Chapter Text
Takumi struggled against the ropes, gritting his teeth as they cut into his leather gauntlets.
Everything had been going just as terribly as expected. Corrin had chosen to be a traitor to their family, running off into the distance on the plains of Hoshido. Azura had gone with her, of course. The others had been shocked by her decision, but not him. She was Nohrian, after all. Oh, she’d fooled everyone, claiming that Hoshido had treated her so much better than her kin and that she’d never go back. But in the end, he had always known that she would abandon them.
Knowing didn’t stop it from hurting.
Right after that, Ryoma had sent him to Izumo to ask Archduke Izana for medical supplies. They were sorely needed: the attack in the town square had wounded countless civilians, exhausting their stores of salves and festals. His words had been so dispassionate as he’d given Takumi the orders, so cold and logical and empty. As if the only thing they’d lost in that attack was a few rolls of bandages and vulneraries. Yes, logically, he knew that this was Ryoma’s way of coping: pretending that nothing was wrong, that Mother hadn’t--
Stop. Dark thoughts, painful thoughts, dangerous thoughts. He shut them away.
Then, of course, the Archduke had turned out to be an imposter by the name of Zola. Which was why Takumi was now locked in the banquet hall of the Archduke’s palace, gagged and tied up, waiting for the dark mage to come in and kill him and his retainers.
If he’d had his quiver on him, he would have been able to cut the ropes. Unfortunately, the Nohrian scum was smarter than he’d expected, even if his impersonation skills were terrible.
He froze as he heard shouting.
“We’ve won. You can’t run, Zola. Now tell us where the real Archduke is!”
That was Corrin’s voice.
What is she doing here? he thought, unconsciously trying to crawl to the door. Why would she come to Izumo?
Of course: neutral ground. Izumo had no political affiliations and sided with no factions, though they favored Hoshido. If she really hadn’t gone back with her Nohrian family, it would make sense for her to come here, where she could hide in relative safety. She could seek asylum here, perhaps live out the rest of her life in peace and quiet.
Or so she thought. If he had the Fujin Yumi with him, he’d show her what it meant to abandon Hoshido and her true family.
A snicker rang through the barricaded door, and Takumi strained to listen through the thick wood. “You really think it would be that easy? What a naive little girl you are. I don’t just have the stupid Archduke with me, after all. Would you like to know who else I’ve got in my care?”
Silence.
“Yes, I wonder if you would be so aggressive if you realized I had Prince Takumi in the palm of my hand.”
He nearly wanted to laugh. Was Zola honestly trying to use him as some sort of hostage? A bargaining chip? If only he knew just how little Corrin considered him as family.
“But perhaps he’d like a friend,” Zola continued. “Not you, of course, seeing as you’re a traitor to everyone. Maybe… his sister would be a good match?”
Takumi’s blood ran cold.
A girlish yelp, one that he could recognize even through five inches of wood, made him fight against the ropes even harder. He screamed her name against the gag, but it only came out as a muffled shout. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Don’t you dare hurt her!
“Oh, look at me and my adorable hostage!” Zola crowed. “Now, dear, what’s your name?”
“C-Corrin, help!” Sakura screamed, her voice trembling as always. Takumi gritted his teeth, then tried to spy anything in the room that would help him cut the ropes. Of course, there was nothing. He glanced at Oboro and Hinata. Perhaps they had snuck in a hidden weapon? His heart sank as they both stared at him with panic and horror. They had all surrendered their weapons on request when they’d entered the palace. It had been a ruse, of course, set up by the imposter.
“Sakura!” Corrin’s voice was panicking, and Takumi froze as he listened. She sounded almost desperate. “Let her go, Zola! Are you really going to stoop this low?”
The imposter laughed bitterly. “Oh, you don’t get it, do you, traitor? You gotta do what you can to stay alive. Turn a liability into an advantage whenever you can! Now, put down your weapons!”
Takumi sucked in a deep breath, then started crawling towards the door. It was excruciatingly slow, especially with his hands and feet bound, but he couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. He’d figure something out. Somehow, he’d save Sakura from this scum.
“If you don’t, the girl will--”
Suddenly, a strange ripping noise echoed in the still air.
Zola’s screaming made him cringe, eyes wide as the Nohrian mage let out an earsplitting shriek. Eventually, his howls faded to a sickening gurgle, and then ended with a wet thump.
Takumi’s hair nearly stood on end as he saw blood seep under the barred door.
“B-Big Sister!” Sakura cried, and Takumi closed his eyes. That wasn’t Sakura’s blood. She’s fine. She’s safe. Somehow.
Corrin started speaking again, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. A new voice entered the conversation, cold and emotionless, one that made his stomach churn and knot itself. He didn’t dare move, though, not with the silhouette of a corpse lying on the other side of that door. If Corrin’s voice wasn’t distressed, then the danger was past.
