Her siblings had always told her that King Garon's wrath was legendary. There was a reason Nohr was widely feared, after all, and not much of that reputation came from Xander's prowess on the battlefield. The prospect of being the target of her father's anger made Fuyu want to lock herself up in the Northern Fortress and never come out again. Seeing the outside world could wait another few decades, or at least until Garon had significantly calmed down.

But there was no way she could ask Lilith or Gunter to accompany her back there – not at this late an hour. There was also the option of simply avoiding her father and praying to every deity and dragon she knew of that he wouldn't press the issue, but there was no way that would happen – if anything, it would make him even more angry, and at that point, any hope of impressing him and winning his affection would be instantly gone.

So Fuyu lingered by the doors to the throne room, wringing her hands together nervously. This was something she had to do, she reminded herself, and yet it was difficult to summon the courage to move.

"I seriously doubt that Father will remain angry with you for long," Camilla had told her just a few minutes ago. Fuyu hadn't told her siblings about her half-serious plans of fleeing – disappointing them was even more frightening than incurring Garon's wrath.

"I know it can be… difficult… to deal with Father at times," Xander said, "but you need to remember that all he wants is for you to be strong."

"His idea of strength may be different from yours," Leo added, "but ultimately, your goals are the same."

"And even if he's still mad, we'll help you!" Elise finished. "So don't worry. Everything will be just fine!"

But nothing felt fine. Fuyu couldn't breathe. Her father – at least just as angry as he'd been before, if not more so now – was on the other side of the doors. There was no telling what he'd do, or how he'd elect to punish her.

She raised her hand and quickly knocked twice on the door before she could lose her nerve enough to run away. "F-Father?" She clamped a hand over her mouth and mentally cursed herself for stuttering. "I-I…" Her voice continued to waver and shake, and she swallowed in hopes that it would clear her throat. "I just wanted to apologize…"

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, and there was no way her father would have been able to hear her. She didn't think she could summon the courage to call out for him again, so she pressed her back against the door, wrapping her arms around herself as she sank to the floor. The hallway was thankfully empty – there was no one there to call out to her, to ask why she was sitting there or what she was trying to accomplish.

"You… are an ocean… of grey…"

Her voice was small, breaking, barely audible, but if she focused hard enough, she could almost hear it melting into another woman's – a deeper, more powerful voice that put her instantly at ease, just as it did all those many years ago.

(The Nohrian queen, with blue hair and golden eyes like her own, holding Fuyu's hand as she sang her lullaby. Instantly, Fuyu's worries and fears washed away. "You have more power than you know, little one," the woman said in between verses. "When all else is lost, this song will guide you home.")

"Join… me in… a song…"

Suddenly, there was a cry of pain from the other side of the door.

"F-Father?"

Her fear forgotten, Fuyu scrambled to her feet and threw the doors open. King Garon sat hunched over on his throne, forehead pressed to his hand as he groaned. His face looked even greyer than it had previously looked that evening, and he was breathing too heavily. "Father!" Fuyu cried as she rushed to his side. "What's wrong? Are you all right?"

"Ngh…"

She pried his hand away from his forehead as gently as she could. "Father!" She'd left her healing staff behind. If she could find any of her siblings, they'd be able to find a healer quickly enough, and then—

—and then Garon looked up at her, his dark eyes refusing to focus. "Who…?" he whispered.

Fuyu grasped his hand in both of hers, just as his queen had done for her before. "It's me," she said hurriedly. "Fuyu."

"Fu…yu…" he said slowly. Then, his head dipped down into his chest, and the smile he gave her was kinder and gentler than anything she'd ever seen from him. "That's right… you were… coming…"

His hand fell limp in hers, and Fuyu felt her stomach jump into her throat. "Father…?" Garon tilted sideways, and Fuyu had to throw her arm around his shoulders so that he wouldn't fall. He was heavy, and it was only a matter of time until her strength would fail and he'd topple off his throne, onto the ground. "Come, Father," she said quickly, hoping that she didn't sound nearly as panicked as she felt. Somehow, miraculously, he rose to his feet when she did, though he had to lean on her heavily for support. "We're going to see a healer, okay?"

"Mm…" he mumbled weakly in response.

"Quickly," she said. They made it as far as three steps would allow them before his knees buckled and he began sinking quickly to the floor, pulling Fuyu down with him. "Ah…" Maybe it would have been a better idea to bring a healer to him instead of the other way around – but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to leave him alone. "Come on, Father," she said as she tried to bring him to his feet once more.

