A/N:

Posted: July 18th, 2016
Last Updated: February 15th, 2019
Views as of Posting: 1 329
Chapters before AU begins: 2

Hey, welcome to the first paralogue!

Paralogues are chapters NOT focusing on Corrin's point of view in any way. They are somewhat shorter than the regular chapters in Blazing Angel. However, please do not discard them as mere filler. There are important elements of the plot revealed in these paralogues, so give them a read. They usually contain scenes concurrent with current story events, or important flashbacks.

The Arthur Pairing Poll has been extended to July 24th. I must say, it's a lot closer than I imagined. See the A/N at this chapter's end.

Prologue Updates:
- Changed Corrin's and Takumi's conversation from in-game dialogue to original dialogue

All changes are purely stylistic and do not impact the story. Efforts will be made to minimize these types of updates in the future.

Now, onto the story…

Paralogue 1: Illusions (Jakob, Leo, Elise)

[That same day, in Castle Krakenburg]

It was late in the morning. Jakob folded his arms as Felicia made her way down the hall. The incompetent maid whistled excitedly outside of the large cedar doors leading to the archery range. He had already finished his daily duties, thanks to Iago dismissing him early before leaving the castle. The butler hissed at Felicia to straighten her back as she leaned against the wall, to which she frantically obeyed.

"How long have you been waiting here?" Felicia asked.

"Not too long." Jakob said, "Did you spill something again?"

"No!" The maid was taken aback, "Well, maybe a bit…"

The butler ran his hands through his grey hair in exasperation. It was miraculous Felicia had such troubles serving Krakenburg. If she could not get that right, he wondered what troubles she would bring to the Expeditionary Force.

"I wonder what Xander has in store for us." Felicia piped.

Jakob furled his eyebrow, "Your guess is as good as mine."

With impeccable timing, the cedar door finally opened. The large room it led to was lit with several candles and was mostly empty. At the door was Xander, looking down at the two servants. Behind him was Elise, peeking at them from behind with a wide smile and waving hands.

"Sorry for the wait." Xander said, "We're now set up for your physical examination."

"Examination?" Felicia exclaimed, "Do we need to change?"

"No, it's fine." The Crown Prince replied, "Come in. We'll explain it all in here."

Felicia and Jakob made their way into the room. The archery targets that stood in the room before were cleared. There was a long table with some bottles, armor, and many daggers. There were no horses, maps, obstacles, or even traps – most of the room appeared barren, compared to when they cleaned it yesterday.

(What kind of physical examination is this?)

"Welcome to the new recruitment test!" Elise jumped with joy.

"Princess Elise will be observing with me." Xander folded his arms, "This test will determine your compatibility with the Expeditionary Force."

"As you wish." Jakob nodded.

Felicia tilted her head. "What are we going to do?"

[…]

The last dagger left Jakob's hand and flew across the room. It cut into the wooden figure representing a Hoshidan samurai on the other side. Another perfect hit, right into its chest. Xander nodded with satisfaction as Felicia watched with awe.

"Yay, Jakob!" Elise jumped excitedly, "That was amazing!"

"Thank you, Lady Elise." Jakob replied, heading towards the target. As he pulled out the practice daggers, he could not help but wonder how ridiculous this test was. No one would have an endless supply of throwing daggers on the field.

"Felicia, your turn." Xander prompted.

"Okay! Sounds good!" she piped without hesitation.

She walked towards the table with the pile of daggers and stared at the wooden figure. Jakob joined Elise by her the side and watched intently. Xander raised his arm and thrusted it downwards, signaling her to begin.

She was already off to a bad start from her first throw. Felicia tossed the practice dagger like a club and it tumbled in the air. Her throw was way too high to hit the chest. Even Princess Elise raised an eyebrow at the attempt.

When it finally came down, the dagger dug into the target's head, where the eye socket would be and lodged there. While it was not exactly a perfect hit to the chest, the throw would have definitely hurt. Jakob shuddered at what would have happened to the poor soul on the receiving end.

"Continue." Xander grunted.

The rest of her fifteen throws were uneventful. Four perfect hits, eight off-center hits, and three misses. The results were slightly worse than Jakob, but she also took much longer between throws. Xander did not make a comment.

"Nice one!" Elise beamed.

"Thanks…" Felicia tried to smile.

"Good work, both of you." Xander said as he examined the target. He pulled the daggers out and threw them onto the floor.

"Did I pass?" Felicia asked.

Xander pointed to the gashes left by her daggers. "Your aim was accurate enough, but your daggers didn't cut far enough into the wooden targets. You need to throw them with more conviction."

Felicia's face dipped with the Crown Prince's feedback. Jakob often saw the same expression when she broke a dish or overcooked the fish. He would have jeered at her ineptitude like before, but it did not seem too appropriate at the moment.

"That's the combat test." Xander announced, "You two were trained as a maid and butler so there is no need to test your ability with our staffs…"

"So what is next?" Jakob inquired.

