*Dreaming of Home (FE9 OST)

**For Victory (FE9 OST)

***A Vow of Unity (Tales of Vesperia OST)

****White Light - Superfly [Music box ver.] (Tales of Zestriria OST)

Dragging his motley, ragtag group of thieves, bandits, thugs, and general ne'er-do-wells ever eastward at a steady pace, the bandit chief Tarba almost salivated at the payout an old associate (having moved up considerably in the world as of late) had contracted him for. It almost seemed too good to be true on some level; slaughtering some boy, his crazy old bat of a grandmother, and anyone else stupid enough to get in their way was not exactly a hard night's work. And with no meddling from do-gooder authorities? It was almost too good to be true, would have been too good to be true were the source not (reasonably) trustworthy. While he would admit to being greedy and occasionally less-than-scrupulous, Tarba was cleverer than most of his associates; however, the only way he could see a job as simple as this going awry was some sort of demon (he was never a man concerned with otherworldly things) rising from the underworld and slaughtering him and his crew.

"How much further to Cheve, boss?" moaned one of the bandits.

"'Bout another week." answered a second thug for him. "Isn't that place, particularly the capital, supposed to be a pretty tough area?"

"You're worrying for nothing, idiot!" scolded Tarba. "Those worms can glower at us Nohrians all they like, but trust me; they've been shown who's boss once and for all. Besides, who's going to stick his neck out for that lot, anyway, especially this stupid old broad?"

As the Nohrian barracks-slash-weapons depot erupted into flames in the distance, the oil fires illuminating the clear nighttime sky, a certain retainer smiled her trademark lazy smile. That would certainly put a damper on their operations; Shinano was a good distance from the capital, requiring the occupiers to trek the men and materials all the way from their homeland to repair it, if they chose to do so. Setsuna could not help but chuckle a bit; even from this hill, well away from the site of her subterfuge, she could have sworn to herself that the Nohrians' screams were still audible, even from such a distance.

In deference to her liege and the love of her life, Setsuna was initially inclined to honor the terms set down by Nohr's new king, despite the princess' spiriting away to gods-knew-where for gods-knew-what purpose. Said inclination lasted all of twelve hours until she'd stumbled into the nearby town after the "Savagekiller" and his men got through with it: The complete and utter slaughter of the townspeople, immediately after self-righteously scolding them for their "banditry" was infuriating enough, but the absolute last straw for her was witnessing the charred, mutilated heads of her comrades-in-arms, Azama included, impaled on pikes outside of the settlement's gates.

Contrary to the impression her first impression gave one, Setsuna was by no means stupid: If her princess lived still, she knew fully well that Nohr would use her activities as an excuse to horribly mistreat her, if not murder her outright. To that end, she simply went well out of her way not to have said activities traceable back to her. As far as the Nohrians were concerned, perhaps she was the perpetrator, perhaps not, but only she could tell for sure. When she fled to Owari Province shortly after her separation from Hinoka, the archer's procured rags and demeanor were just as much weapons as the bow with which she waged a one-woman assassination campaign against Nohrian commanders and any nobles foolish to wander into her hunting grounds. When the enemy's military governor forbid possession of bows by "savages" like herself on pain of death, even some stray bowstring would serve as a weapon in a pinch; Setsuna was familiar enough with the structure, weight, and physics of the weapon to fashion her own.

Wearing that same lazy smile, Setsuna wondered about a long-term approach. Despite the now-frantic efforts to suppress news of any problems, she'd heard that the country's north was an absolute hotbed of resistance with several lords supposedly on the brink of open revolt. While her own home province of Tosa lay far to the south, it was also a stronghold for the occupiers and it was not out of the question that Nohr would have consciously sought out her family to exterminate them. But all was not lost by any means; rumor had it that the north of Hoshido was an absolute hotbed of armed resistance - perhaps they could be of assistance?

It was absolute murder navigating those caves in her new, strange garments, but Hana (or rather, Ilha the traveling mercenary) had to give Chief Kikai and his forebears their credit; for all their love of ridiculously-sweltering heat and inaccessible dwellings, they knew their mountain, its surrounding land, and the resulting exploits like she knew a sword. Three days of traversing a loosely-connected series of caves had bought them a good way into Nohrian territory itself. Rinkah's chance encounter with one of the Wolfskin's acting chieftainess' messengers told the trio that their destination was about another five days with a brisk pace. As they stopped for rest at a small village's inn one night, Hana's protective streak (and her attempts to reconcile it with her new identity) took over at Rinkah's suggestion that they hasten their pace.

"Lady Sa-" Hana caught herself before resuming. "Lady Battsetseg, are you alright with that?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, we must." she confirmed. "We'll have to slip out before sunrise as well, just to be safe."

"Good to see you agree with me!"

The trio turning in shortly for their early morning, Hana did not find herself sleeping particularly well that night. A good deal past midnight, the swordswoman understood the source of her unease well as she was awakened by a sharp, piercing scream, followed by some ruffling and soft sobbing. *Kicking the blankets away, Hana rushed to her lady's side at once, the princess cradling an intricately-crafted bow of an indeterminate material. "T-takumi, I'm s-so s-sorry." she sobbed.

"Lady Sakura!" the swordswoman exclaimed as quietly as she possibly could. "Are you hurt?!"

"It-it's just Takumi..." Sakura confirmed through the tears. "I c-couldn't do anything f-for him... And they...they just-"

The princess clutching her fallen brother's bow and sobbing further, Hana shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Do you remember what I told you?" she asked bitterly. "If that's what it means to be 'civilized,' than their 'civilization' is nothing I want anything to do with! The nerve of them! Looking down on us as 'savages,' as not even human, while behaving so disgracefully!"

Wiping away her tears, Sakura sat up, her crimson hair frazzled by the constant tossing and turning. "C-can I sleep w-with you tonight, Hana?" she inquired, unsure exactly why she was so flushed. "I-I mean, in your b-bed."

Hana beamed at her lady. "Sure you can! I'm always there for you!"

Sweeping the princess up and carrying her a couple of paces to her own bed, Hana had to consciously stop herself from literally pecking Sakura on the forehead or even lips. Dammit woman, focus! Gently laying Sakura down on the mattress, the swordswoman joined her lady shortly, shifting the better part of the blanket onto the princess. "Good night, Lady-"

Hana was abruptly interrupted by Sakura's soft, dainty snoring, her body having unconsciously snuggled up to her protector. With a calm, satisfied smile, Hana herself could scarcely help drifting shortly off to sleep as well.*

True to her liege's word, the trio rose in the pre-dawn hours, slinging back their meager possessions as they prepared to make for the Chevois capital. However, the one constant throughout their stay, the man in his mid-twenties pacing the lobby anxiously, seemed to have scarcely closed his eyes since their arrival. "This is not good, this is not good..." he repeated anxiously.

Against Hana's non-verbal cues to the contrary, the princess took an interest in the obviously-distressed man. "Er, are you alright, sir?" she asked gingerly.

