When Inigo thought about his trip to the past, he hadn't expected to end up in the back of a Valmese military base somehow. Donning red armour with grey pauldrons, and a navy blue mask, Inigo was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear because he obviously didn't belong there. It was his overconfidence that go him there anyways; he thought that he could take on multiple brigands who were terrorising a village, but with the odds being thirty to one, the fight was not in his favour.

Inigo was taken in as a recruit because the Valmese needed more men after two ships full of soldiers were seared at the ports. He was a capable fighter for sure, but just the thought about fighting for Valm just made him very uneasy.

"Hey kid." A fellow soldier said to him. "What's with that mask, this isn't a masquerade ball."

"Oh, sorry, sir. It's just...that I wear this so I don't have to show the wounds my face has endured from this war." He lied. "An archer pierced my right eye, you see, and the end result was not pretty to look at." The real reason was his brand, one that clearly showed the connection between him and the Exalted.

"Inigo, I have made you a mask similar to Lucina's." He remembered Gerome saying. "Like her, you too bear a mark on your eye which is an indication of your lineage. This mission could be put in jeopardy if anyone finds out about your lineage." Minerva screeched in agreement to her rider's statement.

Inigo held the navy blue mask in his hands. It had three slits on each side for sight and was lined with a golden shimmer on the edges, but the overall shape of the mask differed from the butterfly shape his sister's had. The shape of Inigo's mask was reminiscent of a bird, or more specifically, of an owl. It wasn't feathery, but had smooth ridges.

"I think it's rather cute, Inigo." Lucina commented. "It also may help with your shyness." She had now donned her butterfly mask and tied her hair back, giving herself the appearance of a young man.

While he never admitted it, he sometimes felt inferior to his sibling, which was silly, but true. They were different people, but even so Inigo felt the pressure and expectations that weighed on his shoulders. After all, Lucina did get most of the spotlight when they were children. She was the eldest child after all, and the one with the power to wield the sacred blade Falchion.

She was the leader; it was to be expected, being born in a role with such responsibility, and her personality and mannerisms reflected that. Inigo was "carefree and lax", and Lucina was serious and stoic most of the time. He wasn't expected of much but maybe now was the time to change that.

Inigo put on his mask and prayed for any sort of power bestowed on to him for this journey, anything that would help the group achieve their goal.

"I understand." The soldier answered. "For the longest time I had a scar on my face which hasn't disappeared. Just remember, when we win this war under Lord Walhart, these wounds will be proof of our dedication and strength. Now, it's time to line up; General Cervantes should be summoning us soon."

General Cervantes was strange. The man was an experienced fighter, but he wouldn't stop talking about his moustache and beard that gave him strength each battle. Facial hair wasn't that magical, honestly.

"So soon? I must admit, it's been a while since I've fought in a group." Inigo confessed. "Where are we needed?"

"The Mila Tree. There's a report that the Ylisseans are trying to free "The Voice", who we need to imprison in order to get the Resistance to surrender."

The words 'The Ylisseans' sent a shock through him. Did that mean there was a possibility he would fight his father's army, The Shepherds? There wasn't any other militia he knew, so it must have been them.

If what he thought was true, then Inigo planned to feign his oath to the Valmese army and join the Shepherds as soon as possible.

Sheathing his steel sword, he stated, "Let's go."

The Mila Tree was huge. Thousands of stairs leading up to a canopy, which wasn't even the top. Atop the tree was a shrine where Tiki was confined in, the tree gave it structure and support as its branches intertwined and tangled underneath, and its roots deeply in the ground. The shrine was where people prayed to the gods and hoped for wisdom or fortune. Yet, in that current moment of time, that serene sacred place was disturbed by the fighting occurring directly underneath it.

Weapons clashed and blood was shed as Cervantes and Chrom's army's engaged in battle.

With a wave of a hand, reinforcements of the bearded general's team approached, armed to the teeth. Chrom grunted in dismay, wondering why the Valmese had so many men to spare, and so many men willing to walk the steep climb to get to the battleground.

Lucina reassured her father that even outnumbered, the Shepherds would be victorious. She then glanced at Robin, who then nodded, and proceeded to back her up.

The eyes of the soldiers looked bloodthirsty, just for the lust of victory for their commander and homeland. It was easily unnerving to some, but the Shepherds readied their weapons in retaliation.

"Gah! Urgh..." A lancer grunted out as he suffered a fatal slash from Chrom's Falchion. That makes twenty so far to die at his blade, and the battle wasn't close to being done yet. He stared at the lancer's ally, a quivering mercenary who stood there in shock. His ally laid on the ground in front of him, blood seeping from his back.

Were those tears running down his face?

The mercenary's armour was clearly stained from blood, having sustained scratches and protrusions. He tried to get a good glance at this man, but yet his face was obscured by a mask.

"Don't hide from me." Chrom muttered as he lunged at the enemy. The soldier parried the attack by moving his sword diagonally, then using force to push Chrom back.

Chrom could tell this soldier wasn't using the most of his brute strength and his technique lacked tenacity Chrom felt frequently from fighting the rest of Cervantes's men. He continued his spar with the other man, but every blow continued to be parried.

"Left...right..." Chrom heard the soldier mutter. "...and spin." The mercenary quickly leapt from left to right and spun with a slight twirl, most likely an evasion tactic. The gleam of the steel sword shone as it came in contact with the prince.

Chrom was swept off his feet from a swift downward blow to his knees, knocking Chrom on to his back. Chrom rolled backwards to retrieve Falchion, which flew out of his hands when he took a tumble, but it was grasped by his foe.

The soldier sheathed his steel sword and extended his hand to the prince, strangely. His hand was trembling, yet from the smirk on his face, he was calm.

"Phew. Good spar there. Now, I wasn't actually going to kill you,...Chrom." The Valmese man said. "I've come to join your forces."

The first thing Chrom noticed about Inigo was how light on his feet he was. Even with an intense fight, Inigo had a bounce in his step, and was quite graceful. His fighting style reflected this; his posture, and his stance was nothing of a brute would have. Also reflected in his fighting style was the fact that Inigo wasn't from Valm, but rather, Ylisse. The most puzzling fact was that it resembled the techniques taught at House Ylisse; ones he learned as a young boy.

"Hyah!" Chrom shouted as he pierced his blade upwards, cutting his foe's chest in one swipe.

Chrom looked behind his shoulder and noticed that most of the dispatched reinforcements (barring Inigo) were dealt with the help of the rest of the Shepherds. Robin, Lucina, Lissa, Frederick, and Olivia approached him with concerned looks on their faces.

"I-Inigo?! Why are you wearing that?" Lucina blurted out. She removed her brother's mask and brushed his bangs out of his face.

He blushed, and turned his face away. "Aw, come on, Lucina. That's how you greet me? And to embarrass me in front of all these people?"

"...My apologies, I have not seen you for some time. Is it not common for a sister to worry for her brother?"

Olivia slowly stepped in between the two siblings. "L-Lucina, you never mentioned another sibling..."

Inigo bowed in front of his mother and father and showed them his brand. "Yes, the truth is I am not a Valmese soldier, but rather your second child: Inigo, the prince of Ylisse. It is my honour to meet you again-

Mother and Father."

Fifteen chapters in and a whole lot more to go. This is gonna be fun.

As always, thanks for reading, and see you next time!