Clovis was incredibly bored. His older sister, in her infinite wisdom, confined him to his bedroom over a mere "diplomatic incident." It wasn't his fault Emmeryn decided to accept a Plegian messenger into the castle or that said messenger "happened" to trip down a flight of stairs. By Naga! Clovis was sixteen years old, yet here he was locked away in his room once again with just a few old tomes to look over.

He missed being back in Plegia with his father. One of Clovis's most cherished memories was the time his father returned from Plegia to celebrate his tenth birthday. He'd never forget the wonderful gift his father provided him. On his tenth birthday, Clovis was gifted with the duty of being his father's squire. Clovis could only thank Naga that he was the third in line for rulership and could follow his father's march to Plegia.

Those were the two happiest years of his life. From ages ten to twelve, he served at his father's side against the Plegian menace. Clovis would have happily remained at his father's side if the Plegians didn't slaughter him.

He always thought his father, the former Exalt, was invincible. He had been such an awe inspiring figure in his silver gleaming plate armor. His huge war hammer caved in the chests of even the toughest among the Plegian barbarians.

Those fiends didn't even give his father a proper death on the battlefield! No, they poisoned him. His father slowly rotted away for an entire week in the foreign sands of Plegia. Clovis stayed at his side until his final moments.

His father's dying words were ones he would never forget, "Clovis… Our family… We will never be safe as long as a Plegian remains…"

Truly, the only good Plegian was a dead Plegian.

To make matters worse, his father's crusade wasn't even followed through until the very end. Grandmaster Wilfrid, the coward, called for a full retreat mere hours after the Exalt breathed his last breath. Clovis made his displeasure known at the time, but the words of a twelve year old meant little to most. At least the coward quit his position as the Grandmaster of Ylisse once they returned to Ylisse.

Clovis had to be dragged kicking and screaming back to Ylisse. He was presented before his siblings upon his return. Emmeryn had ranted about how much of a monster his father had been. Something about how dragging a child off to war was "damaging" to their development or some such nonsense. He didn't really listen to her at the time as he had spent most of their initial reunion contemplating stealing a dagger from the belt of one of the guards to slit Wilfrid's cowardly throat.

In the end, Emmeryn got really hysterical and mushy about nothing. She forced him to talk with a bunch of healers for a while after. Chrom was at least fun to be around during that period of time, although he never did fulfill his promise to take Clovis back to the armory after Clovis put his fallen father's warhammer within it. Lissa mostly stayed away from him until he eventually started to interrupt her tea parties.

To this day, Clovis still wasn't exactly used to the strange behavior of his siblings whenever they were around him. Emmeryn constantly hovered over him, watching his every move as if she were their dead mother. Chrom was being a pain, constantly trying to get him to join his farming club centered around sheep or something. Lissa is just… strange. Maribelle had filled her head with far too many fairy tales. His fifteen year old sister was still far too naive.

Clovis was pulled out of his thoughts by light knocking on his bedroom door. A mere moment later, the door opened. Clovis's shoulders stiffened as his older sister silently strode into the room. Mentally preparing himself for another round of chastisement, Clovis turned his attention away from one of the worn tomes he held.

"Emmeryn! Isn't it a wonderful day outside? Look how brightly the sun is shining through the windows! I can only imagine how fresh the air is outside."

She clearly understood what he was implying as she continued to silently stare at him with a frown on her face, "Clovis. Please explain to me why you are currently restricted to your room."

Clovis looked away from her, turning his gaze to the window.

He deeply sighed, "Doing bad stuff to bad people just because they are bad, isn't right."

Her frown slightly began to curve into a smile, "Goo-"

Clovis interrupted her, "Wait! I know what I did was wrong. I should have considered the time and place of what I did. Getting Plegian blood on our stairs was a mistake. I should really apologize to the maids…"

The forming smile on his sister's face quickly disappeared, "What am I to do with you, Clovis?"

She sighed, taking a seat next to him on his bed, "Please listen to me. You are correct, hurting others is bad. Naga would not approve of such pointless violence. Clovis, you're lucky we were able to treat the messenger's wounds in time. You could have really hurt him. He could have died, Clovis. You would have murdered him in cold blood. I love you Clovis, I truly do, but you are wearing me down."

