#{ t: Nohrian legends }

[yukiwrites]

Where Your Loyalty Lies [10/??]

Summary:  Kamui’s kidnapping didn’t go as planned – She managed to get away and ended up at Silas’ doorstep. They were raised as siblings, but she has always felt different; her fangs and red eyes and urges to run amok, what did they all mean? Will going to the castle as the Crown Prince’s retainer help her find more clues? Will the war between Nohr and Hoshido be the answer to everything?

Previous chapter <=> AO3 <=> Next chapter

Chapter 10: Bloodbath

The sway of a horse under Kamui felt foreign, although welcome.

The knight had always wanted to ride; not only during her training days, but even during her childhood -- watching Leopold go on rides with Silas and seeing how much fun her brother was having; being scared of herself as the beasts shied away from her no matter what her father did to circumvent the situation... Honestly, Kamui had already written out the possibility of ever riding. With the passing of years, this minor setback was forgotten and overcome within the knight's heart, truly.

Still, having the opportunity to ride a horse -- and not any horse, Lord Xander’s stallion -- brought her a weird sense of elation.

It was so to the point that even the loud roar in the back of her mind stopped -- and if she could look at herself, she would notice how her eyes weren't randomly shining anymore. Narrowing her gaze, Kamui thought that it was odd that she could feel that way after reaching such a previously unbearable point of her itch: now her right arm pulsated with pain from the previous nail-digging, and although her senses were still heightened to an inhuman level, she felt mostly... in control.

Inside her mind, Kamui could almost see herself and her inner beast sharing a handshake, finally reaching an agreement after so many years of clashing, pain and fear. The beast knew it would get its fill of destruction in the near future if it behaved during the ride, and Kamui could somehow count on it to help her survive through her first battle, as long as she stayed calm on the way there.

Richard stole unamused -- mostly disgusted, really -- glances to Kamui's way, his steed accompanying Xander's in speed. The knight held onto her Lord for her dear life, utterly unused to it all, and missed her partner's glances most of the time. The few moments their eyes met, she simply nodded in acknowledgement, her thoughts too jumbled to remember about Richard's displeasure to knowing of her condition regarding riding.

So many factors were culminating into a picture of chaos -- the purring beast at the back of her mind, waiting for its turn; the burning axe by her waist, ready to draw its first blood; the unfamiliar men under her command, unwilling and obliged to obey her; the suddenness of her first battle, galloping closer and closer alongside the fast-approaching dusk -- that it was a wonder Kamui managed to keep herself from screaming.

The knight remembered her training days, the ideals she planted still budding inside of her. 'I want to win this war peacefully', she heard her voice echo, ‘I’ll use of my family’s influence to command my own troops on the path of peace’. I don't want to needlessly kill people. Were the most frequent thoughts in her mind during her training.

Yet there she was, clinging unto her Lord, riding forward to an inevitable and desperate battle.

Although the contents of the baby griffon's letter were unknown to anyone but Xander, there was no actual need to see which words were written: the very use of a grifflet already evidenced a need of haste, for these specimen were trained to obey only those bearing royal -- dragon -- blood.

The environment was a harsh one for griffon's offsprings; the race was dying out simply because its grifflets couldn't survive on their own after hatching. Which was reason why the nohrian royal family decided to raise the abandoned baby griffons by training them to become delivery birds until they were larger than hawks. After that, they would receive riding training and serve as honorary mounts for the royal family until it was time to release them back into the wild so they could procreate. Their eggs would then be sought by the Egg Collectors (a very high-risk profession only the most brave alpinists dared to specialize in) and brought back to Krakenburg for yet another grifflet training.

Since they were prideful beasts of legend, they had to be kept away from the wyverns, although the two species still shared underground caves for training. Insoever, they refused to be handled by anyone short of the best, and would only ever truly obey someone who had the ancient mark of the Dusk Dragon in their blood.

Thus, the members of the Royal Family always took a baby griffon with them whenever they were sent in a mission -- so that, if any unexpected event were to transpire, the griffons could be immediately seen as a plea for aid from a prince or princess.

Still, they all rode desperately in Lady Camilla's call of distress, a mere mounted company never enough to catch up to her Wyvern Company in terms of speed. The First Princess had been away for over three days now, for as long as Kamui had been in the castle, and most likely had arrived at the Stockcarres Abyss with the first light of the day. If her distress call arrived after this many days of battle, the probabilities of Princess Camilla being injured were high.

