Kiragi and Cynthia - A Child's Wish

"Hey, Kiragi, I was thinking that maybe you should join the Cabal!"

The young Hoshidan paused restringing his Fuujin Yumi and craned his head at his sister. His memories of her were wonky at best, but she was just as eager, clumsy, and heroic as he remembered. Smiling back at her excitement, he turned fully to face her.

Cabal? He didn't recall that term, though.

"What's a Cabal?"

Cynthia merely suppressed her excitement, instead dragging Kiragi by the arm and opening up the tent wall. Nodding to someone outside, she led the archer through and gestured wildly to the surroundings. Peeking his head out, the hunter was faced with a plethora of teenagers and young adults, all in some sort of synchronized pose. Cheesy, yes, but impressive...

Except for the one tall knight in the back wearing a mask. He seemed to be uninterested in whatever was happening, as if he were forced in.

Suddenly, the lead girl, a short archer of seemingly Hoshidan lineage struck another pose and rattled off some sort of mantra. Others quickly joined in, and Kiragi found himself enthralled by the group's introduction.

"Seeking knowledge and wisdom unknown!"

"Our skills and blades, we hone!"

"To danger and justice, beware!"

"When against us, what foe can compare?"

"..."

"Um... Morgan?"

"..."

"Ah, I forgot! She isn't here. She's with her dad and Kana is with her."

"Do we continue?"

"But it won't rhyme!"

"It doesn't need to!"

"Yes it does! What kind of hero speaks in plain monologue! Real heroes rhyme!"

"..."

"..."

"What was Morgan's line again?"

"Ugh, never mind. Let's try this later, when she's actually here."

And just like that, the group disbanded, walking their separate ways despite Cynthia's desperate pleas of regrouping and retrying.

Kiragi remained silent, staring blankly at the scene unfolding. At first, he was surprised, but now, he was unimpressed at the seemingly incomplete group that had fallen apart at their motto.

"Uh, Cynthia, what was that?"

The hazel-haired knight scoffed, crossing her arms in disappointment at embarrassing herself in front of her newly-discovered brother.

"His first impression is of us looking like a bunch of novice idiots!" she wailed, pouting to herself before recollecting her composure. "But yet, I am the captain of this group! I am a knight of Ylisse! We can overcome this slight setback! Guys! Come back! Hey, Kiragi, follow me!"

"I'm busy actually. Can it wait?" Cynthia turned heel and stopped her advance to question her brother.

"Y-you are? Oh. Are you sure I can't steal you for a couple hours?"

"I... I want to read. Mother said that we could read together today, if there was time. And after that, Father promised to take me hunting with him! Sorry, sister. I'm afraid this may have to wait."

Pff... Reading is boring. At least... the stories Mom read to me. Who cares about romance and tragedy! A true hero only indulges on justice! Glory! Honor! Everything else, that comes after! And hunting with Takumi, bah. The only thing that he'll hit are my nerves! He's so annoying!

And... he's my Dad.

Cynthia paused, genuinely considering the reality that Takumi was her father. From him ridiculing her for her awesome entrances, to scolding her that night they found Kiragi... It didn't seem right. Not to mention that her mother, the book worm that she was when she wasn't being a hero, was probably going to drown Kiragi in that romantic cheesiness that she indulged in.

But they were her family. She had to remind herself that.

Even Cynthia, one of the most naive souls in the army, had trouble convincing herself that her father, mother, and brother were here and reachable, yet so... distant.

Perhaps... a hero doesn't need to fight the enemy all the time. The pursuit of justice is eternal, but... this my family I'm talking about. I want to spend time with Kiragi, get to know him. I keep putting Mom on a pedestal... But she isn't just a hero. She's my mother, for crying out loud. I doubt she even knows that much about me. All I do is complain to her and rattle on about my stories and the stories that she told me. But how about now? What does she even think of me? I gotta do something now! Before I don't have the chance to do so. I want to know what it's like to have a mother, not an idol. And Kiragi, my brother, I barley know you! Yet you know me, and I can't explain it. And father... Takumi. It doesn't seem right.

Yet.

It's not right until I make it so!

