Three Stars

Disclaimer: Tibby-san, Writer-of-Worlds, and I do not own Fire Emblem. We just own our OCs and this unique take on Fire Emblem Fates.

Notes: There are some parts I've taken a lot of creative liberty with. You'll see.

FIC START!

Chapter 3

Arielle and Fiora made their way back to the Bottomless Canyon, doing their best to avoid being seen by anyone else. Any potential person could be for either side of the conflict. If Lilith said there was a balanced way to do this, then the green-haired axe-weilding girl was going to do it. She was determined to find a way where she wouldn't have to fight her best friends, the girls that felt like family when sometimes not even family felt like family. Arielle remembered wishing, throwing a coin into a well, that they were her family. Here, they actually were! That was more than enough reason to find a way not to be dragged into either side of the war. Though, Arielle wasn't too keen on going back to the place where Hans, loyal lackey of King Garon, tried to kill the three of them. If it were not for the loyal team of servants that accompanied them and a well-trained veteran knight that was sacrified in the battle, they would have not survived that fight. The thought of that brought tears to her eyes again.

Fiora stopped at the edge of the canyon, taking a deep breath as she turned to address Arielle. "Here we are," she said.

"Um," Arielle bit her lip. "You know we lost Gunter here... You, uhh, don't think we should hide here, do you?"

Fiora only nodded. "That's exactly what I mean."

"All the fortresses are destroyed, and I don't think we could secure the place alone-"

"No, I mean. We're gonna jump into the canyon."

Arielle shook her head and backed away, putting her arms up defensively. "I know I said we need to lay low, but, uhh. I don't think death is a good hiding place!"

"Lilith said that if we jump in, we won't die," Fiora said, standing her ground.

"If every creature on a floating ball told you to jump into a bottomless canyon, would you do it?!"

Fiora sighed, walking away from the mouth of the canyon. "Fine, fine. I guess we'll just go back to our secret castle in the Astral Plane, and we're just gonna completely let your two sisters kill each other!"

Arielle knew that was supposed to bait her, and that's exactly what it did. She walked over to the side of the canyon and stuck her head out over it to get a good look down the side. Well, if she remembered the game right... this was the only way to the balanced path. It had been a long time since she restarted the game, though. Once she had a file where she married and had her kids, she didn't go out of her way to replay it. Hell, she hadn't really even beaten Revelations. Even if this was just the story of a game, it felt incredibly real. The ground was real, the people were real, everything...

"Are you going to just sit there?" Fiora asked. "We don't have a lot of time!"

"It's not that I don't want to stop the war, because I do. I'm... I'm just afraid, okay?"

"Yes, I get it," the maid replied. "But we can't have you getting cold feet."

"Oh that's cute, miss maid from the ice tribe..." Arielle nodded. "I'm going to need you to do me a favor."

"And that is?"

"Push me, because I'm so terrified, I can't even move..."

"You want me to push you?!" Fiora walked up to her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not gonna get any closer unless you do..."

"All right, then. You asked for it!" Fiora put both her hands on Arielle's shoulders, pushing her off the edge of the canyon with all her strength. Fiora, wishing someone could do the same for her, lept off right after. She wasn't to keen on this sort of drop, either, but... if it's what must be done, then it was what must be done. Arielle let out screams of abject terror as she fell, avoiding rocks and other natural formations in the canyon. Fiora reached out to her, to ensure her that she wasn't alone in the fall. They nodded to each other, only to be swallowed up by some mysterious, almost magical darkness.

Kamui was leading her small gathering of troops into battle, as Nohrian forces were all ready approaching. It seemed as if their tiny force wasn't going to get much of anywhere. Just Hana, Subaki, Sakura, Felicia, and herself? She braced herself for a difficult fight. There were outlaws led by one dark-clad cavalier. She grasped onto the hilt of her sword, standing out in front of everyone else. She squinted her eyes, trying to see if she could identify the leader of the enemy force.

"Hey! Kamui!" the cavalier shouted from atop his horse. "Is that you?!"

It sounded as if the leader of the assult was familiar with her. How could that be? She didn't recognize the voice at all. "Who's asking?"

"That is the voice I remember," he said. "It really is you!"

Kamui scoffed. "Please drop the act... We don't know each other."