And then, his eyes focused. He looked down at the floor, back at his throne, and then directly at Fuyu. His eyes narrowed and his brow wrinkled, and before she could process what was happening, Fuyu was shoved away so forcefully that she fell backward. "Unhand me at once," her father practically snarled as he stood without her assistance.

Fuyu brought her hands to her chest and nervously clasped them together as he padded back to his throne, sitting down with so much grace and power that it was hard to believe that he'd been near collapse just moments ago. "I'm sorry…" she said quietly.

Garon grunted, leaning back. "Why are you here?"

"I… um…" Fuyu looked downward, and her face felt hot. "I'm here to apologize. F-For making you angry, I mean."

"Hm…" His brow furrowed, and Fuyu wanted to melt into the floor. "You disobeyed a direct order. Were you not my child, you would be dead."

But what you ordered was wrong, she so badly wanted to say.

"Are you out of your mind?" Leo would have chastised her. "Didn't anyone ever teach you the meaning of the word 'subtlety?'"

"Don't listen to him, Big Sister!" Elise would have said in retaliation. "You were right. It was wrong to kill those people!"

"I'm sorry…" was what Fuyu finally settled for.

"However." His voice was unexpectedly firm, and it was as if he was never ill to begin with. "However, you must make amends somehow."

"Of course! I-I'll do anything!"

The smile her father gave her made a shiver run down her spine.

In the end, more than Gunter and Jakob, her siblings were the ones to help Fuyu prepare for the trip. They gathered in the stables, shortly before she was to leave, but no one but Fuyu smiled at the occasion. "So this fortress…" Elise said, looking downward uneasily. "It's close to the border with Hoshido?"

"Yes!" Fuyu answered cheerfully. She pulled the black cloak Camilla had given her around her shoulders and fastened the button. If Iago had been telling the truth when he said that Hoshido's climate was generally colder at this time of year, then she'd surely need it. "Father just wants me to investigate it. See if it can still be used, take inventory of any supplies there… things like that."

Leo scoffed as he stuffed a few vulneraries into a satchel attached to the saddle of the horse Fuyu was to ride. "Don't tell me you're actually excited about this."

Fuyu crossed her arms and frowned at him. "Why shouldn't I be? Father trusts me with this! He's not just letting me leave the Northern Fortess – he's trusting me to go all the way to the edge of Nohr's border!" She grinned as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet, a habit she'd picked up from Elise from one of her many visits. "We'd probably have to pass through a few villages to get there! Oh, and then, and then—"

Camilla chuckled. She made her way over to Fuyu and straightened the cloak, smoothing out the cloth over her shoulders. "I'm afraid it's not quite as glamorous as what you're imagining. The route you'll be taking is very straightforward, and there isn't much to see on the way."

Leo smirked. "You should be careful, though. That fortress you mentioned? I've heard some interesting things about it. They say it's guarded by a powerful spirit that feeds you the most wonderful food – steak, stew, pudding, cake, you name it! But if you don't finish what the spirit gives you, or if you're too picky like usual…" He chuckled darkly. "The spirit will eat you!"

"Wh-What?" Fuyu shrieked. "Camilla, what do I do? I can't eat nuts! What if the spirit feeds me something with nuts? A-And minced anything makes me want to—"

"Oh, don't worry," Leo said dryly. "I'm sure the spirit will be quite satisfied with its meal."

"No, no, no, I don't want to be eaten! Camilla, what if—"

Xander gently whacked Leo on the head with the healing staff he was carrying before fastening it to the side of the saddle, just next to the satchel. His forehead was smooth and wrinkle-free as a half-smile tugged the corners of his mouth upward. "That's quite enough out of you," he half-laughed.

Camilla didn't bother suppressing her own giggles. "Don't listen to him, Fuyu," she said. "I'm sure the fortress will be abandoned, just like Father said." Fuyu stuck her tongue out at Leo for good measure. Elise mimicked her and stuck her tongue out at him as well, and he simply rolled his eyes at them both. "However… something about this doesn't sit well with me. It's not like Father to be so accommodating."

"Right," Xander said solemnly, nodding. "Not to mention, you won't be going alone."

"I already know Gunter and Jakob are accompanying me," Fuyu said. "But don't worry! I can protect myself even without them!"

Xander chuckled. "I don't doubt that. But it's not just them."

