Chapter Text
Sunlight pours into the open windows, which had iridescent sea shells in place of glass, illuminating the hallway with shafts of light. Edelgard's heels click loudly against the polished wooden floor in contrast to Petra's muffled footsteps. They had just come from a meeting as the Emperor of Adrestia and the Queen of Brigid, discussing how their relations will proceed now that the latter's country gained its independence.
"So I was looking for Dedue all over the monastery, and had founding… found him in the greenhouse," Petra says.
Now that the meeting was over, they were nothing more than friends.
"Then I was telling him, 'Garreg Mach has had much changing since I was last here, but this place has really grown! '" Her voice got increasingly higher towards the end of the sentence and she dissolves into a fit of laughter.
It was a horrendous joke, but her mirth was infectious and Edelgard finds herself chuckling. "You're as bad as the professor."
"And by 'bad,' you mean 'good," Petra says confidently, "such is the humor of Fódlan."
"Debatable."
Most of their attendants had left to give them privacy, save for Hubert, Edelgard’s ever dutiful shadow and a close friend to the both of them. They exit the palace and step onto a terrace overlooking the shore. A cool, salty breeze tugs at the strands of Edelgard’s hair that weren’t done up in a bun. There seems to be something else in the wind. A voice?
“There is still much time before you have to leave, yes?” Petra asks, heading to a staircase at the side that led to the beach below. “You simply must go swimming with me! A trip to Brigid cannot have completeness without ocean swimming.”
“I’d hate to disappoint, but I won’t be swimming today.” Or ever, really. Nonetheless, she follows her to the beach, the sun beating down on them as they leave the shade of the palace.
“If it is because of your ocean fear, you need not worry, we can stay where the water is shallow, and I can rescue you, if you are drowning.” Petra glances at Hubert, “Will you be swimming?”
“I’m afraid not,” he says, “my attire is hardly appropriate for swimming.”
Petra tilts her head at his black cape and jacket, not seeing the issue. “If clothing is a problem, then just be leaving it on the sand.”
“No.”
“Swimming is a skill of survival!” Petra exclaims, “surely you see the need for it. Besides, the ocean has much beauty that cannot be seen from its surface.”
“There’ll be no need for swimming if we never get in the water,” Hubert says dryly.
Petra looks crestfallen, so Edelgard finds a compromise. “Perhaps we can see the other beauties of Brigid instead. I’d love to explore the forest with you.”
She beams at that, “then we shall see if you have improvement with tree climbing.”
She grabs her arm and eagerly pulls her to the woods on the far side of the shore. Closer to the surf, Edelgard hears the voice on the wind again. She pauses, causing Petra to stumble to a stop.
“Edelgard?” she asks, then follows her gaze to the vast ocean. “Ah, do you hear something?”
Edelgard can barely make out the sound above the steady crash of waves, but it’s there. A faint, melodious thing. “What is it?”
“You know,” Petra starts, “there is a legend here in these islands, of sirens who has singing that has much beauty and power. And if you hear their singing, you will be under their spell, and they can be drowning you.”
“Sirens?” Hubert scoffs, but his posture is alert. If there’s magic in the distant melody, then he’d be able to sense it.
“Perhaps you should be letting me teach you swimming,” Petra teases, “so the sirens cannot drown you.”
“If the sirens have me under their spell, then learning to swim would scarcely make a difference,” Edelgard huffs, “come, let’s go to the forest before I burn under the sun.”
Night had already fallen by the time they set sail for Adrestia. Edelgard makes her rounds about the ship, inspecting it by the light of flickering torches and the waxing moon. She meets Hubert by the prow of the ship.
“We’ve overstayed,” he says, looking at the distant waters. “We’ll have to make haste if we want to arrive as scheduled.
Their forest excursion had been more fun than Edelgard was expecting. As it turned out, she did have slight improvement with tree climbing compared to when she’d tried to follow Petra up in the branches as a child. She didn’t break any bones this time, at least. Still, she doesn’t get higher than the lowest branches while Petra leaps easily from treetop to treetop. Hubert stays at the ground where he can catch her if she falls. They also got some hunting in, with Petra shooting as much game with as little arrows as she can. Neither Edelgard nor Hubert were much good with bows so they make do with the latter’s throwing knives. When they returned, the sun was setting.
“There’s no need to rush,” she tells him, “but if it comes to that, some wind magic in our sails ought to do the trick.”
He nods, keeping his eyes to the sea.
The waters were calm, and Edelgard could hear the voice again, singing somewhere among the waves. She wondered if the siren had been singing this whole time. Could there be more of them, taking turns to fill the ocean with song?
“I’m going to turn in for the night,” she says, “you should too.”
“There’s something in these waters,” he murmurs, “I don’t trust it. I’ll keep watch.”
“If it’s about the sirens, I suggest you drop it.” Their song was beautiful, but not destructively enchanting. “If they were a serious threat, Petra would have taken better care to warn us.”
Hubert doesn’t move.
She places a hand on his arm. “At Brigid, we were surrounded by friends and allies. When we return, there will be snakes waiting for us in the shadows. Let’s take this moment of respite before we face them. Please rest.”
