I own nothing. Fire Emblem is owned by Nintendo and Dishonoured is owned by Bethesda.
The Empress of Gristol (Act 1)
Chapter 6: Prisoner of Hoshido
It was another sunny day in Hoshido, the land of grass. Another sunny day that Emily hated. This wasn't because she disliked the very sight of the sun, like a blind fool who regretted that dare he did as a child, and it had very little to do with the fact that the coat she wore over her armour wasn't made for this weather. She had again been placed inside a caravan near a barrel of water that leaked ever so slightly…ah, there is the problem. The caravan. Or rather the memoires of a certain caravan ride she just had about…huh. How long ago was that journey? It was hard to pinpoint memories when you lose track of time. But maybe that was a blessing to the princess, if she knew what type of blessing she wanted.
Sighing, the dark-haired lady didn't bother to check if anyone was watching her as she pressed her bound hands against the leaky container. She waited for the water to dribble into the crevices before she began to press her palms against her sweaty face. It wasn't much, but the fantasy of being able to drain all the fresh water away to the point where her captors began to die of dehydration was really appealing to her at that moment. I mean, they did go through a desert. Or was it a mountain? Or maybe just more grass? Who knows, or cared. Certainly not Emily.
Well, not about the landscape at any rate. The fact that she was captured was what she was caring about, to the point where she had tried to think of ways to escape. But thanks to the time lost due to her episode with…well, after that spell of lost time ended she was on the road in this caravan. At first she hoped she had awakened with Lilith, blushing or apologising for something silly she did to her mistress when she awoke. But the person staring down at her wasn't a dragon thing, so—
"Argh!"
The sound of her slap seemed to have been heard, for a blotch of jungle green hair appeared at the entrance of the caravan. "Is everything alright, Princess Emily?"
"Yes," she grunted back; her right cheek throbbing in pain. "Everything is fine and dandy."
The ninja smiled whilst he moved inside the caravan. "That is good to hear. We were worried that the death of your comrade had robbed you of all your wits…" He paused, noticing the dark cloud that hung over the princess. "…I'm sorry, that was tactless of me."
"I-Its…Its fine. I've...accepted it." She shook her head, wondering deep down if that would ever truly be the case. "Look, what do you want? If its food, just leave it in the same place."
He shook his head. "I was coming to inform you that we have reached Castle Shirasagi, the capital of Hoshido. We are in the boundaries of the town surrounding the castle and will be stopping soon." Kaze pulled out one of his ninja knives. "I've also come to free your hands."
"Why? I know I won't be able to escape, so why pretend I'm nothing more than a prisoner?"
"You'd be surprised," replied the ninja; a smile still present on his face. "Besides, if you can't escape with or without your hands tied than we might as well allow you to be comfortable."
Emily considered those words before she raised her tied hands. The ninja's knife sliced through the rope instantly and the princess could finally stretch her arms. Whatever marks the ropes had left were hidden by the armour and gloves she still wore, but her muscles were still sore in those areas. Kaze extend out his hand to the princess, which she took without much hesitation.
When they exited the caravan together, the dark-haired royal was hit by the full force of the sun and it dazzled her greatly. In fact, she raised her hood as fast as she could, yelling, "Great Dragons!" She heard many people that she did not see laugh, causing her skin to flush faster in this heat.
"What's wrong, Honourable Princess?" Jeered Rinkah from a place out of Emily's view. "Can't stand a simple midday sunshine?" She laughed again, the sound coming from the hooded royal's right. "Come now, you will have to get used to it sooner or later. And I wager you will find it more pleasant than the dreary weather of Nohr."
"Very debatable," replied Emily in a jaded tone. "The sun should only shine to keep the crops alive. Other than that, it should stay behind the clouds where it belongs rather than provide this excess." She straightened up, but did not lower her hood. "Besides, I will probably never see it again once I am imprisoned. Unless there is some form of torture I am not aware of that involves this hellish heat."
"Not to my knowledge," replied the Oni Savage. "But I doubt that will ever happen to you."
"Come," spoke Kaze as he made his way forward. "High Prince Ryoma is waiting to see you. Let us not keep the man waiting."
With that, the two Hoshidan officers escorted the Nohrian into the castle; accompanied by shrine maidens with silencing staffs to prevent Emily from using her magic. Said royal didn't bother to take in her surroundings, for she was trying to sort out her emotions. All the events that had led to this moment—her father's attempt on her life, Gunter's death—and the events that could come to pass where racing in her head. Peppered with thoughts for her siblings, which pained her the most for she could not help but entertain the idea that she may never see them again.
It was not until she sensed that her escort had halted did she start to take in the sights around her. The first thing she noticed was more of that damn light that was coming from a window built in the celling, its rays casting down upon the Hoshidan throne. And what a throne it was. It was a giant construction that could be separated into three parts. The first was the white steps and atop them was the second part; a large black and gold stand that supported the throne itself. The seat itself had a rainbow pattern at its base, topped with more black, gold and red which lined the arms of the royal seat. It's back was as long and tall as the room itself, embroiled with a wavy design that shone like the rising sun. Though quite a spectacle, the first word that came to Emily's mind, to describe the marvel, was garish.
This frivolous thought was soon discarded when her eyes settled on the man that was at the bottom of the throne's steps, who was no doubt the High Prince Ryoma. He had russet coloured hair that was long and spikey, though a few strands did limp over the pointy face guard. This red and gold piece of armour also covered his chin, so you couldn't tell if it was naturally pointy or if it was just the armour. This could be said about his bulkiness, in particularly his large red and gold shoulder pads. The overall image of spikey red, including the white coat that balanced out the colour scheme, reminded the dark-haired princess of a lobster.
