Chapter 7; Summoner Feline

After the battle with the Hoshido army, Jakob had taken Gavin to where Corrin grew up, because they wanted to keep Gavin a secret, for now at least. And in the capital of Nohr, in the throne room, Garon and Iago were waiting for the Nohr Royals to return and give a report on the battle. Once they arrived, Xander said to Garon with Corrin in the back. "I have returned, Father."

"So you have. Word of your work in Hoshido precedes you, Son. What I've heard pleases me. Your efforts to vanquish our enemies will not go unrewarded."

"Thank you, Father. There's something else. I bring good tidings. It's about Corrin… She has already safely returned to us. Our family is not only whole again, but stronger than before with Corrin's new power."

"Corrin… has returned? And with a new power?"

"...Hello, Father." Corrin said as she stepped forward and Garon noticed her. Garon then said to Corrin. "What are you doing here, girl?! Why did you come back?"

"F-Father! I…"

"Father! How could you say such a thing?" Elise said to Garon. Garon ignored Elise and said to Corrin. "Do you take me for a fool, Corrin? My spies are everywhere. I know you've been at Hoshido castle this whole time. No doubt their queen filled your head with all manner of secrets about your birth. A poor little princess of Hoshido, abducted at a young age by the force of Nohr. You are surely now aware that the royal family of Nohr is your enemy by birthright. Yet you came back, all the same. I cannot help but wonder why."

"Hmmm… Smells like treachery! Betrayal! She's surely sided with the enemy. Could it be that she's planning to assassinate you, King Garon? It's only logical…" Iago said but stopped when Corrin said. "NO! How could you say that?! I would never do such a thing!"

"It's true. That is simply not possible." Xander said to Iaog. Garon then said to Xander. "Oh? How can you be so sure? I expect less sentimentality from a future king of Nohr."

"I have proof that Corrin's loyalty still lies with Nohr. Although it was her first true battle, she fought off the Hoshidan army all alone with her new powers." Xander said to Garon and Corrin then said to Xander. "Um, Xander? That's not exactly…"

"Be quiet, Corrin. Don't say a word…" Leo whispered as he stopped her from talking. Back with Xander, he said to Garon. "What's more, I saw her elect to return to Nohr with my own eyes. We all did. Because of that choice, Prince Ryoma grew angry and tried to kill Corrin. If she were a Hoshidan spy, why would she risk her life for us? Why would she alienate herself from the Hoshidan royals by protecting us?"

"Hmmm… A convincing story. But it proves nothing. The whole thing could be an elaborate ruse!" Iago said and that made Xander mad. Xander turned to Iago and yelled. "Silence, Iago! As crown prince of Nohr. I swear on my honor that it was no act. You weren't even there, you fool. How could you possibly know what transpired?"

"That is enough, Iago. Your words have been heard and considered." Garon said, which silences both Xander and Iago. Garon then said Corrin. "Corrin! Where is the sword I gifted you with before you left?"

"That sword… It broke while I was in Hoshido. It exploded before my eyes. If Mother… I mean, the Hoshudan queen… If she hadn't sacrificed herself to save me, I would have died."

"I see. How very touching."

"Father… I must ask you something. D-did you give me that sword, knowing this would happen? Was it planned?"

"Corrin, I don't think now is the best time to bring that up." Xander said to Corrin. Corrin didn't let Xander stop her, and said to him. "No, I must know. For myself, and for the innocent Hoshidans who were killed." She then looked at Garon and said. "Father, please tell me the truth. Did you plan that explosion? Did you raise me as your child just to send me with that sword to die in Hoshido?"

"That sword is just a sword. I know nothing about this attack of which you speak."

"But, Father…"

"I gave you my answer, girl! I won't say it again." Garon yelled and Corrin stopped talking. Iago then said to Corrin. "Still doubting the king, are you? Those Hoshidans really got under your skin." Iago then said to Garon. "King Garon, I think it's safe to say we have a dirty Hoshido spy on our hands…"

"Sadly, I must agree. Now that the war between our kingdoms has escalated, I have no choice. I cannot allow this little problem to go any further than it already has. Xander… Kill Corrin. That's an order." Garon said to Xander, which surprised them. Before Xander did anything, Camilla said to Garon. "Father, stop this madness! I beg of you!"

"Please, no! Don't hurt our sister!" Elise said, stepping in front of Corrin. Iago then said to Camilla and Elise. "That's enough, Princess. It is not your place to question the king's decision. Not even a queen would be able to overrule a direct command from King Garon!"

"Xander, you have your orders. No more stalling. Proceed." Garon said and then Xander said to Garon. "I won't do it! I'm sorry, Father."

