything for my brother and sisters. Especially after my own mother died. Even Kamui's life is worth my own were it to come to such. But... I'm the Commander now, not just a prince. Not just a brother. Were I in your shoes, I would do the same as you. But you're a tactician, right? You're the daughter and the pupil of the best tactician I've ever seen. What would you do in my situation?" Morgan scowled, but nodded her stubborn agreement.
"I would let you go. And that makes you a better tactician than me." Accepting that as her surrender, Takumi sighed in relief and nodded back. Even as she stepped out of his tent in a huff, Takumi had to let out his personal opinion of the matter. Even if he was to regret it.
"And you are a better child to their parents, and a better sibling to their brother than I could ever be." A few seconds later, Morgan peeked her head in and flashed a light, yet mischievous smile.
"Y'know, Prince... Commander Takumi, Dad trusted you enough to put you in that spot should something happen to him. And Mom thinks highly of you as well, not only as her brother, but as a leader. I think their opinion is worth a lot. You're not too bad, sir." With that sudden and uncalled for compliment, Morgan left, clearly in a brighter mood than Takumi had expected.
Whether that was due to her accepting things for how it was, or more-likely planning something behind his back, Morgan's acquiescence was very much appreciated to the stressed-out Hoshidan prince.
The smile he let appear was just as gratefully realized.
A few hours later, Takumi nodded slowly as he read through the supply manifests that Yanna and Hanna had procured. His initial scoff deepened the further down he got on the paper, to where finally it turned into a full-blown frown. Soon enough it was apparent in both his gaze and the twin merchant's that the situation was not too promising.
"Looks like we're in pretty dire need for supplies. But we can't just move out of this location either... We're way too exposed anywhere else..."
He droned off in his own thoughts until the tent door opened up, revealing his counterpart in this tactical endeavor, the ever-present half-smirk refracting the glaring sun.
His arrival announced by his damnable aura alone, Leo walked into the room a few seconds later, much to Takumi's displeasure. But yet, he was just as much a Shepherd commander as Takumi was, and the Hoshidan had to be polite at the very least, even if Leo was everything the archer hated embodied into one oh-so-perfect being. He nodded at his... equal. The scoff that accompanied it could have been better concealed, but Leo didn't seem to care.
"It seems we'll need to send out scouting parties to locate supply convoys," the Nohrian prince decided. "Commander Takumi," he added with slight nuance, "What do you think?"
"It's a really big risk," the Hoshidan decided after a brief pause, ignoring the jape from the blond. "I don't think our scouting parties can handle running into any Valmese. Not when their patrols have fliers." Leo tsked and went back to the mental drawing board.
"Pegasi and Tenma riders can almost always outrun wyvern riders, but they'll still need to raid the Valmese convoys if they want to accomplish anything. I don't think our fliers would be able to pull that sort of stunt off... not with wyverns after them."
Takumi thought about this, and came up with an idea. It was sloppy and unrefined at best... but it was a good start.
"...Not without someone to keep the wyverns off their back long enough for them to nab the supplies we need," he suggested slowly, envisioning his plan in his head.
"Our archers would get torn apart if they-"
"-were on the ground..." Takumi interrupted. "I... learned from our most recent battle a key insight: An archer doesn't need to rooted to the ground to be effective." Leo had no idea what Takumi was referring to, shaking his head.
"None of our Tenma and Pegasus riders can use bows well enough to fight off wyvern riders in midair. Unless Caeldori and her father can also grab supplies at the same time they shoot, our other riders aren't up for that sort of ordeal. And our kinshi knights aren't fast enough to get away-"
"I'll be right back," Takumi interjected, running out of the war tent to find... her.
He gripped his sacred bow in fear, praying that a plummeting death was not the one that awaited him.
But more importantly, he begged the gods that no harm would come to the woman who kept him secured in safety.
As tight as his knuckles clenched against his weapon, they were nowhere as strong and reassuring as the iron grip that secured his proximity to his companion just a few inches away.
He could sense her doubt, her nervousness, her panic. The battle was in full swing and they were caught in the middle of it. Hundreds of soldiers were fighting both above and below, littering the battlefield with both noise and fury. Arrows, spells, blades, beasts... any of them could easily end the lives of the two brave soldiers atop the valiant steed.
"Banish your fear," he breathed, his voice a whisper along the wind, tickling her ear and warming her core. What bravado he had in his voice overpowered whatever insecurities he himself carried at the moment. "None shall harm us."
She had relatively no reason to be scared compared to the prince behind her. She was at least secured on her saddle, a position that could be removed only through the means of shooting either her mount or herself. But the archer behind her? Every time he rose to his feet to fire off his weapon, the only thing keeping him from flying hundreds of feet to his death was her own grip.
And amidst the unpredictability of battle, their synchronous heartbeat was the steady tempo that they both held on to.
As Snowflake and her two riders waltzed dizzily above the field of battle, the three remained untouched.
Slowly but surely, the battle was won. The prince's aim never faltered once, and neither did the knight's hands at the reigns.
What started as a company large enough to blot out the sky with their wings, the enemies were now fleeing from the blur of teal and white that chased after the stragglers.
Whether it was due to the gods smiling at this partnership, or the skill of the clumsy rider, or the unwavering precision of the timid prince, no injury fell upon them.
Perhaps they smiled at the bond the trio in the sky held; A Hoshidan with a sacred connection to his bow, an Ylissean with a compassionate connection to her mount.
A knight with a precious connection to a prince. Crafted out of awkwardness, refined by friendship and similarities, forged in battle, and sanctified by victory, it was a bond not easily describable, but even harder to deny.
When ground finally met their feet, the prince dismounted first, offering his hand to the woman who had kept both of them aloft. Graciously, she took it, but even as she tripped off the stirrup, the archer caught the rider in his arms and held her just as tightly and securely as he had amidst hostile skies.
"M-my prince," she whispers, out of breath. "I apologize-"
"Cast away your discomfort," he answers, leaning in so that his kind eyes are the only thing the rider could look at. "This is right where you belong-
"Mom? Are you writing more weird romance stuff again?"
Cynthia stood in the doorway of Sumia and Cordelia's tent, grinning mischievously. With the look Sumia had on her face, Cynthia's assumptions were well founded.
"C-cynthia!" Sumia gasped, knocking over her inkwell in the process, that luckily (or unluckily) barely avoided ruining the page of romance thriller. "O-of course... not! I... uhh... I'm writing a battle report! For... Commander Takumi! D-don't mind me!" Chuckling nervously, she folded away the incomplete passage and stuffed it into her drawer.
"Oooh," Cynthia responded, buying the white lie. "Well... being the future hero that I am... how about I deliver it to him myself?"
Sumia shrieked as her daughter advanced towards her cabinet, and she blocked it off with her body to prevent the knight to get any closer.
"I-it's not d-done!" she attempted, and Cynthia's grin just grew larger.
"Nonsense! My hero senses are tingling! I'll be the hero you need (but not the one you deserve) and do the dirty work for you!" With inhuman speed fueled by sheer adrenaline and heroism, the young knight staved off Sumia's arm long enough for its owner to back off and nabbed the paper from its drawer. Cartwheeling away, the beige-haired Ylissean opened up the paper before grinning in triumph. Suddenly, her smile drooped, and her eyebrows turned to question.
"C-cynthia?!" Sumia wailed, helpless to stop her future daughter from opening up the fictional romance that she had authored, which was certainly no report.
"M-mom..." the brunette paused, gesturing to the paper, "Were you really going to give this to Commander Takumi?" Sumia gulped, seeing her ruse was up.
"N-no..." she admitted, still blushing from embarrassment. "I would never... How embarrassing would that be..." she cringed at the thought.