A true hero will fight past the awkwardness! Corrin united two enemies to fight alongside a third country of strangers! Surely I can follow her lead. But how? I can't just unite myself to Takumi! He's a jerk! But yet, Mom said that Takumi is a big softie underneath his totally villainous attitude! I just gotta find his weakness!

And then we're gonna be a family, just like...

I've always wanted.

Haha... ha.

...Maybe I don't have to be a hero today, or tomorrow. The time will come when I must draw my lance for my country. When that time comes, I'll bleed, I'll sweat, and I'll do everything a hero must to defend Ylisse. We'll get Grima, and save the future just like Luci said we would...

But...

I just... I just want to be a kid again.

"I don't want to lose this chance," Cynthia whispered, too soft for Kiragi to hear.

"What was that?" he asked casually, straightening his sleeve and testing out the draw on his bow. Cynthia forced resolution onto her face and sincerely asked her question.

"C-can I come with you?"

Kiragi perked up, instantly surprised at Cynthia's sudden pivot.

"But you hate books. And you didn't really like hunting." The knight nodded in earnest, but remained resolute.

"I want to get to know you, brother," Cynthia stammered, not liking how vulnerable and weak her rhetoric made her sound. "I don't know a thing about you, to be honest. I don't even remember your existence in the world I came from. But if you're my brother, you have the right and privilege of having me at your side. As knight, and sister, we share blood. And a hero would never forsake that bond."

Internally, Cynthia exploded from the sheer delivery of that line. Ooh, that was epic!

But Kiragi understood her motives just fine.

"Awh, Sis, you're embarrassing me!" the archer chuckled, slinging his bow slowly. But suddenly, his smile faded to a desperate purse of lips and he found himself hugging Cynthia tightly. "You have no idea how long I've been looking for you guys..."

"Ah stop it!" Cynthia sniffled. "I don't wanna cry! That's Mom's job! This is so emotional! Not how I imagined things going at all!"

"And the moment is gone," Kiragi snorted with a huff. "But you're right. Do you wanna head over to Mom's tent now?"

"Sure thing!" Cynthia laughed, picking up her lance from her bed and following her brother. "It's been a while since Mom read me stories..." Opening the tent door, she followed the hunter as he strode through the camp. He nodded at Cynthia's remark and thought to himself.

"I don't remember much of my childhood. Ever since I came through the portal, my head's been all over the place. But now that I'm here, my memories are slowly falling together. I remember Uncle Robin reading to us while Mother was away. His stories were the best. Except for Mom's, that is. But it's been so long. We were like, 5 or 6, at most."

"How old are you, anyway?" Cynthia asked curiously. Kiragi stood a sliver shorter than her, but that was probably due to his Hoshidan footwear. Compared to a knight's boots, Cynthia enjoyed the higher perch atop steel plate. But Hoshidans in general were somewhat shorter than the Ylisseans or the Nohrians. But not by much. Not to mention that she and Kiragi shared parents. They weren't going to be that different in height, unless Kiragi absorbed all the Hoshidan genes and Cynthia did so with the Ylissean ones. She didn't know how that worked, though.

"Just turned 15," Kiragi piped. "You're what, 17 now?"

"Nope. 16," Cynthia sighed. "Next May, I'll be 17. We're not so far apart, huh?"

"I didn't think we were so close in age," Kiragi admitted. "But I always remembered you were older than me by a bit. Seems you caught up to my height, though."

"You were taller?" Cynthia asked, surprised. Sure, she was still a young woman and stood at most adult's shoulders, but she still considered herself vertically sufficient.

"Just for a while. When we jumped through, I think I was taller by an inch or so. Seems like you caught up."

"How long were you alone?"

"Two years, just like everyone else," Kiragi replied matter-of-factly. And he knew his facts well, Cynthia guessed. Like him, and the others with her, she had spent the upwards of two years looking for the Shepherds. It didn't help that they all landed in Valm, not Ylisse. But curse her naivety, for falling for that brute who impersonated Chrom, and believing he was the commander of the Shepherds.

"I see," Cynthia nodded, seeing her mother's tent coming up.

