A Path of Our Own

by JuliaKeyoto

Summary:

Edelgard von Hresvelg usually meets a single mercenary in the woods that will change her plans drastically. But what if she met both?

Chapter 1: The Whims of Fate

Edelgard thought back to her childhood, of the stories she used to read. Mostly stories about heroes from ages past, great lords of the empire, and the folk heroes of righteousness and justice.

She wondered if their tales began with them running away from their own plan due to their classmates' incompetence.As she held her Iron Axe over her shoulder, she glared at Claude again for having made such a reckless move.

“And you’re sure that this ‘Remire Village’ is to the south of our current location?” Claude asked, clearly trying to egg her on.

“Yes, I am sure. It stated so on the map at our encampment.”

“The map you haven’t seen foooooooor,” Claude looked at the sky. “I’d say about 4-5 hours? Are you sure that you remember? If your memory was truly that well, you would have grabbed a better axe when we bolted.”

“Don’t act so nonchalant, Claude.” Dimitri, prince of Faerghus and Edelgards other fellow house leader chided “We are still lost, and without our escort.”

“Oh relax. Those bandits didn’t get us, so we’ll be fine as long as we find shelter.”

“Claude, did you even begin to think of our fellow students and the staff?” Dimitri started to scrunch his face. “It pains me to think that we, as able bodied fighters, could have left them behind.”

“Oh relax, they have the knights. We don’t and we’ll be fine. And I’m sure wherever Professor Stuffy-Pants went will be safe.”

“His name is Matthias Bartleby and he was an esteemed professor at the royal school of sorcery, and you should give him the respect he deserves!”

“Easy there Mr High Horse, I wasn’t disrespecting him, I was only saying that maybe if he removed the lance he has shoved so far up h-”

“Can we not right now?” Edelgard interrupted, tiring of the debate. “We are still lost in who knows where, and anything can happen. So let’s keep our guard up until we find the village.”

Dimitri bowed his head in resignation, mumbling an apology, but Claude was not deterred.

“Oh please Your Eagleness, what could go wrong in the middle of the woods? We lost the bandits I’d say a few miles ago, so what could really sneak up on-”

As if to prove Edelgard right, a person fell out of a tree next to them. Claude lept about a foot in the air, Edelgard stepped back to raise her axe, and Dimitri almost immediately was upon the purple-haired stranger.

As Edelgard regained her composure, she noticed the stranger was seemingly waking up from a nap, yawning as she got to her feet. She had an Iron Sword and A very strange looking blade. It looked suspiciously similar to Jeritza’s…

Edelgard’s thoughts were interrupted by the purple haired stranger being threatened at lance point by Dimitri.

“Halt! Who are you, stranger? Are you perhaps one of the bandits we encountered? Speak fast!”

The stranger scrambled to her feet, tripping over herself as she stood up. “Easy there pal, I ain’t no bandit. I’m Shez, a mer- well, former mercenary. Nowadays I am mostly a traveling blade.”

Edelgard once again studied this “Shez.” She certainly seemed outfitted like a mercenary; her gear was a collection of mixed together armor, with some of it covered with orange stripes. She didn’t look like a bandit, but Tomas also didn’t look like he was an assistant to a kidnapping

“Well, a mysterious tree mercenary! That makes everything better!” Claude quipped, something Edelgard was getting tired of.

“A bandit would be far less out of place in these woods than a sellsword,” Edelgard mused. “What brings you here?”

Suddenly, Edelgard heard a familiar sound: bandits hunting. Well, it was less hunting and more bumbling around in the woods looking for three “spoiled brats” as Kostas called her and her fellow heirs, but hunting would work as a word for now.

Dimitri must have heard them as well, as he shifted his lance away from Shez and towards the sound.

“We’ve no time for an interrogation. Our pursuers are closing in.”

“H-hey! Wait!” Shez said as the trio began to run again.
Edelgard and Claude turned around, While Dimitri had to skid to a stop.
“If y’all are being chased by bandits, I can help out! If you need an extra blade, I’m all yours.”

Claude rubbed his chin for a moment, thinking.

“Wellllll, since you’re here, some help wouldn’t hurt, right guys?” Claude said, turning around to face his fellow house leaders with a grin.

Edelgard assumed Claude was up to something, but decided to entertain his gamble. She did want to know more about that blade…

Edelgard nodded. “I agree. And don’t worry about payment. You’ll receive plenty of coins-- if we survive, that is.”

Shez seemed a bit confused, but she nodded her head, drew her twin blades, and ran alongside the three heirs to Fodlan’s nations, unaware of what she was about to participate in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a while of running, Edelgard and Claude came to the conclusion that they couldn’t flee forever. Even if the knights had fended off the bandits at camp, they would still be at least an hour's distance from where the trio and sellsword were. So, they decided to take the fight to them.

After they settled on a plan (which Claude was much too eager to point out every flaw of, she would have to keep a closer eye on him), they went to their respective spots, and waited.

After about 10 to 15 minutes, the Bandits entered the clearing that Edelgard, Shez, and Dimitri were waiting for them in. There were about 5 of them in total, including Kostas, their leader. He smelled worse outside of the Flame Emperor armor, Edelgard thought. Probably due to the blood all over him, which didn’t seem to be his.

“Where are those blasted brats anyways?” Kostas groaned. “He said this would be the “easiest money of our lives”. Instead we’re knee deep in knights!”

“Boss, mebbe we should gets out of here!” One of the bandits stated. Edelgard had to pity the man for that, but not for the savage acts his group had done.

“Shut your trap! Once we find the brats, we’ll be so rich, we could even have that Imperial Princess kissing ou-”

As if to spare Edelgard the obscenities the bandit chief would have said, Claude launched the signal; an arrow straight into the throat of the man who spoke first.

Dimitri, Shez, and Edelgard all charged out of the bush they were hiding in. Shez engaged two of the bandits at once with— was she using both swords? Edelgard had never seen such a fighting style. Maybe it was a mercenar-

A sword swinging through the air cut off her train of thought. Edelgard side stepped it, and delivered a devastating blow to the man's midsection. She turned away from the body, chastising herself for getting so distracted.

Claude continued to pepper the bandits with arrows, seemingly striking like Dagdan guerrilla fighters that Edelgard’s combat instructor once described. Shez was still fighting with her unique style, managing to incapacitate one bandit while still focusing on the other she was fighting. Edelgard fell another bandit, accidentally getting her axe stuck into a tree.

And then there was Dimitri.

Edelgard had heard rumors that the prince fought like some rabid beast. What had the Fraldarius boy called him? A boar was it? Regardless, Dimitri’s fighting style was. He waved his lance around madly, managing to knock a bandit back into a tree. Edelgard heard his spine snapped and flinched. It almost sounded like how Wiltrud’s back had when Thales ha-

Kostas was suddenly charging her. “What is with me today?” Edelgard thought to herself, as she tried to pull out her axe. Realizing it was stuck, she drew her dagger instead.

“You’ll die!” The bandit leader screeched. Edelgard backed herself up, getting into a defensive position, knowing she could side step the bandit. She moved her feet backwards, preparing to-

And then she tripped.

Edelgard Von Hresvelg, heir to the Adrestian Empire, the future of Fodlan herself, tripped on a tree root. In the most ungraceful way an heir to the Adrestian Empire had ever tripped. Of all times.

Edelgard had no time to prepare herself. She tried to raise her dagger, using her other hand to steady herself. She had wasted so much time with the axe that he was almost upon her. She cursed herself, knowing that everything was for naught, that she was going to die here with her plans unfulfilled, that-

A Grey, Black, and Blue blur appeared in front of her. It appeared to be a woman with… Were those fishnets? Clearly Edelgard had hit her head. No one would wear such a ridiculous outfit. But yet…

The figure drew an iron blade, and with a single slash of her sword, knocked the bandit leader off balance.
Kostas stumbled backwards, and engaged with the mysterious figure. Edelgard caught her breath, trying to get a better look at her savior. She seemed to be around her age, a little taller and in… Yes, those were fishnets. And high heels. The mysterious woman turned around, parrying a blow from Kostas, and showed the rest of her outfit was equally strange. An exposed stomach, showing off some impressive abs. They would explain why she could knock Kostas off his feet. She had a strange dagger on her waist, basic gauntlets, and…Massive blue eyes to match her blue hair. Not even mentioning how her breastplate barely seemed to fit her, which Edelgard tried to ignore.

Her fighting style seemed the most refined of all. She effortlessly dodged around the clumsy, bulky Kostas. She feinted to his right, then sliced at his left. Kostas cursed, and tried to bring down a shattering blow onto the oddly dressed figure.

She managed to… Was that a somersault? What? Regardless of what the move was, she landed on his right and delivered a blow to his midsection, knocking him backwards multiple feet.

Kostas, being stupid but not stupid enough to keep up the fight, started to run for the hills. The bandits that could still walk followed suit. The woman sheathed her blade, and turned around.

The woman locked eyes with Edelgard, and for a second, She felt a strange feeling in her chest. The woman felt like an old friend….. But she had never seen anyone like her. Her hair was the darkest blue she had ever seen. It was almost unnatural, like hers. The stranger shook her head, and offered Edelgard a hand.

“Hi, White-Haired Lady. I’m Byleth. You tripped.”

A bit confused at the naming, Edelgard reached for her hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After all was said and done, the bandits had split up in twain; Kostas, who managed to survive Byleth’s blow, fled towards his “fort” according to Claude who overheard him. The others fled into Zanado. Edelgard smiled at that, knowing that The Immaculate One wouldn’t be sleeping well tonight. Her obsession with that desolate place was quite strange.

While Edelgard was thinking about all of this, Byleth was being introduced to the others. Dimitri was, “Golden-Weed Hair Man,” Claude was, “Scruffy Hair Man,'' and Shez was, “Long Purple Haired Lady.” Dimitri was confused, Claude amused, and Shez had a look of……. Anger? Fear? Vengeance? Some sort of mixture of all of them. Perhaps they had history? For whatever reason it was, Shez kept her hands on her blades, and seemed to be mumbling to herself.

After they gave Byleth their actual names, she began to lead them through the forest to her “Papa”. Perhaps that was what she called her employer? Edelgard looked at the two mercenaries- at least she assumed Byleth was a sellsword, as no one else would dress so strangely- and marveled at the extreme different between both. They were both mighty warriors, but seemed to take no pride in fighting. They were simple, not in terms of intelligence, but how they speaked. They seemed so….. Relaxed. Or Shez had before Byleth showed up.

What was with her now?

“Sooooo, Mrs Merc Lady, Where are you from?” Claude asked, probably up to no good.

“Hmm……… I don’t quite know.” Byleth responded, seeming genuinely confused.

“Do you have a residence you usually stay at when not on jobs?” Dimitri asked.

“I believe it is in Empire lands. I don’t remember much of it.”

Edelgard beamed. “Perhaps when next we see a map, you could point it out and I could tell you about it?”

Byleth looked at Edelgard and…… smiled? It seemed to be a smile.

“That would be great!” Byleth exclaimed, seemingly excited.

“How can you not remember your home base?” Shez asked, with a look of disdain on her face.

“I……. I don’t remember much. Little flashes from battle, some memories with Papa…… that’s all.”

“Do the Berling Mercenaries ring a bell?”

“Berl…..Berling? Can’t say it does. Sorry. Did we beat you?” Byleth asked with a child's innocence. For someone so skilled with a blade, she seemed clueless in conversations.

“You….. You don’t even remember?” Shez looked like she was fuming. She could see the mercenary drawing her blade. Edelgard slowly started to get her axe ready in the event of anything.

“No……. sorry. I…… I have trouble remembering battles. How long ago was it?”

“It’s been six. Long. Months.”

Byleth frowned, and patted Shez on the head.

“I am sorry if I hurt people you were…… teammates with. I…..I don’t kill out of malice, despite what they call me.”

Shez was taken aback. Edelgard noticed she let go of her twin blades and seemed to…. Relax a bit? Like something inside her was helping her deal with her anger.

“I-I- Whatever. Just-” Shez started, but was cut off by a man in full battle armor, brandishing a silver axe. He was flanked by two…… oh, the knights were here finally.

“Stop, Evil Doers! Release our students or-oh. Are these friends of yours, students?” The man, who Edelgard identified as Alois of the knights, asked.

“Yes, they came to our aid,” Dimitri replied, “Shez helped us fight off the bandits, and Byleth over here saved Edelgards life!”

Claude snickered at Dimitri’s honesty, while Edelgard looked away, a bit ashamed of her trip.

“I-I merely tripped. It was lucky that Byleth was there when she was.”

Byleth beamed at Edelgard and Alois.

“Ah, the captain's daughter and….. Shez. Good to meet both of you!”

“Captain?” Claude asked “So, her “Papa "is the mercenary captain?”

“Not just that! He’s the Captain Jeralt! Of the Knights of Serios!” Alois exclaimed, even more excited than usual. “You could say he and his daughter captained your rescue when we found him!”

That made Edelgard freeze in her tracks. No, not the joke. The mention of a certain Captain Jeralt. Monica had been scouting the mercenary troop he led, “The Blade Breakers” before her kidnapping at the hands of Solon. They were a renowned troop, mostly due to Jeralt’s leadership. If he was the same Captain Jeralt of the Knights of Serios, presumed dead after a fire at Garreg mach, that would make Byleth the……

Byleth was the Ashen Demon.

Monica's reports stated that she killed without mercy or thought, slaughtering her way through hordes of troops in battle.

Yet the Byleth she met, outside of her fight with Kostas, was kind, gentle, and a bit childish. She didn’t seem to be a cold blooded killer.

Yet the way Shez looked at Byleth before…… left little for Edelgard to imagine how tough she would be as an opponent.

Which she would be if the church got their way with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They eventually exited the forest, and wouldn’t you know it. Edelgard was right. Remire Village was close after all.

She beamed at Claude and Dimitri. “What did I say? Hmm?”

“Impressive Edelgard, I could barely remember that map!” Dimitri said.

It wasn’t that hard to remember, so either Dimitri was being patronizing, or something else was going on.

“Do you want a cookie, your royal highness?” Claude remarked. Edelgard would love a cookie, but that was beside the point.

“Royal Highness?” Shez remarked.

“Did they not introduce themselves?” Alois asked, seeming confused.

“We sort of, y’know, assumed the worst and kept our identities secret!” Claude said, seeming a bit cocky.

“Well, these are Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Claude von Reigan, and Edelgard Von Hresvelg!”

Shez, realizing who the three royales were, immediately got on her knees, offering enough apologies to fill a vault. Byleth, on the other hand, stared blankly at Alois.

“Who?”

Alois stammered a bit at Byleths question. “We-well, the heirs to the three nations of Fodlan!”

“Oh. Neato.”

While Alois stammered, Edelgard turned to Shez.

“You can stand up, you know. You saved our lives. I’d say you don’t have to kneel for us again.”

Shez seemed….. Confused. Which made sense. Most nobles liked having those they considered under them kneel before them. As a mercenary, Shez was probably accustomed to this.

“You….. you sure?”

“Positively.”

“Yeah, come on up!” Claude remarked. Dimitri seemed more interested in Alois and the knights. Of course he was.

Shez reluctantly got up, then drew her sword as the party turned around to see a man riding up.

He seemed to be a paladin of some sorts. Edelgard recognized him as the Captain Jeralt from the reports: a bit scruffy looking, blonde, smelling of some drink.

“How’d your search go, Alois?” Jeralt asked, as Byleth ran behind him, slowly peeking out to look at Edelgard and Shez.

“Excellent! Your daughter was a huge help! Along with this mercenary, Shez!”

Shez, still holding her sword up, looked at Jeralt. Jeralt looked down at her. A memory seemed to come to him, as he realized who his “opponent” was.

“You were with Berlings, right?”

Still holding her blade up, Shez asked “What’s it to you?”

“I’m sorry for our fight,” Jeralt continued. “A job’s a job, but the noble who hired you turned out to not have the cash when he tried to pay us as well.”

Shez’s eyes widened, as she started to lower her blade.

“Wa-wait, what? The same noble hired us both?”

 

“Yup,” Jeralt continued “He hired us a while back, and then refused to pay us coin. He hired
you to stop us.”

 

“So, everything was just some….. greedy noble who got them all killed? Of course it was. We never mattered anyways……”

Shez’s words echoed inside of Edelgards head. Of course it was some greedy noble trying to save a coin, probably to waste on some drink, or even worse, “company” for the night. Mercenaries like Shez’s old company were probably a dime a dozen to them. She saw Claude clench his fists, while Dimitri looked away from the problem. She expected as much from Dimitri, but Claude? He didn’t voice his opinions on the matter much. Maybe they shared the same ideals.

Maybe, just maybe…….

Not yet. All the events of tonight would be for naught if her gambit didn’t work. She could work on letting others know her plan if they proved worthy of trust. She hoped Jeritza had proven himself enough…….

Shez seemed troubled. Most mercenaries like her would probably have demonized the other company, just like soldiers did their enemies. Her father had to deal with mrcenary spats before……. No, now was not the time to remember those happier times. Shez looked at the ground like her world view was falling apart.

It probably was. It's much easier to hate an enemy who doesn’t apologize or give out head pats. Edelgard wanted to know more, like who she lost in particular, but she knew it wasn’t the time. Shez needed time to think. To let her anger and grief separate, lest it consume her.

Jeralt looked at Shez with pity for a moment, tried to say something, then started to wheel around. “If that’s all, goodbye Alois.”

“Yes, goodbye Cap- wait a second! You’re coming back to the Monastery with us! You, Byleth, and Shez should be rewarded for your actions! And we all have missed you!”

This caused some commotion. Jeralt sighed, Byleth looked at Alois curiously, and Shez picked her head up.

“Do we have a choice?”

“Yes, but I’ll hunt you down!” Alois exclaimed! “It would be easy to pin you down now!”

There was a collective groan at that joke, other than Byleth, who stared blankly. Did it even make sense? Edelgard thought of 5 different better punchlines, but decided on staying quiet.

Regardless, Jeralt sighed again.

“Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Chapter 2: A Walk in the Woods

Summary:

Edelgard has conversations with a shadow, songstress, survivor, and a curious mercenary.

After a night in the inn at Remire, the three students, Alois, Shez, Jeralt, Byleth, and the Blade Breakers began to return to the Garreg Mach Student Expedition Base Camp. It was a very elaborate name picked by Alois; it was really just some campground.

As she reentered the camp, Edelgard once again felt the presence of a certain Vestra. She knew he wouldn’t speak with her until she entered her tent, so she said her goodbyes to Dimitri and Claude to go strike her tent.

As she entered, she plopped down onto her cot, tired from the events of earlier. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, before her shadow entered the room.

“Lady Edelgard, are you hurt?” Hubert said, with genuine concern. Usually one could expect a snide response from the 6’2’’ lanky dark mage. But now was not the time for that.

“Yes, Hubert. Merely wounded my pride is all.”

“How so? Did Riegan say something? If there is anything that tongue of his let out, I can always-”

Edelgard held up a hand. “Nothing of that sort. I was distracted during the battle over the events of tonight… and I may have tripped slightly.”

“Tripped? Are you injured? Did your-”

“No cloth ripped. They did not see them. And I am fine.”

Huberts' expression shifted from concern to his normal expression. “Then, you will be pleased to know that Professor Bartleby hasn’t been found. The poor fool must be halfway back to Fhirdiad by this point.”

“Was anyone killed in the brawl? Any injuries either?”

“No deaths, some minor injuries. Some “divine” knights were wounded, Gloucester injured himself trying to ‘defend the common masses’, and Dominic accidentally set fire to Molinaro’s tent.”

Edelgard tried to recall the names of those students: Lorenz, Annette and……. De-something. What was his name? Regardless, Dimitri’s Retainer didn’t speak much. She knew he was sworn to Dimitri for some reason. Why he would serve Dimitri after what his country did... she could only wonder. Regardless of his reasons, was still a better retainer than the pink haired girl Claude had selected. She closed her eyes again, trying to collect her thoughts: sellswords falling out of tree’s, scantily clad mercenaries… and a captain of the Knights of Seiros who had been missing for 21 years.

“The knight performed as he was told,” Hubert continued “He even saved Arnault.”

“Can you call them by their first names? They are our fellow classmates.”

“You know not to get attached to that point.”

“Perhaps some of them would join us?”

Hubert, ever the pragmatic, frowned at this. “You know the risks are too high. The church has their claws dug in deep.”

“Still…”

Hubert allowed himself a small smile. Well, smile is certainly a word Edelgard could use for the expression on his face.

“Our war is still far off. I will attempt to learn their names if I must. Perhaps I’ll start with the Varley heir.”

Edelgard smiled at that. Hubert deserved some peace as well after all he had done for her.

Hubert’s smile vanished from his face as quickly as it appeared. “We seem to be striking camp. Shall I assist you with your tent, Lady Edelgard?”

Edelgard groaned, but pulled herself out of her cot.

“I’ll be quite fine. But please do assist Caspar and Linhardt with their tent. You know how they can be.”

“As you wish, Lady Edelgard.” Hubert replied, with a small frown on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once he’d left Edelgard began to strike her tent. Her mind started to drift, as she thought about the numerous students she would be commanding: Ferdinand Von Aegir, son of that… toad. How could such a man could reproduce a son like Ferdinand, she knew not. He was spirited and seemed to be genuinely a good person, if a bit competitive and annoying at times.

There was also Caspar von Bergliez. The second son to Count Bergliez, he was nothing if not energetic. He was not in line to inherit, nor did he possess a crest, so he had to work his hardest to prove himself. She would need to keep a close eye on him, due to how ridiculous his antics could get.

On the other hand, Caspar’s best friend Linhardt von Hevring would need monitoring for different reasons. The son of Count Hevring was somewhat of a mystery; how in Aillel could someone fall asleep standing up? She would have to make sure he didn’t sleepwalk off a cliff or something stupid like that.

Bernadetta von Varley would be an entirely different beast to tackle. She seemed to think that the whole world was out to get her; she was constantly afraid of the smallest things. As Edelgard loaded her cot into a wagon, she could see the poor thing’s tent flap was still sealed shut. She could also see the blonde Blue Lion… Ingrid wasn’t it? Whoever it was, the knight seemed about ready to kick the tent flap in. Regardless, it would probably end up causing the recluse to knock the whole structure over. Edelgard would need to figure out why she was that way. If Thales or his snakes had touched a hair on her head…

The last two students of the Black Eagle house were commoners. Well, technically only one was. Petra Macneary was the princess of Brigid, a vassal state to Adresdia ever since the Dagda-Brigid war. She spoke Fodlanish very poorly, but was an amazing combatant with axes, swords, bows, and just about anything from a stick to silver level weaponry. She struggled with lances, but her other skills could make up for it. Edelgard hoped she could negotiate a free Brigid with Count Bergliez and the other ministers of the empire, mainly because she knew Petra would fight for a free Brigid if it called for it.

Lastly, but certainly not least, was Dorothea Arnault. A pure commoner through and through, she was a former diva at the Mittelfrank Opera Company. She heard that Professor Manuela herself had picked her off the streets to sing. She was pleasant to be around, very nice, and she just made Edelgard feel like a laughing school girl instead of the blood stained murderer she was. She looked towards her and Petra’s tent, and was confused when she couldn’t see her-

“Hiya Edie!” a voice said from behind her. Edelgard jumped and turned around, dagger drawn. As it turned out, none other than Dorothea herself was behind her.

“Oops, did I scare you?”

“Y-yes, but it’s not that big of a deal.”

“If it was a small deal you wouldn’t have a dagger pointed at me, right?”

Edelgard lowered the dagger, feeling foolish. “My apologies, Dorothea. I appear to still be on edge from last night…”

“Oh don’t sweat it.” Dorothea responded, flashing a grin. “That’s not the worst thing you could have pointed at me. Sylvain spent half the night using his hands to make a very detailed hand motion about-“

“Dorothea,” Edelgard responded, blushing. “Do we really need to hear what Sylvain was doing? I could guess.”

“Oops, sorry, got a bit carried away.” Dorothea responded, her cheeks red as well.

“Moving on, did you see that mercenary's outfit?” Dorothea continued. “The woman in the fishnets?”

Edelgard was confused, but as Dorothea pointed in the direction of the mercenary, she realized she had forgotten the absurdity of Byleth’s outfit. She was helping a short-haired ginger girl from the Golden Deer strike her tent down. As if she could feel them looking, the mysterious mercenary turned and waved at the pair. Edelgard’s blush grew as she waved, while Dorothea waved enthusiastically.

“Oooooh, does someone have a crush?” Dorothea responded, grinning even wider at Edelgard’s crimson cheeks.

“No, no, Dorothea. Her outfit just-”

“Leaves little to think about? I understand. Not even in our comedies did we have an outfit as bizarre as that one.”

Of course Dorothea would know what bizarre would look like. Still, Edelgard could not shake the feeling she had felt when she first met Byleth. She felt drawn to her, like some invisible bonds were connecting them. If only they had the time to-

Alois’s booming voice rang across the camp yard.

“We leave in 5 minutes! Don’t let the other birds catch the worm!”

Both girls groaned again. His jokes were starting to make less and less sense.

“Your tent down yet? I can help if you need it.”

“It’s down, Dorothea. Thank you for the offer.”

Dorothea grinned, and walked away. She walked with a certain grace. Every move felt planned, every sway of her glorious hi-

Edelgard dismissed the thoughts. She wasn’t here for some foolish romance with pretty girls. She was here to ensure the future of Fodlan was safe and secure.

Although…

That didn’t mean she couldn’t comfort the purple haired mercenary staring blankly across the camp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Edelgard approached Shez, the mercenary turned and looked at her for a few seconds. Then, Shez turned back, staring at the lake in front of her.

“Care if I join you?” Edelgard asked, patting the rock next to Shez’s.

“Sure. Not my rock anyways.”

As she sat down, Edelgard noticed Shez was chucking something across the pond.

“Are you throwing things out of anger? Not the healthiest coping mechanism.”

“I’m actually skipping rocks.” Shez responded, getting the wagon wheel shaped rock to bounce off the water a few times.

“Skipping…. rocks?”

“Yup. Helps me think. Gives me something to do with my body while I plan my next move.”

“Next move? Surely you mean to travel with us to the monastery.”

“Dunno… been chasing the Blade Breakers for a few months at this point. No offense to y’all, but it feels empty to break bread with them after all that.”

Edelgard chuckled, “You’re as bad as Alois.”

“Hmm? Did I say something funny?”

“You said break br- you know what, Nevermind.”

Shez looked confused, shrugged, then turned back to skipping rocks.

“Still, I dunno how I feel about being paid by the church. Knowing them, they’ll rope me into some shenanigans. Probably Jeralt and the demon as well.”

“That is true. Usually their rewards benefit themselves over others.”

“Plus,” Shez responded, a small smile forming. “I do still need to receive payment from 3 heirs to 3 nations.”

Edelgard smiled at that. “Name your price.”

Shez blinked. “What? No strings?”

“None at all.”

“Hmm… A comfy bed and warm coat?”

“Is that all? Surely a mercenary has more ambition than that.”

“Enough gold to drown myself in ale?”

Edelgard snorted at that.

“I’ll take that as a yes if you don’t say anything else!” Shez said through her own laughter.

“Maybe let’s see what the archbishop wants, then we can discuss payment afterwards.”

“You’re not going to cheat me, are you?” Shez said. Many nobles would cheat mercenaries without a second thought. Shez’s dead companions alone were proof of that.

“If I were to cheat you, I would simply not acknowledge your existence.”

“Fair enough. But uh… thank you.” Shez responded, looking at her feet as she got up.

“What for?”

“For actually talking to me and cheering me up. So far, the only people who have talked with me were an orange-haired girl who was asking about my mercenary experience and her short white-haired friend.”

So Lysithea and….. Lonnie? Leo? Maybe Leonie? Whatever the case, they had some interest in Shez. How interesting.

“Anyways, I should probably go help my tent-mate. Do you know where Bernie-bear’s tent is?”

Edelgard blinked. “Who?

“Dunno, but she called herself that before I opened the flap. She collapsed after she saw me.”

Oh Bernadetta… “Follow me. Here’s hoping Ingrid hasn’t broken her tent down.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As it would turn out, loading a tent that had a student under it was a pain. After Ingrid had apologized for the 30th time, Edelgard went to join her fellow heirs, Jeralt, Alois, and Byleth near the front of the campgrounds, and they set out. Shez had decided to try and meet some of the others, while Jeralt went with Alois to lead the way.

After walking for a while, she noticed Byleth was still watching her from behind Jeralt. Jeralt, realizing he was currently the father of a stalker, nudged Byleth towards Edelgard. Byleth looked at Jeralt with a strange face, he whispered something, and then she started walking towards Edelgard.

“Hello again, white haired lady.” The mercenary said in the same cold voice she always used.

“Hello, Byleth. And my name is Edelgard, you know. You may call me that if you like.”

“Edelgard… seems long.”

“Your nicknames are also long.”

“Fair enough. What about Edel or El? Would that work?”

Edelgard stopped in her tracks. She had last been called El by Clara, before the Agarthans…. Well, all she could remember was her screams ended long before they stopped breaking her bones.

“Edel will be fine if you must, but not El please.”

“Neato. Sorry if I hurt your feelings. Papa says to be mindful.”

“It’s fine, Byleth. It’s just… bad memories.”

Byleth looked confused. “Bad… memories? How can a memory be bad?”

Edelgard thought for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to explain the idea of a bad memory to someone. She assumed it just came naturally.

“Well, depending on the emotion attached to the memory, it can be many things. From bad to good, from funny to sad. It just depends.”

“I see… most of my memories aren’t there.”

“Aren’t there?”

“Yup,” Byleth said, completely deadpan. “I remember training with papa, some meals I’ve eaten… that’s about it. I didn’t even remember fighting with Long P.”

Edelgard, caught off guard, burst into laughter. She would have been ready for Sylvain or even Dorothea to say something like that, but Byleth?

“L-Long P?”

Byleth looked confused. “Yeah. Long Purple. Sh… Shez?”

Edelgard calmed herself. “That makes sense.”

“Why’d you laugh?”

“Hmm? Oh, I just found it very funny.”

“Funny?”

Edelgard stared at Byleth for a few moments. Byleth stared back. Edelgard hadn’t ever met someone who lacked basic emotions. What had happened to make her this way?

“Like a joke, or something that happened with other people that makes you laugh.”

“Joke?”

“A sentence that sounds funny.”

“Do you have any “jokes”?”

Edelgard thought hard. How long had it been since she joked with someone? Definitely before the dungeon, maybe a few times after with Hubert.

“What do you call a pony with a sore throat?”

Byleth thought for a few seconds. “A wounded target? Deadweight?”

“No, a little hoarse”

Byleth looked at her for a few seconds with the most deadpan look, then started laughing. It was a deep, hearty laugh. Edelgard, out of the corner of her eye, saw Sir Jeralt look back with an expression of shock, then smiled, before returning to his conversation with Alois. Her laugh made Edelgard feel warm inside.

Maybe she could still do some good.

 

As Byleth stopped laughing, the duo rounded a bend in the forest path, and there it was. The most definite proof of the archbishop’s greed: Garreg Mach Monastery.

“Is that the… fortress papa said we were going to?”

Edelgard smiled at Byleth’s curiosity. “It certainly is a fortress. And it looks like we’ll be there soon, whether we like it or not.”

“It seems… familiar. Have you been up there, Edel?”

Her nickname washing over her, Edelgard struggled for words.

“Err… yes. Yes, I have. This is the center of the Church of Serios’s power. Also the Officers Academy, where I attend.”

“Church of… what?”

Edelgard found the mercenary making her stop in her tracks again. Blinking at Byleth, she asked “You don’t know about the church? Or the goddess?”

“Hmm… nope! Sounds boring. I didn’t need it for mercenary work, so it must not be that important to live.”

As Byleth walked on ahead, Edelgard couldn’t help but imagine a simple, carefree life. One not knowing of the church or its sins. Maybe. In another world.

Maybe once all of this was over, she would be able to find a small little cottage, away from the horrors of the world. Somewhere she could spend her last days in peace. Maybe with someone she truly loved.

What a stupid dream. More likely than that, she would spend the rest of time being demonized in a history book.

Notes:

Shout out to my betas again! I’m publishing this back to back with C1 so anyone who read the docs can ping me in the server to lemme know if they want to be included here. Once again, shout out to Raxis. Not gonna be another chapter for a few days so go read one of the fics I mentioned before.

If you think my writing is absolute dog shit, please constructively criticize it in the comments!

Chapter 3: Friends, Foes, and Other People of Interest

Summary:

Edelgard returns to the monastery, and encounters new and old faces alike.

As they re-entered the monastery, Edelgard watched a company of knights enter the market grounds. At their head trotted Catherine, the archbishop's loyal lapdog. At her side was the Dagdan knight, Shamir. How a Dagdan got into the Knights of Seiros, she knew not. Regardless, they both seemed to be here on business.

“Alois,” Catherine started. “I saw your missive. Is it truly…”

“Why yes! I hope they won’t be too much of a shock!” Alois responded .

After the group had a collective groan, Jeralt, Byleth, and Shez walked up.