Perhaps unexpectedly for a man of his stature, even the well-built fellow's disheveled, dirty-blond hair betrayed his unease, abruptly turning his attention to the swordswoman. "You! Excuse me, ma'am! Did I mishear you earlier? You said you were a mercenary, no?"

"Depends." Hana answered tersely, ready to draw at a nanosecond's notice. "Who are you and what are you after?"

"Of course! Where are my manners?! I am Tristan, a knight of Cheve. Or rather, was, a knight of Cheve before- That's not important right now. I need you to escort me to the forests at the foothills of Montagne Noire. About a day's hike southwest from here. I assure you, you can name your price once we get to our destination."

Hana fixed a suspicious gaze on the man. "Why are you so intent on having us follow you there? You're a knight, can't you protect yourself?"

"Look, some comrades of mine are in trouble!" insisted Tristan, now noticeably irritated with the "mercenary." "They will die if I don't get these supplies to them soon, and that's if the Nohrian bastards don't finish them first!"

Turning to the princess, Hana's expression, while softening somewhat, was still rather stern and disapproving. "Well, milady, since I'm in your employ, so to speak, shall we take this fellow's request?"

"Y-yes." Sakura confirmed. "We've seen so much needless death and destruction. If we can even help these people, j-just a little even, I want to do so."

"And besides, 'Ilha," interjected Rinkah with what the swordswoman could swear was a wink. "it's on the way to the capital anyway, so what's the harm?"

Already more than a little tense being deep inside enemy territory lacking any sort of support system whatsoever, Hana, her hands tied, gave an exasperated sigh. "Alright, alright." she conceded. "But any funny business out of him, and I swear-"

"That's fair enough." conceded Tristan in return.

Exiting the inn, as the man retrieved a cart, obviously designed to be driven by a beast of burden of some kind, filled to the brim with varying provisions, Hana was somewhat more convinced of the knight's sincerity. While she'd not admit it openly, she became significantly more so at the sight of Tristan dragging the cart with the yoke on his own shoulders, running well-ahead of his escorts on more than one occasion. Unsurprisingly, by noon, he'd worn himself out considerably; during their brief respite under the shade of a tree, Sakura nearly had to force the water he clearly and desperately needed down his gullet. Rinkah, on the other hand, was not so much caring as curious towards him.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you something for hours now." she began, choosing her words with considerably more care than she was used to. "I thought Nohr considered you Chevois their 'brother people' or some such crap? Don't they?"

Sitting upright, the knight responded with a harsh scowl, his focus not so much on the Flame Tribeswoman as the ruined village and dismembered "bandits" made an example of outside its gates. "A lot of fucking good that's doing us, huh?" Tristan snarled. "That horseshit about us 'civilized brother peoples' standing as one against the 'heathens' flies out the door the very second we defy or criticize them, or even when it becomes inconvenient for them, then we're just another pack of the 'savages' they so loathe."

"There's that word again." Sakura interjected sadly.

Turning to Rinkah, the swordswoman's gaze remained stony. "You were right. It's not just us."

As he grabbed his knees, Tristan, while mostly maintaining his hateful, steely gaze, his body language somehow betrayed his lingering unease as he continued. "And it gets even worse." he cautioned. "My cousin- most courageous woman ever to live- probably more so than any man, too. But here's the thing; she was too brave for her own good. In the eyes of our 'civilized brothers,' she committed a sin, or rather, a couple of 'sins,' completely and utterly irredeemable, too good for even the most horrendously-murderous tortures that wretched kingdom could cook up."

"While Nohr's obviously been trying to keep it quiet, Cheve's pretty famous for their resistance to Windmire." remarked Rinkah. "I'm assuming your cousin fought them, as well?"

"Yes, she did, but that wasn't her truly unforgivable crime."

The knight returned to his feet, making a couple of tentative steps for his provisions. "Well, I've got a good idea now why they seem to be so fixated on the sex lives of us Chevois men. Probably any man they don't consider one of 'theirs,' too." said Tristan cryptically. "Fucking disgusting. Those Nohrians are the real savages if you ask me."

"W-what exactly do you mean by t-that?" inquired Sakura, with an inkling of the answer she was about to receive but dreading it anyway.

Tristan simply returned that distant, disassociated stare for several seconds, ambling over and checking the provisions for his comrades momentarily. "We should get going."

For dragging along an implement made for a beast of burden powered only by his own strength, the knight had a phenomenal amount of stamina. It was not surprising that Sakura spent most of their journey trailing him considerably, but even Hana and Rinkah struggled to keep up with him more often than not. Contrary to Tristan's expectations, the group managed to reach the foothills in question before sunset, due in no small part to his inhuman determination, the exact, lightly-wooded path to which the knight led them on a ridge overlooking the countryside below. Upon observing the view, Hana felt her stomach twist into knots as she realized why exactly Tristan required her "mercenary" services. The ridge overlooked, along with a few razed settlements, a number of Nohrian encampments, apparently in formation for a siege.

"Oh, that's what you meant by 'if the Nohrian bastards don't finish them first." the swordswoman conceded, somewhat more trust for him gained as a result of their enemy in common.

"What else could it have meant?" asked Tristan irritably as he began unloading the cart. "Yes, I must get these provisions to my comrades and the fort higher up."

Hana glowered at him incredulously. "How?! From here on, the path is way too exposed! You'd be easy prey for the Nohrian siege engines and flyers."

Rinkah, already aware of his solution, smiled mischievously at the knight. "Oh, I get it now." she remarked, more than a little impressed with him. "If even Father or I were unaware exactly how far the systems reached, Nohr would have no clue."

"Exactly." confirmed Tristan. "It's not exactly convenient, but we've been using the caves to slip back in and out behind them."

"You know what, let me help you with those." insisted Hana. "Once we get to your stronghold, I can take a look at your position. See if I can make any recommendations."

Yes, the narrow twists and turns of the caves were not exactly easy to navigate, even with the complementary sparks Rinkah summoned to light the way. But as Tristan reminded them, that was much the point. While he and his troops couldn't use it to break out in any reasonable number, neither could the Nohrians use it to assault their position, as it would take literal ages to transport all the men and necessary equipment (and that was only counting the supplies that would fit!) up through the caves. By the time the party reached the site of the fortifications, the sun had completely retreated from the horizon; with Rinkah's fingers too singed even for her tolerance, the moon provided their only real source of light.

**"Holy- He actually did it!" cried one of the sentries. "Sir Tristan's back! With provisions at that!"

"You're damn right I did!" boasted the knight, tossing a loaf of bread to the watchman and his fellows. "Now open up the gate so everyone else can eat! I've got someone the commander would like to talk to as well!"

Unsurprisingly for a ragtag, half-starved skeleton force, Tristan received a hero's welcome at his relief of the siege, the alleged mercenary whom he had hired receiving more than a bit of this adoration after the knight had explained her role. Led into the interior of the old fort, the trio were, alongside Tristan, ushered into a dilapidated old study, a middle-aged man with a patch over his right eye rising from his desk, wearing a proud, fatherly grin. "Well I'll be damned." he said. "You actually pulled it off! You were always my most promising squire, but I was honestly skeptical even you could manage it."

