Chapter Text
The small, makeshift stable was little more than a roof supported by four wooden posts; yet it was the only place Subaki felt he could escape the unrelenting waves. He figured it was the smell. He could still feel the world swaying beneath his feet if he concentrated, but somehow the familiar smell of hay and manure was enough to push everything else to the back of his mind.
Subaki gave his pegasus a final, reassuring pat on the rump before leaving the comfort of the shade. He’d made himself useful tending the horses, but if he lingered any longer people would notice. Much like himself, Tenba didn’t care much for traveling by ship. Whenever the army sailed, Subaki often volunteered to ride and fly above the vessel. This allowed him to act as a useful lookout – and avoid embarrassing seasickness. After the ambush this morning, however, there wasn’t energy to spare. In the end, Corrin and their army were victorious, but Sakura was kept busy tending to the wounded. Subaki still ached, and poor Tenba was uneasy – something the two pairs of reproachful, red wyvern eyes only a few feet away were aggravating.
Usually wyverns didn’t irk his mount – Tenba fought one just this morning without hesitation. But Subaki figured that could explain the discomfort; it wasn’t typical for an enemy to become an ally. But now all the animals, Nohrian and Hoshidan alike, were resting abreast as if old friends. If it was disquieting for the soldiers; for the animals, it must have been absolutely distressing. (Subaki kept it to himself, but he thought it was ridiculous the scaly monsters were allowed to lounge casually on the deck at all. Surely their weight alone warranted they fly overhead?)
Now that Sakura was done healing everyone, he saw her seated at one of the large wooden tables with Princess Camilla. He felt a pang of pity; somehow Sakura looked both embarrassed, and a little frightened. But as usual, she was a shining model of politeness; seated beside this other woman who had intended to kill Corrin. He envied his liege’s resolve. To him, their new allies were a bitter pill to swallow.
Figuring there was little he could do to ease Sakura’s discomfort, he tried to walk past the pair towards the hold, intent on taking inventory of their stocks. He’d already done so this morning, but that was before the unexpected battle. Unfortunately, as soon as he came into sight, he saw a purple-gloved hand ushering him over.
He had no choice but to comply.
“Subaki is it? Sakura has told me all about you.”
To his liege’s benefit, Subaki made a point of not glancing at Sakura’s mortified face.
“Is that so? Well, now that we’re on the same side, the more we know the better!” Discomfort aside, his first duty was always to the younger Hoshidan princess, and if she thought following Corrin was the best course of action, then Subaki would bear whatever came of it.
“We are very lucky to have someone as formidable as yourself on our side, Princess Camilla.”
She made a dismissive gesture. “Goodness, I hope not all Hoshidans are this flattering! I don’t think I could stand it.” She smiled, but Subaki thought there was probably some truth to her statement.
“It smells like Corrin is nearly done with supper – what a darling – Subaki, would you mind going below deck to fetch my lovely retainers? I think they went below to catch some rest after our excursion today.”
Excursion.
“It would be my pleasure. Beruka and…?”
“Selena. They should both be in the rooms at the end of the hall.”
He bowed lightly to the two princesses. He retraced his steps past the stable and towards the hatch leading below deck. His pegasus snorted pointedly as he passed. Tenba wasn’t the only one seated next to a monster.
Sorry buddy, you’re on your own.
Closing the hatch behind him, he descended the short ladder, relishing the moment of calm away from the bustling activity above. It was short lived; as he reached the floor and turn around he nearly bumped right into a short woman. He repressed an emasculating yelp. Beruka was the stoic wyvern rider who he’d combated directly earlier that day. She had been quite formidable with her axe, leaving a nasty gash in his bicep that still stung despite the healing.
He swallowed his qualms.
“Just in time – Beruka, was it?” He gave a short bow of his head, noting her pointed, metal gauntlets. He was glad handshakes weren’t much of a Hoshidan thing. Was everything Nohrian black and pointy?
She merely stared. Rudeness, Subaki thought, was an intolerable and easily remedied offence and he, at least, would not succumb to it.