“They are the three mercs that saved the future of Fodlan?” Shamir asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, we are,” Jeralt responded. “Now, I believe a reward is in order?”

“Follow my lead then, Sir Jeralt” Catherine responded

“Just Jeralt will do.”

Catherine smirked at him.

“She’s dragging me back in, isn’t she?” Jeralt askedwith a groan.

“Yup,” Shamir responded.

Jeral sighed and began to walk with Catherine and Shamir while Byleth and Shez trailed behind him. Alois motioned for the three house leaders to follow as well.

“Sooo, your Lioness and Eagleness,” Claude started, “Whatcha think they’re going to do with our mercenary saviors?”

“I would think they would be rewarded for saving us!” Dimitri said. “After all, they performed a great service.”

Edelgard couldn’t argue with that. Although, the church’s rewards could be… unorthodox.

“I believe we will find out soon, anyway.” Edelgard said.

They went up the stairs to the 2nd floor, and then into Seteth’s office.

Once they all filled in, Seteth himself showed up with…

Oh of course she was here.

Lady Rhea, the goddess’s gift to humanity, was there in all her glorious hypocrisy.

“It is good to see my students returned in one piece, along with one of my lost sheep returning to the flock.” Rhea said, in the same condescending voice as always. Edelgard stifled a laugh at Rhea’s metaphor. Of course she would compare humans to sheep.

“And the wonderful lady next to you…” she continued.

“This is Byleth, my daughter.”

Rhea’s face lit up like a lighthouse, but quickly changed back to the fake smile she always wore on her face. She turned to Byleth. “I see. It is an honor to meet the child of Jeralt, little one.”

Byleth looked at Rhea, confused. She looked very cautious all of the sudden. Probably some voice in her head was telling her to be careful around the archbishop. Edelgard had the same inner thoughts.

“It’s good to meet you, miss mint-haired lady.” Byleth said.

Rhea laughed at that. “It is good to meet you as well, little one.” She then wheeled on Shez. “And you? What is your name?”

Shez looked startled: she was probably lost in thought when Rhea spoke.

“I-I’m Shez, Lady Rhea. A sellsword. Well, former sellsword.”

Rhea nodded at this, barely taking it into consideration. She seemed very focused on Byleth. She then turned to the group. “Pray tell, would you all be willing to tell me the events of that night?”

And so, Edelgard, Claude, and Dimitri recounted the events of the night before. Shez and Byleth added information where they could, with Jeralt tying the story up.

“I see, I see…” Rhea said. She was oddly distracted. What was it about Byleth that had her attention held?

“Now, if our three students would excuse themselves for lunch, I have to discuss your savior's reward.”

Dimitri gave a long bow before leaving, while Claude and Edelgard’s were shorter. Then, they followed Alois back down the stairs.

“I wonder what’s for lunch…” Dimitri trailed off. He certainly seemed hungry.

“Oh don’t worry, your highness.” Alois said, as he escorted them into the dinning hall. “I’m sure it will be quite bearable.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Bear meat Bear meat! Bear meat!” One of the larger dear students was chanting as Edelgard walked in. Raphael? Yes, Rapheal, Edelgard confirmed to herself. She then realized why he was chanting that.

After having grabbed her plate, Edelgard started to head towards the reception hall, which was usually a quieter place to eat and collect her thoughts. As she did so, she heard her name being shouted out by a certain hat-wearing woman and a foreign princess.

“Edelgard! Will you be sitting with us?” Petra cried out. Her Fodlanish had been getting better.

Figuring it might be nice to make some friendships with her classmates while she had the chance, Edelgard went and sat next to Dorothea.

“It’s good to see you again after that long march, Edie,” Dorothea started off. “Our little conversation didn’t really explain all you went through.”

“Yes! We did not know if you had been harmed due to your sleeping with the mercenaries!” Petra cried out, drawing a few eyes.

“She wasn’t sleeping with them, Petra,” Dorothea explained, trying to hide her grin. “She was sleeping in the same inn as them. Very different.”

“I am having confusion. No… I am confused. What do you mean?”

“Well, you see…” Dorothea leaned over and whispered something in Petra’s ear. Definitely not something Edelgard wanted to hear.

Petra’s checks turned a crimson red. “Oh! My apologize for insinuating that you were-“

Edelgard cut her off, already embarrassed enough. “It’s fine, Petra, just make sure you think about what you say before you do.”

“Did she say something wrong?” A voice asked from behind Edelgard. She quickly turned around and saw Shez, having gotten a Garreg Mach uniform and a plate.

“N-no, Petra just doesn’t understand Fodlanish just yet,” Edelgard explained. “She’s from Brigid.”

Shez’s expression fell a bit. “Is she the hostage princess?”

Petra’s eyes shot daggers at the mercenary. “It is not a situation I am having much joy in, but yes. Do you have some… grudge? Yes, grudge. Do you have some grudge with me?”

“No, not at all.” The mercenary explained quickly. “Some of the mercenaries I worked with were just veterans of that war. They spoke very highly of your people’s combat experience. It’ll be great fun training with you.”

Petra’s expression brightened tenfold. “I am understanding! Thank you for your honoring words!”

Wait…

Had Shez said something about training?

“Now, if you’re done gushing about our glorious Brigidian princess,” Dorothea asked, “What’s your name? Are you one of the mercenaries that saved Edie?”

“Yup. Well, former mercenary. That’s why I’m here, to uh…”

Shez seemed to have trouble finding the right words. Edelgard patted the empty space next to her.

“Why don’t you sit down and eat? Your bear seems to be getting cold.”

Shez blinked, and looked down as if she had forgotten her food.

“R-right! Sorry, just a bit lost in thought.”

Shez sat down and started to dig into her meal. It was like watching a dog who hadn’t eaten in ages.

“Wow,” said Dorothea, “the last time I saw someone eat that quickly was…”. She clenched her fists a little and frowned.

“So, you were all wondering about what happened on my little adventure?” Edelgard asked to change the subject.

Petra nodded her head, mouth filled with food. “Thwat would bwe gwreatsness!”

“I believe Petra said that would be great,” Dorothea translated

So Edelgard recapped the events of the past 24 or so hours. Again. Although, this time, it was much more pleasurable. Especially since Claude and Dimitri weren’t there to talk about her tripping. Dorothea and Petra listened politely, except for one brief distraction when they watched Sylvain get thrown out of his seat by Lysithea’s wind magic.

“So, we have two mercenaries to thank for keeping our precious Edie alive.” Dorothea summarized, causing Edelgard’s cheeks to turn a pinkish-red.

“Nah, it’s not that big of a deal,” Shez said. “Just trying to help where I can.”

“You must be having great strength to be fighting with twin blades!” Petra exclaimed. “Perhaps you could be teaching me this?”

“I’ll try my best…” said Shez. “Oh right! So, Y’know how Alois said the church was gonna reward me?”

“Yes. Was it enough gold to drown yourself in ale like you asked?” Edelgard asked.

The former mercenary grinned. “Nah, but I tried. As it turns out, they want me to be a student. Dunno why, since y’all are all pretty fancy nobles and all.”

This got a giggle out of Dorothea. “Oh don’t worry, Shez. Not all of us were born with a silver spoon in hand.”

“Whar?” Shez replied, bear meat in mouth. She finished chewing before she continued.

“You sure look like a noble to me. You’re very beautiful, plus your jewelry looks nice.”

Dorothea blushed at this. “You sure know how to flatter a lady.

Shez looked at her, confused. “Just being honest. No flattery needed.”

She then looked at Edelgard. “Damn I keep getting distracted! Okay so, basically, they said I could pick a house, and uh-“

“Are you requesting to join the Black Eagles?” Edelgard asked, cutting to the heart of the problem.

“Yeah… didn’t quite know how to ask.”

Dorothea shot up at this. “Oh, oh! Edie, can we keep her? Pweaeseeee?”

Petra looked at Dorothea confused, but shrugged and joined in. “I would be liking Shez to join us as well! Please may she join us?”

Edelgard looked at the two girls’ insanity with a smile. Hubert could be wrong sometimes: it wouldn’t hurt to get a little close.

“Hm? What are we yelling about?” Caspar asked as he sprinted over.

Dorothea leaped towards him, gripped his shoulders and looked in his eyes.

“Caspar! You have to help us convince Edelgard that we need to let Shez join us!”

The airheaded warrior looked at Dorothea with a mixture of shock and awe on his face.

“Okay okay okay! Edelgard please just do as she asks before she tears my shoulders off!”

They were causing quite the scene. Half the dining room was looking at them. The others were watching Ingrid and Rapheal having an eating competition. A red-headed merchant had even made a betting pool. Edelgard wondered how long until Seteth showed up and demanded that she “stop this blasphemous behavior”.

“I-if it’s not a bother, I’d also like for her to join!” A voice squeaked from under the table. It seemed a certain Varley heir was cannibalizing her bear brethren under the table, and had been listening in the whole time.

“Bernie? How long have you been down there?” Dorothea asked.

“Long enough to know she would be nice! And that she should join our class! And that she-she-she… she’s really cool!” The timid archer said.

“I would say that’s quite an overwhelming majority in favor of you joining.” Edelgard said with a chuckle, holding her hand out.

Shez slapped Edelgard's open palm. “Alright then! Count me in!”

Edelgard looked at her with an incredulous look. “What was that for?”

Shez looked confused. “It was a high five? What else could you have wanted?”

Edelgard brushed it off as a mercenary thing. “Never mind. Welcome to the Black Eagles.”

“Thank you so much! I promise I’ll do my best t-“

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the sound of Rapheal falling down and hitting a table, shattering it in half. It appeared the competition was won by Ingrid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Edelgard finished helping clean up the broken table, she went back to her original plan of eating in the entrance hall. Apparently Sylvain had tried to hit on Marriane, which caused Hilda to get an axe. And that was not going to be Edelgard’s problem. The table wasn’t her problem either, but Dorothea insisted on all the eagles helping Ingrid.

She would keep that in mind.

She sat down in a quiet location at last. It felt nice to finally be by herself, to not have to deal with any issues, just her and her th-

“Hiya Edel.” Byleth said, nonchalantly walking up to Edelgard.

“Hello Byleth. How did your meeting with the archbishop go?”

“Who?”

Edelgard blinked. “Rhea, the archbishop? Didn’t you meet with her?”

“Ooooh, you mean Lady Rhea. She did have a funny nickname like that.”

“Not a nickname. It’s a title, like ‘lady’ or ‘emperor’.”

Byleth seemed confused for a second, then nodded her head. “I see. I’ll have to think of a nickname for her.”

Edelgard could think of a few, but they probably weren’t appropriate for a woman of her status to say out loud.

“Is there any reason in particular you came to speak with me?”

Byleth blinked at her. Edelgard was strongly reminded of a frog, deep in thought. Suddenly she raised her hand up and brought it down in a fist.

“Right, yes! My papa and Green-Haired lady said I needed to speak with the “house leaders”. Do you know who they are?”

Edelgard chuckled at that. “The house leaders are me, Claude, and Dimitri. You remember the other two from two nights ago, yes?”

Byleth beamed at that. “Yes! Didi and The Claudster!”

Edelgard was sure she had heard the first nickname before, but not the last one.

“The Claudster?”

“He told me to call him that while in camp. Seemed funny, so I went with it.”

Some part of Edelgard wanted to continue that, but it could wait for later. “Regardless, since I am a house leader, can I help you with something?”

Byleth made a thinking face again. “Hm… yes right! Papa wanted me to know about all the class members so I could join a house!”

Edelgard grinned at that. “Well, how can I assist you in that? Do you wish to hear the Black Eagle sales pitch?”

“Sales… pitch?”

Edelgard realized that wouldn’t work this time. All that time wasted… She cleared her throat.

“It’s nothing. Regardless, who do you wish to know about?”

Byleth took out a folder, with portraits of all the students. They seemed well drawn at first, but they got worse the more she looked. Where did Edelgard’s nose go? Same with Leonies? Why was Dorothea’s chest so highlighted? What pose was Hilda doing? Huh?

Regardless of that, Byleth soldiered on. She pointed at Hubert. “Who’s this guy? He seems sorta scary.”

Edelgard chuckled at that. “That’s not an uncommon opinion. That is Hubert von Vestra. He’s loyal to a fault. I would not be here without him.”

She could have sworn she felt a ominous presence around the corner, but decided to ignore it.

Byleth nodded her head. “I see, I see.”

And so, she went through all the Black Eagles with Byleth. Edelgard had a description for all of them, and Byleth seemed to take great joy in writing them down, to the very last word.

“What about you?” Byleth asked, looking Edelgard straight in the eyes. Her gaze made Edelgard’s face quite hot. She tried to find words to describe herself.

“We-well, I don’t wish to stroke my own ego. But if I had to describe myself, it would be as a determined and focused individual. I do my best to achieve my goals. I am also very strong-willed, and I will let nothing stand in my way.”

Byleth nodded her head. “I see, I see. What do you like to do for fun?”

Edelgard blanked at that. Fun? She hadn’t really had the time for much of that. The last “fun” she could truly remember was playing Wyrms and Staircases with August and Clara. But that was before the dungeons, so she answered with a default answer that would be expected of a noble.

“I do enjoy tea with friends from time to time.”

Byleth nodded her head a few times, before scribbling some more on the sheet of paper. “Alright, that’s all my questions. Thanks!”

She patted Edelgard on the head, and began to run towards the courtyard. Once again Edelgard’s face turned red. How Byleth managed to run in high heels baffled Edelgard.

She was quite strange.

Edelgard was looking forward to seeing more of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little while later, there was a general announcement for the house leaders to meet in Rhea's audience hall. Edelgard was the first to arrive. The other people in the room consisted of the Immaculate One herself, her lapdog, Alois, Seteth, Professor Cassagranda, Professor Essar, and…

Edelgard allowed herself a small smile. Jeritza had made it after all. Byleth’s presense had made her worried that perhaps her or Jeralt had been chosen to teach, but luckily Jeritza had won out on in the end.

“Well, looks like you get the worm!” Alois said, laughing at his own joke.

Hanneman groaned. “Alois, can you pl-“

Manuela shushed him. “Let him have this.”

Hanneman grunted, but otherwise stayed quiet.

Claude was the next one to enter. He walked up to the left of Edelgard, put his arms behind his back, and started rocking back.

“His Holy Lioness not here yet?” He whispered.

“Haven’t seen him,” Edelgard replied. “Why do you care?”

“I have money on whether Hilda or Leonie will kill Sylvain first. And I’m hoping this doesn’t take long enough that I get cheated.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow at that. “Was what he said that bad?”

“Apparently so. Either way, my money’s on Leonie since she’s faster. Last thing I heard, Sylvain was being cornered near the fishing pool. Here’s hoping they give the skirt chaser a nice kick in the a-“

Dimitri burst into the room, out of breath. “Apologies, Lady Rhea. I had to handle a matter involving a housemate of mine.”

Claude turned and looked at Dimitri. “Did Leonie or Hilda get him first?”

Dimitri looked down with a frustrated grimace. “Leonie.”

Claude did the same motion Byleth did earlier, and turned back to face the staff. Dimitri got in line as well, to the right of Edelgard.

“Now that everyone is gathered, I am proud to announce the teachers for the class of 1180.” Rhea started, peering over everyone else in the room. Damn that chair. Edelgard would have to get it removed once she took the monastery.

“Professor Essar will oversee the Golden Deer, Professor Cassagranda will oversee the Blue Lions, and Professor Jeritza will oversee the Black Eagles.”

Edelgard let out a silent sigh. Everything was going to plan. Now, all that was left for Kostas to play his final role.

“I trust that our professors will guide you well,” Rhea continued, “Now, onto this month's mission.”

Catherine stepped forward at Rhea’s beckoning. “We’ve confirmed that the bandits who attacked you could be in two areas: one in Zanado, and one in a fortress nearby. We will continue hunting for them throughout the month.”

Edelgard scoffed at that: they already knew where the bandits were. They wanted to give them time to squirm and to make their jobs easier.

“Until we find them, you are all on standby. To ensure all houses are up to fighting standard, there will be a mock battle in three days between the three houses. You will receive more information when it is needed. You are all dismissed, aside from Edelgard.”

As the other two students filed out, Edelgard waited for her instruction.

Rhea was the first to speak. “I have been informed that our two newest students, Shez and Byleth have joined the Black Eagles. Will you be able to handle this? “

Edelgard nodded her head. “Shez already spoke with me about her joining, and I answered Byleth’s questions to the best of my ability.”

Rhea nodded and closed her eyes, smiling. “May the goddess be with you all then. Do keep an eye on Byleth, in particular. I have high hopes for her.”

She nodded, and began the long walk back to her room. Edelgard couldn’t help but wonder what Rhea’s obsession with Byleth was.

Couldn’t be that weird, could it?

Notes:

Well then! Hope y’all enjoy. I’m going to try and keep a bi weekly schedule every Monday or so but I also suck at keeping to a schedule, sorry!

Thank you once again to Raxis my beta for letting me know when I need to remove a line break. Thank you also to y’all for reading this. I was not expecting over like 200 of y’all, with hopefully more to come. Thank you!

As always, constructive criticism is welcome!

Chapter 4: Weapons of War

Summary:

Edelgard watches her classmates beat on training dummies.

That’s all

3 days after meeting with Rhea, Edelgard opened the classroom to see her class functioning normally.

And by that, she meant it was in utter chaos.

Caspar and Shez were fighting in the corner over something - she had him pinned to the floor in a headlock. On the other side of the room, Linhardt was hunched over on a table that Bernadetta was hiding under, while Dorothea seemed to be humiliating Ferdinand by singing the happy birthday song off key while Petra sang along in her native tongue. Hubert was nowhere to be found, which probably meant he was behind Edelgard, and Byleth was slowly wal-

Oh no.

It had taken the tailors the majority of 2 days to get an outfit that would fit Byleth, and that was using the word “fit” in the loosest term possible. It was black and silver for some reason, unlike everyone else’s black and gold. The shirt looked like it was about ready to pop due to Byleth’s chest. She had a skirt like Bernie’s, but unlike the bear, Byleth apparently hadn’t discovered shorts. Or thigh high socks. Her legs, and probably the rest of her waist, were fully exposed.

And why did she have a cape? It was a full blown cape you would see on a hero or a trickster, not Edelgard’s half cape. She wanted a cape, damnit!

“Hullo, Edel.” Byleth said, knocking Edelgard out of her thoughts.

“Hello, Byleth. Is the uniform treating you well?”

“Nah. It’s a bit tight around my breasts. Might take it off.”

Edelgard balked at that. “Y-you what? You can’t just walk around without a top on!”

“Why not?”

“Cause it’s not proper! Just, don’t do that. Trust me.”

Byleth gave her a strange look. “I see. This place has a lot more rules than when I camped with Papa.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow at that. “What rules did you have in a mercenary camp?”

Petra walked over, having finished embarrassing Ferdinand, and seemed interested in the conversation.

“I would also be having great interest in that.” The hostage princess said.

Byleth beamed. “Well, it was mostly free when we weren’t on the job. We didn’t have a home base like the larger companies, so we set up wherever we could. Usually near a lake so papa and I could fish, and the others could clean up.”

“Clean up?” Edelgard inquired.

“Yup, we had to clean off the day in the river. Sometimes multiple days. Villagers had an issue with us walking back into camp naked sometimes. Always on about how “men and women should be separate” or something like that. Jeralt one time threatened a noble after he saw me and-“

While Byleth continued her tale involving lances and “lances”, Edelgard grimaced at the thought of a non private bath. She had bathed at the very least once a day since… well, she shouldn’t think about that while talking with her friends. She had even managed to find an empty bath house in Remire. But with other people? And those of different genders? That sounded like a nightmare.

But Petra seemed to be much better at grasping that concept. “The people of Brigid are also using rivers and the ocean to bathe. We do not have the bath houses that many of Fodlan have.”

This caught Byleth’s eye. “Brigid? What’s that?”

Petra’s smile turned radiant. “Brigid is the land of my people! It is filled with vast jungles and beaches of splendor! Maybe after our time at the academy you could be visiting?”

Byleth smiled at that. “Maybe. What’s a jungle?”

And so Petra went into great detail about Brigid’s flora and fauna. Edelgard smiled and walked away. She didn’t wish to get in the way of her classmates forming bonds.

Especially when her own bonds wouldn’t last as long as theirs.

She instead turned her attention towards the mercenary and the noble still grappling in the corner. Caspar had broken Shez’s headlock, but now seemed to be pinned between her thighs. He was still trying to struggle out of her grip.

As Edelgard approached, Shez looked up and smiled.

“Hey, boss? How’d you sleep?”

“Very well, Shez,” Edelgard lied. She never slept well. “But I must ask, why is Caspar pinned between your thighs?”

Caspar quit struggling for a second to look up at Edelgard.

“We’re training in grappling!” The young warrior shouted out

This caused Edelgard to raise her left eyebrow. “You’re training for grappling… in the corner of our classroom?”

Both of them nodded their heads.

“Since the mock battle is today, we wanted to get in some extra training beforehand!” Shez said as Caspar started to struggle against her again.

“I… I see.” Edelgard said, as she walked away from the two. She heard a thump, and assumed that Caspar just got flipped into the wall.

Were all mercenaries so strange? What was next, a man with dual crossbows that made catcalls?

Speaking of cat calls, a certain Gautier heir was speaking with Byleth near the entrance of the classroom. Edelgard walked over, before someone got hurt. Probably Sylvain.

“Heya Byleth, I heard you’re new here? I’m Sylvain, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Sylvain asked, raising his hands behind his head in a signature pose. Edelgard wanted to slap the grin off his face.

“Hello, Sylvie. It’s nice to meet you.” Byleth kindly smiled, and held her hand out in a handshake.

Having been caught off guard by the nickname like everyone else, Sylvain shook her hand.

“Soo, since you’re new, I was wondering if you could use some help with some lance train-“

“Sylvain. Jose. Gautier.” A blonde-haired woman said as she walked up to Sylvain. It was Ingrid, one of the Blue Lions, the heir to Galatea, and apparently the person responsible for cleaning up Sylvain’s messes.

“Ouch, Ingrid. I haven’t done anything! I was just asking the new girl if she’d like to see my lance techn-“

“Your techniques are not needed here.” A cold voice said from behind Sylvain.

It was Jeritza. At least Edelgard hoped it was Jeritza right now. It would not end well for Sylvain if the other one was in control.

Sylvain gawked up at the hulking 6’4’’ professor. They were only about 3 inches apart, but Jeritza still had an imposing figure.

While Sylvain stood frozen, Ingrid started to drag him back to the Blue Lions Classroom.

“Sorry, Professor Hyrm! I’ll try to keep him under more control!”

Jeritza slowly nodded his head, and looked back at the classroom.

“Close the door. We will be discussing matters.” He said very loudly, attracting everyone’s attention.

Edelgard closed the door behind them all, and then the Black Eagles circled around Jeritza.

Well, Caspar had to drag Linhardt to the circle, and Bernie was hiding behind Dorothea, so they mostly circled.

“Greetings, students. I am your professor for this year, Professor Hyrm. I shall instruct you in the ways of crushing your enemies and achieving victory over all.” Jeritza started.

He was very unorthodox, but Edelgard expected that. Hubert did as well, but the others’ reactions were a bit different. Bernie hid further behind Dorothea, who herself had a puzzled look on her face. Ferdinand was sweating a bit, but put on a brave face. Petra seemed determined to learn, and so did Caspar. Linhardt was asleep on Caspar’s shoulder.

“Now, we shall introduce ourselves. Who wishes to step up and spill all their secrets first?”

Edelgard mentally slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. Hopefully he wouldn’t get in trouble talking like this.

Byleth, apparently having no fear, stepped up first.

“Hallo. I’m Byleth Eisner, and I once hid a whole sword from my father for 13 weeks. He never found it.”

Apparently she had taken Jeritza’s words to heart. Everyone else began to introduce themselves, and Byleth had a nickname for everyone. Dorothea became “Hat”, Hubert became “Scary”, Bernie got to keep her nickname of “Bear”, Shez became “Scowl” due to the look on her face. She was clearly still upset with Byleth, and was trying to keep her thoughts to herself.

Byleth continued on. Jeritza became “Giant”, Caspar was “Brash”, Ferdinand became “Smile”, and Linhardt was “Sleepy”.

“And let’s see, the cooking lady can be-“

“Please, stop this,” Jeritza said, clearly tired. “We don’t have time for this.”

Byleth nodded, and fell back in. “Understood, Boss.”

Shez has said that word earlier. Edelgard would need to investigate that later on.

“Now, I will examine all of your combat capabilities for today's match. With me to the training grounds.” Jeritza said, before promptly opening the class doors and marching to the classrooms.

As the class followed, Edelgard wondered if she had accidentally let a mad man into the monastery.

Then again, it was filled with worshippers of a god who didn’t exist. Maybe everyone was a bit mad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edelgard watched as the first student entered the training yard. Jeritza wanted to judge them one by one, with the exception of Edelgard and Hubert. He knew their capabilities, and they knew his.

Of course, the first one through the gate was Ferdinand. The ginger-haired heir to Aegir walked in, twirling a training lance in his hands.

“Greetings, Professor! I am Ferdinand Von Aegir, and I am here to show off the power of House Aeg-“

“I don’t care.” Jeritza said in a deadpan tone. “Boasts do not protect men on the battlefield. Training does.”

Ferdinand looked like he had the wind knocked out of his sails for a few moments. “I-I see.”

“What path are you specializing in?”

Ferdinand’s enthusiasm returned. “I will follow the cavalier path, hoping one day to be a Holy Knight to protect my people!”

What a noble answer.

Jeritza nodded. “I see. It is a path not easily walked.”

“Very well! In that case, I shall show my superior strength by defeating Edelgard in a duel!”

Edelgard rolled his eyes. Of course he would try this, instead of just practicing on the dummy. Jeritza would surely n-

“Very well. You may begin once ready,” Jeritza said, with a tiny bit of interest. “I wish to see if your boasts are more than empty words.”

Edelgard sighed, but took up a position on the opposite side of the yard from Ferdinand.

“And Edelgard, why don’t we add weight to this duel? If I win, then you mu-“

“Let me guess,” Edelgard responded, deciding to not deal with any of his antics, and doing her best impersonation of the Ginger noble who faced her. “You must surrender your title of emperor to me, the noblest of nobility!”

Ferdinand grimaced at that. “I do not sound like that! But if you refuse, I must prove I am worthy to one day challenge you!”

Ferdinand charged at her, swinging his Lance to the left like one would a blade. Edelgard easily side stepped this, bringing the training axe towards his right side. Ferdinand jumped away from it at the last second, and recovered his stance. “Very well, but it will take more than that to stop me! I shall not fall on my day of birth, as I am Ferdinand von A-“

She didn’t let him finish. She leaped at him with the axe, knocking him flat on his back.

Jeritza stepped between the pair. “Enough. This duel has been decided.” He walked over to Ferdinand. “Your stance is good. You seem to understand basic combat. But your attacks show a lack of experience. Have you ever fought an axe user?”

Ferdinand shook his head. “Never on foot. Usually only upon horseback.”

Jeritza shook his head in confirmation. “Your way of fighting would work while mounted, but you are sloppy while on your feet. Have you passed the exams for any mounted classes?”

Ferdinand shook his head no. “I attempted to, but they said I must be certified in the soldier line first. I am certified in that, at least.”

Jeritza nodded his head. “I see. Please send in the next student.”

Ferdinand walked away with a small slouch. Edelgard would have to speak with him about their duel later.

Next up was unsurprisingly Caspar.

Jeritza eyed him up, looking at his gear. “You mean to follow the warrior or grappler path.”

“Both, Professor!” Caspar cried out “I’m going to be a War Master!”

Jeritza raised an eyebrow at that. “You certainly have the enthusiasm of one. Demonstrate your skill upon the dummies.”

And so Caspar went to work. From Edelgard’s own perspective, he had the strength, but lacked technique. His fighting style was rough and wild, one that would work well in a crowd of enemies.

After a few minutes of this, Jeritza raised his hand. “Enough. You fight like a wild animal; all strength, no skill. We will refine that. Send in the next student.”

Caspar walked back excitedly. It would seem it would take less than a thinly veiled insult to get his spirits down.

Next up was Shez, wielding twin blades.

Jeritza eyed her up. “You duel wield with a stance foreign to me. What is your path?”

Shez stared at him “Not any present here. It’s a merc fighting style I picked up on the road.”

Edelgard heard a hint of a lie there, but decided she could handle it later.

Jeritza however, nodded again. He did that a lot. “Very well. Demonstrate on the dummy.”

Edelgard watched in awe as Shez practiced. The style was unorthodox, but also stylish. It was like watching a dancer at work. Not that kind of dancer, Edelgard thought to herself as she slightly blushed. She could have sworn she saw a brief flicker of orange light engulf Shez, but Edelgard chalked it up to a trick of the light.

Jeritza once again raised his hand. “Enough. Your style is unique. I look forward to seeing it upon the field of battle. Send in the next student.”

Shez left, and then Byleth entered.

She already had her practice blade drawn, resting it on her shoulder. Her expression was very relaxed it seemed. Hopefully she was getting along well with the other Eagles.

“I am assuming, by your blade, that you wish to be a sword master?” Jeritza asked, looking at the mercenaries' stance.

Byleth shook her head. “I wish to try a little of everything, if that is alright Scary-Boss.”

Jeritza slightly grimaced at the nickname, but his neutral expression soon returned.

“All of them? Are you quite sure?”

Byleth nodded her head. Edelgard knew she had good intentions, but to do all of them would be ludi-

“Very well. Show what you already know.”

This was going to be an interesting year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After about 15 minutes of Byleth demonstrating everything she knew, Jeritza sent her back to the remaining students. Of course, 7 of those minutes was a duel between him and the former mercenary, because why would Jeritza do things the normal way? That would imply anything was right in the world.

They then breaked for a small lunch, in which Seteth about lost his mind when Ignatz tried to speak to Flayn, Annette boiled away a pot of water, and Ingrid had to save Sylvain from an angry crowd of women he had all gone on dates with the day before.

After that, they returned to the training ground, where it was Petra’s turn. She had been trained most of her life in Bow, Sword, and Axe, so Edelgard had no doubt she would be fine.

“You carry many weapons… what do you wish to certify in?”

“I am wishing to be riding a wyvern.” Petra exclaimed energetically. “They are not native to my homeland. I will be riding the beast!”

Jeritza nodded. “Understood. Show your skills on the training dummy.”

Petra went with the bow first. She dragged out a few targets, and began to show off. She could consistently hit a bullseye, managing to somehow splinter an arrow in half with another. Jeritza seemed to show small interest at that, but he returned to his neutral expression quickly.

Next up was her axe work. The fighting style of Brigid with axes was much different than that of Fodlan. Instead of focusing on strong, flowing strikes, Petra was fast with her axe, attacking multiple spots. It was quite clear she was very strong, and Edelgard could see her muscles move as she…

Edelgard cleared her head. She knew where that line of thought would go.

Lastly, Petra showed off her swordplay. It was of Brigid style, which was a strange mixture of darting blows and large, hearty strikes. Edelgard could tell why Brigid had made such a formidable enemy. Petra fought very well, and Jeritza was impressed.

“Impressive. I had never seen the fighting style of Brigid before now. It is quite interesting.”

Petra bowed. “I am in honor by your kind words.”

“Perhaps we will have a chance to spar after the training match. Send in the next student.”

Now came the 3 who were the least excited.

Dorothea entered first, lacking the anxiety that Bernie had, and being awake unlike Linhardt.

Jeritza eyed her over. “You carry both blade and magic. Do you have a class line in mind?”

Dorothea shook her head no. “Not really just yet. I was going to try to be a dancer, but that’s apparently an advanced class. I’ll probably try the mage line for now.”

Edelgard tried her hardest not to picture Dorothea in a dancer outfit. She only hoped Dorothea couldn’t see her blush. A small giggle told Edelgard she had been found out.

Jeritza nodded his head. “Keep your blade regardless. It could mean life or death.”

Dorothea grimaced at that. Edelgard knew she didn’t really wish to fight. She would need to help her with that. A hesitant soldier on the battlefield was a dead one.

“Demonstrate what you know upon the training dummy.” Jeritza said.

Dorothea stepped up to the dummy, and began to show off her swordsmanship. It was sloppy, unlike Petra’s, and reminded Edelgard of a child who just picked up a blade.

“Enough of that. Were you taught?” Jeritza asked after a while.

Dorothea shook her head. “Self taught both sword fighting and magic.”

Jeritza raised an eyebrow at that. “Indeed? Demonstrate your magic, then.”

Dorothea raised her hand, and summoned thunder magic. Edelgard was thoroughly impressed, along with Jeritza.

“You taught yourself thunder magic?” Jeritza said, incredulous. Jeritza was barely impressed with the fact that Hubert was essentially ready to certify for Dark Bishop.

“Y-yeah, is there a problem?” Dorothea said. She seemed nervous, for the first time since Edelgard met the silver-tongued songstress.

“You taught yourself thunder magic before a simple fire spell?” Edelgard asked, unable to contain her surprise.