As she cracked a smile that was obscured by her hood, Ryoma addressed the two Hoshidans that was kneeling before him. "Welcome back, Kaze, Rinkah. Good work." He spoke in a naturally rough tone; the kind you'd find in a warrior—or samurai in this case. He then looked at Emily and folded his arms; the expression on his face unreadable. His hazel eyes had a light in them and his mouth was frozen in a contorted fashion. It was quite uncomfortable for the princess, so she averted her vision downwards at the floor. Seeing this, the russet-haired prince lowered his arms and began to smile, warmly. "Come now, Emily, there is no need to be shy. Please, lower you hood."
"Shyness is the last thing I'm feeling at the moment," replied the princess in a measured tone. She raised her gloved hands and lowered her hood; freeing her mid-long dark hair and sky blue eyes from the shadows. She looked at the High Prince straight in the eyes and curtseyed, as she continued to speak. "Lord Ryoma, on behalf of Nohr, I apologise for what happened at Bottomless Canyon. If you'd permit me, I would like to explain what happened with my own words. I can wait till trial if needs be, but if you intend to extract punishment now I implore you to reconsider. This attack…"
She soon realised that he wasn't really listening. In fact, he had turned his head to look at something that was approaching Emily on her left. Slightly annoyed, the princess followed suit out of curiosity. The person that was approaching her was a woman the same height as Emily. She also had the same coloured hair as Emily, only it was long to the point it was tied up with a very decorative, circular hair pin. She wore a ceremonial dress that was white and blue that was adorn with white lilies. On her arm was a shield that bore the Hoshidan symbol, the kind of shield that skilled archers sometimes wore. She wore a golden crown and had hazel eyes, eyes that were glistening with tears.
"I cannot believe it is really you…"
"…Um, have we met?"
"Oh, I've missed you so much! Come here, Emily, my sweet child!"
"…Your what?!"
Before she could stop her, the stranger had her arms around the princess; tears gushing freely as she hugged the confused Nohrian. As the stranger sobbed, Emily was trying very hard to process what had just been said; along with the urge to push this crazed woman away. She looked around at the watching Hoshidans, most of them smiling happily; though the shrine maiden was just weeping into her sleeve, having been moved by the awkward hug.
The princess did manage to find an answer, just as the stranger released her grip, and it was a strange one. "Are you…" she began, tentatively. "…I mean…gods, this is awkward. A-are you my father's concubine?"
The look of shock on the stranger's face was tinted with repulsion. "What?! No, I'm not! Not that there's anything wrong with being a, err, concubine…I mean, I was more of a mistress before I married your father—"
"Wait—Hold on! Is this why there's a war?! I mean, if your Garon's wife and you are here in Hoshido—"
The repulsion rose to the level that the stranger looked like she was about to throw up. "I'm not Garon's wife! I would never pledge my life to that scum, even if to save my own life." She stepped back, her puffy eyes now filled with more sorrow. "Do you truly not remember me?"
Emily shook her head. "Sorry, lady. I've never seen you before in my life."
Ryoma quickly came to the side of the stranger, patting her gently on the shoulder as she continued to weep. "There, there, mother." He then gazed at the princess with a mournful look. "I was afraid this might happen. Please, dry you tears, mother, so we can explain the truth to our long-lost family member."
The Queen did as suggested; calming herself and wiping the dribbles from under her eyelids. She focused on the face of the bewildered Nohrian(?) and begun to speak in a solemn tone. "Oh, my poor Emily. It's a sad story. When you were very young, you were abducted by forces from Nohr. I am your mother, Mikoto." She smiled weakly, the tears threatening to gush once more. "All this time, I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!"
Emily looked at the woman calming to be her mother; the sincerity in her eyes were swaying the princess' thoughts out of focus. She did share the same hair and if this was true it would explain why Garon had tried to kill her…but words drifted into her mind and voices echoed in her ears:
Nooo!
Get away from her!
Mommy!
"No!" Emily shook her head as she stepped away from the Hoshidan royals. "No, that's not possible. You can't be my mother!"
"It must be quite a shock, but I assure you that she speaks the truth." Said Ryoma in a calm tone, trying to calm down the panicking princess. "I am your older brother, Ryoma—"
"Bullshit!" She spat in an irregular, gasping breath. "I don't…I mean…" She grasped her head, as images began to flash before her eyes like speeding riders; almost impossible to decipher until they returned to Nohr. "…No, Xander is my older brother! Leo, Elise and Camila are my siblings!"
"Are those the Nohrian royals?" Asked the High Prince in a clearly bitter tone. "They're not your real family." Before Emily could flare at him, he raised her hand as his face began to tighten like stone. The princess recognised this appeal, for her real brother did the same, so she allowed him to continue speaking. "I still remember the day you were taken…" The bitterness began to grow into anger as he spoke each word. "…In those days, there was tension between Hoshido and Nohr, but not full blown war. Not until King Garon lured King Sumeragi—our father—to Cheve under false pretences. He said it was for a peace conference. Ha!" That laugh was the eruption of his frustration and anger, which was followed by him spitting at the Nohrian King's name. "His real plan was to murder our father in cold blood! And to make matters worse…he kidnapped you." His fury seemed to dissipate in the end, replaced by regret and pain.
The princess digested the story slowly. She could not deny that her father could have killed the Hoshidan King in such a treacherous way, and it did explain why she had been locked up and sent on a mission to kill her…but why didn't he do so outright? Why kidnap her and keep her alive if he was just going to kill her anyway? And besides, no matter how hard she tried to recall such events, she could not remember anything about Hoshido. In fact, the crypt images she saw in her mind or her dreams had nothing in relation with these lands or its people.
Slightly shaken, the dark-haired royal looked back at Ryoma. "Listen, Lord Lobster…" The High Prince cracked a natural smile at these words, which Emily ignored. "…If I am truly a Princess of Hoshido, why do I bear a Nohrian name that you and the Queen here still insist on using?"
"You do have a Hoshidan name," replied the prince. "You see, Queen Mikoto met my father while he was still married to Queen Ikona. At the time, the former queen had taken ill and it seemed like she was dying."
