The king and queen of Valla turned to the source of the voice. It was their siblings. They weren't informed that they were getting visitors. They were too busy focusing on the Zeno Army. This is surprising.
Corrin sighed from exhaustion himself. He ran his hand through his hair.
The king of Nohr and Hoshido noticed that everyone in the room was extremely exhausted. They were confused themselves, but reading the atmosphere made it tell that something happened.
Corrin nodded. The two kings nodded back. Leo observed that room to see what happened.
The half dragon signaled everyone to leave and rest. Everyone leaves the room. The Elite Knights stayed as well as Takaya and Helios.
Elise couldn't contain herself and ran up towards Corrin and hugged him. She was happy to see him again. Corrin couldn't help but smile. Then Elise released herself from Corrin and hugged Azura.
"It's great to see you. It had been 2 years since we last saw each other," Corrin greeted his siblings. Although, they weren't here to visit them. There was something they are here for. "What brings all of you here?"
"We came here, because we got a letter from Valla." Xander replied.
Azura and Corrin looked at each other. They didn't send any letter to Nohr and Hoshido. That was raising some suspicions.
Before Azura was about to speak. Luka spoke before any suspicions came up
"I was the one who sent the letter."
Corrin and his siblings glanced at Luka. Why would he send a letter to them? What was in the letter? He probably has a reason why he brought them here.
Leo was being suspicious of Luka. Of course, not knowing him is a different thing. But he is with Corrin. Does his little brother know this Luka person? He decided to test him with his words and sarcasm to bait him.
"Is there a reason why you did such a thing? Is it to bring all of the kingdoms together once again and fight? How were you able to send the letters to each kingdom? What are you to Corrin?" Leo continued. "Do you know how much trouble you caused all of us?"
Luka glanced at Leo with a cold glare. Leo has the audacity to talk to him like that. But it doesn't bother him. He sees and been through a lot of situations like this. It's nothing new to him. He sighed lightly. Luke knows that Leo is testing him by throwing him sarcasm to bait him.
"How long are you going to barking with those intimidating sarcasms? It's very intriguing. A prince like you should know this. After all, you are Prince Leo from Nohr. Don't you have the brain cells of a smart ass prince. No wonder King Garon used his own children as pawns for Anankos feed on." Luka started to bite back as if he was winning his territory. He wasn't afraid to admit the truth, not just Nohr but as well as everyone in this room.
There was no way Luka knew all of this. Even the Vallite royalty and the Elite Knights were shocked. There were more things about Luka they didn't know about. Maybe he knows every single person's history.
"We don't need to bite each other. Brother Leo, Luka isn't a threat. He's a bit pushy but overall he is a good person." Corrin assured Leo.
Leo noticed that his younger brother trusts Luka. He sighed lightly. He doesn't know much about Luka.
"Since my little brother is being soft headed, I'll let it go. But that doesn't mean that I suspect you," he continued. "So, Corrin. Who are these people?"
Corrin didn't introduce the Elite Knights to his siblings. A lot of things have changed in the past 2 years. They didn't have the time to visit.
"They are my personal knights I created 2 years ago. They are the protectors and warriors of Valla. Luka and I were the ones who chose to be capable to be the knights," Corrin glanced at Luka. "Luka is the leader of the Elite Knights. His leadership and skills are amazing."
Takumi noticed a white haired prince with his retainer. He folded his arms as he watched him. A rare visitor that Corrin didn't mention. They were in the middle of a battle. He closely observed the prince of Zeno.
"Corrin, you never mention you have visitors. Do tell who this visitor is."
The Vallite King turned to Takaya. He forgot that Takaya and Helios were still here. The visit from his siblings surprised him.
"This is Takaya. He is the prince from the Kingdom of Zeno and next heir. He's here because his kingdom is in danger."
Leo was shocked to hear Zeno. The kingdom that his father knew before being controlled. Was the Zeno and Nohr allies or a neighboring kingdom. Maybe he could ask him.
"May I ask you something, Takaya?" Leo asked.
"Sure?" Takaya replied, confused.
