Somehow, the wind cut more deeply into Jack than it had moments prior.

Jack stood behind Alear, staring at Princess Ivy as she glared right back - or perhaps 'glared' wasn't the correct word to use. One of the few things he remembered about the elder princess of Elusia was that she often came across harsher than she actually meant. Staring sternly would be a better descriptor, in that case. And even then, she made no hostile motions. She didn't suddenly produce an Elfire tome from out of nowhere and burn them both to ash.

Besides, Jack thought, she worshiped the Divine Dragon. Attacking and killing her god, even under orders of her father, would be a difficult thing to do. And since she wasn't attacking, her exile was all but confirmed.

Finally, Alear sheathed Libération, turning back to Jack once and giving him a nod. Jack tilted his head but Alear spoke before he could ask what that meant.

"It appears we do, Princess Ivy," Alear said, "but perhaps we shouldn't do so here. My friend is wounded and the blizzard will soon make it impossible to travel. Come with me to where the rest of my allies have staked out, and I will hear you out then."

Ivy raised a hand to her chin. "You were quick to accept. I see the stories of you being trusting to a fault are true. Have you not enchanted your clothes for the cold weather?"

Jack let his head fall back a bit. "I guess that explains the outfit."

Ivy eyed Jack warily before refocusing on Alear. "Do I have your word that your allies will not attack me? It would be difficult for us to speak if I were fighting off swords and magic."

"If it helps, your sister is among them," Alear said. Ivy bristled at that, and Alear raised his hands and continued. "She is completely fine! She sought us out willingly, after… I know what your father did. What he commanded you to do. You can't go back anymore, unless you have an Emblem Ring."

Ivy's lips thinned, and she turned back to her wyvern for a moment. "...Very well, Divine One. It would be remiss of me to refuse an order from my deity."

"Good lord," Jack said, running a hand down his face. "Help me, Alear, will ya? I'm standing but I don't think I can move."

"Huh?" Alear said, turning before wrapping Jack arm around his shoulder. "Yes, of course. Princess Ivy? Follow us."

A question was ever-present in Jack's mind as Alear led him and Ivy out of the blizzard. The white fog was clearing, allowing him to see figures nearby, surrounding a small depression in the ground that provided limited shelter from the blizzard. Even so, Jack felt like he didn't have time to wait, so he spoke.

"The Draconic Time Crystal," Jack began, "did you… you used it, right?"

Alear's lips thinned as he briefly turned his head to meet Jack's eyes, before returning to the task at hand. "I have used it more times than I care to admit."

"So," Jack whispered, "there was no chance then."

"I wasn't willing to sacrifice anyone to prevent King Morion's capture, regardless of our future. In the last one I tried, you died," Alear continued.

Jack felt a chill run up his spine at that. "I… died?"

Alear nodded grimly. "It was… that tan woman. The one who rode a wyvern. She… I shall not repeat it. I will spare you from that. But that was the closest I got."

"Fuck," Jack cursed. "Just… fuck, man. We were doing so well. I jinxed us, didn't I? I jinxed us. What happened in those other timelines? What did that weird crossbowman do?"

Alear's eyes narrowed, before speaking slowly. "You're right to call them 'weird'. When you died, they started screaming and fired at Zephia with that contraption. I didn't see much else beyond that before going back."

Jack's eyes scrunched up. "What does that mean? Why would they do that? Who the hell are they?"

Alear shook his head. "I don't know. I suppose we will have the chance to ask Princess Ivy once we reach the others."

Not long after that, Jack was among allies. He allowed himself to fall to the ground against the edge of the depression - almost everyone was there, besides a few. Jack could make out who he assumed to be Jade; heavy armor, blond hair tied into a ponytail while wearing a helmet. She was talking to Diamant, who looked terrible. His armor was banged up and there were bruises around his face, but the worst part was his eyes. He had never seen such sadness before, even when looking in the mirror.

The image made Jack's stomach twist and turn.

And lastly, true to Alear's word, Hortensia was there as well. She was separated from the others, watching them warily until she saw Ivy. The younger princess bounded up to her older sister, her gaze pleading. Jack chuckled once before turning his gaze away.

"What is she doing here?" Jack heard someone say. He looked up from the biting cold of the wind against his face to see Alcryst standing before Ivy and Hortensia, turning from her to Alear who stood beside them.

