HI

I'm still sick AF and currently sneezing my soul out, but I'm progressively getting better and stILL CRYING OVER ROXAS' THEME OH GOD WHY--

Also, lil' bitty update. Since Christmas is just around the corner, this will be my last update until after the Holidays. This does include New Years Day, and I'll be taking this time off to spend valuable time with my family and work on ffffffffffFINALLY PLATINUMING KH2 HOLY SHI--

So, for those of you that celebrate, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Be sure to get some good, memorable time in with your friends and loved ones, they deserve it and so do you!

And for those of you that DON'T celebrate, WELL HAVE A FREAKIN' NICE TIME WHILE I'M GONE OKAY YOU STILL DESERVE IT

BUT! To make up for my absence during the Holidays, I have a little proposition for you all~ consider it a challenge if you want and/or choose to partake in it!

Stick around to the end of the chapter to find out more if you're curious!

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"Xander..." Camilla barely had any breath to mumble out that one word to her brother, her eyes wide as she stared up at the beast in front of her, the dragon that invoked such fear into her and made her own mount look like nothing more than an infant as it stared down at her.

"It just... did it just speak?!"

All Xander could do was stand there, practically motionless with his mouth agape as he stared at (Y/n), Siegfried being held so loosely in his hand that it was at risk of falling to the ground. Leo's heart was at risk of stopping as his gaze wildly flipped back and forth from his older siblings to (Y/n), who looked a tad bit irritated as she stared down at them.

Leo's gaze finally fell on (Y/n) permanently when he heard her let out a heavy sigh, her eyes closed in seeming exhaustion as she took a few steps forward, and once her piercing (e/c) orbs were revealed once more, their gaze fell onto Elise, who honestly looked relieved about this whole situation.

"He did not hurt you terribly, did he?"

Elise looked down at her arm at the question, placing her right hand on her shoulder as she stared down at the limb, almost as if it was completely foreign and new to her.

"Well, uhm... no? I mean, I'm not bleeding, but he did grab me kinda tightly... I think he left a bruise, for sure."

(Y/n) chuckled at that. "A Princess' fair skin should never be tarnished. Sit still for just a moment, would you?"

And with those words, (Y/n) leaned down and pressed the tip of her nose to Elise's bicep, the young girl gasping at the sudden feeling rushing through her body, a feeling that was definitely new to her, but certainly not uncomfortable or unwelcome. It brought great ease and peace to her mind, something that she hadn't felt the true form of for quite some time now.

"You...!" Remembering how to move again, Xander quickly stiffened up, grasping Siegfried tightly as he moved to charge forward once again...

... Yet he was stopped by a wall of purple magic barring his way, almost knocking him over in the process.

Turning to face the culprit, he was met with Leo, who wore a rather stern and unhappy glare as he held Brynhildr in his left hand, his free hand swirling with a deep purple hue as he prepared to stop his brother from advancing and doing something stupid again.

"Xander... stop it. (Y/n) isn't hurting Elise at all. Can't you see that, or does she truly frighten you that much?!"

"(Y/n)...?" Xander asked aloud, almost more to himself than anything. "You... don't tell me you know this creature's name?!"

It was Camilla who made the next move, slowly standing to her feet as her expression slowly changed from unbridled fear to... curiosity. Her head tilted slightly as she took a few cautious steps forward, an odd frown overcoming her features as she came to a stop right next to (Y/n). Her eyes trailed up and down her, almost as if she was simply observing (Y/n) out of wonder rather than fear.

Elise raised her arm with a smile on her face when (Y/n) was done, looking up to (Y/n) with happy eyes and repeatedly voicing her thanks, an over-expressive action that (Y/n) could only laugh at. When she felt Camilla's eyes on her, she turned and looked down at her, her expression calm as she was observed like some kind of exhibit.

"You're..." Camilla managed to mutter out breathlessly. "You're a..."

Blinking rapidly for just a moment, Camilla gently shook her head as she groaned to herself, like she was trying to shake the awe and disbelief off of her face. When her eyes met with (Y/n)'s again, her expression was much more serious, yet a tone of thanks was hidden underneath the exterior.

"You... you saved my brothers, my sister, and myself. I... thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for keeping us alive."

