Chapter Text
It's just Leo's luck that his army has stumbled into the lair of the kitsune.
The Hoshidan forest had become a waking nightmare. It was as if the land itself were rising against the Nohrian army, attempting to drive them back out of this land of color and sunlight. There, for a moment, a flash of pale orange fur—but by the time Leo turns, there is nothing there. All around him he hears screams as men and women suddenly find themselves pounced upon, torn apart by kitsune jaws and claws or dragged off into the trees. A flash of rich auburn, a scream—and then nothing but a corpse.
We outnumber them, Leo thinks, though he can't be sure, but we don’t know the land. And we can’t pin them down long enough to kill them. If this keeps up—
Leo’s horse whinnies in fear and dances a few steps to the side, ears pressed back and eyes wide. Something has spooked her, but Leo can't see it.
The rest of the army can't be far behind. We just have to hold on until reinforcements catch up. Simple enough.
Then all hell breaks loose.
The bushes around them explode into action. Screams erupt from Leo’s men as kitsune fall upon them, fangs digging into throats, claws raking across exposed flesh.
A frightened cry hooks into his chest and wrenches. “Leo! Help!”
Around him, horses scream and bolt, heedless of their riders. Leo feels his own toss underneath him and loses precious moments bringing her back under control.
There, not far away, is Arthur, trapped beneath someone’s horse; there is Effie wrestling with a kitsune in human form; there is Benny muscling his way through four or five of the beasts—and there is Elise, ripped from her horse and being dragged by a dappled kitsune off into the woods.
“Hold on, Elise!” Leo digs his heels into his horse’s sides, spurring her onwards. She leaps over some invisible obstacle; moments later Leo hears a spluttering sound as a kitsune tears the throat from the man behind him. How are these creatures everywhere at once?
“Leo! Ow! Stop it!” Elise fumbles for her hair, eyes watering as the kitsune tugs sharply. Leo reaches for Brynhildr and prepares to warp the surrounding foliage to his will.
Blood suddenly drenches the ground underfoot. Leo’s horse collapses beneath him, letting out a haunting scream that morphs into a gurgle. Leo is thrown forward, tumbling over rocks and through bushes, until he smacks up against a tree shoulder-first. Pain chases the air from his lungs.
A patch of light-dappled leaves peels away from the surrounding forest. Another kitsune, its maw stained deep red. Blood drips from its sharp teeth as it stalks nearer, letting out an ear-splitting noise. It sounds, hauntingly, like the scream of a terrified woman. The cry is picked up throughout the forest, more kitsune joining in, declaring their territory. This is our land. You are not welcome here.
A voice floats to Leo on the breeze. "Don't you want to play with us more? We can play chase. Go on, kit, run!"
"I don't have time for games, beast," Leo spits. He makes a move for his tome. The kitsune snarls and pounces.
Thwip! A single arrow buries itself in the kitsune’s eye. It collapses, dead, at Leo’s feet. To his right he hears triumphant whooping.
The horse is pale white, stark against the red-gold-brown of the forest. Atop its back sits a beautiful young woman in Nohrian finery and a boy, perhaps twelve or thirteen, holding on with only his legs. He carries a bow—no, not a bow. A yumi.
What are a Nohrian noblewoman and a Hoshidan archer doing riding through these woods together at night?
The archer nocks another arrow, and Leo dives behind the trunk of the nearest tree. A shrill whimper marks the defeat of another kitsune; seconds later, she sprints past Leo's hiding place with an arrow deep in her side. He pokes his head out and sees Elise crawling out of the foliage, dusting herself off and wobbling a little. Blood seeps from deep scratches on her arm. Despite her recent abduction, she beams up at the strangers on horseback and waves. “Thanks, mister!”
Leo picks himself up and hurries towards his sister. Too late; the strangers have already dismounted before Elise. The woman holds a healing rod in one hand as she passes her other over Elise’s arm. The wounds seal up, leaving only torn fabric to mark where the kitsune’s claws pierced her tender skin.
“Big brother!” Elise crows when she notices him. “Look, I made new friends!”
Leo sizes them up. Upon closer inspection he thinks they might be related--cousins, perhaps? They possess the same round, youthful features; the same silver hair; the same sparkling brown eyes. There is a hint of an epicanthic fold to the woman’s lids. Half-Hoshidan, maybe, but it only recognizable if you looked for it. There's something about the pair that reminds him of someone he’s seen before, but like a dream upon waking it slips from his grasp the moment he tries to focus on it.