"Nothing." The crown prince said, "You two are finished."

Jakob stared at the two royals. A physical endurance test, some stabbing at training bags, and a few daggers throws felt barely qualifying to be a test. There was no way anyone was convinced they were ready for combat. The only explanation is that Xander saw enough to disqualify them from joining, he thought.

"So, how did we do?" Felicia said. Her optimism worried the butler.

"Well, since we are going to war very soon, we cannot improve your fighting skills very much beforehand. Front lines are out of the question." Xander replied.

"Ah..?" Felicia's mood dropped again.

Jakob cursed at himself in silence. His sole purpose of residing in Castle Krakenburg was to take good care of Master Corrin. If he could not even help bring him back to the castle, what good was he as a butler?

"However!" Elise interrupted with glee. Felicia looked up.

"Your combat skills are adequate to serve as one of our healers." Xander continued, "Therefore, I am offering you the chance to join our Combat Support Units."

"Combat Support?" Jakob repeated.

He had done a bit of research after Felicia suggested them joining the army. In Nohr's armies, Combat Support provided provisions from the back lines to the armed forces in a battle. Swept up into these ad-hoc units are troubadours, ballistae, and transport caravans. Helping from the rear, they were essential to healing, moving around soldiers, and communication.

(That's not why we wanted to join. We'll never find Corrin at the rear of the army!)

"How about the scouts?" Felicia spoke up.

Jakob gave a quick tap on her heel with his foot. If Felicia was not careful, she would reveal their true intentions. Working behind the scenes was not the best deal, but it was the only one they got.

"Out of the question." Xander said, "You have no experience as a scout. I hope you realize this is not how we usually accept recruits."

"We would be glad to serve in combat support." Jakob quickly butted.

"Are you being honest?" Xander furled his brow in contemplation.

"Yes." The butler insisted.

They were in no position to bargain. Jakob and Felicia held their breaths as they awaited the prince's decision. Elise looked at her older brother expectantly.

He finally answered. "I'll approve your transfer into the Combat Support Unit of the Expeditionary Force."

"Oh cool!" Elise jumped, "You guys are going to be with me! It's going to be fun!"

Felicia finally let out her breath. Jakob on the other hand remained still. The butler stared at the crown prince in doubt. After he thought about it, the butler figured Elise was probably there because they were going to be assigned to her unit regardless. Joining the front lines was never an option to begin with.

"We'll clean up here." Xander said, "Elise shall come to your rooms tomorrow evening and explain your new positions. You two should return to your duties for now."

"Thank you, Lord Xander!" Jakob and Felicia bowed.

"Buh-bye!" Elise waved cheerfully.

The two exited the room and closed the door behind them. After walking a certain distance down the hall away from their hearing, Felicia slouched herself against the castle wall. Jakob looked at his reflection in the window and straightened his attire. It would have been better to change clothes before the evaluation, he thought.

"Well, we made it in." Jakob said.

"This isn't what we wanted though!" Felicia complained, "How are we going to search for Corrin if we're going to always lag behind the army?"

"It's better than nothing." Jakob tried to reason, "When you first came to me with your idea, I wasn't expecting much to begin with."

Combat Support was likely still better than tending to cranky Iago and his newest sidekick for the next few days. Jakob quickly patted down his pants and beckoned Felicia to stop moping on the wall.

"If only I did better on combat, we might have got into the front lines." She sulked.

"It's not your fault." Jakob shrugged. It felt bizarre saying those words since usually the opposite was true.

What he found more unusual was Felicia's enthusiasm in joining. They both wanted their master to return home as soon as possible, but going to war was no small deal. They both acknowledged they might not make it back, and that every day could be a battle for their lives.

"It was foolish to think we would be scouts." He pointed out, "I don't even think I can ride a normal horse, let alone our revenants."

"I like horses." The maid sniffed.

"That's good." Jakob said, "Because as long as Xander hasn't finished the transfer, we still have that stable to clean this afternoon."

"Thanks for reminding me." Felicia grumbled, "Now I'm upset for two reasons."

(Even if she's making a mistake, it's my fault I agreed with it. We're in this together.)

The two stayed silent for a moment. Once Elise introduces them to the rest of her unit, they will no longer be true servants to the royal family. They would be marching with the army into a foreign land.

Everything would have to change.

Jakob looked into the maid's eyes. "I may not always be impressed whenever I see you getting clumsy with the dishes, but for some reason, I…"

"Eh?" Felicia looked back, startled.

"For some reason, I cannot wait to see you getting clumsy near the lavatory."

Felicia's expression turned into annoyance but faded just as quickly. She gave Jakob a brisk shove and went off to her cleaning quarters. Jakob watched in amusement as she briskly walked down the hallway.

(I guess not "everything" would have to change)

"Let's set up."