"W-why would you write this?" Cynthia questioned, still not understanding Sumia's emotions towards her secret friend.
"Y-you don't need to see that!" Sumia complained, lunging for the paper. Cynthia dodged it and kept at her questions.
"I know you write some weird stuff Mom... but this? Not even Aunt Cordy would read such... cheesy..."
"Things happen in battle, I guess," the Pegasus Knight revealed, pointing to the skies were she and Takumi had held off countless Valmese and Nohrian wyvern riders. Even if her accounts were more romanticized and exaggerated than realistic, it was a nerve-raking experience.
"B-but... this is a story! It's written as if... you... Oh." If Sumia couldn't get any redder, she would have to be refracting infrared waves now.
"I guess I'm not much of a hero, huh? Falling for a prince after reading a couple books here and there with him and then going on a dangerous flight with him and doing nothing but holding him by his legs..."
"I... I just didn't think that Takumi had any reason to interact with you... let alone get along with you. He's such a jerk! He never appreciates my dramatic lines or my entrances! HE EVEN CALLED ME AN OWAIN RIP-OFF!" Sumia laughed this off and shook her head.
"I doubt once you get him to soften up that you'll get the same response. It's why I like reading with him so much. He's so... empathetic. He understands the unsaid things. Well, he does say quite a lot, too."
Sumia could see that Cynthia was very much confused now. "Since when? He's always so... meh! I didn't know he read sappy books... let alone with you."
"It's been going on for quite a few months," Sumia explained, "Every now and then, we would just read a book or two after training... I guess... that's where it all started."
"Where what started..." Cynthia droned off, before returning to the paper and realizing the whole truth. "You... like him!?" Sumia winced at Cynthia's shriek and shook her head.
"Not so loud!" the older woman warned, before nodding hesitantly. "But... you are correct. I'm sorry." Cynthia softened up, patting her mom's shoulder cheerfully.
"For what? I think it's great that my mother's found someone!"
"But... am I not deviating from your intended plan to find your father?" Cynthia shook her head, still having her trademark smile.
"Funny thing... I never told you who Dad was, haven't I?"
"No. I don't recall you ever revealing that," Sumia considered, still thinking if Cynthia had.
"Well, that's because... I don't know!"
"What?"
"Only Lucina, Inigo, and Owain know their father's and mother's identity, probably because they're royalty! Me, Gerome, Sevvy, and everyone else? We only knew our Moms! No matter how hard I try, or even if I ask someone else... no one seems to remember who my father was!"
"So that means..."
"Whatever choice you end up making in this life... It's already predestined to be the right one! A hero like you will always make the right choice! Even... if it ends up being a total loser like Takumi-"
The tent door opened and the pineapple prince himself stood, glowering, in the sunlight.
" I am not a loser," Takumi defended lamely, before gesturing at Sumia. "Ah, you're here. C-can you come with me to the war room really quick? I... need to explain something to Commander Leo-scum and it involves us... I mean! Yeah it involves us, but like... for other... things. Uhh..."
Cynthia was grinning from ear to ear now.
"How much did you hear?" Sumia attempted, not too thrilled that her dear companion had just walked in on her future daughter talking smack about him.
"What? All I heard was something about me being a wimp... were you gossiping about me?"
"No, no... sorry," Cynthia covered, smiling innocently. "Don't you worry."
"W-whatever... Not like it affects me, or anything... You coming?" Takumi mumbled, already standing in the doorway.
The Pegasus knight hid her surprise effectively enough and hummed her agreement, rising out of her chair and joining up with the prince. Cynthia looked at the two mischievously before tapping Takumi's shoulder, holding out the paper she had stolen.
"Oh? What's this?" Takumi asked, much to Sumia's horror and Cynthia's glee.
"It's a report on the last combat sortie," Cynthia half-lied. "I was going to deliver it to you but it seems rather counterproductive to wait any later." Out of Takumi's peripherals, Sumia burned up into a supernova and desperately wished herself out of existence, to no avail.
"I'll have to look at it later," Takumi sighed, folding up the unread paper and sticking it in his inner pocket. Sumia would have no way to pickpocket it, even if she tried. Mother glared daggers at daughter, and Takumi didn't notice a thing.
"Well, have a good day, Cynthia," the prince concluded, bowing slightly and exiting, Sumia in tow. When they were gone, Cynthia giggled to herself and smiled contently.
"I guess even a hero like Mom needs a weird, pathetic sidekick."
C
"This is your grand plan?" Leo questioned, not entirely convinced. Takumi was confident and certain, however, and nodded his self-approval.
"Sumia and I took out nearly thirty fliers on our own two days ago," the prince explained, beaming in pride even if he was just proving a point to Leo. The Nohrian scratched his chin but still raised his arms questioningly.
"And how does that help us raid supply convoys?" Takumi grinned and pulled out a staff from behind him. Handing it to Sumia, who recognized it immediately just by the energy it emanated, twirled it in her hands before explaining herself.
"This is a warp staff... I think," Sumia explained, 99% sure.
"Yeah," Takumi said with a roll of his eyes. "It is."
"Robin had me as a healer for a while, seeing as how we needed more healers at the time. I learned a thing or two before I was required to go back on Snowflake. During that time, I got pretty good at using staves. That's why I'm a Falcon Knight now - A Pegasus Rider that uses both lances and staves. A rapid response medical combat unit, if that suits the bill."
"It does, but that still doesn't explain how we're going to resupply our troops on the fly."
"Say no more, Nohrian scum," Takumi challenged with a smirk. "Sumia, remember where I left it?"
"Yeah, I think I've got it," the clumsy knight muttered, before channeling the staff for a brief instant. A second later, Fuujin Yumi reappeared right in front of Takumi and he grabbed it before it could drop to the ground. Leo raised his eyebrows as he understood the demonstration quite literally.
"I see. You want to teleport the supplies from above, while providing your own escort?" Leo questioned. Takumi and Sumia nodded, agreeing with their own plan.
"Obviously, a larger object would take more time and energy to be transported to a farther location. But, we don't need to be precise with the supplies we're stealing, as long as they're somewhere outside the Shepherd camp. We'll find it from there. Plus, I can hold off enough wyvern riders for Sumia to channel her staff. Not to mention we'll be running this gambit a few hours after midnight, when there's the least amount of flying patrols." Leo nodded at this perpetration and backed off, giving them his notional seal of approval with an impressed bow.
"It seems you are very devoted to this plan," the Nohrian decided. "Well, I have nothing better to offer at the moment. We'll see what you two can do on your own, and then we'll see if it's worth repeating on a larger scale. You still got a whiles before it hits nightfall, so I guess you should rest? You're just as much of a Commander as I am, Takumi."
"You let me know at every possible instance," the Hoshidan complained, leaving the tent. Sumia lingered for a while before nodding quickly and running after the prince.
"H-hey, about that paper... that Cynthia wrote. Think I could uhh... look at that... first?" Sumia smiled sheepishly, but Takumi only shrugged and kept walking.
"She does get pretty... enthusiastic on everything, but I still have to look at those reports. I... I wasn't aware being tactician was this stressful," Takumi rubbed his throbbing temples for emphasis and Sumia laughed along with him.
"You're doing a great job! You just needed an opportunity to prove yourself, and here we are!" Takumi appreciated Sumia's support and returned her smile, and paused mid-stride.
"I'd rather not prove myself just because Robin and Kamui are gone. But hey, it is what it is, right? I'd daresay that things are looking... at least consistently grim."
"And we'll consistently succeed with you and Leo at the helm! Robin was smart to put you in charge." Takumi lightened up and appreciated her words of encouragement.