They're also visibly worn down. There are dark circles under their eyes; their hands and faces bear signs of scrapes, cuts, and bruising; their clothes have been patched and mended so many times that it's easy to miss how fine the fabric once was. They have a shifty, darting quality to their body language, like they expect to find themselves under attack at any moment.
“Who are you?” Leo demands. “What are you doing here?”
The young woman fidgets with her ringlets. When she spoke, she has a surprisingly deep voice for someone so petite. “I'm afraid it's difficult to explain. We—wait! Kiragi!”
The boy nimbly dodges her outstretched fingers and throws himself at Leo, who reaches for his sword, prepared to defend himself—but the boy has wrapped his arms around Leo and is squeezing him in the tightest, most aggressive hug Leo has ever received. “Father! We found you!”
“Wha—Father?” Elise splutters. “Leo! You didn’t tell me you had kids!”
“I don’t, obviously,” Leo says through gritted teeth. After a bit of wiggling, he shoves the boy away. “Are you face-blind or just stupid?”
The young woman places a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know it is hard to believe, but—”
“Hard to believe? I’m barely older than you! How could I possibly have children your age?!"
“It’s the truth, though!” the boy called Kiragi insists. “You're our dad! Well, not you you. A different you. Wow, you’re so young! How old are you, seventeen? Eighteen? We must have gotten here pretty early, huh, Forrest?”
“Indeed. Are Hoshido and Nohr still squabbling like children?” the woman asks.
“We are not squabbling,” Leo hisses, “we’re at war. And you are a bit too close to our army for my liking. What are you really here for?” He brushes his fingers over Brynhildr, summoning a seething mass of vines that slowly encroach on their little group. “I advise that you start talking.”
“We are talking!” the woman snaps. “You simply aren’t listening!”
"You dare speak to a prince of Nohr in this manner?" The vines surge over the strangers' feet and climb their legs. Leo holds the woman's gaze. "Know your place!"
"Oh, I most certainly do!" The woman slams her staff down, and power floods the air. Leo feels the tell-tale surge of a Dragon Vein and can only watch as the vines disintegrate into harmless heaps of autumnal leaves.
Royal blood flows in her veins, Leo realizes. But whose?
“If it will put you at ease,” the woman says, “you can take our weapons.” She holds out her staff and gestures for Kiragi to do the same with his bow. “Take us to the rest of your siblings and we will tell you everything we can. I know how this looks, believe me, but we wish you no harm. We come with a warning, and an offer of aid.”
Between the woman’s determination and Elise’s pleading expression, Leo finds himself relenting. “Fine. But make one wrong move and you’ll learn firsthand what it’s like to be a shrike’s prey.”
Kiragi grins. “Ooh, good one, Father! I’ll have to remember that!”
“And stop calling me Father!”
“You got it, Papa!”
Leo can feel the headache coming on. “This had better be good," he mutters.
//////
By the time they locate the others, the rest of the army has arrived and routed the kitsune. Someone, presumably Corrin, has located a Dragon Vein and used it to form a natural perimeter that parts for Leo and Elise as they approach. It seems they'd be spending the night in Hoshido rather than the Astral Realm, judging by the tents being erected and the firepits being dug.
The newcomers draw glances as Leo and Elise lead them through the camp. As far as the young woman is concerned, it's probably due to her beauty; Kiragi, however, is a different matter. Leo finds himself amazed at how oblivious the boy is to the muttered curses and hateful names people speak at his passing. If anything, the words seem to have more of an effect on the woman, who sticks close to her brother's side with her hand providing a counterbalance to the saddlebags thrown over his other shoulder.
Near the center of camp is one of several moss-coated homes, decorated with bits of shell and colorful fabrics and strings of fresh flowers. Its construction is peculiar even for Hoshido. Leo revises his assumption about the living habits of kitsune, faced as he is with physical evidence of a strikingly human instinct to build shelters. Whoever it once belonged to, the house is now draped in Nohrian banners, indicating to all the place where Xander has chosen to establish headquarters. Kaze nods to them as they pass, weathering Kiragi's intense scrutiny with his typical impassivity. Leo thinks he hears the boy whisper something about a missing scar.
When Leo reaches the makeshift war room he breathes a sigh of relief—Xander, Camilla, Corrin, even Azura are seated together at the table, with Jakob hovering around Corrin like a housefly around a fruit bowl and Laslow lounging against the wall behind Xander. The four older siblings are speaking in tense, hushed tones when Leo walks in, until Laslow raises a hand in greeting. "If it isn't Lord Leo and the lovely Lady Elise!"