“Say, no hard feelings about earlier, alright? I’m glad you’re on our side, now.” He flashed his dazzling smile… And was met with the same stony expression.
“Feelings…” She seemed to hold the word on her tongue, as if tasting it. “I don’t take feelings into battle. Nor out of it. There’s no need to speak more of it.”
Surely this unfamiliar sensation wasn’t awkwardness? He mentally brushed the feeling aside. He would not be tarnished by unpleasantries.
“Well, dinner is nearly done. Everyone is starting to seat themselves up on deck.”
“Thank you.” Beruka managed to squeeze between him and the wall, hardly grazing him as she did so. She wasted no time climbing the ladder.
He continued down the hallway, head bowed slightly due to the low ceiling. The lamps spread intermittently along the narrow corridor flickered and danced shadows across the walls. They did not help his churning stomach.
He stopped in front of the last door and gave it three smart raps. There were easier ways to announce dinner – verbally through the unopened door for example –but Subaki had some interest in meeting this woman. He remembered seeing Selena on the battlefield. Her bright red hair was unusual for a Nohrian, and committed her easily to memory. From what he saw, she was also incredibly skilled with a sword.
“What do you want?” She sounded annoyed, even though the door.
Having expected her to open the door like a decent human being, Subaki was momentarily at a loss.
“Ah. Dinner is nearly ready, if you would be able to come upstairs…?”
He heard some shuffling and then finally a dismissive “Fine.”
He caught himself staring at the door. He expected her to open it, be out in a moment, and they could perhaps have friendly introductions as they walked down the hall. But the longer he waited the stranger it felt to remain waiting. This derailment of his plans somehow froze him in place.
Finally, the shuffling inside subsided, and the door abruptly opened.
“Yikes!” She startled in the doorway. “Why are you still here? Creep…!” Her abrasive words seemed to manifest physically and push him off to the side, allowing her to stomp past him and down the hall. She didn’t even look back as she climbed the ladder, closing the latch behind her with a definitive thump.
His stomach flopped, again. He didn’t even get a chance to give her his name. Although that was probably for the best. “Creep” was not his preferred title, and he hoped she would forget the whole thing immediately. Over dinner. By morning, certainly. He tried to leave the aura of discomfort behind him as he went back down the hall and re-emerged into the salty air.
Subaki woke a few hours later feeling disoriented and undeniably sick. Wrapped in a swaying hammock, he fumbled for the little oil lamp he knew was somewhere on the bedside table. He lit it, casting light on his unfamiliar and cramped room. His things were folded in one corner, barely a step away from the table with the lamp. And he, in a hammock that hung from one end of the room to the other, was curled in the fetal position feeling nauseous. He regretted the fish stew they all shared for supper. He hadn’t been very hungry, but their new Nohrian recruits were so clearly not fond of the meal (“Have they never eaten a fish before??” Oboro had voiced her incredulity with glee) that they all felt the need to make a special point of enjoying it. It was childish, but in their defence, it had been Prince Takumi who wordlessly initiated this call for seconds. The Prince had only recently deigned to sit with Corrin during meals, but it seemed with the addition of Camilla and her retainers, he revoked his favour. That evening he had pointedly sat at the table with the Hoshidan retainers and other support staff while Corrin sat with the Nohrian trio and Sakura. It had been…awkward.
With a pre-emptive groan, he forced himself out of the hammock (which was quite a challenge) and put on his slippers and a robe from his pile. He quietly left his room, aiming to get into fresh air as soon as possible and hopefully go unnoticed by judgemental eyes.
He raised his head into the chilly air and seeing no one on deck, finished his ascent.
It was a dark night, the moon hidden somewhere behind the clouds. He practically ran to the railing and promptly emptied his stomach into the black water below. He allowed himself to hang there limply, throat burning, head and shoulders over the side of the ship, feeling pathetic. It wasn’t a good look for him. He would be quite willing to fall into the waves if someone were to see him now.