Camilla's smile vanished. Not many had seen her truly angry, but for her good mood to change so quickly was a sign of danger, an automatic order to flee on sight – or at least, that was what Elise had told Fuyu, probably while exaggerating a bit. Nevertheless, Camilla's current expression – devoid of her usual smile, forehead creased almost to the point of Xander's, lips pursed disapprovingly – sent a shiver down Fuyu's spine. "So Father means to send someone else to accompany her?"

Xander sighed. "He doesn't just mean to."

As if on cue, the door to the stables swung open, revealing a broad-shouldered man with a shaved head and a sinister smirk. "Little princess," he said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Instinctively, Fuyu wrapped her arms around herself and slid behind Leo as quickly and subtly as she could. "Only Xander is allowed to call me that…" she said quietly, ineffectually.

"He's ordering it," Xander finished belatedly.

King Garon strode into the room with powerful steps, though his face was quite a bit greyer than it had been the previous night. "This is Hans," he introduced. "He will accompany you on your journey and ensure that no harm befalls you."

Behind Garon was Gunter, standing still in the doorway with a neutral expression. Xander raised his head slightly, and Gunter nodded in his direction.

"Oh, Fuyu," Camilla gushed as she dramatically wrapped her arms around Fuyu's neck and brought her forehead down to the top of her younger sister's head. "I'm going to miss you so much, darling! Promise me you'll come home safe!"

Garon beckoned Hans over to him with a wave of his hand and began muttering instructions to him. Xander made his way over to Gunter with even, measured strides, and then began speaking quietly to him. Gunter nodded every so often, not uttering a word.

"Listen closely, little sister," Camilla whispered in Fuyu's ear, still embracing her tightly. On the outside, it probably looked like she was whispering words of luck to her. "That man Father is sending to accompany you… he's no good. He's a murderer and a scoundrel, and Xander even arrested him some years ago. He's a formidable soldier, no doubt, but whether he's been fully rehabilitated as Father believes… it's hard to say."

"But why would Father…?" Fuyu whispered.

"But don't worry," Camilla continued, giving her a gentle squeeze for comfort. "If all else fails, Gunter and Jakob will be with you, and I have no doubts that they are loyal."

Fuyu swallowed. "Neither do I."

"She'll be fine, Camilla!" Elise said cheerfully.

"Honestly," Leo said with a small laugh. "You worry entirely too much."

Camilla pouted exaggeratedly and straightened up, slowly untangling herself from Fuyu. "Well someone has to. It's a dangerous world out there, and my darling little sister is going to—"

"I'll be okay," Fuyu said with a bit of forced cheer. "Jakob and Guntre are going to be with me, anyway."

Camilla gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's right," she said.

"Rest assured, milady," Gunter said as he strode into the stable, Xander at his heels, "no harm will come to Lady Fuyu as long as I live."

Jakob, a little ways behind Xander, nodded. "And I as well."

"Well, it seems we have nothing to worry about," Leo said, and there was an edge to his voice that suggested the opposite. "It seems that our sister is in very capable hands."

It took them three days and two nights to reach the border between Nohr and Hoshido. It was raining by the time they arrived, with thunder booming and lightning flashing in the sky. "Lady Fuyu," Gunter said as he drew his horse to a stop. "Welcome to the Bottomless Canyon."

It was so dark that it was difficult to see, but the occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the jagged edges of the cliff they stood on, and just how deep the canyon was. She'd seen it on maps numerous time – it was a natural divide, after all, and it provided a convenient border between the two kingdoms that couldn't be crossed easily – but seeing it in person was another matter entirely. Maybe it would have been different if they'd arrived during the daytime, if there'd been some more lighting than the ominous lightning strikes.

Hans chuckled as he halted a few paces behind her, and Fuyu jumped in surprise. "They say that those that fall in never find their way back to the surface," he said with a sinister grin.

Jakob didn't stop until he was positioned directly between Fuyu and Hans. "Well, of course," he quipped. "As if anyone could hope to survive falling from such a length…"

"Mm…" But even with the knowledge of the danger that the Bottomless Canyon posed, Fuyu somehow didn't feel afraid. Without thinking, she dismounted her horse and made her way slowly to the edge of the bridge, peering downward. She couldn't see anything down there, but if she closed her eyes, she could almost feel like she was underwater, almost hear the Nohrian queen singing her lullaby…

"Lady Fuyu!"

Gunter's voice snapped her back to the present, and she jumped back with a small gasp. "S-Sorry!"

Gunter sighed and shut his eyes. "I don't like this place," he said solemnly. "It's as if mortals were never meant to pass through here. Normally, we'd go around, but…"

"Hold!"