"While I was nursing her," continued Mikoto, calmly, "She discovered that I was quite smitten with Sumeragi…and that he was smitten with me." She sighed as if pained by the memory. "She didn't believe she would make it, so she gave me the title of Queen and asked me to support Sumeragi in her place. We…prematurely shared our love with one another in a moment of weakness. Despite that and the blessing, I only worked harder to make sure she would survive and I succeeded. She carried on being Queen and gave birth to two more children. But during the birth of the last child, she died…" She trailed off as shame took hold.
"You did the best you could, mother." Assured Ryoma. The Queen nodded, though not with much conviction. The High Prince continued the story in her stead, saying, "Queen Ikona was always frail. It was a miracle that she managed to live for so long after the complications she had with her second born." His tone was clam and measured, but you could tell that there was still some sorrow present as he spoke about his biological mother. "When she died, you were already three years old and named Emily. Our Father officially legitimised you when he remarried, naming you Jun to mark your official acceptance as royalty. But even he never bothered to use that name, for Hinoka and I always called you Emily and we always will."
The dark-haired princess looked at both their faces, pondering this explanation carefully. "Well, that certainly sounded convincing…"
"You are still not convinced?" Quired Ryoma in a disappointed tone. "Do you truly remember nothing about us?"
The act of shaking her head was starting to way heavy on her heart, in light of how honest these two seemed to be. But… "Honestly, I haven't a single shred of memory that confirms your words. It may be flaky, my recollection of my early days, but unless the name Corvo means anything to you, I can't bring myself to believe your story."
The High Prince shook his head. "No, that name means nothing to me. And I'm sorry about all of this. I know this is a lot to take in."
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps began to echo in the room as a Hoshidan samurai darted into the throne room. He reached the royals and knelt down, shouting all the while; "Lord Ryoma! I have an urgent message! We are under attack from the north!"
The High Prince's eyes gleamed in horror. "No! Hinoka and Sakura are in that area right now!" The Queen gasped in worry at these words; clueing Emily in on the identity of the two females.
"Yes, milord. I've been told that they're working to help evacuate the villagers."
"Very well. We'll need to provide support. I'll leave immediately." He turned to the dark-haired princess. "Emily, will you come with me?"
The unmistakable worry that was in his words imminently won over the princess. Coupled with the prospect of action that would take her mind off this crazy business, she nodded as fast as lightening. "Of course! Let's go help them!" She turned to the exit and began running.
As she passed Kaze and Rinkah, who had kept silent until now, the tanned woman barked at her, "Oi, Princess! Don't rush into battle unarmed!"
"I am armed," she replied without hesitation.
"No you're not, you twit!" Roared the Oni Savage. "You threw one of your swords into the canyon, remember?"
"And I found that contraption you were hiding in your coat," added Kaze as he reached into his pouch. However, he was surprised to find that the retractable sword was not there. As he looked up, he saw that it was back into its master's hand. The two officers blinked and in that moment, Ryoma dashed past them in purist of his supposed sibling. They exchanged a look before they pursued, Rinkah yelling:
"You're still going the wrong way!"
Despite the cold winds, Emily still found it warm as they approached the snowy mountains of the north. Not the burning heat she had experienced in the capital, but it was hotter than a cold night in Nohr. And this was the first time the princess felt distain to the frozen winter rain, as the sun light gleamed off the snow at just the right angle to pierce her eyes.
She retreated back into the caravan after another attempt to survey the land, rubbing her eyes in frustration. While Kaze and Rinkah kept silent, weapons at the ready, Ryoma was sat crossed legged in the middle of the caravan and was quick to ask the princess; "Any sign of Hinoka and Sakura?"
"No redheads in sight," replied Emily. "If the last villagers are correct, they should be assisting the hamlet at the base of these mountains. And I would be able to see that by now if it weren't for this bloody weather!"
"Is the sun truly such a frightening enemy to Nohrians?" Asked Rinkah in a mocking tone.
"To be fair, Princess Rinkah," chimed in the driver of the caravan—the shrine maiden who had been monitoring Emily. "The snow is quite blinding at this time of day. Fortunately, an over cast is forming and it should improve our visibility."
"Great! Thanks, lady," heartily said the princess; giving the shrine maiden a pat on the back.
The ninja, who was examining his knives and shuriken, chimed in with a question. "Princess Emily, do you have any magic that could assist us?"
Ryoma's eyes snapped to his sibling. "What is he referring to? I see no scroll or tome on your person."
She heisted, wondering if she should tell him about her mark. "Well…I've learnt a couple of spells that don't need a tome to be on hand to use them. It's kind of like the Ice Tribe magic, except its more versatile."
"Really? I was under the impression that a tome was always needed, barring tribes. But Nohr is a country that breaths magic in all its forms, advances are only to be excepted, it seems." He scrutinised his sister for a moment more, his face plagued with an annoyance, before he mirrored the ninja's request. "Well, do you have any useful spells?"
"I've got one in mind." She turned to face the driver's end of the caravan. She raised her hand out of the view of her brother, casting the spell that allowed her to see past inanimate objects. "Okay, I can see that there are still people in the hamlet. They don't seem to be panicking…and I think the watchman on duty is drunk."
"How can you see that much from this distance," inquired Rinkah.
"Besides the obvious magic involved, I can see yellow outline of people and objects of interest from a certain distance."
"Objects of interest?"
"Weapons, keys and stuff like that. Especially bottles for some reason." She focused her view onto the mountains themselves. "Add dragon veins to that list, because there are lots of them out there."
The High Prince closed his eyes for a few moments, clasping his hands together like he was praying. "Indeed, I can sense them. Hinoka must have sensed them too. That's why she is drawing the Faceless to the hills."
Not breaking from her inspection, Emily still raised an eye brow. "I wouldn't call these hills, Ryoma. There too big to be those."
The Prince roared with laughter. "Please, sister, Hoshidan mountains touch the heavens themselves. The measly mounds around here don't even come close to that."