As if the gods were calling his bluff, he heard the latch open. The wave of panic overcame his wave of nausea and he shifted so as to be better hidden behind some crates on deck. Even in the dim light it was easy to figure out who it was; there were only two people on board with long red hair, and one of them was currently peeking, in his sleeping clothes and slippers, from the crack between two wooden crates.
Selena moved self-consciously. He wondered if maybe she was also sick? But then she moved in the direction of the stable. He heard a rumble come from one of the wyverns.
“Oh shut it, Ervoq!”
The rumbling subsided, almost petulantly. It was hard to see what she was doing, but her heard the familiar sound of one of Tenba’s snorts. This was followed by some shushing and then a light whinny.
What was she…?
Curiosity caused him to risk being seen, as he moved from looking between the crates to crouching so he was looking over them.
Selena was… sitting with Tenba? It was hard to be sure, but it seemed she still wore her scowl, as if someone had urged her to coddle the creature against her will. She patted him absentmindedly. Somehow, he felt violated. He was the “creep” yet here she was sneaking off to spend time with his pegasus?
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen…” the rest of her sentence was swallowed by the sound of a wave hitting the side of the boat. “… And when I saw… ” The waves, of course, continued their relentless barrage.
Tenba loved attention as much as Subaki did, although the pegasus didn’t have the modesty to try and hide it. The silly dolt was probably hamming it up for this prickly visitor. She probably won him over as soon as she told off one of the giant scaly mules.
At the urgent call of his gut, he quickly crawled back to the railing to heave into the waves, again.
Waves, waves, waves.
“Who’s there? Yuck! Are you throwing up?”
She didn’t see him yet, but she must have stood up because he heard a pair of boots stepping cautiously in his general direction. He kept his eyes bleakly focused on the dark water below, as if it could grant him some sort of invisibility.
Another voice interrupted his death-wish.
“Ho there! What are you doing, Miss?” One of the guards must have spotted Selena. The gruff voice came from somewhere in the distance.
“Me? I was –Princess Camilla wanted me to check on the wyverns tonight! Is that a problem?”
Silence.
“…Right then. Sorry for, uh, interrupting.”
“Yeah well, I’m done now. So.”
Finally, Subaki heard footsteps descending back below deck.
At first, Subaki thought the slight swaying of his hammock had woken him up, but then he processed the impatient banging at his door. The scent of salt and fish hit him just as another volley of knocks rang out.
He could here Hana on the other side, amidst the backdrop of shuffling boots and other clamour. “Subaki if you don’t answer me in two seconds I’m busting open your door so gods help me if you sleep in the nude…!”
“I’m up.” The sea air seemed to have dried out his throat sometime between him crawling back to his room and whatever time it was now.
“What is wrong with you? You? Sleeping in?” He lit the oil lamp as she continued to berate him. “We’re pulling into the harbour like, now! So move it!”
With all the other clamour, he must have only imagined hearing her walk away. Even disoriented and exhausted, he was able to have himself ready and above deck with Tenba saddled before the last few stragglers of the army. He chastised himself at his almost-tardiness regardless. A disheartening pattern of misfortune was emerging.
He stood next to Hana and watched the approaching shore. He whispered so Sakura wouldn’t hear, “You’re not very nice.” He appraised the coolness of his voice. Perhaps he was subpar that morning, but no one else would be able to tell.
Hana whispered in return. “Oh yeah? Well at least I don’t pretend to be nice. That’s the worst.”
Fortunately (or unfortunately), Subaki had no more time for introspection – there were three armies waiting for them in the crumbling harbour town, one of which was invisible. Just to keep things interesting.
The battle rejuvenated his psyche, if not his body. No, his body definitely needed a break. The return to the astral plane was welcome.
After helping everyone unpack and clean up, he did his usual evening rounds, ending by making sure Sakura did not require him for anything. She was not suited to war, and even he felt ready to collapse on his bed. He didn’t, of course, instead tucking himself in in a civilized manner.
It was weird how quickly his room in the strange, other dimensional castle had began to feel like home. And after the night at sea, if felt like heaven. It still couldn’t compare to his futon back in Hoshido, but he’d come to terms with the fact it may be months before he could return to that.