"Does Zeno have any relationship with Nohr?"
Helios perked up as Leo mentioned the relationship between Nohr and Zeno. Yuudai noticed Helios raised his head. He knows that Helios is going to cover up for his prince.
Before Takaya was about to speak. Helios over-spoken his prince.
"No. Zeno has no relationship with Nohr or Hoshido. Our former king knows the existence of those kingdoms, but never had any relationship with them."
Leo frowned. "Who are you? Never remember asking you?"
Helios bowed. "My apologies. My name is Helios. I'm Prince Takaya's retainer and advisor. And my prince hasn't learned much about those kingdoms. That's why I answer your question."
Leo can feel that Helios was lying. Why would he cover for Takaya? And how does he not know any of the kingdoms outside? He doesn't know what is going on. So he won't bother.
"I see."
"What was that, Helios?" Takaya whispered.
"Need not to worry, my prince. I'm doing this for your safety." He lied.
Everyone lost track of what they were talking about. Corrin decided to speak about why his siblings are here.
"Luka," the leader turned to his king. "Since you brought my siblings here. I'm sure that you have something to tell them."
"Of course," Luka turned to Calore. "If you would."
Calore nodded. "Of course," she casted some kind of magic circle on the floor.
Everyone was watching her. Then white clouds of smoke appeared until they cleared. Xander and Ryoma were surprised and shocked to see their own eyes.
It was Camilla and Hinoka. The two queens' wounds were healed. Everyone thought their queens had gone to Zeno. This was a miracle to see.
Xander and Ryoma run to their wife. They were glad they were safe.
Corrin was surprised himself. He didn't expect Luka to take the queens back from the Zeno Army.
Xander and Ryoma bowed to the Elite Knights.
"Thank you. We are in your debt." Xander said.
"Yes," Ryoma was curious how they were able to find and take the queens back. "How did you do it?"
"We have a spy." Luka answered.
"A spy? In the Zeno Army? That was risky with the Grizzins there." Xander said.
"Those Grizzins never train their nose properly. They can smell, but if blending in correctly. They can't tell."
"You mean those bears can't detect the faint smell." Sakura said.
Luka folded his arms and sighs lightly. "Pretty much. Most of the commanders are stupid in their own ways."
Azura was a little suspicious about Luka. Where does he get all of this information from? She can't put it together. He is one of the highest positions in the kingdom.
Corrin trusts him, but does he know that Luka is being suspicious.
"Who was the spy?" The Vallite King asked.
Luka shrugged. "That would ruin the surprise."
Corrin understood what Luka meant. "You mean…"
"Yes. They should be back tomorrow."
Everyone else in the room was dumbfounded by the conversation. Besides the other Elite Knights.
Everything became silent in a few minutes. Then Takumi spoke as he glanced at Azura.
"So, they came here to get Azura. I'm surprised you guys were able to fight them off." Takumi was amused. "Not only that, the place is a bit a mess."
Corrin nodded. "Yes. It was a hard battle. Thanks to the Elite Knights' surprise attack. We were able to fight them off," he continued. "You guys must be exhausted from the long journey. Why don't you guys take a rest?"
Both kings nodded. Felicia arrived on que and took them to the resting room.
In Corrin's office, the Elite Knights were there with their king having a discussion. Luka told him about their long mission and how some countries are doing their own thing. Some are allied with Zeno.
Zeno is growing larger with allies. Luka suggested something they can do. Corrin didn't like the idea, but it is the only way.
"We have no choice. I'll have Shigure stay here to protect the kingdom," the Vallite king stood up from his chair. "Which one do we go first?"
"The Kingdom of Byakko. It's on the westside of Nohr. The kingdom is under a critical condition. Its king is lackluster and lazy. The people are depressed. If we can get the king to cooperate, we can stop Zeno from getting more allies." Luka explained.
Coda sighed deeply. He didn't want to hear anything about Byakko. He was annoyed.
Everyone glanced at the black beast. The Elite Knights never talk about their past. Corrin never forces them to talk about it. It's hard for them to mention anything about their dark past.