Of course, there were also many other possibilities, to name a few: a hoshidan detachment might have reached her location, or their hold in the position could also be too strong for her flying units to overcome on their own, since Hoshido was well-known for its winged archers. Taking these and many others into account, all of them had to be ready for every single outcome, act accordingly and, most importantly, prioritize the First Princess' life.

Kamui's heart thundered by her ears, being deafened only by the loud galloping all around her. She clutched into her Lord's armor, scowling deeply; etching the mission into her heart.

No matter how many factors were being added up against her, she would do what she had vowed to do: To protect her Lord, abide to his orders and fight in his name until the battle was won or her blood was spent.

Going back to her vows brought the royal retainer much-needed solace, all things around her considered. She took a deep breath for the first time in hours, the darkest of nights engulfing them with each stride.

They would be riding in utter and complete darkness were it not for the traditional fire wisps that each soldier held a special scroll to: A magical fire (The Second Prince's own work) would follow whoever held the scroll for as long as it was needed. Of course, to walk around with literal beams of light over their heads would compromise every and any operation, regardless if it needed stealth or not, so the scroll could be controlled by special words any person -- bearing magical ability or no -- could utter so as to activate or deactivate them.

Ever since dusk fell and for as long as they had been riding through the night, only the soldiers at the corners of the formations -- divided by squads -- held the magical fire. It would be an eerie sight should Kamui have been paying attention, truly. The afterimage the magical fire left in its wake poorly illuminated the back columns, making their Company not only seem larger, but also lifeless and deadly.

Due to Nohr's weather conditions, even after dawn broke the skies would still take a long time to brighten -- and this 'ghost army' would be able to wash over the hoshidan forces with ease, being used to see in the dark as every nohrian was.

They had been heading upward for some time, the fast approaching Stockcarres Abyss finally within their reaches. Xander took one hand off of the reins and unsheathed his Divine Blade, Siegfried, pointing it upwards. An eerie purple glow followed the sword's movements, as though it was cutting through the very air.

Kamui's eyes followed the movement in slow-motion, her body almost being drawn to the blade, as though part of it called to her.

T-thump.

It's here, the knight managed to think as her blood started to boil inside her veins. Her eyes glowed in a deep and bright red, her head following Siegfried's movements as her body started to feel light.

There was a moment of utter silence, between every single horse's gallops, into which the world breathed before Xander's voice cut through it all as though it were a sudden thunder in a cloudless night.

"For the glory of Nohr!!"

The men roared in response, the sound of their blades leaving their sheats was almost as deafening as their drums of war.

And yet, amidst all of that noise, Kamui could hear it before anyone did -- the sounds of battle.

Her body perked up immediately, light because of the rousing beast inside, not realizing she stood on her two feet by Bucephalus' back, holding onto Xander's shoulder for support. "My Lord! The battle's upon us!" She narrowed her eyes so as to focus, her heightened senses showing her a large volley of arrows being shot from the ground towards a flying company to the east.

Xander's brow flickered, the Prince adjusting the hand which held the reins so as to wear his battle stance. "What do you see, Kamui?!" His voice was thunder, and Kamui was the bare ground that received it.

Her body shook with his determination, her heart thumping in his rhythm. "Wyverns are being cornered more to the east, after this very patch of woods beside us!" She moved her chin towards it, as though Xander could see her. Richard and everyone else could, however, and stared at the interchange with differing levels of amusement and amazement. "We're going straight into their ground forces!"

"Good. On me!"

Kamui grasped onto his armored shoulder, looking at the precarious situation over the eastern skies. She couldn't make up much since they were still very far away, but from the little she could see, there were at least thrice as many kinshis as there were wyverns, and they were indeed shooting  from a distance.

"Permission to detach, milord!" Kamui breathed out, switching the weight of her body to one leg, ready to propel herself out of the horse. "I shall take the bowmen squad with me through the woods and join back with the main force right at the abyss' mouth!"

Xander glanced at the woods on their right, then back at the approaching battlefield ahead. "Permission granted! Spare no man!"

The retainer unconsciously smirked, and would have licked her lips weren't she standing over a horse's back. She brought one hand to her lips, whistling in such a high frequency all horses turned their ears to her. "Bowmen squad, on me! We go through the woods! The rest of you -- protect our Lord!!"

The adrenaline of the situation left no room for doubt. The archers immediately positioned themselves to the right, ready to enter the woods at the next trail. "Ser, yes Ser!"

"Follow me closely!" If you can, that is! Her beast thought as she put one foot over Xander's shoulder, using it as support for her to jump to their right, towards the woods.

Richard opened his mouth in disgust, lifting his lips in disapproval. "She just- she stepped on you- Lord Xander..."