Running through his mental checklist and ensuring there were no duties or tasks unfulfilled, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.
The atmosphere around camp was noticeably different starting the first morning back. Until then, it had been almost entirely Hoshidan citizens who’d joined Corrin. But the demographics had changed. Counting the wolfskin they picked up in the harbour town, there were four Nohrians, and many who were disquieted on the ship now had the opportunity to express their distaste in earnest. Oboro and Takumi, unsurprisingly, were quite open in their feelings, although Subaki wasn’t sure they knew how to hide their feelings in the first place. Rinkah was somehow surlier than ever. Even Hana, who was generally agreeable, mentioned casually during breakfast that they’d better all be sleeping with one eye open. Subaki had no particular love of Nohrians, but he had to point out that if they intended to kill them all, they had wasted two perfectly good opportunities. Both during the night on the ship and again when they had worked together in Cyrkensia to defeat their enemies.
While the others took the day to recuperate and complain, Subaki wasted no time getting back to his usual routine. There were few excuses for idleness, and he worried the negative aura surrounding the others was contagious. If the Hoshidans wanted to maintain the image of being morally superior to their neighbours, they were doing a piss-poor job.
After a long morning bath, his usual hair treatment routine, light breakfast and tea, 10km jog, jasmine-scented exfoliation cream, and practice at arms, he was feeling back to his marvelous self. Since Sakura was tied up in meetings, he decided to spend part of the afternoon engaging in his newest pastime. Duties were less formal at camp than they had been at Castle Shirasagi, which opened up opportunities for Subaki to excel at new things. Being brought up in a prominent family back home, farming was a foreign, alien task – and a worthy challenge.
Mozu had insisted when he first took up the task that the best farming happened when you got yourself dirty, but as Subaki left the cabbage patch that day, dusty and sweaty, he felt like a slob. He decided to master farming as quickly as possible and move on to other, cleaner, endeavours.
As he bent down to wipe away a chunk of mud that’d stuck itself to the top of his boot, he saw something sparkle in the corner of his eye. A ring? It was delicate thing, with a light pink crystal resting on a rose-gold band. He picked it up and examined it further, noting a few scuffs, as well as some beautiful vine-like engravings. Clearly this ring had seen a lot of wear. Someone must be missing it.
He hadn’t yet put it in his pocket for safekeeping when, further along the path, he saw a very distraught looking red-head, bumbling about in the tall grass near the ditch. A feeling of apprehension fell over him. He wasn’t avoiding Selena, per say, but he was decidedly not in a rush to speak with her again. As he got closer, he heard her talking to herself, clearly distressed.
“Where could it have gone? I know I dropped it somewhere around here…” She muttered something he couldn’t quite catch. “Oh gods, please let me find it.”
Hyper-aware of what was held delicately between his two fingers, it seemed fate wasn’t allowing him more than two days recovery. Fate was also kind enough to press the issue when he looked as though he’d just been splashing about in the mud. He forced himself forward.
Still distracted in her search, he had to pretend to clear his throat to get her to turn around, eyes still frantic. He held out the apparent treasure. “Hello there. Were you looking for this?”
Relief flooded her features as she took it, tenderly, from his fingers.
“Yes! Thank goodness! That’s my ring. What a relief.” The genuine smile stretched across her face disarmed him. He composed himself quickly.
“I’m glad I could assist you.”
Finally, a look of recognition and suspicion appeared as she wriggled the ring back on. It sat juxtaposed in it’s delicate beauty on her right ring finger.
“Your face looks familiar. Wait! Are you…”
“Yes?” He tried to ignore the flash of cold sweat that seemed to seep out of every pore. Maybe she had seen him barfing into the sea?
“You’re Hoshido’s supposedly perfect superhuman, Subaki! I’ve always been curious to put your legendary skills to the test.”
Her flattering (and true) statements were so unexpected he felt disoriented. “…What are you talking about?”
