Leo looked down at the page in his hand. It was the last village on the list. He had done his rounds in Nohr the past two months. With the growing season on the horizon, he couldn’t slack. Granted, he could already feel his head blazing and his vision spun a bit. Using divine magic was never easy, let alone for weeks on end with hard travel through the dangerous countryside.

  Aylenan stomped her hoof and he dismounted. Several farmers were already tilling the fields, but they approached. “Prince Leo!” An older man approached, a wide-brimmed hat flopping over his eyes. Not that it was really needed in Nohr… The sun rarely ever poked through the clouds. Even after two months outside, Leon remained as ghostly as if he’d been locked up in Castle Krackenburg. “You here to help?”

  “Yes sir. Tell me what challenges did you face last year? Maybe I can help with those issues.” Things had been pretty hard last year and a lot of people starved. It didn’t help that the war had restarted earlier than it should have the previous year… King Garon had called him back from his usual farmer pilgrimage. He was the only person that could help Nohr’s farmers. Brynhilder was a powerful tome that only he could wield.

  A question and answer session ensued with Leo hearing all of the farmers’ concerns. It would be a massive use of power here. He really shouldn't do what he was about it. René and Elise were going to kill him. He had already overdone it massively. He should have returned to Castle Krackenburg for treatment weeks ago, but he couldn’t leave the farmers. They needed Brynhildr’s magic for their crops…

  After the session, Leo coughed, his throat aflame with the pain of ten thousand needles. René dismounted and handed Leo the waterskin. The medicinal concoction was disgusting, but it was the only thing that helped at all. Speaking always hurt, but it always felt like someone has poured liquid napalm down his throat after speaking too long.

  He exchanged the waterskin for his violin, then tuned it. Before too long, the divine magic he had memorised flowed from it. The tunes were jovial and the farmers danced in time with them, hooting and hollering. Leo did feel himself starting to weaken from the divine magic, but he refused to buckle. The farmers needed his help. He wouldn’t let thousands starve again. Why did King Garon have no regard for the lives of those who offered them stability and food? It was disgusting.

  After about half an hour of playing, he walked back over to the men and bowed gracefully. “There you go, men. Your fields should produce bountiful yields this year.” He was glad. So many had starved last year that it was disturbing. He hadn’t been able to complete helping the serfs last year. Thankfully, Garon hadn’t been stupid enough to start the war again while snow remaine on the ground. The man really had no regard for anybody’s lives. He was one of the most reviled Nohrian kings in centuries…

  “Thank ya kindly, Prince Leo. We wouldn’t be able to do much without ya. Would ya like to stay for a small dinner? It won’t be much but…”

  Leo shook his head. “Save your food for yourselves. I’ll be fine.” Truth was he’d burned through a lot of energy doing that, but he couldn’t take from the serfs. They struggled enough as was. Taking even one meal might mean the difference between eating and not eating one day. He really could not do that to them.

  “I’ll be on my way, gentlemen.” He didn’t make his way to Aylenan but René and his mount. The fever was already getting worse and he wouldn’t be able to stay mounted by himself. He settled in front of his white-haired retainer and closed his eyes. He hated putting undue stress on the poor horses, but he couldn’t stay mounted by himself after that.

  René rested his hand on Leo’s side and tapped against him. Princess Elise isn’t going to be happy about this. You’ve really overdone it this time, Leo. The rhythmic sign language bled into his consciousness, but it was one of the last things in his awareness before everything turned dark.

  ☆

  For the next block of time, all Leo could remember was the rhythmic sound of hooves and a blur of color as the miles of countryside passed by. His fever refused to break and he could feel his entire body burning as they made their way back to Krackenburg. How long he was like that, he wasn't really aware. It felt like an eternity yet no time at all.

  Eventually, he felt familiar arms around him and he saw a blur of purple enter his vision.

  "Leo!"

  It was Camilla's voice. Oh, she wasn't going to be too happy with him once she realised how hard that he'd pushed himself. But he'd need to. He needed to make sure that the people of Nohr didn't suffer another famine on the scale of the one that had happened the previous year. He was the only one that could prevent it. Brynhildr was the only thing standing between Nohr and absolute collapse. He'd traveled hard since January in order to fulfill the needs of the people in the coming months for when they sowed their crops. He couldn't leave them to suffer yet another massive catastrophe. He was just thankful that Garon hadn't called him back early like last year... The war would begin again in earnest in a short time... He knew it, so he had little choice but to come back despite wanting to still help the farmers.

