After falling under a writer block for some time, I managed to write this chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it!

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My every dark sides

Chapter 5

Camilla couldn't wait to get out of the castle grounds for her hunt with Keaton. They were mostly inseparable lately, but her obligations to the others had made it hard to see him outside of battle or their shared quarters. Their room was an expanding cluster of "treasure" Keaton kept gathering. She'd hid them all over the castle for good measures, pretending it was a simple game. But the wolfman had to understand bat's corpses had nothing to do near his wife. He was so endearing the rest of the time, she couldn't exactly be mad at him.

Right now, she was simply excited to go out on a hunt with him. He was very peculiar about who to let in on his hunts in the mountain. If anything, she was the first one he'd let accompany him, not matter how much Peri complained about wanting to kill some stuff too.

"There's something I've been meaning to do with you for a while now. I hope you'll like it," Keaton kept telling her, while refusing to get any clearer as to what he had in mind.

Since his tail was wagging madly, Camilla had a few suspicions.

"Give me a clue, my dear," she asked, poking him in the side playfully.

"Nuh-huh, although you have to promise you won't get scared."

That sounded ominous, even to her, but Camilla offered him her most wicked smile.

"I don't scare easy, wolfman," she whispered to him.

She was surprised when he objected to the use of a horse. Not bringing her wyvern sounded alright, but they both knew she couldn't keep up with Keaton when he shifted into his full beast form. Which he always did when he went hunting. It was common knowledge for everyone in their little army.

At first, their trek was like a stroll. They held hands and talked about all sorts of things. Camilla found herself laughing with him, feeling a bit better despite Xander's recent poisoning and how she constantly worried about Corrin. Keaton was just enough to take all the bad things away.

It was nearly too soon when they came into view of his favorite hunting grounds and had to cut their chatter as his hunting senses came awake. His eyes shone a deep crimson and he soon halted, tugging on Camilla's arm to bring her closer to him.

"We need to get much, much deeper into these woods if we want to get good preys. So, here's my surprise for you. How about a ride on my back?"

His wife blinked once and twice before finding her voice again:

"You mean… Your wolf form's back?"

"Yup. I can carry you just fine and we'll be able to run faster than you can imagine."

The idea was more interesting than she'd thought.

"I guess I have enough experience riding a wyvern not to fall off."

Keaton's eyes glinted with something predatory in them, catching her off guard.

"Maybe we should have practiced before. I can give you a quick test ride. But then I'd be too distracted by you to even focus on the hunting."

She pushed away his playful hands, forcing herself not to blush at the clear underlying meaning to his words. A direct Keaton was still new to her, but he'd grown more bashful over the weeks. And Camilla wasn't ashamed of the fact she liked it. Quite a lot too.

"Careful, Keat, I can see your tail wagging," she warned.

"I'm just really excited of sharing my first hunt with my mate," he declared, his smile innocent again.

"Wife," she corrected as he shuffled closer to her.

"Mate," he insisted, arms wrapping around her. "And mine."

"Now I'm about to be distracted," she teased, her hand reaching up to cup his jaw.

The kiss came naturally, starting out soft and blooming into frenzied passion that left them both panting.

"I don't think this is quite prudent," Keaton warned her.

"What? Kissing your wife?" she asked.

"Out in the open, when I'm itching for a prey. I want to dig my fangs into something."

"Then why don't you shift and take me deeper into the forest so we can find you a prey?"

"Won't you ever be scared around me?"

"You should have learned by now, Keaton."

He gave her a brief kiss, careful of minding his teeth and started shifting right as they parted. Finding the right way to sit on his back wasn't as easy as she'd expected, but Camilla climbed on, finding her balance and holding on to his fur.

"Don't be afraid to pull too hard," he told her. "I don't want you falling."

He nearly leaped into the air and Camilla barely held back her surprised scream. He moved with grace and purpose, never running in a straight line. She could feel his muscles tensing and stretching beneath her thighs and the sensation made her wonder just how exciting riding him could be if she was to accept his earlier offer. She felt like a rookie when it came to her married life, but she was happy to learn. As the wind hit her face, she felt more alive then ever, knowing his heart was beating just as fast as hers.

…

"You are marrying Peri? After all the harsh words for Camilla's union and…!"

"Leo, please."

Elise was having a hard time refraining herself from smiling.

"Did you consider the fact she would be a terrible queen for Norh?" Camilla observed.