Finally he sighs, “as you wish, Lady Edelgard.”
She turns to head below decks, hiding a victorious grin as she hears Hubert pad after her.
Unfortunately, her psyche doesn't allow her respite.
Edelgard dream she’s on a boat. Not the large vessel she’d taken to Brigid, but a small rowboat, bobbing alone amidst rough waves. She’s surrounded by darkness. Starless black sky above, turbulent black water below.
There are voices on the wind, still. Her blood runs cold when she recognizes them.
“El…”
The boat rocks as several things cling to it. Webbed hands reaching over the side, sharp claws digging into the wood.
“El!”
She can’t bear to look at them, but their voices were inexorable. She stands on shaky legs, trying to peer down the side. The boat gets jostled again and she trips. She grabs onto the rim, barely keeping herself from going overboard, and finds herself face to face with the sirens of legend. Their skin was freckled with gleaming scales, their teeth were sharpened fangs, their ears were replaced with fins, and their necks were slitted with gills.
Most disturbingly of all, their faces were that of Edelgard’s siblings.
“Why did you leave us, El?” they cried out. “How come you have a boat while the rest of us drown?”
How come she lives while the rest of them die?
Edelgard chokes back a sob, “I-I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, they let out a horrible wail. They surge out of the water and grab at her, trying to drag themselves onto the boat but only pulling her into the water instead. “Save us, El!”
She screams as the boat tips, twisting around, trying to get out of their grip and stay aboard.
“Save us!” The water froths as their tails whip furiously. Claws tear her clothes and skin, salty water stinging at her wounds as her blood streams into the ocean.
“SAVE US!”
The boat capsizes, and Edelgard falls face first on hardwood floor. She sits up groggily, blinking in the darkness.
She’s inside her cabin on the ship and had rolled off her bed in her nightmare. The cabin was oppressively dark and small, claustrophobia starting to bubble within her. Untangling herself from the blanket, she immediately heads to the deck.
The crew gives her hasty salutes and bows as she passes them, startled to see her. She must have been quite a sight, haggard and still in her nightgown. Not at all the unflappable emperor she makes herself out to be. She waves off their concern and finds herself an isolated corner on the deck to mull over her thoughts.
Although the sea was calm when they left, the weather had taken a turn for the worst. A dense fog blots out the stars and the ocean roils beneath them. It reminds her of her dream and she shivers, bile rising to her throat.
At least it wasn’t as dark. Though the moon was obscured, its light was scattered in the fog, surrounding them in a grey haze. She keeps her gaze on the foggy horizon, trying to swallow down her nausea. She can almost see shapes in it, indistinct as they are. swirling shadows, a large dark blob, a sharp orange glow, like a coal…
Adrenaline kicks in and Edelgard yells an alarm, “enemy mages, starboard side, prepare for battle!”
Her shouts are echoed by the crew who scramble frantically to get to their stations.
“Your Majesty, get down!”
She doesn’t get down so much as she trips as something slams into the ship, rocking it violently. Embers spray across her back, and she turns to see the railing she was leaning on earlier smoldering.
The captain yells above the chaos, “Man the turrets, return fire!”
Edelgard struggles to her feet, scanning the fog. There was at least one ship they were engaging with, but there could be more in hiding. She squints distrustfully at the shadows but she can’t tell if it was an enemy vessel without the glow of magic or even a lantern to give them away.
A ballista bolt striking the mast from the other direction confirms her suspicions that they were surrounded. How infuriating.
“Hubert?” she calls out, but he didn’t seem to be on deck yet. He’d probably been sleeping like she told him to. Hopefully he doesn’t cite this as an example against taking breaks in the future.
“Take us closer to one of the ships,” she orders the captain, “Have fliers storm it and take down their artillery, then have a boarding crew to seize the ship. Be ready to provide cover fire.” He salutes and barks out her orders.
Meanwhile Edelgard needs to arm herself. She heads for her cabin when a cannonball shatters the gunwale before her to splinters, taking one of her men with it. The ship rocks violently under the assault and it's all she can manage to keep her balance.
They get close enough to one of the enemy ships that they see it through the fog, which by now she's sure is the product of dark magic.
A squad of falcon knights zoom overhead, quickly mobilized by the captain. Archers and spell casters rain hell down on the opposing crew, giving the fliers the chance to pick them off.
Edelgard swells with pride at such an effective counterattack, but it won't be long before their foes adapt to their tactics, not to mention there was the rest of the fleet to worry about. They had to take this ship fast.
Ropes and planks are tossed between their vessels as the crews prepare to engage in a melee. Making a snap decision, Edelgard swipes the axe from her fallen comrade and joins the fray.
There were advantages and disadvantages to fighting without armor. However, fighting in her nightgown was probably one of her stupider, more reckless decisions. Since her slippers would only trip her up, she'd thrown it at her enemies as projectiles. She danced barefoot through the battlefield, cutting down her foes and shouting orders to her troops.