There was a flash of lightning, and then suddenly she could see dozens of soldiers, all clad in garb she'd never seen before.

"Hoshidans," Gunter spat. "So this place wasn't nearly as abandoned as we thought."

"Nohrian soldiers," shouted one over the rain and howling wind. "Turn back at once. Crossing that bridge is a violation of our border treaty."

"Ah…" Fuyu said. "I'm so sorry! We'll turn back at once."

"Turn back?" Hans said suddenly. "Surely you must be joking, milady."

Fuyu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she was going be someone strong enough to win Garon's approval, then she needed to be able to stand up to people who were supposed to be under her control. "Not at all," she said, thankful when her voice came out firm. "We'll go back and report this to Father."

"I see…" Hans said, his grin widening. Without warning, he dismounted his horse with his axe drawn and rushed forward and through the Hoshidan soldier in his path. "Looks like we should report this to him as well!"

"Hans!" Fuyu shouted, but her voice was drowned out by a crash of thunder. "I-I'm sorry! That wasn't what I—please forgive—"

"Enough!" shouted another Hoshidan soldier nearby. "You'll pay for this!"

The soldier charged forward, and Hans cut him down as easily as he did the first. "Die, scumbags!"

"Hans, stand down!" Fuyu shrieked, but once again, her voice was drowned out by thunder. "We weren't sent here to fight!"

"What are you talking about, princess?" Hans asked. "I'm making sure no harm comes to you – just as I was ordered!"

"It seems we no longer have any choice in the matter," Gunter muttered. "To the fort!"

Jakob ran to Fuyu's horse and pulled the sheathed Ganglari from the saddle. "Lady Fuyu!" he called as he tossed the blade over to her.

Fuyu caught it just as a Hoshidan soldier charged toward her, and she managed to unsheathe it in time to block his attack. With a shriek, she staggered backward, dropping the scabbard and gripping her sword tightly with shaking hands.

But she couldn't bring herself to cut through the Hoshidan soldiers like Hans and even Gunter were doing – instead, she remained back, just holding her sword out in front of her and dodging accordingly, unable to do anything but watch as the less lucky Hoshidans impaled themselves on Ganglari. Jakob lingered behind her, throwing knives at those who wished to take advantage of her moments of distraction. But to fight like this wasn't…

"Gunter!" Fuyu shouted. The knight flicked the corpse of a Hoshidan soldier off his lance before reacting. "That's enough! We're retreating!" It was easier to act, if she didn't think – easier to be as strong as Father required, even if her goals didn't align perfectly with his. "Hans, you too!" Her bodyguard clicked his tongue and swung his axe once more for good measure, slicing through another Hoshidan. "Jakob—"

"Yes, milady," he said before she could finish, bowing.

She didn't bother looking back as she ran. Surely the Hoshidans would be on her trail, but if she remembered correctly, then they'd violate the border treaty as well if they crossed the bridge. They just had to get away – get away from the bridge, away from the Bottomless Canyon, away from Hoshido. Then they would be—

She stopped in the middle of the bridge. Gunter and Hans were in front of her but there was no one behind her. "Where's Jakob…?" she said faintly. It was too dark to see past the bridge, so there was no way to tell how close he was. Maybe a Hoshidan soldier had gotten to him – maybe he was trapped in battle, and she'd run like a coward—

"I'm sure he's on his way, milady," Gunter said surprisingly calmly. "Breathe."

But there was no time to worry about him. Ahead, Hans skidded to a halt and turned suddenly, a frown creasing his forehead despite the grin that still tugged at his mouth. "It seems that I underestimated you, little princess," he said. "You're softer than they give you credit for."

Fuyu gripped Ganglari tightly, as if it was a lifeline. "We weren't sent here to fight, so it was wrong to provoke the Hoshidans like that! It's very simple!"

"Oh?" Hans retorted. He twirled his axe in one hand, and when he gripped it once more, he did so more tightly. "Even if they'd done something like this?"

He swung his axe forward suddenly, too quickly for Fuyu to catch what he was doing. She shrieked as she squeezed her eyes shut, bringing Ganglari in front of her instinctively – but there was the sound of metal clashing against metal, and when she opened her eyes, Gunter was in front of her, atop his horse with his spear drawn and held defensively in front of him. Fuyu's and Hans' horses gave a panicked cry and dashed off the bridge in the direction from where they came, too quickly for anyone to stop them. "What is the meaning of this?" Gunter shouted.