"You honestly don't remember?" he asked, disappointed. "I'm Silas. We were best friends as children!"

"Um. What?"

"Be careful," Felicia said, standing right behind Kamui. "This could be a trap..."

Silas took a deep breath. Clearly, he did not want to do this. She could see it in his face how hesitant he was to point his weapon at her. "I promise that I'm telling the truth," he said. "But... it seems no matter what, we were destined to cross swords..." That defeated expression was almost too much for her to bear. It made her want to know more, but before she could say anything, he led his horse back and the grunt troops were now the very front of the force.

"To arms!" she shouted, causing the tiny group behind her to take their battle stances. Kamui was easily able to lead the small force at her disposal. What wounds arose were easily taken care of by Felicia and Sakura. It didn't take long before they were all gathered around Silas himself.

"I became a knight so I could see you again," Silas said. "I never imagined I would have to fight you."

"I'm so sorry, but I just don't remember," Kamui answered. She tried to think about Silas in the game. He wasn't a bad guy, but she didn't have that much of a connection with him. Perhaps he was confusing her for one of her sisters? "If you'd just stand down..."

"You don't have to remember me!" Silas said. "You can still go back to Nohr with me. Even if you don't go back to the castle, I can protect-"

"I'm far beyond the point of no return," Kamui replied, pointing her blade at him. "If you are here to take me back with you, I can't go. Nice try, taking orders from the princess still in good standing."

"I- I don't want..." Silas lifted up his lance, swearing loudly against the Gods at the hand that fate had dealt him.

They stared each other down, both unflinching, waiting for the other to make a move. When Subaki wanted to go in and take Silas out himself, Sakura stopped him from going any further. This was something Kamui had to deal with on her own. Everyone heard the galloping of the horse's hooves against the hard ground below. Kamui tried to defend herself, but the lance was longer than her sword. Blood splattered out and she winced in pain, taking a knee.

"If you don't come home with me, I have orders to... execute the traitor," Silas said, frowning. "I am a knight, I cannot betray my orders!"

Kamui almost laughed at that, though the rest of her team was screaming for him to stop. The usually gentle and quiet Sakura was the loudest of the protesters. She used her sword to support her weight, pushing herself up to a stand. Even if she was hurt, she wasn't going to die cowering. "I won't hold you back," she said. "You do what you have to do."

Silas lifted his lance again and started to come at her in full force. She wondered if she'd be given a chance to reload the game if she died here. How different it was actually living the game's story as opposed to just playing it... She closed her eyes. She wasn't gonna be able to stop him at this rate. Best to just accept her fate.

CLANG!

"You will not lay a hand on my liege," came a male voice. Immediately Kamui opened her eyes to see Kaze standing over her, holding off the lance that was aimed for her heart with nothing more than his ninja shurikens. "Lady Kamui, are you all right?"

She gasped, overjoyed at seeing him at all, let alone protecting her. His beautiful, bouncy green hair flowed as he moved. He must have used his ninja technique to suddenly appear! Now that he was here, she was able to find every bit of confidence within her to stand back up and fight off Silas. "...wh-where have you been?!" she asked, putting her hands on her dragonstone instead of her sword.

"Forgive me, my lady, but if we could discuss this after the battle is taken care of," Kaze said, jumping back to stand at her side. "Come. We do this together. I'm here for you."

"Yes!" she said, feeling her body transform from just a white haired girl to being a silver dragon. She was able to use her tail to knock Silas completely off his horse before quickly reverting back to her human body and slumping down onto her knees again. That adrenaline rush was something else. Just having Kaze close to her made her feel as if she could take on every enemy that would come at her.

"It... didn't have to be this way..."

Sakura let out a little yelp before running over to take care of Kamui's wounds. Kaze stood defensively in front of Kamui and the rest of the group watched as Silas barely managed to get on his knees to await punishment. After a few moments, Kamui was able to stand. While she wanted to glomp Kaze, she had to decide what to do with this guy that claimed they were best friends as kids. Weird ass jabrony.

"Go on," Silas said, bowing his head to her. "Kill me."

She walked up to him, but she didn't feel right about this. Even if he was from Nohr. "This is wrong. You were holding back."