The fact the messenger lived was a point of failure on his part. Not that he was entirely trying to kill the man. Hurting a messenger sent a message. Killing a messenger would have potentially sparked an early war. He needed to bide his time for that. He needed Chrom on board first for such plans.

Clovis grinned at Emmeryn, "I have a solution! How about you let me borrow a few knights and-"

"No! You may not form a knightly order of your own! I know of your ambitions. I will not allow you to march off to Plegia to spill blood to fulfill a dead man's insane ambition. There has to be something else for you here at home with us. Please Clovis, isn't there anything else you wish to do?"

Clovis frowned as he tilted his head in thought. He wanted to snap at Emmeryn for insulting their father, but then she would almost certainly keep him in his room the rest of the day. Instead, he decided to actually consider her words. Was there anything else he wanted to do?

After a few more moments of consideration, he recalled the conversations of a few knights around the keep, "I did hear about arena fights being hosted in Ferox. Can I go there? It's not Plegia, so it should be fine. Right, Emmeryn?"

"You're going to give me grey hairs. What part of your mind believes that to be a proper idea? Walk me through the logistics of this decision of yours. You are a prince of royal blood and you wish to head towards our neighbors far into the snowy north to participate in barbaric battles for glory?"

"Yes."

"Fine. It is up to you to draft a travel plan. You will need supplies and a proper escort befitting your position. Explain to me a sane, rational plan, and I will fully accept this folly of yours," Emmeryn sounded exhausted as she finished speaking.

Clovis stood confidently, his brand in his right eye illuminated by the sunlight, "Why, this can be a diplomatic mission! Allow me to represent Ylisse before the Khans of Ferox. I can earn their respect in the field of battle! I have plenty of allowance left over, enough to disguise myself as a merchant with a few of the castle guards to act as my escorts. I can buy a wagon and a sizable stock of wheat to take with me to the north. I can cover the pay for all the guards too if that is an issue."

Emmeryn gave Clovis the dreaded look, "Clovis. Remind me once more why you are in your room."

"I pushed a Plegian messenger down a flight of stairs," he was more than happy to take credit for his actions.

"By Naga! What makes you think I would allow you to represent Ylisse in any political capacity?! Mere hours ago you nearly killed a man!"

"A Plegian, Emm."

"No, Clovis! Goddess no! You can take as many guards as you can afford. Spend as much allowance as you want, but you may not officially represent Ylisse in any way!"

Clovis's grin faltered, his mood souring at the realization that his sister doesn't trust him, "I understand, Emmeryn."

Emmeryn deeply frowned, "Come here."

She tugged him forward, wrapping him in a hug. Clovis's chin rested on her shoulder as she quietly held him.

She spoke quietly, "I will never understand your mind… If you truly wish to go to Ferox, I will accept your decision. No matter how much it will hurt me to see you leave our home once more. Just stay safe, for me, Clovis. Plan your trip carefully. Phila and I shall go over your plans to see if they are acceptable once you are finished."

Clovis separated himself from her hug, a fresh smile on his face, "I'll need a wagon, plenty of wheat to sell, at least two guards in case I encounter bandits. Bandits… Hmm, maybe I should get a reliable mount? Didn't Phila's pegasus have a foal a few months back?"

Emmeryn poked his chest three times, "You. Will. Not."

Clovis hummed, "Hm? Yeah, I understand. I won't represent Ylisse, don't worry."

"That's not what I…" Emmeryn sighed.

Emmeryn's gaze upon him narrowed, "Clovis. I will prepare your wagon and mounts. Go find the guards you wish to bring with you to Ferox. Give them advanced notice of their change in posting."

Clovis considered his choices amongst those within the castle. After mulling it over for a few moments, he happily announced his first choice.

"Lissa!"

Emmeryn rubbed at her brows, "This was a horrible mistake wasn't it? No, you may not take Lissa as one of your guards. You can ask her if she would like to accompany you on your journey, but you still need knights to defend you."

Clovis clapped his hands together once, "Kellam!"