"Thank you, sir, but it would have not been possible without the help of this woman here, Ilha." he remarked humbly, gesturing towards Hana. "Were it not for her and her party, I would have almost certainly been intercepted and slaughtered by Nohr."

"Well ma'am, on behalf of myself and all my troops, you have my sincere and heartfelt thanks." said the commander gratefully. "I am Karol, a knight of Cheve and onetime commander of the princely family's guard."

"Oh no, it was nothing." conceded Hana. "If anything, you should be thanking my employer, Lady Battsetseg. Since my duty is to see her safe, I was actually ready to leave your man to his fate."

All eyes on her, Sakura attempted to obscure her blushing with one of the garment's heavy sleeves. "O-oh no." she protested meekly. "We would have never gotten up the mountain so quickly were it not for our f-friend Tagh here."

The veteran knight smiled wryly. "Even though you're not from around here, you seem to know your way behind Nohrian lines." he remarked perceptively. "Might it be possible for you do something about those siege engines of theirs? We don't have any archers of our own left, so using them ourselves is out of the question. The problem is that they're keeping our wyverns grounded."

Hana sighed tiredly. "Depends. I didn't get a good look at their positions coming up here, but what can you tell me?"

"Along with their besieging troops, they've got several ballistae and storehouses, more than a few of them are filled with oil from what I understand."

"Filled with oil, huh...I think I could work with that, and worst case scenario, I should be able to figure it out even if we don't have a bowman."

The knight clasped his hands in anticipation. "Perfect! Tristan, you accompany them, that's an order! I'll send for Joan and Claudette to meet you by the mouth of the cave!"

His subordinate nodded dutifully. "Of course, sir." he confirmed. "I literally owe these women my life."**

To say that no one in their party could wield a bow was technically untrue, Hana thought uncomfortably. However, that very same young woman would no doubt object strongly to what the swordswoman had in mind concerning the presence of flammable liquids and what were essentially giant bows. As they reached the cave's mouth, the group was greeted (in the most technical sense of the term) by a wiry, surly-looking brunette some twenty years old, her lance longer than even her limbs and frown. "Well, well, if it isn't the golden boy, Sir Tristan," she sneered. "Slayer of Nohrians and Bringer of Life Itself!"

"Oh, come now, Joan!" implored the knight tiredly. "We've got a mission and respected guests. Don't you suppose we could tone down the passive-aggressive rancor a bit?"

As if on cue to clarify that the feud was nothing out of the ordinary, a young woman of seventeen, her resemblance to Joan somewhat offset by a slightly chubbier frame and being a head shorter, spoke up. "Don't mind them." she insisted to a worried Sakura. "My sister and Sir Tristan were...involved some time ago and it was not an amicable parting. With that said, she's still the best guide we have; only our father knew these mountains better."

A group of six individuals with their weapons armor and general equipment was not exactly a spacious fit to descend the mountain via the caves. Nonetheless, it was far quicker a descent without assorted provisions and items becoming snagged on the cave features and generally misplaced, but not without time for apparently-innocuous small talk.

"So you and your sister both are fighting Nohr?" inquired Rinkah, more than a little impressed with their grit. "Is that common among Chevois women?"

Joan gave an invisible scowl of disgust at their enemy. "Well, this isn't really an everyday situation, now is it?" she snapped rhetorically. "But no, it's not common, especially not these days."

"With the Nohrians, you can see actual, burning hatred for us, possibly even more so than for our men." confirmed Claudette sadly. "Before I joined my sister, I'd lost count of how many times I'd have my friends coming to me in tears about the horrible things they'd been called. 'Slant-loving' so-and-sos and such garbage."

Reaching the foothills once again, the group carefully skirted the treeline along the ridge, Hana spending a good forty-five minutes scoping out appropriate vantage points before being ushered back into the foliage by Joan. Nonetheless, after about an hour of this reconnaissance, on the very tip of the ridge facing a destroyed village, the swordswoman gave her appraisal of the situation. "I hate to break it to you guys, but you're kind of screwed." informed Hana, cushioning the blow as much as possible.

Joan scoffed with derision. "Tell us something we weren't already aware of!"

"Everybody knows they rely heavily on armor and cavalry." added Claudette. "The terrain is bad for both, but my wind magic could only hold them off for so long."

"Now, if we had a bowman," Tristan began absentmindedly. "or anyone decent with a ballista for that matter, we could do some actual damage to them."

Apparently, the demure princess was in possession either of an unusually-keen sense of hearing with an ability to tone out background noise, a preternatural sense for sensing distress, or some combination of these. "Erm, do you all hear that?" she inquired.

"What's that, milady?" Hana piped up. "What did you hear?"

"It sounds like someone arguing."

It was such a shame that the execution hood did little, if anything at all, to muffle the voice of the condemned. Such thoughts doubtlessly ran through the minds of all the members of the Nohrian unit assigned to patrol this particular sector, not least of which their commander as he scowled from horseback at the soon-to-be-corpse's excuses.

"For the millionth time!" came the slightly-nasally female voice. "I was just giving a customer a demonstration of some wares! Can't a gal make an honest profit anymore?"

The commander mimicked the scowl of his erstwhile superior and mentor. "There is and can only be one penalty for providing aid and comfort to savages." he sneered, his voice unnaturally high and dangerous. "And that is death, without exception."

"How is it aiding or comforting just to TALK about bows?!"

"Sir Reinhard," whined one of the pikemen. "why are we even bothering with the spectacle? Why can't we just waste this fat sow and be done with-"

The soldier abruptly received a mouth full of dirt courtesy of a sturdy, trunk-like leg "accidentally" extended by the condemned woman, her guilty grin still invisible under the hood. "Whoops."

The paladin scoffed at the excuse as well. "It is exactly due to that sort of antisocial attitude," growled Reinhard dangerously. "why high command insist that bandits like you must be made an example of. The only thing worse than a savage who doesn't know its place is the civilized man who gives it aid and comfort!"

Both physically and intellectually, Candace was a quicker woman than most gave her credit for, far more adept then average at examining situations under duress particularly. Taking into account the sound of boots and horseshoes on the cobblestone path and the heavy armor clanking ahead of her, she weighed her options, recalling that the majority of the day's bloodletting and resulting destruction had taken place near the town square, quite a ways back.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" she inquired, disarmingly as possible given the situation. "Since I'm not a Nohrian gal myself, I wouldn't know. How much marching practice do you all get?"

"What are you prattling on about, woman?" the paladin growled. "Far more than the average plebeian, such as yourself no doubt."

"Well, you MIIIGHT need it about now."