"It doesn't matter anymore, Kamui... just... do it."

"I don't get it," she said. "Really. I don't. Aren't you here on... Princess Rynah's orders?"

"What? No." Silas said. "Your sister isn't exactly in the best shape right now."

"But she went back..." Kamui insisted. "That's- that's-" She wasn't entirely familiar with the Conquest path. She'd brushed over it, but never actually played it herself. It was hard to bring herself to betray Hoshido. She did know that if someone chose the path of Nohr, they would have to prove themselves through many trials before they could accept the title of royalty. But this was different. Things were very different! Kaze stepped in during the middle of the fight, and ever since coming here, no one had seen hide or hair of Azura at all. Did that mean that the world of Fates was changing from the way it was supposed to? "It doesn't make sense! Xander, he always-" Tears came to her eyes for a moment, thinking that Rynah might be put to death. Even if she had a different belief in how the game was supposed to be played. Even if they made different decisions as to who they accepted as family. They were family by choice, and since coming here, they were given a chance to be family for real.

"My lady?" Felicia asked. "What is it?"

"Xander would never let anything happen to Rynah, I'm sure of it..." Kamui said. "She might not be on the best terms with Garon, but I know for sure that Rynah is safe." At least, she hoped that this world held true to the game in that respect. She stared at Silas. "I don't think you really intended to kill me, Silas."

"Honestly," Silas said. "Some things are more important than following orders."

"You're gonna have to be a lot more clear than that or I really will drive my sword through you."

"Do what you must," he said, looking up at her with a genuine smile. "I value an oath I made when I was a child far more than my own life. I... still don't believe you can't remember. We used to play together. You used to tell me how badly you wanted to see the world. So, one day, I made us a picnic and snuck you out for a few hours to explore. I knew it was forbidden, I knew it could have cost me my life, but... I had to take you. I couldn't refuse those beautiful eyes of yours. Going out beyond the wall, and eventually being found by the maids..."

"That does sound vaguely familiar..."

"...oh really?"

"Silas. You said you'd sacrifice your life for mine."

"Yes, yes I would."

Kamui nodded. "That's great. Sakura, heal him."

"Oh, okay..." Sakura used her Festal on Silas, which allowed him to stand.

"I have a mission for you," Kamui said. "Head back to Nohr. Report to my sister, Rynah. Not anyone else. Not Iago, not King Garon. Report directly to her. You are to guard her and see to it that we are one day reunited... Don't tell her I sent you."

Most of the people in the party couldn't believe what they heard. But Silas accepted the mission without hesitation. "I will do it, Kamui. Your sister will not come to any harm as long as she is under my protection."

"Thank you, Silas."

He got back up on his horse and galloped away.

"...was that a good idea?" Hana asked. "Sending some Nohrian scum back like that?"

"We might have to fight that guy again later," Subaki added.

"Oh I'm pretty sure we will at some point," Kamui said. "That's the point."

"What?" both of Sakura's retainers were baffled.

"If I see Silas again, that will mean my sister is close by," she said. "Rynah might be a better strategist than I am, but that doesn't mean I can't have a few things working in my favor as well." Kamui laughed.

"Now I get it..." Hana said as she giggled a little.

"Even if you two chose different paths, you still care for her," Sakura said. "It may be difficult, but maybe we should find a way to convince the others to believe in your sisters the way you do."

"That would make me happy," Kamui said. She had been watching Silas ride his horse until he was no longer visible, and once he was gone, she looked around at the dilapated fortress. There was simply too much work that needed to be done to be distracted by worrying over either Rynah or Arielle. Too much work...

"You could have used another sword arm for your army," Kaze said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"...she's in a more precarious situation than I am," Kamui said, turning to finally look at him. No more distractions. Now she could begin working on... stuff... "Besides... who needs him, when I have you?"

King Garon stood with his arms wide out, closing his eyes. A strange presence filled the room which made Rynah want to step away. But that would have been a sign of weakness, which was something no one here would have tolerated. Well. No one with the ability to get her out of the position she was in for the moment. Darkness swirled about the king, and yet despite feeling uneasy, everyone kept their attention focused on him. "Mighty Anankos..." he said in a way like a magic chant. The king's advisor, Iago, seemed more panicked than anyone else. "...I call upon your wisdom in this day of reckoning! Grant me a vision!"