"If you say so…" Emily stopped talking abruptly, as new images began to grace her vison. Atop the closest mountain, or whatever the rock mound could be called, was a faint yellowish glow of life. Despite how weak the colour was, it was still of incredulous size and its shape was unrecognisable to the princess. Disabling the spell, she turned to her brother urgently. "I've picked up a weird life form. It's atop the hill nearest the hamlet."
Without another word, the High Prince rose from his siting position and leapt out the back of the still moving caravan. The two officers were stunned at the prince's hasty move until the dark-haired princess followed suit. By the time the two had warned the driver and exited out onto the snow, the royals were a head by a considerable margin.
As the clouds began to obstruct the sun, Emily began to see better. In fact, as they came close to the gates of the hamlet, she could spy the creature she had seen before properly. It was large, hulking creature that had swamp green skin. It was covered in bounds of leather and chains were dangling from its muscly arms. It bore a spotted mask on its face, but even then you couldn't see its true face. If it had a face.
Ryoma, spotting it, cried out. "There! I can see the Faceless! I'll deal with it! Go and warn the hamlet!" With that, he reached down and placed his hand on the white handle of his katana. When he drew his blade from its sheath, it shone and crackled with a blue light. Emily could feel the power that was emanating from the weapon, reminding her of her brother's Siegfried. An apt comparison, for when the russet-haired prince held his blade in both hands the blue light became lightning. Said dancing energy sprung from the blade and flew for the Faceless.
The princess did not stay to watch the display of power. She reached the gate of the hamlet and started banging on the wood, aiming her voice at the drunk guard in the lookout. "Oi! You, up there! Wake up!" He responded with a loud snore. "Oi! Wake up, you drunk bastard! There's Faceless on the loose! Go and mobilize the other guards, now!"
The drunk guard suddenly jolted forwards, hanging his head over the wooden battlements in a stupor. "That's dastard, madam!"
"What?"
"Dastard!" He hiccupped back. "It's not proper to use swears *hic*."
"I could give a flying fuck if its proper or not, your community is in danger, solider! You need to—"
"Flying Pegasus, madam," he interjected, rudely. "You're *hic* mother must be proud to have such a foul-mouthed daughter. Such honour you must bring her by insulting an old *hic* man."
Before she could fully use her foul mouth, another voiced chimed in from behind the wooden wall. "Thank you for the warning, traveller. Don't mind the old man. We'll shove his face into the snow to sober him up. Will you need shelter?"
"No," she replied. "My group and I are actually here to defeat these creatures." As she said this, she heard the sound of a body crashing into rocks. "We can handle it," she finished; overserving the lifeless corpse of the Faceless from where she stood.
Before she left, the drunk threw something down at her. It wasn't his bottle, but a small sculpture of some kind. "Maybe that *hic* Goddess Icon will inspire you to speak as a woman should. Though *hic* you're probably a godless heaven. Every youngster seems to be these days." Taking the high ground, the princess pocketed the gift and made her way back to the High Prince; resisting the urge to flip the drunk the bird.
Ryoma was waiting for her with Kaze and Rinkah, his sword still drawn and glowing with power. "Sister, can you scout the area with your magic? Any information will be useful, but our priority is to find Hinoka and Sakura. Hinoka will be on a Pegasus, find that at the very least."
She nodded and did as asked. Her enhanced vision revealed to her the surrounding landscape. She saw several dragon veins on the outskirts of the forests that filled the spaces between the hills and plateaus; their branches lifeless thanks to the snow. Emily's scanning of the four or five rock formations revealed traces of more Faceless. She noticed that some of them where convening to a valley that lay between one of the hills and a genuine mountain, and when she focused on it…
"Found them!" She proclaimed. "They're in a valley over in that direction." She pointed to a place that was north west of her position. "Hinoka seems to be at its entrance on her Pegasus."
"And Sakura?"
"She seems to be injured; a sprained ankle from the looks of it. But she has a healing stave—"
"You mean staff, right?"
"Stave, staff, what's the difference?" Replied the princess testily.
"One's Nohrian, thus wrong, and the other is Hoshidan. And unfortunately, shrine maiden staffs can't heal self-injuries."
"Nor can staves," added the dark-haired lady. "Butler and Maids can learn to siphon off the magic when their healing others, but they can't use it directly on themselves. Why does magic have to be so contrived?"
"I do not pretend to understand the vast complexities of magic. Maybe it has its own unexplained desire to impart hubris upon us, a desire that defies our own understanding…Also, you said stave again."
"What's wrong with me saying stave?"
"Besides being a Nohrian word, it unexplainably makes me angry every time I hear it. So please, stop using it."
Emily did not try to push her luck or buttons of the High Prince, for not only was he still a stranger in her eyes she had spotted a frightening development. "Ryoma! The Faceless have discovered the valley! And…shit! It's a dead end! They're trapped!"
Armed with that knowledge, Ryoma began running to his sister's aid. He ignored the cries of his dark-haired sibling as he approached the dragon vein that was quite near the hamlet. Without missing a step, he strode across the green sparks and harnessed its ball of fire. The prince didn't let it escape his fingertips. Instead, he threw the ball right at the hill in front of him. From the ground up, the stone melted into flat snow; the sound of the cascade being almost deafening.
The three warriors observed the death of hill, stuck silent in awe of such an incredible sight. Rinkah was the one stunned the most by the impressive feat, her mouth hung open as if she had been struck dumb. "To harness the ancient dragon powers…" commented Kaze, sheepishly. "…Is truly a magnificent gift." He closed his eyes in thought, as a question came to him. "Yet I wonder if even the royals who wield that power can fully control it…"
He looked at Emily, who was gritting her teeth and scowling at the High Prince's back. "Bloody idiot! What was he thinking? He could have damaged the hamlet and hurt his own people!"