The Crown Prince smirked widely, his horse now much faster than before. He tilted himself forward, ready to ride the momentum to take out as many enemies as he could. "Focus on the battle ahead, Richard!"

Groaning, the royal retainer took out the long lance from his back. "Always, my Lord."

Kamui dove deep into the woods the moment she landed on its soft ground, her body pulsating with power. The trail inside was narrow and full of overgrown roots as well as low branches. "Eyes open for the terrain! Try not to use the wisp fire if you can!" She jumped from branch to branch, her body morphing into something else as she did.

The usual horns grew on her head, the scales covered the entirety of her forearms, bringing long and thick claws with them. A tail slithered behind her, giving her much more balance than she had ever had before -- she felt like she would be able to fly if she stretched herself out a little bit more... just a bit more.

The sound of the fighting above called for her -- her body craved for it, the axe over her hip almost begging to be drawn, which she complied to. The moment the weapon was on her hand, the world seemed to slow down all around her.

She looked right and left, seeing how each leaf passed by her at the slowest of speeds, as though only she were the one able to move in a motionless world. She could feel the abyss' mouth gnawing right ahead, its pressure almost sucking her in before she even left the forest.

"The moment we're out of the woods, there's only a narrow space before the mouth! Cock your arrows and be ready to shoot upwards the moment we're out! And don't go on falling on me!" She sneered, hearing a few snorts in response before their acknowledgement.

"Ser!"

She ran ahead of her subordinates, only their galloping right behind reminding her of them. "And don't miss, men! We have a few wyverns right above our heads!"

"Who do you think we are? We ain't missin'!" One of the men replied, instigating a roar from the others.

"Hah! Tha's what I like to hear! Let's go, men!" She leaped.

From the sky, the First Princess Camilla had difficulties controlling her wyvern. "Marishka! What has gotten into you, girl? Do as I say!" She whipped the reins, though it seemed useless -- the winged dragon had been restless for the past minute or so. It pulled its neck to the woods below them, as though something either called for her or scared her to death. "You need to focus on these archers right in front of us, darling! Otherwise we'll be seeing the last of this damned fight!" The Princess vociferated, pulling the reins upwards with a strength that shouldn't belong to someone as fair as she were.

The kinshi knight a dozen of meters ahead of Camilla shot arrow after arrow, taking the princess' wyvern's odd behavior to his favor.

One of them grazed through Camilla's face, right beside the bangs over her right eye.

The wyvern flinched amidst its struggle for the aura of rage inside the princess mounting it momentarily brought it back to its senses.

"My dear, was it not taught in your hoshidan schools that it's rude to wound a lady's face?" She said coldly, raising her giant axe overhead. She would throw it like a pebble if she had to; taking into account how surrounded by enemies she was, throwing things around was basically her only choice.

"Lady Camilla!" A female voice shouted from below, making the princess but blink and tilt her head to it.

"Reinforcements! Xander made it-"

Camilla lost her words as a young woman simply leaped from the woods below towards her, landing gracefully over Marishka, beside herself. The wyvern finally stopped squirming and focused on the enemy ahead, not minding how someone other than Camilla was mounting it.

Well, mounting certainly wasn't the word -- Kamui held the princess' shoulder with one hand, twirling a strange axe with the other, as she stood on Marishka's back, almost by its wings.

"Oh, my!" Camilla allowed herself to muse for a moment before burning a whole on the enemy with her gaze. "There are more under the abyss! Watch out for their archers!"

"Men! You heard the princess! Shoot!!" Kamui yelled to the air, and for a hot moment nothing happened.

Countless arrows blocked the sky right after -- more arrows than anyone could think possible to be shot at the same time. They washed over many of the hoshidan flying forces as the bowmen quickly turned their horses so as not to fall down the abyss' mouth, immediately drawing their bows towards it once again.

"Throw your wisp fire scrolls into it! SMOKE THEM OUT!" The knight roared, leaping from Marishka towards the kinshi knight ahead.

A flash of fire blinded the hoshidans in hiding, allowing the archer squad to make it rain arrows over them. With the new light, Kamui could catch a glimpse of the horrified man's expression a heartbeat before she hammered her axe over his head, turning it into mush. The bird under her panicked as she hit its wings with the momentum, falling down towards the battlefield. "Stay by the Princess! Cover her at all costs!" She yelled before jumping out of the sinking kinshi, right into the hoshidan formation’s heart.

There were swordsmen and lance masters, but most of them were archers. She swung her axe with gusto, widening her eyes as their blood splurged on her face. That was it! The destruction she wanted! More!