Rynah thought about it for a moment. She had played a little of all three paths, but the only one she had beaten was Conquest. That name sounded very familiar. What was it? Where had she heard it before...?

After a few moments of hearing nothing but the crackling energy around the king, he continued. "Fate has smiled upon you, young Rynah. As decreed by the great dragon, Anankos, you shall be accepted into the Nohrian royal family."

"Father, I-"

Iago shook his head. "Your magesty... this... this is perposterous!"

Xander looked back at Rynah and said, "You did the right thing, Father. We are all eternally grateful."

As was Rynah herself. That moment when her eyes met with Xander's, she just wanted to fall into them forever. It made her remember exactly why she was so drawn to him in the first place. How he stood for what was right, how he worked to make all of his people safe... how she could imagine that, despite how unsafe she felt in real life, that Xander would keep her safe from all that would threaten her. All of the Nohrian siblings seemed eager to celebrate, but Garon cut them off.

"Not so fast, children. Before it can be done, she must pass a test."

"A test?" Rynah asked. Oh, she remembered this part of the game. She was going to have to go to the Ice Tribe's village. That fight wasn't difficult at all. She wasn't particularly scared of it.

"You will go supress the Ice Tribe's rebellion. Once you have gloriously dealt with this obligation on behalf of Nohr, I will welcome you back as my daughter, and all will be as it was," Garon explained.

"I'll do it, then," she said.

"You'll do great," Xander said, smiling. "I'll prepare for departure immediately."

Elise squealed, "And I'll come along to heal you if you get hurt!"

"You fail to understand," Garon said. "To fulfill the wishes of the mighty dragon, Rynah must do this herself. Rynah will abolish this rebellion without the aid of our troops."

"WHAT?!" Camilla gasped. "Father, that's simply not possible-"

"Father, be reasonable," Xander said sternly. He didn't want to be rude to his father, but that demand was simply too much. "Attempting to end the rebellion alone is suicide. To even get there, she'll have to pass through the Woods of the Forlorn. After being sheltered so long-"

"If that is the case," Garon said, staring his eldest child down. "Then kill her now. I will not tolerate insolence!"

"...Understood... I apologize for my outburst, Father..."

Rynah only said, "It's all right. I'll do it. You don't have to worry about me, Xander. Leo once said that... I have the devil's luck. I swear to you, all of you, that I'll accomplish this task and come back home. If you'll excuse me, I must go make the proper preparations for the journey."

"Rynah..." Xander watched her carefully. "...may the Gods be at your side."

"I have high hopes for you, Rynah..." Garon said, his voice suddenly louder than it was before. "Do not let me down."

"I won't, Father..." she answered. "That's a promise."

She turned to leave, once again accompanied by all of her Nohrian siblings. They left the throne room and the heavy metal door closed behind them. Rynah let Elise hug her and Camilla pat her on the head before she walked off on her own. Xander stood back, watching them all react to this news. The expressions across their faces. He had always taken the time to watch them over the years. To get to know them. He cared for each and every one of them deeply, regardless of the rivalries between their mothers during their childhood. There was so little actual bonding done in the Nohrian royal family. He took a moment to wonder if the connections between the Hoshidan royals were more genuine. And then he dismissed that thought. He wasn't allowed to give Hoshidans the chance to be better than his own family within his own mind, lest he once again be called a traitor to the Nohrian crown. Camilla walked off on her own, and then Leo. Elise watched Xander for a moment, wondering why he just stood back there instead of taking part of the conversation, and when she motioned for him to follow her. He only looked away from her, causing her to pout and stomp off. That girl. Xander knew how lonely she was deep down. It was a shame how she wasn't really allowed to voice it without being scolded.

"Excellent..." Garon laughed from inside the throne room. "All is going according to plan... She will leave, just as the dragon decrees... No traitor to Nohr shall escape justice! Even if she begs to die, I will refuse... All three of those girls must learn the true meaning of pain!"

Xander froze for a moment. "...so it is true... I should have known..." He turned away from the door and walked off on his own. "Father only wants Rynah, and the other two, to suffer?" He headed to his own chamber. He knew what he had to do.