Walking had become easier over the past week since Corrin had left. On his first few trips, always with either Effie alone or with both Silas and Flora by his side, he felt stiff and aching. The stretch of time he'd spent first stagnant in his cell and then sleeping off his injuries and trying not to strain the aching length of his torso (which still sent dull pain up the length of his right side every time he tried to sit up) had left him with legs like a newly born foal. Now he could almost feel some sense of dignity again walking as steadily as he was, though being shorter then both Flora and Silas by at least a head made the feeling diminish some. Unlike the loose steps he was used to from Oboro and Hinata at home, Silas and Flora stepped in perfect time. They never wavered in these moments in the open; Silas's wrist rested against the pommel of his sword and Flora's gingerly folded hands wrapped easily around the hilt of her own dagger, which was hidden seamlessly in the soft feathery sleeve of her uniform. While Takumi had never walked with them while they weren't on active alert, he doubted it would be much different- Nohrians seemed to be constantly on guard.

Takumi tried for a moment to think of home and his walks through the delicately ornate halls of Castle Shirasagi. He could almost see Hinata swaying and bobbing with each step as he bounced his sheathed blade playfully on his shoulder, voice constantly bursting through the air to greet those they passed, or the explosive sound of the man laughing at his own jokes. Oboro too would have been relaxed and at home at his side, ready with a snide and slightly backhanded compliment for the other man. She cared for others more than she let on, and while she could have a rotten temper in her worst moments, she was deeply kind and stern in the way he'd seen mothers could be. She tended to try and look after too much at once and stress herself out. He smiled thinking about the way she'd try to keep Hinata on his toes and mess free- a losing game she couldn't help but play. In comparison, Silas and Flora were certainly more ruly then his old retainers- own! Hot shame flushed through Takumi at the quick flash of thought. No one could ever replace Oboro and Hinata in his heart, he loved and trusted them as far and as steadfast as the Fujin Yumi could loose an arrow, but they weren't here right now and that was a fact his head couldn't ignore it seemed… It was almost scary how fast your mind would seek to fill absences, even when your heart didn't want to admit they were there.

He heaved a sigh.

"Prince Takumi, do you need to take a break?" Flora's cool voice cut through his thoughts. "I could unlock one of the rooms for us if you'd like to sit for a moment."

Takumi hand waved the notion away. "No, no I'm fine. I've just been cooped up for too long. Thank you two, again, for walking with me."

"Of course, Prince Takumi." She gave a curt nod. "I understand. Please, let's continue to enjoy your walk then."

Silas gave him a good natured smile. "If you'd like, Prince, we can walk you to the garden. There's a bench out near the roses you can rest at for a while in a private spot. Some fresh air might do you some good."

Takumi nodded gratefully. "If you can let me out without getting me in trouble, I'd love that. I was starting to miss the sky."

Flora nodded her head again as she spoke. "It would be no trouble, Prince Takumi. The garden is only open to the staff and the nobles. We shouldn't find any trouble there."

Takumi was pleased to know there would be no soldiers taking him by surprise, and if he could get outside he might be able to figure out a good hiding spot or even start planning an escape route for if the worst came to pass and his status as a political prisoner wasn't enough to keep him from an official chopping block. That is, he thought gravely, if a war was officially started. He knew Corrin's own status as a Princess of Nohr was easily contested, and though the other Nohrian royals accepted her as one of their own he wasn't certain her pleading eyes or any amount of kicking, shouting, or tears could keep the harsh Crown Prince Xander from following his Father-King's orders for longer then it took him to weigh his odds. Prince Leo on the other hand wouldn't hesitate for even a moment if the order was passed down, of that he was sure. Takumi repressed a shudder at the thought of having to choose between being shish-kabob'd by the thick flat sword he'd seen at Prince Xander's side or flambéd alive by any number of Prince Leo's dusk-dragon-endorsed curses. Either way, he was sure grilled Hoshidan would be on the menu…and that he was getting hungry again.

These thoughts kept Takumi occupied as Flora led them down a series of service corridors just wide enough to allow the maid to stay at his arm while Silas fell into step behind them. She had taken them down a similar path the day prior and he had spent the whole time gawking into the large cold looking stone rooms and pathways the service tunnels had split into. Flora had explained to him that a good maid should not be heard or seen unless they were called for, and entering certain rooms through the main doors without clearly knocking was a recipe for disaster in a place where even the royals had to act quick or find themselves out of luck and time. It was much safer to be able to peer into rooms to see which was empty and enter when no one was around. Takumi had taken to trying to memorize the layout in case he needed to take refuge here, but it was impossible without knowing the way the floorplan of the castle itself was shaped- at least to him. However, it crossed his mind that while he was having troubles mapping the place there were people trained to know better… his eyes darted around a moment conspiratorially. There could be someone- anyone, really- living in their palace walls and they'd never be the wiser.

