A/N: Slightly, and emphasis on the slightly, shorter chapter, filling in some banter and some Support-esque conversations that aren't long enough to warrant their own chapter in between the previous mission and the next one.

Antex: Thank you, thank you! Well, it's a good thing that Leo has such a high Resistance, otherwise the thought of Valla would've left him sooner…

Stubborn and strong, fighting to the last. Time for Corrin to crack her knuckles and beat some sense into her Nohrian siblings… except Elise, of course.

Yes! That is Kjelle! But… what is she doing here?!

Vallite: Purotekutā no Kyōdai ai (Protector of Sibling Love) [Corrin's Naginata] | Hoshizora Seiza (Starry Constellation) [Lilith's Mother] | Jiyū (Freedom) [Lathna's F!Pegasus] | Kanpeki (Perfection) [Subaki's M!Pegasus] | Shi no Mirai (Tides of the Future) [Izana's Crystal Ball] | Kuronikurā (Chronicler) [Forgotten Dragon God of Records/Time-Keeping] | Fuka-sa No Kage (Depths of Shadow) [Afterlife for the Damned] | Todoku No Hikari (Reaches of Light) [Afterlife for the Blessed] | Mizumare (Waterborn)

Hoshidan: Baranotsubomi (Rosebud) [Elise's Mare]

Nohrian: Katáktisi (Conquest) [Xander's Stallion] | Ouranós Trómos (Skyterror) [Camilla's M!Wyvern] | Μαύρο άλογο/Alastor (Dark Horse) [Leo's Stallion]

Common: Firechaser [Hinoka's F!Pegasus] | Lavender [Silas's Mare]

"You got that, Kaze?" I ask him, "Mizumare, you're going with him, too."

"As you command." Mizumare nods.

"...You make a fine point, milady." Kaze concedes. "But, with all due respect, wouldn't Mizumare impede my efforts?"

"I'm aware she isn't of the same clan, or will even be recognized, but I'm not sending you in alone, and Mizumare is the only other Ninja we have."

"Of course, milady, but you are also aware she does not, ah… process emotional cues as well? Part of being a Ninja is to both hide your own intentions, which she does well, but also recognize when someone else is attempting to deceive, which going by her understanding of others, is lacking."

"I never said she would be a part of the negotiations, Kaze. Mizumare is only there to ensure support… or if it comes to the worst, then to report back if you are unable to." I tell him. "Nohrian forces could very well be there right now, but I wouldn't be sending you out unless I was sure there was at least a chance."

"...As you will, milady. We will depart at once." Kaze nods, glancing to Mizumare… then leaving.

I sigh, get off the chair, and take a few moments to stretch, to ensure I don't get stiff. Spending the entire day in the back of the convoy had proved strangely tiring. Though, I was mainly just filled with pent up energy.

"Felicia?" I call out. A few moments pass and nothing, hrm… must be doing something.

"Could go find her… I should really ask if she's 'okay' with being…"

"Ah, Corrin!" Silas exclaims, knocking me out of my thoughts. "Are you well? You seem… warm?"

Bad hair day for him as usual… at least by what Jakob told me. I still can't recall anything about Silas from before. "Silas… yes, I'm well. Just wanted to move for a while. And you?"

"Good good, as am I." He smiles gently. "I know it's late and all, but… I wanted to ask if you would like to… star-gaze?"

"Uh…?" I tilt my head, "Sure?"

His smile dips somewhat, "Ah, you forgot then?"

"Forgot what?"

Silas reaches into his armor and pulls out a long… long list, several pages long. "Back when I was still just visiting, you told me a lot of things that you wanted to do when you were able to leave the Northern Castle."

"...And you kept that?" I ask.

"Of course! Well, this isn't the original list, because I had to transfer them a few times when you kept adding stuff." He chuckles.

"And what else do I have on there?" I continue.

"Hm? Uh… let's see…" He starts from the top, "Plant a seed, visit the market, swim in a lake, swim in the ocean, smell a wolf…"

"Oh gods, this is actually getting embarrassing… I really said those things?! No wonder I 'forgot'!"

"And then there are some things that I don't think I can help with, but I'll try my best. Marry a Prince, have a child, ask…"

"Okay, I get it!" I cut him off. "Th-thank you, Silas." I look away, flushed.

And all he has on his face is good humor. He folds the paper and tucks it away. "Sorry, I guess I also forgot how much we talked, even if at times it did feel… personal."