"Awww, what's the matter? Don't have the guts?! OR is our own crown prince also a traitor? He IS defying a royal order, after all…" Iago said and then Corrin yelled. "Stop this! Xander is not a traitor." Corrin then turned to Garon and said. "Father… I am the cause of this. All will be well if I just disappear, correct? Please don't bring Xander into this. I'll do it myself."

"So, you're willing to trade your life for his? Fascinating. In that case… I shall allow the great Anankos to decide your fate. Now would be a good time to start praying."

"Father? I don't understand…" Xander said as Garon got off his throne. "Quiet, children. I will now seek the counsel of the sacred mystical dragon, Anankos. He alone shall decide Corrin's fate." Garon said and then Iago said. "King Garon? You can't be serious… Are you feeling well?"

"The mystical dragon… Anankos?" Corrin said as Garon prayed to a drawing on the roof. "Mighty Anankos, I call upon your wisdom on this day reckoning! Grant me a vision… Show me the way…" Garon said to the drawing. After a few moments, Garon said. "...Understood. It shall be done." Garon then said to Corrin. "Fate has smiled on you today, young Corrin. As decreed by Anankos, you shall be accepted into the Nohrian royal family."

"Father, I… Thank you!" Corrin said and then Iago said. "King Garon?! This is preposterous!"

"You did the right thing, Father. We are all eternally grateful." Xander said and then Garon said. "Not so fast. Before it can be done, Corrin must first pass a test."

"A test? What kind of test?" Corrin said and then Garon said to Corrin. "Anankos decrees that you must first suppress the Ice Tribe's rebellion. Once you have gloriously fulfilled that obligation on behalf of Nohr… I will welcome you back into the fold as my daughter, and all will be as it was."

"Suppress the rebellion… I understand, Father. No matter what. I won't let you down." Corrin said to Garon. Xander then said to Corrin. "You'll do great, Corrin. I will prepare the troops immediately. With our army at your side, you will make quick work of that little rebellion."

"Yeah! You can do it! I'll go along too, so I can heal you if you get hurt!" Elise said and then Garon said to everyone. "You fail to understand the task at hand. To fulfill the wishes of Anankos, she must perform this task by herself. Corrin will vanquish the tribe alone without the help of our troops."

"WHAT?! Father! That's… that's not possible!" Elise said to Garon. Xander then said to Garon. "Father, be reasonable. Attempting to end this rebellion alone is suicide! To even get there, she must first pass through the Woods of the Forlorn. It's too much to ask of her when she's still so inexperienced in the ways of the world!"

"If that is so, then kill her now. I will not tolerate insolence." Garon said to Xander and then after a moment of silence, Xander said to Garon. "Understood, Father. I apologized for my outburst."

"Don't worry, Xander. I'll find a way to do this alone… somehow. Do you remember when Leo said I have the devil's luck? It must be true. I swear to you, I will accomplish this task and return home without fail." Corrin said to Xander. Corrin then said to everyone. "If you'll excuse me, I must go make the proper preparations for my journey."

"Corrin… May the gods be at your side." Xander said and then Garon said. "I have high hopes for you, Corrin. Do not let me down."

"I won't, Father. That's a promise." Corrin said before she left the room to get ready for the mission. Everyone followed Corrin out of the room to help Corrin get ready for her mission. However, only Xander heard Garon say. "Excellent. All is going according to plan. She has already left, all alone, just as Anankos ordained. No traitor of Nohr shall escape justice! Even if she begs for the sweet release of death, I won't allow it. She must first live long enough to lose all hope and learn the true meaning of pain."

"...So it is true. I should have known. Father intends only to make Corrin suffer… In that case, I know what I must do." Xander said before he left and put his plan into action.

In the Woods of the Forlorn, which was a graveyard with giant dead looking trees. Corrin was alone, minus Lilith, and said to Lilith. "So these are the Woods of the Forlorn… If I can't make it through here, I'll never reach the Ice Tribe village. I… I wonder if I'm even going the right way. I've never had to go it alone like this. It's a lonely feeling."

"EHEM."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Lilith! You're absolutely right, I'm not alone at all. I have you! Thank you for looking after me. Having you here makes me feel a lot better. But enough fooling around. I must fulfill Father's command. Otherwise… Otherwise I betrayed my birth family for nothing." Corrin said and then after a while, Corrin said to Lilith. "Wow, it's pitch black in here. This isn't going to be easy, is it? It's so dark, I could be walking in endless circles for all I know. What to do…" They then heard something moving. Corrin then said to Lilith. "Lilith? What was that? I think I heard something…"

Then a Faceless appeared. It surprised Corrin, so she grabbed her deck boxes and said. "Henshin!" Corrin then turned into Dusk as Lilith went into her Pocket Dimension. "Summon Tail Blade." Yato said and Dusk was able to kill the Faceless with her two swords. But then more Faceless appeared and started to surround her. And just before a Faceless attacked Dusk, Goldwing appeared and landed on the Faceless, killing it on impact. Dusk was surprised to see G-Wing and Jakob. As G-Wing and Jakob got off Goldwing, and Goldwing attacked the Faceless close to them. Jakob said to Dusk. "Corrin, are you OK? Thank heavens I arrived before it was too late!"