“S-simple? What are you on about? The man who gave me the tome said it was the most basic magic…”

Edelgard slowly put it together; Dorothea had been played. And it dawned on Dorothea’s face as well.

“Well, isn’t that just brilliant!” Dorothea exclaimed, her face twisting into a ugly grin, before she started to laugh quietly. She was not taking this well. She began to clench her fists, with lightning radiating out of them.

Jeritza seemed conflicted for a moment, before slowly raising his hand. “Enough. It was only a compliment. You are advanced well beyond where you should be. Take pride in that.”

Dorothea slowly calmed herself, but it was clear it still bothered her.

“Alrighty then! Sorry about that.” She said to both Edelgard and Jeritza.

“It is quite alright. I understand yo—“ Edelgard started.

“Anger like that will serve you well on the battlefield, but you must control it, lest it devour you.” Jeritza interrupted. “Send in the next student.”

Dorothea gave a small curtsey, and walked away with her hands clenched. Jeritza turned to Edelgard while Dorothea tried to wake up Linhardt.

“Keep an eye on that one.” he whispered.

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“She is desperate to prove herself. I saw it in her stance and her face. A desperate opponent is the most dangerous of all.”

Edelgard would have to press the subject later, as Linhardt slowly walked up.

“From what I’ve seen, you are the healer?” Jeritza asked.

“Yeah… will this take long?” Linhardt asked.

Jeritza shook his head. “Not unless you know any combat magic.”

“Nope… never really interested me.” Linhardt said with a yawn.

Jeritza dismissed him; it seemed Edelgard shouldn’t expect him to participate, at the very least.

Then came the great bear herself, Bernie.

“What class line are yo-“ Jeritza started.

“SorrysorrymrIknowImlateitwon’thappenagainpleasedon’thurtmepleas.” Was all the Varley heir had to offer.

Edelgard walked forward and put a hand on her shoulder. She quit her rambling, and looked her in the eyes.

“It’s alright, Bernadetta,” she said. “No one here will harm you. You have my word, along with that of Professor Jeritza.”

Bernie looked over at Jeritza. He nodded his head in conformation.

“O-okay, I’ll try…” Bernadetta said as she grabbed a practice bow.

She was a phenomenal shot. She managed to hit multiple targets, while barely keeping her eyes open. It was most impressive

But then she missed a target by a small margin.

This seemed to cause her to panic.

“Ugh!Stupidberniethinkingyoucouldeverdoanythinggood!”

Edelgard slowly tried to approach her again, causing her to panic even more.

“No! Stay away!” She yelled as she accidentally fired a shot at a target.

The arrow went clean through, obliterating the target. Edelgard and Jeritza were both astonished. Bernadetta seemed

“That was… quite impressive, Miss Varley.” Jeritza said, smiling a bit.

“I-it was?” She asked? Squeaked out? Something like that.

“Very much so,” Jeritza continued. “With proper training, you will make an excellent sniper or bow knight.”

Bernadetta seemed amazed for a moment, then did some sort of a happy dance- at least it looked that way to Edelgard.

“Al-alright! I’ll do my b-best!” She exclaimed.

Jeritza then turned to Edelgard. “The fight will begin in an hour. Take the class to the starting location. I shall pick who is participating there.”

Edelgard nodded, and turned to Bernadetta. “Shall we regroup with the others?”

Bernadetta, seemingly filled with more energy then Edelgard had ever seen, beamed at her.

“Al-alright! Let’s go!”

She ran away from Edelgard in a sprint. She couldn’t help but smile at the small archer in such a good mood.

Hopefully she would be able to handle the events yet to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

They arrived with a little time to spare. Jeritza had them set up in a line, with Edelgard on his left.

“I have decided the fighters for today's skirmish.” Jeritza announced, walking back and forth.

“I require Aegir, MacNeary, Arnault, Eisner, and Bergeliz, Varley, and the one named Shez to fight alongside me and Lady Edelgard.”

Ferdinand, Petra, Dorothea, Byleth, Caspar, Bernadetta, and Shez all walked to him. Caspar, Petra, Ferdinand, and Shez seemed excited, Dorothea was nervous, Bernadetta seemed to be having a panic attack, and Byleth…

That cold look in her eye from when she saved Edelgard had returned. The Ashen Demon had emerged.

Edelgard then realized how many names he said. “Wasn’t the skirmish meant to only have 5 participants per house?” Edelgard asked.

“It was changed at the last minute, due to next month’s mission. The other two houses will have their full rosters, and their Professor. Most of our class will participate.” Jeritza responded, with a small shrug. It made sense to Edelgard.

Of those left behind, only one really cared. Linhardt had already fallen asleep, and Hubert had a small frown.

“Professor, if it is not too much to ask, I wish to stay by Lady Edel-“

Jeritza held up his hand. He seemed to enjoy doing that. “Your magic is impressive, but lethal. You would be a menace upon a field of battle, but bloodshed is strictly prohibited today.”

Hubert’s left eye twitched, but he relented. “Very well. I leave her majesty in your knightly hands.” he muttered, grinning

Jeritza was going to retort, then Petra spoke up.

“We will be helping Edelgard to victory!” She declared. “Fear not!”

“And after all, the knights are all watching,” Dorothea added. “Surely they would never let anything go wrong, right?”

Edelgard had half a mind to disagree with that, but decided to make sure Hubert didn’t do anything rash.

“I agree. I will be fine on my own, Hubert. Thank you for your care.”

Hubert bowed at that. “As you wish, Lady Edelgard.”

He walked away and sat next to Linhardt, who was mumbling something about cheese. She would have to reprimand Hubert for his remark against Jeritzas alter ego. Maybe she’d give him a free day to see him squirm.

Jeritza turned to the remaining eagles.

“The goal is to force our enemie to yield. Bruises and injuries are fine. Do not strike to kill. We shall go wh-“

As if on cue, a fire ball was launched into the sky.

“We begin now! Follow me!” He shouted over the sound of the fire ball exploding. He grabbed his practice lance and began to run forward.

Closely following behind him, Edelgard and her black eagles went to battle for the first time. Edelgard only hoped she and her friends could win today, and that she would never have to fight them.

If only it were so easy.

Notes:

Hello all! So last time I said I would be uploading bi weekly. This was miss information, sorry. I meant to say weekly. Oops.

Shout out again to my Beta Raxis! He’s amazing, go read On Black Wings. It’s so good I may or may not have subconsciously stolen something about Dorothea from him. Oops again.

Thanks for reading again! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Next up, Ferdinand and Caspar have a charge to rival the Light Brigade, Petra eats a forrest creature, and Bernadetta does some gaming.

Chapter 5: A More Practical Test

Summary:

The mock battle commences

As it would turn out, charging headfirst into the combat area would lead to a bit of confusion on what the plan was. Well, there was no plan. They should have gotten there earlier.

“Halt here,” Jeritza said. “We must begin to pl-“

“Follow me, my noble comrades,” Ferdinand yelled out, not stopping to hear Jeritza. “We shall make this victory and birthday of mine a day to remember!”

“Right behind ya Ferdinand!” Caspar said. “Let’s get ‘em!”

And so the prospective holy knight and war master charged ahead, without a care for their classmates telling them to come back.

“Well, we can always count on Ferdie to have honey wedged in his ears.” Dorothea said, with a bit of a smug smirk.

“I am having confusion. Why honey?” Petra asked with a quizzical look.

“We can discuss that later,” Edelgard started. “For now we need to rescue our enthusiastic classmates. Jeritza, may I take command?”

The stern-faced teacher nodded. “I am yours to wield.”

“Good.” She wheeled around and faced Byleth, Petra, and Shez.

“You three are probably the fastest. I need you to catch up to Ferdinand and Caspar. Go with Jeritza and try to help them. If not, engage carefully. Clear?”

The three of them nodded, and ran towards where the two boys had run off to. She then turned towards Dorothea and Bernadetta. “We’re going with them as well, and will act as support. Dorothea, can you control your thunder enough for it to be non lethal?”

Dorothea thought about that for a second. “Maybe… There’s a good chance I can make it only stun, but it might make it only tickle.”

“On the battlefield any distraction is defeat. Regardless of how much it hurts, it'll work to our favor.”

Dorothea’s face brightened at that. “You can count on me, Edie!”

What was it with these people and their nicknames? Not that Edelgard could talk, given she’d made a moniker of her own.

She nodded at Dorothea, and turned to the small archer who was currently pale as a ghost.

“Bernad-“ Edelgard started.

“I’msorryIknowImuselessIdon’tevenknowwhytheprof-“

Edelgard once again cut her off, gently and carefully putting her hand on her left shoulder.

“Bernadetta. You are not useless. Who told you that?”

The purple archer looked down and mumbled something that sounded like “Barter”. Clearly this wasn’t who hurt her, but that could wait till later.

“You are out here because you impressed Professor Jeritza and me enough to participate. The same reason as Caspar, Ferdinand, Dorothea, and everyone else. You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have faith in you.”

Dorothea chimed in as well. “Come on Bernie! You’ve got every right to be here!”

The timid archer raised her head. “O-okay. I’ll do my best!”

“All right then, follow me,” Edelgard commander. “If we’re lucky, the battlefield should be under our control by this point.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were not lucky at all.

It seemed Lorenz of the Golden Deer had the same idea that Ferdinand had; he and the Aegir heir were currently locked in a duel towards the middle of the clearing. It also seemed Claude was trying to take advantage of the chaos. He brought Raphael, Leonie, and Ignatz, the former trying to pin Caspar to the ground, and the latter two firing arrows with Claude at a downed tree, where Byleth and the others that Edelgard sent forward were taking cover.

Claude turned and saw Edelgard approaching. He signaled Ignatz to fire upon her, Dorothea, and Bernie. So, they darted for the cover where everyone else was hiding.

As Edelgard put her back to the tree, Byleth gave her a salute.

“Orders, Boss?” She asked with a blank stare.

Petra and Shez also turned towards Edelgard. Jeritza meanwhile seemed to be spaced out. He was staring at something in the distance.

Edelgard thought for a few moments. “Have we spotted the Lions anywhere?”

“Ashe and the gloomy swordsman tried to attack us,” said Shez, “but Claude seemingly only wants to fight one of us at once.”

Edelgard could guess the swordsman was Felix, but how did Shez know Ashe? Wasn’t he Lord Lanoto’s heir or som-

“It’s a sound tactic,” Byleth added, interrupting Edelgard’s line of thought. “He has to leave too much to chance if all 3 houses are engaged in combat.”

Edelgard thought about this for a moment.

“Hmm…. The Lions are probably holding back for now then. We can press that advantage.”

Bernadetta made a noise at that. “Ad-advantage? I’m no military expert, but we seem at a disadvantage right now!”

Petra shook her head at this. “The pinned tiger is… the metaphor does not work for this language.”

Byleth seemed to pick up just fine on this. “What she’s saying is Claude wants us to stay here, and slowly pick us off. We have to catch him off guard with something bold.”

“Everyone, do you trust me?” asked Edelgard

They all nodded. Well, almost everyone. Jeritza was still distracted.

“Good. Byleth, Petra, you’re with me. We are going to charge their firing line. Professor Hyrm, Shez, start heading towards the lion's last known position. I trust you enough to think you can handle yourselves. Bernadetta, Dorothea, please cover us from here. Does everyone understand their role?”

They all gave her varying responses of “yes”, “yeah”, and both Shez and Byleth gave her a “Yes, Boss.”

Edelgard, Petra, and Byleth charged towards Claude. He seemed to be caught off guard and tried to issue a command to Leonie, but she traded her bow for a lance and rushed out toward them.

“Hey, blue haired girl! Are you the captain's daughter?” She yelled out as she charged toward the three of them.

“Who?” Byleth yelled back.

Leonie stopped in her tracks. “Captain Jeralt! Only the greatest merc in Fodlan. You’re his daughter, right?”

Byleth nodded at that. “Right, sorry. I’ve never had to call him captain. And you are?”

“I’m his first and best apprentice, Leonie Pinell! He never mentioned me?”

Byleth thought for a few moments. “He mentioned a small hunter a few times. Was that you? Sorry, my memories are not the best.”

Leonie started moving towards her again. “Well, I’ll make this a duel that you’ll never forget!”

The ginger-haired apprentice charged at Byleth, and Byleth broke off from the others to engage her. Edelgard and Petra pushed past the two. Edelgard had no doubt that Byleth had it under control.

As they began to move to the tree line, Edelgard heard a haughty voice from behind her. She spun around to see Lorenz charging the pair, having broken off from his match with Ferdinand.

“Claude, it seems your underhanded tactics will cost us. Never fear, for I, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, will-“

Whatever he was saying was cut off by a thunder bolt in the back. It knocked him slightly off balance, allowing Ferdinand to catch up and knock him off his feet.

“Yield, Lorenz!” He said. “You have lost this day!”

Lorenz put his hands up in a surrendering motion.

“So I have. But know this! I-“

Whatever he was going to say was cut off, as he vanished. Edelgard assumed the mages on hand around the field had rescued him with magic.

“My apologies, Edelgard.” Ferdinand said with a small bow. “I let glory blind me. Fear not, for I, Ferdin-“

Edelgard had no time for this. “You can make it up to me by helping Caspar with Raphael. After that, assist Shez and Professor Hyrm with the Lions.”

“Understood!” He said. “The day shall be ours!” He was recovering better from getting cut off. Maybe it was the battle.

He ran off to go help Caspar, who had managed to pin Raphael on the ground, so Petra and Edelgard continued pushing the tree line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the pair approached Ignatz, he dropped his bow and raised his hands. “I surrender!”

Petra scoffed at this. “You are not even giving it an attempt? I shall fight you one to one if you are wishing.”

Ignatz gave a nervous chuckle at this. “Nope. I uh, don’t like my odds against two strong girls with melee weapons! I yield!”

The moment he said that, he once again vanished from view.

Petra spat at the spot where he was standing. “He is needing to learn backbone, or he will not last upon a true field of war.”

“He was always going to be a simple opponent. Let’s push on.” said Edelgard.

After a few more minutes, they finally caught up to Claude. He was standing there, alone and twirling an arrow. Edelgard wondered where the other three golden deer were.

As the two approached him, he started slow clapping.

“Well done! Honestly, I was hoping you’d sit there until the Lions cleaned you up, but hey! It worked out just fine for you. That’s just wonderful. Did you bring your Brigid attack dog with you, Edelgard, or did she choose to come?”

Petra growled at this. “I am not an “attack dog”. You should be watching your tongue.”

“I mean…” Claude went on. “Brigid is a vassal state. I have good reasons to assume you’d be dragged out to the battlefield as well.”

Petra braced to charge him, but Edelgard put a hand on her shoulder. “Brigid may currently be a vassal state, but once I am emperor I plan on making changes. Of course, you wouldn’t know that, but do be more mindful when insulting a fellow heir.”

Petra turned towards Edelgard with a look of doubt. “You are truly honest in your words?”

Edelgard nodded. “I promise, no matter what my reign may bring, Brigid will be free.”

Claude made a whistle at that. “Those are some pretty words, your Eagleness. And it’s honestly quite impressive. Buuut, I just wanted you talking as a distraction. Oooooh Hilda!”

Edelgard found herself thrown off balance as a pink blur slammed an axe into the ground. Petra flew back into a tree and checked herself for broken bones, groaning in pain as she did.

“Hey Edie!” The Gonreil heir teased. “You know who’s time it is? Hilda! Hilda!”

Edelgard regained her balance, and assumed a defensive position. She didn’t know much about Hilda and assumed she wouldn’t be participating in the first place. In the classroom, she seemed like a lazy fashionista, on the battlefield? Now she suddenly had a berserker's strength. A berserker with the skill of a warrior.

“Sooo, like, me and Marrianne have things we’d rather do, so can we finish this up?” Hilda asked as she circled Edelgard.

“Your move, Hilda.”

“Uuuugh, you're making me work!” She said as she brought her axe down on Edelgard.

The princess managed to block the blow, but her training axe shattered under the impact. Half the axe, the part with the blade, flew away from her, leaving Edelgard with a glorified stick.

As Hilda reared up for another blow, Petra jumped between the two axe fighters.

“Recover your axe! I will hold her off!” Petra yelled, as she started to engage Hilda. Her swordsmanship was quick and nimble, landing easy blows on Hilda. But the pink-haired girl powered through the light injuries and swung a blow at Petra, which she easily dodged.

Edelgard ran for what was left of her axe, and found herself looking straight at Claude. He was tossing it in his hands.

“Well, your Royal Adrestianess. Seems I’ve got something of yours.”

“Then I’ll have to just take it back.”

“Yeah, good luck with th-look out! There’s a rat!”

Edelgard leaped away from where she was standing and screamed.

A rat? In the forest? Certainly not. Right? Her thoughts started to spiral. Their sharp, pointy teeth. The smell of rot. Wilturd’s dead, empty eyes looking at her while the rats slowly nibbled away at his flesh. She ran behind a tree, and pressed herself tight against it. She would be safe from the rat! Yes! She would be safe here.

After a few seconds, her pounding heart calmed down, and she peered around the tree. Claude stood there, dumbstruck, as did Hilda. Petra was nowhere to be seen. It seemed Hilda had gotten the better of her.

“Edelgard, I-“ Claude started, but a certain pink-haired heir shushed him.

“What the fuck Claude?” Hilda screamed. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“What? No, I swear I ha-“

“This was one of your schemes, wasn’t it? Look at her,” Hilda demanded, gesturing wildly at Edelgard, “she’s traumatized! Tell me Claude, what do rats carry?”

Claude thought for a second. “Disease? Wait. Disease. They carry- and she’s a Hres-“

He went white as the Faerghus snow.

Hilda lightly slapped him in the face. “You’re a moron! Do you ever think before you speak?”

Stunned, Claude had no words for once. Hilda walked over to Edelgard, and handed the pale-faced princess her axe.

“I broke yours, so I need you to use this to break this insensitive jerk's nose. Sound good?”

Edelgard nodded. “Thank you Hilda.”

She gave Edelgard a wink, before turning to Claude.

“Hilda wai-“

But before he could finish his sentence, Hilda spoke.

“I yield.”

She gave one last wink to Edelgard before being warped away.

Claude stood there, with a completely shocked face.

“I uh, don’t suppose I can make up for bringing up your trauma?” He asked with a nervous chuckle.

“You could yield.” Edelgard replied calmly.

“I could, but wouldn’t it be easier for me to just treat you to a nic-“

Whatever stupid offer he had planned was cut off as Byleth leaped out of the trees, pinning him in a chokehold. Bernadetta and Dorothea followed slowly behind her.

“Yield.” She said in a deadpan tone as she kicked Claude’s bow out of reach.

He struggled for a few seconds, before finally relenting. “I yield.” He said with a dejected face, as he was teleported away.

Byleth then stood up, and saluted Edelgard.

“Leonie and Raphael are eliminated, boss. Leonie put up a good fight, but was taught lance techniques to act like a mounted unit, but she had no mount. Bernadetta got Raphael.”

Edelgard turned to Bernadetta, who had a rare, small smile.

“Did she, now? Well done, Bernadetta. I told you that you were a good choice.”

She blushed at that, and slowly looked down.

“ThankYouIPromiseIllKeepUpTheGoodWork.” She mumbled.

Dorothea then looked around. “Where’s Petra?”

Edelgard had to grimace at that. “I believe Hilda forced her to yield. I had broken my axe, and she held her off long enough for me to deal with Hilda.”

Dorothea nodded at that. “I see. Claude seemed rather down. Edie? You’re pale as a ghost. Did something happen?”

Edelgard froze. Of course Dorothea would see it.

“Claude just… brought up something he shouldn’t have. Don’t worry about it.”

Dorothea’s eyebrows furrowed. “Do I need to speak with him?”

“No, no. Hilda already saw to that.”

The songstress’s eyebrow raised at that, but she let it be. “Well, the good news is that the people you sent to fight the kingdom have already engaged. What now, Edie?”

Edelgard smiled.

“Now, we finish off the deer, and pincer the lions.”

So the 4 of them pushed through the forest. Eventually they came to the deer’s clearing, where only Hanneman, Lysithea, and Marriane remained.

“Ah, splitting your forces, Edelgard?” Hanneman called out, standing up.

“It was the most beneficial tactic at the time.” She responded.

“I see, I see. These military tactics of you students are beyond my years. I’m assuming Claude’s gambit failed.”

“Yes. Now, do we need to drag this out, or will you yield?”

Lysithea chuckled at that.

“Not so fast, Edelgard. Me and Marianne are still going to fight. Right, Marianne?”

The blue haired Edmund heir snapped out of her thoughts. “R-right! Yeah!”

“Remember, students!” Hanneman called out. “No lethal magic!”

Lysithea grunted at that, and raised her bow. Marianne summoned a pillar of ice. Hanneman called up wind magic.

A tense stand-off ensued. And then Byleth started to move.

It was like watching a god fight. She easily dodged Marianne’s blizzard and Lysithea’s arrows without breaking a sweat. She went straight for Marianne, lightly knocking her to the ground where she yielded, and was subsequently teleported away.

None of the Eagle girls could look away. They didn’t dare move either, to make sure they didn’t interrupt her. Edelgard felt a strange feeling in her chest as Byleth dodged another attack from Lysithea. She felt drawn to Byleth, even though she had barely known her for a week. The way she spoke, and laughed, and her eyes…

Dorothea snapped her fingers in front of Edelgard’s eyes. “Hey, Edie. Edie. Still with us?.”

She snapped out of watching Byleth, and turned to Dorothea. “Yes?”

“Oh nothing. You just seemed distracted. Can’t say I blame you.”

Edelgard blushed and turned back to watch the former mercenary do her work.

Byleth dodged another arrow from Lysithea before dashing towards her, pointing her blade mere inches from the young mage's throat.

“Yield.” Byleth said in the same, cold tone she always had as the Ashen Demon.

“Fine,” Lysithea grumbled. “I yield.”

She was teleported away, leaving only Hanneman left.

“Well, I do believe that concludes this skirmish.” He said as he looked at Byleth. “Very impressive. You are the child of Jeralt Eisner?”

When she nodded her head, he chuckled. “Well, that would explain it. I yield. Make sure you tell Manuela she owes me 50-“

He was warped away before he was finished.

“You think we should tell Manuela what he tried to say?” Edelgard asked, turning to Dorothea.

Dorothea winked. “I’m sure she already knows. Let’s worry about that later.”

“All right.” Edelgard turned to the other eagles. “Now we march onwards to victory!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few minutes of cutting across the battleground, they arrived to where the Blue Lions were making their last stand.

Ferdinand, Jeritza, and Shez remained. It seemed Caspar had fallen at some point. Of the Lions, Edelgard could see Manuela inside their fortification, which Dimitri and Ingrid were defending Dedue was fighting both Ferdinand and Jeritza, and Mercedes was firingarrows at the attackers.

Edelgard called her group to a halt.

“All right, here’s the plan. Dorothea and I are going to join the main group. Byleth, Bernadetta. You two sneak around back and wait for our signal. You’ll know it when you see it. Got it?”

Bernadetta gave a small nod, Dorothea a bigger nod, and Byleth gave a salute. So, Edelgard and Dorothea went off to join the main group.

As they arrived, they saw Dedue finally overpowering Ferdinand, forcing him to yield. Hopefully it had been an eventful enough birthday for him that going down after all he did wouldn’t sour his mood too badly.

Dedue saw Edelgard and Dorothea approaching, and began to ball back to the fort.

“Thea, try and shock him!” Edelgard cried out.

The songstress hit Dedue with about 3 thunderbolts, but she couldn’t stop the giant from reaching his comrades.

“Damnit! Sorry, Edie. But thanks for the nickname!” She said, as she stopped her assault.

The two then met up with Jeritza and Shez.

“What did we miss?” Edelgard asked.

“We found the lions where you said we would.” Shez said. “I got Ashe and Ferdinand managed to get Annette, but we lost Caspar to Felix before Jeritza finally got him. Sylvain sacrificed himself to me so that Dimitri, Dedue, and Ingrid could pull back.”

Jeritza nodded along with Shez’s words. “We have been attempting to breach their fortifications, but Molinaro has proven a mighty obstacle. Since you are here, I assume that the deer have fallen?”

Edelgard nodded her head. “Yes. We lost Petra, but both Byleth and Bernadetta are positioned for a flanking maneuver. They’ll engage once we do. And I have an idea. Follow me.”

As they walked towards the fortifications, she saw Dimitris' expression tighten as his eyes fell upon her.

“I assume you have come to ask for our surrender?” He asked.

“Dimitri, this is a mock battle.” Edelgard replied. “You only need to yield for us to win.”

“Regardless of what you call it, we will not give up. You will have to push us to the end.”

“That is commendable, but I must point out you are outnumbered. It would be much better for you to give up.”

“You have 4 to our 5. Lying will not win you an-“ then it hit Dimitri.

“Behind us!” He shouted. “The mercenary is-“

Edelgard cut him off, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“BLACK EAGLES, TO VICTORY!”

She sprinted forward, with Dorothea, Jeritza, and Shez following behind her. Dedue, Dimitri, and Ingrid advanced to intercept them, while Mercedes fell back to help Manuela. Not that either of them would be a match for Byleth and Bernadetta.

Jeritza and Shez once again engaged Dedue, while Dorothea hurried toward Ingrid. That left Edelgard to fight Dimitri.

As Edelgard approached him, she threw her broken axe like one would a hand axe. Dimitri dodged to his right, which is what she wanted.

She slammed her axe into his side, sending the young Prince spiraling onto the ground.

“Dirty tricks, Edelgard?”

“What’s so dirty about ranged weaponry?”

He grunted at that, and got off the ground. He came back at her with a series of thrusts from his lance. Edelgard managed to avoid most of them, but one hit her in her side, causing her brief pain.

She decided to take the battle into the woods, and check on the others while she was at it.

As she neared the trees, she saw Jeritza was gone. Dedue had most likely defeated him. However, Shez had Dedue at a significant disadvantage. The giant did have limits after all. Meanwhile, Dorothea and Ingrid were wrestling on the ground.

The strange sight caused Edelgard to take a closer look. It seemed both Ingrid and Dorothea had managed to disarm each other, and theywere currently crudely brawling. Edelgard would have laughed at the peculiar scene, if not for the lance thrust that struck her back.

Dimitris' blow knocked her onto the ground. Distraction was death on the battlefield, and it seemed that Edelgard needed to learn that lesson. Again. She hopped back up, taking a more defensive position.

Then they both stopped, as they heard Shez screaming.

“Here it comes!” She slammed her blade into Dedue’s side, sending him to one knee.

“You’re done!” She then hit Dedues right thigh, knocking him over.

“I- forgive me, your majesty. I yield.” Dedue vanished.

“I- I can’t believe how she just hit him!” Dimitri said.

“Oh yeah? Then here is something to believe in.” A certain blue-haired swordswomen said as she whacked Dimitri’s side with her sword.

Dimitri groaned as he fell back back, but he quickly staggered back up to his feet. “Two on one?” he asked. No“t very honorable, is-”

Once again he was cut off. But this time? It was an arrow, fired by one Bernadetta von Varley. It slammed right into Dimitri’s forehead. He slammed into the ground, groaning in pain, andmumbled something that sounding like “field.” With that, he vanished from view.

Edelgard turned and beamed at the pair.

“I assume with your arrival, Manuela and Mercedes have been routed?”

This time it was Bernie who spoke up.

“Yes! We got them! I managed to get Manuela with an arrow, and Mercedes surrendered once we closed the gap! And I just- ohgodijusthittheprinceofthekingdomhesgonnakillmeoh-“

“Bernadetta, it’s fine. This was only practice.” Byleth said, unusually caring for once in the heart of battle.

The timid Varley heir looked up at Byleth, and smiled.

“Oh right! He’ll be fine with it! I did good, right?”

“Very good, Bernadetta.” Edelgard responded.

The trio walked over to where Dorothea and Ingrid were still “grappling”. Somehow in the fight, Ingrid’s hair had come loose, Dorothea was missing a shoe, and neither one seemed ready to give up.

“Ingrid.” Edelgard called out. “Your other teammates have been routed. Will you kindly yield?”

The blonde haired girl looked up at Edelgard, and thought for a moment.

“Can me and Dorothea finish our fight?”

Edelgard chuckled at that. “I suppose so.”

So Shez, Edelgard, Bernadetta, and Byleth watched as the two girls grappled with each other on the ground, using the words “grappled” in the loosest terms possible.

Notes:

Happy Labor Day y’all! I hope everyone is having a good day! Also, over 1000 hits? That’s amazing! I never thought I would get this far, thank you everyone.

Shout out to my betas! There’s two this time, Raxis from OBW and Aemon_Targaryen13 who’s written a lot of stuff for a single credit. Check out some of their work, it seems very interesting.

As always, constructive criticism is good!

Chapter 6: Simpler Days

Summary:

Edelgard blends in as a normal schoolgirl would

Ingrid eventually won the match, although she was missing a sock. She found her shoe, but the sock was just gone. Dorothea made it up to her by getting her a new pair, so all was well. Edelgard tried to push her thoughts of the events from a week ago aside. She had a very important meeting that she couldn’t be late for. She swerved through the shortcuts of Garreg Mach, heading past the stables toward the market place. She then spotted the person she was meant to meet.

She slowly crept up behind him, before leaping up and patting his head.

“Emperor Wiskvelg, I have returned with the supplies you requested.” Edelgard said, as she held out a fish for the cat to take. He snatched it out of her hands, and started to have his royal feast. She knelt down next to the other cats and began to feed them as well. Around her there were multiple Varleyions, and Ordelians, and she even spied Byleth was playing with one of the Aegir Hounds-

Wait what?

Edelgard looked over at the former mercenary, who was peacefully playing with the cats. A Hresvelgion Whisker lay in her lap, while a Galatean Brown was balancing on her head. She seemed very peaceful like this. Not at all the mercenary she was used to seeing. Byleth slowly turned her head to look at Edelgard, causing the Galatea Brown to meow.

“Hallo, Edel.” She said with a ghost of a smile.

“Hello, Byleth. Why do you say it like that?”

“Say what like what?”

“Why do you say “hello” so differently all the time?” Edelgard asked.

Byleth blinked. “I do?”

“Yes, you do. There’s no issue with it, I just wondered why.”

Byleth thought for a moment. “Guess it’s just something I do. Never really thought about it.”

“I see. What are you doing here?”

“Playing with the creatures.”

Edelgard blinked. “Creatures?”

“Yup.” She pointed to the Galatea in her hair. “Creatures.”

“Those are called cats.”

“Mmm… creatures sound better.”

She was quite a strange person. Edelgard hoped she had the time to get to know her better.

“Oh, Lady Edelgard!” A voice rang out as one Ashe Ubert walked towards the duo and their “creatures”.

“Are you also feeding the cats?”

“Yes, we are Ashe.”

“We?” He asked, before seeing Byleth.

“Oh! Hello, Miss uh…”

“Hello, Freckles.” Byleth Responded. “I’m Byleth.”

“M-my name is Ashe, but it’s nice to meet you!”

The archer of the Blue Lions then went toward a smaller Gautieron that the other cats were avoiding.

“He looks like a runt… poor thing.” He said, purposefully making sure that the cat got a larger fish. A much bigger Blaiddyd Rex came and stole it from him, prompting both Ashe and the Gautieron to chase it. “Come back here, you treat-snatcher!” Ashe cried as he rounded the corner, chasing the Rex.

Byleth made a snorting sound.

“Are you alright?” Edelgard asked, concerned.

“Yup. That was just… What's the word? Funny? Yes, I think that’s right.”

So even a demon could laugh, Edelgard thought. Although, looking at Byleth playing with the kittens had her stomach twist for calling her a demon. She was so gentle with them, and something inside Edelgard wanted to mimic that Hresvelgion and curl up in Byleth’s la-

The ringing of the lunch bell sharply cut off… wherever it was her thoughts were going.

The cats scattered in different directions. The one that had been in Byleth’s lap meowed at Edelgard as she ran by.

“Aww, no more creatures.” Byleth said with a slight frown as she got up.

“Byleth, would you wish to eat lunch with me?” Edelgard asked on a whim.

Byleth shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, sounds fun.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they entered the dining hall, it would appear that all forms of civility had broken down completely. Dorothea, Leonie, Raphael, Ingrid, Caspar, and Hilda were engaged in some sort of food fight against Lorenz, Ferdinand, Sylvain, Ignatz, and…

Was that Constance von Nuvelle?

Regardless of who the mysterious blonde haired woman was, it was a mess.

“Stay here, I’ll grab something.” Byleth said.

“Byleth, wait!” Edelgard said, but it was too late. All she could do was watch as Byleth walked over to where Dorothea and Caspar had taken cover, grabbed what seemed to be a perfectly good peach sorbet, and lobbed it at Ferdinand’s head, and then went to the lunch line and ordered. Edelgard couldn’t stop herself from bursting into laughter.

“Lorenz, our enemies have brought in mercenaries!” Ignatz shouted after seeing Byleth, with tomato juice dripping from one of his glasses lenses.

“Never fear, my common companion” The blonde woman- who Edelgard was sure was Constance von Nuvelle at this point- said. “With my magic, I shal-“

A carrot lobbed at her by Raphael smacked her right in the face. Edelgard would have to look into how and why Constance was at Garreg Mach after the “war” ended.