As certain as she could be of the position of the pikeman behind her as she possibly could be, Candace seized the opportunity created by their failure to bind her ankles and drove her right steel-heeled boot into the man's crotch with every ounce of her considerable strength. As he fell to his knees, shouting, writhing, and cursing in pain, Reinhard was so startled by the abrupt noise that he scarcely had time to react to the prisoner barrelling into his steed's side, knocking both man and horse on their side.

Cursing at both his anger and the pain of being weighed down under the beast outweighing him considerably, Reinhard managed to sputter out an enraged order. "What are you waiting for, idiots?! Kill the bitch!"

A couple of revolutions of the neck ridding her of the hood, exactly as Candace expected, one of the armored knights in front of her prepared to swing his axe in the general direction of her neck. The questionable saleswoman exploited the gap in intention and conscious response time and slid under the weapon's path, tripping up the other armored knight before setting off into a dash, a brief rain of Nohrian arrows failing miserably to hit their mark as she disappeared into the maze of ruins. The paladin, was absolutely livid, whether at this act of defiance or the complete lack of initiative shown by his men.

"Sir Reinhard! Are you alright?" inquired a second pikeman, apparently unsure whether to help move the distressed equine from his superior. "The criminal has-"

Dragging himself out from under his steed, the knight glowered at his subordinates. "I'M AWARE OF THAT!" he raged, drawing his blade. "Spread out! Standard pursuit formation! She can't have gotten far!"

While said trait having weakened considerably from the time she was a girl, a persistent impulsive streak Candace possessed had landed her in trouble on more than one occasion and she was hoping against hope that this was not one of those times. She knew the layout of the town quite well, having spent several weeks there plying her wares, but the great amount of debris and detritus created by the Nohrian "renovations" was playing havoc with her usually-sterling sense of direction, having narrowly avoided three separate patrols in the past fifteen minutes while being scarcely any closer to safety.

As she approached the plaza recognizable as the town's marketplace, a point unsurprisingly at its direct center, Candace began to breathe somewhat easier; it would not be an easy escape, but she had gained a significant victory in finding a specific point of orientation. Then again, the plaza was constructed in such a manner that the debris from the earlier carnage had blocked off most of her potential routes outside the settlement and this somehow managed to be the least of the rogue's problems as her pursuers had blocked off any escape routes, led by their very angry commander closing in on a very trapped Candace.

"Capital offense one: Giving aid and comfort to savages through trafficking illicit materials," began Reinhard through gritted teeth, as if reciting from a manual of sorts as he drew his blade. "Capital offense two: Striking one of His Majesty's soldiers. Capital offense three: Striking one of His Majesty's officers. Capital offense four: Perverting the due course of justice. Capital offense five: Pissing ME OFF!"

"Soooooo there's no chance of playing this off as some big, unfortunate misunderstanding?" probed Candace.

Shutting her eyes as if it would somehow cushion the the killing blow, to Candace's shock, it did not come and the only roars coming from the paladin were shouts of pain followed by the clanging of Nohrian steel against the cobblestones; upon opening her eyes, the grey merchant witnessed Reinhard, his sword arm severed at the elbow, using a dagger in his remaining hand to futilely attempt to repel a woman wielding a brilliant blade before being run through by her, the swordswoman dealing shortly with his sword-wielding bodyguards as if it was natural as breathing.

"You alright?" inquired Hana. "You're not wounded?"

"Well, yeah, I'm awesome!" she replied. "You just saved old Candace from a really bad turn!"

Cutting the bonds around her wrists, Hana's attention turned to the two Nohrian horsemen getting ready to run them down. "Pick up something to defend yourself with if you're able." she instructed urgently. "Otherwise this will have been for nothing!"

Claudette's wind magic having torn their armor to shreds, the combined might of Hana, Rinkah, and their Chevois comrades had done quite the number on the occupiers; twenty-three casualties with fourteen fatalities to be precise, the princess' designated target none the worse for the wear. This is not to say that she was entirely pleased, given Tristan and Joan circling the battlefield like birds of prey, systematically cutting the throats of any Nohrian survivors.

"Is that truly necessary?" Sakura inquired. "Th-they're no threat any longer."

Over a string of insults and curses directed at her by the man, Joan bought down her axe on the throat of Nohrian pikeman, silencing him for good. "That's exactly why it's necessary." she insisted darkly. "They're not a threat any longer. And they never will be to anyone again."

Her protector, on the other hand, was in considerably better spirits, having witnessed Candace at least wound a Nohrian with a scavenged bow. "Anything this one can do for you, just name it!" insisted the portly rogue, still ecstatic with relief. "You've got my thanks, Miss... you know, I never exactly got your name."

"It's not important." remarked Hana. "What is important: Can you use a bow?"

"Shit yeah, I can! Is that it?!"

"Well, you'll see."

Apparently, the western extremity of the Nohrian encampment was lightly-manned, seeming to expect a frontal assault from the mountain passes and stationing their forces accordingly. And this worked for Hana just fine, she, Rinkah, Joan, Tristan, Joan and Candace having dealt with the skeleton force guarding the ballista quite handily and with no unusual alarm on the part of their comrades. Having taken stock of the Nohrian positions and supply depots as best she could manage, in the dirt, Hana diagrammed the points she estimated would be most effective, as far as their cost-to-damage ratio and their limited number of projectiles were concerned.

"I'm not exactly some master tactician," the swordswoman informed, unusually candidly. "but my old commander did teach me the basics before he was- well, murdered."

Removing a ball of what appeared to be a grayish clay from her bag, Rinkah smirked. "If you really want a show, wrap the bolts in fabric and place some of this on 'em. It's delayed-ignition clay; starts up a fire pretty much anytime you need it. Just get it near a catalyst like oil and a significant force of impact."

"Oh, man," began Tristan, sounding genuinely excited for the first time since the trio had encountered him. "what I wouldn't give to be able to see the look on Leonard's face when he gets the news!"

"Well, someone's still got to aim the damned thing!" remarked Candace.

"I can find my way pretty much anywhere with the sun, moon, and stars alone." replied Joan bluntly. "Just leave that part to me. You just worry about firing it."

It did not exactly feel good for Hana to hide exactly what they were doing (although just from context clues alone, she reasoned the princess must have had some idea) from her lady, from her best friend and one of the few people she had left in the world. Nonetheless, Sakura did her part regardless, not simply by patching up their scrapes, but by aiding Hana in tearing spare fabric into suitable bundles for Rinkah's use, all having an unspoken agreement to allow the Flame Tribe scion exclusive use of what could be an extremely dangerous substance in untrained hands.

Finally, Tristan, Rinkah, and Hana loaded the first bolt into the ballista, aiding Joan and Candace in aiming the device with their own physical power "A few more degrees counterclockwise." instructed the master scout. "It's going to drop a bit in flight, so-"

"I know, I know!" scolded the rouge. "Geez, you'd think I'd never shot a bow before!"

Hana beamed morbidly. "That's exactly why we saved you. We've got five bolts. Let's make each one count!"