"In a week, we will move out and head to Byakko. Everyone is exhausted and needs to recover. Is that alright?"
Luka nodded. "Of course. It gives us time to recuperate. It's best if we don't attract attention once we get there. They will probably think we will start a war."
"You're right. My siblings aren't going to join, because of their duties."
Xander and Ryoma are too busy ruling their kingdom. Leo and Takumi are helping their kings. Elise and Sakura too young join. Camilla and Hinoka are queens.
Luka was thinking about something else. The Elite Knights noticed that their leader has something else in mind. The white-haired king noticed Luka was quiet.
"Is something wrong, Luka?" He was worried.
Luka folded his arms on his chest. "It's that retainer from Prince Takaya. He is suspicious. I think few know about his suspicions besides the prince. I didn't expect him to be his retainer."
Yuudai perked up. "You mean you know that old man Helios?"
"I do. I traveled to all the kingdoms. You know that."
Yuudai nodded. "I did, but I didn't think you would meet the former king and the former commander."
"To think he would raise his son to be idiotic. I had my suspicions on the king for a long time. Helios is with the prince to cover up anything related to Zeno. Has he been this dumb for this long?"
The assassin sighed deeply. "Yes. Everyone in the kingdom is hiding everything from him. "
"Did he not notice anything at all?" Sync asked.
Yuudai shrugged. "Maybe from time to time. But I can tell he is slowly realizing it. He isn't the type to punish anyone, but gets easily annoyed when people annoy him. He does hate people that are nice like Lord Corrin. Although he doesn't know he is soft himself."
Forte scoffed. "He calls himself a prince. How disloyalty he is."
"From our perspective he isn't." Coda said.
"I think he is thinking too hard that he isn't trying. Disgusting." Jete smiled.
"Be nice guys. The young prince is slowly learning. All of these things happened and it is stirring up his mind." Calore said.
"Calm down, everyone. I understand how you feel about Takaya. He was like me back then when I didn't notice anything back then." Corrin said. "My dad was controlled by the dark power inside of him."
"Your father?" Sync asked.
"Anankos was my dad. He lost control of himself and became the silent dragon of destruction. There was no way to bring him back to his normal self. We had to kill him to prevent any more destruction outside of Nohr and Hoshido. Luka, you met my dad before he lost himself."
"I have. He was a kind and caring dragon. Everyone in Valla respects Anankos as their god." Luka remembered.
The Vallite King noticed they were going off topic. He continues to ask if his knights found anything.
"Before I dismiss all of you, I have something else to ask."
"What would that be, Lord Corrin?"
Azura walked around the palace. The place was a mess from the battle. The soldiers are cleaning the mess. Some of the injured are being treated. The Zeno Army caused some heavy damage to the palace.
The sound of raining cats and dogs was making it harder. It does wash away the bloodshed.
Sakura and Elise volunteer to help tend the wounded. Azura continued to walk forward. She wanted to check on something.
The queen passed through many halls to get to the center of the palace. They were the garden lies. She arrived to see that the place was still in good condition.
It was a surprise that the Zeno Army didn't go through the garden. They were too focus on getting Azura and not looking around the area.
Azura walks to the pond and touches it with the tip of her finger. It has been awhile since she touched water.
"Is this where you go when you're bored?" A voice appeared behind Azura.
The Vallite Queen turned behind her and saw the Leader of the Elite Knights. He took her by surprise. She didn't expect someone to find her.
"No. It is like home to me and calms me down." Azura replied.
"Lord Corrin told me that you enjoy being around water. Does your power emulate water?"
Azura was aware of the question. "No. I was cursed with the power. After we defeated Anankos, the curse disappeared. I still have the powers within me. I can control it freely without the curse eating me alive."
"It's interesting that the pendent you have was a curse to take your life away."
"What do you mean?" Azura was slightly confused.
Luka folded his arms and adjusted himself to get comfortable. "You are Lady Arete's daughter and Lady Makoto's niece."
"How did you know that?" Azura was surprised how Luka knew it.
"I used to serve Lady Makoto as her retainer before the Silent Dragon destroyed the kingdom. That is how I know about Lord Corrin and you, Lady Azura."