"Yeah, what were you thinking doing this alone?" G-Wing said and then Dusk said to them. "Jakob?! Gavin?! I'm fine, thanks to you two. But… What are you two doing here?"

"Xander let us know what happened and went behind your Fathers back to send us here to keep you safe. But Jakob and I couldn't wait and went ahead of the others." G-Wing said to Dusk and Dusk said to them. "Xander… Well, I certainly can't die before thanking him. All the more reason to prevail!"

"Agreed. Now I have to ask. Why are Faceless here?" G-Wing said and then Jakob said. "They say the spirits of the dead inhabit this forest, searching for fresh souls to take."

"Wonderful." G-Wing said and then Dusk said. "Thanks guys. It was very kind of you to come after me like you did. But are you two sure this is for the best? According to that… that dragon, I have to do this alone or it doesn't count."

"I…I'm so sorry, Corrin. I didn't think through the consequences of my actions. This is all my fault…" Jakob said before Dusk said. "It's OK, Jakob! Anankos just said I have to beat the Ice Tribe by myself. We're not even there yet, so I bet it's fine. Besides, I'd be dead if it weren't for you and Gavin!"

"Hey, that's what friends are for." G-Wing said to Dusk before Jakob said to her. "Thank you, Lady Corrin. It is an honor to serve you." Then more Faceless appeared and then Dusk said. "Uh-oh… It looks like we have more company. I hate to ask for your help again so soon, but would you two mind lending a hand?"

"You don't need to ask." G-Wing said as Goldwing returned to its card and G-Wing pulled out his weapon card. And before G-Wing put it into his griffin head, Jakob said. "Certainly. You had only to ask. I refuse to let you die in this horrible place."

"Thanks guys. Now let's take these things down and get out of this creepy forest!" Dusk said as they attacked the Faceless. "Summon Griffin Saber." G-Wing's griffin head said and G-Wing caught his sword before he attacked the Faceless. They were able to kill more Faceless, but they were still coming. "They're not backing down. There's no end in sight." Dusk said as she killed another one. G-Wing then jumped back to her and said. "I hate to say it, Corrin, but we're wildly outnumbered here. We need a plan, and fast."

"Hey, Corrin! Over here!" A male voice said in the distance. "Did you two hear that? I think someone's calling out to us in the distance…" Dusk said before G-Wing said. "Yeah, over there!" G-Wing pointed to a cavalier knight with black armor and gray hair. The man then said to Dusk, as Dusk jumped over to him and they fought off Faceless close to them. "Phew! I finally caught up with you. You're faster than you used to be."

"Um, thanks. And you would be…?"

"It's me, Silas! It's been a long time, Corrin. You're a lot taller! It makes me so happy to reunite with a childhood friend like this."

"A childhood friend? I'm really sorry, but I'm drawing a blank."

"So, you've forgotten about me, eh? Haha, no worries. It's been ages. We used to play together. You always said 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 even packed your favorite meal: vegetarian chowder! I knew taking you beyond the walls was forbidden, but… I also knew how much it would mean to you. The guards tried to execute me when we returned, but you wouldn't let them do it."

"No, it can't be… Silas?! Is it really you? Of course I remember you! I can't believe it! It's been a lifetime since I last saw you. You look so different!"

"You too! I wanted to visit, but I was banned from ever returning after that. I became a Nohrian knight so that one day I might be able to see you again. Now here we are, in the middle of one of your messes! Just like old times, haha. If you will allow me, I would be honored to fight at your side."

"Silas… Thank you. You really are a sight for sore eyes."

"Everyone, hold your horses!" Elise said as she and her retainers appeared. One of the retainers was a female knight with silver hair in pink armor, and the other was a guy with blond hair and wearing. "Corrin! I'm here too!" Elise said as she and her retainers joined Dusk. Dusk then said to Elise. "Elise?! You came as well?"

"Heehee, of course! That's what sisters are for, right? No way I was gonna let our new knight come to your rescue without me! I'm here to help you, Corrin! I don't care what Father thinks."

"Thank you, Elise… That means so much to me."