“What in the actual…” Edelgard wondered, after she managed to get some air in her lungs.

“Sylvain made a childish joke about Dorothea’s chest, which caused her to spill her food onto him and Lorenz behind him.” A sleepy voice said next to Edelgard.

She looked down, and saw Linhardt, sitting down with his back to the wall. He had certainly taken a tomato to the chest, and his “injury” looked sort of like blood dripping down his chest.

“And it led to all… this?”

“Yup. Are you going to make me tell a exact recounting of the great dinning hall war of the 25th of Harpstring Moon, or may I go back to actually enjoying my afternoon?

“I would like to know.”

Linhardt sighed. Lorenz thought Dorothea had purposefully dumped her tray on him, leading to him yelling at her, which in turn led to Leonie and Caspar springing to her defense. Ferdinand tried to calm the situation but lost his temper when Dorothea argued with him. That was when Ingrid and Raphael came over to see what the commotion was, only for Ignatz to make things worse when he accidentally tripped Raphael, causing his soup to spill all over Lorenz and Ferdinand. This was the final straw for the two boys, who, in a very uncharacteristic move, threw food back at him. That thoughtless, reckless action on their part sparked an all out fight. The loud, blonde noblewoman appeared after a table was knocked over. Hiding under it was Bernadetta, who ran to her room.

“How did Hilda get involved?” Edelgard asked after he finally finished, narrowly dodging a slice of cheese heading her way.

“A biscuit aimed at Caspar missed and hit her in the head, so she tossed it back at Lorenz.”

Edelgard watched in utter disbelief as Constance started using wind magic to blow pieces of meat towards Ingrid and Hilda, who were trying to get more “ammunition”, it seemed. Raphael jumped in their way, taking multiple meat shots to the chest.

“I suppose as house leader, I should-“

“No need,” Linhardt interrupted. “I recognize Seteth’s footsteps. It’ll be over in 3… 2… 1…”

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE GODDESS IS GOING ON?” A voice roared from behind Edelgard. She quickly moved out of the way as Seteth, usually the most level-headed of Rhea’s kin, walked into the room.

 

“FOR THE LOVE OF CICHOL, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER, BEING ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE GARREG MACH OFFICERS ACADEMY.”

As Seteth continued his scolding, Byleth calmly walked over to Edelgard with two plates of food. Somehow, she had recovered some peach sorbet for the two of them, and had managed to avoid Seteth’s glare.

“Still need some grub, Edel?” She asked.

Edelgard didn’t know what “grub” meant, but she graciously accepted the plate from the former sellsword. The two walked out of the hall unnoticed, mostly because an angrily-shouting green-haired man, unsurprisingly, makes for a good distraction. The two found their way into the great hall, and sat at an empty table.

“So, what did you think of the food fight?” Edelgard asked.

“Meh,” Byleth replied. “It was pretty uneven, aside from the loud blonde girl.”

“Yes… I knew her once. I believe she was a student here at one time. I couldn’t tell you what she’s doing here, now…” Edelgard stopped, as Byleth probably couldn’t hear her as she scarfed down her whole meal almost immediately.

As Edelgard watched Byleth essentially unhinge her jaw to eat, the other mercenary recruit of the black eagles showed up.

“Hey boss, what was that commotion I heard?” Shez asked, as she sat down next to the two. She still glared at Byleth a little, but not as harshly as before.

“Just a small food fight. And do you mind if I ask you both something?”

“Yeah sure.” Shez said as Byleth nodded her head, her mouth still filled with the sorbet.

“What exactly does the word boss mean?”

“Well, it’s a merc word of respect,” Shez explained. “It’s a word we use instead of ‘captain’ sometimes.”

“I see. How is it respectful?”

Byleth looked over for this part. “Well, it has to do with the Big Boss.”

“Big Boss?”

“Yup.” Shez said, nodding. “A legendary mercenary. You see, after the end of the War of Eagle and Lion, the world was split into two: North an-“

Whatever legend Shez was going to tell was cut short, as the bell rang again to indicate that lunch was over. Lectures would start again shortly.

“That reminds me!” Edelgard said, standing up at breakneck speed. “I am attending Captain Jeralt’s lecture on weapon types and techniques. You’ll have to finish the story later.”

“Say hi to Papa for me.” Byleth said, impassively, as Edelgard sprinted towards her destination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edelgard didn’t really need to sprint, but she wanted to be there early. And she certainly was early. Earlier than Jeralt in fact.

As she sat down, she noticed Leonie sprinting in right behind her. She looked around confused, until she spotted Edelgard. “Did he walk out of the room or something?” The ginger apprentice asked.

“I haven’t seen him. Maybe he was helping with your little war?”

“Nah, Seteth had us clean it up in under 5 minutes or we’d have to run Catherine’s gauntlet.”

Edelgard shuttered at that. How that woman managed to keep up that training routine every day baffled her. Edelgard considered herself in good shape, but that was something else. The Holy Knight was probably fueled by devotion. A shame it would never be paid back.

As Edelgard thought about that, more and more students walked in: Ingrid, Petra, Felix, Caspar, Ignatz, Ferdinand, and…

Dimitri walked in alongside Dedue. He then saw Edelgard, and came to sit next to her.

“Hello Edelgard!” He exclaimed as he sat down. “I hope your day off has treated you well.”

“It has been good to me so far. Thank you, Dimitri.” She replied. Ever since the mock battle, Dimitri, for some reason, began showing interest in her. It panicked her, because if he had somehow uncovered her plans, it would be disastrous. She could only entrust Hubert and Monica von Ochs with the truth, and that trust had gotten Monica captured. Hopefully the Black Eagles could save her before it was too late

“How has your day off been?” She asked, trying to keep up formalities.

“Productive, I would say,” the prince said. “Dedue and I just finished some sparing, and this time I managed to avoid breaking a dummy!”

“It is commendable, my lord.” Dedue said, without moving his eyes off of Edelgard. The giant was watching her very closely, as if she was a viper in a nest of hatchlings. Well, she was, but that was irrelev-

Her line of thought was interrupted as the man of the hour, Captain Jeralt himself, barged in.

“Sorry kids, a bit hungover from last night.” He said, clutching his forehead. He walked to the front of the classroom he was borrowing, and turned around.

“Now, let’s see… who here can name me the 3 basic types of weaponry?”

Leonie tried to answer, but Edelgard shot up at this. “Standard weapons are forged from iron, steel, and silver, although the silver we use for arms is not the same kind from which coins are minted. It is actually a mythril-silver blend.”

“Very good, Mrs Hresvelg.” The captain said. “I’m assuming everyone else knew this?”

After the room nodded their heads, he continued.

“Knowing those 3 are good, and will keep you alive, but there are much more dangerous weapons out there. Anyone here experienced with killer weapons?”

Petra and Felix tried to answer at the same time, and to mediate Jeralt chose Felix.

“They are weapons that are sharpened to an extreme degree.” The Fraldarius heir answered. “Able to land debilitating blows, if you're skillful enough. Or sometimes if you’re just plain lucky.” He finished with a smug smile.

“I am agreeing with his statement,” Petra added, clearly more excited about this. “For swords and lances, the blade is sharpened. For the bows, special arrows are used.”

“That about sums it up. Now, has anyone seen one of these?” Jeralt asked, as he pulled out a lance with an extremely intricate blade. Edelgard could tell it was a brave lance, but before she could speak, Ferdinand and Leonie tried to speak up at the same time.

“It is a brave lance, Sir Jeralt!” exclaimed Ferdinand, shouting over Leonie. “As with all weapons of the brave series, they are lightly built with silver-mythril alloys to allow the user to strike even faster in combat. The bows are created in a way that allows the user to fire arrows at extreme speeds, and only masters of their weapon type can use them effectively!”

“Yes, very good, Mister Aegir, but could ya tone it down a little?” Jeralt asked, wincing. “I’ve got a ringing in my ear that won’t go away.”

“Perhaps it’s the bee in the room.” Leonie said, earning a snicker from Petra and Ingrid.

“Th-there’s a bee?” Ignatz asked, looking around fearfully.

“No, it’s a- remind me to tell you later.” Ingrid, who was sitting next to Ignatz, told the poor archer. If Edelgard had to guess, the bee was Ferdinand, and Dorothea had been making fast friends with Leonie, Ingrid, and Petra.

“Okay then, moving on,” Jeralt said, trying to hide a small grin. “Now, let’s move onto effective weapons. Can anyone tell me how a horseslayer works?”

Ingrid managed to get a word in before Ferdinand could again, “It works by having the tip of the blade shatter upon impact into the horse,” She explained as if she was an expert with it. “It causes a shrapnel-like effect, hurting the horse in multiple places. It’s why the actual blade part of the Horseslayer is so much longer than a normal lance.”

“Very good, Miss Galatea,” Jeralt said. “Anyone else able to explain how an armorslayer works?”

This time Dimitri got a word in, “The blade of the armorslayer is sharpened to an even more extreme degree than a killer weapon. It’s large and impractical against normal opponents, but it can crack through a knight encased in armor with almost no effort. It’s almost more effective than magic against armored opponents.”

“Very good, Mister Blaiddyd,” Jeralt said. “Now of course there are other types of weapons such as the wo dao or levin swords, but those aren’t weapons for everyday use. Now, let’s get to sparring Everyone, grab a partner.”

They all got up and split into pairs. Dedue paired up with Dimitri, Felix, with Ingrid, and Caspar joined up with Ferdinand. Meanwhile, Petra chose a nervous-looking Ignatz, while Leonie teamed up with Edelgard. They then headed to the training pits and prepared to sparEdelgard walked to her side of the area, and turned around to question Leonie. “Why didn’t you answer any of Captain Jeralt’s questions?”

“Cause I could barely get a word in,” she answered with a small laugh. “Plus the two times I tried to actually answer I got over shouted by you and the noble boy.”

“I see. Did he teach you the first rule of dueling however?”

Leonie seemed stumped . “Not much of a duelist. Hmm. Is it-“

Edelgardrushed forward with a hefty swing that Leonie barely dodged.

“The first rule of dueling,” Edelgard finished, “is to never let your mind wander.”

Leonie flashed her a grin. “A noble fighting dirty, huh? This will at least be more of a challenge than Lorenz.”

Edelgard could assume that she was more challenging than Lorenz. The two fought in a back and forth duel, and though Edelgard usually won, Leonie managed to surprise her more than a few times by landing decisive blows. Leonie’s style was that of a cavalier or paladin, so she was hindered by her lack of a horse.

After a while, Edelgard accidentally shattered Leonie’s lance when she tried to block, so the apprentice mercenary grabbed a sword to try that instead. Her sword fighting technique reminded Edelgard a lot of Byleth’s. It was probably due to them being taught by the same man, but Byleth’s style was more efficient and controlled, while Leonie’s seemed to have a little bit of her own style seeping in. Despite their similarities Leonie couldn’t compare to the way Byleth’s hair flowed mid combat, how her strong arms seemed able to bring down any foe, or how her chest was-

If the Goddess did exist, she truly was a trickster for allowing Edelgard to break the first rule of dueling, as Leonie landed a blow below her chin, knocking her to the floor. Damnit. Byleth had to get out of Edelgard’s head. She knew better than to form connections with her fellow students, and especially those kinds of connection. There was just something about her that Edelgard felt drawn to. Like her cute snort, or how she was always nice outside of combat. She was very pleasant to be around. Edelgard banished those thoughts for now, as she rotated to try and get up

“Did ya forget your own rule or something? Leonie asked as she held out her hand. Edelgard would have given her a snide response, but the ginger seemed to be joking, so she let it slide and accepted the help.

A few minutes later, Alois burst into the training grounds. “Ah, Lady Edelgard and Prince Dimitiri!” He loudly announced. “Lady Rhea wishes to see you in her office. I know those weapons are heavy, but don’t keep her weighting.”

The whole room stopped their duels to groan to some extent over Alois’s pun, except for Dedue of all people, who cracked a small smile. Dimitri bid his vassal farewell, and left the training pits.

“Hey, nice spar!” Leonie said, reaching out for the hand motion Shez had tried a few weeks ago.

Edelgard slapped her open palm. “Indeed, I can’t wait to do it again,” she said, and then she walked to talk with the woman she hated most.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Edelgard had to honestly describe Rhea, it would be a lot more colorful than what most people probably thought. She was certainly an attractive woman, yes, but that was also the form she used to hide her claws and horns. Her outfit was cunningly designed to cling tightly around her lower waist as possible. Her hips were explicitly shown off for some reason. Not that Edelgard could see that, or that she wanted to. Rhea currently sat upon her throne, the “archbishop’s seat” as the church called it, and was looking over the house leaders and their respective teachers.

“As you no doubt have heard, the bandits that assaulted you have split in twain.” The 1000 year-old tyrant said.

“After their brazen attack, half of them fled into the Red Canyon. The Blue Lions have been given the duty of sending their wicked souls to the goddess.”

Of course she would send students from the Holy Kingdom into the Red Canyon. She still couldn’t figure out why she held the canyon in such a regard, but she hoped the mere idea of bandits cleaning themselves in the holy canyon kept her up at night.

“As for the other two classes,” Rhea continued, “You will be sent to deal with the majority of the bandits, who have taken refuge in a fort nearby. Some of our scouts have reported signs of spellcasting in the area, so be careful. You will be better instructed when the time comes. May the protection of the goddess go with you.”

The house leaders and teachers turned to leave, but Rhea spoke again.

“Edelgard, child, would you stay a moment?”

Edelgard froze. Why would she need to speak with her? Had she somehow linked her to the Flame Emperor? Were her plans about to be reduced to dust before they even began?She turned around and faced Rhea, now alone with the iron-fisted shadow rulerof Fodlan.

“Your class has had many new arrivals. Are they doing well?” Rhea-no, Serios said.

“Yes, they are a natural fit and are becoming close friends with the rest of the house I believe.” Edelgard said, silently sighing in relief inside her head.

“I am pleased hear it. I must ask you to keep an eye on Byleth in particular. It would pain me endlessly to lose the child of a dear friend of mine.”

What was her obsession with Byleth? Was it merely because she was the child of Jeralt, or was there something more at play? Edelgard tried to read Seiros’s face, but she betrayed no feelings.

“Of course, I trust you will protect and support all of your classmates, as is your duty as their leader” She continued. “But she in particular has something strange about her… I fear she may lose herself in combat.”

Edelgard couldn’t disagree there. When the Ashen Demon emerged, the woman who adored cats and ice cream was shoved into the furthest corner of the room.

“Of course, Lady Rhea,” Edelgard said. “I will support them all.”

Her smile brightened at that. “I have great faith that you will, Edelgard. The church and Empire have traditionally been close. I hope that the bonds you forge and the time you spend here this year will renew our relations.”

Edelgard had to stifle a laugh at that. She would be sure to tell Seiros how close the Empire and church had grown when she went to war to tear down the corrupt and cruel system she had enforced.

“You may go, child,” Seiros finished. “May the goddess’s grace protect you.”

Edelgard gave a small bow, just enough to be respectful, and left her office. Was it an office? More of a throne room, but Edelgard didn’t need to worry on that. She was more focused on how strange Rhea seemed around the blue-haired mercenary. Did she intend to make her a knight after graduation? Perhaps have her follow in her father’s footsteps?

Whatever it was, it couldn’t end well for anyone

Notes:

Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, cause I know I enjoyed writing it! Thank you again to Aemon and Raxis for being amazing betas, I physically could not do this without them. Up next will be a two parter for chapter 2 of hopes! Hope y’all like Monica, cause it’s her, and this time it’s Just Monica no Kronya.

Constructive criticism is appreciated! Anything you’ve got issues with that you wanna talk about just leave a little comment about it!

Chapter 7: Saving Lady Ochs, Pt 1

Summary:

Edelgard makes her first strike against her current “Allies”

A few days after the meeting with Rhea, the 3 classes set out to complete their respective missions. Since the bandits had split up between a fort in Varley territory and the Red Canyon, they traveled together for a while. Edelgard ended up walking alongside Claude, Hubert, and Hilda as they discussed their strategy with their respective professors.

“So, do we know anything about this fort?” Claude asked, looking at a map of Varley territory.

“If I had to guess,” Edelgard started, “it would hopefully be an older cookie-cutter style fort.”

Hilda raised an eyebrow at that. “Cookie-cutter? Like the little shape cutters you use in cookie dough?”

Edelgard nodded at that. “Yes. The idea was to make a wide variety of forts scattered around territories in order to cheaply provide defense.”

“And,” Hubert added, “they would all be almost identical. Hence the ‘cookie-cutter’ name.”

“Did someone say cookie?” A certain white-haired mage asked as she and Shez came up alongside the leaders.

“Yeah, her great eagleness was spilling imperial secrets to us,” Claude said with a smirk.

“It’s no secret, Claude,” Edelgard retorted. “The forts were made around 40 years before the War of Eagle and Lion during the reign of Empress Hildegarde., That was about in 707. Some may still exist in Leicester and Faerghus.”

“Why would a united empire need to build forts everywhere?” Hilda asked, with a confused look on her face.

“The idea was to have forts inside territories to better garrison the lands,” Professor Essar said, showing interest in the conversation for the first time. “More forts would allow more soldiers to have a permanent base of operation, from which they could deal with banditry and rebellion and whatnot.”

“It would be effective.” Jeritza remarked, before continuing to simply ride alongside the group.

“The forts have been mostly abandoned for the better half of 70 years,” Edelgard continued. “There was simply no need to keep them maintained when the empire’s enemies were not even on the continent.”

Edelgard also wanted to mention that the imperial army budget had essentially been strangled to death, due to Duke Aegir and Count Varley filling it with their cronies on their pay. And Duke Aegir had better things to do than man forts, like making children outside of wedlock if reports could be correct.

“I’m guessing you’re referring to the Dagda-Brigid stuff?” Shez guessed, leaving Edelgard’s thoughts behind for now.

Edelgard tried to speak up, but Hubert beat her to the punch.

“I wouldn’t classify a war as just ‘stuff’, but if you must say it that way then yes.”

“Well, good thing all 3 powers have found other nations to fight.” Claude said, arching his arms behind his back.

“While finding other nations to fight is not the best thing, I can agree with some parts of that. It would be a shame to fight a large-scale war amongst ourselves.” Edelgard half lied. She truly did regret where her path led her, but she would not have it any other way: Fodlan needed change.

“I do gotta wonder…” mused Hilda.

“Ooh, do you?” Claude asked, with a sly grin on his face. “Didn’t realize any thoughts were going on in there.”

Hilda playfully smacked his shoulder, which almost sent the Riegan heir into the dirt. “As I was saying, before someone decided to be a smart ass-“

“Language, young lady.” Hanneman interjected.

Hilda’s eyes looked like they wanted bloody murder, but she kept her cool. “Sorry, professor! As I was saying, I do wonder why the 3 nations have never really fought each other. I mean, there was the War of Eagle and Lion and the Crescent Moon War, but like, it’s kinda miraculous that there’s been no big war since those two, isn’t it?”

“It is, but it’s probably due to no nations having any reason to fight,” Lysithea said, having probably thought about the question before. “The closest we’ve gotten would be the Arianrhod incident, but even then cooler heads prevailed.”

“‘Arianrhod incident?” Shez asked, probably not the most educated on historical topics.

Lysithia’s face lit up at being able to explain a topic she knew a lot about. “You see, in 754, about 3 years after the War of Eagle and Lion, the empire decided to create a fortress along the kingdom border using help from the then Imperial-aligned House Rowe. After the fortress was complete in 756, House Rowe defected and joined the Kingdom, flipping the fortress to defend against the Empire. There was a standoff for about a month, before diplomats eventually negotiated a compromise.”

“Oooh, that’s what y’all call that,” The purple-haired swordswoman replied.

“Do you have a different term?” Hubert inquired.

“Yup. We call that “the virtuous mission”.”

Edelgard stifled a laugh at that. “Isn’t that just a soldier's tale?”

Shez turned around on Edelgard and started walking backwards. “Nope! It most definitely happened.”

“So how did this “knight of snakes” manage to infiltrate and incapacitate an entire fortress to save a single Imperial engineer?”

“Well, it starts with the story I was telling you the other day. You see, after the end of the War of the Eagle and Li-“

Shez walked straight into an armored knight that had stopped, causing her and the knight to fall over. It seemed they had arrived at the Red Canyon.

Edelgard and Claude moved towards the front of the convoy along with their professors, while Lysithea helped Shez to her feet. Marriane rode up to check if Shez was okay, so Hilda hopped on Dorte. The professors had wanted to discuss where and when to regroup, and that involved the house leaders and their retainers.

As she approached the front, she noticed Byleth off to the side of the main convoy, staring at the canyon.

“New student got lost, you think?” Claude asked, briefly stopping.

“Maybe,” Edelgard said, eyeing up the former mercenary. “As her house leader, I should check on her.”

Claude shrugged. “Alright. I gotta wake Hilda anyways, she probably fell asleep on Dorte already.” As he disappeared, Edelgard walked towards Byleth, wondering why she seemed so entranced by the view.

“Something on your mind?” Edelgard asked.

Byleth pointed out some strangely shaped buildings that Edelgard could barely see from her position.“Why do ya think those are there?”

Edelgard squinted, trying to see the buildings as clearly as possible. “Hmm, I can’t quite see them.”

Byleth got as close as she could to the cliff edge, then bent over fully to get a better view. Edelgard tried to look at a funny looking tree to look at instead of a certain bakery, but as it turned out everyone has limits.

“Those down there,” Byleth said again, pointing at the closest building to the two.

Edelgard moved next to Byleth, making sure to not stare disrespectfully. She peered down at the two buildings that had caught Byleth’s eye. They didn’t seem to be human made, and could have very well been one of Thales Kind or made by one of Seiros’s kin from when they walked the earth. Regardless, it hadn’t seen inhabitants for a long while. The first building was falling apart, with its “roof” having enough holes in it to count as a block of cheese, while the second was little more than a single column surrounded by rubble.

“They are quite strange,” Edelgard said, musing over the possibilities.

Byleth looked back at her. “Didn’t Lady Rhea say no one was allowed down there?”

Edelgard nodded her head at that. “Yes. Perhaps the building’s existed since before she decreed that.” Then, she decided to pique Byleth’s interest.

“Perhaps it could have been a civilization from long before Fodlan’s recorded history started. What do you think?”

Byleth squinted her eyes, and looked like she was thinking long and hard about something.

“Mole men?” She finally said.

Edelgard was taken aback. “Mole… men?”

Byleth had a ghost of a smile appear upon her lips.
“Yup. Maybe there were people who lived underground long ago, and that was their entrance to the surface.”

Edelgard suppressed a laugh at that. “It is possible they weren’t even human. Maybe their remnants still influence this world.”

Byleth shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”

And just like that, she walked towards the convoy, which was still stopped-

Edelgard took off in a dash towards the front, cursing herself for letting Byleth distract her yet again. It was difficult for Edelgard to get Byleth out of her mind, and the woman was going to be the death of her if she didn’t find a way to manage it.

Or maybe, she would join with Edelgard. But she banished that thought. She knew her classmates would leave her once they knew the truth of her ugliness.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As she approached the front of the convoy, she noticed that she was somehow not completely late. Hubert was there, because he was always punctual. Manuela was bickering with Hanneman, while Dimitri and Dedue talked. Edelgard didn’t see Hilda, which didn’t worry her; Claude, which worried her a little; and Jeritza, which made Edelgard very worried.

Edelgard had tried to give him a “diet”, if one could call such a morbid thing that, of mainly ruffians and bandits that would pillage the countryside around Garreg Mach, so that he wouldn’t hurt any of the students or faculty. But she also knew that sometimes he simply lost control. Hopefully he was just fulfilling his duties as a teacher.

“Ah, good to see you again, Edelgard,” Dimitri said with a friendly smile, but his eyes betrayed much more than he probably meant. They seemed to be nostalgic, clinging for a time he had lost. Edelgard could not for the life of her figure out where his sudden interest came from.

“Good to see you as well, Dimitri,” She responded. “I’m guessing we are waiting on our Leicester counterpart?”

“Your professor as well,” Dimitri replied. “Have you seen him yet?”

“I’ve been doing my best to not be seen.” A voice called out from behind Dimitri, as Jeritza walked towards the group.

“Ah, Jeritza.” Manuela said, as she ended her argument with Hanneman. “I assume our perimeter is secure?”

He gave a curt nod, and Manuela clapped her hands together. “Alrighty then! Now, we just need to wait on Mister Reigan and Miss Gonreil. I would hope that Professor Essar’s lazy ways haven’t rubbed off on them, but one can never be too sure.”

“For the last time, Manue-, ahem, Professor Cassagranda, I was late with Annette for 5 minutes because she needed help on a question, since quite clearly your instruction hadn’t helped her enough.”

“Yeah, well maybe if you were able to remove the stick that’s firmly shoved up your a-“

The old married couple was cut off by Claude walking up nonchalantly, whistling a tune that sounded oddly like the Imperial Siege Mage Corps march. How he learnt that song was a question for another time.

“Hey guys, sorry I was late,” Claude said, as he joined the group. “Hilda kept insisting on 5 more minutes, so I waited about 7 before realizing there was a good chance she fell back asleep. Marriane should drop her off in a moment.”

His smile sure seemed like an honest answer had come from his lips, but his eyes betrayed a different answer. Well, mostly the look of worry in his eyes. Claude wasn’t one to be easily startled. Dimitri opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to decide against it.

“I see,” Professor Essar started. “Shall we start then?”

Claude gave a small nod, so the group formed a small circle around a map of the immediate area.

“Currently, we are here,” Jeritza said, pointing to an area right outside the red canyon.

“There are no bandits on the way into the canyon, as far as Professor Hyrm could see,” Professor Cassagranda said. “Many of the knights have already pinned our opponents down in a small area.”

“The Blue Lion house is to act as ‘clean up crew’,” She added, with a bit of disdain in her voice. “So hopefully we won’t have to see much combat.”

“As for the other group of bandits,” Professor Essar spoke up. “They have fled into an abandoned fort in Varley territory. We have already gained permission to enter the territory, so it will not be much of a hassle.”

“The bandits have been located and pinned,” Jeritza said, with a hint of emotion in his voice for once. “It should be a simple mission.”

“After the houses have completed their assignments, we will all regroup here,” Hanneman said.

“Now, house leaders.” Manuela turned to Claude, Edelgard, and Dimitri. “Rally your houses, and grab what equipment you’ll need from the convoys. Mister Blaidyid, you’ll meet me by the entrance to the canyon with the Blue Lions. Miss Hresvelg and Mister Reigan, please meet with Professors Hyrm and Essar at this location.” She pointed to a spot on the map. “You’ll move to the fort from here. Any questions?”

The only noise was Hilda walking up to the group, either not noticing or ignoring the judgemental eyes that Hubert, Jeritza, and Professor Hanneman cast upon her.

“Hey guys, sorry I overslept!” She said, giving a small wink. “What did I miss?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About an hour and a half later, Edelgard found herself walking alongside Dorothea, Ignatz, Petra, Shez, Rapheal, Caspar, and Leonie, as they closed in on the fortress where Kostas and his ilk were hiding. She had no idea what she was thinking when she sent Monica to buy their services, but she did know that she wouldn’t let Agarthan money result in Monica dying- or worse.

She tried to bury those thoughts by listening in on the on-going conversation while simultaneously inspecting her steel axe.

“Brute strength will win most fights, anyone could clearly see that!” Caspar yelled out, clearly invested in the conversation.

“I’ll second that!” Rapheal added, probably eliminating any chance of sneaking up on anyone in a 10 mile radius. “Cause all it takes is a few hits and BAM! You’re done with the fight.”

“Nah, it’s much more valuable to use tactics,” Leonie said. “The Captain always said to think with your head, not your lance. That’s probably some valuable mercenary advice, right Shez?”

Shez thought for a second. “I’m not really the tactician kinda gal. Usually I just hit things hard and they quit being an issue.”

“We-well, I still think it’d be much easier to trick and trap an opponent then it would be to just slug them until they hit the ground.” Leonie grumbled.

“Yeah, but that’s not very fair. What’s the point in a fight like that?” Caspar asked.”Seems like it would be better to fight fairly.”

“Stand among the dead of your enemies, and ask them of fairness,” Petra said, probably quoting some Brigid metaphor. “I am sharing the opinion with Leonie. Tactics control a battlefield.

“Well, they sure seem lively.” Dorothea said, as she walked alongside Edelgard. She had an iron sword at her waist, although Edelgard avoided looking too closely at her waist to stay focused.

“Indeed. It is an interesting debate.”

“Oh? Is it? I thought they were just discussing which way to brutally murder each other worked best.”

Edelgard was taken aback by her statements but answered anyway. “Yes. I can see both sides of the argument. It would be quite prudent to only pick a single side and defend it to death without understanding both.”

“So do you have an opinion on the matter?”

Edelgard put her hand to her chin to think about that. “I would say it’s better to be more tactical. I could list countless reasons why I would rather have already countered an opponent's moves on the battlefield than be forced to use sheer brute strength to overcome them. It could also save countless lives if I’ve already figured out a way to stop my opponent. There’s some merit behind thinking pure strength would win fights, but it’s ultimately flawed and short-sighted.”

“Wow… you used a lot of words when you could have just said ‘I like tactics’.”

Edelgard blushed a little at that. “Is there something wrong with using a lot of words?”

Dorothea giggled. “Nah, I just think it’s cute how passionate you get.”

Now Edelgard was blushing quite profusely. “I-I see. Thank you.”

“It’s so cute, I could make a song about it.”

“Please don-“

“Hail the Mighty Edelgard, tho-“

Edelgard shushed her. “Later, please?”

Dorothea nodded. “If it’s that embarrassing, I can sing it in private.”

Now Edelgard was about as red as her tights. “I must ask what you mean by private.” She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Dorothea chuckled. “Dirty thoughts on the mind, Eddie?”

“What’s a dirty thought?” A voice behind the two girls said, causing them to jump.

It was Byleth, with a curious look on her face. “How can a thought be dirty? Not like you can hold those things.”

“Well, you see By-By-“ Dorothea started.

“Dorothea,” Edelgard interrupted. “Perhaps you shouldn’t tell her everything about them.”

“Why not?” Byleth asked, with an innocent look on her face. “Are they bad thoughts or something?”

“Some people would say so, yes.” Dorothea said, probably thinking of new ways she could tease Edelgard.

“Why?”

“Well, you see,” Edelgard started, not giving Dorothea a chance to ruin her thoughts. “They involve some… lewd things.”

“Lewd?”

“Yes, lewd, like uh… crude, immature sex jokes and the like.”

“Sex?”

Dorothea could not stop herself from giggling. Byleth just looked at Edelgard, unphased.

“Well, you see, when a man and a woman-“

“Or woman and woman, or man and man, or woman, man, and woman, or-“

Edelgard turned around on Dorothea. “Yes, yes, when some amount of people love eachother very much-“

“There doesn’t have to be love in it,” Dorothea mumbled, deadpan. Edelgard looked at her very quickly, seeing how her hands quickly clenched and her frown being more contorted then her fake pouty frown. Byleth just looked even more confused.

“Well, when uh-“ Edelgard started.

Thankfully, Jeritza called the students to a halt. It seemed they had finally arrived at their destination.

“Looks like we’ll have to pick up this conversation later.” Dorothea said, her expression returning to a cheerful one. And just like that she walked away, with her hands still semi clenched. Edelgard could tell much was left unsaid.

“Yeah, I’ll see what that means later.” Byleth mumbled under her breath.

“Pardon?” Edelgard asked.

“Oh nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Edelgard shrugged and walked towards where Jeritza was rallying everyone. There was nothing weird about talking to yourself, so Byleth’s words made sense. Everyone had a little voice in their heads, so why wouldn’t Byleth?

As she approached, Edelgard could make out a bit of an ongoing conversation.

“Lost sight of them?” Jeritza asked a nearby knight, his tone uninterested. Edelgard slowly walked up behind him, as did Hubert, Claude, and a half-awake Hilda.

“Not too proud to say it, but yes,” The knight responded.

Another knight walked up and gave a salute. “We can’t find any trace of them. They might have warped out, but I can’t see anyone wasting magic like that.”

“Did you look inside the fortress?” Jeritza asked, most likely already knowing the information.

“No, but we couldn’t see anyone manning the inside walls.”

“Did you ever consider that they are inside the fortress, hiding from us?”

The knight hesitated at that. “Yes, we did, but we didn’t get close enough to tell if they were inside. We were told to scout only.”

Edelgard could tell the knights probably didn’t care. Bandits were dime a dozen in most territories. The only reason Seiros decided this group needed smiting was because they trampled her precious canyon and attacked the heirs to her puppet nations.

“Very well. We shall follow the blood scent,” Jeritza said, mounting his horse.

“Of course, we will fol- the what?”

Jeritza didn’t care what the knight had to say. He spurred his horse down towards the fortress.

“Well, we should probably follow, shouldn’t we?” Claude asked.

Edelgard felt like slapping her forehead. Jeritza was good at many things, but talking was one he struggled with. “I suppose we should. Black Eagles, with me!” She shouted, charging forward while brandishing her axe.