She was faster and more agile than she usually was in her heavy armor, but she was also dangerously exposed and she suffered for it. She'd taken more hits than what a regular human should be able to stand. The Crest of Flames keeps her going, consuming the life force of her enemies to give her strength and heal her wounds. Even so, she can't keep this up forever…
A brigand rushes at her, sword raised, and he's quickly struck down by dark, fiendish magic fired in rapid succession.
"That'll be the last time I let you talk me into neglecting my duties," Hubert mutters, falling in step with her. He'd thrown his cape over his pajamas, but that was more than Edelgard could say for herself.
"Save the 'I told you so's for after this."
She lets Hubert take the lead while she catches her breath, darting out of his side only to finish off enemy soldiers. Before too long, they've cleared the deck.
Edelgard raises her axe to get everyone's attention, mustering as much authority as she can in her bloodied sleepwear. "Man this ship! We'll use their own vessels against them!"
Her crew cheers as they take on improvised battle stations. Looking back at their own ship and the first one that attacked them, it seemed there weren’t more enemy ships. Now that she'd seized control of one of them, they had the advantage in numbers.
Their moment of triumph was cut short as an explosion rocks their newly conquered boat.
"What now," she grumbles, but she had her suspicions on what it was.
"Abandon ship!" One of her men cries as they scramble back to their boat.
Hubert sneers, "it appears as though our pesky little friends had expected to be boarded. They've even prepared quite the contingency plan."
The boat lurches as another explosion bursts its hull.
"That's still one less ship for us to deal with at least," she says flatly as she runs back to their ship.
"We'll have to seize their other ship," he says, keeping in pace with her, "our own has sustained too much damage to make it to Adrestia in one piece."
She hisses a curse as screams ring out on the front lines. She turns to Hubert, "they need you, go!"
He nods grimly, sprinting ahead, leaping over the divide between the ships with a magic enhanced jump.
Edelgard moves to follow when the ship she's on explodes . A wave of heat crashes into her, sending her careening off the boat. She makes a frantic grab for the ropes, but she was already falling. She clings to the rope for dear life, and it just smacks her against the hull of the ship, the impact jarring her into letting go.
She plunges into the unforgiving waters below.
The water was freezing, chilling her to the bone as she sinks in its depths. She thrashes, struggling to get to the surface, pain flares in her shoulder as she does so. That’s probably where she hit the ship.
I’m going to die, she thinks numbly.
The thought was surprisingly disquieting. Edelgard had always known she wasn’t going to live very long, but she’d figured if there was anything between her and her already reduced lifespan, it’d be a blade. Maybe dark magic, considering who her enemies are. If things went her way, perhaps she'd live long enough to pass down her crown and spend the remainder of her life in peace. Yet here she was, watching the bubbles escape her. She’d been right to fear the ocean.
I’m going to die.
Hubert and the professor would be distraught, but they would see her mission through. She believed in them. Lysithea would probably be mad at her audacity for dying before she did, the only person who understood, gone. Ferdinand would have to take her place like he bragged about when they were younger. This was probably not how he’d dreamed it would happen, especially since they’ve finally settled their rivalry to work side by side. So many broken promises, so many vows she couldn’t keep.
I’m going to die.
Lastly, she thinks of her siblings, and how she’ll finally get to join them after all these years. She recalls her dream earlier, of them pulling her into the depths. Her vision gets blurry and her eyes sting. She blames it on the salt water. She hasn't cried in years, no need to start now.
A figure swims overhead, silhouetted by the burning ship. Edelgard squints in the water as it approaches. It swam with the speed and grace of something that made its home in the water. A fish? As it drew closer, something billowed around its head like a cloud. Hair? Its eyes glinted green in the darkness, almost glowing.
A siren.
It swam close enough to touch, but her vision was too blurry to make out the details. She imagines it looks like it did in her dreams, fangs, fins, and scales. She feels its webbed, clawed hands trying to pin her arms to her side.
I’m going to die, she thinks, but never let it be said that Edelgard von Hresvelg went down without a fight.
The siren’s face looms over her and she headbutts it with as much force as she can. It lets out a startled cry, releasing her. She kicks off it, trying to put distance between them, but she still doesn't know how to swim and ends up flailing gracelessly in the water. Her lungs burned. Which direction was up?
The siren grabs her again, claws digging into her skin. She twists and thrashes, adrenaline letting her ignore the pain in her shoulder and lungs. She lands a solid punch, though she’s not quite sure where she hit it. It disengages from her and swims a short distance away, circling her.
It was waiting for her to run out of oxygen! She had to get to the surface, but where? She spots the glow of the burning boat as it sinks. There!
Edelgard kicked her way desperately to the boat. Struggle as she might, she wasn’t even sure if she was getting closer. She really should’ve taken Petra’s offer for swimming lessons.
Her vision tinges black and her movements grow sluggish. The siren swims back to her. Its hands grab the sides of her face and she can’t even muster the strength to bat it away. Its face is inches from her own, and in the light of the burning ship, she can finally see it properly.
The siren had a woman’s face, framed with long silvery hair and freckled with dark red scales. She had luminous green eyes and painted red lips, parted slightly to reveal sharp teeth.
It’s the last thing Edelgard sees before she loses consciousness.