"You sure you wanna suffer with me?" Kiragi joked, "We could always just hang out later." Cynthia violently shook her head.

"A hero doesn't shy away from her own aversions! And besides, we're family! I'm not gonna just run off at the first sign of distaste."

"Heh, you're right as usual. But I suppose you would ask something of me in return, huh? You suggest that I join your Cabal?" The knight pondered the idea, and nodded.

"I think you'd like it. But it's your choice in the end. The oath we swear is one uttered only by those willing to join the fight against tyranny and debauchery! We won't force you to be among our ranks without your consent."

"Well, you're going through all this trouble for me. I'll be there next time you need me," Kiragi promised.

"Really?" Cynthia smiled excitedly. "That's awesome! Thanks!" At the sign of noise, Sumia opened up her tent and smiled warmly at her two future children.

"Hey Kiragi! And Cynthia, I didn't think you were interested in reading."

"I'm not," she admitted sheepishly, "But if I want to spend more time with my family, I gotta embrace everything! Even if it means facing my distastes!"

"How heroic of you," Sumia commended, gesturing the two teenagers inside where Cordelia, Severa, Subaki, and Caeldori were all playing a board game of sorts.

"Heya Cynth," Severa said off-handedly, before turning back to her game. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Ah, Sevvy!" Cynthia smiled, finding comfort in the company of a familiar face.

"I thought there were two Aunt Cordies for a second," Kiragi wondered aloud, glancing back and forth between Caeldori and Cordelia. Unable to discern much difference aside from obvious age and clothing choice, he then turned to the male in the group. Almost as identical to the former two women, his red hair was a few shades darker than theirs, but the way he stood and the way he just... composed himself made him seem so... perfect. So identical to Caeldori and Cordelia. "Jeez, Cael, you look just like your mom."

"I get that a lot," the younger knight laughed. "Uhh," she added in a whisper to her family, unheard to Kiragi and Cynthia, "who is he?"

Cordelia, having never seen the archer before merely shrugged, but assumed that Sumia had found another of her children, just as she predicted when they had visited the town the day Benny hijacked Snowflake.

Subaki, assuming likewise, pieced together Kiragi's otherwise Hoshidan appearance and the fact that Takumi had opened up a lot with the knight.

But that didn't explain his origins, the two parents realized. An Ylissean and a Hoshidan could have a child, as was the case with Severa and Caeldori. But if he had come from the future, just like Caeldori, what future had he come from? It was weird enough that Caeldori was a Tenma knight underneath Hinoka's squad, yet Subaki had not met Cordelia, let alone rear a child. Once Caeldori got her memories together like Kiragi was in the process of doing, maybe she could figure out her origins.

Perhaps she was one of the children with Severa, but instead of ending up in Valm, she found herself in Hoshido? It didn't make much sense, but neither did all of this future business. How many worlds were there, other than their own?

But they were here now, as a family. Sure, their personalities were kind of scarily similar, with three perfectionists that had an affinity towards learning and adapting, with the Nohrian retainer being the only black sheep.

And then there was Severa.

Where the three free-haired or ponytailed Tenma/Pegasus Knights emanated precision and grace in seemingly infinite abundance, the twin-tailed woman with the smirk on her lips reeked of brash decisions and hot-temper. Judging by the way she aggressively leaned over the board and boasted her every victory, Kiragi guessed she wasn't too fond of losing either.

Certainly an odd family, if there were anything noteworthy of Caeldori that Severa did not starkly contrast.

Not like his family was any stranger, Kiragi considered, not wanting to be too judgmental.

A Hoshidan Princess and a Ylissean Knight. Their children, who happened to be the same class of warriors their mother and father were respectively, were as zany as any other family.

Sumia was a hapless romantic and was obsessed with fortunes and adventure. Amidst the skies atop Snowflake, she had watched over countless battles with nothing but hundreds of feet of air to cushion her perilous descent to the ground should she fall. But yet, she was kind. A woman as beautiful inside as she was on the outside. Kiragi felt welcomed by her presence, even if he forgot everything about her.