"He usually isn't this reckless," explained the ninja, calmly. "But his sisters are in danger and, from what I have heard, he is not the kind of man to let anything slow him down when it comes to his family."
"Well, he's charging into a concentrated horde of Faceless…" This complaint died in her throat, as with her enhanced vision she saw the Prince take down a Faceless in a single swing of his blade. It was when he vanquished the second monster without it even touching him did she feel that the High Prince did not need help.
Emily turned her attention to the left side of the terrain, scanning the land for the best possible path. The princess, once she released her vision, readied for battle by raising her bandana and lowering her hood. "Okay, here's the plan. Out of the ten faceless that are still alive, there are four of them that are approaching the Princesses from the south. We need to intercept them, kill them and rendezvous with Ryoma. Once the Princesses are safe, we will deal with the rest of the Faceless."
She then pulled out her retractable sword and pointed it at the hill that was to their left. "First, we'll cut through that hill. There's a Faceless at the top, so hopefully it'll die when I blast it with the dragon vein. Rinkah, you take point with me. Kaze, I want you covering our approach with shuriken."
"Very well," replied the ninja. "I have also brought some Vulnerary. Healing potions." He explained, seeing the confusion in his commander's eyes. "In the unfortunate case of an injury, one of these will be enough to get you back on your feet."
"That's great, thanks Kaze." The princess then turned to the tanned woman, who hadn't responded to the commands that have been given. Keeping in mind their turbulent meetings, especially the one where Emily had called Rinkah a skank, it was hard for the princess to think of what to say; how should could ask the Oni Savage if she would/wanted to follow her orders.
"…"
"…"
"…What are we waiting for, Princess?! Are we in a hurry or not!?"
It was a good thing that her battle apparel covered her face, for the embarrassment the Nohrian(?) was feeling was more uncomfortable in the presence of strangers. She cleared her throat, signalled the direction they were heading in and started running. Rinkah, club at the ready, followed suit while the ninja trailed behind them; past enemies now present allies.
The point where the battle truly began, where the race to the royal sisters took off, was when Emily mirrored Ryoma's reckless action and stuck down the hill with a dragon vein. There was no danger to innocent life, or even plant life as the forest adjacent to the mountain was left untouched. This could not be said for the Faceless that had been climbing said hill; for by the time the trio had ran past the creature it was a crumpled heap with a half-squished head.
The short cut through the hill took them to a giant forest clearing of snow, which two of the monsters were stomping across as they headed north. Emily, knowing that time was of the essence, gave orders to her allies to attack the Faceless closet to them. The idea was to kill it before it's fellow complain noticed, so they could focus their efforts individually and distract the hunters from the corned royals they were chasing.
Emily and Rinkah managed to catch their target with its back turned. Their assault was syncopated, as the princesses took a turn each to slice and bash at the Faceless' legs. The dumb beast was brought to its knees, just as a shuriken cut through the cold air to land into its back, but it was far from tamed. It swung its arms blindly, and the chain from its broken shackles managed to clip the Princess' own leg. The shock of the sudden impact is sometimes all you need to knock someone to the floor. Emily was evidence to this fact, for she was now on her back in the snow.
The Oni Savage, seeing that her comrade was down, charged the damaged foe that was trying to reach out and grab the fallen commander's leg. That hand was squashed by wood and fire, followed swiftly by the monster's mask as she brought the force of a maelstrom down upon the monster. However, in the act of saviour, she did not survey the fact that the second monster had noticed them; not until she saw it bound towards her with a raised fist.
Kaze, in a flash, closed the distance and leaped in front of his tribal ally. He managed to take the blow from the monster well, thanks to his wrist-blades that punctured the creature's fingers, but he still moved back to escape the second swing of its fist that was bound to come. However, a sudden, familiar noise rang through the clearing that took the Hoshidan officers by surprise. They both looked to the side, seeing that the princess had an armed raised that had water and oil coiling around it. Even the Faceless turned to the source of the noise and was rewarded by hardened, oily tendrils; that darted trough the holes of its mask to skewer its head.
Both monsters were now laying in the snow, blood spewing from the holes in their masks. The Princess managed to avoid the bath puddle by rolling to the side, for her leg had moved from shock to pain. Though she needn't have done that, for after a few seconds the Faceless started to dissolve into dust along with the blood they gushed.
The ninja rushed to her aid, pulling one of his Vulnerary potions from his belt and gave it to the Nohrian(?). There was no taste, but the effects quickly occurred as Emily could feel the pain from her legs vanish; though she still felt drained from using such a powerful spell. Rinkah was the who helped pull the princess up from the snow, though her next comment was not about the same spell that had been used on her—though that was still in the back of her mind.
"Okay, that's three out of four," she remarked, proudly. "Where's the last one, Princess?"
Knowing that she was out of manna, Emily used her normal vision to examine the place she had seen it last. Looking up and the hill that lay north, she saw the back of the Faceless as it crossed the peak and began to journey downwards. "There!" She yelled and pointed, while starting to move forward urgently. "It's up there! If we get to a dragon vein, we can knock it down and kill it like the first one!"
The three of them rushed across the snowy field to the edge of the forest that lined the northern hill. But despite how quick they were, by the time the fireball descended onto the hill the Faceless had reached the bottom. Rinkah, seeing the open plain now before them, began to ran towards the monster. She stopped when she noticed that her commander hadn't moved from her spot.
"What are you doing? It's getting away!"
"I know! Just give me a minute!" Shouted the princess, as she lowered herself to ground so she could drain the mana from the dragon vein. Luckily the process was quick enough to allow Emily to start sprinting before Rinkah could make any comment. Kaze also didn't question the strange behaviour and just silently followed his female allies as they charged after the monster.
Those seconds wasted seemed to be enough time for the monster to dart into the clump of trees that surrounded the base of the final hill; the final hurdle before it could reach the injured princess that was trapped at the end of the valley. The trio went as fast as they could, sprinting past the chilled trees and the roots that were hidden underneath the snow. But alas, by the time they reached the bottom of the hill the Faceless had already climbed to the top.
