Princess Kaiya of Valla

We fell back into a tight formation and travelled across the thin strip of land separating us from Castle Gyges. According to Azura, the small building at the very top was the throne room, and so that was our intended destination. We would have to go through a watchtower to reach it.

Hopefully, its abandoned look was not just a ruse.

We circled the castle from the west side to the south, looking for a watchtower we could access. No movement came from any part of the building, and yet I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being closely observed.

At last, we found a watchtower. Xander dismounted and tried the door, and it swung straight open. He drew his sword and peered inside, looking uncertain.

"This is too good to be true," Leo muttered.

"It seems clear," Xander said, coming back. "But we should still pass through with haste."

We entered in single file. Inside, the temperature dropped. The floor was damp, and water dribbled down the walls. At the far side of the tower, a staircase of cracked stone spiralled upwards. Moss and dead leaves were scattered over the steps, and the stink of decay clogged the air.

When we reached the other side of the tower, Xander dismounted and tried the door. Again, it was unlocked. We passed back outside.

"This place is giving me the creeps," Elise said.

I had to agree. I imagined it had once been as full of life as Castle Krakenburg and Castle Shirasagi, but the servants would be nothing more than puppets to Anankos now.

We ascended the long flight of stairs ahead of us, aiming for the little building at the top. The stone bricks were bright and beautiful. No plants climbed the walls. A large pillar formed each of its corners, and none of them were crumbling.

"Anankos is in there," I hissed. "He must be."

We halted outside the entrance, and Xander unsheathed his sword. "Is everyone ready?"

"Hold!" Norton said. "I should lead this charge. If I don't land a strike on Anankos with the Fire Emblem, the rest of you may not be able to harm him at all."

Xander swallowed thickly and closed his eyes. He gestured with his sword. "Very well. Come forwards...but be careful."

Norton came to the front. We rode in.

It was the widest throne room I had ever seen, although far from traditionally impressive. A cracked throne stood beneath a god-sized mask embedded in the wall. Bricks were coming loose, and damp was spreading across the ceiling. I glanced around curiously, trying to search for the feeling in my heart that recognised it as my first home. There was none. Yet there was still something breath-taking about it, even though I felt no attachment. It had an atmosphere.

"There's no one here." Norton stopped in the middle of the room and slowly turned around. "Where's Anankos?"

I rode forwards to stand beside him. "I don't know...but this is what remains of our throne room. Wow."

"I wish I could remember what it was like before, when my father used to rule." Azura halted beside us.

My gaze wandered back to the crumbling chair. "I'm sorry."

A sudden explosion behind us rocked the ground. Zodiac stumbled, and I yanked him around. Blasts of fire were striking the rest of our party.

"No!" I screamed.

The fire magic faded. My friends and family were still standing, but they were injured. Blood poured from a cut across Xander's face. His eyes were clear and blazing. "What was that? Whoever's there -- show yourself!"

"No one's here," Gunter said grimly. "The attacker must have been one of us. Someone who wasn't attacked themselves."

All eyes turned to Norton, Azura, and me.

"No," Takumi said. "I can't believe that."

Gunter frowned. "No...this makes sense. They're Vallites. Vallite royalty, no less."

"Tell me this is a jest, Gunter," Norton said darkly. "You may hate me and hardly know Azura, but you and Kass are like family. You can't accuse her!"

"But it was Princess Kassandra and Princess Azura who worked so hard to gather the royal families. They brought them to one place, Valla, so that it would be easy to eliminate them!" He took a step back, laying a hand on his sword. His face was a cold mask; a Gunter I'd never seen before. "I should have known."

"That's not true!" I said. "Gunter, you know me well. I would never betray my family!"

"Is that the only reason you can give? Princess Kassandra, your lies are paining me. Stop."

"No, you stop." Norton stepped in front of Azura and me. "With every word you say, you are only making more of a mess for yourself. It is you who tried to kill us!"

Gunter raised his eyebrows and sighed. "How disappointing. Are you two really the children I once taught? Accusing the accuser? My lord, you could not sound more desperate."

"I could not sound more certain." Norton advanced towards our trainer. "Do you recall what you said to Kass today? About a flower?"

"I did not wish for her to meet the same fate as Semyaza's flower. But now, of course, I know she is a traitor, and I think differently."