Father was awesome! Even if he saw himself as insignificant or inferior at times, Kiragi would never doubt Takumi's abilities. He had given him his sacred bow, and with it the gift of archery. A Hoshidan and his bow were a deadly combination. A Hoshidan prince and his sacred bow of legend only heightened this honor.

Cynthia was inspired (or deluded) by tales of heroism and glory. Ever since she was a girl, she had dreamed of becoming a knight of Ylisse. And from how she described it, at the age of 16, on Krismas day, she found herself sworn to Ylisse's service, and to the crown. But the way she handled it had him convinced that this gimmick was sincere: Cynthia truly was a hero in every right. Her heart was certainly in the right place.

And then there was him. He knew he was a prince. Cynthia would figure out she was a princess on her own time. But he had a lot going on for him, Kiragi realized. He was royalty, when all he had done was hunt with his father and read with his mother. He enjoyed a simple life. He didn't want to be a prince.

But Mother, Father, and Sister had played into their given roles so well, almost as if they were destined to be a romantic knight, a passionate archer, and a heroic vigilante. But his family needed their son. Hoshido would need a prince.

He would find his cues and hit his marks soon enough. A hunter could be a prince. A prince could be a hunter. It just needed time, and understanding.

"And who is this?" Subaki asked, pointing to Kiragi. "I'm assuming you're the fourth member of this new family."

Kiragi felt red eyes burrow into his being, and the archer shied behind Cynthia as Sumia got to preparing a mat for them to lay on.

"Ah, so you two did have another," Cordelia smirked, forcing a blush from Sumia.

"Er, well, that wasn't exactly in my knowledge," Sumia stammered, before gesturing to her son. "This is Kiragi. My son."

"Hello to you all," the Hoshidan smiled warmly, before settling next to his mother once his existence had been acknowledged.


"So, what shall we read?" Sumia asked excitedly, whispering to her two children who stared over the titles of books she had in her collection.

"Conquest and Fate, a tale of the Black Night," Cynthia read aloud. "Sounds interesting! Isn't Nohr's nickname the Black Night Kingdom?"

"It's a tale of Nohr and Hoshido," Sumia explained. "In this story, Nohr fights a war against Hoshido. It's only one of many in their history, unfortunately. This one... is a little unsettling. Even if the names aren't said, it's kind of clear to see what this story is about."

"So this is a Nohrian tale?" Kiragi wondered, and Sumia nodded slowly. "Without saying the words Nohr or Hoshido?"

"...Sort of. I read it with your father... it's kind of unnerving, actually. How about we read something else?" Noting how Sumia had shied away from that book, Cynthia looked over the title again.

"W-wait, what's wrong with this one?"

"I... I-I don't want to say."

"Is it that bad?" Kiragi wondered, but Sumia's face explained it all. But oddly enough, she recomposed herself. Taking the book, she opened up the first page. Both children could see that she had steeled herself to read it. Their mother had already read this apparently, and she didn't agree with what was on the page.

But a hero never shied away from pain, right?

"I... I suppose it won't hurt to read it. Just... don't take it too seriously, okay? It's scary enough that it's so... convincing."

Nodding, Kiragi and Cynthia listened in, while Sumia read the tale of Hoshido's fall. Stammering only on the first syllable, she forced herself to read the story of Takumi's eventual death.

Her husband's eventual death.

"The moment she stepped into Shirasagi, the prince knew. He saw in her eyes not Byakuya's radiance; only Anya's darkness.

And on that day when she stood between two armies, she didn't reach for the light. Of course she wouldn't. She had murdered his mother. Not hers.

She embraced the dark. She was an Anyan through and through, and the few days she had spent in her true family's company wouldn't stop her from betraying her own blood.

She knew the sins she was committing, but she believed her course was the right one. Thus, Princess Yatonokami of Anya vowed war against Byakuya, and against the Dawn.

And Prince Fuujin knew that the Dusk was soon to come. If that traitor was going to wage war using the weapons of darkness, then let it be so.

Even the brightest of lights could cast a sharp shadow."


They didn't even get past the halfway point.