She turned and walked over to Elise, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders for a brief moment before pulling her into something that resembled a hug. "It was... truly foolish for my brother and I to have left the castle without our retainers. We just..."

Camilla sighed, a pained expression growing more present on her face as the seconds ticked by. "... We wanted to find Leo, and we prayed as much as we could that he was safe. Our own safety was the last thing on our minds."

A broken laugh left her lips as she slowly began to cry. "I see now that we had little reason to be concerned." She met eyes with (Y/n)'s once more, who's eyes became more gentle the more Camilla spoke. "No matter what you are, thank you very much. Not only for keeping him safe and unharmed, but for saving our lives as well. Thank you."

"Camilla..." Leo muttered out, his heart twisting as his eyebrows kneaded together in the form of a frown.

Something close to resembling a smile grew on (Y/n)'s features. Bowing her head politely as if to reassure Camilla, she lowered her head only slightly to meet eyes with the eldest princess easier.

"I require no thanks, Milady Camilla. The only thing that I need is knowing you are all safe from harm and of ease at heart. You had no way of knowing that Leo was perfectly fine."

She then turned to look at Xander, who still seemed very unsure about all of this. Sending him a rather curt nod, she made her way back over to Leo, who was still recovering from Camilla's words.

"Quite frankly, if you showed no overwhelming concern for Leo's wellbeing, nor acted with brashness when it came to his safety, I'd be rather concerned myself. I've no ill will towards any of you, and never would I let any harm come to Leo while he was in my presence."

She let out a quiet sigh before turning to face all three of them. "However, it would be obvious to any, even one without the gift of sight, that you all come bearing horrid news for Leo here."

"... It concerns King Garon of Nohr, your father, does it not?"

Xander took a step back from shock at that. "How do... how do you know of him?"

(Y/n) just sent him a smile. "Why, the young prince here and I have had many conversations. Many of which involved you all, which is how I've come to acquire your names. And in some of those conversations, we have spoken of King Garon."

"Nothing bad!" Leo quickly interjected, making sure to send (Y/n) quite the worrying and intense gaze.

However, her eyes narrowed rather dangerously at that outburst. "Of course. Your father sounds like a..."

Taking a deep breath, she turned and walked over to the river flowing nearby, looking upwards towards the skies when she came to a stop.

"... Remarkable Man." She finally finished with a low-sounding hiss, her previously hidden glare now directed full force towards the heavens.

"Do not let my presence interrupt your message for your brother. Speak what you must. It must be important if it weighs your hearts so."

And with that, she laid down with a heavy thud, allowing her head to come to rest near the river's edge, the waters lapping at her jawline as she took a few breaths to relax herself.

Finally seeming it would be best to ignore this dragon, Xander turned his full attention to Leo, sheathing Siegfried in the process and crossing his arms as he stared his brother down. "So you left to see--"

Xander stopped his sentence, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "... Her. You left the Castle to see her, this... Dragon. Am I correct?"

Taking a small step back, Leo nodded cautiously. He didn't like the tone in Xander's voice at all, no matter how much of a gentle undertone there was.

"You do realize that--"

"Oh gods, Xander!" Camilla had long left her place of hugging Elise, now standing directly next to him, almost seemingly out of nowhere, since neither Xander or Leo had even noticed her approach. "We can tell him on the way home, can we not?! Can't we just enjoy the fact that our baby brother is safe and unharmed?!"

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, she grasped Leo in the tightest hug he had ever gotten. Leo had seen tears forming in her eyes again as she approached him, but now she was full-on sobbing into his shoulder, her grip on him tightening as much as it could by the second.

"I ha-had thought that we had l-lost you to some unspeakable fate... Gods above, I was so worried about you, Leo! Do you have any idea what you would've done to your poor big sister's heart if you had died?! I wouldn't have been able to handle it!"

He could almost feel her smile, even as she continued to cry. "But... but you're safe. Oh gods, you're safe... you're fine, you're safe, safe, safe...."

Letting out a tiny sigh, Leo screwed his eyes shut before hugging his sister back, to which Camilla just sobbed louder.

He didn't mean for all of this to happen.

"I... I didn't mean to make you all worry. I'm sorry. I only needed some space to think and get my mind away from this war with (Y/n), if only for a night, I swear I was planning to come back before dawn. It wasn't my intention to send all of you into a worry-sick frenzy. I'm really sorry."