Corrin drops the dragonstone she'd been rolling anxiously between her palms. She dashes across the room to sweep Elise into a hug, then surprises Leo by doing the same to him. "You're back! We were about to send out a search party!"
“Oh, my darling little siblings, I was so worried about you!” Leo barely sidesteps being pulled into a second hug from Camilla, but isn't quick enough to avoid having his cheeks cupped and his head turned side to side as his overbearing older sister inspects him for injuries. “You're not hurt, are you? Shall I do a little fox hunting before supper?"
“We’re fine, Camilla,” Leo huffs, finally succeeding in dislodging her hands.
“Leo,” says Xander. He stands straight and tall, the perfect ideal of a Nohrian prince, victor of the day's battle. Leo swallows down the shame and makes sure to fix his own mask of impassivity in place as he prepares for the lecture that is sure to come. Yes, I let things get out of control. Yes, I should have done better. No, it won't happen again.
But Xander's eyes are fixed on a point beyond Leo's shoulder. “Who are our guests? You've yet to introduce them.”
Ah. Right. The reason he'd come here. He still hasn't figured out what to say to Xander about the situation. Unfortunately, Elise beats him to it. “They say they’re Leo’s kids! Isn't that exciting?"
“Leo's...children?” Camilla’s eyes grow wide. “My baby brother has children?!"
“Oh, for—no! No, I do not!"
“Greetings,” says the young woman, stepping around Leo and curtseying. “My name is Forrest. This is my brother Kiragi.”
“That’s me!” The boy rushes forward, beaming at each person in turn as he dumps the saddlebags beside the table. “Gosh, it’s so good to see you all again. Look, Forrest, there’s not a single white hair on Uncle Xander’s head! And Auntie Camilla has both her eyes!”
"What is the meaning of this?" Xander demands.
Forrest moves past Camilla and takes a seat at the table without waiting for an invitation. “I’d be happy to tell you as much as I can about our circumstances. It’s going to sound like utter nonsense, but I implore you to hear us out. The fate of this world may depend on it.”
Corrin, predictably, is immediately convinced. “Of course we’ll listen. Jakob can get you something to drink. Are you hungry?”
Xander and Camilla exchange glances in some sort of silent communication. Eventually Xander nods and gestures to Jakob. “We'll have tea, and a few more stools, if you please.”
Once they're all settled, and the children have finished their meals—Forrest with small dainty bites, Kiragi in eager gulps—Xander crosses one leg over the other and regards the strangers. “Go on, then. Tell us what you know.”
Forrest takes a deep breath. “Best to begin at the beginning. My brother and I were born near the border of Hoshido and Nohr—”
“Yeah, in—”
“Kiragi!” Forrest nearly shouts. Her face is a study in panic.
Kiragi shrinks in his seat. “Oh, yeah, uh…in the middle.”
“There was a terrible war,” Forrest continues. “It stretched on for over a decade, across realms. We grew up surrounded by it; Kiragi was born mere yards from an active battlefield.”
“I’m going to have to stop you right there,” Leo interrupts. “I’ve studied history extensively, and I’ve never heard of such a war.”
“Of course not," says Kiragi. "It hasn't happened in this timeline."
Elise practically shouts. “Timeline??”
“Yes, in our timeline, the war between Nohr and Hoshido came to an end with the discovery of an invisible enemy. The two kingdoms united to fight this threat, and for a long time it appeared we would emerge victorious.” Forrest’s lower lip trembles. “But…but then…”
Kiragi rubs his sister’s back and rests his head on her arm. It seems to give her just enough strength to finish her thought. “I wish I could talk about it, but the most I can say is that we lost, and our parents used the last bit of power remaining to them to give us a shot at escaping.”
“We had help, for a while,” says Kiragi, more subdued than he’s been all night. Even though Leo has known him for less than an hour, it strikes him as deeply unnatural that this child should ever be so glum. “Odin showed us how to navigate across the timelines.”
“We got separated from him and our cousin Ophelia on the fourth try, and we haven’t run into them since,” says Forrest. “Every timeline we’ve come across was either already ruined in some way or fell apart at a crucial stage. We’ve watched you all die countless times…but there has to be a way. This is the earliest we’ve ever arrived. I can only hope it’s a sign of good things to come.”
The tent is quiet for a moment, each person considering the implications of this new information. Eventually, Xander breaks the silence with a sigh. “That…certainly is ominous.”