The two teenagers found themselves gasping at the narration of the character that so eerily mimicked his father, skewered with an Anyan blade at Chevois, which he assumed was the equivalent of Cheve, Nohr's neighbor. Cursing, bleeding, gasping for air, Fuujin vowed to hunt Yatonokami even to his last breath. And she ran. She denied him the honor of a clean death. She granted him only the revenant of vengeance.

He assumed Yatonokami was named after Corrin's sword, just as Takumi's character was derived from his weapon. But Aunt Kamui would never do this! Why was she so evil in this story?

To them, what they saw was Takumi, heartbroken and enraged at both his mother's murder and of Corrin's betrayal, swearing to fight a crusade of vengeance.

To Kiragi, he thought of his father's insecurities, of his misgivings. Takumi never admitted it, but the younger prince adored Corrin as both a sister and a leader. He couldn't imagine what would happen if she were to ever forsake that trust.

To Cynthia, she thought of Takumi's quest for righteous vengeance. The blade that hurt the most was the one from your dearest ally, right? Corrin was Takumi's sister, whether he admitted it or not. The fact that she would deny him his revenge was... heartbreaking.

But the story didn't portray Takumi the hero. No... Princess Yatonakami gutted her Byakuyan brother and left him for dead without a second thought. Whoever wrote this clearly saw a world where Corrin would roll over Hoshido as an embodiment of Nohrian might and strength.

That made all of them think: What would Corrin have chosen if Yliisse had not come to her aid?

Maybe she would've sided with Nohr. But she was caring too, wasn't she? She would've found a way to paint peace even through the canvas of bloodshed.

But who could have so vividly portrayed a reality where Corrin would conquer Hoshido? Was this a Nohrian novel? But how did they even know of Corrin's existence?

And where was everyone else? Where was Ylisse?

So many questions this book had created. But thank goodness it was closed.

Kiragi found himself cursing the damn story, quietly remaining to his own devices as he sat in building dread.

Cynthia didn't take this very well either. She had been alongside the Nohrians and Hoshidans for a year and more. Why were they fighting each other in this? More importantly, who wrote this? It had to be recent. No one could describe the Shepherd's Hoshidan and Nohrian soldiers in such accurate detail. And the way they wrote this story was as if it was a real series of events. What kind of mind could conjure this up? A world where instead of being united under a common banner, Hoshido and Nohr had fought a bloody war resulting in countless deaths of people she knew personally? Even if they didn't share their name, the resemblance was uncanny.

Orochi, murdered in Chevois alongside Reina, still laughing at the thrill of battle even when her eviscerated body lay mangled at the boot of a Nohrian knight.

Scarlet, butchered by a Nohrian axe and paraded throughout the town square. Her head long missing, her corpse would be displayed in plain sight as a haunting reminder of who was in charge.

If this was some manner of cruel joke, she doubted even Henry or Niles would laugh at this.

Understanding now why Sumia had wanted to change stories, it took Kiragi to forcibly steal the book from Sumia's hands before she abruptly stopped reading, knowing full well that her children didn't like the book. Bowing her head silently, she instead read them her accounts of the Plegian War, trying to cover up the tragedy of Takumi's fall to darkness with tales of heroism and honor.

Sumia admittedly liked bittersweet stories. She enjoyed the tales of the hero on his quest, losing parts of themselves, losing their friends and family but pushing on anyway because that was the cost of peace. But that was because the hero was the hero. Heroes weren't traitors. They weren't murderers. That was probably why she couldn't relate to Princess Yatonokami. When she read this with Takumi, he fell asleep before he could connect the dots. But once Sumia had finished, she decided that this story wasn't a good read for him.

What made her think it was going to be any better for her kids, who adored (in Kiragi's case) their father?

This dread was her fault now.

The ghost of doubt had already been conjured. Fear, not the gripping sort, but the chilling sort that tingled at the joints was in the room now. It was a solid manifestation of terror that the two kids had witnessed.

And it left following Kiragi and Cynthia's wake when they left to hunt with their father.


"That wasn't real," Cynthia reminded herself, still slightly chilled on the origins of that book. She wasn't particularly unnerved, even on how graphic that book was. The real question was why it was written, not to mention its author.