Yet another session with the senior tactician of Nohr commenced. Leo leaned back into his chair as Iago started pulling books from the large bookshelves. The War Council meeting was taking place within the hour, so they had to prepare their presentation. While they cleaned up the table for the maps and books, a skinny man in mage clothing knocked on the open door. Leo stopped to take a look.

"Iago." He said, "The dark mages have returned from the summoning."

"Marvelous." The tactician rubbed his palms, "Thank you for the report." The lesser mage quickly left them and Iago turned back to searching for books.

"Excuse me." Leo said, "What has been summoned?"

"The two Faceless attacks." Iago yawned.

Leo's expression grew flustered with surprise. No one had informed him about these attacks, and they have not even presented the full strategy at the War Council meeting. The Dark Prince stood up and approached his supposed mentor.

"What?" Leo asked, "Faceless, already?"

"Yes, yes." Iago found the work he was looking for and pulled it out. "That's not important right now. We need to prepare for the generals…"

The tactician picked out another book and thoroughly examined it. After a while, he put it back and moved onto the shelf underneath. Leo finished clearing space on the table and returned to his chair.

"It IS important." He retorted angrily, "Does the army know about this?"

"Of course." The senior tactician said. "The hordes were summoned yesterday. If my calculations were correct, the southernmost one should be reaching Fort Jinya later today."

These were the types of responses that made Leo doubt Iago's ability in the first place. Whenever he came up with an answer, ten more questions followed. Corrin only disappeared two days ago, yet the dark mages had already launched attacks on Hoshidan soil.

"That is… fast." Leo said, sinking backwards.

"Unlike your intuition." Iago hissed, "Weren't these attacks the first thing we discussed when we first sat together?"

"Why launch them now?" Leo probed again.

Iago scowled in annoyance. "I'm getting tired of explaining everything to you. Figure it out for yourself."

(Then you aren't doing a very good job explaining!)

The tactician looked in anticipation at the prince. Leo furled his brow as he tried to put the pieces together. Fort Jinya was quite a distance away from the border, requiring about two days by horse. The Faceless would probably take at least three days, and that was a generous estimation based on current maps.

Father announced they were going to war with Hoshido two days ago, the day Corrin disappeared and the night Iago angrily dragged him to the strategy room. No matter how he ordered the events…

"… You actually launched the Faceless attack before Corrin arrived at the Bottomless Canyon." Leo said. Given the timeline, that was the only possibility.

"Good" Iago affirmed, "Continue."

"Corrin's expedition to the Northern Bottomless Canyon as well... wasn't actually to scout the fortress. You intended for him to find Hoshidans there."

That would make a lot of sense. Faceless hordes appear along the border occasionally, but their movements were unpredictable and they attacked settlements from both countries. One horde attack on a fortress or village would not necessarily mean Nohr was intentionally targeting that region.

"Yes…"

"Once the Hoshidans saw actual –human- soldiers near their territory, they will be on guard and suspect an attack from the North."

"Meaning?"

"The Faceless will reach their targets today, exactly two days after the border skirmish." Leo concluded. "With three attacks in three days, the Hoshidans would have no choice but to displace their army northwards as we planned."

He looked to the tactician for a confirmation. If his deduction was true, then the first phase of the invasion was occurring right now.

"Well done, milord!" Iago exclaimed, "All you needed to do was to think a bit harder before asking stupid questions."

"Shut up!" Leo's fascination quickly turned into rage, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Iago put down at the book he picked and went to the other side of the table. He calmly dusted off the ledge on his side and sat down. Rubbing his hands, he turned to Leo slowly.

"How would Corrin react if you told him about the plan?" Iago brought up.

"He would likely not go through with it." Leo replied.

Corrin would not execute prisoners from Hoshido, let alone instigate a war with them. If he knew Nohr was planning to invade its rival, he might have stubbornly interfered with the plan, somehow.

"There you go." The senior tactician said, "He would mess it up."

"How much longer, until you stop hiding things from me?" Leo snapped.

"That information was kept from your brother for good reason." Iago countered, "I didn't expect the encounter to become a major incident anyways."

(That doesn't make sense. Why did you send Corrin then? Hans alone could have started the attack.)

"Did you intend for him to disappear as well?" The dark prince accused.

"Of course not. That was completely unforeseen."

"If you intended for there to be a confrontation, why did you send my brother, a prince with no motivation to attack Hoshido?"

"That, I'm afraid I cannot tell you."

"Dammit, Iago!"

Leo got up and slammed his fist on the table, causing it to shake. He could not take it anymore.

They were supposed to work together, yet he was always hiding something from him. His enigmatic responses led them nowhere. Iago was unfazed at his anger and opened his book as if nothing had happened.

"Once you stop your little tantrum, I'll tell you why." He chided, looking through the pages of his book.

The Prince sat back down and loosened his fist. There was no point complaining. If they had known Corrin's expedition would force a confrontation, they might not have lost him in the Bottomless Canyon. Iago's plan resulted in the worst possible scenario for everyone.