"Quiet, old man," Hans spat at him. "The princess needs to learn that not everything can be solved with pretty words."

Hans swung his axe again, and Gunter blocked it just as easily as he did the first time. "Your orders were to protect her from harm," he said firmly, "not to teach her philosophy!"

Hans smirked, and not for the first time since leaving the capital with him, she wanted to run away. "You're mistaken, old man," he said. He swung his axe once more, but at Gunter's horse and not through them both to Fuyu. The horse cried out in pain and stumbled to the ground, and Hans took advantage of Gunter's instability to swing his axe at him as well. With a pained grunt, Gunter fell over the side of the bridge, straight into the Bottomless Canyon.

"Gunter!" Fuyu shouted. "Gunter!" She ran to the side of the bridge, sinking to her knees and dropping her hands to the splintered wood beneath her. Her caretaker didn't respond when she called out to him – he was always supposed to respond. "N-No…"

"How annoying," Hans grumbled. "Now, where were we?"

Waves of red bled through Fuyu's vision. There was a roaring in her head that had nothing to do with the howling wind and the torrential downpour around her. She stared down at her hands, and her fingers blurred into something she no longer recognized.

"Now, little princess, shall we—"

"Give him back…"

Hans stepped toward her, holding his axe over his shoulder. "Hm?"

"Give him back!" The voice that came from her was not her own – it was more like her own layered over something darker and more sinister, gravely where hers was typically smoother. The roaring in her head grew louder, and her vision stayed red. She thrust one arm at Hans – the hand not holding Ganglari – and extended farther than, she knew logically, her arm conceivably could. But it didn't look much like her arm anymore – it was grey, twisted and warped into something that looked more like a drill, and it moved with nothing but the suddenly all-consuming desire to make Hans pay for what he did to Gunter.

Her arm connected, and Hans' axe flew out of his hand, over the edge of the bridge. He staggered backward, falling and scooting back farther as she thrust her arm forward again. "Wh-What are you…?" She pulled her arm back for another attack, but with a panicked yelp, Hans scrambled to his feet and ran.

In the span of a few breaths, the red faded from her vision, and the roaring in her head flickered into nonexistence. Suddenly, it was so much more difficult to stay standing, and Fuyu collapsed to her knees. She still clung to Ganglari, but with when she looked down at her other hand, it looked no different than it had when she first left the capital.

All of a sudden, it became so much more difficult to keep her eyes open. She fell forward, her arms no longer strong enough to bear her weight, but she didn't fall all the way – instead, something soft blocked her descent. "Are you all right?" cried a familiar voice. But she couldn't answer – all she could do was close her eyes and pray that whoever had come to her wasn't going to hurt her.

Xander would have scolded her, if he could see her now.

Fuyu woke painfully slowly an indefinite period of time later, the bitingly cold air making her shiver under the scratchy blanket covering her. Her body felt stiff and sore, and she noted without opening her eyes that what she was currently lying on was too hard and lumpy to be her bed in the Northern Fortress. There was someone watching her – not Gunter, Jakob, Flora, Felicia, or any of her siblings – and Fuyu hurriedly pulled herself upright. Pain shot up her left arm, and she winced.

"Easy," a familiar voice said – a man. Someone's arm made its way around her shoulders and helped her lie back down, so gently that she was almost sure that whoever it was meant her no harm. "You're still injured."

"Injured…?" Her voice came out as a low croak, and her throat felt dry. Slowly, she raised her left arm above her head and saw bandages wrapped around it. When had she sustained that injury?

The specifics could wait – the reality of the situation sank in at once, and it became painfully clear that she had no idea where she was or whose company she was in. She sat up once more and flung her right arm to the side, clenching her fist and expecting Ganglari to magically be there. But it wasn't – and nor was Gunter or Jakob or even Hans.

"Is she up yet?" asked another familiar voice, not quite as close as the man's, but not too far away – a woman.

"Yes," answered the person closer to her, "but she seems to be a bit disoriented."

"We need to leave as soon as she's fit for travel."

"Of course."

Suddenly, it clicked in Fuyu's head where she'd heard those voices before. She looked up and saw a green-haired man at her side, and a pale-haired woman at the door. "It's you two…" she whispered.

The smile Kaze gave her was a familiar one. "Yes, that's right," he said gently.

"We need to leave," Rinkah said stiffly. "The capital is only an hour or so away."