"I just can't believe I blurbed that out to you…" I admit.

"Well yes. This was in between visits with your…" He stops.

"I still consider them my family. Blood-relations or not."

He nods, "It was in between those visits, we'd play small games or just chat and…" He pauses, furrowing his eyebrows, "You still like ponytails, right?"

"Yes!" I smile and nod, "Though, I always have Felicia do them."

"Felicia… the pink-hair one…" He nods. "I must say, you've gotten quite a few retainers."

"I'd prefer to have friends, but yes." I answer. "So… star-gazing?"

"If you're ready, I found a small hill while I was patrolling, I think it'd provide a good view." He extends his hand, "If I may, Princess?"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes, "Sure thing, Knight." I take his hand, and with a gentle grip, he guides me.

It isn't a long walk, and in fact, we can still very easily see the lights from the campsite, but it's also remote enough to allow us a private moment. Silas 'helps' me sit down, before taking a spot next to me. I'd… find this a lot more romantic, should this have been with someone I'd want to spend my life with.

Hana calmly storms up to Azura, the other of which is humming a tune while looking over the camp. "Lady Azura!" Hana halts and bows.

"There is no need to be so formal, Hana…" She quietly replies. "May I ask what has gotten you riled up?"

"Your retainer, Ignis, will stop ogling Lady Sakura." Hana's face is scrunched up, angered. "I already firmly asked him to stop once, but he wouldn't listen!"

"Ah Iggy… I told you this would happen…" Azura closes her eyes and sighs, "It's not causing Lady Sakura discomfort, is it?" She asks.

"It is, otherwise I wouldn't be bringing this up."

"Right, apologies. I will speak to him once we are done." Azura replies. "But, if I may, I have a question of my own…"

Hana sighs in relief, a smile quickly coming back, "Yes, Lady Azura?"

"I'd like your… frank opinion on Lady Corrin." Azura frowns, "I do not understand why she appointed me Second-in-Command, when there are so many better to choose from."

"Pardon me, you… want my opinion on this?" Hana asks, uncertain.

"About her, overall. I'm afraid we hadn't much time to discuss, and I thought to ask others who have had the time."

Hana huffs, then crosses her arms. "She's a great commander and all, but I'm concerned about her approach to battle. Her time with the Nohrians shows too well. She didn't go out all on Prince Leo… and even left herself vulnerable to him. And maybe I'm just not educated enough, but the speed at which she figured out exactly what he was doing was… unnerving at best. Honestly? I felt like we were walking into a trap."

"Barely a few months into war and you already have comrades questioning your leadership… what you're fighting for." Years of practice keeps Azura's face still. "I'm Nohrian by birth, does that not bother you?"

She uncrosses her arms, then shakes her head, "It's not the 'by birth', it's the actions Lady Corrin has done so far. You led your forces without hesitation, you are fighting for Hoshido. Lady Corrin, while she is fighting for Hoshido, also has a conflicting interest with the Nohrian Royalty. I'm worried that will cause problems later on. She should have taken Leo hostage." She sighs, "But, as long as Lady Corrin doesn't seek to cause chaos or directly disgrace a Samurai's code, then I will still follow her orders." Her shoulders relax, "Um… thanks, Lady Azura. I didn't realize how much I needed to get that off my chest." She bows again, "By your leave, Lady Azura."

Azura refrains from sighing, "And no need to be so formal…" She mutters. She then takes a moment, rises, and goes to find her retainer…

"Spill it." Rinkah angrily walks up to Lilith.

"I'm… sorry?" Lilith asks, already on edge.

"I wanna know about the dragon thing you and Corrin can do at will."

"...That we're Manaketes?" She pulls out her Dragonstone, which doubles as her Waterstone.

"Manaketes…"

"Rinkah, what is it?"

"Corrin said something about it, when I got really pissed off that one day. She made some drab comment about how I had red scales. I was thinking it was a load of crap, but then I started to think on it more." Rinkah's face shows only but anger… frustration.

"And I have no idea how sis can tolerate her." Lilith muses. "And your question for me is…?"

"Ugh, do I have to… fine." Rinkah takes a calming breath, not that it seems to help. "You're more… Dragon-y than Corrin, can you do something to tell if I'm like her?"

"Ah, you wish to know if you can use a Dragonstone." Lilith concludes, "Well, that is a simple test." She holds out her Dragonstone to her, "Do you feel anything? A lurking presence within your body… and I'm not talking about your 'rage'."