She leaped overhead, dodging spears and arrows alike, quickly swinging around the axe over her wrist, twirling around herself to hit three men at once. More!

She was surrounded. But her blood boiled for the action; the hoshidans all around her clearly fearful for their life, and not because she was a great fighter, no. Most of her limbs were overrun by scales; her head sported a pair of long, white horns and a silver scaled tail whipped itself against those who delved too close.

"M-Monster!" They yelped as they rose their weapons.

More more more more more more more more! She widened her smirk, showcasing her fangs as her eyes glowed.

The soldiers had abstained from shooting her in fear of hitting their comrades -- she was quite literally in the middle of them, after all -- but the monstrous display in front of them made the archers instinctively reach for their bows, their kodachis forgotten by their hips.

Kamui could hear the blood rushing through her veins, her heartbeat all but deafening her to the outside world. She broke through one, two, ten bows and just as many swords, her axe delivering her Lord Xander's judgement to them.

'Spare no lives!' were her Lord's orders.

And she would obey.

More more more more more!

"助けて！" The voice of a desperate man she crippled rang as a clear bell inside her mind.

A familiar yet forgotten language. ‘Help me��, it screamed.

The world came crashing down over the knight in an instant -- the sound of swords piercing bodies, of blood flowing, of pleas for help, of arrows hitting their marks; the strong smell of innards of a body being cleft in two, the putrid stench of death and blood itching her nose with such intensity Kamui immediately bent forward, her eyes going back to their usual color.

Chaos was unraveling itself all around Kamui -- with her as its center.

Her eyes wide and body frozen, she lifted her horrified gaze to the dying man before her. She had broken his legs, and not in a pretty way, either; they were hit with such strength only the tendons held the femur to the shin, a pool of blood gushing out from the wound.

The man pleaded for his life with a hoshidan accent, the words scratching at Kamui's brain in an almost remembrance. Could she had known him? From back when she lived in Hoshido?

The knight's body deflated, her shoulders sagging as her vision started to spin. Could she have met one of these soldiers she so easily killed, back in her forgotten past? Could they have been acquaintances of her family’s? Perhaps longtime friends?

Was she butchering her own people?

The air was scarce; her body swayed back and forth. Weren't her axe draped unto her wrist, it would have fallen on the wet ground.

"Wet?" The knight heard her voice speak, her eyes trailing downwards. They immediately widened.

The ground, once brown, was dyed in a dark red -- the liquid flowing from the fallen soldiers watering it into a picture of war. All around her were broken bones, broken bodies and overflowing individual springs of blood.

She had done it.

She dyed the ground red.

The man pleading for his life in front of her got silent, death claiming him slowly as it saped him of his vital fluids. Kamui didn't notice how her mouth was open, midway to a phrase; though what she was going to say eluded even Kamui herself. She reached out to him with her free hand, and the sight of her scaled limb paralyzed her with dread.

Would she be consumed by her beast like that every single time they rode to battle? Would she come to actively enjoy killing people as the beast took over her body?

... Would she always take joy in butchering her brethren?

"What are you doing, spacing out like that, girl?!" A familiar voice rang into her ears, pulling the strings controlling her body into turning her head towards it.

The sight of yet another dead body falling right in front of her dug deeply into her heart. A hoshidan had managed to put himself on his feet and was about to attack Kamui from behind, but was struck down by Richard's long-reaching lance.

"Well?! Look alive! We might have the upper hand, but that doesn't mean we get to laze around!" He adjusted the horse under him, "if you're not fit to fight, don't come to the battlefield with a weak resolve." He narrowed his eyes to her changed form, then reared his horse towards the ending battle. To his Lord's side.

Kamui stared into the space, her mouth so dry it almost cracked; her eyes burning with unshed tears. She took a deep breath, immediately regretting inhaling the putrid smell of fresh corpses. "I have... to get used to this..." She gritted her teeth, fighting the visceral need of simply hugging her knees and going back to her Master's manor to train.

‘That was a great speech n’ all, but yer gonna end up killin’ more people than you’d like, ya know.’ Sir Gallahard’s words rang inside Kamui, making her hands twitch in an almost movement.

Once again she breathed in, forcing herself to get used to the smell, feeling the bloody grime seep into her boots. "Master..." She whispered, tasting the death under her tongue.

No, not her Master. The one she had to focus her efforts into wasn't Gallard, but Xander. She raised her head to finally take a look at the battlefield -- it was overrun by corpses; hoshidan corpses. The moment Xander's reinforcements came in, the battle took a sudden turn in Nohr's favor, decimating their enemies.