"The capital…?" Fuyu echoed. "W-Wait! You can't—I thought—you were supposed to get away! Why did you—"

Rinkah smirked. "Not Nohr's capital."

Not Nohr's capital. That meant… Fuyu's head hurt just thinking about it.

"All will be made clear soon," Kaze promised, and his smile was startlingly effective in putting her at ease.

There were never any pictures of Hoshido in the books Fuyu had read, but more than enough words. The word almost all of them used to describe the kingdom was "bright," and seeing the way the sun shone in the cloudless sky, so different from the occasional patches of light in Nohr, she could know say that every word was true.

But the sun was too bright – or maybe it was just that Fuyu wasn't used to it. It hurt her eyes, so she had to partially cover them with one hand. There was a long flight of stairs leading up to the entrance of Castle Shirasagi – she didn't want to think about how badly Xander would scold her for not only for letting Hans have his way, failing to save Gunter, and leaving Jakob behind, but also for getting captured and taken to the enemy's capital.

Oh, this is about what happened at that fort, isn't it? Maybe if I just explain to them that Hans was… No, but then I'd have to explain why I brought him in the first place! Oh, this is—

"Too slow," Rinkah said.

Fuyu stopped at the next step, coming to the sickening realization that Rinkah was almost an entire flight ahead of her. She wasn't used to walking this much, she tried to rationalize – she could only climb up and down the stairs at the Northern Fortress so many times, after all.

"Have you considered that maybe you're moving too fast?" Kaze retorted. He was only a few steps ahead of her, though Fuyu was sure he could move faster. Why he'd elected to slow down to her pace was beyond her – he wasn't Gunter, Jakob, Flora, or Felicia. Rinkah turned away and grunted, the tassels of her headdress whipping about her. "We're almost there, Lady Fuyu," Kaze said. "Just a little further."

There it was again – Lady Fuyu. Hoshidans were said to have little to no respect for Nohrian nobility, and yet there was nothing malicious or derogatory in the way he said her name. Maybe Kaze was just different – nothing like the monsters who'd tried to kidnap her before. "If even Hoshidan soldiers are capable of such kindness, then there might be some hope after all…"

Kaze turned to regard her. "Did you say something?"

Fuyu clamped her mouth shut, and she felt heat rise to her face. "N-Nothing…"

It took a long time, but they eventually made it to a bright room with a golden throne. A man in red robes – similar to what the other Hoshidans she'd passed by on her way here, but they seemed to be made of a finer material – stood before the thrones with his arms crossed. His head was bent low and his eyes were closed in something akin to serenity, but his dark hair stuck out behind him in multiple directions. Rinkah wrapped her hand tightly around Fuyu's arm to hold her in place, while Kaze stepped forward and knelt before him. "Welcome back, Kaze," said the man. "Good work."

"Thank you, milord," Kaze replied.

Milord…? That meant—that meant that he was of some sort of nobility. Since he was in the castle, by the throne, that likely meant…

Fuyu bowed and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I was… m-my bodyguard, he…" But the words died in her throat. She thought of Gunter, falling into the Bottomless Canyon, and of Jakob, perhaps lying dead on that battlefield after she'd just left him—

And then, something warm washed over her mind – something soothing and gentle that made it so much easier to collect her thoughts and take the edge off of her fear. When she looked up, the man wasn't even looking at her – he was looking behind her, at a woman dressed in white and blue. Her hair was as dark as Fuyu's, and though her eyes were darker, they were the same shape.

"Impossibly beautiful, with a seeming kind demeanor that puts you so at ease that you won't even want to fight back when she fires an arrow into your chest," Xander had told her once. "That is Hoshido's queen, Mikoto."

"I cannot believe it…" Mikoto said, her voice as warm and soothing as whatever healing magic had put Fuyu at ease. She covered her mouth with both hands.

"Are you…?" Fuyu said slowly.

"Oh, Fuyu…" she said quietly. "You've come back… You've come back!"

Fuyu tensed as the woman suddenly rushed toward her and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for a blow though it seemed to contradict her words. Instead, Mikoto trapped her in an embrace not unlike one of Camilla's, and Fuyu found herself frozen on the spot, unable to move. Mikoto shook with sobs as she pulled Fuyu closer, and for reasons she couldn't identify, Fuyu didn't want to pull away.

"Ryoma?" said a woman's voice from further away – a voice that sounded both familiar and unfamiliar.

"You called us so suddenly…" said a quieter voice – this one was completely unfamiliar. "I-Is everything all right?"