"Merely eccentric. And I know I can keep her in check."

"Of all the girls in camp, why her? She didn't threaten you, did she?" Corrin asked warily.

"Just the other day you were all insisting on me being honest with myself!" Xander protested.

"It's an important decision big brother, we can't let you take it lightly." Elise said, using his own words against him.

At that point, Xander realized what this was all about. His brother and sisters were making sure he wouldn't repeat the same mistakes with either of them. He had been hard on Camilla. Half a smirk showed on his face.

"Would you stop messing with me? Peri has been through a lot already and I won't let her feel aggravated by this little farce. I… I love her and won't deny myself anymore. Life is too short to spend it in misery."

Elise brought him into a hug at that, effectively interrupting their dispute.

"I'm so happy for you Xander!"

Leo couldn't help but approve his brother words and felt Corrin's eyes on him.

"Dear brother, I think you should have a good talk with Azura and make sure she's not left out. If Xander is true to himself, you shouldn't be afraid to come out and say that you two are together."

"Corrin, please…!"

Leo blushed furiously despite the soft smile on his face.

That had been what Xander had hoped to see happen with his brother and sisters. But he hadn't been counting on a visit from Iago himself on the morning he wished to impart the news of his engagement with Peri, the man-slayer. The shady man had barged in the premises unannounced, finding the castle with apparent ease.

Arthur had been the one keeping guard with Felicia at the time, but in an unprecedented set of circumstances, the man had tripped on his own feet, been knocked out by the maid trying to help him back up, and dragged off by Camilla's wyvern. By the time Camilla and Felicia had found him, Iago was sitting by the fountain. He simply watched over Peri and Mozu as they worked on the weekly army's laundry. Both ladies were weirded out by the smile plastered on his face and the staring, but they expressed it in very different ways. Peri's lance arm was itching, and she bumped the counsellor into the foaming water. Which explained why Xander had now to deal with a very pissed off Iago.

"I wanted to check on you all, your father has been worried sick about lady Corrin and the advances of her army. Not to mention… Words have reached the capital that lady Camilla is not single anymore. Is any of that true?"

Corrin was currently sparring with Beruka, Selena and Elise, which put Xander more or less in charge. Leo was supervising the building of a new store, since the last one had been hit by lightning. Arthur had been working in that store that day, of course…

"I don't see how that really changes the advances of our army," the crown prince observed. "Why are you really here?"

Iago's smile darkened and Xander mentally chided himself for being too direct. Camilla should have been the one to decide whether she wanted to confirm the rumors about her wedding. Although he knew she couldn't care less about the advice of their father. Hell, he was mentally prepared to put Peri on the throne if that meant he could spent the rest of his days with her. Not that she was any worse than Garon could ever be…

"I merely came as an observer," Iago assured him. "And I can say, I'm quite worried to see such casual relationship between soldiers and nobility appear. To think any of our princesses would marry a non-human too. But you are all awfully young to be out here on your own. Do you mind if I go over the camp for today, talk a bit with everyone?"

"I am not the one in charge here. Until lady Corrin has given you her permission, I'd rather you stay in the mess hall. Jakob can attend to your needs in the meantime."

"Most gracious of you, my lord."

It didn't take long for Iago to vanish out of the butler's sight and get down to business. By lunchtime, he graced Corrin with a brief visit, congratulating her for the way she kept her soldiers' moral strong and unflinching. He took his leave, only for every member of the army to report nasty rumors to their main tactician. Corrin was overwhelmed, until one particular hearsay picked her interest.

"Peri has cursed prince Xander! He's agreed to marry her apparently, but that's only because he's entranced. Who would want anything to do with such a psycho? Even I am more under control, and I nearly punched my Benny this morning," Charlotte explained to the princess.

Corrin would argue that Charlotte's short temper was only rivaled by Peri's murderous intents, but sadly, the rumors hadn't only reach her ears.

Peri had also heard and received even more weird glances than usual, which first angered her. But it slowly made her worry that her budding dream with Xander was going to vanish like the parallel realms on a rainy day. The best way to dissipate the misunderstanding was to talk with her fiancé, and she set out to do just that. Finding someone in their camp could prove difficult. She ran past the cemetery, which was still thankfully empty… Lilith was their only loss so far. She walked past Arthur and Effie, ignoring their discussion on probabilities and bad luck, which was a recurring theme for the couple.