She found her Lord standing tall over his horse and clenched her fists.

I have to get used to this, I have to get used to this, I have to get used to this, she thought over and over, finally managing to move her body after what felt like an eternity.

Her steps were still as light as before, and she needed but sprint for a second or two to reach Xander's side.

"My Lord!" She said, surprised her voice came out at all. "Lady Camilla is safe and the enemies down the abyss were dealt with." Her voice reported before her own mind could catch up.

Subordination was indeed rooted deeply into her heart -- she made herself available for orders even before she could process everything that was going on.

"Very well, thank you for the report, Kamui. Although the shift of battle was obvious, it is good to know that my sister is safe." Xander swayed his blade backwards -- to splatter the blood off of it -- before sheathing it back, looking down at Kamui with curiosity. "So these are the changes you mentioned earlier." He said firmly, his eyes running through Kamui's body, latching onto her restless tail.

Suddenly did Kamui remember that she still hadn't shifted back and was hit by a wave of shame. Her slitted eyes rounded up and her cheeks reddened; however, with the poor lighting, none of these were noticeable. "Um, yes, my Lord."

"Very interesting." He placed one hand over his chin for a moment or two, but immediately held Bucephalus' reins again. "I shall take a better look later, if you'd allow, Dame Kamui. For now, let us secure the battlefield and regroup with Camilla."

Kamui lowered her head and closed her eyes, shutting down her uneasiness deeply into her chest. "Yes, my Lord."

There wasn't much of a battle left, now. The knight simply followed her Lord by foot through the edges of the cliff towards the place First Princess Camilla had landed.

She was nowhere to be found, however.

Xander didn't falter, simply nodding to the gapping abyss in front of them. He took a deep breath, instigating Kamui to close her eyes so her Lord's words would reverberate through her bones. "Tonight, Nohr defended its glory!" He shouted, lifting his right arm.

The wind carried his thunderous voice, which echoed around the high peak a few moments before all soldiers roared in response. Left and right did men leave the woods, following Xander back to the center of the battlefield. Squad leaders bowed to him with their casualty reports, the eery cheer making Kamui's stomach turn.

They were soaking their boots in the very blood they drew, yet everyone was smiling; celebrating the victory.

"My Lord, we could not find Lady Camilla-" a fearful messenger dared speak, cowering.

Xander's frown lessened -- one could actually think he smiled -- as he looked up to the sky. "Worry not, she will join us soon-"

"Why, it's bad manners to talk behind a lady's back, Brother!" The First Princess' voice sounded from behind them -- under the cliff. Not a heartbeat later, her wyvern beat its large wings and flew over their heads, lifting hair and capes alike.

Xander patted his horse on the neck, dismounting it at the same time Camilla landed a ways from them. "My sister. How it pleases me to see that you are safe and sound."

"Oh, Xander. I do thank you for your prompt response -- and for the aid, of course!" She opened her arms to hug her brother, who already expected such act and reciprocated swiftly.

A movement by the corner of Kamui's eyes made her reflexively raise her hand, catching a piece of cloth -- a handkerchief. She looked to her right, lifting up her gaze to look at the still-mounted Richard.

"How unsightly. At least clean yourself in the presence of your Lord and his Lady Sister." He pulled the reins, guiding his horse away.

Her eyes expressionless, Kamui tilted her head to the side in confusion before tentatively wiping her face with the soft cloth.

Once she looked back at it, its color had changed from white to red.

Her stomach fell once more, the entirety of her body feeling colder and colder by the second. Kamui dared look down at herself -- however, thankfully or regretfully, due to the poor lighting she couldn't discern if the large stains over her blue and white uniform were mud or... something else.

Another presence made Kamui shoot her head up, though a second too late. An affectionate arm coddled her into half of a hug. "And this little darling! Her dashing entrance left me speechless to this moment, Xander! Will you not reconsider taking her under you and give her to me instead? Little Beruka would welcome a partner as cute as she."

"I am capable of performing my duty by myself, Lady Camilla." A cold, almost childish voice sounded by Kamui's left, making her turn her gaze to it: a young woman -- nay, a young girl? Almost half as tall as Kamui, most likely aging less than fifteen walked at precise steps towards them.

She carried something round on her hand, the wyvern rider armor she wore looking too foreign in such a small girl. Her short blue hair rounded her face into a childish attempt of appearing older than she probably was. The expression, or lack thereof, on her face was not of a child's, though.

As this ‘Beruka’ approached, Kamui's eyes trailed to the thing she carried, her heart already giving up on feeling; locking itself inside her chest instead.