A mere moment later, he heard swift movement from the doorway of his bedroom. A giant wall of a man poked his head into the room.

The giant of a man had a soothing voice to his ears, "Are you calling for me, Prince Clovis?"

Clovis rapidly nodded, rising from his bed, "I need you for a mighty adventure!"

Kellam turned his attention towards Emmeryn, "Exalt?"

"Clovis needs you to protect him during a journey northwards to Ferox. He will provide you your standard pay. I will provide you with bonus pay for your time upon your return to Ylisse."

The giant grinned, "I'm honored to join Prince Clovis on his quest."

Clovis was happy to hear him accept his position, "Wonderful! Now I just need to ask Lissa and maybe that one girl Phila was training. Cordelia, wasn't it?"

Emmeryn immediately spoke, "Cordelia is a wonderful choice. Well done Clovis! Please bring her with you."

Clovis happily nodded to himself, he was truly brilliant in his decision making, "See? You don't have to worry about me at all! I can make great decisions. If you'll excuse me, Emm. I need to interrupt Lissa's tea party."

Clovis rushed out of his room before his older sister could realize she hadn't yet given him permission to do so. He wasted no time heading to Lissa's bedroom, dearly hoping his younger sister was only hosting Maribelle for her tea party.

Clovis ignored the knight stationed outside of Lissa's door as he rapidly began to knock.

"Lissa! Open please! Emergency!"

He heard something crash on the floor within the bedroom. A second after, he heard swift movement coming towards the closed door. Lissa pulled open her bedroom door, panic on her face.

"Was someone hurt?! I need to grab my staff!"

Clovis peeked over her shoulder to look to see if anyone else was in her room. He could only see a worried Maribelle clutching her cup of tea in her hands. A shattered glass of tea was a little ways away from Maribelle.

Wow. Lissa was kind of clumsy if she managed to break a tea cup just trying to get to the door.

Clovis wrapped Lissa in a hug, "Nope!~"

She struggled in his grasp before lightly shoving him away, "Stop it! Clovis! Why did you scare me like that?"

"Scare you? All I said was that it was an emergency. I need you to quickly make a decision. Do you want to travel to Ferox with me?"

Lissa did not look amused.

"You made me drop my tea for that?! No! I don't want to freeze my butt off in Ferox. That doesn't sound fun at all. Does Emmeryn even know about this idea of yours?"

Clovis sighed, "Ah, that's a shame. I really wanted you to come along. Oh well. Emmeryn does know. I'm going to go on an epic adventure while you continue to have these boring tea parties of yours. Such a shame you won't have a chance to gain any glory or loot when we inevitably stumble upon a quest granted by Naga herself. Don't worry too much Lissa, I'll make sure to still include you in the history books by writing about your denial."

Lissa blinked, "What?"

Clovis shook his head slowly, "Such a shame… Can I have a glass of tea? I am feeling rather parched."

Clovis walked past Lissa, ignoring her and the fallen glass of tea on his way to Maribelle.

He waved at Maribelle as he grabbed one of the empty tea cups to pour himself a cup of tea. Clovis downed the entire glass in one long sip as the noblewoman seated at the table stared at him.

With his cup of tea finished, he set the cup aside, "Greetings, daughter of the great Duke Roland of Themis!"

Maribelle's lip twitched, "Good day to you, Prince Clovis."

"Do you wish to go on a Naga blessed quest to Ferox with me, Maribelle?"

Maribelle slowly placed her own cup of tea on the table, "Sorry? Can you please repeat that?"

"Do you wish to join me on a journey to the far north? I know it may be cold on the way there, but we can all bundle up in the wagon together. It will be fun, I promise. I'd really appreciate it if you came with me."

Lissa hurriedly approached the table, "Don't do it Maribelle! This oaf is going to get you lost in the woods and mauled by a bear!"

Clovis ignored his sister. He reached his hand forward, capturing the top of Maribelle's free hand placed upon the table with his own, "Maribelle, I need you."

Her face rapidly reddened as she began to idly play with a loose strand of hair with her hand that wasn't captured in his grasp, "W-well… I suppose… There is much opportunity to be had in the north."