Takumi's thoughts locked onto the Hoshidan Ninja's. He wasn't aware of the specifics but he knew that there had been at least three of their spies dispatched to Nohr itself under his brother's command, but he wasn't sure where in the country they'd actually ended up. The Castle was a good bet, but that led to downright nasty political complications that could send things into a tailspin. If they were discovered, he wasn't sure the tentative peace that held the two nations back to just border skirmishes could be maintained…and if worse came to worse and they were left one on one in a service tunnel like this, he didn't want to see thoughtful and delicate Flora on the opposite end of a Sting Shuriken…or even think about one of his own people on the other end of that sharp little dagger she carried like a lifeline. The thought made him shiver. He tried to distract himself by looking through into different rooms that lined the corridors.

There were many small dark bedrooms for visiting nobles, and a fair number of staff quarters. He caught sight of an older Nohrian woman in a maid's dress as her husband rubbed her sore shoulders, and a guard napping away in his desk chair, his snores echoing into the corridor, but most rooms were empty at this time in the morning on account of breakfast, which the young prince hadn't found appetizing at the time though he was sorely missing out on now. Takumi had noticed that most of the important rooms, like bedrooms for the royal family and the castles kitchen, had no staff path into them, but that less important people, like the royal families retainers it seemed, did.

He had caught sight of Peri again the day before in a cute little room covered in so many pretty little dolls of such high quality and in such good condition it looked almost like a toy store. She'd also had more pillows than any other room he had seen in soft quilted pillowcases with a quilted blanket to match and absolutely garish lacey curtains fluttering around the open window. She had been sitting cross legged on her bed in a frilly childrens-styled dress, popping bright red strawberries covered in some crunchy brown crust into her mouth and making exaggerated eating noises, complete with humming and "ooooh yummy yummy's!" that had left his stomach growling and his mouth watering. He'd had the impulsive thought to pop in and ask for one seeing how generous she'd been in the kitchen, but Flora had rushed them past before he'd had the chance to even fully realize how dangerous the thought could be for him. Bursting into a woman's room during her…private snack time seemed like a dangerous social faux pas even without the fact that he was still a political prisoner or the newfound knowledge that Peri had killed numerous staff members that had surprised her in the past. Finding out that she was a retainer for Prince Xander had left Takumi speechless and more than a little confused.

Today they passed the other of the Crown Prince's retainer's rooms- Laslow, whos skies were always blue or something. Takumi hadn't committed his bit to memory. Compared to Peri's room it was simple and clean for the most part, though the quality of the items within was unmatched by the other servants quarters. A number of fresh home-friendly flowers very obviously not native to Nohr sat growing steadily in different pots around the room. Two odd gold hoops of what looked like gold or copper hung from the wall, a slightly tattered but obviously once spectacular band of sheer silver organza connecting them. An intricate headband of white silk embroidered with golden thread was wrapped around a tall bedpost- he recognized Leo's retainer sprawled out snoring on the smaller man's bed, one leg propped awkwardly up on the footboard, as the other and its matching arms stuck off the side exposed, the man having kicked the thick warm blanket he'd been sleeping under half off the bed. A woman he didn't recognize sat at the man's desk in simple underclothes, brushing out her silky dark red hair as she talked, the bristles revealing subtle highlights of a pumpkin like orange in the bright candlelight that lit the whole room up much better than the usual stone windows did. She had a small and sweet face and a healthy rosy-glow to her skin, but the effect was ruined by the grumpy knit of her brow and the girlish scowl that twisted her face. She had the affect of a spoiled teenager, and a loud and brash voice that was a bit unpleasant to listen to that stopped Takumi in his tracks.

"- that we should have insisted on going with her! I mean, that's what we're here for in the first place isn't it? We have our objective in plain sight now, don't we? Now we're, what, about to go to war? None of us are exactly strangers to the hack and slash, but I'm not looking forward to adding more people to my body count, Laslow! I'd like to minimize the chances of a full blown bloodbath here!"

Laslow was on the floor in a perfect split as he stretched, one hand over his head in a languid swan-like pose. Takumi felt his leg and back muscles twinge in phantom pain at the motion. The lithe warm expanse of the other man's skin showed off the subtle muscle under it as he moved, switching sides. He hummed thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling.

"If they had told us the plan we could have, Selena. They're keeping even the other Royals out of the loop… at this point, it's out of our hands. I have considered asking Lord Xander to send us out after her, but even if he had a hand to play I'm afraid that we might be too far out at this point to help- even on horseback we'd take too long now."

She snorted. "Right. If he'd been given enough time in advance we'd already be there, I know. Lady Camilla might still let me and Beruka fly out at least! She wanted to go herself, but King Garon specifically forbade it. He said it's because he needed the more experienced fighters at the castle. We both know that's-"

"Rubbish?"

She gave a harsh laugh. "What a polite way of saying it's a crock of shit! We know he's up to something, we just need to figure out what…before it's too late to actually do anything about it."

Takumi leaned forward in interest, careful not to be seen as Laslow sighed, stretching out and placing his hands in front of himself. He wilted like a flower into his next position, resting his head on his arms as he stared into the candlelight. "Right… I wish Luci were here. She'd know what to do…"

Selena kicked the man lightly in his ass, making him yelp. "Oh shut up about Lucina!"