Joan specifically diagramming out the exact angles and rotations on the dirt next to the machine for subsequent salvos, after Candace sent the first bolt off into the night sky, the results were underwhelming for more than a few. "Well, I knew this was a long shot." remarked Tristan grimly. "We'll figure something else out-"

"Wait a second." interrupted Claudette, standing on her toes as if to confirm what she'd sensed. "Do you smell that?"

Hana smiled that same off-putting smile as she confirmed she did as well. "It's smoke."

"And you know exactly what they say about smoke!" answered Rinkah, her take on Hana's grin somehow less-disturbed.

While only having worked together a few hours, the motley group had ironed out the plan to strike back at their mutual oppressor into not merely a science, but an art; Tristan, Hana, and Rinkah loading the bolts into the machine, Joan directing the ballista's reorientation and Candace sending the bolts off to strike (and hopefully ignite) Hana's designated targets. Within a few minutes, the Nohrian installations and camps in the distance had been engulfed in a very visible firestorm; and judging intensity and spread of the blaze, at least two of the supply depots had been ignited.

"Alright, congratulations everyone!" said the swordswoman, considerably more cheerful than she'd been in months. "That should do it!"

"But we still have one left!" Tristan pointed out. "Ah, hell, not like it really matters."

"And that blaze over there is the perfect chance to cover our escape!" insisted Candace, before turning to Rinkah urgently. "Set that last bolt against the ballista!"

Rinkah gave her an incredulous glance. "Why, what are you planning?"

"Just do it, alright!"

And made their escape the group did, but the Nohrian army was loathe to let any sort of sleight go unanswered and this was no exception: As they ascended the foothills towards the forest line, Hana, Tristan, Joan, and Rinkah made short work of the small cavalry detachment sent to pursue and destroy them, shortly thereafter a considerable contingent of infantry and armor amassing on their former position near the ballista.

"We must have lost a good minute on that scheme of yours!" Rinkah scolded. "What on earth was that for?!"

Drawing back the string of her scavenged bow, Candace let loose another arrow at the very conspicuously-placed bolt placed against the ballista, the firestorm now engulfing the machine, their former position and the enemy forming up. "That." she answered with a self-satisfied smirk.

**Needless to say, the Chevois members of the party were absolutely delirious with joy at this blow against the occupier and their comrades back at the mountain fortress were no exception, Tristan, Joan, and Claudette receiving a hero's welcome upon their return, the former insisting that their four foreign allies receive their accolades as well. The princess however, despite Hana's repeated inquiries about a problem, remained utterly silent for hours after the conflagration. The commander on the other hand, was quite pleased, his office feeling more like a study than execution chamber for the first time in months.

"That will give Leonard something to chew on over his porridge in the morning." said Karol smugly. "Once again, Lady Ilha, thank you. Your aid has proven invaluable. Whatever your price is, you name it."

"Just a few beds if you can spare them." Hana replied, her voice devoid of much of its natural energy. "It's been a really long night, we're all exhausted, and I have to get Lady Battsetseg to the capital as soon as possible."

"Since you're going to the capital anyway and Nohr will be after all of our heads especially, we should stop by my aunt's tavern." suggested Tristan. "It's probably the safest place in the capital to lay low if you're on Nohr's bad side and I have to speak with her anyway."

"Sounds good to me!" interjected Candace. "I can't stay in Cheve as is and I need somewhere I can actually think about Candace's next big thing."

Hana glared cynically at the rogue. "You know for how much you talk," she began. "you've never actually told us what it is you do."

"Oh, this and that to make ends meet." answered Candace evasively. "But mainly I find things, people, you name it."**

As his brother was fond of reminding him, Kaze was in fact, he and Kagero's prisoner and he was treated as such. While not denied the food or water the mountain village could spare, his movement was severely limited to a sufficient-yet-run-down shack on the edge of town, guarded at all hours by one of their associates. While a man who chafed in captivity by nature, it did not take the green ninja long to comprehend that such an arrangement was just as much to keep him confined, as well as protect him (or rather, his information) from the villagers. While having seen neither hide nor hair of his twin for weeks now, one of his associates was slightly less so, given away by her very flat, distinct intonation.

"Welcome back!" greeted Oishi. "I take it it's your handiwork Nohr is losing its collective mind over?"

"Indeed." Kagero confirmed, her tone as close to proud as he'd ever heard. "While it's not nearly enough, I can assure you that Hoshidan women and girls will at least sleep a little more soundly."

"Probably Nohrian women and girls for that matter too. That fucking sick bastard. Whatever you did to him, I'm certain he deserved worse than it."

"Yes, he did, but I was pressed for time, so I gave him a fairly quick, but ironic death. Enough small talk. Just unlock the shack."

The door to the shack creaking open, sunlight flooded into the structure, obscuring the two silhouettes from Kaze's unadjusted eyes. "Well, I'll be right here," confirmed Oishi. "if he tries anything, well, you know."

Moving forward slightly before being impeded by his manacled leg, Kaze managed a weak smile of appreciation. "It's been a while." he said. "Oishi is correct about Duke Carinthia; he is- er, was a despicable excuse for a human being. In fact, Lady Corrine had been meaning to investigate-"

Her neutral expression not exactly one of warmth to begin with, Kagero's expression turned downright hostile. "But she didn't, did she?" she retorted savagely. "Your saintly Lady Corrine knew all about him, but was loathe to deal with creatures like him the only way that you can. But what else is new for her?"

"Kagero, it wasn't like that-"

"I'm getting ahead of myself. This isn't about me or Orochi or even your brother. It's about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, Lord Hattori wishes to speak to you. He thinks you may have some more use for us yet."

"Oh dear."

Surely enough, with her own blade as well as that of Oishi, Kagero "escorted" Kaze to the great hall which, oddly enough, was populated exclusively by one older man with a shaved head and quite lifelike prosthetic right arm and his four bodyguards, the former giving a tired sort of smirk. "Honestly surprised you had the gall to show your face around these parts." he jabbed facetiously.

"Well, I did not exactly get much choice in the matter." Kaze replied, apparently unaware of the jest.

Dismissing Kagero and Oishi, the Hattori patriarch rose from his cushion, checking one last time if the green ninja had escaped his binds before sitting on his feet a good two meters from Kaze. "Well, I suppose Kagero will have told you why I summoned you here." he said, his cracked lips curling into a slight smile. "A real wild mare, that one."

Kaze gave a slight bow of acknowledgement and respect. "Yes, you required some information from me."

Hattori's aged visage quickly shed any levity. "Listen, from what your father told me and what I'd seen, I'd always known you to be a sharp boy." he prefaced seriously. "A little naive, sure, but a sharp boy nonetheless. My point is, that since the other old buzzards on the council are too busy pissing themselves in fear of Nohr or their own godsdamned shadows, we need the information you have to make this show of force something spectacular- something that will make clear to everyone that the Nohrians aren't invincible."