“Golden Deer… follow behind her!” Claude said, clearly not the most prepared at that moment.

The two houses followed Jeritza to their first battle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeritza had already killed two bandits by the time the students caught up with him. It seemed they had sent out scouts to ensure the knights had left them alone, not expecting death himself to find them.

“Pathetic,” He said, as he yanked hisp lance out of a bandit. He had only a silver lance, since the Scythe of Sariel was purely for the death knight’s use.

Edelgard slowly approached him. “Professor, you shouldn’t charge ahead like that. It’s far too dangerous, even for one of your skills.”

Jeritza responded with a “Hrmpph,” before a shrill scream pierced the skies.

“Eeek! B-bandits!” Bernadetta cried out.

Jeritza nodded at this. “Yes. Dead by my hand.”

Ferdinand peered over at the corpse. “Yes, they do look quite dead.”

Lorenz walked next to his fellow noble “Are these the bandits we’ve been chasing?”

Lysithea shook her head at that. “Who knows? It’s not like you can tell one bandit from another just from looking at them.”

“She’s right.,” said Hubert. “One uncouth ruffian looks much the same as any other. Professor, do you know?”

Jeritza nodded his head. “Once they saw me, they fled towards the fortress we had been scouting out.”

He raised his blood stained lance and pointed at the fortress. It was most certainly a cookie-cutter style fort, so Edelgard would have no problems navigating it. The imperial banners were missing, which would normally mark a decommissioned fort, but usually decommissioned forts would be demolished within a few weeks. The fort looked like it was years overdue. Count Varley had some things to answer for. And looking at Bernadetta, Edelgard assumed he had enough to answer to already.

Regardless, Edelgard shoved that thought aside. She had a battle to fight. “Professor, I have studied forts like these before. Might I lead the way?”

Jeritza nodded, but stopped as Hanneman ran up to them. “There you are! Professor Hrym, I must ask that if you must run off, you let me come with you!”

Jeritza looked at him, his face expressionless. “Understood. I simply did not wish to lose the trail.”

Claude walked up. “Soo, Professors, Lady Edelgard, are we making a plan? Or should we just go all gung ho?”

“I’d be down for gung ho!” Shez said, pumping a fist in the air, and earning a palm slap from Caspar and Raphael. It seemed that she was teaching everyone her hand motions.

Meanwhile, Byleth walked up, slipping into the mask of the Ashen Demon. “The fortress seems heavily guarded. A military base of that size can house around 250-300 soldiers. We could be facing that many bandits.” She turned to Edelgard. “Do you know if this is a bandit-heavy territory?”

Edelgard shook her head. “I do not receive reports on the status of territories yet. But, the fortress could hold even more than 300 bandits to the two small outposts right outside the gate. They would exist to hold off an initial attack.”

Byleth nodded. “Then we should split between two groups, with people experienced in combat and those not mixed evenly between them. We could be facing a far larger threat than we did before. I can lead one if need be, so can Shez, Edelgard, or Claude. Anyone else with combat experience will need to provide whatever help they can, as well.”

“That would work well for everyone,” Professor Essar said. “Of everyone here, those who have fought please step up.”

Edelgard, Claude, Byleth, Hubert, Petra, Leonie and Shez all walked up, unsurprisingly, with Ferdinand, and Lorenz joining in.

“I know for a fact that Mr Riegan, Miss Hresvelg, Mr Vestra, Miss Eisner, and…” Jeritza looked over at Shez, not knowing what to call her.

“Just Shez works,” She replied. “I dunno if I ever got a last name.”

“And Shez,” Jeritza added. “Have all seen combat. What are the rest of your experiences?”

“Some of my training from Brigid was involving dangerous predators,” Petra said. “Bandits shall be no more work.”

“I assisted the knights of my family’s territory in a raid against a fort like this one!” Ferdinand exclaimed, clearly excited. Edelgard wanted to comment on that, but it also just confirmed her suspicions that the Prime Minister had been letting the forts rot.

“I have also assisted with my family's knights.” Lorenz said. “I would prefer a horse, but non the less I am at your disposal, both magically and physically.”

“I had to help out with a bandit issue a few months before I arrived at the academy.” Leonie said, earning a concerned look from Lorenz.

“Are you sure? I would have heard about that.”

Leonie lifted up her shirt to show off a scar on her stomach. “This enough proof?”

Lorenz nodded his head, blushing slightly at the commoner’s muscles. “Of course. I did not mean to doubt you, but it is a noble’s duty to know when fiends pillage their lands.”

Dorothea snorted at that, getting a sharp look from both Lorenz and Ferdinand.

“Dorothea-” Ferdinand started.

“Cease this at babble,” Jeritza cut in. “We have a task to complete.”

Professor Essar then took the two classes, and split them up; Professor Essar took Edelgard, Shez, Claude, Hubert, Caspar, Dorothea, Lysithea, Bernie, and Marriane. Meanwhile, Jeritza took Byleth, Ferdinand, Ignatz, Hilda, Petra, Leonie, Lorenz, Raphael, and Linhardt.

“You want both house leaders on one team?” Claude asked, raising an eyebrow at Hanneman.

“Yes,” Professor Essar explained. “The students I’ve selected for our team are some of the least experienced, or least comfortable with combat. It will do them well to see their house leaders being a guiding force. Shez and Hubert are also very impressive in their Swordwork and Magic respectively, so I hope they have some of our more skeptical students feeling safe.”

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to go as one group then?” Claude asked quizzically.

“Not with what we have planned out.” Hanneman said, gesturing to Jeritza.

“We’ve decided we will use two groups to cover more ground,” Jeritza explained. “After we take the central courtyard, we will split up and ensure the base is completely clear. We also have been told there could be prisoners in the back of the fort.”

Edelgard nodded her head. “Yes, they could try and pull out hostages if things get dicey. They would be in the back, so a second team would hopefully reach them first.” And more importantly, Monica would be held there. Hopefully Those Who Slithered still had use for her, and if they still weren’t pulling infomarion from Edelgard could stop whatever machinations they had for her face.

“Well, shall we then?” Professor Essar asked impatiently.

Edelgard and Claude nodded their heads, and so the two classes began marching into battle.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the two groups snuck up on the stronghold in front of the fort entrance, they noticed only two bandits on guard. They didn’t seem to be that interested in actually guarding the area itself.

“Hey,” One of them said.

“Yeah?”

“You ever wonder why we’re here?”

“It’s one of life’s great mysteries, isn’t it? Why are we here? Did the goddess truly make everything, or are we the byproduct of-“

Jeritza decided he had enough of the conversation, and charged ahead without a word.

Edelgard decided to fill in for him. “Black Eagles and Golden Deer! To victory!”

They charged forward, a few paces behind Jeritza. He managed to take out the guard to the left of the door, and Leonie managed to get the one to the right. From there, Raphael and Caspar busted the door down, revealing a with 5 more brigands. 3 of them seemed to be playing a game of cards, while the other 2 were slumped on the ground, probably drunk.

“Oi! What do we ha-“ a bandit started, but was cut off by a Banshee Θ from Hubert. He stumbled backwards, hitting the ground. The other two bandits he was playing against got up and brandished their axes, but Petra and Shez rushed in, taking advantage of their sluggishness. They left the two drunk bandits behind, and advanced towards the actual fortress entrance.

As they approached the gate, the gatekeeper bandit noticed them, and yelled at the top of his lungs to alert his fellows. The bandits within opened the gates, which was their first mistake. Their second was ever believing they had a chance. Jeritza charged ahead and managed to skewer the gatekeeper in a single lance thrust, while the 5-6 that came out were blasted with a wide variety of spells from Hubert, Lysithea, and Hannemam. Edelgard noticed Dorothea, Marianne, and Linhardt didn’t participate in the spell slinging, but she understood that neither of them truly wished to fight.

From there, it was on to the central courtyard. Edelgard could see at least 30-40 of them in there, most of them carrying swords or axes, with a few wielding bows. They noticed the ongoing commotion, and began to rally and charge towards the students in a half-organized mass. Of course, Edelgard and Claude knew exactly how to take advantage of that.

“Mages and archers!” She yelled, trying to be heard over the horde of incoming bandits. “Try and target as many of them as you can!”

“On me!” Claude shouted as well. “Give ‘em hell!”

Leonie, Claude, Ignatz and Petra began unleashing volleys of arrows, while Hanneman, Lysithea, Lorenz, and Hubert immediately started to launch spells towards the oncoming mob. Bernadetta however, was having one of her panic attacks.

“Ohbernieyouworthlessdaughterdontyoudareeventryit!Youllhitsomeoneandeveryonew-“

The timid archer was cut off by Hubert, of all people. “Bernadetta, I can assure you from this range you won’t hit any of us.”

The timid archer looked up at the dark mage towering over her. “Are you sure?”

He nodded, and that seemed to be enough for her to try for now. Bernadetta joined the firing line, taking potshots at whatever poor bandit hadn’t found cover at this point. Of the starting amount of bandits, very few managed to find cover before they were hit with the barrage of arrows and spells.

“The rest of you,” Jeritza commanded. “With me.”

He charged forward, so Edelgard, Ferdinand, Shez, Byleth, Raphael, Caspar, and with some convincing, Hilda, all charged forward, mopping up what was left of the bandits.

Edelgard managed to take two of them with a single blow, cleaving clean through one man and hitting another in the chest. She watched as Caspar used his gauntlets to beat a bandit to death, with a archer saving his life from a bandit behind him. Byleth was a wonder to watch in battle, of course, but Edelgard made herself take her eyes off Byleth, as she knew she would distract her.

As she killed another bandit, Edelgard couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. She knew many of the criminals here were not the rapists and pillagers that some bandits were, but people unable to live a life without crime. Edelgard hoped that once her vision did come true, she could ensure no one had to turn to banditry ever again.

Moving her thoughts away from that, she circled back around to deal with some bandits heading for the archer line. As she ran, she watched as Hilda managed to smack 3 bandits into a wall. That girl did not look like she could harm a fly, but she was incredibly strong. Meanwhile, Raphael managed to throw a smaller bandit into another, knocking them both to the ground. By the time Edelgard had even returned to the back line, Jeritza had impaled the remaining bandits with a single lance. Edelgard couldn’t decide if the feat was impressive or horrific. After a few more minutes of wrapping up smaller fights, the students regrouped near the middle.

“I will be taking my group to the right-most rooms,” Jeritza said. “Professor Essar, I leave the center and back rooms to you.”

Hanneman nodded at that. “Alright. Shall we meet here when we finish?”

Jeritza nodded, and began to lead his group towards the rooms he had selected. Meanwhile, Edelgard followed Hanneman as their group took to the center. Edelgard hoped that they were in time to rescue Monica.

And hopefully, the Monica they rescued would actually be Monica.

Notes:

Hello all! Sorry for no uploads for like, two weeks. I’ve been super busy and honestly just not mentally well. I’m a lot better now, and already have a lot more in the backlog! So that’s pretty good!

Also, some of y’all might have noticed all the romance tags are gone but 1. It’s because I realized what I wanted to really write didn’t line up with what I said I was going to, so about 90% of the pairings you saw have been axed. Don’t worry, they aren’t all gone, but I really need to rethink what characters I want together. Plus, isn’t it more fun to guess?

Shout out once again to my Beta’s Aemon and Raxis, couldn’t do it without you. And while you’re here, if you like what I like, go and read Pale Blue Awakening! Fantastic fic written by an awesome person, go check it out! See y’all next week, where I finally get to explore the many ideas I’ve had about the silly mole men.

Chapter 8: Saving Lady Ochs, Pt 2

Summary:

Monica is rescued, at what cost?

Notes:

WARNING:

THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

BODY HORROR
CORPSE PILES
ALLUSIONS TO NON CON (Don’t worry, the character who says it gets what’s coming to them)
MUTILATION
REMOVAL OF BODY PARTS
TURBO LESBIAN MONICA JUMPSCARE
If any of these bother you, SKIP TO WHERE HILDA SHOWS UP. It is perfectly normal to have issues with these! I will say one thing, from now on expect warnings like these. I have too many ideas for the agarthans and the science stuff they do.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

ABANDON HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER

(This is my first time doing this, sorry if I do it offensively.)

Edelgard and Shez kicked down the door to the next room, revealing a large plaza. It appeared to currently be serving as a dinning hall, as there were tables scattered around the room. It seemed to link up with the far right side of the fort, from which Edelgard could distantly hear Byleth shouting “Let the lesson begin!”. Edelgard wondered why she said that, but was cut off, as the bandits in this room were ready for them this time.

“Fire!” One of them said, revealing a group of archers using an overturned table as cover. Edelgard immediately hit the deck, as the academy students dove for cover.

“Bernadetta!” Marriane cried out, and Edelgard turned around to see the girl with a nasty gash on her shoulder. It wouldn’t be a lethal injury, but she did need cover to heal.

“Caspar, Shez! Get us some cover!” Edelgard barked to the two strongest people in the party. Well, aside from Edelgard herself, but she was already moving a table of her own.

As the three of them pulled the tables back, the doors from the right side blasted open to reveal Byleth and Raphael. The pair charged at the bandits.

“Alright, yeah!” Caspar shouted, poking his head out from under cover. “You’re in for it no-“

The boy was cut off as an arrow went through his eye.

He fell to the ground, dead on the spot. Dorothea, who was next to him, let out a shrill shriek, and Marianne vomited where she stood. Hanneman looked on in horror, having let a student die on his watch Edelgard watched his body in disbelief. She should have been more careful with him, he shouldn’t have to return home in a-

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!̵̡͍̹̥̫̬͈̝̹͙̦̣̰̯̮̙̣̝̬̯̝̩̩̙͉̗͎̺̭͂͋̐̅̏̈́͋͐̊͊̚͜͠B̴̧̨̹̰̮̙̤͍̻͍̬̪̜͚̠̭̥͕̜̥̤͔̫̞̖̱̠͈̜͙͎̋̓͋͜ͅy̷̨̡̡̛͙͔̪͍͙̟̝̞̙̜̫͍̲̥̱͍̟̦͚͈͊̉̇̃͑͂̈́̽̒̈́̓̓͒̑̎̇̐͌͂̊͑̏͊̾̽̏̎̑̓͘̕l̵̨̧̡̲̹̣͔̘̦͚̦̻͈̺͌̋͌̓̋͒͆̅̑̄̆̈͆̈̆̾e̸̼̭̻̖͇̺̥̜̪͇̩̜͇̟̥̲̪̾̒́̏̑́̈̒͛͗͗͛̾̄̅̆͂͗́̋͠͝t̸̢̨̧̡͇͕̪͔͍͙̜̳̬̘̻̜͔̬̔̃͗̄̐͒̾̎̿̀͜h̸͉̦͇̰̮̠͉̻̟̬̯̬̫̝̭̱̩̯̖̠̩͆͂̏̐̎̈̓̐͊̈̓̋̂̽̒̋͑̽̕͝͝ͅ!̷̢̡͉͉͔̼̜̞͔͖̳̼̰̬̬̩͇̎̉̂͆̃̄̌͗͋̏̊̓̽̉͛́͗͆̂͆ ̶̡̢̡̞͉̘͈͉͈̜̻̪̟̖̞̝̯͖̗̤̝͔̦̥̀̚͜ͅͅͅO̶̞̹̘͔̪̞̜̯͗͆́̈́̿̏̏͛͛̒̽̋̚̕͘͝͝ͅͅn̵̢̧̨̡̧̳͔̲̘̫̹̟̮̤̯͔̻̹̣͈͈̯̳̭̪̱͚̹̩̰̲͖̘͐͊͗̔̃̀̚̚è̵̢̛̛̬̤̻̱̭͙̜̻̟̥̳̼̯̩͈̻̯̮͉̹̋̈́̓̌̓̀̐̆͛́̑͒͌̓̂̐̀̈̓̏͑̐͘̕͠ ̶̢̙̞̹͈͔̰͍͙̞̰͓̪̐̽́̈́̀̎̍̈͛͌̿̎̔̀̈́̿̑͋͜͝͝͝ơ̸̧̧̰̖͈͉̱̗̣̖͓̤̙͓̫̰̱̭͖̮̩͈̥͎̗̾̎̀̃̕͜ͅͅf̷̧̟͖̤̰̞͙͚̣̬̘̙͙̣͑̌͋̎̀̑̂͛ ̸̨̠͎̻̹̜̳̩̬͔̠̣̲̥͎̘̺̼̼̥͕͇̟̝͚̩̭̲̘̟̹̳̫̼̌͗̇͊͒̌͗̐̓̉̇̀̽͋̌̄̔̂̅͒͑͐̆͋̕̚͜͜͠͝͠ͅţ̵̢̧͓̮̪͕͎̬̝͍̘̠̜͎͐̈́̾̊͌͊̔̃́̒͗̅́͆͂̈́̽͒͒̕͝ͅh̴̢̧̢̨̘͖͉̣͈͉̥̯̫͍̠̫͔͙̣̻̞̺̹̤͓̱͍̰̖̳̖̔͂̌̊̀̌̇̈͛̾̔̽̂͐͆͂̌̚͜͜͝ȩ̷̺̰͎̭̹̩͍̰͑̈́̆̃̅̐̿̂̽̃́̎͗̑̒͂̎̆̀̌͒̅̚m̴̧̢̛̛͓̠͕͕̬̜͇͍̞͈͚̟̖̲̙̳̓́̍͒̿͌̈̀̔̈̆̾̀̾̏̀̈́̉͑̐͆͑̕̚͠͝ ̶̢͚͚͓͈͇̺͍͈̥̮̬̯̦̰͖̳̻̥̤͓̦̹͖̾͆͋͂̆̔̄̈́̄̾͝ͅh̶̛̬̀̂̂͗̄̌͒̿́͂̈́̐̈́ǎ̶̧̧̡̢̛̳̪̞̙̜͉̠͉͙̲̬͕͙̼̲̥̲̯̤͖͖̲̭̼̹̤̹͈̮̾̈͌͒͆͂̄̓́͒̅͋̍̈́̉̔͒́̇̑̈́̀́̾́̿̎͊̔͋̆̑͜͜͝͝͝ş̴̼̣͔̘̜̠̣̤̙̪̰̗͉͑̅̈́̾̊́͛̀̓͊̿̍͗͛̆̈́͋̀̑̊̀͗̀̉͝͝͠͝͝ͅ ̶̧̜̜̜̤̳̰͕̻̤̻̳͈̤̿̒̈̈͒̔̓̈́̂́̋̈́͋̾̎̈̿͊̀̓͘͘f̶̧̛̛̛̬̙̯̘͎͓̙̠̼͔̮̥̣͊̎̓̽͗̔̍̀̀̑̈́̉͂̀͋̐͂͆͋̔̇̊̓̽̎͊͗̚̚̕ą̵̨̨̨̢̡̝͇̪̪̼̫̻̹̰̪̖͍̞̱̘̘̥͈̩̟̪͇̩̖͖͙̲̯̻͛́̇͌́͠ͅͅl̴̨̧̡̛͖̻͍̤̱̼͉̩͉̻͕̤̳̫̞̯͍͔̖̘̝͖͔̬̭̘̘͚͓̯̀͋̃̾̈̓̄͗͂̂̇̐̐̒̌̇̄̓̀̂͘͘̕̕͠ͅͅl̸̨̢̮͓͉̻̪̟͕̳͉̲̹͐͊̕ȩ̵̛̛͔̏̑͌̓̏̀̋̏͋̃̿̆́̓́̕̕̕͘͝ͅņ̸̢̨̧̛̠̘̗͓͇̬̤̠̟̙̥͙̰͙̙̻̯̜̗͙̦͉̘̠̹̱̆̆̽̂̍͂̽͑̍̀͑̐́̅͑͗̈̓̂͋͗́̂̈́̿́͆͘̕͜͜͝͝ͅ!̶̨̢̢̡̰͓̫̞̻̲͖̗͉̳̰̻̻̬̠̱̦̥̦͚̻̖̰̝̮̑̂̀̔̐̍̀̾̇́͐̃̈́̎̀͑̋͊̋͌̌͆͑͂̓͑̚͝͠ͅ ̶̢̰͖̞̥̫̪̹̙̩̳͇̏͆̈́͗̔̓̈́̎̾͂̔̽̉͊̀̂̆̔͋̈́̈́̄̎͛̅͂̂̚̚͘͜͝͝͝͠R̷͕̥̬̣͉͓̥̠̟̠̆̍̓̒͂͂̃͆̏̉̏̽̏̊̍̂͐̒́̍̓̂̄̓͋͘͘̕͝͝͠ȩ̶͖̤͓͉̞̳͈̜̭̙͙͚͖̙̭̪͓͑̔̎̿͒́͂̈́͛̓͐̀̆͌̌̊̀̾̓̈́̉̊̌͆̔̈̀͂̈͘̕̕̚͘͠͝͠m̷̲͚̹̫̩͙͙͖͚̼̭̌̈̂͂́̄̄̂͐̂́̂̊͊̾̇̓͝ę̶̨̧̡̫̪̲͓͔͔͕̲̹̲̤̦̯̰͇̦͚̺͙͎̭̼͍̥̳̹͇̣̍̂̓́͒͂̂̽͋͝m̷̢̨̛̲͍̗͙͓̫̺̮̰̮̲̥͚̭̩̩͍̳͉̦̳̮͖͎̗͓̖̦͈̥̠͓̈̔͛̆̎̽͌̄̊̀̄͊̏̈́̂́̃͛͌̈̂̏̆̋͛̍̃͘͝͝b̴̡̛͎͇̦̖͖͎͍͙̹͕̪̱̫͇̣̫͙̳̪̳̖̞͈̼̮̰͐͊̾̂́̽̍̒̈̓̆̒̌̋̃̈́̂͛́̊͘̕̚̚͝ͅȅ̴̢͖̖̯̤͍̔̋̓̌̿̓̐͆̽̀̈́̆́͆̕͠r̶̪̝̱̩͚͇̝̬̐̀̅͊̏̚̚͝ ̵̨̢͍̠̟͉̖̭̲̯̜̮̲͙̗̠̜̪̮̹̫̦͔̘̯̯͖̖͉̰̩̟̲͛͒̍̄̋͒͜t̵̢̠̼̠͙̹̝̫̦̯͈͎̳̝̙̗̠̯̯̣͕͓̬̘͙̣̫̜̦̗̋͛̌͗͂͛͐̓̈́̔̌͗̔̅͋͐̽͗͒̓̌͋̄̈́̈̃̒̿̀̈́̒̚͘͜͝͠ͅh̵̢̥̲̹̭͍̙͚͓͇͉̯̥̩̜̻͉̱̙͉͍̘͇̫͙͈͙̗̠̻̓̓͌̀͛̃͋̒́̂̎́̾̄̒͌́̚̚͘̕̚̚͜͠ͅͅͅe̵̡̹͈͈̠̩̺̝̱̠̱̯̭̘͚͈͑̎̎̄̉̌̆̾̊̉͑̒͑̇̏͘͝͝͝͝ͅ ̴̛̥̋̌́̑̇́̊͌̃̈̔̎̀́͌̚̚͝ḩ̷̨̰͖̲̱͔̲̪̭͙̳̥̖͓̭͕͕̤̜͙͍̬̼̲̃̄̓̄̒͊́a̴̛̠͔̙͋́̌͌̑̋͐̅̄̆̃̑͐͠͝͝ñ̷̨̨̢̢̛̛̛̛̮̬͖̟͔͖̹͉̜̲̖͔̖̠̲͆̅̊̄͋̌͂̌͛̽̈́͋̊̈̓͐̈̀̌͘͜͝͠͠ͅḑ̵̧̢̨̡̧̪͙͖̜͍̣̜͔͔̖̭͙͓̭̯̺͙͉̥̃͒̎̃̋̅̈́̇̈͗̀͂̎̎̈́̈́̽̈́̓̃̽́̾̓͆̉̇̃̐̓̕̚̚͜͠͝͝͠ͅs̷̛̛̰̆̀̀̑̀̑̍̽̑̽̐͊̊̎͘͠͝ ̸̨͎̺̲͍̟̹̯̫̥̦̜̖̥͚͔̯̠͖͕̝͎̠̓͂͊̍̓́͗͒̑̉̿͑̒̽̎̀͗̋̆̕͝͝o̵̱̻̦̰͈̓̇̀̈́͑̎͋̒͂̀̕͝͝͠͝f̷̡̡̢̢̛̛̳̠͇̰̠͕̺̦̣̺̰̗͙̥̫̺̖̳͂́̾͂͗̏̔̾͐̄̎̈́̿̈́͗͜͠ͅ ̶̨̼͉̜̳̹̫͔̮̗̟̠̞̼̩̳͇̪̱̤̯̣̯͎̜̠̦̜̖̫̯̭̼͖̼̏́̊̏̈́̓͑͆́̂̏̽̅̆̋̑̔̆́̈́͂͘͜͜͠t̴̢̞̪̩̘̟̥͙͕͇̹͓̠͎͓̫̬̳̩̳̫̮̆̎̇̈́͂͋̀̌͌̉̀̔͒̅̀͋̑̊̄̒͂͑̚̕͠͝͝ì̶̢̦̘͈̞̱̐͋͛̏́̅̐͊̎̚͝ͅm̶̡̡̡̛̲̙̹̥̼̞̥̳̳̩͍̯͈͎̫̥͇̦͈͖̗͚̤͖̯͖͐͐͌̔͑̀̐̏̅̋̾̽̅̈̀̒͐̈̓̉̐̉̑̅̀̒͌͘̚̚̚͠͠ͅe̸̪̐̏̿̅̉͑̋̇̅̃͆̏̐̏̈̇̔́̄͆̈́̅͒͘͘̕!̸̨̡̢̡̯͍̟̣͕̹̩̼̫̰̣̞̹̥̻̤̖͕̭͇̫͕͉̙͑̉̅̊̄̈́̊͆͜͜ͅ

 

——————————————————————

“Caspar, Shez! Get us some cover!” Edelgard barked to the two strongest people in the party. Well, aside from Edelgard herself, but she was already moving a table of her own.

As the three of them pulled the tables back, the doors from the right side blasted open to reveal Byleth, Ignatz, and Rapheal as they charged forward at the bandits. Byleth was strangely focused on taking down a particular enemy archer, even going as far as to cut off the man’s arm… Edelgard had a strange sense she had been here before, but that would be nonsense.

“Alright, yeah!” Caspar shouted, poking his head out from under cover. “You’re in for it now, jerks!”

Caspar, get down,” Dorothea meekly mumbled, clearly having an issue with all the violence.

“Oh right!” The airheaded warrior said as he ducked down.

“Archers, mages,” Claude whispered, as he knocked an arrow. “On my mark.”

He leaped up and fired an arrow, taking down a bandit with a single shot. Hanneman, Hubert, and Lysithea joined in, pelting the bandits that had formed a circle around Byleth, Ignatz, and Rapheal. Speaking of those three Raphael had somehow found a pair of Killer Knuckles, and was tearing through the bandits while Byleth and Ignatz watched his back.

“Get outta here!” He said as he tore through a bandit. Byleth’s swordwork was still impressive to watch. She managed to parry one man with enough strength to knock him into another, impaling himself on his fellow bandit’s sword. Ignatz was no slouch himself, managing to unleash arrows into targets at ranges he wasn’t used to. Realizing the circle was getting tighter around Byleth, Ignatz, and Raphael, Edelgard decided the archers would be distracted by the ongoing encirclement, so she raised her axe into the air.

“To arms, classmates!” She shouted.

“Aren’t you cheesy,” Dorothea mumbled as she followed behind Edelgard.

As Edelgard, Caspar, Shez, and Dorothea charged forward, some of the bandits realized that they were going to be caught in a pincer.

“Fall back to the command room!” One of them shouted, and some of them began to run towards the back-most hallway. Not all of them, however.

Edelgard slammed her axe down into the first man, turning most of his back into a fine mist. She took another down, as she charged forward to help Byleth with an opponent who had pinned her to the ground. She drew her dagger and stabbed the bandit in his back, making sure not to harm Byleth in the process. Byleth then kicked the man off her.

“Need some help?” Byleth asked, as she got off the floor.

“I believe I should be asking that to you. And why are you here?”

She shrugged. “Eh. Been through worse. Plus they had the situation mostly under control on the right side.”

“Are you injured at all?”

“Not enough to require healing. There’s a bit of a gash on my stomach, but it’ll heal.”

“Byleth,” Edelgard said sternly. “You should still get that healed.”

“Nah, it’ll be fine. Plus, scars are cool. I have this one from a dagger on my right brea-“

She was cut off by a remaining bandit, who was screaming.

“Die noble scum!” He said as charged Edelgard. She had no time to move, and she knew Byleth wouldn’t be fast enough. She would have to hope for a non lethal-

The bandit stopped in his tracks, a sword portraying from his gut. Dorothea had drawn her first blood. As the man fell to the ground, so did Dorothea, sobbing. Since the room was clear now, Edelgard knelt down next to Dorothea.

“S-so,” She mumbled, trying to stay upright. “Is making us experience r-r-real battle part of the church’s t-teachings?”

She vomited after that, with her tears flowing even more. Edelgard put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“Do-does it ever get easier?” Dorothea asked, her pleading eyes hoping for Edelgard to say yes.

“Some parts do,” Edelgard said. “But you’ll always remember your first.”

Dorothea started snickering at that, but it was clear that she was rapidly deteriorating. Edelgard needed to work fast.

“But, over time you won’t mind it as much,” she continued. “Also, you saved my life. If we are to kill, it must be for the benefits of others. I would not be standing here if it wasn’t for you, so thank you.”

Dorothea nodded. “Anytime… it’s just… the noise of air just…” she vomited again, as everyone else began to gather round for healing.

“Miss Arnault, you can stay with Marriane for now if you don’t feel well enough to continue,” Hanneman said, clearly worried. Upon hearing her name, Marianne came walking over, having finished healing Bernadetta.

Dorothea shook her head. “I-I’ll be fine, I think that’ll be the last time.”

She stood up, and brushed her skirt off.

“Let’s get this over with,” she said, walking towards the command center with a stare that would only get longer over the years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Byleth and Raphael went back to their group, Edelgard and hers continued down the hallway some of the bandits had fled to. The door was shut, but they could all hear voices from inside.

“They’re just brats!” A deep voice yelled, one that Edelgard could tell belonged to Kostas. “How are you losing to some rich kids?”

“B-boss, there’s too many of 'em!” A bandit replied.

“We almost had them at the plaza,” Another added. “But it was no use! They’ve got to have some kinda me-mercenaries with them!”

“Well I don’t care!” Kostas said. “The guardhouse will hold long enough for us to break out and overwhelm them!”

As the bandits continued speaking, Claude put a finger to his lips and stepped forward, holding what seemed to be a small wooden barrel with a rope attached to it. Claude tried to use some fire magic to light the strange object, but he didn’t know the spell well enough to control it, sending a fire ball into the ceiling, quietly cursing as it exploded.

“Lysie,” He whispered, turning to the small mage. “Can you light this?”

“I said not to call me that!” She snapped back, as she lit the rope.

Claude then chucked it at the door.

“Everyone, backwards now!” He shouted as he ran backwards a few steps. Everyone else followed him.

“Huh? What was that?!?” Kostas yelled. “It better not be those damn brats! I’ll mount the boys’ head on spikes, and make the girls into cocksucking little who-“

He was cut off by a large explosion from Claude’s small object. Edelgard could feel the very ground shake as small prices of wood flew everywhere. It created a blast large enough to destroy the door and half of the wall next to it, leaving a black cloud of smoke hanging over the area.

“Charge now! While they’re distracted!” Claude yelled, rushing forward.

As they hurried in, Edelgard noticed the charred remains of a few bandits that had been caught in the blast. Edelgard had seen some awful sights in her life, but she still felt sick to her stomach seeing the charred remains. Kostas and 3 others still remained however.

“You 3!” Kostas yelled upon seeing Edelgard, Claude, and Shez. “Hunting all this way for me? You must really want me to mail you home in parts!”

He charged at Shez, brandishing an iron axe. She easily side stepped him, reaching for thin air to summon her strange blade. From there, Shez effortlessly dodged another blow from Kostas, slamming her blades into his back. Everyone could hear his spine tear as he crumpled to the ground.

She then raised her blade and pointed it at the other 3 bandits. “Anyone else?” She asked, sporting a smug grin.

“Run away!” One of the bandits yelled, running out of the ruined command system and towards the jail.

“After them!” Hubert commanded.

As the rest of the group ran towards the jail, Edelgard stepped back to look at Kostas. She had no mercy for this particular bandit, knowing she would probably find some of his victims in the jail. He deserved nothing better than to have the birds come find his corpse.

“Ah fuck,” he groaned. “Never should have trusted that guy…”

She leaned down, and slipped on the facade of the Flame Emperor. “If it makes you feel any better,” she whispered. “I always intended for you to perish.”

Kostas’s eyes widened at her. “Wha… you’re th…. Fuck…”

She walked away from him, leaving him to his thoughts before he left the mortal world.

After a brief run, she caught up with her classmates. “Ah, Miss Hresvelg,” Hanneman said, walking over to her. “I see you’re finally here. Did something hold you up?”