“Back when I lived in Nohr, I heard many tall tales about your feats. People said that the Hoshidan army had a pegasus knight of considerable skill. That his every movement was the very picture of effortless grace. Oh, and they said he was a first-rate gentleman and handsome to boot. A real prodigy in every regard.”
He proceeded with caution, as the praise didn’t match her tone, and the dirt under his nails didn’t match her description. “Heh. Yes, I can say without hesitation that they were referring to me.”
Something close to disappointment revealed itself for an instant, but he blinked and it was gone, a clearly unimpressed and now familiar scowl in its place. “Did I mention that they also said you were arrogant beyond measure? How could a brash man like yourself ever tame a pegasus? Generally, they only allow the most pure-hearted maidens to ride them.”
Ignoring her cutting remarks, he asked, “Whatever do you mean?” In Hoshido, men and women alike could ride pegasi. They could be temperamental, sure, but not sexist. Nohr didn’t breed many pegasi, preferring wyverns for work and war, but he knew their species was the same. Where could she have been from, with pegasi like that? “You must be talking about the breed of pegasi from your country...? They’re likely considerably different from ours.”
“Really? Is that true?” Her curiosity had a bit less bite to it now.
“They’re similar, I’m sure. An honest mistake. But the pegasi of Hoshido and falicorns of Nohr don’t mind men. They’ll let anyone ride them. I’m surprised you didn’t know that. It should be written in any basic manual for new recruits.”
Hands immediately went to her hips, standoffish. “Well how would I know that? I just got here recently. Why are you acting all high and mighty over something so trivial?”
Got… here?
“I wasn’t acting ‘high and mighty’. I was simply stating a fact.” This would have been a perfect time to bring up her little rendezvous with Tenba the other night, but he didn’t.
Bristling, she raised her fists as if about to brawl. “Whatever. Fight me, Subaki! I know I can take you down.”
He was at a loss. Was it rude to accept? Or to refuse? Although he got the impression she was as temperamental as her hypothetical pegasi, he didn’t particularly enjoy the thought of hitting her. Oboro would seethe with jealousy if she ever found out he got such an invitation.
Thankfully, Selena was bluffing. Reading people’s feints in battle wasn’t all that different from reading people’s intentions day-to-day. He could play along, then.
He raised his own fists. They probably looked like quite a pair of buffoons; knee-deep in the bush with him covered in mud and her with burrs and grass attached to her clothing, posed to fight like restless adolescents.
“Fight you? Ha! Certainly, if you insist. I’m happy to tussle whenever you’re ready. We can fight right this minute if you want.”
Fists went limp then were lowered. “N-no. I don’t feel like it today. But trust me; I’ll settle the score someday!” She pointed a finger threateningly under his chin.
He did love a challenge, if it came to that. “Fine. I’ll be looking forward to our duel.” He turned and walked coolly away, feeling like he’d come out victorious.
“Wait, hold on a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Wait… Umm… I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for finding my ring. Until next time, Subaki!” Without a trace of grace, she stomped away in the opposite direction.
What a strange girl.
Perhaps there were no winners this time.
After cleaning himself up, he continued with his routine. Training with Hana, afternoon meditation, kitchen duty, a light dinner, and finally a quiet book before bed.
Subaki found the castle in the astral plane unsettling. It was designed almost as a caricature of a castle; all the important castle parts were present, but seemed to lack the context of a functional structure. There was a moat and a drawbridge, although no enemies could enter the realm in the first place. There was a dungeon complete with cells but no prisoners. The castle was massive and multiple stories tall, but the majority of the space was unoccupied, with dozens of pointless and repetitive rooms scattered throughout. Most insulting of all perhaps, was although Corrin could build anything they pleased to their envisioned design, only the royals and their retainers were permitted inside the castle. Corrin didn’t seem like an arrogant individual, so the reasoning for this was beyond comprehension. And the pinnacle of these absurdities was that Corrin chose to live in a treehouse at the edge of camp. Often, Subaki felt his desire to impress whoever was in charge contradicted his general avoidance of people who seemed lacking in their logic or mental faculties.