Kaze's first instinct was to be scandalized at the suggestion before remembering some of his life choices, squashing the inclination as he so did. "Lord Hattori, you realize that I have sworn a solemn and lifelong oath to Lady Corrine," replied Kaze weakly, clearly realizing he was on thin ice here. "a princess of Nohr and a general in its army. If you're asking me to wage war on or collaborate with the kingdom's enemies-"

"I'm not 'asking' you," informed the old ninja dangerously, his expression somehow jovially threatening. "I'm telling you that the information gathered from your reconnaissance is going to help us disrupt Nohr's requisitions of Hoshidan slave labor."

"What?! What sort of slanderous accusation is that?!"

The wizened ninja patriarch gave a smug, malevolent smirk. "Remember how I said you were naive? You're about to learn some...interesting things about your new masters and how they're actually operating. None of them are things you'll enjoy."

Of course, Kaze became reflexively defensive at this slight against his chosen cause and beloved liege. However, Corrine's own beloved's not-untrue words calling Duke Guillaume a literal slave trader haunted him, the unspoken implication that there was a significant market among the rich and powerful in Nohr. Surely it couldn't hurt to just investigate, to play along for a bit and determine the truth of the matter?

Just the day before, Hana would have insisted that their group be up with the sun as to cover as much ground as possible before Nohrian patrols would be out in earnest. However, their return to the fortress was well after one that morning and with Karol deploying their fliers to mop up the Nohrian stragglers and harass any possible reinforcements, the princess' protector surmised that they could afford to rest after the operation. Bare as the bed was, it was always a nice change of pace from sleeping with nothing but one of their bags for comfort. In fact, it was such that Hana found herself sleeping well past nine that morning, shortly after waking, checking on the still-sleeping Sakura as usual.

It was not long at all before she, Sakura, Rinkah, and Candace encountered the Chevois champion, looking rather ragged, but still quite pleased with himself. "Thanks to you lot, we've got them on the run from the area." remarked Tristan proudly. "I'd hate to be the poor sod who has to break the news in Windmire!"

"So you're all ready?" inquired Hana.

The knight grinned. "Of course! By the way, we've got some supplies we need to deliver to the capital. You ladies mind riding in the wagon? It'll cut our travel time by about half and Joan's a damn good horsewoman, so it won't be that uncomfortable.

Naturally, with the urgency insisted upon by both the rogue and the princess especially, none of them were going to decline, piling dutifully (but not without some difficulty) into the wagon. "Now fair warning ladies," began Joan gruffly. "We're in kind of a hurry, so it's not exactly going to be a joyride. If any of you have a problem with that, get off now."

"Would you just go already?!" implored Candace.

Perhaps it was a control thing, but Hana almost always disliked relying on any method of getting around outside of her own two legs. But even she had to admit that riding in this wagon was not as uncomfortable an experience as she'd been anticipating; Joan was better at this than the swordswoman had given her credit for and the journey was not exactly made any less pleasant by Sakura routinely grasping onto Hana in order to stabilize herself. And speaking of the princess, some interesting conversations were had that night around the campfire as she finally broke her silence.

"What's with her?" inquired Joan carelessly, finishing off half a loaf of bread and the last of her drinking water.

Listlessly stirring at her soup, Sakura sighed heavily. "I understand th-that they've treated you all t-terribly," she prefaced guiltily. "B-but was what we d-did back there truly n-needed? It's just s-such a horrible way to die, burning."

"This...will not end well." thought Candace, already preoccupied with her savior from certain death and her fighting style.

The older brunette scowled at the princess, perhaps even more harshly than she would Tristan. "I consider it an occupational hazard." Joan said coldly. "Don't make a habit of invading other peoples' countries if you don't want to risk being burned alive. Besides, why don't you ask the bastards if it was 'necessary' that they literally skinned my father and uncles alive and left them to die impaled on pikes outside the capital? Or how about when they found my brother with his old unit's crest and hanged every soul in his village? Or how about when-"

"Joan, that's quite enough." insisted Tristan, considerably more stern with her then any of them had heard previously.

"Oh, shut up, Sir High-and-Mighty. It honestly astonishes me that you don't reflexively drive your axe into the cock of every Nohrian you kill after what the animals did to your cousin. And what of your nephew?! You know a lot of them say that Nohr should just round up everyone like that, so to speak, and just slaughter them all, man, woman, and child, right? Far as I'm concerned, they're only good when dead. And we're their 'little brother' as it were! Just imagine how you'd feel if you were one of those poor Hoshidan bastards!"

But alas, the princess and her protector had no need to imagine, the former sniffling and beginning to tear up as she nestled herself in Hana's breast. "Why don't you just take his advice and shut up?" spat Hana.

"What are you, her bitch or something?" snapped Joan before rising to her feet. "I can't deal with this shit anymore, I'm going to sleep; someone's got to keep a clear head around here."

As his ex-lover stomped off in a huff, Tristan lowered his voice and gaze. "Pay her no mind." he implored gently. "She's a good person, she's just lost a lot to the Nohrians. More than most of us, in fact. Hell, her little sister's all she's really got left."

While Sakura quickly regained her composure, the topic proved sensitive enough that she did not press it further, allowing the matter to drop and the knight to turn in for the night himself, Hana urging Rinkah and the princess to the wagon to sleep as she dealt with the fire, an unexpected party still huddled around the weakening flame.

"That Joan's a bit of a bitch, huh?" inquired Candace, knowing full well the answer.

"That's a lot like saying that water is 'a bit' wet, isn't it?" asked Hana in response.

Sitting down before the dying flame, the swordswoman gave a huff of fatigue. "You know, I thought you'd have gone to sleep by now."

"Eh, this old gal's just got something on her mind." the rogue remarked carelessly. "That was some pretty fancy swordplay you showed against Nohr, huh? Pretty damn good if I say so myself."

"What of it?"

"Well, I've been around enough to recognize that style of swordplay and its substyles to boot. Maybe you're not from as far away a land as you say you are?"

Almost immediately, nearly imperceptibly to even a keen eye like hers, Candace found the blade which had saved her life last night rested against her shoulder, its edge dangerously close to her neck. "I swear by whatever you hold sacred," Hana began menacingly. "If you ever breathe even a word about this to anyone, anyone at all-"

"Woah, slow your roll!" Candace insisted, gingerly nudging the weapon away from her throat, Hana almost immediately replacing it. "What's the problem?! I'm just telling you what I saw!"

"My one and only goal is to protect my lady: Why wouldn't scum like you sell me out to Nohr to save your own skin? Better question: Why should I not just cut your throat and leave you in a ditch somewhere?"

"Because it wouldn't help me one damn bit even if I did!" Candace exclaimed, now noticeably annoyed. "No matter what you may have done to make them mad, you can't be in anywhere near as much shit as Candace is with them! I know you heard that Nohrian douchebag's whole spiel about all the reasons they're after my head. And that was before I burned a whole mess of their supplies and troops alive! King Lenny himself couldn't even pardon that, not that he would!"

Chuckling slightly at the irony of having saved, in the space of a year, the lives of the two most-wanted individuals for whose blood Nohr was currently howling or would soon be so, Hana removed her weapon from Candace's throat. "I can't argue with that." she conceded. "You realize that promise stands, right? Put her in danger, whether by your words or actions, and your life is forfeit."