  More time blurred together and he eventually opened his eyes. He saw Camilla sitting there, pressing a washcloth to his head. "Leo, can you hear me?" He gave a weak nod and she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank the gods... I'm so glad... René was beside himself when he brought you back. It's been three weeks since you arrived back." He wasn't too surprised sadly. He had really overdone it but he couldn't leave the people to suffer. He was the only one that could help. If Queen Katerina or even his mother was still alive, then maybe... Maybe Mother could have gotten the divine weapons to work. She knew so much about them. Why had they not worked for her though...? She was connected to them somehow…

  He weakly reached out a hand to Camilla and she rested hers in his. Sorry. The tapping was weak, but he managed to get it out. He did feel bad that he'd forced her to once again care for him and his ailing body. He couldn't go long without fevers and sickness of some sort. Talking left his throat aflame with napalm and had to rely on Nohrian Coded Sign Language to communicate. But it really was hard... Outside of his siblings, nobody understood it as far as he knew... It was the only way he could communicate when so devastated.

  "I would scold you, but I suspect you already know how upset I am with you and what you've done." Camilla sighed and kissed his head, running her fingers through his hair. She bore so much. She bore *too* much. She was the one that had to keep the siblings together and care for all of them. She really had no other choice. Mother had pulled the four of them together especially following Queen Katerina's death so that way they could hopefully protect themselves. But once Mother had been executed for killing the concubine that had sexually abused Leo, it had all fallen to Camilla. She didn't deserve this, but it was the only way they could survive. They were the only remaining children…

  He gave a weak nod and tapped out yeah in response. He knew she was upset with him. He could only imagine how Elise had to feel. He always came back fevered following his little pilgrimage but this was probably the worst he'd been in several years. But if he didn't, they would have another famine. So many would die. If it was his health versus the health of the nation, he would sacrifice himself each and every time. In the grand scheme of things, he didn't matter... He really didn't. Brynhildr would find another person to wield it. That could be passed on. But Nohr couldn't be allowed to perish... He really didn't care if he perished or not…

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  A soft knock came on the door and Leo turned his head to look. "Come in," Camilla said. The door opened slowly and quietly, revealing Xander to stand there with his violin case. Leo cracked a small smile despite himself. It'd been too long since he'd last seen Xander...or any of his siblings really. He had missed all of them, but Xander especially. His older brother was so gentle and kind, practically silent. But he let music talk for him which was fine by Leo. People could be so cruel sometimes…

  Xander sat on the edge of the bed and his hand took the place of Camilla's. Would you like me to play for you? The violin case sat on his lap. Leo nodded weakly. He wouldn't mind a performance. It'd been far too long since he'd heard Xander play... Probably close to three and a half months. He wasn't sure what month it was now, but it had to be closing in on the end of April now... It had been the middle of March when he'd been ending his travels with René.

  Xander stood up and took his violin out of the case, then began to play soft songs. Leo didn't recognise most of them, but they no doubt came from Katerina's conservatory, at least before the late queen had died. Xander really was quite the musical prodigy. He had memorised so many songs that Leo hadn't even seen from the queen's impressive collection. This one felt soft, kind, and warm... Probably some sort of song with its origins in Hoshido but the queen had put it into more Nohrian tastes. Leo didn't mind the Hoshidan songs, though they did fill him with longing... What must it be like to have bountiful fields overflowing with all sorts of crops? He did bear envy for Hoshido's lands, but not to the point of wanting to conquer... He simply wished Nohr could be so bountiful as well. The only way they could stay afloat was Brynhildr…

  Once again, Leo found himself drifting in and out of consciousness for the next several days. He was aware of Camilla helping him with eating and constantly caring for him. Sometimes he woke to Xander playing soft songs that touched him with grief or longing, simply wishing Nohr was in better shape than it currently was. But with the perpetual gloom and dusk, there wasn't uch that could be done. All he could do was help the land yearly even though that wasn't entirely feasible.

  But, eventually, he found the fever had broke and he sat up. Instead of Camilla, it was Elise that was draped over his bed. He wasn't sure what time of day it was for his room didn't have a window. He placed a hand on Elise's head and she roused, looking up at him. "Are you feeling any better, Leo? Your eyes are a lot brighter than they have been since you arrived."

  He nodded and took her hand. I feel a lot better. I think my fever's broken. He felt like he could *actually* do something now. He really shouldn't be out of bed, but depending on what time of year it was... Once May hit, then it meant back to war. What day is it? He had completely lost track of time since collapsing in the village. Time really had no meaning to him right now. Everything felt foggy and like it hadn't even happened.

  "It's April 24th. You woke up just in time because we'll be heading out May 8th." Elise frowned as did Leo. Garon would've forced him at least behind the battle lines even if he'd still been fevered and unresponsive.

  Leo sighed. This really sucked. He had only a few days to gather all of his things for war and catch up on what the Hoshidans had been doing. "Are the Hoshidans out on the battle lines yet?" He really needed to get up to speed on things before they left. Things would already be starting to warm up in Hoshido quite a bit, so he would have to face back their forces quicker than he would've liked. And it'd take him a few weeks to arrive on the front lines... He was basically Nohr's tactician so this was going to be rough. They were really pushing it for the war to begin... Normally things started in mid April.

