"Here we are, Gaius. Hoshido. I've read so many things about it, never guessing they were true!" Robin had that smile Gaius adored. The one where she had a realisation or idea, or when she saw an opportunity.

Gaius wasn't feeling so optimistic.

My dad is dead... I don't know what happened to my mom... is Hoshido OK? Is it still the place I know? the thoughts swirled like a potion. Nohrian children had grown up in Deeprealms, minor worlds that were safe from the war. The Hoshidan children had spent time in Deeprealms, but they were quite late in the war, when the Nohrians actually got through their opponent's borders. Gaius had been in Hoshido until the age of nine, spending those years climbing cherry blossom trees, training to take the family name, and playing around with his cousins, of which he was the second youngest.

It was painful to think about.

"Gaius! Gaius, are you there?" Robin waved her hand in front of his face.

"H-Hey Robin..."

"You look pale. Are you seasick?" the tactician asked worriedly.

"... just a bit. I'll be fine." Gaius lied.

Cordelia meanwhile was anxious to get ashore. She wanted to see her homeland again, but she also wanted to see her mother. She had been convinced she had perished along with Subaki, but her mother was alive and home, waiting for the Shepherds to arrive.

"Cordelia." Lon'qu approached her.

"Lon'qu..." a smile appeared on the pegasus knight's face.

"Your grip on the railing. Your knuckles will split if you clench tighter. What has you so agitated?" Lon'qu inquired.

"I'm not agitated..." Cordelia blinked.

"I am your husband. You do not have to keep secrets from me."

"I am aware..."

"Yet still you hide something."

Cordelia sighed. "For someone so stoic, you can read anyone."

"So what bothers you?" Lon'qu asked more gently.

"... Lon'qu, I do want to tell you, but I think it would be better to set it aside for now. When the time is right, I shall let you know what I'm thinking about." Cordelia joined her hand in the swordsman's.

Lon'qu mouth gave a hint of a smile. "Very well. All I wish is that you know you can trust me."

"Here we are, everyone!" Chrom cried. "Time to move out!"

The Shepherds gained their bearings and all prepared to enter the harbour. They had chosen to go under the cover of dusk, and to a more secretive location. A port that had been closed down now had it's first ship in years in hopes they would not be spotted easily.

Tharja set foot on Hoshidan soil. She looked to the cherry trees, which were only beginning to bloom, to the wide calm sea, and then to the buildings ahead. This place always looked incredibly docile, and even sleepy at night. Tharja would be lying if she said she didn't miss the peace of these kinds of nights, just a little. Ylisse was very hot, and darkness got quite uncomfortable in summer. Tharja never slept much, it was a habit since she was very young, but when she was practicing her hexes and spells in a sweltering room, it made it hard to focus.

Now the question remained: would returning here be worth the trouble?

A Hoshidan fisherman saw the army dock, and with a wide smile, ran in the direction of his home. Probably to tell his wife and children their hope had arrived.

Robin breathed the chilled air. So many stories, so many tales... they all existed. She had never read the name Hinoka, but she did read of Hinoka's father Sumeragi during his youth.

"This way, Hinoka stated in another letter we can arrive at a market and a woman will give us disguises so we are not recognised as Ylissean." Chrom gestured at a narrow street.
___

"Queen Hinoka. They've arrived." Mitama spoke in the door.

"Their ships have docked safely? No sign of them being followed?"

"No, milady."

Hinoka gave the preistess a low nod. "Very well."

Sakura, in her room, was clutching a picture. It was her and her husband when they were married. Like most of her companions, he had died in the war. Sakura had only small hope for her child, who was being brought over for a visit when her husband was called for action. With Corrin at the front, Sakura doubted a child would be slaughtered. But by the end of a blade wasn't the only way to die in war. He could have been trampled by a horse or knocked down by a wyvern. Someone in the Nohrian army could go their whole life never thinking they had caused the death of a royal. It was tragic to think about, so Sakura always hung onto hope. Hope that one day, she might see the face of her own flesh and blood who had filled her darkest days with joy, like a cure for a curse.

She couldn't think for long, however. Now she had to meet the Exalt.