"M-Mother?" yelped a man's voice. "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you—"

Mikoto pulled away from Fuyu suddenly, wiping her eyes with one hand while the other grasped Fuyu's shoulder. "M-My apologies," she said with a small sniffle. "You must be terribly confused."

At the doors to the throne room were two women – one with short red hair and one with shoulder-length hair of a lighter shade, both clad in white – and a man with a long, light brown ponytail, clad in blue. The man stepped forward with his arms crossed, frowning in something akin to concern. "Mother, what happened?" he asked. "Who is she?"

"Takumi…" Mikoto said slowly. "Hinoka… Sakura… This is… This is…"

The man with the dark hair – Ryoma, Fuyu presumed – smiled. "Our sister has finally returned," he said.

Takumi recoiled. "Sister? Wait, so this is…?"

The woman with the short red hair stepped forward slowly, moving past Takumi and stopping in front of Fuyu. "Fuyu…?"

Fuyu stepped back, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Yes…?"

The woman looked to Ryoma, and then to Mikoto. "This… isn't a trick?"

Mikoto smiled and shook her head. "No, Hinoka."

The woman Hinoka stepped toward Fuyu once more, and Fuyu unconsciously took a step back. "Fuyu…" And then, Fuyu was quickly trapped in another embrace – stiffer than one of Camilla's, more awkward, but still warm and genuine. "Finally… after all these years…"

"B-Big Sister?" said the shorter girl, Sakura. "Is that… really you?"

"Hmph," Takumi said, frowning contemptuously. "Of course she's not. She's probably a Nohrian spy, sent here to—"

"Takumi," Ryoma said in a low, warning voice. It was the same tone that Xander would use on Leo, whenever his usual teasing crossed a line.

"N-No, he's right," Fuyu said, pulling away from Hinoka, hopefully in a way that didn't denote disrespect. "There must be some mistake here. I'm a princess of Nohr! I can't be—"

Hinoka glared suddenly, though it was obvious that her anger wasn't directed at her. "So they brainwashed you, then!"

Fuyu shook her head. "No, nobody brainwashed me! I'm not…" She looked at Hinoka in front of her, then to Sakura behind Hinoka, who stood with her hands clasped nervously in front of her. Then her gaze shifted to Takumi, who refused to meet her gaze.

Ryoma's expression was sympathetic as he moved closer to her. "You were kidnapped by Nohrian forces when you were a small child," he explained. "For ten years, you've been…"

He reached his arm out toward her, probably to touch her shoulder, and Fuyu flinched away with a small, slightly shrill gasp. She couldn't help but feel guilty when his eyes narrowed in what she was sure was disappointment. "I'm sorry…"

"Oh, my dear child," Mikoto said, closing her eyes. "There's nothing to apologize for. You must be dreadfully confused about all of this. Please, take as long as you need to process this."

"B-But I—" Fuyu started feebly.

"Kaze?" Mikoto cut her off. "Will you please show her to the lake in the third garden?"

The green-haired ninja nodded. "Of course, milady." He was kind enough to always remain one step ahead of her, even though Fuyu took care to move faster than she did before. It must have looked so obvious that she was in a rush to leave, to put as much distance between herself and the Hoshidan royal family as she possibly could. And after the queen had been so kind too…

She was a princess of Nohr, born to one of King Garon's mistresses. It was the most obvious conclusion, and yet…

… and yet no one had ever told her that; it was just assumed. The servants at the Northern Fortress would whisper about the horrors of the Nohrian royal court whenever they thought she wasn't listening, and Camilla would always avoid the issue when it came up in conversation so smoothly and seamlessly that Fuyu could never be sure of it occurring unless she looked back on the conversation in hindsight. Not to mention, even at the best of times, Fuyu didn't look very much like her siblings – her hair was dark while theirs was pale, stubbornly straight and thin where theirs was thicker and wavier. Her eyes were smaller and narrower, pale gold to their darker browns and purples, and she was shorter in stature.

But Fuyu was a Nohrian princess, and Hoshidans had attempted to kidnap her years ago. After failing with her, they set their sights on another princess that no one was allowed to talk about.

What if this is a kidnapping? What if they finally succeeded?

She didn't realize Kaze had stopped until he suddenly gripped her shoulders to stop her from running into him. "I-I'm sorry," she said automatically, staring intently at her feet.

"Are you all right?" Kaze asked instead of acknowledging her apology.