Emily activated her 'Dark Vision' so she could make a quick, informed decision the amount of time that she had. Looking to her right, she saw that Ryoma had taken care of the three Faceless that had been residing in the middle of the terrain and that the princess on the Pegasus—whatever her name was—had finished off one of her attackers.
This good news was punctuated by the sound of terrified screaming, for the injured princess must have seen the Faceless that had just begun climbing down the hill towards her. The dark-haired princess saw the Pegasus rider turn her head, but that cost her steed an injury that almost knocked it out of the air.
Without a moment's hesitation, Emily raised her hand and began teleporting up the mountain; leaving the Hoshidan officers behind. The spell's range was short, but it only took three castings to get Emily to the top of the hill. She almost lost her footing as she leapt over the peak, managing to stay stable by plunging her sword-free hand into the snow behind her. Glancing down, she saw the Faceless drop from a stone ridge and land a few feet away from the injured princess. She yelped and whimpered as she tried to back away, but tripped due to her strained ankle.
Having spent her limited mana, and with moments to act, Emily did the first thing she could think of. She tightened the grip on her weapon, bent her knees and jumped off the side of the mountain. As she fell, the wind blowing back her hood, she pointed her sword downwards towards her target that she was approaching at blinding speed. The princess, even though her lungs couldn't absorb the rushing air, roared at the top of her voice as she plummeted towards the ground.
The Faceless didn't look up, for it was raising an arm to strike the terrified princess; who was so scared that she couldn't notice that a screaming, coat wearing warrior was falling out of the sky. The monster didn't' unleash the blow that would have ended her life, as a sword pierced the top of its skull; and holding its handle was Emily.
Though her weapon managed to pierce the Faceless so deep that only the handle was sticking out, it did not stop her from falling gently. In fact, she was forced to let go of the weapon when she collided with the creature; the sound of her knee bone snapping that was accompanied by yells of pain as she fell to ground. Her head didn't strike a stray rock, that punishment was meant for her flailing arm that was already sore from being torn away from the sword.
The winded, injured fighter had slightly lost her vision, but she could still the body of the slain monster and that it was slowly falling on top of her. She couldn't even let out a swear word, just a gargled noise of agony as the large mass crushed her broken leg, her bruised arm and now just her aching body as a whole. It was lucky for the Nohrian(?) that the monster dissipated into nothingness, but now she lay defenceless in the snow and the sun chose this time to come and blind her.
The dark-haired princess let out a low moan as she started to feel the cold, unable to move a muscle. The sun's rays were soon blocked by a person, the injured princess who had limped to her now paralysed saviour.
Emily recalled the words Ryoma used to describe his sisters, the first part being that they both had red hair. Though the one named Sakura, which Emily guessed was the one standing over her, had a lighter shade of red, mid-long hair and a white hair band that had flower-pins holding it in place. The back of her hair was tied back with a red and white ribbon that matched the Shrine Maiden robes she wore. The only other obvious colour was the blue ribbon that was tied around her waist and her hazel eyes that were staring down at Emily.
"A-are you alright?" Her voice was light, shaky, and racked by nervousness.
Though the question was clearly stupid, the wounded princess resisted the urge to be snarky. She tried to give a simple 'no', but with how battered her body was she couldn't enunciate well enough for her words to sound clear coming from her covered mouth. She waited for the princess to catch on and heal her; use the stave/staff/whatever the fuck you want to call it, that she had in her hand. But that didn't happen, as she there to nerve stricken to do anything.
Now annoyed, she gritted her teeth and used her least injured arm to reach up and pull her bandana down. "Yeah…I'm totally fine…" She coughed, wincing in pain as she did so. "I don't need…any healing at all…"
The princess took a step back, clutching her staff close to the chest. She obviously knew that this stranger needed help, but it was a stranger with a Nohrian accent. A stranger that did save her life…or had she just missed? Emily soon realised this, but the strength she had used to dispense sarcasm was gone. Unviable to cite Ryoma, Kaze or Rinkah as a friend, thus proving that she was on Sakura's side. For her blood was trickling out onto the snow, and with it her ability to speak.
Sakura, while still looking conflicted and worried, raised her staff. A circle of symbols suddenly surrounded the Hoshidan, white and red imagery that spun around the magical staff. The blood that stained the snow dribbled back into the wounded princess, who's first use of her new strength was to cry in pain. Though the rest of her body's injuries were gently being fixed, her broken leg felt like hot fire as the bones began to move inside her skin.
"S-stay still," reassured the Hoshidan princess as the symbols around the staff vanished. "I need to cast the healing magic a few more times to fix bone injuries. I-I'm sorry its hurts, b-but there's no other way."
Emily could only reply verbally with more groans, but she placed a knuckle into her mouth to stop herself from biting her own tongue; showing that she had heard the healer. For the next few minutes, she was in the worst pain she had ever felt in her life, even when she once burned herself at a forge. But after her bones were done mending, she felt as if she had just woken up after a long, rejuvenating nap. Slowly, she raised herself out of the snow on legs that felt firm and strong.
"Wow…" she muttered as she examined the healers' work. "Nice work. You saved my life, after I just saved yours…" Emily noticed that the princess was still slightly worried, so she gave one of her usual smile as she said: "Don't worry, I'm here to help. Your brother, Ryoma, needed help to save you and your sister and I volunteered."
Even though Sakura was slightly put off by the stranger's unintentionally mischievous smile, the sound of her brother's name made her face light up. "You are? Oh, thank goodness—ow!" In her momentary excitement, she forgot that she had twisted her ankle.
"Hold on," said the dark-haired princess, softly. Having experience with her maid, she gently bent down and scooped up the red head; carrying her bridal style. Sakura was surprised by this, but didn't squirm, and allowed the stranger to continue while she blushed bright red. "Don't worry, I'll carry you until we find a healer or someone with a Vulnerary."