Odin snorted in his sleep and the two glanced over. Selena's lips pursed as they stared at the other man. "...we don't need her. You don't need her. We're the ones who ended up here, that's got to be for a reason. I'm not willing to let you doubt that we're the perfect ones to help fix this convoluted mess."

Laslow smiled back at the woman, eyes soft. "...thank you, Selena…I don't know how I'd do this without you."

She snorted, looking pleased as she twirled her brush. "Ha! You couldn't."

Takumi jolted as Silas's hand closed around his arm- he'd been peering over Takumi's shoulder in bright eyed interest, Flora's pinched face peeking up over the other, her hand resting on her chin as she drank up the conversation. The maid's soft voice whispered into his ear.

"I knew the King was up to something…"

Silas nodded, peering down at the two of them. "I've heard some horror stories about King Garon myself…when Corrin and I were little she always seemed a bit scared of him. Even though she told me she loved him, she…"

His voice died in his throat, his grip on Takumi's arm tightening. Takumi's stomach flipped uncomfortably at the silence that followed. The three of them moved further back onto the hallway but none of them dared to speak above a whisper.

Flora's mouth had set into a thin line, the air seeming to chill around her with the intensity of the glare she had leveled at her own crossed hands. "You wouldn't hear me saying this in the company of anyone else, but… if I could…"

Silas stopped her gently, eyes full of sympathy. "Even here…please be careful, Flora."

She took a shaky breath, the cold feeling bleeding away into the natural chill of the stone halls around them. "Right. My apologies…"

Takumi's mouth set. "Is there anywhere we can speak candidly?"

Flora shook her head. "No. Nowhere within these walls is safe from the ears of some force or another. It's best to let silence say what you can not. Please…let's hurry on our way, before we alert the retainers."

They began their trip back down the halls, Flora's dainty heels connecting with stone and the soft metal clanking of Silas's own armored footsteps the only sounds.

"Flora…" Takumi began. She glanced down at him from her position at his arm. She was impossibly beautiful, he noticed for perhaps the first time this close together. Her skin was fair with no blemishes, which was a wonder considering the harsh conditions making some Nohrian's skin nearly chalky. Her pale gray eyes were sharp and cold and always alert, searching for the next threat or thread out of place. He felt his face warm as she locked eyes with him. Despite her foreign chill, something about her reminded him of home. It could be her hair- it was the same color as the Rurikarakusa flowers that popped up through every crack in the castle town's sidewalks in the spring, and which turned the hills around the capitol into swaying blue seas of flowers. She felt…safe. Sturdy. With her half-confession, she had given him a peace of mind he hadn't found with others in Nohr- she was someone who might help him if it came down to the wire. Flora had been requested to look after him by Corrin, sure, but if she herself had animosity for the Kingdom of Nohr, or at least King Garon himself, it meant he might be able to trust her to lie for him, if it ever got that far, and maybe even help him escape herself. If he could promise to take her with him...maybe she'd turn tail and run. If he had one true ally here, it might be her.

"Yes, Prince Takumi?"

"What made you want to work for the royal family?"

Floras face darkened, her expression suddenly ice cold. "Let us say I understand Lady Corrin's position well, shall we? I might not ever see my childhood home again, and King Garon is responsible for it. I could have grown up somewhere with my family…instead my baby sister and I were brought into a life of servitude to the crown. I do as well as I do to survive long enough to find my way home. That is all."

Takumi reeled at the information. She looked Nohrian; pale and long and deadly. Where could home be if not here? Cheve? Perhaps Corrin- Kamui!- wasn't the only child taken the day of his fathers ambush? Takumi couldn't help but to reach out his hand, clasping her arm. She startled slightly at the touch, her cold eyes wide and questioning as she instinctively clasped his back. His mind raced for the right thing to say "One day…you and I will go home. I promise. I'll make it happen."

Flora's face flashed through too many emotions to name before settling on something sharp and resolute. "I might hold you to that, Prince. If you can…find a diplomatic solution, I would be very very grateful."

It didn't take an expert to read between the lines there. They'd struck some sort of deal, though he was sure neither of them could name the specifics. Silas had the grace to pretend not to notice when Takumi glanced back at him, though his lip had curled up slightly into a smile. With Flora squarely on his side and Silas willing to help so long as his sister wanted him too he had confirmed he was standing on the beginnings of the right foundation…just in case. Just in case…

Long time no Nohr! I've finally finished up my story outline and while I try to keep these chapters at around 2k words a piece for bite-sizability, I'm excited to say that I had have a better grasp on where the story is going and I'm much happier with my writing then I was before. Happy 7 fucking years somehow! Want to see a character get a cameo? Let me know now and I'll see if the chapter outlones ive made will let me squeeze in a Cameo! Big big story beats and actual action will be here in the next three chapters. Count on it! ? and thank you so much for the reviews, both speculative and complimentary, I reread them when I'm feeling insecure about my writing and they helped me push through this chapter. The next chapter is already half way done so hopefully that will encourage me to finish it up!