"I brought the enemy commander's head, as requested, Lady Camilla." Beruka lifted the severed head she held by the scalp, its eyes and tongue limping lifelessly with the sudden movement.

Camilla dismissed the gesture with a wave of her hand, a somewhat dark giggle shaking her body. "How wonderful, little Beruka. Thank you so very much, dear. Do put it away neatly inside a bag, hm?"

"Very well." Beruka closed her eyes in compliance, turned on her heel and left.

Kamui stood still by Camilla's chest, her entire body as well as mind and heart feeling numb.

"Well, Xander? Please do give her to me! And her little horns are so terribly adorable!" Camilla patted the royal retainer's head, carefully observing the protruding horns, naturally changing the subject as though a severed head was nothing out of the ordinary.

Xander internally winced at his sister's lack of decorum regarding another person's life, though masked it with a mirthless snort. He knew it most likely had been King Garon's orders to bring the enemy commander's head, but he would rather do it himself instead of letting his precious family dirty their hands like that. Nevertheless, he walked towards Camilla, touching her shoulder so she would let go of his retainer. "I am afraid I must refuse, dear Sister. Dame Kamui has been a tremendous asset during the battle, and I would very much like to keep her by my side."

The knight managed to take a step back, unsure of what expression she wore. "Forgive me, Lady Camilla; I have already vowed to serve my Lord Xander only." She gave a formal bow, not realizing how her diphormism started to fade away as dawn approached.

Camilla laughed heartily. "Oh my, and so serious, too! I do so want her to myself, after all!" She nudged her brother's shoulder, her smile widening. "However, I shall settle with a promise, hm?"

Kamui lifted her confused gaze to the princess, exchanging glances with Xander. He nodded, his expression softening. As the knight opened her mouth to reply, Camilla went on.

"You must come to my next tea party! I will not take a no for an answer, you hear?" She booped Kamui's nose. "Besides, little Beruka will attend, as well; if that makes you feel more relaxed!"

"I... shall respectfully," Kamui once again glanced at her Lord for confirmation, though he simply sustained her gaze, the remaining words leaving her lips without her meaning to, "accept. I accept, Lady Camilla."

"Wonderful!" The princess once again hugged the retainer, but this time was quick about it. "Now, let us move for a more comfortable location, yes? All this blood-letting is terribly tiring, after three days or so." She turned to her brother.

"Indeed." Xander crossed both hands behind his back, tilting his head to the road they had come from hours earlier. "The convoy must be catching up soon -- let us take a well-deserved rest and depart once the sun settles."

[iasfuturekings]

Queen Ikona Yamato (née Amachi): Self-Defined Worth

“There lives a great threat just beyond those mountains,” her father told Ikona and her brother as they flew over their lush green rice fields, “If they do come, they’ll strike us first, so we must prepare for that moment.”

To live in the Amachi domain was to understand danger, a lesson the two children knew all too well when their father lost his life to a mercenary’s axe. The threat of the men from the west lands was truly real, she realized. And so, Ikona resolved herself to train hard and long for the next time such a catastrophe could happen. While she was busy learning to be a suitable bride for the high prince to whom she was engaged to, she spent the late hours of the night practicing swings with a wooden naginata.

“This won’t do,” her mother disapproved when she said she wanted to join the Sky Knight Corps with her brother. “You are an Amachi, and a prince’s bride. Know your duty.”

“Then I will learn the blade and the brush,” Ikona declared. “An Amachi strives for excellence.”

While her mother doubted her capabilities, her brother Hisashi swelled with pride and gifted her one of his prized naginata.

"Ignore those words, sister,” he said. “You can be strong in whichever way she chooses. If he rejects a woman as diligent as you, then Father would have chosen wrongly.”

The two climbed the ranks of the Sky Knight Corps together, and Ikona returned home regularly to complete her other duties. She gained much support from her fellow Sky Knights and was known for her flawless execution, perhaps even surpassing her brother Hisashi. Ikona was a high ranked officer by the time she formally met her future husband. Her mother’s words still echoed in her mind as she walked across the throne room to meet Sumeragi’s eye. She endured the prince’s long gaze and caught the twitch in the corner of his mouth at the sight of her weathered hands. She expected this, and fought to keep her composure.

"I chose to be strong in this way,” she answered his unspoken question, fully expecting a harsh rebuttal, but none came.

While many others in the court called for the high prince to annul their engagement, Prince Sumeragi refused, and welcomed her to Shirasagi Castle. When he let her stay with him, many called for her resignation from the Sky Knight Corps, and once again he refused to placate their demands. In the capital of Shirasagi, they lived side by side in a space where they could understand and come to tolerate each other. Sumeragi in her eyes had transformed from a boy who she only knew by name and station into a man she could trust and confide in. The two were finally wed on a cool summer’s day, and their first two children, Ryoma and Hinoka, were born not long after.