"T-thank you…" she said sheepishly; as she allowed her staff to vanish away to where it was summoned from. "B-but there might be more Faceless out there…"
"Nah," interrupted Emily as she trogged through the snow. "I think they're all dead by this point. Your sister and brother must have finished them off…"
Just as she said this, a white Pegasus landed right in front of the coated royal and its rider was brandishing a naginata –a Hoshidan spear—at her throat.
"Whoa, whoa! I'm on your side! Your side!"
"Hinoka! She's telling the truth!" Piped up the Shrine Maiden, as she wrapped her arms around her carrier like she was shielding her.
With that testimonial, Hinoka lowered her weapon. Unlike her sister, her read hair was richly darker by compassion. She wore no accessories and her mess of hair looked constantly windswept. She had red eyes there were set in a face that was fair for a maiden, but it was plagued with a seriousness found in a trained solider. She had a high, white collar that protected her neck and the white scarf she wore. Her armour was very light, the only obvious metal bits being pearl and white shoulder pads and wrist bracers that were designed to glance off arrows.
Hinoka dropped off her Pegasus slowly, her naginata placed in a holder on her saddle, and rushed over to Emily. "Is she hurt?" She asked; her voice slightly husky and course.
"Just a sprained ankle," explained Emily. "She just needs a Vulnerary or some kind of healing potion, then she can walk again."
"I've got a healing Concoction," she responded. The red-head, after reaching the side of her sister, pulled out a vial and fed it to her little sister. Emily waited for a bit before letting Sakura down. When her feet touched the snow-covered floor, she didn't wince in pain, and went straight for her older sister for a hug; crying and mumbling about her near-death experience. "There, there, Sakura. Everything will be alright."
"I'm so sorry," spluttered the Shrine Maiden. "I-I was just so scared…" She turned around to look at her saviour. "…T-thank you, for saving me…"
Emily shrugged. "Don't sweat it. Just glad that I was of some help." She looked towards the opening of the valley, that three of them were standing near, as she remembered the officers she had left behind. "Sorry, but I need to check up on some friends that I left behind. Your brother should be on his way…" She began to move to the valley's exit. "…So tell him that I'll be back with Kaze and Rinkah, okay?"
"Hey, wait a second!"
The coated royal stopped, just as she was about to go around the Pegasus.
Hinoka, who had dropped her stern look, smiled at the dark-haired princess as she said: "Thank you, for saving my sister. But before you get your friends, can I ask you your name?"
"Sure. The name's Emily."
She did not notice the expression of recognition that struck the two princesses' faces, for she quickly carried on her way. She didn't walk far from the entrance of the valley before she met up with three familiar faces.
"Emily?! Kaze and Rinkah told me you gave chase to a Faceless that had entered the valley! Is Sakura alright, is she hurt?!"
"Easy there, Lobster Lord." Casually replied the dark-haired princess. "Both your sisters are safe and sound." She paused for a moment as she used her Dark Vision to scan the landscape once more. "And you managed to take care of most of the Faceless. Well done."
The look of strife on Ryoma's face was wiped away in place of a calm smile. He breathed deeply as he sheathed his magical katana away, allowing Rinkah to walk up to Emily. "Are you hurt?" Was what she asked, without a single trace of anger or resentment in her voice. "We thought we heard you screaming when you went over the hill."
"I was screaming," explained the royal; the fresh memory of the incident still clear in her mind. "I jumped off so I could stab the Faceless in the head."
"You what!?" Reacted the tanned woman. "What possessed you to do something so stupid?"
"I had no more manna left to cast a spell and if I didn't do that, Sakura would be lying in the snow with her head squashed in right about now. Yes, I did break my leg, strain my sword arm and got crushed when the Faceless fell on me…" The royal laughed nervously, as the Oni Savage's face grew more disapproving and angry as she listed each of her injuries. "…But I'm still standing, Sakura is alive and no one got hurt…except for me."
There was an awkward silence as Rinkah stared at the Nohrian(?), measuring her up and processing all she had done up to this point. Finally, she began to chuckle as she slapped Emily on the back. "You really are a naïve fool."
The princess didn't have time to respond to that as Kaze chimed in, smiling pleasantly like usual. "In any case, we have accomplished our mission. The princesses are safe…in fact, here they are."
Emily followed the ninja's pointing finger and, indeed, the two red heads were walking out of the valley to join them. The dark-haired royal looked at Ryoma and joined his side, waving at the two approaching women as she did so. "See?" she said in a jovial tone. "Your sisters are all safe and sound."
"Yes," he replied. "They all are."
Without warning, Emily soon found a pair of arms wrap around her; embraced by a sobbing woman that she didn't know for the second time today. The grip was very tight and the tears flowed freely, as Hinoka sobbed: "Finally…after all these years…I…I've missed you so much. I-I'm…I'm sorry!" The Pegasus rider fully broken down in the arms of her sister…her supposed sister.
The dark-haired princess could do nothing but look at the High Prince, who was smiling once more at another one-sided hug. "Hinoka was so attached to you when you were little, Emily." After saying those words, his face darkened slightly. "When you were taken from us, she cried for months. One day she stopped crying and picked up the naginata. She vowed to bring you back to us someday. And now…" He put a hand on her shoulder, his face now brighter than the sun as he smiled down. "…here you are."
If her first bone healing was the most painful memory she had received today, then this was the most awkward moment of her entire life. It wasn't because she thought they were lying…and if they where they were very good liars. For it was the sincerity of these people, of how glad they were to see her in their lives, against the plain truth that she did not remember them in the slightest that caused such discomfort in the Nohrian (?).
She waited for Hinoka's tears to dry before she moved a muscle; her first action being a ginger pat on the head. The rider released the dark-haired royal, her face blushing so red that she resembled a tomato. "I'm sorry, Emily." She spluttered as she wiped the tears of her face. "I'm not usually this emotional. But I'm just so happy to have you back." The dark redhead did not provide any evidence of being less emotional when she punched the air and whooped. "Take that, Nohrian scumbags! We win, you lose!"