"Are you calm now?" Iago jeered.

"Please tell me why," Leo tried again, "you sent Corrin on the scouting mission."

"I did not choose to send Corrin and Gunter to the Bottomless Canyon." The tactician admitted, "King Garon did. The only person I sent was Hans. He was the one who was supposed to perpetrate the war."

(So you didn't plan this by yourself. Father played a part, too...)

"I'm sorry I snapped." Leo apologized grudgingly, "Let's get to work."

If Iago was not the one who sent Corrin, then it was useless to press on the questions.

Iago stroked his chin. "So you trust me?"

The Dark Prince scoffed. He wanted to learn more about what exactly happened, but the War Council meeting was close, and he could simply talk to Father afterwards. Hans's account was barely trustworthy enough.

"I guess I do." He said at last with reluctance.

"Trust must come with reasoning." The senior tactician said, "In battle, you don't know what information is reliable. You need to rely on your intuition."

"Intuition." Leo repeated.

"You need to find the truth for yourself with limited knowledge." Iago continued, "What you did here, in figuring out the order of events, is what you need to do on the spot when leading your army. To learn how to tell lies, you must learn how to tell truths."

"I… think I understand." The prince said slowly.

Leo didn't know if the tactician planned to deliver an impromptu lesson today, or it was another antic pulled from his ass. Regardless, he found himself better understanding how tacticians think, or at least how Iago thinks.

The world was full of deceit. Every move had to be meticulously calculated. The greatest contributions tacticians make are not always on the battlefield. They spend their time lurking in the background, pulling the strings of the men, women, and puppets around them. Results are predicted. People are used. This is how wars are fought in the grand scheme.

This is what Iago represented.

"Are you angry?"

"Huh?" Leo looked up, "Corrin and Gunter are gone. I can't say I'm happy."

"So they are." Iago sighed. Somewhere in his voice, he sounded sympathetic, but then again it would not be hard for him to fake it.

Corrin's and Gunter's disappearances were beyond his control. No amount of anger or regret could bring them back. The only things they could do was to continue pushing forward until their mistake could be corrected.

"I'll ask King Garon myself." The Dark Prince grimaced, "Corrin is only truly lost, if we ever stop searching for them."

Iago smiled at the remark. "Well said, Lord Leo. Those are words of wisdom for a person of your age."

Leo could not help but feel a bit of joy from being praised like a prodigy. His supposed mentor could be almost tolerable if he wasn't being intentionally mysterious or sarcastic.

"I only have one request of you." The prince said.

Iago frowned, "And what's that?"

"I want," Leo paused, "to play a match of chess against you."

"A match of chess?"

Iago burst into sudden laughter, Leo slumped back into his chair again, waiting for him to return another scathing remark. When he stopped his long and awkward laugh, the tactician turned to his pupil. "A match of chess, like trust, must be earned." He said, "Show me that you deserve your game, and I shall gladly crush you in it."

Those words gave Leo some new burst of determination. He had much to learn as a tactician. They had some rough times together, but he also wanted to learn more important lessons. With renewed energy, the dark prince helped spread out the map and books on the table. They had a War Council meeting to prepare for.

"Your highness, your looks are exceptionally lovely today!"

Elise beamed as the female aristocrat flattered her. The princess twirled around in joy, before nearly losing her balance. The young woman caught her just in time and helped her up. Elise smiled and turned to her.

"Thank you, fair maiden!" Elise curtsied, "Your skin is as fair as snow."

The aristocrat scratched the back of her head and opened her mouth. She blushed and closed it again. Elise waited for her to respond with another compliment, but it never came as the woman struggled to stay in character.

"I think I'm done now." The aristocrat said in a gruff voice, "Can I change back?"

"Oh, ok!" Elise giggled, "Switcheroo!"

The aristocrat snapped her fingers and a thin veil of smoke surrounded her. When it quickly disappeared, in her place was a tall, thin man. He coughed from the fumes and dusted his clothes, his hair messy and pants slightly torn.

"Thanks for playing with me, Zola!" The princess grinned, "That was really fun!"

"My pleasure, Lady Elise." The man sputtered, "How did I do?"

"Eheh. You were great!" Elise praised, "All you need to do is to work on your voice!"

Zola was one of Nohr's newest mages. The dark arts was a very difficult subject to study, so the most prestigious ones had the privilege of residing within the castle from time to time. In his case, Zola's group recently returned from the border from a "super-secret mission". The princess quickly made friends with him after learning how fun his transformation abilities were. He never failed to crack her up every act.

"Thank you." Zola said, "Er… I just have one request."

"Oh? Tell me!" Elise said happily.

"Next time we role-play, can I be a male?" Zola said sheepishly, "You always want me to play a woman. That's fine, but it feels… odd being called pretty."