"We know you're a very capable warrior, Leo. It was not... it was not the Hoshidan's or some random wildlife that had us worried for your safety. Regardless..." Xander closed his eyes and let out a sigh before allowing his feet to carry him to both Camilla and Leo.

"... I'm glad you're safe and unharmed."

And just like that, Xander enveloped both Camilla and Leo in the same hug, taking a deep breath and hanging his head as he allowed his mind to relish in the simple fact that his little brother was alive and okay.

Though, this somewhat bittersweet moment was interrupted when a small force hammered into Leo and Camilla's side and gripped onto the both of them tightly, causing all three of them to almost jump out of their skin and look at what almost knocked all of them over.

It was Elise, who was looking up at all of them with quite the innocent, yet mischevious grin.

"What? I wanted in on the family hug, too!"

Camilla couldn't even suppress her laugh at Elise's words, the action causing her to break away from the giant group hug and quickly pick up Elise into a near bone-crushing hug, which made Elise squeal and giggle with delight.

Both Xander and Leo smiled at that, Xander's hand still having not left its place on Leo's shoulder in a comforting manner.

It had been so long since something this... this heartwarming had happened in their family. It was honestly so damned refreshing to see his sisters and brother smile with this much genuine joy in their eyes, even if it was all because of something that began so horribly.

Feeling another pair of eyes on him, he turned to look over at (Y/n), who had raised her head to observe this whole situation. He could practically feel the smile radiating off of her like a warm beam of sunshine, and almost as soon as his eyes met with hers, she sent him quite the refreshing and kind nod.

"Listen..." Xander began, bringing Leo's attention back to him instead of (Y/n). "We need to get you back to Castle Krackenburg as soon as possible."

"Yes..." Camilla hummed out in dismay, a frown appearing as she set Elise down. "Father has... branded you a traitor. But I believe we can change his mind."

"I know what he's branded me as. Elise... she told me." Elise nodded while gripping onto Camilla's hand. "I was worried about Leo and that maybe Father would, or maybe he even had found him before you guys could've... so I went out on my own to go find him, and when I did, I explained everything."

She then turned to look at (Y/n), who was taking her time in stretching before getting to her feet. "I found him fast asleep against (Y/n), and yeah, she scared me a lot... but I don't think she's so bad."

Xander grunted out a sound of approval before looking both Elise and Leo in the eye. "You two didn't come all this way on foot, did you?"

Though Leo was very much ready to reply to that question, Elise seemed to be about fifty steps ahead of him. "No! Our Horses are just over there!" She punctuated her point by pointing over to the grove that her, Leo, and (Y/n) had previously come from. "Hang on, I'll go get them!"

"Elise!" Camilla shouted after her before running behind her, since Elise was clearly in no mindset to stop.

Removing his hand from Leo's shoulder, Xander crossed his arms as he watched both Camilla and Elise bolt off into the grove before letting out a hum of thought as he looked around. "You know... I believe we can use this Hoshidan Ambush to our advantage to prove your innocence, Brother."

"Huh?"

"I've already got a tale spun up." Xander began as he took a few steps forward, looking down with slight disgust at the burnt body of a Samurai. "I don't believe it's a crime for a Nohrian Royal to go and scout the forests for Hoshidan Spies, is it? We could simply say that, while foolish, you simply went to go scout for any Hoshidan movement near the Castle alone, since you didn't wish to bother Father to request additional troupes be formed to simply escort you. You had thought we were asleep as well, and we all know how soft you can be to your retainers at times. So, you simply went alone to avoid the hassle and trouble. We've even got bodies here that were burnt by enchanted flame, so it wouldn't be farfetched to think they were killed with your Brynhildr, if Father chose to send some men to check out if your Story was true or not. I think we're rather in the clear here."

"I mean..." Leo muttered aloud, scratching the back of his neck as he thought. "It would work, I suppose... but what about--"

"Me?" (Y/n) interjected, taking her time in walking over to join the pair. "Don't fret, Young Prince. I haven't lived this long to only not be able to protect myself, if they even get lucky enough to find me."

"Unless..." She stated with a sly undertone, sending a rather knowing look to Leo before lowering her head down to eye level to smirk at him. "Unless you mean to tell me that you're worried about me, Young Prince?"