"Of course not," Kiragi assured, more to himself than to his confident sister.

"..."

"..."

"Can you... help me?"

Kiragi turned at his sister, pausing their walk to look her in the eye.

"W-what?"

"Father... it's so weird to call Takumi that. He's been mean to me, even mocking my status of a knight..."

"He's not like that-"

"I know," Cynthia sighed. "But I want him to treat me like his daughter. Not like an annoyance. He seems to like you more than me, maybe because you have his bow or because you're an archer or maybe even because your heroic entrances are cooler than mine, I don't know."

"Cynthia..." Kiragi whispered, not liking how his sister was being so melancholy.

"Even if that story was a bunch of Pegasus dung, it made me realize another side to my Father that I never considered. He cares, but maybe... he needs our help. You remember how he almost shot Morgan? We can help... I think we're the only ones that can."

"B-but what if you get hurt?" Kiragi asked. Cynthia shrugged.

"A hero often does in the pursuit of righteousness," she excused, feigning bravado. Kiragi didn't buy it.

"I see a lot of things, sis. But I don't see why you need to be a hero every second of every day. Can't you just... be normal? No offense, I like your entrances, I think they're fun... but-"

"...Normal," Cynthia questioned, not a hint of humor in her voice. "Two kids from the future, born to a Pegasus Knight and a prince. I... I don't think normal is what I want."

"Sorry I asked," Kiragi mumbled, plucking Fuujin Yumi's arrowstring before sulking behind his sister. Cynthia lightened up and patted her brother's shoulder.

"Heya, don't worry! Sevvy thinks I'm a weirdo, and Owain's even weirder than me! But she's still my best friend! And Owain knows just how important the pursuit of justice is for us! Even if not everyone else does."

"I didn't mean you were a zealot," Kiragi explained. "It just doesn't make sense for someone like you to be so... heroic."

"What, just because I'm a Hoshidan princess now? I know a princess who put her people above her crown many a time," Cynthia responded, thinking of how Lucina would have handled this.

Probably by solving it herself.

Whatever thoughts they had were interrupted when Takumi entered, surprised at seeing his daughter, an annoyance at best, among the hunting trio.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Cynthia," Takumi greeted neutrally.

"I apologize for the lack of notification, Father," Cynthia replied warmly, causing Takumi to shy away in guilt.

"..."

"..."

Kiragi looked between the two, sensing the anger Cynthia had building up and the slight annoyance that was dissipating on Takumi's end. Suddenly, the latter jolted and he scratched his head nervously.

"S-sorry. I'm not used to this," he admitted truthfully. "But I appreciate your help, daughter," he was sure to add. The Pegasus Knight grinned and nodded rapidly, keeping step with her father.

"Hehe, thanks!" the knight exclaimed, pleased with her progress. "Shall we go father?" Looking back on Kiragi, she grinned, and the archer smiled back, enjoying the scene of his sister and his father breaking ice.

"...Just as long as you don't try anything dangerous. No backflips, no smoke, no Justice Cabal. Got it?"

"And the mood is slain," Cynthia scoffed. "But yes, you're the one in charge."

"Alright," Takumi sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt. N-not like I would care if you did, or anything." The knight responded with a coy smirk, leaning under Takumi's bow to stare down him down.

"Is that concern I sense?"

"Of course not. You can handle yourself," Takumi responded haughtily. In an attempt to change the subject, he strode off towards the woods, willing Fuujin Yumi's bowstring to manifest. A gentle hum filled the air as the teal line glowed in the setting dusk, a beautiful contrast to the orange sky above.

"Thanks, Father."

And whether it was due to the warm feeling in his heart, or the fact that his two kids had so eagerly warmed up to him... Takumi grinned back.

"Anything for you, my Pega-Pony-Princess."


"W-what?"

"What..."

"I... uhh... forget I said anything," Takumi winced, wanting to shoot himself dead on the spot.

"Pega... Pony... Princess," Kiragi repeated, cringing.

The sound of Cynthia's cackling filled the air, and both archers sighed, one in defeat and one in horrid embarrassment.

"Mom, did you have anything to do with this nickname?"