"Oh my gosh, you're not used to it aren't you." Elise teased, "Would you like to be called handsome instead?"

When Elise invited him to play with her earlier, he initially refused. Once she convinced Zola it might help practice his transformations, the mage eventually agreed. She had a blast asking him to transform into lots of different people.

"I won't get used to that either…." Zola grumbled, "I'm not really a person with many talents."

"Hey, don't say that about yourself!" Elise puffed her cheeks, "You are very talented! Xander couldn't imitate even ten different personalities!"

"You are very kind, milady." Zola replied. He didn't sound convinced.

"Okay, who do you want to play?" Elise piped.

Zola thought about the question for a long time before finally coming up with a response. With some hesitation, he spoke.

"I want to play someone with courage."

"Courage?"

Elise ran her hand through her hair, trying to think of someone. He couldn't have been less specific. There were many books on heroes of the past in the castle library, but most of them were too hard to read or really, really boring.

"I want to play someone people could be proud of." Zola muttered, "A hero that I could never be."

"Oh, don't say that!" Elise laughed, "Don't worry. I'll be proud for you!"

"Such a thing is really possible?" Zola asked incredulously.

"Yup! Don't worry, Zola. I'll find someone proud you can play!"

Zola's gaze lightened, his spirits being somewhat eased Elise looked around the room. Who was someone people were proud of? Her vision landed on her family portrait on the wall. It was painted only a year ago. The entire Nohrian royal family was displayed as a gigantic mural, dwarfing every single painting around it.

(Yay! I have the perfect idea!)

The grey-haired butler watched outside as the rain poured and lightning cracked. Today's weather was particularly bad, and the stable would be a nightmare to clean. Relaxing, he sipped tea from his cup and placed it down again.

The morning evaluation left him drained. His arms and legs were still tired from all of the running and strength exercises Xander forced him to do. Afternoon break was the only thing he had to rest before the evening chores.

Before he was about to sag back into the mattress to get some sleep, the door to the servant commons opened. Jakob sat up, worried that someone might accuse him of slacking off. The person at the door was his colleague, Flora.

"Hello, Jakob." The maid bowed.

"Flora." He greeted as he moved his tea set, "What do you want to speak to me about?"

She sat down to the mattress opposite to Jakob and looked at him. For some reason, her forehead was slightly sweaty. Over the years, Jakob had learned to read her face for emotions. That, or the temperature. This time, she was anxious about something.

"I'm sure you know about the war." Flora said, "And that my tribe will probably be swept up in it."

"That's true." The butler nodded, "Everybody needs to be prepared for the worst."

"Yes, which is why I wanted to talk to you today." She said. As his friend was talking about her reasons, Jakob instinctively poured tea and handed it to her. "I want you to cover for me while I'm gone."

"What?" Jakob sat up straighter. Before he wasn't very intent on listening, but her request piqued his attention. "What do you mean, 'while you're gone'?"

"I will be taking an extended trip back to the Ice Tribe. Alone." Flora explained, "You're the only person I can talk to. I might be gone for, um, a long time…"

Jakob sat back into the mattress. That was a good enough reason for leaving the castle. He had spent his entire life serving either in the castle or the Northern Fortress, so he had nowhere to go back to.

"That should not be a problem." He said, "I will cover for you while you're gone."

Flora didn't respond. She just stared at the butler intently, as if she was expecting him to say more. Jakob tried thinking of something else to say, but nothing came to him. Their usually professional relationship gave him no suggestions whatsoever.

"That's it?" She asked.

"Yes?" Jakob tilted his head.

(Did I say something wrong?)

"You aren't going to tell me I should stay?" Flora asked again.

"I do not know about your situation at home." The butler replied.

He was in no position to hell her she must stay. The whole situation between the Nohrian Kingdom and the Ice Tribe was a very complicated matter. This might be the last time Flora could go check on her family before the war started.

"You're not going to try and stop me?"

"I can only wish for a safe journey there and back."

"I might be gone for a… long time." The maid persisted.

"And I will try my best to cover for you accordingly." Jakob said.

The maid was starting to get on his nerves. If she was gone for a week, he could probably come up with some reasonable excuse. Any more than that, and he would get in trouble too if anyone found out. Flora usually was not the selfish kind.

"Hey, is it just me or did it get a lot colder here?" Jakob braced himself. His skin suddenly started shivering. Flora closed her eyes and the frosty temperature faded away.

"Thank you Jakob…" She said after taking a deep breath. Her voice hinting at an odd sadness, "Will you miss me?"

"Well, probably." The butler answered, "Though I also sort ofexpected not to see you for a while, anyways."

"Excuse me?"

Flora stared back with curiosity. Jakob realized what her reaction meant. Felicia forgot to tell her older sister about the evaluation this morning.

(She probably forgot again…)

"Felicia and I are joining the Expeditionary Force." He said, "In a few days, I will be in Hoshido trying to bring our master back."