The songstress didn't know Luka was a former retainer to Makoto. She wondered if Corrin knew about this beforehand. There were a lot of mysteries that she didn't know.
"Have you told Corrin about this?"
"I have. Lord Corrin was shocked when I told him. He was glad to have someone who is connected with Lady Makoto. He had been curious about her before she died."
"I see. So, what kingdom are we going first?"
"The Kingdom of Byakko. It's on the west side of Nohr. The kingdom is in a critical condition." Luka asked as he sighs.
Azura could tell that all of the other kingdoms will be the same. Who knows what will happen.
"A kingdom where a king is lacking his people suffering. How sad. A king shouldn't let down his own kingdom." Azura felt a little upset.
Luka sighed lightly. "Rumors had been saying that he lost his wife 3 years ago. Now, he is sober and desperate to bring her back. I don't know if he made an alliance with the Zeno Kingdom. But if he did, then Chronos would have made a deal with him."
Azura didn't like the sound of that. "A deal to bring his wife back from the dead, correct?"
"Pretty much. Everyone would go for that deal rather than their own people. It is the sound of depression."
"What made you come back and join the Elite Knights as leader?" Azura asked. She wanted to ask him that for a while. Not knowing much about Luka's background.
"Well…"
In the medical room, the two queens were lying on the bed. Hinoka opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was blurry at first, but soon it cleared up. She slowly got up from the bed. Hinoka looked around to see where she was.
"Where am I?" She asked.
"You're in Valla." A voice answered.
The Queen of Nohr turned to the source of the voice. It was Felicia, smiling at her.
Hinoka blinked and then she remembered what happened. "Wait! I remembered my chest was burning up after that. That's all I remembered."
Felicia blinked. "It's okay, Lady Hinako. You're safe in Valla. You don't need to worry."
Camilla woke up as well. "What happened?"
The maid turned around. "Lady Camila, you're okay."
Camilla had her hand on her face and sighed. "Yes, but where am I?"
"You're in Valla. Lord Corrin saved the both of you when you were under the Zeno Army." Felicia told them.
"I see." Camilla responded as she was still tired.
"Are you feeling well, Lady Camilla?"
"I am. Just exhausted. All I remembered was that I was fighting a woman with a scythe then after that I blackout."
"No need to pressure yourself. If you are still exhausted, keep resting. I'll give Lord Ryoma and Lord Xander a heads up."
"Wait. Xander and my siblings are here?" Hinoka asked surprisingly.
The pink-haired maid nodded. "Yes. They were worried about you. The reason they are here is because a letter was sent to them. The rest I don't know. You have asked them."
The red-haired queen stood up from the bed and took a little stretch. "I'm heading out."
Felicia was a little worried about Hinoka's condition. "Are you sure? You are still hurt."
Hinoka nodded. "I'm fine," she turned to Camilla. "I'll give my brother the heads-up."
The Hoshidan queen gave a soft chuckle. "Thank you. I know Ryoma will be worried if i was in a coma. Well, I'm going back to sleep for a bit." She lay back down to rest.
Hinoka nodded. She walked out of the medical room before she left. She thanked Felicia for taking care of them. Felicia smiled and bowed. The red-haired queen leaves the medical room.
Right outside of the kingdom, a shadowy figure stands on a cliff staring at Valla from below and its castle. It took a deep breath. It didn't expect to be here. It was like it was their first time being here.
"So, this is Valla. A fallen kingdom is now a rebuilt and peaceful kingdom. It has been a long time since my homeland has been rebuilt."
I have decided to add the rest of the empty spots for the vacant for the Zeno Commanders and the last spot of the Elite Knights. You can still post your OC's before I add them into the story. Although, I have already decided a character of the Elite Knights. So, the Zeno Commanders are left.
Next chapter, we will be focusing on the Zeno Kingdom. I think it is time to show what Zeno Kingdom is now.
See you guys in the next chapter. If there any grammars and such, please do get some criticism and critique. I don't know what happened to my editors. So, I have to solo to fix my grammars. :3