She evaded Niles and Mozu who were fighting about something regarding a dirty joke, only to hit Benny square in the chest.

"Big guy, what are you doing standing there in the middle of nowhere…?!"

Benny looked down, lost in thought, his eyes dark and expression grimmer than ever. Peri had to fight her instinct to back up and tapped him on the shoulder, missing her lance even more. She truly needed to kill something before the end of the day, otherwise her nerves wouldn't take it.

"What's… wrong… with… you?" she asked, punctuating each word with a slap on his armored shoulders, alternating between left and right.

Benny took a step back, blinking away his stupor.

"Sorry. I was in a daze…"

Peri insisted for a clearer answer, growing threatening enough to make him quiver slightly as he explained:

"That… that man told me Charlotte's baby was bound to have my ugly face…"

The young retainer rolled her head to the side, shocked by the very notion. Was that how heredi… hereda… Darn, complicated words!

"Is that how it works?! Shouldn't the baby look averagely good? Charlotte is so pretty."

Benny might be the only one around camp not to take offense as she didn't defend his features. Nyx was passing by them, on her way from the barracks to the library and rolled her eyes at their petty questioning.

"I don't know. Laslow said babies usually look more like their father. I don't think Charlotte will like it much…"

"Charlotte loves you, doesn't she? Then she must like your face too," Peri declared.

Benny seemed taken aback, but nodded nevertheless and the young lancer could hurry on her way, still intent on finding something to kill quite soon, but not before she'd talked with her prince. She spotted Xander's blond head by the training grounds, but before she could get in hearing distance, she saw his brother and sisters gathering around him. And with her next step, she heard the one thing she'd feared more than any traumatic memories since Xander had voiced his intention of marrying her.

"Peri?! You can't possibly marry that girl. She's a killing machine!" Leo warned his elder brother.

She could only see one-half of Xander's face, but he appeared conflicted. An emotion she didn't like to experience herself and that shouldn't be on his features. Unless he was having second thoughts about his confession last night? Who wouldn't have second thoughts? When she acted cute, people usually backed away slowly, with their hands held out. Felicia would break more stuff whenever she was around, and Felicia never broke things because she wanted too. The girl didn't know how to express her anger, really.

"She's a good soldier, I'll give you that Xander," Corrin started. "But as future queen… Won't she mindlessly kill every servant that makes a mistake around the castle?"

Peri felt a strange mix of sadness and anger bursting inside of her chest. What was so wrong with killing people? Was it wrong for her to be loved, when everyone else around camp had a right to marry and even start a family? Her father was still alive, but he never gave her the time of the day and she could count on one hand the friends she'd kept over the years. Outside of Laslow and Xander, she wasn't sure what the others thought of her. But it seemed to be darker than she'd assumed. She would normally block it out or go down in some village and find anything similar to her mother's murderer to let out the bad feelings. But if it was wrong in the eyes of Xander's siblings, it wouldn't help her case at all. She turned on her heels and took off at the quickest pace she could without breaking into a run.

Elise caught a glimpse of blue hair and gasped at the sight, wondering if the concerned lady hadn't heard their conversation. Xander followed her eyes and swore under his breath.

"When I was ill, you led her to believe she nearly drove me to my death and now you're…"

Corrin hardened her face, standing her ground.

"Leo and I aren't trying to hurt Peri. We're just stating the truth. While Keaton is a bit wild, he wouldn't hurt a fly unless threatened. Peri will swing her lance around for a single bug!"

"She's never hurt anyone in our ranks, not even during a training session. She's…"

Xander had little argument in Peri's favor outside of his feelings for her. She was rash, but she usually listened to reason. She was intense, but that was only to defend herself from what she'd been through. P for pulverize, E for eviscerate, R for ruin, I for impale. For some reason, he hadn't been scared the first time she'd presented herself like that. On the contrary, he'd been intrigued. How could a girl so small, with such a sweet face could be called a mindless killer? It made no sense to him, and he knew there was more than meet the eyes when it came to her.

"I love her. She's crazy and ruthless, and I just love her," he admitted.

Elise uncrossed her arms and sighed.

"If you're this certain, I don't see a point to question your decision. Father won't be happy, but I doubt he'd approve of Kaze. Or even Azura."

Leo grumbled, a light blush coming to his cheeks.

"He would most certainly try to get to her through me. That might be the first time I prove useful to him," the younger prince mumbled.