The library, at least, was marvelous –almost ridiculously so. If he was honest with himself, he loved the idea of being “one who reads” more than the actual books themselves. Regardless, Subaki read books. When he opened the double doors that evening, Selena was one of the last people he expected to run into, yet there she was, standing on a short stool to reach the upper shelves.
She turned at the sound of the doors, pulling a book from the shelf as she did so.
“Subaki? Is that you…? I can’t recognize you without the mud.”
“I suppose I could make a joke about how I didn’t realize Nohrians could read, but thankfully I’m not petty. Besides, such a comment would fall flat considering you aren’t actually from Nohr.”
Alarm flashed across her eyes. Subaki wasn’t expecting that.
“What do you mean? I never told you –I never said that!”
“Look, I don’t have the energy to recite our entire earlier conversation so –”
“Wait!” She stood in front of him, arms spread from shelf to shelf, blocking him from going down the isle. “You don’t actually think…?”
He was irritated now, and losing the ability to hide it. “Does it matter?”
Her face said it did.
“Nohr, Nestra, the moon, I really don’t care –”
“You can’t tell anyone.”
He narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious.
“It’s nothing like that!” She lowered her arms, book still gripped tightly in her hand and glanced around, as if assessing if they were alone. They were. “I made a mistake, alright? You gonna give me hell for it? Huh? Well go ahead then!”
His mental gears whirred. He highly doubted she was a spy. Besides, Nohr had always been their primary enemy. If she wasn’t from Nohr, where could she possibly be from that was worse? Was she an assassin, then? Beruka was almost certainly an assassin herself… would Camilla bother importing another from a foreign country? She certainly didn’t look like an assassin. But perhaps that made her even deadlier?
He let the silence hang for a tense moment. He didn’t enjoy this unfair advantage he now had over her. Whatever she was, he hardly knew enough to bother sounding an alarm. Still, she had put him in an uncomfortable position. They had only been on the same side of the war for a little over two days, and although he considered himself less prejudiced than his companions, that was a far reach from trusting her. Truth be told, he couldn’t even say he liked her.
As it stood, the information was useless, and not backed up by anything substantial. Perhaps if he kept running into her like this, he could see if there was anything worth investigating.
“Fine. Your secret’s safe with me.”
She let out a breath. “Ah. Fantastic. Thank you, Subaki.”
He was receiving an unusual amount of thanks today. “That easy? Aren’t you worried I’m lying?”
“Ha –I know your type. A morally upstanding citizen like yourself? If you say you won’t tell I know you won’t.”
“… You know, I can’t help but feel the playing field isn’t quite equal anymore.”
“Oho? So you admit, we’re competing then? This doesn’t change anything –I’ll beat you anyways, just watch!”
Subaki scoffed.
“Oh, I get it. You’ll test your skills against literally anything that moves so long as it’s not from Nohr, is that it? I’m not blind –I notice how everyone seems to be avoiding us like we’re diseased.”
“Well, joke’s on us then, since you aren’t even from –”
“Shhhh!” In an instant she had closed the distance between them and had shoved her hand unceremoniously over his mouth. He waited until she removed it. For two uncomfortable seconds he tried to resist the tickling feeling in his throat… but then he allowed himself to chuckle.
“I’m morally upstanding, remember? I wouldn’t have actually –not that it matters, we’re the only two here.”
Understandably, Selena looked bemused. “Ok, ok, funny-guy Subaki. Ha ha. Just keep laughing at your own wit –giving me a heart attack!” When he managed to calm down, she continued. “So, what do you say to a reading challenge? I bet I can finish any of these books before you.”
He raised his brow. “You don’t strike me as a bookworm.”
“And you don’t strike me as a coward, Subaki, yet here you are, making excuses! You worried you’ve finally met your match?”
He could literally feel himself being roped into something ridiculous, but really, what reason did he have to refuse? Petty challenges were his guilty pleasure, after all.
He reached up and grabbed a copy of the same book Selena had taken earlier. “Fine.”