"Semyaza." Norton turned to her. "Do you remember what happened to the flower I gave you before we jumped?"

She was staring at Gunter, her face pale. "It burned to nothing in the canyon."

"So the only people who knew Semyaza was wearing a flower are herself, me, and the traitor." Norton's eyes darkened. "What do you say now, Gunter?"

"Gunter!" Ryoma pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "Did you try to kill Nayoko? Answer me!"

"No!" I cried. "That can't be! Gunter, you wouldn't try to kill Norton. You wouldn't try to kill me!"

Gunter smirked and strode forwards, passing us all to stand beside the ruined throne. When he sat down, a purple aura seeped from beneath his armour and ebbed around his body, before bursting into full brilliance.

"Excellent reasoning, Nayoko!" he boomed. "You've found me out."

The world seemed to fall from beneath my feet.

Gunter was a demon.

"Gunter..." My voice cracked. "How long have you been lying to us?"

"The whole time."

"And how about why?" Norton asked. "Why would you betray us -- especially Kass?"

"That's simple: I am not Gunter. I am Anankos." He smiled. "You lost Gunter the moment he fell into the Bottomless Canyon."

I backed away, my mouth turning dry. "No! He can't have possessed you!"

"Ah, the sound of your despair! It's music to my ears!" Anankos laughed. "You know, not everyone blacks out when they are possessed. Sometimes, we let our vessels see. Like King Garon! He saw every injustice he made, every cruel blow he delivered to his children. And I made Gunter watch himself attack you two. He is in just as much despair. Can you still say that you believe in each other? Even those who do not wish it can raise their blades against you!"

For a moment, the room seemed to slide around me, and then I felt the cool pommel of my sword beneath my hand. I had reached to draw it on instinct...to draw it against my trainer. Nausea swamped the dizziness, and I looked at the scene before me again with horrible, cold clarity.

Anankos had taken Gunter.

"I'll fight to get you back," I said to the man who was still inside. "I will never give up on you. And neither will my friends." I turned to them. "Don't kill him, please. Just weaken him. Then I'll try talking to him."

"Talking to him?" Ryoma repeated. "Kaiya, I don't think..."

He caught Xander's eye and stopped.

"We'll try it your way," Xander said. "You have my word. But if it doesn't work, the only way to free him may be death."

My heart stilled, but I nodded.

Norton took charge. "We infantry will split ourselves on either side of the Nohrians to create left and right wings. Then --"

"You won't even get far enough to harm me." Anankos stood up and summoned fire magic to his fingertips. "I've already weakened you. Now I will kill you all in one go!"

He thrust his hand forwards. The spell crashed into our group like a tsunami of fire, and I screamed at the pain. All I could see before my eyes was red, and for a moment I wondered if my eye sockets were bleeding.

Then the red faded. I could feel blood trickling down the centre of my chest. My ears were ringing again, even worse than before. As my eyes adjusted to the normal lighting of the room and I looked around at our group, their lips moving with no sound and their expressions full of fear, I realised that they were all the same. None of us could hear.

Xander seemed to have raised his arm against the onslaught of magic, and now blood cascaded down his sleeve. It was the same arm he'd been shot in. He reached over Indra and touched my forehead, his eyes clouded with concern. When he moved his fingers away, they were covered in blood.

Takumi was bleeding heavily from his stomach and finding it hard to stay on his feet. Ryoma was trying to support him with one arm. The other hung limply at his side.

Camilla and Hinoka were getting off their mounts. Hinoka looked woozy, and her knees gave out as she touched the floor. Camilla caught her. Elise tried to make her way to them, but her pupils were unfocused, and she was having difficulty walking in a straight line. Blood ran down her temples.

Sakura was lying on the ground nearby, as still as the dead. Leo was in the act of dismounting to check on her, but he fell rather than knelt at her side. He winced and pressed his hands against his head, then tried to check her pulse.

Norton and Azura were kneeling in a pool of blood before us, neither of them able to stand. Semyaza began to crawl to them, coughing, but Kaze staggered to her side and dragged her back. He tore off the hem of his shirt and pressed it against her wounds.

