Prince Nayoko of Hoshido

We retreated to our border after the disaster at Cheve, taking Scarlet and the surviving members of the rebellion with us. As Cheve was close to Hoshido, we arrived at our nearest fort a few hours before dawn. Finally safe and on our own turf, most of my allies trooped to bed or went to the medical ward.

I climbed up to the ramparts. Because the fort was right on the border, there was a good view across both of the warring countries depending on which side you stood. I followed the stone walkways until I was facing Nohr.

There were no burning buildings or bloodied swords to see here. Just dead trees, spreading as far as the horizon. An eerie silence clenched the air.

I leaned my elbows against the low wall and sighed. After all the time I'd spent in ramparts all over the land, they were starting to become a sanctuary for me. But I was here alone this time, watching a world with no life, and it suddenly felt as if I was the last survivor in the world.

I'd been wrong to have faith in Kass. She'd controlled Xander, but she had no power over Garon. Yet again, we had been overwhelmed and forced to retreat, leaving our injured and dead behind. Convincing Ryoma that my Nohrian siblings were full of humanity hadn't mattered in the end.

As the chosen saviour, I felt that what had happened at Cheve was my fault. But I had no divine powers. I was just a young man with one old sword and a world of troubles. Against King Garon's might, I was nothing.

We were all nothing.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, for when I came to, I was hanging over the ramparts. The air was cold and heavy as if it was mourning the dead, and I knew in my heart that it was all over. The bodies had stopped burning; the people in Cheve had stopped dying. They'd all been put to the blade now.

"Nayoko?"

I rescued myself and turned around. Semyaza was standing at ease behind me. The cold breeze teased her hair so that it flew back behind her, and for a moment, she looked more like a magnificent queen than a retainer.

She raised her eyebrows. "I was wondering what you were doing."

"Sleeping, I think." I dragged a hand down my face. "Ugh. Considering we only arrived a few hours ago, you're up early."

"You haven't even gone to bed."

"True. How can I?"

She stepped up beside me, her tired eyes turning sharp as they darted over the lie of the land. "Take your mind off it for a moment, and you may find it easier to sort out your thoughts. Where would our enemy come from if they attacked this fort?"

I took a deep breath, following her gaze. "Surely they would come from this side, as we're on the border?"

"That would be most logical. Of course, they could defeat a different fort and then come around on our flanks to secure every other stronghold up and down the border, but I think King Garon is a man who'd rather strike our capital quickly."

I nodded. "Yes. So we would...we would... I'm sorry. I just can't think straight."

We stood in silence for a moment.

"Which part of what happened yesterday is bothering you the most?" Semyaza asked.

"Yesterday?" Good gods, it had really been yesterday. "Everything."

"Are you certain? There isn't anything in particular weighing on your mind that you wish to talk about?"

"Well...there are two things," I admitted. "The first is that I was so powerless in Cheve, and I wish I could have done something to stop King Garon. The second is my Nohrian siblings. Now that Garon is in charge of them again, they will certainly be thrust in our direction. And without Kass' merciful control, Ryoma and the others may kill them. If only there was something more I could do..."

"You really blame yourself for everything, don't you?" Semyaza said gently. "But not every wrong in the world can be attributed to you. You did your best at Cheve -- we all did. No one should be answering to the atrocities that were committed except King Garon, and your siblings know that, despite what they say. In your fear for the Nohrians, you seem to be forgetting the Hoshidan way. We spare soldiers who are defeated. If we have to cross blades with them again, we will all try our hardest to keep them alive."

"We will have to cross blades with them again. There is no doubt about it." I stared at the view before us, imagining what it would look like if my Nohrian family and their army came through the trees. Despite Semyaza's reassurances, the thought still turned me cold. "I can't believe we've lost to them so many times now. If we had stayed in Palace Macarath, things might have been different. But I couldn't let Elise die."

"Don't forget that we have had victories as well as losses. We were able to reach the Sevenfold Sanctuary before the Nohrians. We were also able to find Prince Ryoma and Prince Takumi again, both of them alive. That counts for a lot."

I looked at her and saw the earnest optimism in her eyes. I couldn't help but smile, just a little. "You're right. You are always right. I hope that even when this over, I will be lucky enough to have you at my side."

She ducked her head. "I'm not as special as you are always making me out to be. But thank you. I promise I will be with you until the day I die...and perhaps even beyond."

Something passed through the air between us. I wanted to brush my fingers over her pink cheeks and cup them in my hands. I wanted to know if her lips tasted as sweet as her words. But I understood that no matter how much she preached confidence to me, she lacked it herself.

I took her hand. She avoided my gaze until I had finished linking all of my fingers with hers. Then she looked up, her eyes wide and uncertain.

I was falling too deep, and I knew that I would never be able to break free now. So if there was some way that I could build a bridge between our hearts, I wanted to take the time to do it right.

"Shall we watch the sunrise?" I asked.

Her tense shoulders lowered. To watch the sunrise wasn't like a kiss or a probing question. It was just a tiny step in the right direction. The kind of step that didn't necessarily amount to anything.

"Yes," she whispered.