Lissa looked flabbergasted, "Really? Maribelle! It's Clovis!"

Clovis let go of Maribelle's hand as he happily cheered, "Yes! Thank you! I promise you won't regret it, Maribelle. I swear I won't get us mauled by a bear."

Maribelle seemed to be currently ignoring Lissa's existence, "I will hold you to your words. Vaike was greatly mauled, saving you from a raging bear last time you left the castle. We can only thank Naga that Kellam and Vaike were there that day to protect you from your failed attempt to tame such a wild beast."

Apparently, Kellam was cleaning up the shattered glass of tea within Lissa's room as the giant of a man suddenly spoke up, "I was only doing my job."

Clovis poured himself another glass of tea, raising it in the air, "And what a job it was! Thank you for the assistance once again, Kellam. I hope I can continue to rely on you. I still need to recruit Cordelia to our party. However, I must first decide upon our disguises."

Maribelle seemed confused as she muttered, "Disguises?"

Clovis placed his tea cup down as he nodded, "Of course! We cannot show our true selves so easily! Emmeryn will be upset at me if I try to represent Ylisse as a Prince! Thus…"

Clovis covered his right eye dramatically, "I shall be… Cyrille Dusk! The final remnant of the great Dusk merchant clan. I, Cyrille Dusk, vowed revenge against the Plegian dogs for the death of my family during the war. To get revenge, I followed in my father's footsteps as a great merchant to earn enough coin to assemble a small core of a mercenary company!"

Lissa and Maribelle must have been in awe at his idea for a disguise. Both were silently staring at him. They shared looks with one another before Maribelle interrupted the silence by falsely adjusting her throat.

"I… suppose we can work with this idea of yours. You are not actually attempting to assemble a mercenary force during our journey away from Ylisse, are you?"

Lissa glared at Clovis, a hint of danger within her tone, "Clovis…"

Clovis blinked once, twice. Why didn't he actually consider that? It was a good idea.

He laughed as he stared at Maribelle in awe, "You're a genius! I was just going to Ferox to bet on a few arena fights or maybe join in on a fight or two. I never actually thought about what else to do there. Actually scouting out potential knights and soldiers is a wonderful idea. Yes, this can work! Gather enough coin, gather enough men, and…"

Lissa angrily filled in the blank, "Head off to Plegia, right? I'm telling Emmeryn!"

Clovis took a step away from Maribelle, holding his hands up in surrender towards Lissa, "Why, I'm wounded! Why would you dare assume I would set out to Plegia, dear Lissa? There are plenty of ruins to plunder with a small force to back me up. I can also clean up some of the dregs of society with the backing of a couple of sellswords. I have entirely altruistic motives, I assure you."

Lissa crossed her arms, "I don't believe you."

Clovis stared at her, baffled, "Are you insane, Lissa? If I truly wish to finish what Father started, I would need far more than a dozen sellswords."

Clovis leaned in close to Maribelle, "I believe Lissa has taken a leave of her senses. Can you keep an eye on her while I make the rest of our preparations?"

Lissa stumbled towards one of the free chairs at the table, collapsing into it, "Insane… Clovis called me insane…"

Maribelle's attention kept shifting between him and Lissa, "I will keep us out of trouble to the best of my ability, Lissa."

Lissa looked defeated in her chair as she gazed up at the ceiling, "Will you even be enough? Maybe I should just come along…"

She closed her eyes for a few moments before sighing, "Fine. I think I will join you on this trip after all."

Clovis tilted his head, "I'm sorry, did I invite you? I could have sworn I only invited Maribelle."

Lissa rapidly stood up, knocking her chair to the ground, "I am coming with you or I will do everything in my power to make Emmeryn change her mind about this trip to Ferox!"

Clovis rubbed his chin, "Hmm, alright. I suppose you can pretend to be my sister or something. How does Ophelia Dusk sound as your false identity?"

"Fine Clovis… Just… Fine…"

AN: Valm does not exist in this fic, instead Fates takes place across the sea. Nohr/Hoshido and all of that mess exists in the place of Valm. This will be relevant later on.