"Oh, that's fair enough. That gal, what was her name again- Battsetseg, is real important to you, huh?"

Hana gave a genuine, yet wistful smile. "She means more to me than life itself."

Her foul mood apparently not something one sleeps off, Joan rousted them all from their slumber fairly early on, the moon still visible as the sun began to creep over the horizon. Despite none of them being particularly pleased with Joan (Rinkah's argument with her nearly coming to blows), as none had any desire to linger in a fairly-exposed position and risk an encounter with vengeful Nohrian forces, they had little choice but to comply with her directives. For all her distracted, haphazard driving, Joan had lost little of her effectiveness, seeing as the group managed to reach the capital's outer gates by nightfall.

"You must be a madwoman!" Rinkah scolded. "I swear, I almost died a few times back there!"

"How is it my problem you can't keep your balance to save your life?" asked Joan derisively. "I've got to go distribute this stuff, so I can't babysit you four any longer."***

"I'll show you to my aunt's tavern." said Tristan apologetically, as though for his comrade's rudeness. "As well as relative safety, we can get beds and a good meal to boot."

In no small part due to what she was used to, Hana was rather intrigued by the unusual street layouts and building styles. She'd never been herself (now having no desire to do so outside of claiming the heads of Leonard and his bandit enforcer), but from the second-hand descriptions given by her uncle and brother, it was reasonably similar to Nohrian architecture, but somehow seemed more...warm and hospitable than described by the late regent of Mutsu.

"Hey, it's Sir Tristan!" called one man.

"They actually did it!" exclaimed another man. "I was sure they'd all been slaughtered!"

"I heard the other day a whole damn army of the bastards went up in flames!" said one woman excitedly. "Serves them right, it does!"

"I can't put my finger on why exactly," began Sakura. "but the people here feel so warm and welcoming."

"Yeah, that would usually be the case for us." Tristan replied, shooting a hateful glare at a small group Nohrian pikemen patrolling disinterestedly. "But you guys don't exactly have a lot in common with other 'visitors' of ours, if you get my meaning."

Tristan shuttering the group away from the occupier's sentries just to be safe, a burning question remained with one of their group's members nonetheless: "I know Hoshidan and Nohrian towns and cities all have names," Rinkah began. "so what's this city called again?"

"Cheve." remarked Tristan casually, as if it no more interesting than the water he drank this morning.

Needless to say for all the of women, the country and capital city sharing the same name was a new concept for them.

Not surprisingly given his questionable activities, the route on which Tristan led them was increasingly circular and prone to backtracking, a technique Hana knew well and appreciated. It took a good hour and a half of this, but shortly thereafter, the knight led motley group to a rather run-down, but still homely section of town, shortly thereafter leading the women to a little alcove of a building inconspicuously squirreled away. "And this," he introduced. "is Polaire. One of the gathering places for people, like us, as it were."

The quiet, yet still relatively-lively atmosphere, rustic decor, and distinct smell of home-cooked meals gave even individuals as hypervigilant as Tristan or (had become by necessity) Hana cause to relax a bit. However, some parts of the bar were a bit too lively for some of its employees, given the two burly, scarred men harassing the teenage barmaid.

"Come on!" plead the first man. "Everybody knows by now you Chevois broads will even fuck savages, so what's so bad about coming with me and the boys for a good time?"

"I told you a thousand times, sir." said the dirty-blonde girl, nearly in tears by this point. "Either buy something or please leave. You're disturbing the other customers."

"Well, you know you can make this all go away if you let us work over, er-, talk to your boss for a bit." threatened the second man, a dull-grey bandage wrapped around his eye socket.

"And I told you as well, Miss Victoria has not been feeling well all day, so she's been turning away any visitors."***

Perhaps whether due to the girl's resemblance in mannerisms to Sakura or her hatred for bandits preying on the common people, Hana, drawing one of her concealed knives, stormed up to the one-eyed brigand and, after tapping him on the shoulder, pointed the blade directly in his face. "Nice bandage." she said mockingly. "How about I even out that ugly face of yours if you and your buddy don't stop harassing the young lady?"

Despite the blade literally a hair away from his nose, Tarba managed a hearty, derisive laugh. "Oh, yeah girlie! You and what army?!"

Almost immediately, the tavern's occupants to the last man and woman, drew their concealable (usually blades) weapons, training them on one of the bandits; in addition to Rinkah who was pretty much always ready for a scrap, Tristan had drawn a dagger Hana had never even seen him mention, let alone use. Tarba may have been many things: Arrogant, greedy, and generally unscrupulous, but the one thing he was not, was foolish-slash-suicidal. The bandit chief knew when he'd been beat. "Come on, let's get out of here." he snarled to his underling.

Tense as the standoff was, the establishment went back to normal very quickly, its patrons keen on getting back to whatever business they may have had. The barmaid, Maria on the other hand, was exceptionally grateful to the newcomers their champion had bought around. "Whatever you want." she said with a smile. "It's on me."

"What exactly you got to eat around here, anyway?" inquired Candace, taking a seat at the bar. "Someone's girlfriend was being a bitch and wouldn't let me eat this morning."

Sakura however, seemed increasingly lost in thought; after several minutes staring aimlessly about the tavern, retired outside, her protector shortly by her side as the two young ladies gazed at the stars.

"Lady Sakura, what's the matter?" asked Hana worriedly. "You've never exactly been a chatterbox, but you've barely said a word since we left the fortress."

"This world...is c-cruel, isn't it Hana?" the princess inquired balefully. "We've seen so much pointless cruelty and f-for what? Why? Whose life can we say has really been made better for it?"

"It's unfortunate, but it's just the way it is, isn't it?"

"M-maybe it d-doesn't have to be after all?"****

Giving her full and undivided attention to her dearest, most cherished friend, Sakura took Hana's hand in hers, that very particular-to-Sakura gaze of fierce determination in her eyes. "I don't care what anybody says about it. If it's naive or p-pointless, I'm going to change it! I'm going to do everything in my power to make it so!"

Embracing the princess, Hana's eyes twinkled, yet held still some degree of sadness and bitterness. "Oh, Sakura, it's a beautiful vision, just like your soul! But if you really believe our enemy, who don't even see us as human-"

"I understand f-fully well that Nohr has no intention of leaving us in peace, ever. Until something changes profoundly in their worldview. I thought we had a ch-chance after the war, but whatever he may have once been, King Leonard is a vile and horrible man who brings out the absolute worst in his country. I-if my road to a better world for my nephew and people ends at his g-grave then I'll see him removed from his throne, one way or a-another. The very last thing it will be is easy, so Hana, i-if you-"

Hana gently pressed a silencing index finger to the princess' lips. "I told you probably a million times already. I don't care what your path brings or how difficult it is. I don't care if the entire world ends up damning me or praising me, I. Will. Always. Be. By. Your. Side."