He relaxed, letting the tension in his muscles fade. Somehow, they would get out of this scrape. Even if Corrin hadn’t chosen Hoshido, she wanted to protect Sakura. She could still be redeemed. Of course she could never be trusted, not fully. But she could be redeemed.
It was just when he was about to close his eyes that the door decided to explode.
Quickly he tucked his head down to guard his face from the explosion, nearly cracking his head against the floor. Thankfully, the shrapnel wasn’t bad, and the other captured servants and guests only shrieked in annoyance as tiny wood splinters rained down on them. Slowly, he looked up, then tensed again.
Standing on the other side of the wrecked door was Corrin, her body crouched as if in self defense. Sakura was standing on the other side of the entryway, her pink eyes wide with fright as she grasped her festal. Azura was there as well, anxiously checking to see if Corrin was all right. Though her cape and hair had seen better days, she looked to be mostly unharmed.
Then, there was the Nohrian prince sitting on his horse.
Takumi’s fingers instinctively reached for the Fujin Yumi as he saw the scum sitting there. Of course, it was confiscated somewhere and he was still tied up, so the only thing he could do was squirm as he saw the prince’s cold stare.
“Go on, Corrin,” he said, his voice vacant and hesitant, as if he wasn’t even sure what he was saying. “The real archduke should be inside. Along with that pathetic Hoshidan prince, Takumi.”
Gods, he wanted his Fujin Yumi so badly. He’d show the Nohrian prince what pathetic was.
Instead, Sakura rushed into the room. “Corrin!” she cried, her hands nearly covering her mouth as she ran into the banquet hall. “They’re all tied up in here!”
He shouted against his gag, and she quickly ran over to his side, untying the ropes and gag with shaking fingers. As soon as his arms were free, he grasped her shoulders, steadying them. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
“N-No,” she stammered. He scanned her body, searching for any bruises or cuts. A lump rose in his throat as he saw the line of red across her throat, a smeared stain where she had rubbed away the blood. That bastard, he thought, glaring at the body. It was horribly mangled, almost torn apart. Corrin couldn’t have done that.
His eyes landed on the Nohrian prince. What was his name? Leo? He remembered him fighting on the plains of Hoshido, trees suddenly ripping out of the ground to kill countless soldiers. The floorboards around Zola’s body were littered with dried leaves, shrivelled and wilted. Had he somehow killed the mage? But why would a Nohrian kill one of his own soldiers?
They met eyes for only a second. Takumi glared at him, gritting his teeth. Leo simply stared back, no emotion in his eyes. He almost looked as lifeless as a Faceless in that moment.
Then, he turned his horse around and rode off.
“Wait!” Corrin shouted, reaching out a hand. “Leo!”
He kept on riding, as if he couldn’t hear her. Good riddance, Takumi thought, turning to Sakura. “Why are you here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “And how did you run into Corrin?”
Sakura blushed, ducking her head down. “W-Well, I didn’t really r-run into her so much as… j-join her.”
His mouth went dry. “What?”
“I-I can explain!” she said quickly, her eyes wide as she stared at him earnestly.
“Explain what?” he snapped. “Sakura, do you realize how much this is going to devastate Ryoma? Devastate Hoshido? You’ve sided against us!”
“No!” she shouted, and he froze as she gripped her festal so hard he thought she’d snap it in half. “I h-haven’t sided against anyone! And neither has Corrin! No one here is fighting against Hoshido, not even Azura!”
Azura. He had to swallow the lump in his throat down as he saw his adopted sister, who had moved into the room to untie the hostages. Her golden eyes were reserved, cautious. Yet her voice was melodious as ever as she spoke. “It’s true, Takumi. We have never planned to fight against Hoshido. To betray the family that has always cared for me as if I was one of their own… it would cut my heart in two.”
“Really?” he asked, folding his arms. “Because you certainly didn’t seem all that hurt when you ran away from us.”
She didn’t flinch, but he could see the hurt in her eyes.
“That’s enough, Takumi,” Sakura said firmly. “C-Corrin says there’s something worse than the war with Nohr. She can’t explain, but I trust her. Takumi, p-please -- trust her too!”
He stared at Corrin, who stood awkwardly on the threshold of the banquet hall. She almost looked like an outsider, as if she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to intrude on the conversation or not. Her silver hair was disheveled, and her armor had certainly seen better days. And then there were the circles under her eyes, dark and heavy.
How much sleep has she gotten? Had she been so disturbed by her betrayal that she couldn’t even sleep? Or was it simply the stress of being hunted by two armies?
He met her red eyes, and she straightened up, her hands loose at her sides. “I know it’s hard to believe,” she whispered. “But please, Takumi, if you could just hear me out.”