"His daughter is rather persistent when it comes to rescuing him and Kamui though... Her and that little group of heroes."
"Tell me about it," Sumia droned, "Cynthia is the leader of the Cabal, and they have repeatedly made it clear to me that their first mission is 'restoring Commander Robin and Commander Corrin to their rightful throne.'"
"And now I sound like a dictator who can't do his job," Takumi sighed.
"Not quite," Sumia corrected, her smile still present. "They're just unfamiliar that someone like you is capable of being just as good a tactician as our original tactician!"
"Hardly," Takumi replied in humility. "But I appreciate the kind words. And what do you mean, someone like me?"
Sumia paused, sizing up the prince in front of her.
"Well," she began, mimicking his crossed her arms and put a mock frown on her face, "For starters, a big grumpy prince who hates fun and theatrics is sure to not resound with my daughter." Takumi snorted and shook his head.
"I am not grumpy. And while Cynthia does get on my nerves - sorry - I think she's quite suited to being leader of a group of vigilantes. She has quite the hero's heart within her. Even if she isn't fond of someone like me."
"Well, that's because she doesn't know the soft, insecure, caring prince that I do!" Sumia teased, leaning dangerously into Takumis's personal space to make him flinch. It succeeded, and the Pegasus Knight brought out a timid yelp from the archer.
"Jeez, none of that, Sumia," Takumi whined, before letting his smile come back and letting out a pleased sigh. "I do try to be kinder to everyone though."
"It's working, I've been watching," Sumia confirmed. Sure, Takumi was an utter ass to some, but at least he was less utter and less ass more frequently.
"Glad to know that you're keeping me on good behavior," Takumi mocked, rolling his eyes and flicking his sepia ponytail.
"Someone has to make sure the little prince that thinks no one cares about stays in line," Sumia retorted. Takumi laughed once more and breathed deeply, thinking of what to do in the few hours to come. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind and he lit up with a grin.
"Say... it's been a while since we read... Together, I mean. You still have the Ribald Tales of the Faith War Volume I, right?" Sumia lit up at both her favorite book and the chance to read with her... prince for a few hours.
"Of course! We never finished it, and we have a few hours to spare!" Takumi nodded vigorously and slung Fuujin Yumi on his back before changing course and heading towards Sumia's tent, his knight in tow.
Day 4 of the Valmese Campaign
"Ah! I... didn't expect anyone to be here..."
"Oh. Am I interrupting something? I'll leave, I guess. Sorry for the-"
"N-no-nonsense! Reading is a wonderful thing to indulge in, no matter who or where you are! Which reminds me... who are you? Sorry if I don't remember... you guys just... appeared and joined us, so I'm not too... familiar. I'm not t-trying to be rude, or anything..."
"I-it's quite alright; My... My name is Takumi. I'm an archer from Hoshido. And you are? I mean... what's your... name?"
"Sumia! Pegasus Knight of Ylisse! A pleasure to meet you, Takumi!"
"L-likewise..."
"..."
"..."
"Sorry, am I bothering you? I'll just grab my book and be off-"
"Wait, not yet... you probably know more than I do about the small library we have here... I... I'm looking for a certain book."
"Oh? I found most of these books myself! I'm probably the best one to ask! This kinda is my library, if we're to be general."
"This... is embarrassing... but-"
"Ribald Tales of the Faith War?! That's my favorite in this whole library!"
"Oh... well, see, I kind of started on Volume II... and I didn't even notice until I was halfway through. But I can't find Volume I! It's so... frustrating!"
"Ah, that's because it's in my tent! C'mon, follow me!"
"A-are you sure? I could just pick it up when you're done..."
"Nope! You're reading it with me! Do you realize how hard it is for me to find someone who loves this work as much as I do? Sorry, but I am cherishing this moment!"
"Eh... Okay, I guess."
"Alright Takumi, here we are! Let me just check if Cordelia is out and... Wait."
"Is something the matter?"
"Your name is Takumi, right?"
"As far as I'm aware... I mean yes. yes it is."
"Like... Prince Takumi?"
"Well, yes. And-"
"Oh g-gods, I apologize milord! If I had known any better I certainly would have gotten you that book when you first asked! Ah-"
"Sumia, it's fine. Besides, if you wanted to talk to a real prince, you're looking at the wrong Hoshidan... My brother Ryoma outshines me in every aspect, and so does Hinoka, my sister... and she's a girl."
"...Well, I'm not one to judge right off the bat, but you seem quite capable of anything, Prince Takumi. You're the one with the Fuujin Yumi, right? That in itself is amazing! I've read so many stories about the mythical weapons... to be able to wield that bow, not to mention all the other stuff your sister Corrin says that you do well... you're something special!"
"Aha... I suppose I could be. T-thanks. I wouldn't think Kamui would vouch for me, honestly..."
"Now come, milord. I believe there's a Volume I you wanted to read! And don't mind me, because I'm gonna read it with you!"
"Perhaps you mean well, maiden. But what true benefit wouldst thou gain to seek thine company?"
"The one that a soul seeks to gleam from one suitable to one's own interests. You are a warrior, as am I. It would befit us to collaborate forces. We share a goal, and common interests."
Slowly, the archer lowered his bow much to the knight's relief. To his surprise, he noticed that even in the face of her impending doom, she had not once raised her lance.
The two strangers met one day on the field of battle, having raised their weapons at having seen the other. But just as abruptly, they were sheathed.
One, an archer from a faraway land, cold at the touch yet gentle and kind were one to dig past the surface.
The other, a knight amidst a winged beast, easily passable for a village girl with her hobby of literature.
But there was no room for village girls and kindness on the fields of battle.
"Even when that one is a disagreeable prince? One with such a foul disposition?"
"I sense nothing foul about it, sir. Verily, I find thee to be quite all right-
"Damn it... that completely ruined the dialogue," Sumia scowled, throwing away the paper, tossing her quill into the air before letting it splatter on her desk. Huffing her frustration, she closed her notebook and sighed in the depths of her tent.
Day 7 of the Valmese Campaign
"Mom..." Cynthia groaned, promptly entering the room that she and Cordelia shared. Instead of her usual smile, Cynthia's face was lined with a frown. "Want me to get that paper?" she added quickly, before Sumia got it and put it in her pocket.
"What is it? Are you unwell?"
"A hero usually doesn't succumb to such naysay... but you won't believe the nerve of that Hoshidan!"
"Who?" Sumia asked, genuinely surprised that anyone would say such things to her daughter. Actually, she hadn't heard what was said, so that was yet to be judged.
"That talk of meat guy!" It took a while for Sumia to cipher Cynthia's mispronunciation but she got through it after a moment of thought.
"Prince Takumi?"
"Y-yeah!" Sumia heard Cynthia gasp 'he's a prince?' under her breath, but she kept her face straight through the ordeal.
"What did he say?" Instantly, the knight's face darkened when she gazed upon her mother.
"He called me lame! He said that backflipping offa' Snowflame wasn't heroic at all! I bet he can't even do backflips! He's such a jerk!"
"I'm sure he can do backflips just as well as you, dear," Sumia negotiated, thinking about the prince she had met in her library, who then proceeded to read with her. He wasn't too bad, was he?
"Nonsense! I will prove that Justice will prevail! The Cabal will have his head!" Sumia jumped back to reality, letting out a tsk of disapproval.
"We will not be having any pranks with Hoshidan royalty!" After a second of pleading, Cynthia relented, retreating to safer ground.
"F-fine..."
Besides... Takumi has the kindest soul in the world!
Current Day - Valmese Campaign
"Ah," Takumi sighed, finally closing the book. "That story never gets old."
"..."
