How long had Audric been making his way through the country side exactly? Days...weeks? It couldn't have been too long ever since he received that call he had intended to find out the truth of the matter. Maybe if he could get to one of the Nohrian Royals before things got out of hand, he could do something. Stop this matter from getting worse. Failing that maybe he could go to Hoshido, and get Ryoma to listen to him. How long had it been since he had talked to a Hoshidan for any length of time? Most of the people who came through Cyrkensia were Nohrian in origin. Regardless the young born noble could only hope that he could do something...anything! His guards had informed him that Hoshido had re-found their long lost prince. Rumor had it Hoshido had long since suspected Nohr of kidnapping the young prince Corrin.
 
Audric wipe sweat from his brow his dully colored hair a mess as the breeze swept through his hair. He had decided to make his way on foot for the remaining journey. He always was a better fighter on his own two feet. Maybe that had been a mistake but he didn't want to hamper himself. Daywalker hung from his belt gleaming in the afternoon sun. His brother was probably worried sick and undoubtedly angry at the young Nestrian's sudden act of running off. Nolan always was more sensible about things. Audric...Audric preferred to pursue action immediately. He didn't immediately go to violence as his salvation but he was more than ready to use it. Maybe just maybe he could intervene before something went wrong.
 
Samanthia...she'd kill him for abandoning her back at the border no doubt she probably was a mess right now. He'd have to apologize to his retainer for not bringing her along. She was a competent fighter but her lack of....grace may have slowed him down. Besides Sky Knights aren't something he remembered being stealthy enough to escape notice if the situation called for it. At worse someone would think him a glorified bandit. Anyone stupid enough to challenge him would be felled by his axe otherwise. He had to stop the war from breaking out it would cause so much suffering.
 
The young noble came to a sudden halt as he leaned against a tree collapsing to his knees breathing in and out deeply as he shook his head. "[color=00aeef]Gotta keep going...got to...get....got to get them to stop.[/color]" Audric breathed in deeply as he quickly went to his side and grabbed his canteen and drink from it greedily. "[color=00aeef]I can do it...I have to try at the very least. If I don't then...then...no don't think about that keep going![/color]" Audric said to himself as he leaned himself up against the tree steadying himself. He didn't want to fail...failure in this moment effected more than him. Some nobles wouldn't care...some nobles in Nestra would sit back and let this happen. What did a neutral country risk at trying to stop this insanity. He had only caught wind of the capture of Corrin due to the mere fact that he had met a merchant on the way here telling him that a man in Nohrian finery was in Hoshido. Let alone the mess that had happened a couple days earlier. Why...why had Lady Mikoto...damn it! He never met the woman...but he knew her as a passionate and beloved lady of Hoshido. Then why....why did she have to die at a time like this!? 
 
Audric kept running. He kept running because he knew he had no choice in the matter. He ran because his heart demanded it. He ran and ran but he didn't know if it would pay off in the end.
 
====
 
The time span had been short a week and a half since Corrin had gone missing. Nohr had marshaled their forces under the command of Prince Xander of Nohr. Corrin the young Prince had reappeared in Hoshido...with disastrous results. Between the apparent capture of the young Nohrian/Hoshidan Prince and the border incident causing relations to tumble into a black abyss at the Bottomless Canyon. The Nohrian Army had set out on a march towards Hoshido and were approaching a river crossing near the border between the two nations. 
 
Corrin the fated brother of both families is unaware of this but his presence will make all the difference soon enough. Ryoma had set out with a small army of his own Hoshidan forces leaving behind his retainers and allies. His intentions are to destroy Xander's men before they get near Hoshido. The dull orange sun in the sky flutters around as fate makes it's inevitable move towards the end of the feud between the Sun Born Kingdom and the Sacred Kingdom of Darkness. 
 
However...fate itself seems to be unwinding as things rush towards an unsatisfactory ending for all parties about to be involved in this conflict. Hoshidan...Nohrian....all will feel the sting of the branch of destiny that is about to break.