There was no reason to trust her words. He knew that.
But gods, she looked so worn out that he almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
Apparently, she took his silence as permission to continue. “I can’t side against either of my families,” she said softly, striding towards him. “But Takumi, there’s something greater than just Nohr or Hoshido at work here. There’s a person who’s been manipulating this all behind the scenes. I know it sounds crazy -- I thought it was too, when I found out. But I wouldn’t be telling you any of this if I didn’t believe it.” Her eyes were wide, her posture beseeching. “I know I’m asking for a lot, but I need you to trust me. Trust that there’s more to this war that meets the eye. Trust that if you come with me, we can put a stop to it. Please.”
Her tone was sincere. And in the few moments he’d interacted with her before everything had fallen apart, he’d never known her to lie.
But those two facts didn’t change anything.
“You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t find this flimsy explanation acceptable,” he said quietly, narrowing his eyes at her. “Sakura may believe in your story. I don’t.”
Corrin almost seemed to deflate at his words. “I… I see,” she whispered. Her back bowed as she turned to Sakura. “If you want to stay with Takumi, Sakura, I won’t force you to come with me. It’ll be dangerous in the battles to come. You’ll be safer with him than with me.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head so furiously that her pink hair whipped from side to side. “I’m going with you!”
“Sakura--”
“No, no, no! This isn’t gonna do at all!”
Takumi froze as he saw a man with white hair and robes stride up to them, his face distressed. Wait. Is this…?
“Are you the real Archduke Izana?” Corrin asked, her eyes wide.
“Yep,” he said proudly, lifting his chin up high. “I’ll skip the usual intro and cut right to it. Prince Takumi, you’ve got it all wrong.”
Takumi blinked. “What are you talking about?”
Izana grinned like a schoolboy trying to hold in a devious secret. “I won’t go into all the teensy weensy details, so in short: trust Corrin and go with her. That’s what the gods are saying. You’re a lucky fellow, getting a unique prophecy from them like that.”
Takumi rose an eyebrow. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I kid you not,” Izana said with a completely straight face. “The gods are telling me to tell you to join Corrin. Just got some prophetic stuff from them.”
“I can’t believe that important prophecies just… happen like that,” Takumi said flatly.
“Hey, who’s the diviner and the keeper of prophecies here: you or me?” Izana asked pointedly. “Prophecies come as they come. You really want to ignore directions sent down from the gods themselves?”
This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. But, well, Ryoma had told him that the Archduke was a little odd. Perhaps he should just play along.
“You say that,” he began slowly, “but how can I choose to side with a traitor? Corrin couldn’t even side with her homeland. She’s too corrupted by the Nohrians. I mean, I’m grateful that she saved us, but…”
How can I trust her?
Izana puckered his lips, his face twisted in childish consternation. “Yeesh, you’re one tough nut to crack. What am I supposed to do with you?” He paused. “Well, I suppose if I have to break out the big bows, I will. Come on! One extra prophecy for Prince Takumi, coming right up!”
Takumi yelped as the Archduke grabbed his sleeve, dragging him towards the back of the banquet hall. Sakura, Corrin, and Azura followed, and he sighed as he stared at them. I can’t believe this is even happening right now. Of course, with Orochi at Castle Shirasagi, he believed in divination as much as the next man, but this seemed far too… convenient.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Izana said softly. “And you’re a little right. But trust me, you’ll want to follow her on this path she’s taken.” He smiled, then winked. “After all, you’re going to have a delightful amount of surprises!”
“Milady?” Selena’s voice said softly through the door.
Camilla did not respond. She hadn’t spoken a word since five hours ago.
“Milady, please,” Selena begged. “Lady Elise wishes to speak with you. At least let her in.”
Elise wished to speak with her?
Slowly, Camilla dabbed at her face with a handkerchief, then inhaled deeply to compose herself. In front of her retainers, she couldn’t pretend that everything would be fine. But for Elise, darling innocent Elise that was the light of Nohr, she could pretend. She would wear a mask and smile for her sake. She tucked the soiled handkerchief into a nearby drawer. “Enter,” she said, her voice level. Good.
The door creaked open, and she smiled as Elise walked in. It was hard to maintain the smile when the poor dear looked so glum, though.
Selena closed the door behind them, her own face withdrawn. Camilla’s smile did not falter as Elise stared up at her. “Well now,” she said softly, bending down a little. “What can I do for my sweet little sister? Would you like to braid hair again? I’m sure you’ve learned all sorts of new styles, haven’t you?”
“Camilla, I…” Elise looked at the ground, clasping her hands behind her back nervously. There was so much of Leo in that gesture, and Camilla’s smile wavered for just a small second. “I came to try and change your mind.”
“About what, dear?” Camilla asked, moving towards the vanity and pulling out the hair brushes and ribbons.