Kaze wasn't Jakob, she had to remind herself. Though he was around the same age and just as kind, he wasn't Jakob. Jakob was still at the Bottomless Canyon, probably dead, and Gunter was at the bottom of that canyon if it even had a bottom despite its name—

"I'm sorry," Kaze said, his hands leaving her shoulders and slowly dropping to his sides. "I should have told you the truth before bringing you here."

"H-Huh?" Fuyu snapped her head upward. "N-No, it's not your fault! I'm the one who…" She sighed. "All I know is that Hoshidans tried to kidnap me as a child. And then when they failed with me, they succeeded with another princess."

Kaze frowned. "Who told you that?"

"My father," Fuyu answered.

"You mean King Garon."

"He's the only father I know." He winced, and Fuyu felt a small pang of guilt. "I'm sorry…"

To her surprise, Kaze shook his head and smiled gently. "No, there's no need to apologize." He led her through another set of large doors, leading outside into something that was still too bright, with too many colors that Fuyu couldn't recognize. There was a lake behind some bushes, its surface clear and still. "This is where I leave you," Kaze said gently. "I hope you do come to some peace with this situation soon."

Fuyu nodded slowly and wrapped her arms around herself. "I will. Thank you, Kaze."

Kaze bowed his head. "Much obliged." He was gone within the blink of an eye, and suddenly, a weight was lifted from Fuyu's chest.

She sank into the soft grass, bringing her knees up to her chest. It didn't matter if this was a kidnapping, or if every word the Hoshidan royal family had said was true. No forces were ever sent to retrieve the Nohrian princess kidnapped in Fuyu's stead, which likely meant that no one would come for her. The mere thought of it made her eyes sting with tears, and she wanted to see her siblings now more than ever."

"You are the ocean's grey waves…"

Fuyu looked up and came to the sickening realization that she wasn't alone, even though Kaze had already left. Gunter would have scolded her for dropping her guard so easily in enemy territory. Leo would have made a snide comment that she'd be dead by now if this were a real battle.

There was a woman there, impossibly beautiful with hair as blue as the lake she waded into. She sang Fuyu's lullaby in a light, airy voice. Water swirled about the woman as she continued to sing, and she waded further and further in it until Fuyu could no longer tell where the water ended and the woman began.

Something that looked like magic began to swirl about her. Soon, the woman had waded so deeply into the lake that all Fuyu could see was the top of her head. She'd read about stories like this in books before – tragic maidens singing to themselves impossibly beautiful in death after having drowned themselves.

"No!" The scream tore itself out of Fuyu's throat and, without thinking, she sprang to her feet and dove into the lake. She moved surprisingly easily through the water – probably evidence that she'd done this before in some lifetime she couldn't remember – and swam as quickly as she could to the woman who might as well have been drowning.

She managed to grab a handful of the woman's hair before everything around her faded. Then, they were moving so quickly that everything twisted and turned around her into an indistinguishable blur of colors and distorted shapes. She was dumped unceremoniously back on solid ground a few seconds later and was instantly dizzy, dropping to her knees and using her free hand to brace herself against the ground. She released her vice-like grip on the woman's hair and let her throbbing head fall into it, praying that she wouldn't vomit.

"You… Why are you here?"

Fuyu had to wait for a few agonizingly slow moments for her head to stop spinning. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times so that her vision would clear faster. The woman that stood before her wasn't quite frowning, but she had her arms crossed over her chest defensively.

"I-I'm sorry…" Fuyu mumbled, her voice little more than a whisper.

The woman's golden eyes narrowed. "Why did you follow me?" she asked more firmly.

"I didn't… I wasn't…" But Fuyu's thoughts were racing too quickly for her to keep up with them, and the words died in her throat before they could form. She looked up at the sky – if she could even call a vast expanse of whites with a few patches of cloudy blue a sky – and at the stone ruins that seemed to float around them. Where are we? she wanted to ask. "I'm sorry," she said instead.

The woman sighed and then harshly grabbed Fuyu's wrist. Her fingers were thin, bony, and it hurt the way they pressed into Fuyu's skin. "You must never speak of this place to anyone," she said. "Understood?" Fuyu nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "We're going back."

The second time was easier than the first, but only slightly. Fuyu still collapsed to her knees once they were back on the lake's edge, but the nausea and dizziness were quicker to disappear. She opened her eyes once she was sure she wasn't going to be sick, but the woman who'd brought her back was nowhere to be seen.

Clearly, Fuyu had intruded on something private, something she was never supposed to seen. All of a sudden, she wanted to apologize again even though there was no longer anyone there to apologize to.