"No."

"Then no, your blood is too diluted…"

"But I can form scales, according to Corrin!" Rinkah cuts her off, "What then?!"

"I think this would be a question better suited for your tribe members, Rinkah." Lilith answers, tucking her Dragonstone away. "I do not know why you form scales when you are seriously angered."

"Then find out."

"Excuse you?"

Rinkah raises her fists, "Study or something, I don't know."

Lilith places a hand on her forehead. "Rinkah… why is this bothering you?"

"I said nothing about it bothering me!"

"Then why are you pestering me?!"

"Because you are a Dragon!" A faint aura forms around Rinkah, waves of heat follow.

"Manakete."

"The fuck-ever it's called! Look, I know you know more than you let on, little whelp..."

"Oh… she did not just go there…" One of her eyes twitched, "...I. Am. Not. A 'whelp'." Lilith cuts her off. "You, on the other hand, are acting no more mature than a hatchling." A dangerous aura sheds from her.

"Yes, you are. Have you looked in the reflections on your pitiful 'Dragon' form? You look like a child, a wee baby…"

Lilith extends a punch, Rinkah blocks it, but even then, a small shockwave forms, blowing the grass back. "You want a fight? Fine, but not here." Lilith opens her other palm, forming a portal to the Astral Realm… "Because I'm about to beat your hind-quarters into submission."

"Ha, bring it, whelp!"

He woke up with a head-splitting headache, a body filled with sore muscles, and a memory that felt like it was hazy… all things he attributed to his more advanced age. "By the Dusk Dragon, bah." He coughs as he stands, his bones creaking and his muscles protesting. "Out of all the ways to die, I never thought I'd slip and fall. Wait…" His eyes narrow and he looks around, reaching for a weapon that isn't there… nor is his armor. "If this is Paradise, then I've been promptly lied to. Hmph, guess I earned a place in Damnation after all."

All he has on him is a… gown, of sorts. It reminds him of the ones those Maids used when tending to patients back in Nohr, yet the material on him is firmer than what he remembers.

Decades of honing his battle senses also informs him he is not alone.

"Show yourself! If this be my hell, then I will fight against you, tooth and nail!" He snarls, putting on his best war face for…

A man, whose hair is a deep blue, eyes shining a crimson red, power overflowing from him. "Gunter of Nohr." He calmly greets, though his fingers seem to occasionally twitch. "For three weeks you lied on that bed, I assumed your spirit died."

The hair color reminds him of Corrin, when her hair isn't dyed, but other than that? "And you are?" Tense, ready to brawl and…

"Anankos, the Silent Dragon. Ruler of Valla… father of Yasei, or as you might call her, Corrin." He responds.

Gunter narrows his eyes, "Lies. Corrin's father is the late Sumeragi. You are a fool to…"

A wave of magic leaves him, causing even Gunter to hesitate. This power… "You are not dead, Gunter, or you would have, had I not forced the barrier between Valla to briefly shatter. I saved you for a reason."

Gunter feels a second wave of magic, but this one is far, far on the outside. "I am too old to fight, even if I were to believe…"

"Age is a number, a quantity that can be stalled… or lengthened." This 'Silent Dragon' steps forward. "I need your skills in battle, Gunter. My troops are few and far between. I am essentially all that stands between the destruction of Valla… and Grima." He grimly explains.

"...What are the conditions for such a pledge?" Gunter huffs, though he won't lie that his blood yearns for his prime years, where he was compared to being a Royal, swathes of soldiers would fall to his blade. He didn't get this old and experience out of sheer luck, after all.

"Only that you fight within my forces."

Gunter crosses his arms, "You want me to potentially put down my life for a country I've never heard of, claim to be the father of one of my favorite students… and you claim to grant me youth. I didn't get this far by heeding fairy tales, Anankos. I respect the power you hold in your form, but even that cannot back up such claims."

"You mortals…" Anankos scowls. "If Valla falls… If I fall, then Grima will have no issue tearing into Hoshido… Nohr. Hrmph, perhaps you need to see the threat?" He then shakes his head, "No, you'd perish."

Gunter uncrosses his arms, closes his eyes, and sighs, "I want to see Corrin… no, I want to speak to her. Can you do that?" He requests.

"...Yes, I can. I've been speaking to her at times." He responds, a smile graces his face… true parental love.