The Hoshidan turned to see his companion asleep on his shoulder, having been lulled to a gentle nap through Takumi's narrating. They had a few more hours until the mission started and the sun was already down, so no one would see anything.
It was a pretty commonplace thing to see Takumi and Sumia reading together. There were more eccentric things to be seen as far as multiple people being involved were concerned. Due to that, no one batted an eye or a second glance when the Hoshidan prince and the Ylissean knight read in the latter's room. Most of the time, they would read the same book and one would verbalize the words on the page while the other was free to envision it in their minds. Sumia must have been tuckered out because her daydreaming turned into actual dreaming soon enough.
Sure, they trained, sparred, and did all the stuff Shepherds did when they weren't doing the stuff Shepherds didn't. Reading was encouraged, actually, hence the reason why the library was part of the convoy. Knowledge, even if half the books were fantasy or romance, according to Robin, was necessary in building an effective group of soldiers.
Sleeping on each other's shoulders, on the other hand, was something a little more liberal than the usual Shepherd recreational activity.
The first time it happened, Takumi suddenly knocked out on Sumia's shoulder during some story after a long day of training. It wouldn't have been her reading, she assumed, because he was out like a light after a few words.
But what came after... now that was something she had no clue how to explain, or remedy.
B
Day 138 of the Valmese Campaign
"Ugh... Gah! H-how long was I... Why..." Takumi relieved himself of any physical contact with the knight, instead holding his head in his hands and wiping away the cold sweat that left chills on his skin. Sumia smiled back and held her hands innocently.
"Only a few hours. You seemed really tired, so I just let you stay comfy. Are you okay?" Takumi nodded quickly, breathing rapidly before calming down somewhat. Glancing around, he saw that the room was still occupied by just the two of them.
"W-what time is it?"
"Way past your bedtime, mister," Sumia laughed. "I think we're past midnight. You should get back to sleep." Takumi shook his head, looking at the crosslegged knight in shock.
"B-but what about you? Did you really stay in this position just to let me sleep-"
"It's fine," the book-worm laughed, holding her novel in her hands. "I was occupied anyway."
Takumi nodded and shook off his initial fright, Realizing just now how... rested he felt.
"I, uh... did... anyone... see?" Sumia raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Corrin dropped by earlier... so did Princess Sakura, and Princess Camilla." The Hoshidan paled as if he were bleached on the spot, and he rapidly constructed a frown onto his face.
"W-what did they say?"
"You have a cute sleeping face," Sumia quoted.
"W-what? That's it?"
"Yeah." Takumi suspected shenanigans but didn't press further.
"And what about you?" Sumia smiled, recalling her situation with the sleeping prince trapping her to the ground.
"I suppose it was cute. But only for a short while. A few minutes in, you started mumbling and whimpering like a child during a thunderstorm. When I tried to stir you awake, you grabbed my arm... and that seemed to shut you up. Are you okay? You slept like you haven't had a good night's rest in months."
"Oh, I suppose... you're right.," Takumi replied, rising up suddenly. Closing Sumia's tent door, he peeked outside before being content with the lack of passerby returned. Sumia sat crosslegged on the ground and he sat across from her. Sensing a long conversation, Sumia stretched out her legs and smiled encouragingly.
"I don't want to intrude on your personal-"
"When that Nohrian- my sister, Kamui, killed our mother, I began to have really bad dreams. They would get creepier and scarier than the ones the day before. Sometimes, they're about my family, or sometimes just about my mom. But every single time, I'm helpless to stop it. I'm powerless... I'm useless. Just like now. I can't stop these nightmares... Like I couldn't stop Kamui."
Sumia held her breath, just now connecting the dots between Takumi's jitters and grumpy attitude to his odd sleeping habits. And just a few moments ago, on her shoulder, she felt as if he were to wake up from his kinetic motion alone.
"Takumi... have you talked to anyone about this? Robin, maybe?" The archer shook his head quickly.
"No... I can't possibly. I already feel inadequate enough with King Ryoma being my older brother. Don't even get me started on my two sisters. And Kamui... Even she has it all. Yato chose her to save the world, even though she killed our own Mother!"
"Robin knows what it's like to fail at the one thing you are counted on for..." Sumia offered, recalling the painful image of seeing Robin screaming on his knees, defeated at Plegia, a dead Exalt Emmeryn the reward for his incompetency.
"No. He doesn't. I doubt even Sakura knows what it's like. She loves us too much to feel that pressure. But... me? I'm a prince of Hoshido, who couldn't even protect his mother..." Sumia glanced thoughtfully at the archer who was currently consumed in his own self-loathing. "Who could ever trust in me?"
"And you've been having these nightmares ever since... huh?" Takumi frowned and nodded sadly, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Y-yeah. Sorry, it's pathetic of me to show this-" The archer's rants were interrupted when Sumia forcibly pressed his head down onto her lap, putting her hand over his eyes.
"W-what?! Sumia, what's-"
"Shh, you big brat. Don't worry. Just close your eyes. I trust you. I'd put my life in your hands if I had to, and willingly. You're not at all useless, or pathetic, okay? I mean, sure, your brother may have been crowned emperor of a nation he had just stepped into just by showing his sword. And sure, one of your sisters is a way better Pegasus Knight than I am, while the other one happens to be the so-called prophesied 'Savior of the World.' But guess what! They have a brother named Prince Takumi! And do you know what? He's one of the smartest, kindest, most skilled soldiers in this army! Not only that, but I don't think any of them have as good literary taste as he does! And I don't think any of them can hold a nice conversation like he can! And do you know what I think? He might as well be a fantastic Pegasus Knight and Savior of the World... He already wields a sacred weapon, and is certainly cunning enough for the job. Robin said so himself."
Done with her rant, Sumia grinned sheepishly at the still-stunned Takumi, her eyes wide at shock at her own outburst.
"B-but... Not to mention that was hugely biased-"
"Hush, you." This time, the hand shifted from his forehead to his mouth, cutting off whatever complaints the archer had.
So Takumi sat silently as he lay awkwardly on Sumia's lap, his face turned away so his cheek rested on her thigh, but mainly so she wouldn't see his blush. He felt her absently playing with his long ponytail, but didn't utter a word.
"Sometimes, Snowflake would be restless in her stables early on in the war against Plegia. I'm sure she wasn't having as bad nightmares as you are... but I'm certain I can get you to sleep just like she does. I have a way with kind creatures like Peagsi... I bet that talent extends to kind people like you." She felt Takumi groan and struggle, but she forced his head back down. Admitting defeat, Takumi stretched out his legs and instead lay so that he was face up. His blush was replaced by a light scowl, but she could see the gratitude in his eyes.
"Azura sang to me once, a couple months ago, and it made me feel so... drowsy. But... when I woke up just now... I could've sworn I was the most comfortable that I've ever been. What happened? You can't sing like Azura, can you?" Sumia laughed and shook her head, thinking back to when Takumi was still in his throes.
"I think you were having another nightmare about your mother, a few hours ago. But suddenly, you grabbed onto my arm and just... shut up. It was if my physical contact with you... calmed you. Something about holding me convinced you that everything was fine again."
"R-really?!" Takumi spat, now very embarrassed and flustered at his petty diagnosis.
"You should get some rest, Prince Takumi," Sumia whispered in a sing-song voice.
"Here? But..."
"It's okay, really," Sumia promised. "If anyone asks, well... I'll tell them you're not feeling well."
"That's gonna cause even more questions..." Takumi moaned.
"Cynthia hit your head," Sumia corrected.
"Reasonable and possible," Takumi vouched. "But I'm still... rather uncomfortable. I mean, not with your thigh! Er, yes, that, not saying your thighs are bad, but-" Once more, Sumia shut him up with her hand, muffling his complaints.