"You're joining the Nohrian army?" Flora was taken aback. The sorrow in her face turned into staggered horror.

"We will be trying to find Corrin and help him get home." Jakob explained, "We will probably return to our posts as servants once he returns."

Of the three assigned to take care of Corrin when he was younger, Flora was by far the least close to their master. He and Felicia had absolutely no problem tending to the young prince. Flora had always kept her distance. She even treated the young prince pretty coldly when she was forced to interact with him.

"You're joining the army." Flora repeated. Her voice tremored. "You will be fighting for King Garon-"

"Only Combat Support." Jakob interjected, "We will be healing the wounded."

"I see…" She paused.

Teardrops were starting to form under her eyes. The butler handed her his handkerchief, but Flora refused to take it. The maid stood up from the seat and wiped her tears with her hands. The temperature of the room changed drastically.

"Hey," he said, worriedly. "It's starting to get cold again."

"I'm sorry, Jakob." She sobbed, "Please forget we ever had this conversation."

"Flora?"

Before he could ask why, the maid quickly made her way outside of the commons, leaving behind her very confused friend. Jakob blinked in perplexity. The butler decided to end his break time prematurely and stood up to clean up the tea.

(Was she angry I can't cover for her when I'm not a butler anymore?)

Flora had never been that upset before. Of the two sisters, she was the one who was always the more composed and disciplined one. Something he said ticked her off, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Felicia told him that it was Flora who gave her the idea to join the army. Yet, why was she so upset to find that out then?

(I'll still cover for you the best I can, I guess. I hope you have fun back home…)

"And that will be our main strategy as of today."

Leo watched as his partner Iago concluded the presentation in front of the generals and the rest of the royal family. King Garon was attending to his own business, but the rest of his sisters and brother were there.

The military elite gave quiet applause as the senior tactician rolled up the huge map in the middle of the large round table. Xander was looking into one of the strategy handbooks handed out while Elise yawned.

Camilla quickly exited the room as soon as the meeting was over. Leo's face dropped as he noticed her leaving so quickly. He never received much praise from her sisters, since they was always taking care of Corrin in the fortress.

"We now open the floor up to any questions." The Dark Prince said, dismissing his thoughts and envy.

No one raised their hands - either a very good sign, or a very bad sign. The generals looked among themselves and continued sitting back. Iago looked at the hourglass and back to the table with impatience.

"That concludes this meeting." Iago declared, "Feel free to bring any concerns to the next War Council. We will send you copies of our invasion plan later this week."

The people in the room stood up from their chairs and one by one they exited through the small door. Xander gave a look of pride towards Leo while Elise waved goodbye. The Dark Prince let out a small sigh of relief. His leg was shaking the entire time he was presenting to the generals, only hidden by the height of the table.

"Nervous?" Iago taunted, reaching for the books and documents left behind.

"Tried my best not to appear that way." Leo said.

"Then you'll need to work on that." The tactician scolded, "Slow down when you talk next time."

Leo refused to retort. Iago's presentation was way too long to begin with. He also realized the tactician refused to mention either of the Faceless attacks at all.

(Not exactly a tactic we bragged about proudly, anyways)

The skies outside were still stormy. There was no point in enjoying a walk. Leo thought about who vexed his luck as he helped Iago finish up. Most of the generals were particularly messy when leaving things behind.

"I'll speak to King Garon." Leo said, walking towards the exit.

"Before that." Iago interrupted, "I have some good news I meant to tell you earlier today."

The prince stopped. "Good news? That doesn't happen often."

"Oh trust me." Iago flexed his fingers, "I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Leo turned away from the door and returned to Iago's side. Iago and surprises weren't usually a good combination, especially for the unwitting victim. If it was another operation that started earlier than he expected…

"Lord Leo." The tactician smiled, "Are you ready, to bring down a despot?"

"You mean…?"

"Yes, you're right." Iago cackled, "The assassination of Queen Mikoto."

It took a few seconds for his words to process in Leo's brain, but once he got to its meaning, excitement coursed through his veins. Leo always thought that was the only possible way of bringing down the Great Barrier, but he never expected that he would be the one to help plan it. If they were successful, historians would write about his achievements for years to come.

"We're finally planning it." Leo said, giddy with excitement uncharacteristic of himself. He thought about all the exciting possibilities the task presented to them. Would they use poisons, an ambush, spies?

"No." Iago said, "You, Lord Leo, are finally planning it."

"Me?" Leo pointed at himself, "Did I hear you say that right?"

"You're asking those stupid questions again." The tactician narrowed his eyes.

Exhilaration dissolved into fright. He only started working with Iago very recently. Other than memorizing his invasion plans, Leo conceded he did not have much field experience. Having the skills to mastermind such a daring assassination was out of his reach, to say the least.

"Do I really deserve such an honor?" He questioned.