Jakob was trying to help a bleeding Flora. Felicia was sitting next to her, looking green while she tried to staunch the flow from a wound across Silas' neck. All around us, the rest of the retainers were struggling.

Anankos raised his hand again.

This is the end.

"No!" Norton roared, so loud that I could hear it over the ringing in my ears. He raised the Fire Emblem.

A wave of magic exploded from it, erupting upwards, and it curved around us like a translucent dome. The spell of Anankos collided with it, but the dome held strong. The magic soaked into it and dissolved. The ringing in my ears faded.

Anankos rose from the throne, his eyes flashing. "What is the meaning of this?"

"This is the power of the Fire Emblem, the sword meant to save the world from the likes of you!" Norton said. "And it is also the power of the man who wields it. I will not let you hurt the people I love!"

"You can't stop me with some feeble human willpower!" Anankos raised his hand again. Magic glowed in his palm. "Die!"

Azura began to sing.

You are the ocean's grey waves

Destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach

Yet the waters ever change

Flowing like time

The path is yours to climb

The magic in Anankos' palm diffused. He groaned. "What -- what is this? This song..."

Norton lowered the Fire Emblem. The force field around us rippled and faded. He looked at me, glowering with pain. "Now is the chance to try things your way, Kass -- quickly."

I dismounted so fast that a sharp ache shot across my chest. As I hit the floor, I gasped and leaned into Zodiac.

"Kass?" Xander frowned at me. "Are you all right?"

"Ugh...yes." I looked across the room and saw that Anankos was beginning to recover. "Azura, sing again!"

As she continued the song, Xander said, "Pass Zodiac here."

"You can't manage two horses with a wounded arm. Hopefully, he'll be a good boy and stay with his herd."

Anankos was doubled over on the throne, groaning. I stopped before him, my gaze trailing over the body of my retainer. It was strange how differently someone's skin could be worn. This thing looked like Gunter, but the hatred I'd seen on his face was alien.

How could I reach the man hidden away in there?

"Gunter," I said. "Listen to me. You have to fight Anankos! Remember all the experiences we've shared, all the time we've spent together. You trained me to be the warrior I am today, and without you, I would never have left the Northern Fortress. I owe my life to you. Please...come back."

He raised his head and sneered, his eyes flashing purple. "Gunter is never coming back!"

He lunged forwards and knocked me to the floor. As my head cracked against the stone, his hands locked in my hair, and he dragged me towards the mask.

"No, Kass!" Xander dismounted Indra. But he was going to be too late.

Anankos pulled me up and slammed my back against the wall. He raised his sword. "I'm making him watch this, you know."

"Then listen to me, Gunter!" I cried. "Please, listen to me. You have the power to stop this. I have fought Garon, and I have fought Sumeragi, and I have heard about the other half of Anankos who was my father, but none of them are my true fathers in my heart." I put my hand against the scar across his face. "You are my father, Gunter. You used to say these scars made us match. For a long time after Norton left, it was the only thing that made me smile." I lowered my hand. "I love you as a daughter."

He hesitated. The purple glow around him faded. "My lady...I...can't..."

"You can! Fight it, Gunter!"

He groaned, his arm shaking as he tried to lower the sword. Sweat broke out across his forehead.

"Come on," I whispered. "You can do it."

His eyes took on a wicked gleam, and the purple aura sprung up again. He pulled back to strike. "I was only acting, you fool. No one can overpower Anankos!"

He swung his sword down towards me. I cringed and closed my eyes.

Gunter cried out.

The purple aura had vanished. His sword was buried deep in his chest. Black smoke shot out of the wound and dashed across the room, and he collapsed in my arms.

"Gunter!" My knees gave out, and we fell to the floor together. I stared at his blade in horror. "What have you done? Tell me you're going to be all right!"

His blood flowed over my fingers, and more of it lined the edges of his lips as he parted them. His eyes fluttered shut. "I'm sorry...my daughter. I will atone for my actions...with my life."

He went still.

"No." I watched him for a moment, disbelieving, then gave him a little shake. My voice rose into a howl. "No, no, no! Gunter, wake up!"

Xander finally reached us. Slowly, he crouched down. "He isn't going to wake up, Kass."

"No!" I leaned over him, feeling for a pulse. "Gunter, you can't leave me!"

But he'd already gone.