Corrin protested angrily at that, knowing how hard on himself Leo could be.

"Go find Peri, Xander. We'll talk things out later, when we're not as pumped up. All these nasty rumors brought a strange feeling to our camp," Camilla observed.

The crown prince didn't have to be begged. His strides were long and purposeful, but a scream warned him that he might be too late. A minute later, one bawling Peri rode her horse past him at thundering speed and Xander had to dive to the side to dodge a bolt of lightning casted by one enraged Nyx. Laslow ran up to him, out of breath and sporting a magnificent bruise on his left cheekbone.

"What the hell happened?" Xander asked.

"Peri said she was going to cook something, but Jakob… was already in the kitchen and their argument turned into… a fight? She was in tears when she barged in the stables and Nyx was threatening her on the way out," Laslow explained, clearly out of breath. "I tried to calm her down, but she… well you can already tell, right?"

Xander's first reaction was to call for his horse and rush after her, but Jakob didn't sport a simple bruise. He was holding his side, bleeding copiously and looking paler than ever as Nyx tried to patch him up with a vulnerary. One disheveled Felicia was using her staff on him, the healing light slowly knitting the skin back together. Peri had done this. Was it out of anger, or fear? He couldn't imagine Peri feeling threatened enough by the butler… Unless he'd reminded him of her mother's murderer. But wouldn't such a problem appear before? It had to be Leo's vehement protest about them. She'd heard and panicked. There wasn't much he could do for Jakob, so he collected his horse and ordered Laslow to explain the situation to Corrin in his stead. Peri couldn't have gotten too far yet. Or so he thought.

…

Corrin waited to make sure her butler and friend Jakob was alright before to worry about the culprit of his heavy wounds. From what Jakob had said, the girl had been enraged and also scared. From what the young princess had gathered, Peri's feelings for her brother were genuine. And like any young girl, she was terrified at the idea of losing her one true love.

"We need to track them. Who's our best tracker?"

"Keaton, of course," Camilla instantly replied. "We just need something that belonged to her, don't we?"

Keaton lowered his ears as the general attention turned to him.

"Well, I might be able to find them, but they're on horse. We must hurry before the trail goes cold."

It seemed clear that cavalier soldier would be their best option if they want to catch up with Xander quickly enough. Camilla, Leo and Elise all insisted on coming, feeling bad for the ordeal they put their older brother through. Silas and Laslow both offered to come, Laslow climbing on Leo's mount while Elise shared the saddle with Camilla. Corrin was with Silas, as was becoming the usual. She sat in front of him, unable to determine what she was more worried about. The fact Peri had attacked one of their own, or whether or not Peri had acted this way because of her own reaction to the news of Xander's decision.

She wanted nothing more than for her brother to be happy. But with the example of Garon so strong in their minds, who could blame her sibling and herself for reacting this strongly against the match? Corrin thought back on the time when Peri had been saddened by how everyone threw weird looks her way. And her wide smile whenever she was the one taking cooking duty and receiving genuine compliments for the delicious meal.

I knew Xander loved her, but why couldn't I be ready when he finally acted out on it?

Had it been some sort of jealousy deep down? Seeing all her siblings pairing off with people. How Camilla barely gave her any of her time anymore, off on her little cloud. Was she afraid of losing them again, like she did every time her castle's doors closed on their retreating form?

"Lady Corrin?" Silas asked her, keeping his voice down.

Snapping back to reality, Corrin realized everyone was waiting on her to give the signal for their departure.

"Selena, Odin, I'm counting on you to be in charge during our absence. Let's go!"

In a stampede of hooves and with Camilla's wyvern following above their head, they ventured out of the castle, rushing after Keaton in his wolf form. Xander had half an hour of advance, but his stallion was no pushover and it was hard for them all to keep up with their designated tracker. But they wouldn't give up on their teammates after everything they had been through together. On the way, Laslow repeated how Peri would have never done this in normal circumstances. She knew better. It was hard to tell what that retainer could do if she was stressed out or afraid.

Jakob had been hurt. And Peri must have been terrified when she realized what she had done as she let herself be blinded by rage.

Corrin wondered if she wasn't the one at fault.

To be continued…

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While not entirely satisfied with this chapter, I do know it will permit me to get this story somewhere after my small writer block. Fluff and hurt/comfort should appear in the following chapter, which I hope to bring out sooner than this one. Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to read this story!