"She's here to help us," Alear stated, standing before Alcryst. "Both of them are."

"They were part of the force that kept us from saving father!" Alcryst shouted. It was the first time Jack heard Alcryst raise his voice above a small whine, and it was surprisingly frightening coming from such a cloistered person. "Why should they be here!?"

"Alcryst, calm yourself," Diamant said. The once strong voice of the elder prince of Brodia almost seemed like such a small thing, Jack didn't recognize it as Diamant's own. "The blizzard would have prevented us from pursuing father's kidnappers anyway. It is… it is as Jack said."

Alcryst turned to Jack, who looked back at him with a dazed expression. After a moment, Alcryst sighed, rubbed his forehead, and walked away. He stood beside Diamant, but purposefully dared not stare at the princesses of Elusia.

"Nice to see we're all getting along so well," Jack mumbled. "I didn't- that crossbowman. They didn't exist in the timeline I saw. Nothing like that ever happened. I don't even know what the hell that crossbow is. Princess Ivy - who are they? What are they?"

Ivy let out a withering sigh as she turned to Jack. "A stranger not unlike yourself, I presume. I do not know much about them; father never saw fit to tell me who they were, or where they came from. They did, however, know of Emblem Bracelets on an island south of Firene."

Alear stood alert at that, turning to Jack as well. "Did you know about those?"

Jack's thinned lips formed into a deep frown, and all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and let the cold take him.

"I did, but I didn't think they- I didn't think they'd be relevant. You had to pay money to get those. I never expected them to…"

"I do not blame you, let me make that clear," Alear said, holding up a hand to stop Jack's rambling. "I cannot blame you. Even if you had told us of them, we would never have had the time to travel to southern Firene, let alone sail to an isolated island. Princess Ivy, how many of these Bracelets do they have?"

"Seven, I believe, plus the remaining Emblem Rings they stole from Lythos Castle," Ivy replied, "they-"

"Ivy! Why're you just… telling them everything?" Hortensia hissed. "If father knew what we were doing-"

"Father has abandoned us, Hortensia," Ivy replied, bitterness coloring her tone. "He did not expect us to survive trying to retrieve an Emblem Ring. If he would go so far as to sacrifice both of us for our failures, then I shall not follow him any longer. Nor should you."

"B-but… he loves us, doesn't he? I-I thought, even with Lord Sombron's return…" Hortensia said, before ruffling her extravagant neck collar. "Nothing's like it should be. None of this makes any sense. People who can see the future? All these new Emblem Bracelets? This is crazy!"

"You're telling me, princess," Jack mumbled.

"You!" Hortensia shouted, pointing at Jack as if she had just seen a mutant climb up from the snow. "I still haven't forgiven you, you know! You're the reason we're in this mess!"

"You would've been here anyway, princess," Jack replied bitterly. "All I did was speed things along. Both of you were fated to join the Divine Dragon."

"...I see," Ivy said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Nonetheless, with the augur's visions, you know what my father plans to do to King Morion, yes?"

"He will be devoured," Diamant stated, his voice nearing a monotone. "To fuel Sombron's return."

"The Fell Dragon requires royal blood in order to briefly regain a semblance of his power," Ivy said, "I cannot tell if we are all vulnerable by dint of being destined for a throne, or if it was our possession of an Emblem Ring through the generations that has altered us on some fundamental level. Whatever the case may be, that is the fate that awaits King Morion now."

"So, let me get this straight," Alfred said, walking up from the bulk of the group to stand between the rest of the royals. "King Morion was taken because of someone we could never have foreseen. They have seven Emblem Bracelets and three Emblem Rings, at least. Unless I'm forgetting one."

"They just took Leif again," Jack pointed out.

Alfred held up four fingers. "So four, then. I… I really hope Sombron can't gain his full power with Emblem Bracelets replacing Emblem Rings, because if so-"

"Thankfully, I do not believe that is possible," Ivy said, "Father made no mention of using the Emblem Bracelets in place of the Rings."

"They're from another world, if it helps," Jack said, "Some other Elyos, parallel to this one. It might just be that Sombron doesn't know how to use them. Despite a religion being based around him, he's no god."