“About Father’s mission,” Elise said.
Smile. Stay composed. Above all else, do not break down. The words rang in her ears, as if her mother was still alive, whispering them.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible, darling,” Camilla said lightly. “Father’s word is absolute, Elise. I can’t go against it.”
“But we can still try, right?” Elise asked, a hopeful smile on her face. It should have made Camilla’s spirits lift, but she was only weighed down even more. “I mean, Father was so angry earlier, but he’ll get better! We just have to talk to him when he’s in a good mood, right? He’ll feel better so he won’t be angry at Corrin anymore.”
Camilla’s fingers tightened so hard around the delicate ivory of the brush that she was surprised it didn’t shatter.
“Camilla?” Elise whispered, her voice so incredibly small. It still echoed in the large room, ringing in her ears.
“You will find Corrin and kill her for her insolence. This must be done for the glory of Nohr, my daughter. I trust that you will succeed.” The implied threat for her disobedience had gone unsaid. They both understood what would happen if she failed.
“Camilla?” A small hand rested on hers, and she relaxed. Smile. Stay composed. Above all else, do not break down.
“I don’t think that Father will change his mind,” she said softly. “Not this time, dear.”
“B-But this is crazy!” Elise protested, her hands curling into fists. “Corrin’s our sister! Father can’t have forgotten that! Even if she’s Hoshidan or whatever, she’s still family! I don’t care where she went or what side she chose or whatever! She’s a part of us, Camilla!”
“I know, dear,” Camilla whispered. “I know.”
“So don’t do it,” Elise said, her violet eyes fiercely determined. “Tell him that you won’t! I’ll back you up. We’ll make him change his mind!”
She turned and stared at her baby sister.
Truth be told, she’d thought about telling Father just what she thought of those orders. She’d thought about defying him just this once, of telling him to get someone else to murder her beloved Corrin. Of course, she’d slit their throats the second she found out who they were.
But to challenge the king of Nohr was to risk execution, and she could not leave her siblings alone in this war. Not precious Elise, who was still so young and still so sheltered, hoping that their Corrin would want to return to them. Not faithful Leo, who tried to pretend that Corrin’s betrayal hadn’t hurt, but wandered alone in the halls of Castle Krakenburg in the black depths of the night, unable to sleep. Not Xander, their strength and standard, who ordered soldiers and detailed battle strategies, even though he loathed combat and fighting so much that it was a miracle he could stand on the battlefield at all.
She could not abandon them. Not like Corrin had.
“There are some things you cannot change, Elise,” she whispered, setting the brush down on the counter. “And Father’s orders, I cannot change. Not even if I wanted to.”
Elise stared at her, her eyes wide with shock and hurt.
Then, her lips pressed together into a furious frown. “Fine. Give up if you want to. Just like everyone else! Give up and do your stupid missions and follow your stupid orders!”
“Elise,” Camilla began. “I know it sounds terrible of me, but it’s not so simple as that. There are consequences, punishments if I--”
“But it is that simple!” Elise shouted, tears brimming in her eyes. “You’re just scared! And you shouldn’t be scared! You’re my big sister! You can do anything!”
If only that were true.
“I hate you!” Elise yelled. “I hate you and I hate Father and I hate your stupid mission! I hate this place!”
Camilla had expected the words, but that didn’t mean they hurt any less.
Before she could say anything, Elise ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Her frantic footsteps and sobs echoed in the hallway long after she left.
Camilla put away the brushes, then moved to her desk, pulling out sheets of paper. After inking the quill, she began the first of her set of letters. One to Elise, one to Leo, and one to Xander. The words that she would write would be difficult for them to understand, perhaps, but they deserved at least a note.
Elise was right: she was scared. And that fear would drive her to do terrible things, things that she would never consider otherwise.
She would leave in the morning with her retainers. Beruka had connections, as a former assassin. They would track down Corrin together. Camilla would look at her sister, would gaze upon her one last time before she killed her with her own hands. This, at least, was a small blessing: she would give her an end that would be mostly painless. Corrin would not die by torture or the sword, alone and cold. Camilla would cradle her body in her arms, soothe her to sleep like she had done for her when they were both younger, when the world made sense and happiness reigned instead of fear.
Why did you do it, darling? Why did you abandon us? Didn’t you know what that would mean?
Perhaps not. They had sheltered her from so much of Father’s rage. Xander had been her advocate, Leo her defender, Elise her light. In the end, Corrin had only followed the path of her heart. She could never blame her for that.
Camilla inhaled, then started writing, quill scratching the parchment slowly as she decided her words carefully. With Xander and Leo, she could outright tell them, but with Elise, she had to be soft and subtle.
She had to find a way to tell her sister that after this mission, she would never return.