"Anyway, back to business. Silas, you're a real dummy, you know that? Mean too. Leaving a cute princess like me behind while you forge ahead. Shame on you!" Elise said to Silas as her retainers right off the Faceless. Silas also helped deal with the Faceless and said to Elise. "I-I'm so sorry, milady. But, um, don't you have your own retainers to look after you?"

"Well, yeah, but… Don't change the subject!"

"Elise… You are adorable. Go easy on Silas for me, OK?" Dusk said to Elise and Elise nodded yes. As Dusk joined up with Elise retainers and they killed more Faceless. G-Wing and Jakob joined Silas and Elise. G-Wing then said to Elise as Silas and Jakob killed more Faceless. "Thanks for coming. We need help."

"You're welcome, but who are you?"

"I'm Gavin, also known as Summoner G-Wing. You could call me Corrin retainer."

"Well Gavin it is nice to meet you."

"Same. So who are your retainers?"

"That's Arthur. He has a strong sense of justice, but has the worst luck." Elise said pointing at the male retainer. "And that's Effie. She is super strong and amazing."

"Go to… Watch out!" G-Wing said as he pulled Elise off her horse and out of the way of a Faceless attack. The Faceless missed Elise and Jakob killed the Faceless. Then the energy from G-Wing that turned Corrin into Dusk and Azura into Waves surrounded Elise and in a flash a orange deck box with black image of a dragon head that was shaped like a cat in Elise's right hand and now she had the same belt as the other Summoners. "What is this?" Elise said, looking at the box. G-Wing then said to her. "That lets you turn into a Summoner."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just say "Henshin!" and place it inside your belt."

"Ok. Henshin." Elise said and did what G-Wing said. In a flash Elise turned into a Summoner. Elise Summoner armor was knight themed with orange fur like armor with black spandex underneath, a helmet that was orange fur knight themed with cat ears, a scarf like a tail on the back of her belt and a gauntlet that had blades like claws on her left arm. "Wow. I feel powerful." Elise said, jumping on her horse and started to cut down Faceless with her claws. As Arther and Effie joined Elise, G-Wing joined with Dusk and then Dusk said to G-Wing as they fought off the Faceless. "How did Elise turn into a Summoner?"

"I don't know how, but there's some kind of energy in me. That can turn anyone with royal blood into a Summoner."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jakob said as he and Silas joined them. G-Wing then said to them as the number of Faceless started to go down instead of up. "I have a theory, but I didn't know if it was true or not until I pulled Elise out of the way of a Faceless attack."

"But how is she fighting like that?" Dusk said as she killed another Faceless. G-Wing then said to Dusk as he killed another Faceless. "I'm guessing it is the Deck Beast that is helping her fight. Just like how I fought you back at the castle."

"And some training Leo gave me." Elise said as she pulled out her Calling and Final Attack cards. Then her claws opened, showing where to place her cards. She then placed the cards inside and closed it. "Summon Catgon Final Attack." Elise claws said and then an orange dragon with fur and cat ears appeared out of Elise's shadow. Elise and Catgon then jumped over all of the Faceless. Elise did a kick across all of them creating a line that Catgon followed with its right paw and cut all of the Faceless into three parts. Dusk then said to Elise as the Faceless pieces started to disappear. "That was awesome, Elise."

"Feline."

"Huh?"

"My Summoner name is Feline. Right Catgon?" Elise said Catgon, who roared in agreement with Elise. Dusk then remembered what Eclipse said and wondered if this is what she meant. With the battle over, everyone returned to normal and was healed by Elise. Corrin then said to everyone. "Phew! It appears all of the Faceless have finally been dispatched. Good work."

"Yaaay! We did it! GO TEAM!" Elise said with a big smile. Silas then said to everyone. "I can't believe we actually won. Amazing!"

"Yeah, now let's get out of this forest and head to the Ice Tribe village, before more Faceless appear." Gavin said and Corrin agreed with him. Jakob then guided them out of the forest. Because he made it a point to know every inch of Nohr like the back of his hand. Corrin was impressed and they all followed Jakob.

Once they were gone, Iago, who was watching them the whole time, appeared out of the shadows and said looking at where they were going. "Drat! So our false princess made it through that battle in one piece… And after I went through all the trouble of summoning a Faceless army! This is Prince Xander's fault, the traitor. Though King Garon is not without blame… I don't see why he would allow that child to live after being tainted by the Hoshidans. Maybe he wants that power that gold fool has. No matter. It is beyond my understanding. Luckily he has me to set things right. That's right, Corrin. Enjoy this brief respite, heh heh heh. Hell is waiting for you as soon as you leave this forest. Prepare to suffer and die!"