"Is there anything else you know about them, Jack?" Alear asked. "I'd like to get to know what the capabilities of our enemy is, if they have all seven."

Jack looked up to the white, blinding sky for a moment before speaking again. "The one the Crossbowman had was the Bracelet of the Three Houses. Students of the Emblem that inhabits the Ring of the Instructor. There's also one that houses an Emblem of Tiki, from the same universe as Marth-"

Marth appeared by Alear's side, surprising Jack with his sudden interjection.

"Tiki is here?" Marth asked, "I… that is certainly news I did not expect. Though not unwelcome, if she is under the enemy's control…"

"Very," Jack said grimly. "She was one of the strongest Emblems in that timeline I saw. She can turn a person into a dragon when they Engage with her. Granted, Dark Emblems can't Engage with people, but…"

"We don't know how being a Dark Emblem will affect her, yes," Marth finished, before turning to Alear. "I will not ask you that we recover her as soon as possible - but I am saying that retrieving her would be a tremendous boon for us."

"I will keep that in mind, Marth. Thank you," Alear said.

Marth bowed his head and vanished, and Alear turned his attention back to Jack. "And the others?"

Jack held up five fingers, gradually folding his hand into a fist as he listed them off. "Hector of Elibe, the Brash General. Veronica of Embla, Princess Camilla of Nohr, Soren of Tellius, and… Chrom and Robin of Ylisse."

Jack half-expected Lucina to show up just as Marth did, but she never manifested. He considered that a small blessing.

"Seven more Emblems, then," Alear said, turning his head and wiping his brow. "I have no idea what their incantations might be, but we can't allow them to remain in enemy hands, even if they can't be used to revive Sombron to his full power."

"Well, according to the timeline I saw, the incantations will just come to you when you hold them," Jack said, patting his knee. "Of course, I wouldn't put much stock in that anymore."

"Well, then," Ivy said, turning all attention back to her. "It appears you have all the information you need to move forward, Divine One. Now, all that remains is what you plan to do with my sister and I. Are we to be your prisoners?"

Alear hummed, turning to Jack after a moment. "Is there anything you have to say about this?"

"Are you leaving our fate in the hands of the Augur?" Ivy asked. "Does he know something we do not? More than he has said? You must know, I cannot - I will not - join you as the situation stands. I… I cannot face my father. I cannot battle against him, even as he is now. You know this, Augur."

"My name is Jack," he replied, getting to his feet. He held his side and winced as he looked at Alear, dumbfounded. "What're you playing at, Alear? Leaving the fates of two princesses on my word alone?"

"I trust your council," Alear stated, "you haven't led us astray thus far."

"No?" Jack asked, "then what was that situation with King Morion?"

"Much as it pains me to admit this," Diamant began, crossing his arms. "Father's capture was a result of his own stubbornness. He knew the risks going in. This does not mean that I do not intend to save him, however. Nonetheless, the blame does not lie with you. And as it stands, your foreknowledge is not useless yet."

Jack placed a hand on his forehead and turned around, letting out a deep breath before focusing on Ivy and Hortensia. "Alright. Okay. Alright, you want me- what did you call me? Augur? An Augur. Céline said something similar a while back. Don't know why you're calling me that, but whatever. You want my opinion? Fine. Way I see it, Princess Ivy and Hortensia, you have two choices. Just as King Morion is fated to die at the cathedral your father dragged him off to, so is your own father."

Hortensia gasped, while Ivy stepped forward. "How?"

"Sombron devours him just as he does King Morion," Jack continued, placing his hands behind his back. "What's more, people who're devoured by Sombron like that can be resurrected as Corrupted. You know, those soldiers you used against us at Brodia Castle and here."

If it was possible, Princess Ivy's skin became paler than it already was. "No, what you say is madness. I do not- Sombron would not throw away a valuable ally such as father."

"He does. Because Sombron doesn't care for allies. He is madness," Jack said, his lips turning to a deep frown upon seeing Hortensia's reaction. "There's… not a good chance we can save either of them, but if you come with us to the cathedral - Destinea Cathedral - then you will have a chance to save him in person."

"Ivy…! Ivy…!" Hortensia hissed. "Please!"

Ivy's lips trembled, but that was the only sign of emotion she showed. "And the other choice?"