“A bandit was not as dead as he seemed,” Edelgard explained.

He nodded his head. “I see. Well, in any case, you haven’t missed much. We still need to get the door open.”

She walked towards the door they were having issues with. It was a metal one, so most of them probably couldn’t just smash through it. The group was mostly standing around, while Claude worked on the lock. Marriane was silently praying, as she usually did, while Hubert and Lysithea were having a small conversation.

Claude looked up at her as she approached. “Yo, finally come to help us down here?” He asked, smirking. “Always good to see royalty doing something.”

“Don’t act like you’re not like me or Dimitri because you’re not royalty.” Edelgard said dryly, rolling her eyes.

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“Hmm?”

“I can act like this cause I’m not Fodlan Royalty.” He said. “Caaause last I checked, Leicester has no King or Emperor.”

She scoffed at him. “If you're done being pedantic, I was going to ask if you wanted me to break down the door. Or, maybe you have some more magical exploding barrels that you neglected to mention.”

Claude shrugged. “Holst found a few of them during an Almyran raid. Sent ‘em to Hilda so I could take a look.” He then stood up, and gestured at the door. “All yours, your stuckupness.”

She lightly punched him in the shoulder, which sent him to the ground.

“Gotta stop picking fights with big axe women…” he groaned as Marianne made sure he was okay.

Edelgard took a step back and felt for her twin crests. It was like manually breathing, or feeling for your heart beat. It was always there and working, but it became more efficient when you focus on it. She drew upon them, and felt both the strength of the Crest of Serios and Crest of Flames. The ache in her muscles vanished, and she felt like she could lift and throw an entire carriage. She readied her axe to strike, then brought it down upon the door.

Her axe shattered, leaving her with only the shaft, but it did knock the door off of its hinges. She felt a jolt up her arm due to the recoil, but the Crest of Flames kept the pain from staying too long.

“I probably could’ve done that,” Shez mumbled as she walked up to Edelgard and handed her a spare steel sword. Edelgard’s swordsmanship wasn’t suburb, but a weapon was a weapon.

Hanneman summoned a ball of light into his hands. “Prepare yourselves for gruesome sights. Bandits are not known for being kind to their victims and prisoners.”

Bernadetta, Marianne, and Dorothea all shuddered, but the songstress recovered quickly and seemed to have steeled her resolve.

“Like what, bodies?” Caspar asked. “We’ve seen tons of those, it’ll be fine!”

Dorothea put a hand on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear.

“Nope, never mind,” he said, shuddering.

Lysithea, Dorothea, and Marianne also summoned their own balls of light, while Hubert struggled to keep it in place. Then, Edelgard and the whole group descended down the stairs, to whatever horrors awaited.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Edelgard had prepared herself for the worst. She knew how some bandits operated. Some were rapists, others, slavers, and some, just straight up insane men and women that only wanted to kill. She was ready for horrible, mutated bodies. She was ready for men and women naked and broken in spirit. She was ready for some of the darkest thoughts she could conjure of those unfortunate enough to be kept alive in the conditions that bandits would keep. She didn’t expect the dungeon to look like her past.

The door was already open, but the bandits that fled towards it were dead in front of it. Their bodies showed signs of dark magic damage, which made Edelgard really wish she had a weapon she was more comfortable with. No one said anything when they saw the bodies, to make sure whatever killed them didn’t know they were there. They took a second to look at them, then snuck into the dungeon proper. It was like Edelgard was a child again.

The room itself was light by a dim, turquoise color, and the walls were pitch black, unlike the rest of the fortress. Strange contraptions were everywhere; large metal tubes; chairs with needles connected to strange ropes to prod into people; a human hand enveloped by the strange, blue light an oddlooking machine was casting; a strange, metal box that was open and seemed to have food in it. And there was a strange humming sound, coming from the back room. There were 4 actual prison cells, so Edelgard went to check them.

In the first one, she caught a glimpse of something before she turned away. After preparing herself for what she thought she saw, she looked back at it. Inside the cage was a pile of human bodies. Men, women, even children. Some missing arms, legs, even penises. There was a body with only a right arm. A single leg and a foot. Edelgard caught herself before she vomited, swallowing it back down her throat. The rest of the group looked in the cell in silent horror.

“By the goddess…” Hanneman said as he walked up. “This… this is a scientific lab, I believe. What kind of…”

The group heard a small ding, and turned around as two dark mages exited the room with a plate of food.

“What th-'' one of them got out, before being nailed between the eyes with an arrow. The next dark mage followed his friend to the grave soon after, with an arrow hitting him in the chest.

The group turned and saw Bernadetta drawing another arrow, unleashing it towards the door again. Their bodies disintegrated, as she fired a few more shots. When she finally stopped, her hands were trembling.

“I-is that all of them?” She asked, voice quivering.

“It seems so,” Hubert said. His eyes were colder than usual.

That’s when hell broke loose. Bernadetta fell to the ground and started sobbing, while Marianne sank to her knees, offering silent prayers. Caspar started pacing back and forth, probably to stop him from hitting something. Dorothea climbed on to Edelgard for support, the look in her eyes vacant. Edelgard tried to comfort her, but she knew from experience that there was only so much she could do. The only people who seemed to be mostly unaffected were Edelgard, Hubert, Claude, Shez, and…

Then Edelgard noticed Lysithea. She was clenching her fists, her head low and her whole body shaking. There was a look of pure hatred in her eyes as she lifted her quivering hand to brush her white hair —.

Edelgard gasped, causing Lysithea to look at her. Her white hair. She had never taken full notice of how white Lysithia’s hair was. Edelgard felt sick to her stomach. She had never even considered that there was anyone else like her, but it made sense now how the little mage was so powerful. They locked eyes for a brief second, and Lysithea raised her eyebrows. She pointed to her chest with a slashing motion, the same place Edelgards largest scar was. Edelgard nodded solemnly. Her eyes expanded, while her mouth slowly fell slack.

“What the actual goddess damned FUCK is this?” Caspar screamed, breaking Edelgard out of her silent conversation with Lysithea.

“I-I’d ask you to not swear but…” Hannenman trailed off.

“Oh, fuck off Kronya! Using Professor Essars voice and some ‘students’ won’t fool me!” A voice yelled from the third cell. Edelgard raced over to it, ignoring another pile of bodies in the second cell.

Monica was inside the cell. She was slimmer than when they last met, blindfolded, had her legs bound to the wall with rusty chains, and she was clutching her right arm.

“Monica! You’re alive!” She said, trying to pull the door open. Caspar rushed over to help her pull it open, while Hubert looked for a key.

Monica gasped. “Oh, is this your plan? Pretend to be Lady Edelgard so I’ll spill all I know? Fuck right off!”

Claude walked over to the door and managed to get the cell door open with a lock pick. Edelgard, Caspar, and Claude then rushed over to Monica, while Claude took a look at her chains. Edelgard knelt down and removed Monica’s blindfold. She gasped as she looked her in the eyes, then she spit in her face

“You can wear her flesh, break any bone in my body, but I’ll never tell you anything!”

“Monica, Monica it’s me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Prove it.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “How shall I prove it? Unless there is something you want me to do, you can only take me at my words.”

Monica looked at Claude and Caspar. “Would you two mind leaving the room?”

“Huh? Why?” Caspar asked.

“I’m with Caspar on this one,” Claude said. “I’m sure any secret Edelgard has is safe with us,” He added with a charming wink.

“Well, the real Edelgard has a scar in a very specific spot that only women would know.”

“Ah,” Claude said, blushing slightly as he then walked away.

Caspar looked confused “Why only women? Do y’all have a secret spot or something?”

Monica rolled her eyes at him, clearly exhausted and out of patience. “Edelgard, do you mind if Caspar looks at us while you show me your left boob?”

Caspar’s face went almost as red as Monica’s hair, as he turned around and went to the doorframe, telling no one else to come in. Edelgard gave the poor girl a confused look, as nothing was on her left breast.

Monica leaned in and whispered in Edelgard’s ear. “If it’s truly you, I’m sorry for such a crass excuse, but I know how you can really prove it. If you are the real Lady Edelgard, you know how to prove it.”

“If you’re the real Monica, prove it to me.” Edelgard replied. She truly believed this was Monica, but she had to make sure.

Monica nodded. “You’re as cautious as her. If you are her, however, you can show me the secret sigil that only me, you, and Hubert know about among the students.”

Edelgard nodded, and held her palm out. After a few seconds of concentration, a sigil of the Crest of Flames began to hover over her hand. Monica looked at the sign with stars in her eyes. Joyful tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“Oh thank the goddess! It’s truly you!” She sobbed, hugging Edelgard with both arms. The sigil vanished, and Edelgard let her lean into her. She then noticed that Monica was missing her right hand.

“Monica! Y-yo-“

“Been gone for 4 days,” Monica said. “I believe. Time has been hard to tell. What is the current day?”

“It is the 31st of Harpstring moon.”

“So I’ve been here,” Monica thought to herself, “about 3 months and a half?”

Edelgard nodded. “I would have been here sooner, but we had to locate where you were.”

Monica nodded. “I see. Regardless, my hand being gone is of no concern. I will still operate to my best.”

Edelgard was baffled how she could still still be so upbeat after all she went through, but smiled at her loyalty. “Thank you, but I am more worried about you. We will have Professor Casagranda take a look at it when we get back.”

She then stood up, and turned towards the room. “I'm decent now! There’s a wounded student here, I need to remove some chains!”

Hubert, Hanneman, Caspar, and Marriane all rushed in. Marriane immediately went to Monica’s side, checking for any injuries. She found plenty, which kept her busy while Hanneman gasped.

“Monica von Ochs?” He said, incredulously. “What in blazes are you doing here?”

“Enjoying a nice fucking vacation, th-“ She cut herself off. “Sorry, professor. I’m not doing my best.”

“No need to apologize. Let’s get you out of here.”

Hubert and Caspar worked together to undo the chains binding her ankles, freeing her. She got up, stretching her legs. “Oh goddess it’s been too long.” She said, as she tried to take a step. She almost stumbled to the floor, but Caspar caught her.

“Easy now!” Haneman said, rushing to her. “How long has it been since you walked?”

“I don’t know, but at least more than a month according to Lady Edelgard,” She said, groaning in pain.

“Shez, can you please carry our friend here for now?” Edelgard asked.

“Yup,” she said, scooping up Monica in her arms.

“Eeep!” Monica squealed, then she looked at Shez’s face.

For someone who has been imprisoned and tortured for a month and a half, she could definitely still feel emotion. Her face went beet red.

“O-oh!” She said, trying to hide her gaze. “Hello there!”

“Hi,” Shez replied. “I’m new here, so you might not recognize me, sorry.”

“I-it’s fine!” Monica said, still blushing. “Yo-you’re just very pretty, that’s all.”

“Hey thanks!” Shez said. Edelgard wanted to slap herself in the face. How had she managed to find two mercenaries who had no social skills between them?

“Now, you all go on ahead.” Hanneman said. “I’m going to… burn the bodies.”

“Professor?” cried Bernadetta. “Shouldn’t we, uh, bury them? Or leave them for the knights?!? Can we at least leave please?”

Marianne then stood up. She looked like she had been praying deeply.

“Go. Professor Essar and I will handle this.”

Edelgard balked at the girl. She had barely spoken the whole time, and now she wanted to burn bodies?

“Marianne, are you alright?” Hanneman asked.

“The goddess decrees bodies that have been tampered with must be burnt,” Marianne explained. “So that evil spirits do not inhabit them, becoming living dead.”

Of course that was why. Edelgard felt bad for the poor girl who’d been so heavily indoctrinated as to believe every lie Seiros and her kin had spread. Did this have something to do with her constant depressed state?…

“I must object, Miss Edmund-” Hanneman started.

“Please!” Marianne begged. “I need to serve the goddess in this way. Please do not deny me this!”

“So be it,” Hanneman said, giving a small sigh. “But if it’s too much, you can leave at any time.”

She shook her head. “It’ll be alright. Monica needs Dorte anyways.”

Hanneman looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself. “That is true. Edelgard, lead the others to the entrance. We will meet you once we finish.”

Edelgard wanted to argue against Marianne staying, but Hanneman's eyes told her he wanted to as well.

“Very well, Professor. Come on everyone, let’s get out of here.”

As she walked out of the dungeon that was right out of her nightmares, Edelgard looked back at Marianne in pity. She truly believed she had to do this. The poor girl…

From there, the group took the path they had already taken back to the entrance. As they entered the courtyard, they saw Hilda as she ran up to them.

“Oh finally! I had to look all over for you guys!” She said, clearly annoyed. “I was told to find you and tell you that we had almost finished up! Where have you guys be- holy shit is she okay?”

She pushed past Edelgard, and ran up to Monica, still being carried by Shez.

“I’ll be fine,” She said. “Just a flesh wound.”

“Just a flesh wound?” Hilda said, raising an eyebrow. “Your hand is gone!”

“And she’s going to lose the other one if you don’t put her back where you found her,” a high pitched voice said from behind the group.

Edelgard whirled around to see several dark mages, all standing around a pale woman with ginger hair and an extremely revealing outfit.

“Kronya!” Monica yelled, shaking her remaining hand at the woman.

“Ooooh, I see what’s going on,” The woman named Kronya said. “Boys, kill all of them but the red head and the imperial princess. They’re mine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From there, all out chaos ensued.

The mages unleashed a variety of attacks, ranging from magic Edelgard had seen Hubert use to unknown black magic. Immediately, the combined Deer and Lions hit the ground, with Shez dodging most of their spells with Monica in her arms. After their first barrage, Shez flexed her swords around a bit, before a strange orange glow encased her.

“Oh now you’ve done it!” She yelled, as she charged forward. An orange halo appeared around her head, as her skin began to glow. Her blades caught fire as she tore into the first dark mage, slicing him to pieces. She then charged at Kronya, who was just as surprised as the rest of the group.

Edelgard was too shocked to respond, so Hubert took charge. “Take the mages out first!” He yelled, readying a Death Γ spell. He cast it at one of the mages, obliterating them on the spot.

The action snapped the rest of the students out of their shock, with Caspar, Edelgard, and Dorothea charging in, weapons drawn. Dorothea held her free hand to the flat of her blade, charging it with electricity, and took out one of the dark mages. Caspar managed to block a spell from a dark mage, though it destroyed one of his gauntlets. He ignored the loss and tackled the mage to the ground before viciously pummeling him. Edelgard used her borrowed sword in combination with her fencing lessons to take down another mage, as the remaining mages slowly started to back away. Bernadetta managed to take down one before he fled, while Lysithea, Hubert, and Dorothea all targeted the others with their respective spells. Monica herself had propped against a wall, and was weakly firing off a spell or two. Edelgard noticed their bodies slowly dissolved after they died, and she now had no doubt that most of TWSITD weren’t fully human.

Meanwhile, Shez and Kronya were still locked in their duel. The assassin was barely holding her own, probably because she couldn’t outspeed the newly changed merc. As Shez swung her blade down, Kronya blocked it, entering a blade lock with her knife against Shez’s swords somehow.

“What are you doing here?!?” She shouted, trying to force Shez back.

“What do you mean, lady?” Shez asked as she slowly pushed Kronya to the ground.

“You should be in a test tube, beast,” Kronya hissed. “Who let you out early?”

Shez blinked and hesitated. “What?”

Kronya pushed the stunned merc off her, as Shez tumbled to the ground.

——————————————————————

 

Ȩ̷̭̟̥̘͍͑͜ą̶̡̢̥̦̤͙̼͇̗̜̮͙̤̯̫͈̻͕̙̱̖̟͖͙̗̺͔̼͐͌̎̐͆̑̃̐̚š̷͖̟̞͈̤̩̹͔͖̫̣̗̤͍̦̝̥̩̫͉͙̭͎̓̀̽͘ͅy̷̢̢̺͙͍͍̙̼͉͓̣̟̯̘̙͍̬̥͙͚͙̩̫͍͖̦̬͎̰̭̣̏ ̵̢̧̛̱̖̥͖͖̞͚̦̫̼̰͍͈̰̱̺͍͚̩̂̈̒̑͋͋̏̀͂̋͋̉̿̔̽̾̐̔̅̅n̶̢̗͕͈̰̤̝̰̦̲̰̱̤͙͍͉̿́͂̈́͆͑̑̋́̊́̃̑́̒̃͐̽͊̓̓͐̔͘̚͘͜͝ͅͅọ̵̧̯̙̝̤͈͉̮̮̗̻̘̮͚̤̳͕͇̥̫̦̤̺̟͓̭̉̏͌̈́̈̈́̈́̓̀̽̌̉̎̂̅͛̓̐̒̈́̇͗̓̚̚͜͝ͅẇ̷̡̧̧̯͉̬͓̮͚̆͒͊̓̚͠͝ ̴̨̨̫͓̩̱̦͕͖̹͉͊̃͆̏ͅp̵̨̘̼͚̙̲̻̈̐̾̎͗̉̐͂͂̑̏̃̂͐̊̉̃͘̚͝͝ͅͅã̴̢̬͕̻̺̺͙̺̖̤͖͍̗̗̤̗͍͍̣̙͖̦͇̜͍̫̯̤̩͆͊̕ṛ̵̨̬̟̼̯̹̭̲͖̪̳̪̮͉̹̜̬̰̞̲̲̗̔̐̿́̂̓̃̎͌̽̇͌̀̈̽͆̒̃̆̓̉̕͘͘̕͠͝͠͠ţ̷̢̡̝̬͎̙͕͓̰͈̮̞͔̰͔̫̭͖̹̪̜̹̬̃̒̎̂̊̂̎̓͌̾͘͘͝n̸͓̘͓͖͇̺̯͕̙̬͔͓͙͉̱͙͍͉̘͕̓̇͒̀͂̎͂͊̃͝ȩ̶͎͇̱̓̋͊̇͑̄̈́̔͛̈͘͘͜r̶̨̧̛͖͙̼̟̥͙͈̯͉̗͓̼̖͓̺̞͓̳̮̗̝̮̺̅͛͗̈́̒̓͋̒̄͌̄̆̓̈́̏̃̂̃̀̇̚͘̕͠.̸̨̛͓̖̣̜̺͖̹̲̖͍͇̩͎̹̈́̍̏͗̓͜͝ ̸̧̨̳͎̻̳͕̞̟̜̟̪͓͍̰̳͙̖̩̖̱͛́̒͌̈̽̾͒̽̓̏̅̌̈͋̕̚͝S̴̺̺͕̜̰͉̫̘̙͎͐̅̀̿̓̈̌̚͝͝͝h̴̢͙̗̳͇̬̺͇̥̦̝̳̠̗̜͙̼̰̬̤̹̖̹̗̍͐͛̄͆̈͠ͅê̸̡̡̡̨̛͉͇̣͙̠̤͍̟̲̬̼͈̮̹̲̼͚̲̻͎̯͙̪̈́͒̂̈́͗͗̔͒͋̎̀̈́́̈́̂͌̒̌̋̿̀̓̒̉͑̕̚͘̚͜͜͜͝͝’̴̢̤̂́̐̓͊̔͛̆̓͑͐͒̈̈́̉͗͋̉̇̐͘͝͠͝͠s̵̢̡̢͕͔͍̞̙̖͚̺̺̪͙̪̠͖̫̳̦̫͎͕̝̫̙̫̩͈̰͍̀͛̎̿̅̄͂̈́̿͐̐͒͂̉̌̀̂̃̈̕͜͝͝͠ ̵̡̧̢̛̛͎̩͕̣̥͎̹̠̬̭̭̣̭̠̟͔̬͉͎̲͉̀̿̓͋̈̄̄̒́̄̾͐͗̈́͑͊̿̚̕͠ͅͅt̵̡̛̯̲̬̬̻̯̻͈̾͌̾͛̔́̌̄͗̃̌̕͜͜͝͠͝ͅͅṟ̸̡̨̰̮̺͔̹̝̝̺͉͍̭̭̼̰̰͍̦͉͕̰̮͇͔̞̫̤͙̪̐̈́̂͜y̷̻͎͉͍̲̪̗̼̟̳̯̤͔͙͖̍͗̋͑͂̌̈́̓̎͋̑̆́̅̂̈̇͐́̄̃͊̚͝͝ī̷̡̨̛͇̺̗͖̪̬̦̝̤̳̻̯̞͈͓̩̲͑̿̈̐̍̑͒̉n̵̨̨̧̡̧̩̘̮̰̻̙̝̞̞͉̩͉̮̟̯̝͙͉̞̯͇͎̦͋̈́̿̆̈́͛̉͑͛͒͛̓̓͆̃̈́͂̐̑̀͂̒̉͛͂̕͘͠͝͝ͅg̵̢̡̛̛̥̫̤̣̥̮̭̘̖͓̭̮̪̘̲͙̼̤͚̞̺̝̖̬̻̊̐̏͑̏͝ͅͅ ̵̧̡̨͍̫̰̟̫̩̗͍̳̱̙̘̺̺̪͖̲̻̘̖͑̃̿̎́̈̒̅͆̑̀͋̈́͆̚͘͝͠t̵̡̧̢̞͖͕̰̩̬͍̫͕̝͇̱̀̌̽̆̑̔̄̈́͊̈́̐̂̐̊̍̈͊̀̋̄͘͘͠ͅo̸̢̼͔̓̑͑̌̎͋͌́̽̃͐̉̆́̊̆̈̈́̏̊͌̀͛̄̏́̓̚̕͘͘̚̕̚ ̶̧̢̧͈̳͍̖̘͔̥͇̙͈̺̤̬̰̟͍͇̣͖̆͗̿̅͛͌̎̿̋̉̃̈́͗̀̓͂͑̆̓͐̚͜͝͝͝ͅt̵̢̡̡̢̨̟͈̦̣̞̣̱̰͚̟͙̠͚̖̳͈̯͖͙͒̀̓̈́̌̈̒̈̂̑̎͐͋̓͛̏̽̈́̕͘͝h̸̡̧̛̜̮͕͙̗̝͎̲͓̤̼̝̯̞̜̥͂̒̑͊̋̃́̌̃̄̽̀̎̇̍̉̎̇͝͠͝r̸̨̧̡͖̜̹͔͙̣̜͕̗̗͎͉͍̼̓̿̊̂̏̈́̄̕̚͝͠o̶̧̡̡̝͕̻̣̬̣̼̓͑̑̿́͑̒̀̅̕͜͝ẘ̷̧̨̤̥̮̝͔̊̋̊͆̇͘ͅ ̸̢̛̺͖̺̠̗͇̺͆̒̀̅̏̍͠ͅy̴̛̗͍̗̞̜̦̲̹͗̿͗͋̓̆̀̇̋͆̍͐͌̌́͐̊͐̃͛̀͐̒̚̚̚̚͝ò̷̱͖̓̽̔͐͒̆͊͛́̇̓̆̓̚̕͝͝ư̴̗͎̥̹̞͎͇̤̟̥̥͋̉̎͐̇̅̒̇̏̀̎̂̃̐̇́̈́̏̉͛͛́͂̕͘͘͠ ̵̼͓̘̯̮̥̈́͌̂͋̾̆̓̇̐͠ͅơ̶̧̢̨̨̱̰̝͓̠̜̤̮͈̳̬̝͙̗̠̣̹͓͖̰͇̹̫͚̰̐̆̊̾͌͐̂͌̊̏͑̾̄̇̎̉͜f̴͙̉̌͛́́̀͋͒̊̓̃̽͒͆͒̎̐́̇̇͂͋͒̚̚̕͠͝f̵̢̢̢̯̯͚̻̪͕͎͓̳̻̟̦͓̲̘͇̤̟̬̜͚͔̫̮̲͎̟͍͙̫̔̎͜͝ ̵̢̨̖̦̜͍̼̫̠̔̄̀́̉̀̓͆̃̅͗̎̓̍̌̇̓͑̎̆̄̃͑̌̌̀̚͠͠ģ̸̡̡̧̧̠̭̹̹̦̫̭̜̺̹̼̣̱̬̱͈͖̳̐̌͜ͅư̶̢̨̧͚͕̬͙͈̣̬̝͎̩̻̱͈̯̲̺̙͉͍̬͎̝̖̺̮͔͕̦̔̐̓̀̐̏̏̒̈́̍͆͑̎̑͒̎̏͑̈́̂̆̕̕̕͜͝ͅà̸̡̖͉̞̥̈́̓̈́̇̊̀͋̏̽̂̉̆̀̓r̸̡̨̜̺̙̫̗̟͇̫̝͚̬̗̔̌̿̓̃̊́̉̐͊̄͋̂̃̀̉̍d̶̡̢͓̻̯̪̗̻̭̭̤͖̱̠͔̭͓͈͕͎͗͐̇͂̑̊̃̀̓ ̸̢̨̢̢̛̠̗͎͔̦̞̘͕͇̼̬͉̮̳͇̩̩̤̥̈́̄̔̀̿̓͒̈́͗̑̈̽͘̕w̵̡̡̹̜̖̗̳̠͕͙̯̬̫̼̱͕̝̩͉̹̩̔́̑̾̅͌͜ͅi̶͎̪̰͚̻̫̞̼̜͍̖̅̈́̆̈͌̎̒͊͑̽͐͒͆̓̓͊̓̑̓̈̅͐̀̄̃̒͋̍̕͘͝t̶̛̩̊̑̓͐̋͛̋͑̈́͒̀̏̄̂͑̋̈̈́̈́̉̇͋̇͗͒͋̂̎͝͝h̷̨̢̰͍̳̓͋̓̒͊̓̓͐̽͗́̏͛͐̾̀͐͋̈́̎̏͒̍̈́̌͘ͅ ̴̨̨̛̭͉̮̠̥̼̯̲͖̦̦̥͉̺͖͉͙͓̳̹̟̙͇͔̹̩͔̠̦́̃̑͛̊͐̇̄̓̂̍̈́̇̈́̾͊͛͒̌̕͘͠n̶̢̡̘͙̗̺͎̯̱̬͙͍̝̻͕̮̭̻͈͎͉͍͉̣̂͑̈́̓ͅo̷̧̢̧̱͍͙͈̱͇̮̲̟̺͓͉͙͙̩̱̮͔͙̗͚̻͖̘̥͈̦̠͂̉͛͒͊̓̋̈̃̇̋̾͋̽̈́̕̚͘͜͝ń̵̡̨̜͉͇̼̥̩͖͕̝̰̜̱̱̺̭̲̬͓̗̗͇̞͚͖͇̪͖̩̳̱͑̌̈́̈͌̅̄́̎̉̌s̵̡̛̗̤̫̲͈͎̱̱͇̄̀͑̅̒̓̈̊̋̆͊͘ȩ̴̨̢͍͔̗̹̟̯̖̯̠́̇n̴̳̫̣̺͇͈͊͌̏̈́́̈́͛s̸̞͎̐̐̔́̅̾̋̋̄͐͗͆͛́̍̋͆̑̐̐̏̔͘͝͠͝ẽ̷̛̠̼̝͍̖̫̺̻̰͍͇͔̳̊̇̃̑̄̌̎̎̉͐͛͋̅̄́̑̍̑̾̾͛̆͋͘̚̚͝͝.̷̭͇̬̰̼͚̞̣̭̝̦̙͖͂̉͒̓̊̂̓̒͗̀̀̄̈͑̂̂͗͊̓̀̆́̑̕͝͝͝ ̸̡̞͉̜͓̙͖̖͇͉̮̙͉̯̻͕͖͚͎͖̠̪͙͓̬͔̰̙̏͊͌̑̋̔̾̽̓͂̈́ͅK̸̨̡͚̻̘͉̬͖͈̠͉͎͕̭͍͖̲̦̝̰̙̦̝̟͎̗̫̣͇̬̓̀̾̒̄̒̃̽̎͌͒͐̑̾̅͒͊̈́̚͘͘͜ȩ̷̡̥̣̪̦͍̺͇͓̲̘̹̜͇̲͔̯̤̩͕̬̼̪̜͎̠̮̲̟̄͒͆ͅë̵̡̡̛̹̟̻͔͖̹͕̠̫̭̖͖̻̣̼̯̮͕̘̱̻͕͕̫̭̼̠́̽̊͛̒͛́́̕̕͜͜͜͝͝ͅṕ̴̡̟̟̬̪̜̺̤̖̩̮͖̜͔̜̣̣̜̲̭̣͇̜̐̀̊̒̚ͅ ̴̡̧̡̢̝̼͕̗̳͔̜̗̮̺̘̫̣̝̹̀͛̏̔͋͐͋̈́́͑̍̚͠ͅͅi̶̡̧̡̫̘̭̜̣͚̬͔̖͍͓̰̥̗͔̯̤͐͐̿̄̇̃̂̔͆̈́̅̓́̈̓̃͐͂͐̏̏͊̿͘̚ṯ̸̨̢̬̞̟͔̥̰̊̀́̀̾͐́̒̓̕͜͝ ̵̛͈̲̝͔͍̝̘͙̮͖̳̞͖͊͒̉̍̆̑͐̃̄̑͆͋͆̓̉̆̎̚̕͘ų̴̛̭̳̮̱̰͈͙̮̺̞͉͇̺͙͈̭̻̺͉͊͌̋̔͐̃̂̾̈́̑̇͐͋̽̈́̒̽̆́̂̀͋̀͑͐̀̒̇͘͝͝͠͝ͅͅp̵̧̢̨̧̛͎̫̦̜͎̭͕͓̺͍͉͒̏͋͑̏͂̐̈́̋͊̈̌̃̂̄͊͌̑̀̈̍̾͑̚̕ͅͅ!̸̡̹̞̹͇̜̞̐͂ͅ

 

——————————————————————

Edelgard noticed that Shez mumbled something as she got back on her feet to reengage Kronya.

Once again she came down on Kronya, this time landing a blow on the scantily clad assassin’s sword arm. She hissed at Shez, tossing her blade to her uninjured arm.

“Who cares why you’re here,” she continued. “I’ll make sure you don’t return in one piece!”

She charged at Shez again, as Shez nearly dodged a feint towards her heart. Edelgard found herself mesmerized by the duel. It was a deadly dance, and the dark mages had mostly been mopped up. Meanwhile, the other group ran into the courtyard, slowly coming to the aid of the others.

Jeritza rode up, a confused look on his face. “What is going on?”

Edelgard put a finger to her lips, trying to shush him. “Later. Monica is alive, but we ran into complications.”

He nodded, and pushed towards where the Dark Mages were making their last stand.

“The beast!” One shouted as his fellow next to him fell to one of Ignatz’s arrows. “Release the beast!”

There was a terrible scream that echoed across the courtyard, and the ground began to tremble. Edelgard looked towards the source of the noise, and went pale. A demonic beast came barreling into the courtyard. Jeritza saw it and reigned in his horse.

“To me, to me!” He yelled, as he pointed to the beast. Those fighters skilled at close-range combat charged the beast while everyone else formed a circle around it, firing a spell or arrow occasionally. Edelgard aimed for one of the back legs, while noticing that Shez and Kronya carried on with their duel.

“Go for its underbelly!” Jeritza yelled, jabbing his Lance at one of the legs. “Do not give it a chance to-“

An explosion rocked the ground, knocking everyone off balance. Even the beast collapsed in a heap, and clutched at its head in agony. Edelgard turned around to see a tower crumbling. She assumed it was where the lab was, and almost panicked. But then, she saw Marianne and Hanneman running out, gasping for breath. Marianne went to assist Monica, who was currently leaning against Dorte.

Edelgard turned back to the beast, which had been badly damaged by Lorenz, Ferdinand, and Leonie, who were all using their lances to push it back. The beast suddenly got up on its hind legs and breathed balls of fire from its mouth. They didn’t hit a single student, and Bylefh leaped into the air, stabbing the monster straight in the chest. The creature made an unearthly noise, and swatted Byleth away. She went flying across the courtyard, coming to a halt after hitting the ground with a small crack.

“BYLETH!” Edelgard found herself yelling, as she ran towards her classmate. She ran over to the woman who drew her eyes so, and knelt down by her side. She immediately went to check for a heartbeat, and-

Wait. There was no pulse. Edelgard lifted her hands up, and tried to wipe away tears. She then felt for Byleths heart, slightly blushing, and felt nothing. There was no heartbeat. No heartbeat at all.

Edelgard started sobbing. Byleth was dead. She had only known her for a short time, but she wanted to know her better. Now she was just another casualty of Edelgards war.

“You alright?” A voice asked Edelgard, with what being unable to tell who it was through her tears.

“N-no,” Edelgard said, being honest for once. “Byleth she just… look at her. She’s gone.”

“I am?” The voice asked, and Edelgard looked up. Byleth was sitting next to her with a confused look on her face. A stick was behind her, snapped in half.

“Wh-what?” Edelgard said, backing away from Byleth.

Byleth inspected herself, patting her internal organs. “Feels all there to me. Was a little drowsy from the flight, if that’s what worried you.”

Edelgard stared at her, with a dumbstruck look on her face. “B-but you had no heartbeat!”

Byleth blinked. “What’s a heartbeat?”

Edelgard’s jaw dropped. There was so much she wanted to ask, but she were interrupted by a horrible noise.