"Shh, I understand. You're scared that someone's gonna find Prince Takumi here, so vulnerable. So... caring?" After a pause, Takumi sighed and voiced his true qualms to the act.
"...Why would someone as cruel and pathetic as me ever sleep on such a kind woman's lap?"
And suddenly, Sumia felt it hit her all at once. In a singular instant, she forgot all about her jealousy towards Olivia, her resent towards Chrom for ignoring her crush since their childhood days. She forgot the anguish she felt on the Plegian fields, when her friend chose the dancer as Queen instead of her like she hoped.
In that one moment, Sumia disregarded all her petty burdens and instead looked upon the prince that slept so uncomfortably on her lap. This man had watched his own mother die at the hands of his sister. He had lived in the shadow of his brother, his sisters, without a chance to prove himself.
Maybe she was that chance?
And just maybe... he was her chance.
"Maybe he doesn't have to," Sumia gambled. "Maybe someone as cruel and pathetic as he can just go back to his room. Or... maybe someone as brilliant and honest as he should stay here... not because the 'kind woman' wants him to, not because it's comfortable, but because she wants to help him."
The prince was in no position to argue and nodded, closing his eyes and letting months of rest finally come to him, sleeping on the lap of someone who was a stranger just a year before.
He didn't even notice how tightly he was clutching her arm.
The two warriors met by moonlight a few days after a key battle. Many lives had been lost, but not theirs. For in their hearts was the other, perhaps unwittingly, but no doubt as real a manifestation as their physical form.
"I have no one to thank but you, milady. Through your spell, the phantoms plaguing my respite during the night have faded."
"Nonsense milord. It was through thine own will and courage that your path to peace has been made clear."
"Nay, I disagree. You are at fault for this change in me. As punishment for this fall, I will condemn myself to your service. From this day onward, I pledge to you; my life is yours, as both knight and prince."
And so it was to be; the two strangers growing into two friends. Through the fires of battle and stillness of peace, their steel was stronger than any other bond. Unbreakable, un-
"Gods, it always ends up too cheesy!" Sumia whined, tossing the paper which landed under her bed.
Day 150 of the Valmese Campaign
As if on cue, Cynthia waltzed in again, this time livid with anger.
"Don't tell me. Takumi?" Not bothering to confirm it, Cynthia got right into the mix.
"Who does that meanie prince weenie think he is! The horror! You remember the dramatic entrance me and Morg came up with yesterday?"
"The one with purple smoke?"
"One and the same! Well, we tried it out, and Takumi just comes in and says, 'I honestly think that white smoke would go better with your armor palette and hair color.'"
The fact that Cynthia poorly mimicked Takumi's voice and tried to make him sound like a buffoon voiced reason as to her opinion to the smoke-color suggestion.
"What's wrong with white? I think it matches your silver-and-blue scheme wonderfully!"
"But Mom!" White is so cliche! It's so... basic! Not only that, but who does Takumi think he is to lecture me about dramatic entrances! Just because he has a cool-looking bow doesn't mean he can bag on my ideas!"
"Well, maybe he knows a thing or two about battlefield theatrics?" Sumia suggested from prior knowledge. Takumi always did rant about lame entrances in the Ribald Tales.
"Pff, nonsense. And who woulda thought that my own Mom would pick the side of the villain! The infamy!"
"Now, now, that's enough slander about Prince Takumi. I'm sure he meant well. And what do you know, maybe white smoke may work fine?"
"I don't want fine, Mom! I want awesome! Heroic! Gloriou-"
"Does a hero care about what her audience sees?" Sumia asked, trying to reel Cynthia back to reality. The knight frowned and shook her head.
"I guess not... I guess I'll try white, though."
Heh, they're getting along just fine.
Day 168 of the Valmese Campaign
"What's it like to be a prince?"
"Boring, really. I mean, sure, it's a privilege and an honor... but it's so... uneventful. I bet Oboro and Hinata have more fun than I do bullying me around and chasing after me, those two weirdos."
"It must be amazing! I always wanted to a princess... but my family isn't too influential on the Ylissean court. Not to mention that I wouldn't want to be in arranged marriages..."
"Even to Prince Chrom?"
"Er... not really. I mean, I've gotten over him, if that's what you're implying. But even if! I want whoever I spend the rest of my life with not be a stranger, you know?"
"Not really. The thought hasn't crossed my mind. No doubt the Hoshidan court would want to pair me up with some distinguished daughter from one of their families. Or even capitalize on our alliance with Nohr and make some... political marriage. Yikes."
"You and Princess Camilla?"
"That's not funny."
"You and Princess Elise?"
"Oh that's it!"
Current Day - Valmese Campaign
"In all honesty though," Takumi sighed as he threaded his fingers around Sumia's hair, braiding the sepia locks while she slept on his shoulder, "You'd make a perfect princess. Maybe... even a perfect Queen. Hoshido could really use a person like you.
I... I would too."
A
"Hey, 'Mia, wake up," Sumia heard Takumi through the drowsiness of a nap.
"'Miiaaaa," Takumi droned, her nickname stolen from a character from one of the Tellius sagas. Finally, the sleeping clumsy beauty woke, her brown eyes glimmering in the pale dimness of midnight.
"Is it time yet?" she yawned, pushing off his oh so comfy shoulder and rubbed the spot of her face that had been embedded in Takumi's side.
"Mmhm," he whispered, slowly rising to a stand and pushing her door open. Just a few feet away, Cordelia was snoring lightly next to Subaki, even when Selena and Caeldori occupied Sumia's own bed next to them.
Could that be me with Takumi and Cynthia one day?
It had been a while since she had gotten over her fantasizing of her and Chrom, the prospect of being a queen alongside her friend since childhood long gone. But Takumi... she hated and loved every minute with him. Every word from his mouth kept her at the edge of her seat like a good book, and more often than not she found herself worried sick for the young archer who was occasionally out of her sight during battle.
Shaking the thoughts off, she rose to her own feet and nodded briskly, feeling the cold night air whistle past her riding boots.
Months of training with the skillful and coordinated Takumi seemed to cure her of her chronic falling issue, but that could've just been a mental thing.
"Snowflake, you ready to go?" Sumia heard Takumi whisper as soon as they entered the stables. "Snowflake? Huh."
"What's Snowflake doing here?" Takumi and Sumia wondered aloud, noticing how Sumia's Pegasus was in Cynthia's Pegasus, Snowflame's, stable.
Footsteps, both humanoid and horse, crunched grass beneath their steps. The sound drew the attention of both Shepherds and they turned towards the outskirts of camp to see three silhouettes; two humans, one Pegasus.
"Okay," they heard another set of voices whisper. Mom's so gonna kill me for this!"
"Oh quit your whining, Knight of Ylisse! Now c'mon! Get on Snowflame and let's go!"
"Fine, fine..." With a whinny and the rush of wind that accompanied a Pegasus taking off, a dark glimmer flew past Sumia and Takumi's view as it shot off into the sky.
"Was that... Cynthia?" Sumia questioned.
"And Morgan, oh no..." Takumi groaned.
"What is it?"
"Morgan was asking to have permission to look for her Father and Mother... I think this is what I get for saying 'No.'"
Sumia giggled at Takumi's frustration and placed a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at the gesture but couldn't help but feel nervous for the two teenagers.
"They'll be fine. It's my daughter and the daughter of the two Commanders in our army. They can handle themselves."
"If they don't, the army's going to hate me for the rest of my life. You'll hate me, which would be awful... And I'll hate myself even more."
"As if you didn't already," Sumia countered, causing Takumi to return daggers with his eyes.