Jack rubbed his chin, closing his eyes. "Within a few months, most of Elusia's citizens will become Corrupted. One of the Chapters in the timeline I saw was Alear's army fighting against an entire coastal town turned into rampaging monsters. It's early in this timeline yet, so you have a chance to evacuate a good portion of Elusia's citizens, depriving Sombron of an army, and saving perhaps countless lives. You're their crown princess; they'll listen to you. Sure, Elusians will become refugees in an Elyos that might not care for a people who awakened the apocalypse-starter, but is that not preferable to death? It's still a chance."

To Jack, there was only one choice, although it would have been one that would haunt him until the day he died. The needs of the many versus the needs of the few - how many times had he seen or heard of such a conundrum? Far too many to count, but all the examples he could think of had been in stories. Oddly enough, not in the one he was a participant in.

Until that moment. He could barely imagine what Ivy and Hortensia were going through.

After a few seconds of silence, Jack spoke up again.

"I don't like it, and I doubt you do much either," Jack said, holding his arms out to his side. "But, those are your options, as I see them. You could always just run away and never look back, but, well, I don't think you will do that."

"Oh? Is that so?" Ivy asked, her purple eyes staring directly into Jack's. "And you know this because of the 'visions' you have seen of the future? Are you so confident in my character? In Hortensia's character? The minute you set me and her loose, we could come back and take you by surprise."

"That's, uh, not really helping your case, is it?" Alfred remarked.

"I think you're better than that. I know you're better than that," Jack replied, crossing his arms. "Alear saw it then, and I see it now. He probably still sees it now, actually. Aren't I right, Divine One?"

Alear let out something between a chuckle and a deep breath. "That you do, my friend. So, there we have it. You have two choices before you. Know this: I won't judge you for what choice you make. If my mother were the one to be sacrificed, but I had a chance to save the people of Lythos… it would not be a choice to be made lightly."

"Oh, well that's great!" Hortensia said, her voice becoming so sickly-sweet it had to be purposefully grating. "Good to know we have such a wide variety of choices to make, all with nothing but good things!"

"We could always slap the wrist irons on you, if you want," Jack replied.

Hortensia looked at Jack from the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you? You make me sick."

"I guess we have something in common, then," Jack said with a humorless chuckle.

"My point is, I believe we don't have to be enemies. I trust what Jack says, and through him I know that you and I can even become friends," Alear said, "I don't think you'll betray us, nor do I think you'll do something to impede us. If nothing else, you have my sympathy."

"My God's sympathy…" Ivy mumbled, "I suppose… that will need to be enough. There is only one choice I can make when presented with these two options, Divine One."

"Ivy…?" Hortensia said, her voice shaking. "I…"

Ivy looked down, placing a hand on Hortensia's head. Jack had to look away at that - it reminded him too much of the past. "Hortensia, I realize what we are doing is difficult. This is a question with no easy answer. But our duty is to Elusia's people first and foremost. And if father cannot see that…"

Jack didn't see what happened next, but he could hear sniffles in the wind, and a few moments later, Hortensia spoke again.

"Okay… alright," Hortensia said, "I-it'll be hard, but I won't give up! We'll save those people so well they won't even realize they've left!"

"That feels a little counter-intuitive," Alfred said, "but the enthusiasm is good! You can do anything so long as you have the will! Anyway, uh, where are your retainers? I didn't see them in the battle."

"They are far past the storm's range. Hortensia and I have clothing that protects us from the cold, but you, Divine One… I suggest you find a way out of this blizzard as quickly as you can. Even this depression may soon become your tomb if it continues to get worse," Ivy said.

"I have a way we can do that, yes," Alear said, placing a hand against his chest and bowing slightly. "Thank you, Princess Ivy. Princess Hortensia. Next time we meet, I hope it is on better terms."

"As do I," Ivy said, and Jack saw the smile that briefly crossed her face at that.

Hortensia harrumphed and said nothing. There was a certain harshness to her gaze that was gone, though, and Jack considered that a victory. Soon after, however, and both princesses of Elusia were gone in the wind.

As Alear gathered his army around him in preparation for teleporting to the Somniel, Jack only had one thing to mumble under his breath.

"Sorry," he whispered. He had know idea who he was saying it to.