Iago crossed his arms. "You have King Garon's blessing to run this operation. I will be offering my assistance from the side."

(Father, you put this much faith in me?)

"But the Great Barrier rid Nohrians of their resentment to Hoshido." Leo pointed out, "That means we're using bribed mercenaries, right?"

"You can call them that, I guess." Iago yawned, "Come on, we can't stay in this musty room forever."

"Thank you for this opportunity!" Leo said happily.

"Again, don't thank me." The tactician said, "Thank your Father."

As the Dark Prince carried his stack of books outside the room and followed Iago, he failed to suppress his smugness. Hoshido was going to pay for their embargo on the Nohrian people. His plan would be the stepping stone they needed to bring the war to a quick resolution. Nothing else could bring him the same amount of fame and respect from his family, and his people.

(Watch me, Camila, Xander. I will make myself a Prince you can be proud of!)

Elise and Zola peered into the candlelit hall. It was already nighttime, and they were in the right place. The mage looked around nervously for other people and gave the go-ahead. The princess opened the door and peered inside.

"Hey, are you sure about this?" Zola tremored.

"Posi-tively!" Elise whispered slyly.

The two watched what was happening inside the room. Everything was dark and a single figure was sitting in the chair next to a bed. The bed had a large bulge in the middle of it. The only sound they could hear was the figure singing.

"Roaming down the mildew river, from the hill where the dusk light falls…"

The melodious voice echoed throughout the small room. Elise recognized the voice instantly. It was undoubtedly her older sister Camilla. Giggling silently, she dragged Iago out back into the hallway and put her finger to her mouth.

"Is she the one?" Zola whispered.

"Yes." Elise replied quietly, "You ready?"

"I hope so…"

Zola walked a few steps away from the door and begun his transformation. The familiar puff of smoke came out, hiding the dark mage. When the cloud dissipated, he took a look at both of his hands. Elise smiled with joy at his disguise.

"How do I look?" Zola asked. He turned around so she could get a full view.

"Great!" Elise squealed, "You look almost exactly like him!"

"Alright, I guess I'm ready then." He sighed.

With his confirmation, Elise again walked into the room. Camilla was still in there, singing lullabies to the bed. Even though Corrin was gone, she still came to his room occasionally to take care of his things.

"Hey Camilla!" Elise called.

"Gre-huh?" Camilla looked up in surprise.

Elise sniggered at her reaction "Hehehe. Did I interrupt you? What are you doing here this late?"

Her older sister took a match and lit the candle on Corrin's table. Camilla's face was now fully revealed, along with what exactly was on her brother's bed. An object was partially covered by a blanket, sitting perfectly still on the mattress.

"I'm singing Corrin to sleep!" Camilla proudly proclaimed.

Elise pointed to the object in the bed. "… But that is a watermelon." The large fruit was rested on a pillow, making it seem like a head.

"Yes it is." Camilla answered. After saying those words, she looked down in disappointment at herself. "I guess I'm not used to him being gone…"

"Yeah…" Elise agreed, "It's gotten a lot lonelier without him."

A painful silence filled the room, occupied by the two Princesses and the lone watermelon. Elise hated the gloomy atmosphere. Ever since Corrin disappeared, Camilla hasn't been the same. Today, she vowed to change that.

"Teehee! I have something to help!" Elise exclaimed, "Wait here!"

Elise ran out of the room and found a disturbed Zola sweating next to the wall. He has heard everything in their conversation and was not happy. The mage took a look into the room and back at the princess.

"This woman." His teeth chattered, "Is there something wrong with her? Did a diviner cast a spell?"

"Nope!" Elise winked, "She is as sweet as ever! Come on in!"

"Hey wai-!"

Elise dragged the disguised Zola into the room. Camilla turned around to see what her younger sister brought. When she saw the two, her eyes widened. Elise looked confidently at the two of them, pleased with her idea.

"We'll definitely get Corrin back!" She exclaimed, "In the meantime, play with this one instead!" Zola backed up slowly, scratching his new white hair and pointy ears.

"Kyah!" Camilla pounced forward, hugging the disguised mage, "My little Corrin is back! I've missed you so much!"

Zola had difficulty wiggling around in her tight embrace. He waved his arms around in alarm and struggled to pushed away. Camilla hugged him even closer and snuggled his head into her chest. Elise saw the two and couldn't stop laughing.

"I… can't breath…" Zola said hoarsely, his face slowly turning blue.

"I forgot how cute you were!" The older princess squealed.

"I'll leave you two for now!" Elise smiled and promptly left the room. Her mission had been completed.

[…]

"You're a fiend." Zola grunted.

After a few minutes, he was ejected from the room. He managed to escape Princess Camilla, but he was clearly overwhelmed by her strength. Elise tilted her head.

"It didn't cheer her up?" She asked curiously.

"No!" Zola exclaimed angrily, "When she found out I wasn't the real 'Corrin' guy, I thought I was done for!" He shivered at the recollection of what happened.