Leo began stammering somewhat wildly at that as his face flushed a cherry red under her gaze, to which she only laughed rather hard at.

Almost as if to save Leo from this embarrassing moment, Elise came charging through the trees on the back of her horse, a grin on her face as she giggled wildly.

"Told you!" She simply stated with a wide grin.

Camilla wasn't terribly far behind, the reins of Leo's horse in her right hand as she came walking through the trees rather nonchalantly. She handed the horse off to his rightful owner before looking up to the sky and whistling.

Not even half a second later, her Wyvern came soaring over the treetops and landed right next to her, letting out a small growl of appreciation at Camilla began to lavish the Wyrm with attention.

"Right. We need to get going." Xander stated, turning around and bringing his fingers up to his lips to whistle for his own mount...

"Xaaander? Aren't you forgetting something?"

Turning to Elise, she had her head tilted as she sent him a smile, her gaze occasionally switching over to (Y/n), who seemed just as confused as both Leo and Camilla looked.

"Ah, yes..." Xander let out a sigh before turning to look at the dragon.

"I... thank you for keeping Leo safe. And, of course... for saving all of us as well. Thank you."

Those words caused (Y/n) to smile down at him. "It was my pleasure, Milord Xander."

They both sent each other a nod before (Y/n) turned her attention to Leo. "I trust I'll be seeing you again?"

Leo smiled at her before nodding. "Of course."

(Y/n) chuckled before looking over all of them. "It truly was a great pleasure meeting you all finally, after all the wonderful things that Leo has told me about you. I pray for your safe travels on your way back home. May Lady Naga smile down upon you all."

Sending them all a polite nod, she turned her head towards the skies before taking flight and disappearing like a bolt of lightning, leaving no part of her behind. Elise quickly stood up in her saddle via her stirrups and began waving wildly.

"Byyyyyyyeee!"

Ignoring the departure, Xander turned and whistled for his own mount, his horse quickly charging through the bushes and coming to a sudden stop next to him, letting out a rather heavy huff as it waited for Xander.

"Xander, whatever will we do to convince Father to not kill Leo...?" Camilla asked with a tone of uncertainty as she got atop her Wyrm, the beast letting out a growl as it stretched out its wings to prepare for flight.

"Don't worry about that," Xander began as he pulled himself into his own saddle. "Leo and I have already devised a story. Just stay silent when we bring Leo to Father and speak to him, you and Elise both."

Both the girls nodded in understanding.

"Yeah," Leo added with a smile. "I'm sure I'll be just fine."

Though Leo looked as if he spoke with confidence, deep inside, he was trembling in fear. His Father was an unpredictable man, there'd be no telling how this encounter with him would go, especially with Leo being branded with such a disgusting title as 'traitor'.

"I think you two got this~" Elise sang out as she leaned down to stroke the side of her horse's neck.

"Very well. I will trust you both with this. I'll observe from the skies. Let us make it home quickly, shall we?" Leaving behind those words, Camilla took off into the skies, her Wyrm letting out a snarl as the pair departed.

Elise turned to Leo with a troubling grin on her face. "I'll race ya home, Leo! Bet ya I win!"

"Elise! I'm in no mood for one of your races!" Leo shouted after her before taking off, letting out a growl of agitation as he chased after his baby sister.

Taking his own reins in hand and shaking his head at their behavior, he prepared to follow behind them...

"You wish to speak to me further... do you not? Or perhaps... is that a desire to slay me that I feel?"

Xander's blood ran cold as that voice of the Dragon flowed into his mind, his own horse even seeming to be slightly unnerved by the sudden intrusion as it nickered and began tossing its head. He began whipping his head around, looking to see if he could see her anywhere, yet his eyes found nothing.

"If your desire to confront me is that strong, then I implore you to come find me atop the Peak. Do not think your ascent will be so simple as a mere trail ride, however... You must pass my test before I will grant you permission to speak to me. Do you understand?"

Xander's eyes narrowed as they trailed upwards towards the skies.

"... Yes."

"... Very well then. I do look forward to meeting you once more, Milord..."

Lowering his eyes back to the path in front of him, he spurred his horse into a full-on run as fast as it could go in order to catch up to his little brother and sister.

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Both Flora and Felicia looked rather shocked to see all four of the Royals appearing at the castle at once, a look of worry in their eyes when they noticed Elise with them as well.