"...Allow me this request, and I will join." He opens his eyes once more…

I look over the map once more, while pressing a hand on my mostly healed wound. "Should be good for tomorrow. At best, Kaze will have successfully swayed a number of Mukoshu's Ninjas to our side." I then frown at the very real possibility that he could end up captured… or dead. "We should be at the edge a few hours after the sun hits its peak." I nod, then fold the map neatly. Going to need some good rest tonight.

I know Lilith and Rinkah will, because at first, the two were shouting at each other, and when they came back from the Astral Realm, they looked like a pair of old friends who finally got back with each other after several years of separation. Beaten and bruised, mind them, but walking happily together like best friends.

I sigh, then move over to my cot where… I flush. "She's fully clothed, there's nothing… sexual about this. Felicia is just… my friend, and she's the best for comfort." I mentally tell myself, even as she cutely snores… long since fallen asleep as I go over maps, hunched over the table just like… "Just like Leo and I would do." I blink my eyes, feeling my heart ache and a passing thought occurs, "Would he… really have spared me, because…? No, this is war, but…" I shake my head.

No, I can't get riled up over 'What-if's right now. Everyone needs their sleep, and I can't afford…

"Corrin?!" I gasp and my mind comes to a grinding halt as I hear a gruff, tough voice enter in the same way Father's would.

"G...Gunter?" I choke on a sob, "Are you…?"

"I'm in Valla, Corrin. Anankos… your… father, had used his magic to open a gateway as I was falling…"

"Then… you're…?"

"Yes, I'm alive." My cheeks feel wet… tears.

"Milady?" Felicia awakens.

...And how am I going to explain this to her? I… I can't. I turn around, "One moment, okay…?" I hear her get up, anyway.

"Is there s-something I can do?" Her voice is soft and gentle… with a hint of her adorable stammering.

"Oh, thank the gods you're alive… Hans…" Anger surges shortly after.

"Hans will pay for his crimes in due time, milady Corrin, and call it my intuition, but I know you will be the one to merit that justice. Fight well, and I will see you on the front lines… when you eventually get here." He then chuckles, "Just don't take too long, I'm still an old man, after all."

I take a breath… and smile. "It'll be good to see you again too, Gunter." The connection closes soon after, and I feel relief.

"M-Milady?" And Felicia's voice brings me back to reality.

I turn around to face her, "Let's get some sleep, alright?"

She tilts her head, and smiles, "Um… if I may ask…?"

"Hm?" I hum as we walk over to the bed and sit down.

"I-It's about… um."

"You may speak freely Felicia, you know that." I gently tell her, holding a hand.

She flushes brightly, "M-Milady? You I… us, um…"

"You are worried about how much time you are spending with me, personally?" I assume. "I knew it, I should've brought it up earlier, I…"

"I'm really grateful for all of this comfort that I clearly don't deserve because I am a horrible Maid and…" And now she's tearing up. "What did I do to deserve you like this?"

"O-oh… well, that didn't go how I thought it was going to…" I blink my eyes, and wrap an arm around her, almost instinctively. "What do you mean, 'what did you do'? You're my friend, Felicia. A very near and dear friend to me." Pull her closer, stroke her hair… she sobs. My grip grows a bit tighter, protective.

"But I mess everything else up…" She continues to sob. "The only things I'm good at are sometimes doing your hair and lying in bed. I'm…"

"Felicia." I firmly tell her. "You've been in these uncertain moments before, and I'm going to tell you the same thing as always. You're mine, and you are the closest non-family I have to me, I will protect you to the best of my ability, because you mean so much to me." I pause, "Wait no, that's not what I 'normally' say!"

"C-Corrin?" She stutters, looking up to me, wide-eyed.

"By the gods, I just screwed that up. Great, I let the Dragon side of me talk, and now she's going to start…" My thoughts are stopped a second time tonight, my heart nearly flies out of my chest…

Because my treasure kissed me. Without thinking about it, both my tail and wings come out. My tail sways while my wings wrap forward around her, like a shield, and I pull her closer, I can feel her body rubbing against mine, despite our gowns blocking any direct contact.

"...Lilith was right then, but… no, of course she was right. She knows what it's like to be a Dragon more than me. And the way Felicia actually started the kiss… she accepts it, then?"

We both pull away, but she's still within the confines of my wings. Felicia has a gentle smile on her, and she simply leans her head onto my wall of a 'chest'. "I'm yours, Corrin."

I lower us to my… our bed. The covers stay down, and instead its my wings and our bodies that keep us warm and protected through the night...