But an unexpected stranger was brought to the royal court. In search of a way to cure his aging father’s illness, Sumeragi returned with Eirene, a water maiden from legends old, beauty and grace unrivaled. The nobles may not have liked her nebulous origins, but they praised her enthralling songs, a far better fit for a Hoshidan king than a lady who understood nothing but war. But Eirene refused to give in to the possibility of rivalry and only sought to befriend the embattled queen.

“It is a waste to overlook the virtues of one so talented,” she said to Ikona. “How do they not see that your love for country and family is equal to mine?”

Moved by Eirene’s words, Ikona found a true companion, finally understanding why Sumeragi loved her so. Ikona and Sumeragi gave Eirene her official Hoshidan name, Mikoto, and the three of them defied the influence of the royal court and were inseparable. While nobles grumbled at their lack of propriety, much of the Hoshidan common people celebrated the courage of Queen Ikona and the wisdom of Lady Mikoto. Scholars foresaw good fortune and more prosperity following the birth of three more royal children suitable to take the Hoshidan throne. But the optimism would soon come to an end.

An uncovered smuggling business along the border was reviving tensions between the east and west lands. Hisashi Amachi, head of the Sky Knight Corps, was then prompted to request assistance from the royal guard to help enforce the additional trade restrictions imposed on his domain, and Ikona answered her brother’s plea. While investigating the local watch towers, Ikona uncovered irrefutable evidence that the smuggling ring was sponsored by none other than the Nohrian House Buelen, spearheaded by the royal consort Irma of Buelen. Before she could fly to warn her brother herself, an unsuspecting arrow struck her, sending her plummeting to the forest below.

The death of a Hoshidan queen shook the entire nation to its core. Her grieving brother, Hisashi, declared war on the bordering towns and cities on the west lands, and moved to rampage across the fields of Esterlyn and Morbank. The other noble clans and the royal family followed suit in the name of the queen. An age of strife and war began in earnest, all because of a single arrow.

And so my design lesson of the day is, if all else fails, add braids.

It seems to be a running theme in the Amachis that women get told no and they basically do the thing anyways

More supportive big brother Hisashi please

Hoshidan perception of women in military roles is somewhat antiquated and rooted in a class system

Nobility and common people live very different lives, in which the nobility are very much held to a high standard of appearances, even more so than in Nohr

Noblewomen aren’t expected to participate in the military, since gaining battle scars and rough hands from handling weapons are not very aesthetically pleasing traits, unlike in Nohr where signs of battle are to be admired and respected nationwide

A family that didn’t require their women to fight was considered a family of good status and great wealth and fortune

Which says a lot about how they feel about Nohrian nobility

Hoshido hasn’t had any major internal fighting, big wars, or even resource shortages for quite a long time, so it’s become fashionable to achieve a porcelain, flawless appearance

In other words, Hoshidan women are not supposed to enjoy fighting or war and should devote themselves to making peace and maintaining that peace

So negotiations, administration, entertainment, and running businesses? Sure that’s fine.

But taking up arms and going onto battle? Oh no, that’s improper! Who raised you?

Those who do participate in the military are usually assumed to have no plans of taking a husband or have failed in doing so

Noblewomen who become retainers often carry the implication that they are serving out of unrequited love for the person they serve (there’s some old story or poem about a noblewoman who did that)

Because they’ve “given up” on marriage but still want to do the admirable act of staying by their beloved’s side

Poetic, but very presumptuous.

Ninja clans and commoners (like Oboro and Kagero) do not have to meet up to such standards (since they aren’t expected to marry into nobility or involve themselves with the royal court)

Many of the female playable characters from noble classes face similar circumstances for deciding to take up arms

Hana and Setsuna have very lax families who don’t think any less of them for wanting to fight on the front lines, but they did get a lot of flak when they were training and when they were chosen

Hinoka probably has it rough because she’s emulating her mother, who was not looked highly upon for wanting to stay a permanent member of the Sky Knight Corps

For a worst case scenario, Reina had to relinquish up her right to inherit her claim as family heir, and is shunned by her sister and parents for reveling in bloodlust

Now that a real war is happening, these social rules are becoming less enforced

Considering that Ryoma can marry Rinkah, and Takumi can marry Oboro or Mozu, the social perception of women warriors with more social options can gain even more traction