The demonic beast had died. It seemed that the students had somehow knocked it over, and Dorothea drove her sword into its belly, while Lorenz, Leonie, and Ferdinand stabbed wherever they could reach. Its underbelly was also riddled with arrows and burn marks, making it hard to guess who actually dealt the final blow. As it died, it let out an unearthly shriek, and fell to the ground.

Kronya, still mid duel with Shez, looked at the dead monster shocked. “What? You beasts managed to win?”

Her words were cut off by Shez, taking advantage of the distraction. She took her strange blade and drove it through Kronya’s chest, going clean through.

Kronya looked down, in shock. “Why, you lit-“

She was cut off. Quite literally. Shez took her second blade and removed Kronya’s head. As she pulled her first blade out of the body, it crumpled to the ground, slowly dissolving like the dark mages did earlier.

“Well, that takes care of the cremation.” She said, spitting at the spot where the assassin once stood.

Notes:

Could you tell I've been reading A Eagle Among Lions :3

Gonna keep this short, don't feel like a paragraph.

The fic will now be posted somewhere between 11 AM-12PM EST every Friday. That's why nothing went up this past Monday. Sorry for no advance warning!

Shout out to my wonderful beta's, I love ya! Couldn't make this without y'all.

To all y'all reading, I am about to enter a busy time of my life, so if a chapter isn't posted one week don't panic! It just means I didn't have time to upload/write that week. But I know y'all get it. Love Y'all so much!

Finally, shout out to CaptainFlash. I love your writing so much. TEATG is the major driving force behind why I write (marching hand and hand with OBW, OPiS (and every spin off of that), and PBA). If you do ever see this, just know that idc what anyone says about you, you write peak (and rejoin the Edelgard server we miss you :3 )

Edit: how did no one notice Lysithea was spelt wrong for the past 10 chapters lmao

Chapter 9: Justifiable Means

Summary:

Edelgard finds new Allies and hopes on a bumpy ride home

The walk to the red canyon was one of silence. It stood in total contrast to the cheerful journey earlier that day. Monica had been placed inside a mostly-empty supply wagon, so Jeritza took over as the driver for said wagon while Hubert and Edelgard sat inside, talking with Monica over tea and coffee. Outside, a storm was settling in.

“So, that’s all I’ve missed?” Monica asked, after Edelgard and her vassal finished briefing her

Edelgard nodded her head. “Yes. It is good we were able to destroy one of their facilities. May those they slaughtered rest in peace.”

Hubert scoffed at that. “I’d doubt anyone would be able to rest in peace after what went on down there.”

Monica looked up at the two. “That bad, huh? By the time I had been captured, the piles of bodies were already there. I couldn’t see them, but I could smell them.”

Edelgard shuddered. Monica had gone through so much for her sake, and still she served her… She truly was lucky.

“Now, if you’re all caught up,” Hubert said, placing down his cup of coffee he had been sipping. “Shall we discuss what you’ve learnt?”

“Hubert!” Edelgard exclaimed, giving him a look. “She needs rest. We can ask again when-“

“It’s quite alright, Lady Edelgard,” Monica interjected. “Might as well get it over with.”

“Now, let’s see,” she started. “Of the mercenary companies I had been able to make contact with, the ones that accepted have begun to build the base camp on the Ochs-Hevring border. They’ve been told not to contact you unless the situation was dire, which is probably why you haven’t heard from them.”

Edelgard gave a sigh of relief. “So Hevring is with us?”

“No, not quite. His main concern is with you yourself.”

“He would be a fool to doubt Lady Edelgard,” Hubert said, grinning.

“Of course he would be,” Monica continued. “But he’s a cautious man. So is Count Bergeliz. Both of them however have mentioned they will be attending this year's Battle of the Eagle and Lion.”

“Truly?” Huber inquired. “I would assume after your house was defeated so thoroughly last year they would simply ignore it.”

“Hey!” Monica said, trying to sit up, but ultimately failing. “We only got beat because the Fenja bitch left our ent-“

She stopped herself, coughing. “Apologies for the language, Lady Edelgard.”

“No need to apologize. Continue.”

Monica resumed where she left off. “Regardless of how last year's battle went, I can confirm that those two will be in attendance. As for Aegir and Th-Aurundel, I cannot say. I would assume they wish to see their “weapon”, as they so rudely prefer to call you.”

Edelgard grimaced at that. That’s all they would ever see in her. A blade to use against their enemies. Little did they realize how easy it was for one to impale themselves upon their own blades.

“Is there any news on Gerth or your own father?” Hubert asked, refilling his cup.

“Last I heard, Gerth will not be showing up,” Monica said. “He is attending to a corruption scandal in Brigid. As for my father, he will be busy with the task you have given him. I can ensure his loyalty however.”

“That was never in question,” Edelgard said, ignoring Hubert’s small chuckle at that. “Regardless, Hubert,” She continued. “Has your intel produced any more results?”

“It always does, Your Highness,” Hubert said, giving a snarky grin. “Lord Lonato approves of our plan, as we assumed. The Western Church will throw its full weight behind his efforts as well. I’ve already seen to it that propaganda against The Immaculate One is being made.”

“Excellent,” Edelgard said, smiling a bit. “Does he still wish to see me in the flesh?”

Hubert nodded. “He wishes to test your convictions. He does not want his men dying for someone who will not keep their word.”

“I commend his efforts. We can warp there tonight.”

Edelgard then turned towards Monica again. “Now comes the hard part. Did you learn anything during your capture? If you wish not to talk about personal details, I understand. But if we can understand how they operate, it could be a great boon to our plans.”

Monica opened her mouth, before the wagon came to an abrupt halt.

“One moment,” Hubert said, heading to the front to talk to Jeritza.

After a few minutes, he returned.

“The storm knocked down a tree in our way,” he explained as he sat back down, trying to dry off. “We’ll be delayed by 20 minutes or so.”

Monica groaned at this. “Why now? I just want a hot bath…”

“Yes, how terrible I’m sure. You poor thing.” Hubert said mockingly.

“Oh why don’t you try being fucking poked and prodded for months!”

“Lady Edelgard already has, and she never complained. Why should you be any different?”

“Don’t you bring her into thi-“

“Both of you,” Edelgard said, standing up and stomping her foot down. “Cease this at once. Hubert, apologize to Monica. She’s clearly tired and in desperate need of actual bodily care after being locked away for so long. I was the same way.”

Hubert mumbled out an apology, and sat back down.

“Now, where were we…” Monica mumbled, collecting her thoughts. “Right! Their operations. So, in order to take the form of someone else, they require some sort of magical device to scan the skin from whoever they are impersonating. It allows them to make a rudimentary disguise of what the victim broadly looks like, minus the face and hair. That requires its own scan. They did that one first.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to scan the full body?” Hubert interjected.

“Yes, It would,” Monica explained. “But they didn’t have a full body scanner. It’s why they removed my hand, so they could scan a smaller part of me while I wasn’t fighting back.”

“Quite grisly…”

“Indeed. The scanner only works if the body part is completely still. I assume they would have killed me if not for their interrogation.”

“What in general did they ask about?” Edelgard asked.

“Any plans you had made against them, secret allies you had, bonds you had made. They wanted to ensure they could control you.”

“It seems they never thought we would simply knock on the front door.” Hubert said with a sarcastic grin.

“Indeed. They also did other tests upon me to replicate all of me.”

“Such as?”

Monica hesitated. “Some of it was… awful. Degenerating. They tried to break my mind… in so many ways. I’m lucky I was allowed to sleep in my academy uniform.”

Edelgard squeezed her hand. “We will never let them take you again. If it’s too much to talk about out loud, we can stop whenever you need to.”

Monica blushed at her touch and nodded. “I-I’ll do my best.”

She took a deep breath in, and began.

“Did you see the chair in there? With all the needles? They would strap me to it and inject all sorts of liquids inside me. They would make me feel certain emotions or feelings, like anger, fear, hopelessness, lust, depression, and so on and so forth. They hoped to get me emotionally broken enough that I would break down eventually.”

Hubert balked. “L-lust? Why would they need that?”

“Why are you asking me?” Monica said, slightly, raising her voice. “It’s not like I asked for it. They would just mess with my body, causing me to cry, or scream in anger, or-or-“

She paused for a moment, fighting back tears. “They would put thoughts in my head I knew weren’t mine. Like trying to make me angry that you had ‘abandoned’ me, or trying to make me sad that I failed you by getting captured, or trying to make me want you in… strange ways, convincing myself I should give up the information to get back to you as quickly as possible.”

“Strange ways?” Hubert asked.

Monica wiped her eyes, forcing down another round of tears. “I’d rather not talk about them, but I know they weren’t my thoughts. They sounded like me, but something was just wrong about it. Like a little voice in your head telling you to give into your emotions. It was easy to ignore after a while. I may not have had eyesight, but the strange language they spoke and the thoughts they forced into me were similar.”

“It sounds familiar to something they did to one of my brothers,” Edelgard said, trying to be nonchalant to force the memories down.

Monica was about to open her mouth to ask something, before being cut off by the back of the wagon suddenly opening up. Hubert shot up immediately, preparing a Miasma Δ spell.

“Wait!” A voice exclaimed. As her face rounded the corner, the 3 of them could see Lysithea. The young mage had her arms up in a gesture of peace.

“Lysithea,” Edelgard asked, trying to be cautious. “Can we do something to help you?”

She pointed a finger at Edelgard. “You’re like me, aren’t you? We all but said it out loud down in the dungeon.”

Edelgard sighed, and patted the space next to her.

“Sit down. We have a lot to discuss.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So…” Lysithea said, after Edelgard explained the situation. About 40 minutes had passed since she entered, and about 30 since they started moving again. Hubert had wanted to not involve her, but Monica and Edelgard overruled him.

“Biscuit?” Monica asked, carefully setting her tea down and handing the offered treat to Lysithea.

Lysithea grabbed the biscuit, and ate it in two bites. “Thank you,” she said to Monica, then she whirled on Edelgard. “So, they still have you on their fucking leash?!?” She continued, slamming her cup down. A small crack appeared, but it wasn’t enough to break the cup.

Edelgard nodded solemnly. “Yes. There is nothing I can do to stop them as we speak.”

“But why? Why keep you under control like that?” Lysithea screamed, causing Jeritza to poke his head inside the wagon.

“Be quieter,” he hissed, putting a finger to his lips. “The storm may be loud, but someone will hear you.”

He grabbed a towel that had been set out for Monica, dried his face, then ducked back out.

Lysithea took a few deep breaths while Edelgard continued. “They wish to use me to enact their revenge. Why they hate the church so fervently, I can only guess, but they have left me in a situation where I cannot fight back.”

Lysithea crossed her arms. “How so, you’re the daughter of the emperor! Can’t he just purge them?”

Edelgard, Hubert, and Monica flinched at that.

“Did I say something wrong?” Lysithea asked.

“Yes, you ignorant child,” Hubert hissed out.

“The fuck did you call me, you little shit?”

“A child, because only a child would be so foolish to ask that.”

“I’ll have you know I gradu-”

Edelgard stood up and stomped her foot. “You two are both children. Shake hands and be done with this!”

They did so, albeit while grumbling. Hubert seemed in a foul mood. The scene before was probably hurting him more than he let on.

“Now, you were asking why my father cannot do anything?”

 

Lysithea nodded.

Edelgard cleared her throat. “For one, due to the Insurrection of the Seven, any power house Hresvelg, Ochs, or Nuvelle had was stripped away.”

“”Insurrection of the seven?”

“Yes. Duke Aegir managed to convince the houses of Vestra, Varley, Gerth, Hevring, Bergeliz, and what remained of House Hyrm to lead a political revolt against my father. Houses Ochs and Nuvelle assisted the throne, but were put down. Nuvelle was eventually destroyed in the Dagda-Brigid war, and House Ochs hasn’t recovered. I will remember their contribution when I am in need of reliable nobles.”

Monica smiled for a moment, before grimacing. “Poor Coco…”

Edelgard wanted to say she had seen Constance during the food fight a few days ago, but kept it to herself.

“I see, I see…” Lysithea trailed off, scratching her chin. “That does make sense. Were they complicit in…”

Edelgard shook her head. “Only Aegir, to my knowledge. He loved to taunt me and my siblings as we were torn apart.”

Lysithea winced. “How could they go on knowing that was happening? What the fuck?”

“Because many of them have children of their own,” Monica explained. “I have collected intelligence stating that both Count Bergeliz and Hevring had their children threatened at the time. Duke Aegir was a monster.”

“I also have found reports that some secrets were threatened to be exposed,” Hubert added. “Such as Madam Varley’s infertility and Count Hyrm’s lack of heirs. The latter was a poor fool who died just a few weeks later, leading to Duke Aegir taking occupation of Hyrm territory.”

“So… that’s one reason,” Lysithea continued. “You said you had two. What’s the second?”

Then Edelgard explained the Javelins. After Edelgard finished, Lysithea looked aghast. “But… all of Enbar? Just like that?”

“Yes. Just like that. They demonstrated in an abandoned village next to the Valley of Torment. One was enough to level a small village. A volley of them…”

Lysithea shuddered. “I see, I see…”

“We were barely able to rescue Monica in time,” Hubert said, changing the topic. “And I fear the consequences will be dire, no matter our excuses.”

Monica sat up, trying to salute Edelgard with her stump. “I apologize for being a burden in that way, it was too much of a ri-“

“Yes, it was a risk, Monica. But I would take that risk again, gladly,” Edelgard said. “I will never forsake those who stand by my side. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Monica bowed her head down, then grabbed her teacup with her hand, mumbling “thank you”.

“Now, on to business.” She turned to Lysithea again. “I am putting a lot of trust into you by telling you this. I need you to promise me, no matter what, that you won’t tell a soul. If word of this gets out, Fodlan will never see the new future it so badly needs.”

Lysithea put a hand to her chin.’”I’ll hear you out. But if I believe for even one second you’re about to stray from your path…”

“Then I hope I will have you there to guide me.”

That seemed to please her, so Edelgard stood up. Then, trying to remember what she had written so far, she started her speech.

“I will reforge this world and tear up its rotten roots. The church has entrenched its views in society, keeping commoners from advancing far while noblemen do as they please. Crests nor birth make a great leader only ;experience and training can do that. Too many people suffer due to the crest system, noble children and suffering commoners alike. They create a cycle of pain and violence that actively harms those around them. I will do away with all this. Every Crested noble, every non Crested noble, and every commoner will have the same living conditions. Everyone will rise and fall by their own hands. I will create a free Fodlan, where all are able to reach for their dreams as long as they can put in the effort for it. I will do away with the church and many of its ‘sins’ it punishes people for. All will be allowed to love who they love, to worship who they wish to worship, to be free to live their life by their own merits, not the lives that our world forces them to live. I shall dedicate my life to saving this world, no matter how I am seen.”

Edelgard then sat back down, and took a few deep breaths. Monica and Hubert started clapping. Edelgard could even swear she heard Jeritza clapping, which made her worry how loud she was.

“Your speech could use work,” Lysithea said. “But I understand completely. I’m with you until the end. On two conditions.”

“Name them.”

Lysithea smiled at that. “First, I’m going to need to work with you more closely, so I’ll need a transfer into the black Eagle house.”

“Oh,” Edelgard said, giggling a little. “You could have asked that at any time regardless of circumstances. We would be delighted to have someone of your intelligence with us.

Lysithea blushed a bit at that. “A-alright, thanks. And two.”

She turned to face all of them. “The moment we can, we are going to ensure these dark mages never again walk the face of the earth,” She said with a grim stare.

“I can get behind that,” Monica said.

“That was never in question,” Hubert added.

“I want them gone just as much as you do,” Edelgard said, giving a rare warm smile to Lysithea. “Trust me on that.”

“We’ll need an excuse if we’re to meet regularly,” Hubert said, scratching his chin.

“Leave that to me, Hubie,” Monica said, grinning.

He wheeled on her. “What did you call me?”

“Hubert.” She said, innocently.

Hubert gave her a suspicious eye, but let the matter rest.

“Now, if I remember correctly, it’s about an hour or two until we reach the canyon,” Monica said. “And about five until we reach the monastery. What shall we ta-”

Once again, the back of the wagon opened. This time, all three mages readied a variety of spells while Edelgard face palmed herself.

“Woah, what did I walk into?” Shez asked, raising one hand in surrender while using the other to hold onto the still moving wagon.

Monica slightly blushed, slowly lowering her good hand as she saw her purple-haired savior. “Ah, hello Se-Shez, Shez. How do you do?”

“Pretty good!” The merc responded, smiling softly at Monica. Edelgard noticed Lysithea cross her arms, which made Edelgard chuckle to herself.

“Still,” She said, looking at Edelgard. “Can we uh, talk? All of us?”

Edelgard sighed.

“Sure, come and sit down then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edelgard had not planned to tell anyone aside from Hubert and Monica her tale and plans. However, it would seem that this plan would not survive contact with two other agarthan experiments. They all sat down and explained Edelgard and Lysithea’s life and plans so far.

“So…” Shez trailed off, as she sipped on her coffee. “That’s quite a big story.”

“Indeed it is,” Edelgard said. “But all of it is true.”

Shez raised her hands in a non-offending way. “Oh, I didn’t mean to say it was fake! Just saying, it’s quite a tale…”

She started pondering for a few seconds. “But all that has me thinking about that lady… what was her face?”

“Kronya?” Monica offered.

“Yeah, her. She asked ‘who let you out’, and that just has me feeling all kinds of fucked up,” She looked up at Edelgard. “Err, sorry for the language in present company.”

Edelgard waved her hand. “It’s fine. You may continue if you like.”

Shez cleared her throat and continued. “Right, yeah. And it made me think… I don’t remember much of my childhood. It’s all a haze to me. I can remember a mother and being taught to read and write, but there’s not much else. And then there’s my powers…”

Tears began to form in her eyes, and she wiped them. “I just… what if I’m some weapon they made? What if my whole purpose, every battle, has happened for the sheer purpose of serving them? What if I’m just some-”

Lysithea put a hand on her shoulder and brought her in for a hug. Monica joined in, and gestured to Hubert and Edelgard to join.

“Absolutely n-“ Hubert started, before Edelgard dragged him in.

Shez’s words rang in Edelgard’s head. Shez did have a point: her powers weren’t like anything the princess had ever seen, and she didn’t seem to have a Crest. Edelgard hoped she was right to place her trust in the mercenary. They pulled away, and went back to their spots.

“So,” Shez said, tapping her hand on her thigh. “You mean it? No more nobles.”

Edelgard nodded her head.

Shez walked over to Edelgard, and held her palm outstretched towards her.

“Put ‘er there, partner,” she said with a grin.

“You mercenaries are very strange,” Edelgard replied with a small smile, giving the merc a low-five.

Suddenly, the wagon came to a stop.

“Well, we must be here,” Hubert said, standing up. “We should vacate the wagon, in the event any of those idiot knights got themselves-“

As if on cue, the wagon doors bursted open, courtesy of Manuela throwing them open.

“YOU ALL!” She yelled, pointing at everyone. “OUT NOW UNLESS YOU’RE DEAD OR DYING-oh hi Monica, you alright hun?”

Monica raised her stump, and Manuela balked. “Alright, I’ll work on that back at the monastery. Everyone else, visitation hours are over shoo, shoo, shoo!”

Edelgard and her allies, new and old, exited the wagon. Edelgard gave a small wave to Monica before being shoved aside by two knights with a stretcher. And on that stretcher-

Edelgard gasped.

It was Ingrid, and she had an arrow buried in her gut.

Notes:

Hi Ingrid fans. How’d I do :3

Shout out to my Beta, Raxis, and his fic, On Black Wings! A amazing fic that I love reading, you should check it out if you like Edelgard, Byleth, Dorothea, or just good writing in general (which is why you’re here, right?)

This chapter is a bit smaller than usual, but don’t worry. The next few chapters will be heavy hitters.

Also made a Tumblr account finally! You can find it here, if you like. https://www.tumblr.com/juliakeyoto I’ll post essays and shit sometimes, maybe. Or if you have questions about the fic, or just need someone to talk to I’ll be there. Maybe some of y’all might also wanna beta? Maybe this time someone will catch me misspelling Lysithea for 8 chapters lol. Anyways, see y’all next time, where the times are changing.

Chapter 10: Wars of Shadows and Steel

Summary:

Edelgard blends in with her fellow students, while also scheming to bring Fodlan to a new dawn

Five days after returning from their missions, most of the students had returned to normal. It seemed to Edelgard that they all had found their own ways of coping. Though some were overcoming the strain better than others. Annette had to grab an axe from a fallen bandit to defend herself and Ingrid from some bandits after Ingrid suffered her injury. She had used it with skill, according to Dimitri, but tearing through men like they were parchment had been awful for her. Ignatz had been sick with something for the last few days. He probably hadn’t eaten much, but hunger would eventually set that right. Marianne still prayed daily in the cathedral, but now for longer than before. Edelgard wished she could reach out to them all, but she found herself extremely busy at almost all times.

Then there was Dorothea and Leonie. The two had been by Ingrid’s side every day since returning to the monastery. Edelgard had merely thought the songstress had a small crush on the Galatean noblewoman, but now she could tell the two had forged a friendship out of something. Meanwhile, Leonie was a bit of a mystery. The three of them now seemed thick as thieves, but Edelgard couldn’t figure out when the friendship had started.

As Edelgard walked towards the infirmary to see how Monica was coming along, her thoughts drifted away. To a cold, cold castle, far away in Rowe territory…

 

=======================================

5 days ago, 6/1/1180, Midnight FBT

 

The Flame Emperor marched towards the gates of Castle Gaspard, a red flag in her hand, as agreed upon. The Emperor had decided against bringing Monica, opting instead to let her rest and recover. In Monica’s place was Lysithea, who the Emperor hoped would appreciate the necessity of her extreme methods, and Hubert, who was close as ever. Both of them were in the outfits of dark mages, and while Hubert donned a crow mask to hide his face, Lysithea wore a dense veil that still let her hair flow free. They had been given the names “Crow” and “Oracle”, respectively.

“I can’t see anything out of this,” Oracle grumbled as the trio approached the gates.

“Be silent,” Crow said. “We shall not speak unless Her Highness requires it.

The Emperor raised her flag above her head, to show who she was. The gates opened immediately. The trio quickly made their way to the throne room, where they waited for Lord Lonato. There were only two guards, both facing the entrance. Two children were also in the room: a small girl and boy. The boy looked up at the Emperor, most likely one of Ashe’s siblings.

“You’re short for a nodle” the child said, looking at Edelgard in wonder. The small girl came up behind him.

“Sieg!” She scolded, dragging him away. “Don’t bother people on business with Father!”

“But Liz!” The boy named Sieg cried.

“It is quite alright,” Edelgard said, checking to make sure no guards were looking as she quickly lifted the mask and persona of the Flame Emperor. “I’m quite short. I bet you will outgrow me in a few years.”

“Really?” Sieg asked, with stars in his eyes.

Edelgard nodded, and let the mask fall back down onto her face as she heard footsteps approach. The Emperor then turned to a doorway, through which Lord Lonato had just entered.

“Sieg, Liz my violets,” he said with a cheery smile. “Please don’t bother our guests. Head to your rooms.”

“They are of no bother to me,” The Emperor said. “But I do wish to discuss what we talked about.”

He nodded, gesturing the children towards their rooms.

“Bye, nodle!” Sieg said as he left the room.

Lonato chuckled. “Children are wonderful, aren’t they?” Then his face darkened. He beckoned to a room behind his throne, and the Emperor and her two mages followed him.

As they entered his throne room, Lonato locked the door, drawing a short sword from his belt and pointing it at Oracle. “You said the female mage would be a redhead.”

“I did.”

“Then why is her hair whiter than Faerghus snow?”

“Hey!” Oracle started, putting her hands up in a surrender. “I’ll have you kn-“

The Emperor held a fist up, silencing her comrade. “She once was a redhead. I can demonstrate why her hair is no longer red, if you wish.”

“Hmmm,” Lonato said, sheathing his sword but keeping his hand on the hilt. “If what you’ve said about transforming men and women is true, I would like a demonstration. You must understand, my volunteers and I will do this with or without the assistance of your men and the Western Church. But I assume most of us wish for this to be more than a small revolt.”

The Emperor nodded. “Very well. I shall show you why.”

She roughly and suddenly removed her gauntlet and threw it to the table, punching a hole in the wood. Then, she yanked back her sleeve, baring her scars. Oracle and Lonato gave a small gasp, while Crow subtly turned his head.

“Here is proof of the experiments done on both me and my partner!” The Emperor said as she yanked up Oracle’s sleeve, much to the young mage’s discomfort. They had similar scars in similar places. Lanotos eyes bulged, and he struggled to find words.

“I apologize for my boldness, Oracle,” The Emperor said to the confused mage. “But I must make my point.”

Then she turned to Lonato. “Now, witness this!” The Emperor raised her palm out, displaying the sigil of both the Crest of Flames and Crest of Seiros. It took a tremendous amount of effort, but she held it up long enough for Lonato to soak it all in.

“Twin crests!” He yelled, slamming his fist down on the table, shattering it completely. “Is this wicked experiment what killed many from House Ordelia and Hresvelg?”

The Emperor was taken aback, but didn’t show that in her body language. “You know of both?”

“The Hresvlegian deaths were explained as sickness, but dark rumors have spread about the Ordelia children’s deaths. But now I see… I apologize for both of your losses

“Don’t,” The Emperor said, reaching for her gauntlet and putting it back on. “But you know now why I reached out to you. Our families were both wiped out due to the systems the church endorses and protects. Your son was sent to the gallows for crimes he did not commit. Though these crests scar me so, I shall use them against the very system they support until it is burnt to the very ground. Something better will rise from the ashes, started by me but finished by better people. I shall be the hammer of all those hurt so badly by both the church and nobility system that the church supports.”

After she finished, she noticed Oracle and Crow's eyes on her, as Lonato started to clap.

“Well done. You remind me of Emperor Ionius,” Lonato said, reaching his hand out in a handshake.

“You know him?” The Emperor asked, shaking his hand.

“Not personally,” he explained. “But I heard a few of his speeches during my youth. You clearly inherited that from him.”

He then finished the hand shake, turning away. “Now, I have volunteers to recruit, letters to write, and farewells to send. I hope your ideals will lead to a fruitful future, for the sake of those who must die for them.”

“I will ensure that they do.”

As they began to leave the throne room, Lonato cleared his throat.

“One last request, if that is possible.”

“Speak.”

“My children,” he started. “Please do all you can to keep them safe. Ashe especially, as he is at Garreg Mach currently. I am aware you are in different classes, but the church may lay the blame for my justice at his feet. Do not let the sins of his father rule over him.”

The Emperor nodded. “I will have agents ensure his safety.”

Lonato let out a deep sigh. “Then I have nothing left to say. It was a pleasure meeting you, but I fear we shall not meet again. My troops will begin moving soon. Farewell, she who would bare her fangs at the goddess.”

The trio then exited the castle, heading to the clearing where they teleported in from. As they arrived, Hubert began to set up a device, and Edelgard removed both of her masks as she turned to the young mage.

“I apologize for treating you as roughly as I did back there,” she explained. “But Lonato is a man of action, not words. I needed to show him why we fight.”

“I get it,” Lysithea said, peeling her veil off. “But please, next time be a bit more careful. I think I feel a bruise…”

“Probably Her Majesty underestimating her strength,” Hubert guessed, as he finished with the device. “Now, shall we head back to the monastery, so that we may be sent to slay the man to whom we just lent our aid?”

Edelgard grimaced at the idea of fighting Lonato, as the three of them stepped into the strange teleportation ring before being sent back to the small, locked room behind the bathhouse. Hubert removed his mask, and excused himself to the men’s side. It was the dead of night, so no one was around to see him leave, nor was there anyone to spot the two women still standing in the private room.

“Now, I could go for a bath,” Lysithea said, as she bent over to strip down. “Care to join me?”

Edelgard stopped for a moment, then smiled. “I used to bathe with my sisters. It would be an honor if I could consider you one.”

Lysithea pouted at that. “It’s because you think I’m young enough to be your younger sister, isn’t it?”

“No, not at all,” Edelgard began, as she began to undress. “In a way, we already are sisters through our experiences. I would love to make it official.”

“Alright then, thanks,” Lysithea said, making a small “eep” noise as she looked up at Edelgard. “Wow, you’ve got a really small pair of-“

=======================================

Edelgard was quite literally knocked out of her memories of that night when a large man crashed into her. Books went flying every which way as Edelgard fell to the floor. It had seemed Edelgard had zoned out, having walked all the way from her room to the stairs below the infirmary. She looked around, trying to get a grasp on her surroundings.

“Oops, sorry pal!” A loud, booming voice said. Edelgard looked up to see a tall, muscled man standing in front of her, hand extended.

“It’s quite alright,” Edelgard said, taking his hand as he pulled her up. “Do you need help with the books?”

“Nah, I got it,” he said as he grabbed most of them in one swoop, using one arm to hold the ones he had and the other to pick the other books up off the floor.

“Might I ask where you are going with those?”

“Eh, a shady lady asked me for some magical tomes, cause she already read all of them in the library. I was on my way to gamble anyways, so I figured, ‘maybe I’ll use my earnings to get Con-‘.”

“BALTIE?” A voice rang out from across the hallway. It seemed Hilda, despite having been passed out during Seteth’s flying lessons, was now wide awake and looking at the strange man.

“Oops, sorry little lady, gotta go!” The tall man said as he started to bolt towards the student dormitories.

“BALTHUS VON ALBRECHT!” Hilda yelled, running past Edelgard. “GET BACK HERE, YOU FUCK! HOLST IS GONNA HEAR ABOUT THIS.”

Edelgard could only smile at the ridiculousness of the situation. A small laugh arose in her as she walked up the stairs to the infirmary. As she ascended the stairs, she was flat out laughing at the idea of Leicester’s greatest general chasing after a gambler. As she entered the infirmary, all the inhabitants looked at her strangely. Leonie and Dorothea were next to the door, standing tothe right of Ingrid’s bed, where she was weakly smiling. It seemed she had made a full recovery. Meanwhile, Monica was sleeping. Maneula was sitting on the bed next to her, holding a roll of bandages.

“Uh, Edie?” Dorothea asked, with a look of concern, “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes it is,” Edelgard said, with a confused look. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, it’s just that you’re usually a bit more…” Dorothea said, struggling for words.

“High-strung,” answered Ingrid.

“Stressed out,” answered Manuela.

“Too busy riding the stick up your ass,” Leonie mumbled, loud enough for only Edelgard and Dorothea to hear. The songstress snorted a little, and Edelgard turned on both of them.

“I do not!” She said, crossing her arms. “I am not always serious.”

“Oh yeah?” Ingrid asked, weakly pulling herself up into a sitting position. “Tell a joke then.”

Edelgard’s mind went blank. She tried thinking really hard, but no jokes came to mind. Why couldn’t her life be easy?”

“Um, well, w-why did the chicken cr-cross the road?”

“I don’t know, why did he cr-cross the road,” Leonie said.

“Hey, don’t be mean now,” Dorothea said. “We love Edelgard for who she is, regardless of how high-strung she can be sometimes.”

“Oh sorry!” Leonie said, blushing a little. “I’m used to some of my friends back home.”

“It’s quite alright,” Edelgard said, “But the chicken did, infact, cr-cross the road, to get to the other side!”

Everyone laughed, which Edelgard assumed was because she played up her stuttering. After all was said and done, she walked over to the bed beside Monica’s, and satdown next to Manuela.

“How bad is it?” She asked, as Manuela sighed.

“Her arm is badly infected. She’s been put under so I can remove the lower portions and hopefully save the rest

Edelgard winced at that. “Will she be alright?”

Manuela nodded. “Yes. She’ll still have elbow usage, so I can add a hook to the stump. She’ll still be able to read, write, eat, bathe, all those things, but she’ll need some help at first.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “Are you commanding me to bathe with another student?”

Manuela laughed. “You’re funny today.”

“I wasn’t joking.”

Manuela's face palmed. “Oh Goddess, give me strength. No I’m not. But I know of four female students with private keys, and you’re the closest to her. I’m only asking you to help her when you can, not all the time. I’ll ask the other three as well.”

Edelgard knew Lysithea had one, but she wondered who the other two were. But that mystery could wait.

“I see. I’ll do the best I can.”

“Thank you, Edelgard,” Manuela said with a smile. “Now, would you mind going back with your friends? This is about to get messy.”

Edelgard walked away, as Maneula carried Monica into a more private room to save her life. Edelgard hated herself for getting Monica into this. If it wasn’t for her monstrous, bloodstained path, Monica would have just been a normal student. Edelgard had no idea why the red-head remained so loyal.

“H-hey, Edelgard,” Ingrid said, reaching for something on her bedside table. “We share a c-class with Sylvain next p-period, right?”

Edelgard nodded. “Tactics with Shamir. He is very interested in that class.”

Ingrid gave a weak chuckle, before coughing and wheezing.

Dorothea ran over and handed her a water bottle. “Oh you poor thing. Don’t push yourself.”

Edelgard could have sworn Ingrid gave a slight blush, but it faded quickly.

“T-thanks Thea.” She responded, before turning to Edelgard again.