Xander took no note of their expressions, or if he did, he paid it no mind. "You told no one of our departure, correct?"

"N-n-no, Milord! We told no living soul!" Felicia stammered out, taking both Xander and Leo's reins when they were handed to her.

Xander just nodded as he turned towards the entrance to the castle, looking up at its looming size as he continued forward. Elise ran after him, grabbing his hand and walking towards the doors with him while Camilla and Leo trailed not too far behind.

Everyone came to a screeching stop when Xander stopped right in front of the doors, taking a deep breath before turning to look at Leo.

"You care for that dragon immensely, don't you?"

Leo frowned at the question, staying silent for several moments while his siblings all stared at him, expecting an answer.

"... Yes, Xander. I do." When Leo finally answered, it came out a bit quieter than the young Royal meant it to, but they all seemed to have heard it, nonetheless.

Staring at him for just a few moments longer, Xander nodded.

"Then she doesn't exist."

"Huh?" Leo asked, his eyes widening as he questioned if he heard his brother right or not.

"You heard me. If you care that much for her, then for her sake and your own, she doesn't exist outside the four of us. All I ask is that you limit your visits as much as possible as to avoid raising any suspicion with Father. Understood?"

Leo was barely able to stammer out an answer before Xander opened the doors, letting his family inside with the mindset to bring Leo home and show Garon that he was wrong.

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ALRIGHT, THAT'S DONE WOOOOO

So now, about my little optional challenge!

It'd bring me a whole lot of joy if you chose to partake iiiiin....

YES! I am bringing you all an ART CHALLENGE to partake in, if you so choose! What do you have to do? Well, all you have to do is draw your favorite part of this book and tell me why you love it so much! Even if it's just a single character and why you liked how I wrote\portrayed them, it doesn't matter! Just draw one of your favorite things/parts from this book!

Don't think you can draw or your drawing skills will be good enough for me to see? (eventhoweallknowthatsaLIEIBETYOUDRAWBEAUTIFULLY) That's just fine! You can still partake in this! How? All you have to do is write out a comment about the previously mentioned things above! It can be one or the other, it doesn't matter, just as long as y'all have fun with this! You could also use this opportunity to ask me questions, if you want to!

There's no specific time limit, but there is one thing to keep in mind! Once this book ends, (I'd say we're about halfway through? Maybe?) I will be featuring some of them (or maybe all of them, who knows) in an extra chapter that will come out about a month after this book ends. It won't be for a while, so you guys got plenty of time! And if you want to wait until the book ends so you know you'll be picking your favorite part, that's just fine too! Just as long as it's before that final chapter comes out! But hey, I'll accept drawings and comments about this book any time! That will just be the time limit for the comment or drawing to be accepted into that last chapter.

There are only a few rules, and they aren't incredibly hard;

#1; THE DRAWINGS OR COMMENTS HAVE TO INVOLVE THIS BOOK. I wanna interact with you all more, and I'd absolutely love to see just what you all enjoyed the most about this one! The only time it doesn't have to involve the book is when you're asking me a question via a comment. As long as they don't get incredibly personal, ask away!

#2; YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO SEND ME A MAX OF THREE DRAWINGS AND A MAX OF FIVE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS. I know not a whole lot of people read this, but I don't want to become completely swamped with a bunch of stuff from one person and not a lot from another person. That'll end up looking like favoritism, and I don't want that!

#3; PUT YOUR HEART AND SOUL INTO IT! No matter what you do, be it a drawing or comment, put some love into it! I wanna see some PASSION HERE, YOU LOVELY PEOPLE!

And #4; YES, YOU CAN SEND ME A DRAWING AND COMMENT/QUESTION PAIRED TOGETHER. Just remember the drawing and comment limits!

And yes, I'll be drawing a couple of my own drawings and stating what I enjoyed the most about this book as well! (Yes, I'm partaking in my own challenge cause it's FUN) And when it comes to sending me drawings, you can go ahead and make an Artbook here on Wattpad and tag me in it! Or you can DM me for my personal Discord and send it to me there! Comments and Questions can be asked here or in my DMs!

If you all choose to join in on this, I can't wait to see what you all do!

Happy Holidays, everyone! I love you all!

~CrowOrSo