“It’s nonsense, is what it is,” says Leo. “I have to admit I’m disappointed. If Hoshido is going to send infiltrators into our camp, they should at least have found the courtesy to give us a challenge.”
“Excuse me, milord,” Laslow says. “If you don’t mind, I think I can lend some credence to their story.”
“Go on,” says Xander.
“Hopping timelines is not as far-fetched as it sounds, you see. We once faced a similar catastrophe in our world, and, likewise, escaped to an alternate timeline. I have, in fact, performed this feat many times myself—as have Odin and Selena. If our presence in this realm has become a constant, then it stands to follow that another version of Odin could have guided them through the process.” He inclines his head with a flourish of his hand. “It is your decision, milord, whether or not to trust them or accept their counsel, but if my opinion counts for anything, I would err on the side of belief.”
“I trust them,” Corrin says. Of course. “If there’s any chance for peace, we should take it.”
“If you require further proof, Father, I have this.” Forrest reaches into her saddlebag and withdraws an ornate tome. A very familiar ornate tome.
Xander sits forward. “That’s…!”
“Brynhildr,” Camilla says, her voice hardly louder than a breath.
On instinct Leo reaches for the tome at his hip, secure in its straps. He can sense the magic emanating from it, as natural and comfortable to him as the library in Castle Krakenburg, but the same aura comes from the copy on the table. “I don't believe it. It's really Brynhildr."
“This was the last gift you bestowed upon me,” says Forrest. “I have used it only sparingly, for fear that I am ill-suited to wield the power it grants, but it is within my capabilities. Does this suffice to prove the veracity of my claims?”
All the air evaporates out of the room, drawn into the black hole that is the second Brynhildr and everything it symbolizes.
“Splendid,” says Forrest, taking their silence for an answer. She sweeps the tome back into her bag.
Xander grimaces. “A two-front war is to be avoided at all costs. We must accelerate our efforts to reach Castle Shirasagi and put an end to this stage of the war. Once we do that, we can incorporate Hoshido’s strength into our own and face this invisible threat."
“Father will never allow such a thing,” Camilla sighs. “Not unless he can proclaim himself king of Hoshido. An alliance is out of the question.”
“Then we won’t tell him our plan,” says Corrin. “It would take too long to explain anyway.”
Xander turns to Forrest and asks, "What more can you tell us of our enemy, so that we might prepare to meet them on the field of battle?”
Forrest shakes her head. “Nothing. I wish I could say more, sincerely I do, but this is neither the time nor the place.”
For the first time, Azura speaks up. “Trust them, Xander. I know in my heart that they speak truth.” She meets Forrest’s eyes and smiles. "In time, all will be revealed."
Something passes unspoken between Azura and the children. Forrest’s shoulders relax, like a heavy load has been lifted from them.
Xander sighs and rubs his temples. “I dislike keeping secrets from Father, but given the consequences if we should fail, I see no harm in allowing them to stay with us.”
“Yay! Thanks, Uncle Xander!” Kiragi chimes.
Forrest clasps her hands to her chest. Tears stream down her cheeks. “You have no idea what this means to us!”
“Oh, you poor dears!” Camilla scoops both of them to her chest in a tight hug. “Don’t you worry your pretty little heads. Auntie Camilla is here to protect you.”
“I’m sorry, are we just accepting that they claim to be my children?” asks Leo. “For all we know they could have stolen Brynhildr off my corpse. Besides, they look nothing like me!”
“Whatever do you mean, Little Brother?” asks Camilla. “Forrest clearly inherited your sweet smile! Oh, you’re both so adorable! Your mother must have been gorgeous. Who was it, darling? We must make sure Leo meets her in this timeline!”
Kiragi laughs, a joyous sound that lights up the room. “We don’t have a mother!”
“Oh?” Camilla croons. “Does this mean our dear Leo has a pretty little husband waiting for him in Hoshido?”
“Yup!” Kiragi drops back onto his stool and kicks his legs. “Dad’s great! He’s soooo cool, and he taught me lots of cool things, and he always protects us no matter what! Someday I’m going to be as great an archer as he is.” He swivels to face Leo. “Man, it’s going to be so weird seeing him young! But good, too. Dad’s the best. You’re gonna love him!”
Leo thinks about it, really thinks about it, and feels a horrible blush overtake his cheeks. He turns so his collar will hide the worst of it. “We’ll see about that.”
He has children. He's going to have a husband. A husband who is Hoshidan. Gods, how is he supposed to react to that?