Overcome with joy, both at the emotional outpouring and her newfound sense of purpose, Sakura threw herself into her protector's embrace, yet could not help but notice a figure standing very conspicuously, a woman. "That was truly a wonderful speech, young lady." she said proudly.****

Emerging from the shadows, the figure revealed herself to be a woman of around sixty with graying-blonde hair and an expression shorn of its youthful ferocity by both the toll of years and repeated tragedy. "I am Victoria, but you may know me as Tristan's aunt and the owner of this establishment."

"I'm so s-sorry!" apologized Sakura. "I had no idea you were there!"

The elderly woman gave a warm, motherly smile. "Pay it no mind, child. I implore you, to come inside. There is someone very dear to me I'd you to meet. Dear to both of us, in fact."

"I'd like to meet this person too." Hana interjected. "Where she goes, I go. It's just that simple."

Victoria smiled the same smile. "I'd have no problem with that. In fact, I think he'd like that too."

While generally inclined to be as suspicious as possible in any situation whatsoever where Sakura's security could even possibly be compromised, the old woman was just so disarmingly genuine that even Hana's guard was down somewhat. Nonetheless, before she led them to the back of the tavern and up a well-concealed staircase, Hana managed to drag Rinkah and (because she simply would not get lost) Candace with her back to the living quarters. As Victoria unlocked a door, the group found themselves in a sparsely-decorated, yet comfortable living area, shortly greeted by an energetic blond boy no older than two years old or so, bounding energetically before embracing his grandmother's leg. "Mamie!" greeted the boy cheerfully as Victoria picked him up.

"This is my grandson, Shiro." she introduced nostalgically. "Shiro, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is your auntie, Sakura."

As her eyes met the boy's, the princess' eyes lit up, almost in tears of joy and relief that she saw those of her eldest brother, Shiro giggling as Victoria passed the child to his aunt's arms. "Hello, Shiro..." said Sakura gently. "How are you? I'm your auntie, Sakura."

Victoria allowed herself a considerably fuller smile than she had in ages. "Just as kind and polite as your brother said." she marveled.

"You knew my brother?!"

"Yes, given what he had with my daughter, he was much like a son to me, particularly since I lost my boys."

Hana also felt a swirling mess of emotions: Anger that she'd been so careless, relief that their mission was over, adoration at just how adorably at ease Sakura felt with her nephew, and confusion as to how exactly Victoria had found them out. "Well, I guess there's no use pretending to be someone I'm not anymore." conceded Hana. "I am Hana of Mutsu, Princess Sakura's retainer and protector."

Victoria gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Yes, he mentioned you as well, young lady. As I recall, he actually called you his finest student of the blade."

"Well, the flames don't lie." said Rinkah proudly. "Of course, you could always have a pyromancer bad at it, but that's an entirely different matter."

"See, told you Candace could find anyone or anything!" exclaimed Candace, equally as proudly.

"Thank you, Candace once again." said Victoria. "I'll have your gold in a bit."

"Wait a second!" interrupted Hana. "I seem to remember us saving you from Nohr."

Candace shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, Tomato, tom-ah-to! The point is, I found you lot, isn't it?!"

It stood to reason that after that humiliating incident at the tavern, Tarba would be fuming. In Nohr, westerners were known as a particularly proud lot and the bandit chief exceptionally so. At their shanty camp on the eastern outskirts of town, his men knew this well, and were tipped off something had happened by their boss' foul mood.

"So any news on the job, boss?" inquired one of the brigands. "We thought we'd had the brat's whereabouts pinned down but-"

"Of course we do!" Tarba interrupted savagely. "Send out the call! We attack tonight!"

"Tonight?! Boss are you sure?! Everyone's just getting settled in-"

"Want me to send you in as a human shield? Of course I'm sure! 'Know their place' my eye socket! I'll teach these Chevois worms to disrespect me!"

The past hour having seen her princess playing with her nephew and bonding with the tavern mistress as if they were long-lost family, in the brief respite Shiro had given his aunt by tiring them both to exhaustion, Hana's conversations with the old woman did not prove nearly as comforting to either party.

"I really am grateful for your recollections of Lord Ryoma." said Hana gratefully. "For Sakura's sake as well. But what of your daughter? I've never heard you say a word about her. She was clearly very important to the both of you."

Immediately, Hana regretted her breaching the topic, as she noticed a good deal of the newfound light leave the older woman's eyes. "Ah, yes my Scarlet was a very spirited woman." she sniffed. "Always stood up for what she believed in, defending those weaker than her, even as a girl-"

At this, Victoria began to weep openly. "Oh, gods, my poor baby!" she wailed. "I'd not even wish that on Leonard, let alone his loved ones!"

Wiping away her tears, Victoria forced a clearly-quite-painful smile. "Oh, gods, I apologize for that. I'm far too old for such displays."

"I feel like I should be apologizing, really." replied Hana contritely.

"That sneering, taunting face I see every time I close my eyes, it haunts me, you know? I'd have already killed him myself had he the misfortune to be assigned around here. That bald Nohrian giant with the beady, hateful little eyes, scarred face, and cruel sneer..."

Immediately and reflexively, Hana's expression curled into one of disgust for the one individual she'd held in more contempt than Corrine or even Leonard. "Oh, yes, I'm QUITE familiar with his work." Hana replied bitterly. "He either murdered my troops to the last man or ordered it done after we'd capitulated as per their demands. That would have been despicable enough, but he forced me, my late fellow retainer, my old commander, and Sakura to watch as they were butchered!"

"My word!" exclaimed Victoria. "So it's not just us! He truly is a beast wearing human skin!"

"A beast has the excuse of not knowing any better. He just doesn't give a damn about anything outside of his own sick desires! Now, I may not have known your daughter, but just from what you've told me, she had more courage, moral or otherwise, in her little finger than anyone in that whole wretched kingdom of theirs."

The experience of meeting a kindred spirit and reminiscing about her daughter overwhelmed Victoria, embracing Hana as if for dear life. "It's not going to be soon," prefaced Hana, loosening the older woman's grip slightly. "but I promise you that someday, his sorry excuse for a life is mine. When I do end him, it's not just going to be for my men, but for Lady Sakura, your daughter, and certainly a bunch of other daughters as well!"

Her eyes still reddened, Victoria managed a dignified, wistful smile at Hana's promise.

Pondering what exactly their next course of action would be, Hana pondered a great number of things, not least of which was something Tristan mentioned. "I realize that this isn't something you like talking about and just say so if you don't want to," she prefaced cautiously. "but Tristan mentioned some 'unforgivable sin' your daughter committed in the eyes of the Nohrians that wasn't fighting against them. What did he mean by that?"

Victoria gestured at the boy napping on his sleeping aunt's chest. "His father and giving birth to him." she answered grimly.

And speaking of Tristan, there sounded the very-distinct sound of a winded individual scrambling up the staircase, finally emerging and looking very worried. "Aunt Victoria, we've got a problem!" he warned breathlessly. "A big problem!"