"Aww, that's too bad." Elise's head drooped, "We need another idea!"

"No!" The mage shouted, "No more 'ideas'! I'm done. You can't replace whoever this 'Corrin' is with a mirage!

Elise froze. No one has ever yelled at her before like this. It felt really, really bad for some reason. The princess scrunched up her nose and began to cry into her hands. Zola stopped his talking and grimaced.

"I'm sorry!" Elise wept, "I thought it would work!"

"Now, now." Zola said worriedly, "I can't upset two ladies in one day."

With another puff of smoke, he quickly reverted back into his true form and reached out to her. Elise sniffled and wiped her nose.

"Why did you think that would work?" Zola asked.

"I don't know." Elise sniffed, "I had fun with you when you transformed. I thought your act could cheer Camilla up!"

The mage chuckled. "I might has well transformed into that watermelon."

In the end, nothing was resolved. Camilla was angry again, probably at both of them this time. She messed up and needed to apologize to her later. Above all, her new friend was hurt too.

"We had fun because you knew I was disguised." Zola pointed out, "I trick bad people, not our own friends-"

"Why did you become a dark mage?" Elise piped before her friend could finish. Zola's mouth pursed from the interruption.

"I was never a strong person." Zola admitted, "From when I was very little, I wanted to be like the strong, so I learned the dark arts."

"Cool!"

"I came upon transformation, and I could become anyone I wanted." He continued, "A legendary craftsman. A feared pirate. A person Nohr can admire! It wasn't easy, but after years of study I finally learned it."

Elise listened with awe at Zola's story. He did not seem very confident about his existence. Even while working hard to become a mage, he did not believe in his abilities - resorting to imitating people he thought were superior.

(What kind of young childhood life did this poor guy have?)

"But along the way, I learned the weak will never become strong." Zola's tone turned spiteful, "We will always obey those who have our lives in their grip. We will always follow the orders of the strong if we want to survive…"

Her friend was starting to scare her. Elise stepped back while Zola stared at his arm that was shaking. He snapped back into reality and put his hands down.

"Um, my apologies milady." he coughed, "I spoke a little too hastily."

"No, its fine!" Elise tried to smile, "Zola. I think you're a pretty strong person."

"You really flatter me too much, milday." He bowed.

Zola had been a surprise from start to finish. Dark mages were supposed to be the weirdos in the army. They were usually mean-spirited and pathological liars. Her new friend however was a very awesome playmate.

But there will come a time that might end. They don't call it the "Dark Arts" for nothing. There will a time he will use his transformation ability to trick the baddies. Would he stop being fun the moment he starts fighting?

(What is war even like?)

"Thanks for playing with me, Zola!" Elise smiled one last time, "It was fun meeting you! I hope we get to see each other again next year!"

"I hope so too." Zola nodded.

The two parted ways. Elise quickly entered into the room he left. Camilla was still there, looking outside of the window. The fruit was placed on the table and Corrin's bed was fluffed up again.

"Camilla?" Elise called.

"Come in." Her sister replied.

The blonde Princess jumped onto the bed. The room had no particular mementos or personal belongings. His brother barely had any time in his own room after leaving the Northern Fortress.

"I'm sorry about that." She apologized.

"No, it's fine." Camilla said, "That was a good prank."

"It wasn't meant to be one." Elise sulked, "I thought it would cheer you up. I guess it was wrong." Camilla lit another candle- the old one began dying out.

"You shouldn't toy with people's emotions, even if you want them to be happy." She lifted a stern finger "It makes people feel worse in the end"

She started getting all motherly over her siblings like the past. Elise gleamed at her sister for returning to normal again. Zola did successfully pulled off the act somehow. He really was more talented than he thought of himself.

"I will never do it again!" Elise declared.

"Good." Camilla sat down next to the bed again. "I do miss singing Corrin to sleep again. Even if he said it wasn't necessary..."

"Hey, I have an idea!" Elise blurted out. This time, she would not screw up. "Why don't you sing me to sleep tonight?"

"Sing to you? But you never had trouble sleeping." Camilla said.

"You don't need a fake little brother when you have a real little sister!" Elise said.

When Corrin was little, he had strange nightmares and his older sister always had to sing him to sleep. Elise always slept the most in her family, so she never heard Camilla's lullaby.

"I guess I can do that." Camilla smiled, "Shoo! Off to your bed, now!"

And with those words, Elise let her older sister chase her off to her room.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

The events of this chapter all takes place the same day Corrin and Takumi fight the Faceless. We'll return to Chapter 4 next week.

Again, Arthur's pairing poll will end on July 21st! The poll can be found on my profile page. (/u/7293130/Calix-Machiavelli)

Please note that even if Arthur isn't one of your favorite characters, you should still vote. The females, once paired up, will likely not be able to pair up with another person.

Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates. Don't forget to vote, friends of justice!