"W-whatever. Let's go. We'll follow them. It's obvious that they're going to try to rescue Robin or Corrin, which will lead all of us to the supply convoys, or in their case, their parents. Let's try to catch up to them! That way, we can accomplish our mission and keep an eye on Morgan and our daughter, right?"
"Sounds like a plan. C'mon..."
"Is something the matter?" Takumi asked, worried when Sumia paused mid-stride.
"W-w-wait, you said our daughter."
Takumi froze up, not realizing his mistake. "N-no I didn't! You misheard."
"Uh-huh," Sumia narrowed her eyes, her smirk never ceasing to fluster the archer. "I think I heard you pretty clearly."
"It was a slip-up... don't exaggerate things." Takumi's blush spoke otherwise, and Sumia pounced on the opening.
"I think I will take things at face value," she decided. "Last I heard, Prince Takumi of Hoshido didn't really get along with my daughter."
"Yeah? Well I think you're thinking too much about a slip of the tongue!"
"Oh, but my dear Takumi! I'm a romance novel aficionado, if you haven't forgotten. Such a slip of the tongue is the cliche prelude for a timid, yet heartfelt confession!" When she didn't get the response she expected, Sumia froze.
Takumi scowled and looked away, instead walking towards Snowflake. Instantly, Sumia frowned at her over-step and tried to remedy the situation.
"Sorry... I didn't think... I'm sorry!" Takumi remained silent for a while, only staring at Sumia thoughtfully, contemplating her pleading gaze,
"..."
"..."
"It wasn't going to be timid, first off."
"..."
"..."
"W-what?!" Sumia asked in surprise, not believing her ears. Takumi's grin rose and he stepped daringly into Sumia's face.
"Seriously, did you expect a prince, of all people, to come up with a timid confession of love? Some aficionado you are, indeed. I expected better from the one worthy of my adoration! Though, now that I have you off-guard, that gives me plenty more time to rephrase the confession! And you won't even see it coming!"
"D-does that mean..." Sumia stuttered, before exploding into giddy laughter.
"Not gonna say it," Takumi retorted, still keeping a level smile. "But yes. Think what you will, milady."
"Ooh, playing dangerous, I see," Sumia challenged, thoroughly enjoying this high-level flirting from the archer.
"I play to win," he promised.
"Now come now, we gotta catch up to our daughter," Sumia added with a slight nuance, just enough to piss the Hoshidan off.
"Say what you will."
Mounting Snowflake, both the archer and the knight felt the air around them rapidly flourish around them as the Pegasus took to the skies to hunt after Snowflame. While it did, Sumia turned around and promptly kissed Takumi on the cheek, causing the archer to nearly drop Fuujin Yumi from shock.
"W-what was that?!"
"A kiss for luck!" Sumia replied, hiding her own blush in the night sky. But she felt fingers envelop her own and she didn't even need to turn around to see that Takumi had the same intense red on his own cheeks.
"Well, good luck to us then."
"Is this the place?" Morgan asked, the ruined tents and arrow-ridden bodies already answering her question.
"Looks like someone got here before us," Cynthia noted, circling above one more time before putting them down outside the ruined camp.
"What happened here? I don't recall the Shepherds being this far inland yet," Morgan wondered, taking out her map and pointing to where they were in relation to how far away the camp was.
"These aren't Ylissean arrows, nor the ones the Shepherds use either," Cynthia noted, pulling out an arrow by its shaft and examining the flights and tip. "I don't recall ever seeing this design before, actually. Are you sure Robin or Corrin could be here?"
"Not anymore. This place can't be it... it's just a camp. They left all their supplies here though! Could be useful if we can somehow transport it back with a larger group," Morgan suggested.
"Could this have happened when Nohr and Hoshido fell onto the Valmese Sea? Perhaps this is the work of one of their armies?" Cynthia added.
"Not likely," Morgan mused. "Nohr allied with Valm for some reason, though I bet it's to claim the resources of Hoshido and Ylisse's neighbors!"
"But these aren't Nohrian arrows," Cynthia clarified.
"They could be Hoshidan... but I saw the arrows Setsuna uses. They're not like this. And Takumi doesn't even have to use arrows at all. Midori uses her own arrows..."
"Then what could- Get down!" A sharp twang followed by the sound of an arrow sang by Cynthia's ear, almost getting caught in her pigtails had they been an inch lower.
"What the heck?" Morgan cursed, immediately projecting a purple barrier outwards from the two humans and the Pegasus as their unknown assailant let loose arrow after arrow.
"We gotta get out of here!" Cynthia cried, mounting Snowflame and pulling Morgan onto her even as the latter focused on the barrier. "Who's shooting at us!"
Following the trajectory of the last arrow, they traced it back to the top of one of the Valmese towers. Using what little magic she knew, Cynthia cast an illumination spell on the area, revealing the dark land to the two heroes. On the very top of the tower sat, not stood, a young boy with hazel hair, wearing a blue Hoshidan robe.
"What the, it's just a kid!" Morgan gasped, her barrier holding.
"No way! No one can fire arrows that fast! There has to be more!" Morgan shifted her barrier as Snowflame took off, an arrow pinging off it every few seconds.
"And no kid has aim that good," Cynthia added, shifting the reigns and putting Snowflame into a dive to bumrush the child off his perch. Unfortunately, they misread the boy's agility and he leaped upwards just as Snowflame plowed through the wooden scaffolding. He latched onto Morgan's saddle while still holding his bow with his right hand and with the left hand, knocked back an arrow and was about to fire until he saw Cynthia's face.
"C-cynthia!? the boy gasped, immediately letting the arrow fall to the ground, still dangling by Snowflame.
"W-what?" Cynthia wondered, putting them back on the ground and tackling the boy as soon as he let go of the horse.
"Hey Sis! Didn't think I'd run into you first! Who's the other one with ya? Is that Morgan? She's good!"
"W-wait, Sis?" Morgan repeated, looking at the pacified archer belligerently. "And how do you know my name?"
"Yep! Cynthia and I leaped through the portal to Ylisse together, yet when we came around the other side... you were gone. I was pretty scared, honestly," the boy replied. "But then I remembered what the heroes would do, and I followed tracks! Eventually, I figured out I was in Valm, and tracked down their soldiers until they made camp! Once I hunted them all down, I waited here!"
"W-what? Who are you?" Morgan asked, still on edge. The boy laughed and bowed modestly, grinning at the tactician.
"Name's Kiragi! I don't recall anyone who could block my arrows like you just did, Morgan! You really are as amazing as I remember!"
"Uh, thanks... but I don't recall a 'Kiragi' in my timeline."
"Neither do I," Cynthia added.
"I figured," Kiragi sulked. "Everyone's memories got all jumbled as soon as we jumped into the timestream. I even forgot who my Mother was... But luckily, Dad gave me this! Not sure it's the best bow, but once I strung it, it's pretty alright!" He held up his bow proudly, causing Cynthia and Morgan to look at it and then to each other in a gasp.
"That's... the Fuujin Yumi!" Cynthia and Morgan announced, and Kiragi laughed at their recognition.
"I remember one time, Dad could fire arrows out of this baby without a string! Such a beautiful blue color... but it changed after a while. Eventually, he just strung it up like a regular Yumi. Still hits and aims true though, so yep!"
"Wait, if you're holding Takumi's bow... that makes you Takumi's kid!"
"That makes no sense," Cynthia groaned, "If you are the son of the Hoshidan Prince, what are you doing in our future? And how am I your sister? And that means... Aahh!"
"We'll just have to figure that out together, won't we Sis?" Kiragi laughed, climbing back onto his rampart and scanning the dark horizon. "There's another scouting party coming in. They're trying to take the supplies. Wanna help me hold them off for do I get to have all the fun?"