Those last words bugged Emily deeply, if not on her own behalf but because she had just insulted her siblings. And yes, Elise, Leo, Camila and Xander were her real siblings; no matter what these strangers said.
She managed to hide this annoyance as the little redhead, Sakura, slowly approached her. "Y-you're really Emily?" She asked, her face flushed and her eyes misty.
Unfortunately for her, the dark-haired princess had had enough hugs for one day. She raised a hand and Sakura walked straight into her palm, keeping the little redhead at an arm's length. "Sorry, but I've had enough people soak my coat today." She turned to the High Prince. "So, I've helped save your sisters. Let's head back, tell the villagers we've past that the danger has passed and head to the castle so I can get comfy in my cell tonight."
She didn't wait for a reply from anyone as she turned on her heels and began the long walk back to the caravan. The princess paid no attention to the voices that called to her as she trogged through the snow, having to raise her hood again for the sun had returned to ruin her day. She half expected Ryoma or Rinkah to chase after her and demand an explanation for her attitude. But she crossed the snowy landscape with no hounds at her heels, ducking around trees that she had run past with such further to save two people, not her family. Her real family was back in Nohr, probably sad and angry that she was now in the hands of their enemies…except for her…father. Her skin crawled as she associated that word with Garon, for he would just be angry that his attempt to kill her had failed.
For that reason, as Emily walked past the hamlet and looked towards the west, the princess felt no urge to escape from her Hoshidan…friends?
A chill suddenly breached her skin, a distinct chill that she remembered. The dark-haired royal turned to spy the same shrine maiden that had been with Rinkah and had drove the caravan to the snowy hills. She was flanked by two samurai, who could have been the one she had spared at Krakenburg, and they were approaching her with their swords raised.
She placed her hands on top of her head, saying: "I'm not trying to escape. I just went ahead of the others; I'm not hostile." They didn't lower their weapons, so she kept her hands up as she slowly approached them. "Sakura and Hinoka are safe. There were no casualties, so we're heading back."
The Shrine Maiden looked carefully at the princess' face, trying to gauge is she was lying or not, before deciding that she was telling the truth. "Okay," she said in a measured, business like tone. "But until the Prince returns, we will guard you and make sure you don't leave the caravan. I apologise, Princess Emily, but we can't take any chances."
"I understand," replied the royal. She followed the three Hoshidan troops back to the caravan and found a place near the front to sit; while the samurai guarded the back exit and the shrine maiden, who didn't think that the princess would try to escape, readied herself onto the horse.
Not wanting an awkward silence, Emily decided to ask a question she had been meaning to ask. "So, where do these Faceless things come from?"
The shrine maiden gave her a brief question look before answering. "Faceless are will-less monsters that are summoned by Nohrian mages, Lady Emily. Forgive me, but didn't you reside in Nohr? Don't you practice magic, like they do?"
Recognition sparked in the royal's eyes. "Hold on…I think my brother told me about these things. Aren't they those creatures that are so dangerous to summon that they can kill who ether summoned them?"
"Yes, Lady Emily." Confirmed the shrine maiden. "But when did you converse with Lord Takumi?"
The Princess looked puzzled for a moment. "Takumi? No, I'm talking about my little brother, Prince Leo of Nohr. He's a Dark Mage…well, technically a Dark Knight. But I remember him telling me about Faceless. He told me that they weren't being used by the army because of how hard they were to control."
"Oh…" The shrine maiden bit her lip, whilst adjusting the reins of her steed. "…Well, I don't know what to say, Lady Emily. Nohr have been sending Faceless at us, because they can't send their soldiers across the border." She promptly answered the question that was about to escape the royal's lips. "Queen Mikoto has set up a magical barrier around Hoshido. Any Nohrian, unless they are very strong willed, are robbed of their will to fight. Faceless are empty husks, so they are not effect."
"Huh…" Emily looked downwards, her thoughts absorbing this information. "I don't think Leo would lie to me about that…"
"Do you truly remember nothing about your mother and siblings." She shook her head, which was preceded by a moment of silence. "Are these Nohrian siblings of your good people?" Disregarding any small doubts, she now had, the royal nodded fervently. "Even the King?"
"Gods, no."
Those words caused the Shrine Maiden to chortle. "Well, no offense, but I now hope that time will take him quicker than intended so that this war might end. If your siblings are anything like you, peace might be closer than we could have ever hoped." Distant sounds from outside the caravan aroused the horse, which was neighing and braying at the newcomers. "Looks like the others have returned."
"Excuse me, miss…"
"Kohōto, Lady Emily."
"Okay. Kohōto, do you mind telling them that I'm asleep? I'm not really in the mood to talk to them just yet."
Before an answer could be given, the sound of Ryoma's voice caused the dark-haired royal to go limp; lolling her head like she had dozed off. "Kohōto! Is Emily with you?"
"She's in here," replied the shrine maiden; who had very short, spikey black hair. "She fell asleep some time ago, Lord Ryoma. It's best not to wake her until we have returned to Castle Shirasagi."
Emily smiled as she continued to feign sleep. She heard the wood of the caravan creak as people clambered inside and the sound of a Pegasus' wings cutting through the air from high above. Nobody disturbed her and she kept her eyes closed shut, while the black-haired shrine maiden started the journey back to the capital.
As they bounced along the snowy roads, Emily felt someone place something in her hands. Opening her eyes by a slither, she saw that someone had given her back her retractable sword; which she had completely forgotten about. Judging from the sobbing, the person was Sakura; which was confirmed when she softly whispered to the 'sleeping' princess:
"I-I'm so glad that you're with us again…"
Emily said nothing, but a weight began to weigh on her heart. And no matter how hard she tried, sleep refused to take her as she rode back to her…home.