  "Quite a bit... René has been handling the affairs in your stead as he normally does." René was the best retainer a person could ask for. He had learned basically all of Leo's rhythms inside and out. He might not have been the sort of tactician Leo was, but he knew things well enough that he could handle it. "Plus, I've been helping him too. Hoshido has made moves, and I've been keeping abreast of them as best I can."

  "Thanks, Elise." He patted her head. He knew it wasn't easy for her to see lives taken in any shape, way, or form, but she was used to seeing people die. She was a healer. It came with the territory especially with as constant as the war between Nohr and Hoshido was. He would take over that though... "Could you start catching me up on what's been happening?" Elise did leave the room for a bit, but she came back with a bag full of maps and correspondences. He started to go through them with her, absorbing all the information as best he could. Elise really was astounding. She could do so much. She was gifted in almost anything she touched. He knew she didn't like doing tactical things, but in cases like this, it was a life saver. She could be a back-up tactician when he was out of commission due to stress or other factors. Camilla wasn't a bad commander either, but she just didn't have the same finesse that Elise did.

  However, he did find himself fatigued after a while and his eyelids started to droop. He yawned and Elise squeezed his shoulder. "I'll be here for you after you wake up, okay? We can keep catching up then." He nodded and closed his eyes. He was so glad that Elise was so understanding... He really did need to get caught up on the war effort, but it was hard when he was still so fatigued. His fever may have broken, but that didn't mean that he was going to be up and ready to get back at handling the world in full.

  ☆

  Several days passed and Leo found himself able to get back to normal functioning. He spent a fair bit of time catching up on things with Elise over the war effort and the same with René. They were both apt tacticians, but he could see some glaring errors that they'd made which had forced the lines back to an area he wasn't comfortable with. Honestly, he was going to be leaving earlier than anybody else. He needed to get out to the front lines sooner rather than later. Soldiers were dying out there without him acting as active tactician. He simply couldn't bear to see his men dying like that... How were they doing without him? He knew all of his men by name, face, and a lot of other factors. They probably weren't doing well without him.

  "Prince Leo." He heard Marius' voice and the blond mage came in. He had a pack with him. He walked over and placed a hand on Leo's forehead. "Your fever has definitely cooled but are you sure you're ready to go back to the battlefield? It feels like you're still a bit weak..." Marius frowned. The man had hounded him about his health since he'd entered Leo's service. He really didn't know much about the mysterious retainer or his friends as they all bore strange accents that weren't from any of the nations in or around Nohr or Hoshido…

  "I really don't have much choice unfortunately." He really didn't. He still did feel a little weak, but he'd be horribly tortured if he refused to move out with his siblings. He'd really rather not go through another sessions of lashings or magical torture of some sort. Garon's methods were bad enough, but when he was angry, it was even worse. He was healthy enough to move about and such, so not mobilising with the army when ordered to would only result in severe punishment. Not even René or Marius would be able to take it in a case like this…

  Marius sighed and got in her his bag and pulled out a waterskin. "René told me to give this to you right now." Typical René. He understood that he was weak and such, but it didn't mean that it made it any easier. He was as fine as he possibly could be for this point in time. He really didn't need any more medication... But he took it and slowly drank the vile concoction. It was to help reinvigorate him and he could definitely use it. He just... He appreciated it, but it was so frustrating to be treated like a babe that couldn't handle anything. His health was delicate but it wasn't so bad he was completely incapable of functioning for the moment.

  "There, I drank it." He really wished that he could not have to take that vile series of concoctions. But they really did help him feel better. It was just so hard to balance what made his retainer happy as well as his actual health. He couldn't exactly be mad at Marius since he was just the messenger. He had learned a *long* time ago to not shoot the messenger... If he wanted to take it out on anybody, it would have to be René, but... The man was loyal and just trying to watch out for him. Could he really be angry at somebody for simply trying to make sure he was healthy?

  "All right. We'll be heading out soon enough, so try to take it easy the next few days, all right? I know Princess Elise won't be too happy if she knows you've been pushing yourself." Leo sighed. Yeah, Elise really wouldn't be happy if he fell ill again. Garon would still ship him out if he was sick. But he really was taking it easy... He was just catching up on what had been shown to him and what he hadn't been able to be shown while in bed. He just needed to make sure that all of his soldiers were cared for…

  "I will." He knew they were simply caring and looking out for him, but it felt so overbearing at times... It was so frustrating to always be treated like he would break at any given moment. He hadn't broken despite Garon's horrific treatment of him... Scars criss crossed his body, just like those of his siblings and retainers. Garon was an awful man that needed to be taken down... But Xander was too weak and Camilla didn't have the gall to do it because it would endanger her siblings... Hopefully they would find a way to bring him down in due time...