"I guess we should," Morgan decided, mounting Snowflame before Kiragi leaped off and joined her atop the Pegasus.
"No way can she hold three people..." Cynthia complained, causing Kiragi to laugh once more as he took the reigns.
"Don't tell me you forgot of our heroic intros, Sis?" the archer hoped. Cynthia lit up at her catchphrase and stared back at the Hoshidan archer.
"Sounds amazing," Cynthia admitted, "but I don't know what you're talking about."
"Ah, you even forgot that too. Well, come on! They're coming! You," he pointed at Morgan, "stay hidden. Don't reveal yourself until we start the fight!"
"Your call," Morgan replied, still at a loss as to how to deal with the teenage boy.
"Alright Snowflame. Remember me?" Kiragi whispered as his sister took the reigns. "Fly straight up. Right around... here. Make sure it's straight up, okay? If not, well... we could get a bit messy."
"You sure?" Snowflame doesn't like climbing."
"Ah, trust me Sis! I came up with this one on my own! This will put all your and Owain's heroic entrances to shame!"
As the Valmese soldiers crept closer and closer to the campsite, they found it already in ruins. The original platoon stationed there were all slaughtered or missing. The supplies seemed to be intact, but the towers were all battered or broken. Nearly everything was riddled with arrows, but not one of them seemed to be a miss.
"Oh gods, it's a slaughter," one of them whispered.
"Hush. I hear movement..." the commander ordered.
Suddenly the moon cast a dark shadow as the silhouette of a Pegasus and its two riders arced from a climb into a bomb. Just as soon, one of the riders leaped off with a graceful backflip off the Pegasus, hurtling hundreds of feet through the air towards the ground.
"What the hell? Did we show up to a suicide?"
The figure drew his bow, and didn't waste a moment before he fired arrows with perfect aim onto the soldiers below from his dive.
"Justice Rains from Above!" he yelled, extending his hand as soon as the last arrow was fired. The ground beneath him shook as the Dragon Vein erupted, sending a rock outcropping jutting at just the right angle for him to slide off from his descent. As soon as he rolled safely back onto the ground, the mountain collapsed into gravel at his feet.
With half their number with an arrow through their head, the other half immediately scrambled for cover, at least until lightning or the lance of the Pegasus rider wiped them all out. Just as soon as they appeared, the Valmese scouting party had disappeared into nothing, joining their dead comrades in the pale midnight shadow.
"That..." Cynthia started,
"Was..." Morgan joined...
"Awesome!" Kiragi exclaimed, high-fiving both girls as he collected his arrows from the skulls with heartless efficiency.
"Wow, it's like he fears nothing! Heroic entrance, epic one-liner... You truly are my brother!" Cynthia laughed, while Morgan was convinced that Kiragi was a sadist.
"Now, if I'm correct, their wyvern riders should be coming in any second now," Morgan recalled, knowing about the structure of the Valmese scouts.
"We can take... them..." Kiragi yawned, before he fell asleep on the spot.
"Kiragi!" Cynthia gasped, running to her brother and cradling his head. Morgan comforted her and reassured her that it was fine.
"The dragon vein must have tired him out," Morgan realized. Judging on how she handled her first usage of the landmark, he must've been exhausted.
"We can't fight wyverns like this," Cynthia realized. "What are we going to do? We could hide..."
"Heroes don't hide!" Morgan defiantly proclaimed. "We'll take em all!"
As soon as the first wyvern patrol entered their airspace, Morgan and Cynthia took to the skies to meet them head-on. One versus twenty. Those were excellent odds for a glorious battle!
"You stay away from my brother!" Cynthia shrieked as she charged Snowflame right into the side of a wyvern, breaking its neck and knocking off the rider with little impact to the Pegasus itself. Kiragi was unconscious underneath one of the trees, so that he stayed hidden from the battle.
"Give me back my parents!" Morgan cried, casting a Thoron out of either hand and skewering both man and beast with her magic.
Seventeen wyvern riders converged, the element of surprise now lost.
"Oh, bring it on!" Morgan challenged, both hands alight with crackling lightning.
S
"And... there they are," Takumi sighed, watching the carnage erupt around the two girls. "Well, shall we help them? I'm sensing dragon veins, so don't worry if I suddenly jump off."
"Right beside you, my prince," Sumia laughed charging into the fray to join her daughter.
"Mom!" Cynthia laughed, maneuvering Snowflame so that it flew alongside Snowflake. "How kind of you to join us on our quest for glory!"
"IS THAT WHAT THIS IS?" Takumi yelled, causing the knight to be taken aback.
"W-what are you doing here?" Morgan asked, waiting as the wyverns regrouped around them.
"I should be asking you the same thing," Sumia retorted. "You're a tactician's daughter, Morgan! Aren't you supposed to make-"
"Smart choices! Yeah, like getting my parents!"
"..."
"..."
"Sumia, do the thing. This is wasting my time," Takumi sighed, rising to his feet. "Right below us is a dragon vein. I'll take care of this rabble and then we can talk to Cynthia together."
"Be safe, dear prince," Sumia whispered as she pulled Snowflake into the exact same maneuver Cynthia and Snowflame did earlier. "Go get 'em."
With a daring leap, Takumi let go of Sumia and spiraled through the air, firing bolts from Fuujin Yumi rapidly with peerless aim. Each one knocked down a wyvern and its rider at a rapid rate. If one were to watch, they would see nothing but falling black shapes, as if they were fruits from a giant tree being shot down by sleek blue lines through the night sky.
"Just..." Thwack, thwack. 16, 15.
"Who..." 14, 13.
"The hell..." 12, 11.
"Do..." 10. 9.
"You..." 8, 7, 6.
"Think..." 5, 4, 3.
"I..." 2, 1.
"AM?!" 0.
As Takumi hit the ground he had channeled through the Dragon Vein, he watched as each of the wyverns fell with a sickening thud all around him. If he wasn't so fueled by anger and adrenaline, he would've puked out his dinner at the macabre.
And if he was to suddenly experience an out-of-the-body experience, he would've noticed his red irises, glazed over with bloodshed.
"That was so cool Dad- Ah..." Cynthia caught herself too late, revealing Sumia's secret way after it meant something to be said.
"Yeah, we're gonna talk about that later" Sumia laughed, holding Takumi close. "But we're very upset at what you've done. Why do this? Why not ask for my help?"
"Because we weren't getting help?" Morgan screeched, pointing at Takumi angrily. "It's your fault I can't save my Father! I don't want to wait for Lucina and Kana... I can't just sit here helpless!"
"I... I understand," Takumi whispered, closing his eyes in attempts to numb the throbbing pain. "But a tactician can't just let his soldiers run off alone..."
"What would you know about tactics?!" Morgan cried angrily, knowing full well that Takumi was fully capable of leading the army.
"What would you know about losing your parents?!" Takumi yelled back, tears finally coming down. "I'm trying my best, okay? So please... trust me."
Morgan was taken aback. Sure, her parents were kidnapped... but they weren't dead. Not yet. Sumeragi, Takumi's father was killed the moment Corrin was kidnapped, and Corrin herself killed Mikoto...
"I'm sorry..."
"No..." Takumi groaned, clenching Fuujin Yumi tightly. Morgan glanced at Cynthia and Sumia quickly before questioning the unexpected denial.
"Huh?"
"You're not."
Opening his eyes, Takumi quickly willed the bowstring and an arrow between his fingers. Morgan stared in fear as Takumi leveled a teal bolt to her head.
"T-takumi?!" Sumia gasped, Cynthia not sure what to do.
"Don't interfere!" he moaned, clearly struggling with something inside him. His hands were quivering, and his aim began to falter.