Also add in Arisa (Corrin) walking around with no shoes and bringing home some Nohrian values, too

Ikona’s design is strongly based off of Tomoe Gozen, a 12th century female samurai

The most obvious detail is the hairstyle and the tiara

Since I once again make a point to draw characters with in-game weapons, she’s holding a Venge Naginata

Of course, Hinoka would model her armor after her mom

I don’t think she’d inherit Ikona’s armor (cape maybe), since it was probably damaged from the arrow wound

Ikona was a very statuesque person

I’m debating if she is taller than Sumeragi, but she most certainly towers over Mikoto

I mean, her brother is pretty tall, too

Unfortunately, Ryoma is the only one who manages to inherit her gift of height (his big lion’s mane of hair only adds to it)

Basically the Amachi are like tall flying elf folks with short tempers

Sumeragi was often up to a lot of mischief in his younger days, much to Ikona’s chagrin

He often thought she was too serious all the time and tried too hard

To be fair, she had many expectations to live up to, most of which he thinks are bullshit, so he gets upset when she overworks herself

Despite this, he stays by her side when she has her moments of extreme anxiety and does his best to help her get through the day

He admires her wishes to excel in whatever she wants, but he wants her to remember the big picture of things

They did later set aside their differences soon enough to accept their marriage and love each other

Meanwhile, Ikona can’t stand how he can be so nonchalant about things, like not giving as big of a fuck about what nobles think about them and just going after hours with Fuga

She preferred hanging out with Souji Inazuma, Sumeragi’s retainer, best friend and an equal voice of reason to the high prince

With close friends, she can be whatever she wants, but she worries about making mistakes in public and giving the other nobles reasons to doubt her capabilities or put pressure on her husband

She’s quick to point out anything Sumeragi didn’t do well, and her criticism can lead to some major disagreements, specifically about behavior before nobles and members of the court

Before the common people, or fellow Sky Knights, she is much less critical and vigilant about how she acts and appears

She was explicit about Hinoka and Sakura not repeating after her so they wouldn’t face the same ill treatment from nobility (but they went ahead and did it anyways)

Because her brother Hisashi is a redhead too (since red hair is an Amachi trademark), so I gave her a gradient to differentiate her a bit

The ends of her hair are grayish, in my weak attempt to justify why Takumi’s hair is remotely red (it’s like a really ashen pink with super low saturation, I say as I try to delude myself)

One time, I had an idea to make Takumi not Ikona’s son and Mikoto’s instead, mostly because of the hair color

It would be a silly plot twist for Takumi to be like “wait what my mom was Mikoto not Ikona??” and everyone would be like “like bruh, you have silver hair just like Corrin how did you not see that obvious Fire Emblem plot device?”

But then I decided not to and went ahead and made Anri look more like Mikoto

I can imagine the dirty jokes among Sumeragi, Mikoto, and Ikona over how Ikona seems more likely to get pregnant than Mikoto

Ikona made them swear not to let those jokes ever leave the room, but somehow her best friend Yumiko ends up knowing

Mikoto sometimes brings those old jokes up to her close friends

Orochi knows all about those jokes

Ryoma and Hinoka have had the misfortune of hearing those jokes from Orochi and Yumiko

Hisashi gets very upset on his sister’s behalf when Yumiko and Orochi mention those details

Ikona and her brother Hisashi were very close siblings, if the Amachi biography is of any indication

Their fondest memories are flying on their training pegasus in the evening, which is Hisashi’s favorite time of the day

She was really involved with the Sky Knight Corps even after her marriage to Sumeragi

I mean, she can’t turn down a chance to visit her brother

Ikona was good friends with Yumiko, her retainer and now Hisashi’s wife, and Reina

She was the one who recommended Reina as Mikoto’s retainer

Surprisingly, Ikona is the one with the major sweet tooth, not Sumeragi or Mikoto

It’s not easy for Ikona to admit that she loves someone, but boy is it worth it when she says it. Mikoto and Sumeragi can attest to that.

Ikona wasn’t impressed with Mikoto at first, since Mikoto had her silly moments that did not make good first impressions

She really came around after watching Mikoto play the koto (which she didn’t have much trouble given her work as a Vallite priestess)

Ikona not mastering the koto is often a sore spot for her and Sumeragi, since other nobles really dislike that she wasn’t that good at it

Mikoto offered Ikona lessons, and eventually she could play simple pieces every now and then, but Ikona preferred watching Mikoto play instead

In private, Ikona and Sumeragi call Mikoto by her Vallite name, Eirene

Music Accompaniment: Tribe of Heavenly Kami (Okami)