A short day resupplying and preparing warmer clothes was all it would take before they could push into Elusia, and in turn, to Destinea Cathedral.

The name felt wrong in Jack's head. They shouldn't be traveling to Destinea Cathedral; everything he had done pointed to them avoiding that confrontation - of course, at some point they would need to acquire Lyn's Emblem Ring, but they would've certainly come up with something. Instead, the timeline had been railroaded right back onto the tracks. The only comfort Jack had was that, whatever happened in that cathedral, it would likely not be anything like the game. Not only was Veyle de-brainwashed, but Hortensia was with Ivy.

Still, Jack couldn't help but feel like a brick had settled in his stomach. As he looked out at the clouds that blanketed the sky beneath the Somniel, the bright sun shining down upon him, he felt strangely hollow.

"So," Lucina said, appearing beside him with her arms crossed. "My father and Robin are Emblems as well, and they are here. In Sombron's hands, no less."

Jack had become used to Lucina's sudden appearance. He was thankful she waited until they were far away from the chilly wind of the far north.

"I'm sorry about not telling you," Jack muttered, ruffling his hair. "I just… I really didn't think they would be here. It doesn't make any sense to you, probably, but in the timeline I saw, you had to pay real money to see them. The island they came from doesn't even make sense; there was an inexplicably snowy area, a volcanic zone, it was like a bizarre mishmash of a dozen different biomes."

"Ah, that did sound like I was accusing you, didn't it?" Lucina said.

Jack tilted his head. "You weren't?"

"Not intentionally, though I am curious why you kept it to yourself," Lucina said, brow raised.

Jack shrugged. "Like I said, I just… didn't think about it. And like Alear said, even if I had told you about it, what would that have accomplished? Apparently, Sombron can't even use them to gain his full power like the Emblem Rings. Alear would've prioritized the Emblem Rings anyway, just based on that."

Lucina nodded. "Yes, I had assumed as much. Though they can certainly still be used on the Fell Dragon's troops and generals, at least there is that. I must admit, I do not cherish the chance to face my father and his tactician in open combat."

"Haven't you already done that before? In Arena Ferox and on Grima's back," Jack asked.

"So I did. The former was more a competition, and the latter… that certainly wasn't Robin we were fighting then."

Jack let out a sigh. "Fair enough. You know, I just don't get it."

"Get what?" Lucina asked.

"Everything I've done, everything I've changed, and still we're heading someplace that- King Morion was supposed to survive. Hell, he was winning! And then that crossbowman showed up and everything went to shit. Who are they?"

"I have no idea, though considering what they said, perhaps they arrived from the same world you did?" Lucina suggested.

"That's probably the only way to explain it," Jack sighed. "Just my luck. Didn't stop us from saving Veyle from Sombron, though, did it? I'm not looking forward to Destinea Cathedral, even then. Something doesn't feel right."

Lucina nodded. "I can understand that. There's a stone that has settled in your stomach, isn't there? I felt the same way, long ago."

"Emmeryn, I suppose?" Jack asked, "And Basilio. We're right back where we started. I wonder if they're trying to make it so the timeline goes the same way for a little longer, but for what end?"

"Perhaps, or they could be working toward some other goal that we have no way of knowing," Lucina said, "Whatever it is, there is only one way to find out."

Jack's lips thinned. "Still not looking forward to the cathedral."

"And I didn't much like the look of the Dragon's Table when Grima's resurrection seemed all but dead certain," Lucina said, "it is alright to feel trepidation, fear, but do not let them overtake you. True courage is acting in spite of your fear, rather than having no fear at all."

"True enough," Jack sighed, walking away from the edge and turning to Lucina. "You know, despite all of this, I'm glad we actually got a chance to meet. You're every bit the hero I remember you being. I'll also admit being able to use your rapier is sick as hell."

Lucina chuckled. "And I am glad I got to meet someone who knows what it is like to be… er, displaced. Now, shall we? A turning point awaits us, and we should greet it with steel."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, let's."

Bit of a short Chapter this time, but some of that good ol' character interactions I love writing so much before the Engage DLC comes out tomorrow lol.

That'll be fun to try and find a way to integrate, eh?

Anyway, here's a link to our Discord: discord. gg/u89gs745fn

See you guys next time!