"W-" A bolt of teal flew into Morgan's head, narrowly missing by a few hairs as it sang a song of death at point blank.
"I... don't think... I can miss... the next-" Takumi struggled, gesturing wildly for Morgan to get out of the way.
"Wait, Dad!"
An arrow flew between Takumi's fingers, knocking out the Fuujin Yumi and giving Takumi enough time to regain control over himself.
Takumi came to to see Morgan crouched alone, holding up a vivid purple barrier that was meant to deflect arrows.
Huh.
"W-what just happened?" he asked, rubbing his head and feeling the blood between the fingers were he had just been grazed.
"Y-you... were about to shoot me," Morgan whispered, still in a cold sweat. Takumi raised his eyebrows but when he saw the confirmation from both Sumia and Cynthia, he paled. Slowly, Morgan dispelled the barrier and joined her Cabal teammate.
"I... was?" Panicking, he kicked away Fuujin Yumi and screamed. "Not again! Not again!"
"What do you mean, not again?" Sumia asked.
"Let's get out of here," Takumi groaned, changing the subject. "Please... Azura... help... the nightmares... my head... tear it out!"
"I can't let you do that to yourself, Dad."
The four turned to see Kiragi, still holding his version of the Fuujin Yumi. He glanced quickly to Sumia, before doing a double take and gaping, "And you must be my mother. Wow... you're pretty."
"W-who are you?"
"He's Kiragi, my brother!" Cynthia explained happily, and Kiragi grinned likewise.
"You're welcome, by the way, Morgan. Dad wouldn't have missed the second shot."
"W-who are you," Takumi whispered, still pained at himself.
"The nightmares only stopped after I was born, long after the war," Kiragi sighed, walking slowly up his father. "But that's for another time. I... missed you so much, Dad."
"Kiragi," Takumi repeated slowly, liking how the name sounded in his own voice. "My... son?"
"Mhm," the archer cried, running into his father and holding him in his smaller arms. "I missed you... I missed you..."
"Whoa..." Takumi gulped, before glancing at Sumia who grinned back at him reassuringly.
"You're telling me... this happened before?" he asked, to which Kiragi confirmed with a nod.
"Aunt Azura will help you, sure," Kiragi explained, but there's something far more sinister at work here. Morgan... what color were Takumi's eyes when he was about to shoot you?"
"R-red," she answered, comparing it to blood and fear.
"Yep! We need to find Aunt Kamui real quick then. I think Uncle Robin might know about this too. They know how to stop it. At least... that's what they did in my timeline."
"Your timeline," Sumia asked, more of a statement than a question. "I can already tell it conflicts with Cynthia's."
"It's a really, really long story," Kiragi previewed, gesturing to Cynthia. "I don't think we have time for it here, Mom."
"Alright then, Kiragi." Takumi sighed and placed himself behind Sumia, resting his head into her back. "I hope you'll explain this more when we get back."
"Sure thing Dad! And don't you worry Mom, you still get him all to yourself!" Sumia blushed much to Cynthia's chagrin, but didn't say a word.
"Let's get these supplies and go home." Sumia nodded and pulled out her warp staff, channeling for a few moments before the boxes and crates began to disappear, one by one.
"Almost forgot about why we came here in the first place," she laughed before glancing at the serious Takumi. Once all the crates of supplies had been transported to the Shepherd camp, she watched the staff disappear from overuse. Scattering the dust to the wind, she nodded briskly before gesturing to Snowflake, where Takumi was waiting timidly.
"All done!"
"Whoa..." the three kids gaped, amazed.
"Wait. How am I getting back?" Kiragi realized. Takumi realized this too and frowned. Dismounting Snowflake, he forcibly carried Kiragi and placed him behind his mother. Well, forcibly wasn't too bad a word if Kiragi enjoyed it.
"Takumi, what are you-"
"My head... hurts a lot. Go without me. Pick me up after you drop them off... please. I don't want to hurt you, but please don't leave me alone here..."
"Dad, I'll stay with you!" Kiragi and Cynthia exclaimed simultaneously.
Suddenly, Morgan jumped off Snowflame and pointed at Takumi to get back on Snowflake or Snowflame.
"No, it's fine," Morgan realized. "I'll stay. Commander Takumi, go back with your family. I'll handle things from here."
"You mean you're going to look for your father now? After everything that just happened?"
"Especially after. Kiragi said so himself: One of my parents can help you with what just happened. I'll be fine out here anyway. Trust me."
"Alright, but only because... I can't do anything about it," Takumi commanded with a weak smile. "Good luck, Morgan."
"Thanks, Commander."
Snowflake and Snowflame took the skies, leaving Morgan alone to wander the Valmese forests for her parents.
As they came down on the Shepherd camp, it was now nearing sunrise and the task at hand would be to retrieve the supplies that Sumia had teleported back.
"Say goodnight, you two," Sumia smiled as Cynthia and Kiragi nervously made their ways into the camp, leaving the two parents alone in the stables.
"Good night Mother, Father," the two brunettes bade, hugging their parents and retreating into the darkness.
Takumi turned to Sumia, once again resting his head on her lap as they sat outside, not wanting to go anywhere. Right next to them was one of the crates, and upon opening it, revealed nothing more than books. Useless in their situation, but very welcome to the deranged archer and the nervous knight as the pried it open, grabbing the first book available.
"Conquest and Fate, a tale of the Black Night Kingdom," Sumia read slowly, and Takumi smiled as she began to read with him on her lap.
"Actually, there's something I want to read first," Takumi attempted, still dealing with a massive headache. "Close your eyes."
"Okay," Sumia did so, knowing her cliche's well enough to expect a kiss. Instead, she heard the gentle tones of his voice narrating a passage from a book.
"He gripped his sacred bow in fear, praying that a plummeting death was not the one that awaited him.
But more importantly, he begged the gods that no harm would come to the woman who kept him secured in safety."
"That's... my story that I wrote..." Sumia complained, blushing at her awkward cheesiness about the two.
"No... it's our story," Takumi corrected. "And I think you were on to something when you wrote it... Haha. But whatever just happened back there with Morgan... I'm not sure what that was. But if I ended up hurting you or our kids, I'd never forgive myself. I don't think I'm ready for this... I can't hurt you..."
Whatever doubts he had were calmed when Sumia rested her hand in his.
"Don't you worry, Takumi. Morgan'll find a cure, and so will we! Before you know it, you'll be all right and we'll get our happily ever after!" Takumi smiled and nestled his head between Sumia's abdomen and her thigh, causing a warm feeling to envelop her core.
"Not quite what I had in mind, but it'll do nicely," Takumi sighed, enjoying his predicament quite nicely. Sumia shifted in discomfort, and he felt it.
"Hmm?" he asked, not opening his eyes.
"Hey... can we..." She felt him shift upwards, looking at her waiting lips.
"You and your romance novels," Takumi groaned, sitting up and taking Sumia's hands and placing them in his own.
"You always were the one in tears after them, you big sap," Sumia retorted, looking at Takumi's nervous gaze as she leaned closer and closer. Suddenly, Takumi stopped. Sumia did too, and instinctively looked at his eyes. Thank goodness, they were still hazel. Still, why'd he stop?
"Is something wrong?"
"Nah, I just realized something," Takumi explained, a smile growing on his face.
"What?"
"Guess you'll get to be a princess after all," he promised, before meeting his lips with hers.
"YESSS!" Kiragi and Cynthia screamed from behind the bushes, waking up the entire camp.
"What the hell is wrong with this army?" Leo scowled, before peeking out of his tent and seeing Sumia and Takumi swapping spit.
"Hoshidan filth," he whispered, going back to bed. "At least their plan worked."