“C-could you give him t-this present?” She tried to hand a box to Edelgard, almost dropping it before the princess snapped it up. Upon closer inspection, it was a rectangular box wrapped in parchment, with a little bow on top.

“I will, yes, is it his birthday?”

Ingrid nodded, before going into another coughing fit.

Dorothea went to go get some calming herbs, while Leonie went and knelt next to the bed. “I’m a bit hungry, should I get you something from the dinning hall?”

Ingrid weakly nodded. “Meeeeat.”

Leonie chuckled a little, and stood up. “Care to join me, Edelgard?”

“No, n-no,” Ingrid said, suppressing a laugh. “You have to d-do it like Hubert, with a little bow and all.”

“Ooooh, right,” Leonie said, holding her hand behind her back and stiffening up. “Oh Lady Edelgard, would you please accompany me to the food consumption area, where we would be able to acquire food for Lady Galatea?”

Edelgard started laughing, placing the box back down and mimicking Leonie’s posture. “Why yes, Lady Pinelli, we shall go at once.”

“Yours is much better than mine,” Leonie said as she laughed, the three of them bursting into laughter.

Dorothea looked out, pouting. “Guys, don’t be mean to Hubert like that.” She stiffened up, brushing a lock of hair over her eyes, then bowing to Edelgard. “It is much nicer to perfectly impersonate him, isn’t it?”

They all laughed again, which sent Ingrid into a coughing fit. As Leonie and Edelgard walked down the stairs, Edelgard held the strange, rectangular gift as she made her way to the “food consumption area”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After an eventful lunch, in which the same red-headed merchant placed bets on how many bread rolls Rapheal could fit in his mouth - he managed eleven, Edelgard walked towards her tactics class. It was a small one, with only her, Lysithea, Byleth, Dimitri Leonie, Sylvain, Claude, Ferdinand, and Ingrid. Ingrid was injured, obviously, and Dimitri had apparently been called to Lady Rhea’s office. Edelgard wondered what that was about. As she entered the class, Lysithea walked up to her.

“I talked with Professor Hannemam, he says he just needs to speak to you later about my transfer.”

Edelgard nodded and smiled. “Of course, I’ll see to it when I can.”

“Hey hey hey!” Claude said, marching over and pretending to pout. “Don’t tell me you're stealing my secret weapon, right?”

“Secret weapon?” Edelgard asked. She assumed that Claude wasn’t referring to Lysithea’s twin crests, but she couldn’t be too careful.

“Yeah, duh,” He said as Edelgard watched him closely. “Everyone knows the only way to beat a short, white haired opponent is with another short, white haired opponent.”

Lysithea kicked him in the shin. Claude fell to the ground, clutching his ankle.

“Hey,” snapped Shamir, as she put her feet up on her desk. “If you’re fighting, do it out of my sight. I’m not paid enough to play babysitter. Grab your boards and get started.

Lysithea helped Claude up, and the two walked over to have their daily match. It was interesting to watch the pair play Water Sigil. Lysithea’s favored strategy was a Seiros rush against Claude’s position using Dark Knights and fliers, while Claude would try to lead her along with his weaker units in the front while keeping an ambush force of Wyverns somewhere Lysithea wasn’t expecting. It was only a victory for Claude if he could manage to pull off the trap, and usually Lysithea would rush through his forces fast enough due to Claude’s preferance for keeping his units bogged down in cover that magical units could obliterate.

Edelgard had planned to play with Lysithea, but that was out of the question now, so she surveyed her other options. Hubert and Ferdinand had already started a match, with Hubert crushing most of Ferdinand’s heavy company with bolting mages, seemingly not seeing the Paladins and Holy Knights about to corner him. Leonie and Byleth appeared to be using the Great Bridge of Myrdinn as their map. Byleth had outflanked Leonie’s bridge control using a well-placed ballista supported by Pegasus Knights, leading to Leonie having to bunker down in the main command area. And that left Edelgard with…

“Well hey, your beautifulness,” Sylvain said, giving Edelgard a knowing wink. “What’s that in your arms, a present for me maybe?”

“Actually, it is,” Edelgard said coldly, handing Sylvain the box. “Ingrid says happy birthday.” Sylvain’s expression darkened upon hearing the Galatea heiress’s name, but it quickly gave way to his normal, carefree grin.

“I’ll have to thank the noble lady later,” he said, tearing the ribbon and parchment off the box. Inside was a small wooden box. Inside it was a game board of Gautier territory, with little units inside, including a Dark Knight with an orange head.

“She remembered…” he whispered, running his finger over the model.

“Pardon?” Edelgard asked.

Sylvain quickly put the model down. “Oh, nothing. Just a promise Ingrid, Dimitri, Felix, and I made as kids.”

Edelgard cocked her head, but Sylvain waved his hand. “Private stuff. Let’s get on with the game.”

Edelgard nodded, and Sylvain set up the board. It seemed that Gautier territory, despite its importance to the Kingdom’s defense, wasn’t much in the grand scheme of Faerghus, having merely a few villages and Castle Gautier. Edelgard went over to the bowl in the middle of the room, and drew a lot to see what they would be playing. As she sat down, she unfurled the parchment that she had grabbed.

“Defense. One side must defend the castle point for twenty turns while the other is besieging the castle. Tweny allowed units, anything from master class below.”

Sylvain whistled at that. “Looks like I’m in for a treat. I see how you usually trounce Ferdinand or Dimitri when you defend, so may I claim a home field advantage?”

Edelgard nodded. “That is alright with me. I’ll be right back.”

As Sylvain set up his Gautier-themed pieces, Edelgard went and grabbed pieces from the Imperial Heavy Armor Corps and Imperial Siege Magic Corps boxes. In total, she had eight Fortress Knights, four Dark Fliers, four Gremories, and four Great Knights. As she returned to their table, she noticed that Claude had managed to encircle most of Lysithea’s troops, with her one hope being to break northward toward higher ground. Her Dark Knights were valiantly trying to lead a push out while her Dark Bishops, Valkyries, and Gremories fled from Claude’s Wyvern Lords and War Masters. Edelgard wondered why he would be using War Masters, but assumed it was part of some scheme.

As she sat down and began placing her pieces down to lay siege to Gautier Castle, she noticed a few things. For one, it was a 44 by 44 grid board, with the castle positioned in the northeast. Due to this, Sylvain had 6 Paladins in a flanking maneuver arranged in the southwest, and 6 Great Knights in the southeast. He would have to cross through a forest to reach her from the southwest. He was probably hoping she would forget the paladins existed until they hit her lines. She placed 4 Fortress Knights in a countering position, which Sylvain barely noticed. He seemed lost in thought, all alone. She then had her remaining Fortress Knights face towards the southeastern group, splitting her Gremories between the two groups. She finished by having her Great Knights form a center line facing northeast with the Dark Fliers. Sylvain only had 8 Fortress Knights of his own guarding the castle, so it wouldn’t be hard to wipe them out with magic.

She then got out her red attacking dice, handing the blue defending dice to Sylvain. He didn’t even look at it. “Sylvain, are you quite alright?” She asked.

The sudden noise seemed to snap him out of his thoughts. “Oh! Yeah, yeah. Just thinking of how to pay this back… you don’t happen to know anyone who could sew a red-headed Pegasus Knight doll?”

Edelgard stopped moving her pieces forward and blinked. “A what?”

Sylvain blushed a little, putting his hand behind his head. “Okay, so listen. Remember that private thing I mentioned earlier?”

Edelgard nodded, starting her push to the castle.

“Yeah so, we all agreed for our 18th birthday we’d get everyone a special gift. Since I was the oldest by two years, we agreed it would be my 20th.”

Edelgard smiled after hearing that. “That sounds very sweet. You have good friends.”

“Yeah. Yeah I do.” Sylvains replied, as his smile faltered again. A crack in his mask, perhaps. He finally had his Paladins to the edge of the forest, but was then blocked by Edelgard’s Fortress Knights and Gremories. “Huh, when did those get there?”

“I put them there at game start. Did you not notice?” She replied. On the same turn, she moved her fliers to the castle, and began to blast the defenders, while her Great Knights waited for the bridge to drop.

Sylvain gave his chin a scratch. “I didn’t. Sorry for being a bit distracted.” He then moved his Paladins in for the kill, doing minimal damage to her Fortress Knights.

“It’s quite alright,” Edelgard said as she wiped out all the Paladins save one on her turn. “I do hope when we play again that you don’t let me do this.”

“Do what?” Sylvain asked, using his remaining Paladin to down a Gremory

Edelgard flashed a knowing grin at Sylvain. “Watch this!”

She missed her first bolting on the gatekeeper, but her second Dark Flier pulled through and defeated it, leaving the remaining five Fortress Knights and Dark Knight exposed. From there, her Great Knights stormed in, finishing off the last of the castle defense using two well-placed boltings and hammer-strikes from the Great Knights. With her remaining Great Knight, she slammed into the Sylvain look-alike, taking him down. The castle was hers, with minimal loss.

“Huh, wow,” Was all Sylvain could say.

“I was led to assume you were going to be a difficult opponent,” she teased, putting her hands behind her head and leaning back, drunk on her easy victory.

“Oh don’t worry,” he fired back in a joking manner. “Next time I’ll give you a show you’ll never forget.”

She held her hand out, reaching across the table. He took her hand and shook it, looking her dead in the eyes.

“And I mean it,” He continued. “Next time I’ll be less distracted. It’s just, Ingrid’s injury and all…”

“I understand,” Edelgard said. “Don’t apologize for worrying about your friend. I would do the same if Dorothea, Byleth, Hubert, Monica, or any of my friends were injured.”

“Huh,” Sylvain said. “You aren’t quite as cold as I thought.”

“I do my best. After all-“

“You said my name?” A voice said from behind Edelgard. Both Sylvain and Edelgard jumped, as she turned around to see Byleth.

“Oh, yes!” Edelgard squeaked, blushing as she tried to regain her demeanor. “I was mentioning how I would be worried sick if one of my friends were injured, and that includes you.”

“We’re friends?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Yes, we are,” Edelgard said, as she gave Byleth a confused look. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

Byleth shrugged. “I dunno, but you never said we were so I didn’t know.”

Edelgard blushed a tiny bit. “Ah, I see. I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” the former mercenary said flatly, as she then turned back around, walking back to Lysithea's table. Edelgard’s cheeks turned a crimson red, as she turned around to sit back down, putting her head between her hands. She looked up slightly, and saw Sylvain’s goofy grin as he bent down to look at her.

“Edie and Byleth, sittin’ in a tr-“

Edelgard held up a fist. “Don’t.” she pleaded, burying her head back in her hands.

“Why not?”

Edelgard lifted her gaze at Sylvain, glaring at him.

“Shutting up.”

“Thank you,” she said as she buried her face into her hands yet again, trying to hide her rosy cheeks. She had gained some form of interest in the former mercenary, and that was dangerous. She didn’t want her plans to endanger anyone else, and yet she still wanted to learn more about Byleth. But despite that, she didn’t want to have her heart broken, either. Maybe, just maybe she would join Edelgard.

But she also needed the slitherers gone… A small idea began to form in her brain. It would take months, perhaps even long enough to last until graduation. But the idea was there. Now to confer with Monica, Hubert, and her slowly growing list of allies.

Notes:

Shout out to Raxis and Aemon my beta’s, love y’all Tysm for all that you do. I could
Not do this without y’all. Literally.

Shout out once again to Pale Blue Awakening for being peak fiction, go read it NOW https://archiveofourown.org/works/21737914 . Such a great work of Fanfic that deserves more attention. If you like awakening, or really any part of FE, you’ll love it. Edeleth might be there as well, but you gotta go find it lol.

And lastly, shout out to everyone who ever reads my work. I put a lot of heart and soul into this, so it feels amazing to see that I’m currently at like 3000+ hits. Just gotta make it to 10K to beat out the like 5-6 Dimitri SA’s Byleth fics that are labeled under CF. Up next: a special day for a very special unit that everyone here loves (Coirpre FE4)

Chapter 11: Celebration

Summary:

A very Normal day for Edelgard, where nothing important at all happens

The sun was already shining through her window as Edelgard awoke with a groan on the 22nd of the Garland Moon. She must have slept an extra few hours, which annoyed her to no end. Edelgard pulled herself out of bed, checking to make sure the door was locked before removing her night gown. Edelgard shivered in the cold room, as she grabbed her outfit for the day, and went to the mirror to put it on. Being as careful as possible, she put her outfit on, checking to ensure every scratch, cut, and stab wound was covered. She had been fortunate in that her head had been spared any injuries during the experiments, unlike Wilturd, who had spouted Tusks somehow. From there, she applied some makeup below her eyes, trying to hide the bags. Last night's nightmare had fortunately not started again when sleep returned to her, but it still had her up during the twilight hours.

Her preparations for the day complete, she made her way down the hall toward the staircase, until the door to Sylvain’s room suddenly burst open, startling her.

“I hope your whoremongering gives you a disease!” A woman yelled, as she stomped down the hallway.

Edelgard looked inside, to see Sylvain slapping himself in the face with one hand as he pulled his pants up with the other. There was a red hand mark on his cheek and a dirty rag on the floor.

“Love troubles?” She asked, giving him a sly grin.

He moaned and looked at her. “Yeah. I couldn’t focus after you annihilated me yesterday. Ended up hitting her in th-“

He bit his tongue, looking at Edelgard’s grin. “I shouldn’t say things like that in a lady’s presence,” He groaned again. “Of course, on today of all da-“

Suddenly, he looked like he’d been hit with something, and began to run out of the room. “SorrygottagoI’vegotplans!”

Brushing the strange scenario aside, Edelgard continued on her way down stairs. Everyone else seemed to be out of their beds, which was strange for a day off like this. As she got down the stairs, she saw Sylvain talking to Jeralt. Jeralt saw Edelgard, and his eyes expanded, as he shoved Sylvain behind him.

“Hey, Miss Hresvleg!” He shouted, walking towards Edelgard.

“Good morning, Captain,” Edelgard said, smiling at the knight-captain. “May I help you?”

“I was wondering if I could talk to you while I fished,” He said as he came to a stop in front of her.

“Fishing, hm? I’m afraid I’m not very good at it.”

“Kid’s gonna be disappointed,” Jeralt mumbled, getting a strange look from Edelgard. “Never mind me,” he said, putting a hand behind his head. “But I can teach you. Byleth said she’d join us in a little bit.”

This caught Edelgard’s attention. Maybe she could learn more about the mysterious mercenary that had found a place, payment-free, in Edelgard’s head. “Alright then,” she said to Jeralt. “Show me the way.”

A smile appeared on his face. “Great. It’s been too long.”

She followed him to the dock, where there were already three chairs set up. He handed her a fishing rod, and the two of them sat down, leaving the middle chair open for Byleth.

“Alright, kid,” He said, stretching back. “So the first thing you gotta do is unhook the line.”

Edelgard did so, and looked at him, waiting for instructions. She was eager to learn how it worked now, despite never having an interest in it before. Ooh, perhaps she could catch something for Byleth! That would be a good way to try and get her on her side.

“Okay, from there you need to attach bait to the hook,” He said, adding bait and slingling his bamboo pole back. “And then cast it!”

He cast the line straight into the pond with a loud sploosh sound. The fish around the bait fled from it, but then came back to investigate after a few moments.

“Alright, your turn.”

Edelgard nodded. “I’ll do my best.” She attached the bait to her line, swung the line back, and finally cast it out. The hook flew for a few feet before landing in the water, causing her line to go taut. The unexpected drag pulled her out of her chair towards the end of the dock.

Jeralt stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. “Woah, easy now! For a first time you should be casting slowly and calmly. Hopefully the fish start biting soon.”

The two of them sat there for about ten minutes in silence. Edelgard wanted to speak up, but she didn’t have the courage to really ask about Byleth. Fortunately for her, it was Jeralt that spoke first.

“So, I’ve heard you’ve befriended my girl.”

Edelgard nodded, moving the rod around a little bit. “Yes. She is quite fun to be around. She always leaves me questioning.”

“Oh? Questioning what?”

“Just people in general. She seems so genuine in everything she does. I don’t feel like I have to look out for noble schemes or whatnot around her.”

“Deal with a lot of those growing up?”

“Yes,” Edelgard replied, shuddering slightly as she shoved down the memories. If Jeralt noticed, there was no indication from him. “Much of my childhood was turbulent. Many political machinations were going on during that time in my life.”

Jeralt nodded grimly. “Yeah, I participated in a little bit of that.”

Edelgard’s ears perked up at that. “Oh? Which side hired your band?”

“Lord Arendel, believe it or not. Good guy from what I remembered. Hired us to guard some carriage heading towards Faerghus. Magnus said it was one of the bra- '' Jeralt coughed into his arm, before taking a swig out of his flask. “One of the imperial princes or princesses. Byleth said she saw a princess but I never saw her face.”

Edelgard’s heart skipped a beat. “T-towards Faerghus, you say?”

“Yup. Probably trying to get them out while the capital was in flames,” Jeralt replied, then turned towards Edelgard. “Shit. Was that you?”

Edelgard slowly nodded.

Jeralt let out a sigh, then started chuckling to himself. “Well, from what rumors I’ve heard, it sounds like all your other siblings didn’t make it. Some sickness. Sorry for your losses.”

“It’s quite alright,” Edelgard said. “It was a long time ago.”

Well, it wasn’t exactly alright, but Edelgard had learned to deal with it. There was no point in talking about it; she could bottle it up to her grave if need be. Luckily she could draw comfort from Lysithea, now.

“Still…” Jeralt continued, pulling back to reel in a fish he’d just caught. “You mean a lot to her. I can tell.”

Edelgard’s heart started beating a bit faster. “Hm? How so?”

“She talks about you a lot. About how you’re always nice to her, and how you’re her first friend. She also says you’re reliable in a fight, and she’s learned a lot from you.”

“Oh? Has she?” Edelgard said, blushing a small bit.

“Mmhmm, it sounds like it. She said you taught her what a dirty thought was,” he said, glancing over at her as he suppressed a laugh.

“That was not my fault,” Edelgard said, her cheeks reddening. “Dorothea was about to, but I realized she might say… too much, so I volunteered.”

Jeralt chuckled at that. “Yeah, sounds like one of Manuela’s protégées. Still, she had to learn sooner or later. You also apparently taught her what sex was.”

Edelgard reddened even more. “That was also Dorothea. I was just going to give the ‘when a mommy and a daddy’ speech.”

“Why just a mommy and a daddy? Why not a mommy and a mommy, or a dad-“

Edelgard put a finger to her lips, shushing him. “Yes, those do exist, and I do enjoy the fairer sex more, but be careful with what you say around here. Many of the faithful believe-“

Suddenly, her line went taut, nearly yanking her pole out of her hand. Edelgard flew to her feet and used all her strength to pull the line back. But the fish was ferociously strong, and began to drag her towards the end of the dock. Jeralt stood up to help her, but Edelgard stopped him with a glance.

“I… got… it!” She yelled, as she yanked back, calling upon both of her crests for a bit of help. She concentrated so hard, in fact, that the emblems for both appeared above her head. With one last tug, the line came flying back to her, fish still attached. The three-foot fish landed on the dock with a wet smack.

“Holy shit…” Jeralt said, as Edelgard collected the fish.

Edelgard picked it up, slinging it over her shoulder. “How’s this?”

But Jeralt wasn’t looking at the fish. He was looking above her head, as both of her sigils vanished.

“I can expla-“

“Captain! Edelgard!” A voice called from behind Jeralt. He whirled around, and Edelgard saw Leonie running up, waving her hands around.

“Woah, kid, what’s wrong?” The captain asked his self-appointed best apprentice.

“Tavern… in town…” Leonie panted. “Need help… now!”

Jeralt nodded. “Edelgard, toss that fish to the man at the front of the docks. Tell him to deliver it to my room!”

He ran off, with Edelgard right on his tail. She threw the fish to the fish keeper, who almost fell over as it slammed into him. The trio ran towards the tavern, as Edelgard tried to guess what was going on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they approached the tavern, Leonie pointed to the door. “Door’s stuck! You need to get it open!”

Edelgard ran towards it, using her shoulder as a battering ram as she called upon her Crest of Seiros. The door flew off its hinges, and she stumbled through it into a pitch-black room.

Suddenly, the room filled with light as several lanterns lit up all at once.

“Surprise!” The voices of the entire black eagle house rang out, along with Hilda, Rapheal, Leonie, Ignatz, Claude, Ingrid, Sylvain, Annette, Mercedes, Jeralt, Jeritza, Maneula, Hanneman. A large banner flowing from the top of the bar to a stack of stools read, “Happy Birthday Edelgardt''. Filling a large table beneath the middle of the banner were plates of peach sorbet. Edelgard wanted to smack her forehead. She had forgotten her own birthday. Who does that?

She turned on Leonie and Jeralt. “You were in on this, weren’t you?”

Both of them broke into grins, and Edelgard couldn’t stop herself from smiling. The two of them ushered her into the room, where all her fellow classmates began to swarm her.

Dorothea was first to make it - it helped that Ingrid stumblied on the way.

“Happy birthday, Edelgard!” The two of them cried in unison, as Dorothea gave a knowing wink to her princess.

“Ooh, have I got a surprise for you, Edie!” Dorothea said as she adjusted her hat. She put her index finger and pinky up, extended her thumb, kept her ring and middle fingers down, then shot her hand into the air. She cleared her throat as Ingrid and Leonie came up alongside her right and left sides.

“Wait, plea-“ Edelgard tried, but it was too late.

“Happy birthday, tooo you!”
“Chaa chaa chaa!” Ingrid and Leonie added.
“Happy birthday, tooo you!”
“Chaa chaa chaa!”
“Happy birthday, Miss Highness.
“Chaa chaa chaa!”
“Haaaappy Birthday, tooooooo you!”

By the time they’d finished, Edelgard was stammering, her face beet-red.. The room erupted into cheers as Dorothea and her fellow sirens bowed before moving to the back of the class.

Next up was Claude. Raphael followed from behind, a box of parchment cradled in his massive arms, and hiding behind him was Ignatz. Claude grabbed a chair and stood up on it, and then took a glass Raphael was offering before tapping it with a spoon.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” He started, and Edelgard wanted to fade into the shadows. “My compatriots and I have decided to mark her most imperial highness’s birthday, with a painting of history! Behold, A Skirmish at Dawn!”

Rapheal ripped off the parchment hiding the painting, and Edelgard audibly gasped. It was a wonderfully painted scene, of herself, Byleth, Dimitri, Claude, and Shez fighting against Kostas and his bandits. Edelgard put her hand on the dried paint; it was so life-like it felt like her hand might pass through the surface and into that day

“Not bad, eh?” Claude said, shooting her a wink as he passed her a note. Edelgard took the note, and set both it and the painting aside. There were more gifts to follow once Claude had returned to his seat: Leonie got her a makeshift bag to carry all her items in — it would come in handy for storing vulneraries in battle; Marianne gave her a book on horse-riding, which Edelgard supposed could be useful; from Petra, she received a book about the language of Brigid, which Edelgard wanted to hug the girl for. She would need the book for when she set up relations with an independant Brigid. From there, Sylvain had gotten her a box of Water Sigil units, which included a Armored Lord with white hair, and Bernadetta handed her a crocheted scarf before bolting behind Hubert. Linhardt and Caspar pooled their money to buy her a silver axe, while she was given a Aegir family book on heavy armor from Ferdinand.

In lieu of purchasing her a gift, Annette and Mercedes surprised Edelgard with a platter of sweets — which she preferred, anyways.. Monica and Lysithea put their crush war behind them to buy a beginner’s guide to faith magic, and said crush - Shez, that is - gave her an owl feather, which apparently was a sign of good luck among mercenaries. Hilda giftedher a bottle of perfume that was “guaranteed to make her sleep better at night” — Edelgard doubted that very much, while Ingrid and Dorothea, in addition to their mortifying song, gave her a makeup kit and a hand axe, respectively. Hubert had already given his gift in the form of 10,000 G for the gathered mercenaries, and perhaps unsurprisingly Maneula tried to give her a bottle of Scotch, which Hanneman disapproved of. He gave her a book on Crestology instead. Jeralt said she could keep the fish, and said Byleth had gone to find her gift. Finally, Jeritza gave her the next day off.

“What?” the tall professor said when Manuela and Hanneman scowled at him. “You said to gift her something nice.”

“Allllright then!” Annette said, pumping her fist. “Let’s diiig right in!”

And from there, the group enjoyed the peach sorbet. How the group managed to uncover the identity of her favorite ice cream was certainly a mystery, since Monica had asked her that very question just days ago.

 

“I ahm emjomhing thris vermy mhuch!” Petra said, through a mouth filled with ice cream.

“This needs more meat,” Ingrid mumbled, although the no meat part didn’t stop her from chowing down on the ice cream.

Surprisingly, even Jeritza was eating his, seemingly savoring every single bite as if it was his last. And considering what the Death Knight did at night, it might as well be.

Annette then walked up to Edelgard. “Hiya Edelgard! Oooh, can I give you a nickname?”

Edelgard thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. “Sure. Should I assume, then, that you would like to be friends?”

Annette nodded fervently. “Yes, please! Me, Mercie, Bernie, and Ashe had so much fun cooking this for you!” Her smile faded a bit at the mention of Ashe, but it returned quickly. “And I’d love it if you'd join us next time.

Edelgard smiled at the ginger girl. “Of course. It would be my pleasure.”

She beamed at that. “Thank you! Now, let me think. Hmm…. Maybe Eddie?”

“Dorothea already uses that one, and I believe she would wish to keep it to only her.”

“Hmm. Edel?”

“That’s for Byleth only.”

“How about El?”

“Not that name”, Edelgard snapped, causing Annette to recoil. “Oh, I’m sorry for that. It’s just… my siblings used to call me that an-“

“Oh sorry!” Annette replied. “And you’re fine. I know how it can feel to lose a family member and their nickname.” She went back to stroking her chin, thinking about what to call Edelgard.

“Oh oh! How about Ellie!?”

“I would love that,” Edelgard said, reaching her hand out. “And I look forward to our friendship.”

Annette gave her a high five, which caused Shez to grin and give the ginger mage a thumbs up from across the room.

“Ohhoho!” Maneula suddenly said, reaching behind the bar and pulling out a bottle of some sort of alcohol.

“Manuela, goddess help me,” Hanneman said, snatching it out of her hand. “You already drained your ‘gift’ for Edelgard!”

“And?”

“Oh for the love of-” Jeralt started. “Take your bickering outside! We’re having a party here!”

He gestured to the now-empty door frame, through which a red-headed woman had just entered. “Heeey!” She said, pointing at Jeralt. “You said this property would be undamaged!”

“I’m sorry, Anna-“

“Sorry won’t cut it!” The woman named Anna yelled at him. “My Jake worked hard on this! I’m gonna have to fix it, and it’s coming out of your pocket. Your tab is large enough anyways.”

“I’ll add to that tab!” Manuela said, slamming down a bag of gold and opening the bottle she had in her hands, causing the room to laugh.

Anna frowned at the former songstress, and then looked over at Edelgard. “I almost forgot! I had a letter sent to me through one of my sisters!”

She walked over to Edelgard, handing her a letter. “Oh, and happy birthday!” She added with a wink, handing Edelgard a small bag of coins. She then walked out of the tavern, giving Jeralt the stink eye.

Annette started giggling as Mercedes walked over to the pair. “Hello Annie,” She said, her voice smooth as silk. “And hello Ellie. Happy birthday!”

“Thank you,” Edelgard replied, smiling as someone used her new nickname. She put the bag of coins down on the table next to her, and opened her letter.

“Ooh! What do you think is inside?” Annette asked excitedly.

Edelgard unfurled the parchment, and read allowed.

Duke Ludwig Aegir
16/06/1180

Dear Princess Edelgard,

As your father is still incapacitated, I am writing this in his stead. Your uncle and father have decided, what with the unpredictability of the Garreg Mach excursions, that you shall be sent a battalion of Count Bergeliz’s finest men, along with officers provided by yours truly. You will soon receive word from Captain Bismarck, along with his Lieutenants Ladislavia and Randolph. They are mostly axe wielders, of the Armored Knight and Warrior certifications. I hope that you will sleep safely at night knowing these brave men are protecting you. Also, I would ask that you remind Ferdinand to consider the betrothal I am attempting to arrange between the two of you.

Your soon-to-be father in law,

Duke Aegir.

Edelgard took the letter and balled it up. The marriage proposal meant nothing to her. She knew her father would never allow it, and without her father’s permission any such marriage would be impossible to arrange. He had made that law himself after the insurrection. That law would be one of the first she eliminated. On the other hand… Captain Bismarck had been one of Edelgard’s first kills. Those Who Slither In The Dark forced her to end his life in a cage match of sorts, to prove she had what it took. The man was old to begin with, and clearly went easy on her. He died a death the bravest warriors within the empire could only dream of. He couldn’t be coming if he was already dead. Which meant they had already found a replacement for their newest infiltrator.

“Was the letter bad news?” Mercedes asked, placing a hand on Edelgard’s shoulder.

“No, simply a joke message,” she replied, walking to the trash bin and throwing it away there.

She looked across the room as everyone mixed and mingled. How would they react when her secret finally came to light? How many would turn on her? Could she even call any of them friends, aside from those who already worked with her?

And where in the blazes was Byleth?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Edelgard and Claude received a summons from Cyril to meet Rhea up in her office. Edelgard left her gifts in the inn, and began the trek back. As they walked, Edelgard hoped that Rhea would assign the task of stopping Lonato to the Black Eagles. The odds were good thanks to Hubert giving a generous anonymous donation to Baron Acheron to stir up trouble in Gloucester territory, which would fall under Claude’s branch of expertise. She didn’t care where the Lions went, as long as she was continuing the plan.

As the two entered, they noticed that Dimitri was already in the room and looking very distressed. Hanneman and Jeritza were also there - they must have been called in earlier on. Manuela was missing.

“Ah, Miss Hresvleg,” Hanneman said, walking up to Edelgard. “I hear that you’ve already poached one of my students.”

“To be fair, she did ask to join,” Edelgard retorted, looking up at the eldest professor.

“Yes, I suppose she did…” Hanneman said, scratching his chin. “Still, why would she wish to join? Do you happen to know?”

Edelgard nodded. “She told me she believed that Hubert and Monica could help her better with her magical abilities.”

Hanneman thought about this for a second. “Is that all it is? I am a perfectly adequate teacher of magic.”

“During our last mission, I would say we formed a close bond. After all we sa-“

“I wish to speak on that,” Rhea interrupted, standing up from her chair. “What transpired in that fort could only be the work of foul cultists from the Western Church. I believe they conducted these experiments in preparation for open rebellion against those who would follow the true word of the goddess. I am sure we will find more evidence of this when we march to put a stop to Lord Lonato’s dangerous uprising.”

Edelgard wanted to roll her eyes. Of course it was “foul cultists” this time. How were the Nabateans able to rule the world when they couldn’t even find the Agarthans gathering in the sealed forest?

“Regardless, it appears that Professor Casagranda will be a bit late today, due to her patients,” Rhea continued. “So I will hand out this month's missions. The Golden Deer and Blue Lions will help clean up a rebellion that was just started by Lord Lonato against the church, while the Black Eagles will help suppress Lord Acheron’s recent revolt.”

Edelgard almost gasped, biting her tongue to not make a sound. She needed to be there so she could help find the note on Lonato’s body. She knew there was a good chance they would simply burn the bodies, and without the message she couldn’t get access to the tomb. She had to think of a reason, and fa-

“Uh, Lady Rhea?” Claude asked, looking up at her.

“Yes, child?”

“Well, you see…” he said, pulling out a letter. “Lorenz’s father is the one who asked for your help, and he sent this to Lorenz asking for him specifically to come help. So wouldn’t it make more sense to have the whole Deer come?”

Rhea opened her mouth to speak, but Claude continued. “Aaaand, this is an Alliance problem. I would like to show that the heirs of houses Riegan and Edmund are open to mutual aid.” He finished with a wink.

The archbishop thought on this for a moment, before finally speaking. “Very well. The Eagles will assist the Lions, while the Deer will handle their own region’s needs. Dismissed.”

With that, Rhea walked back to her office. Manuela chose that moment to run in, busting the door open with a bottle still in hand. There was alcohol down her robes, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a few days. Edelgard knew she had, but she was definitely drunk.

“Alright, what did I miss?” She said with a smile.

“Only the whole meeting, woman!” Hanneman cried, turning back on her.

“What does that mean, huh?” Maneula asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“It means that you’re a-“ Hanneman stopped for a second, turning to Edelgard. “Before I forget, I approve of young Lysithea’s transfer. I’ll approve her document after I finish my argument with this old hag.”

“Old hag? You’re not all that spry yourself, Hanneman. I bet you’re still trying with that magic staff that went away long ago!”

“And what do you mean by that!” The two continued their bickering, as the house leaders left the room. Edelgard mentally let out a sigh of relief, thanking Claude for saving her entire plan. Now, to find Byleth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As she searched for Byleth, Edelgard heard a rustling from inside the greenhouse, so she walked inside. In the back right corner was Byleth, covered in dirt and greenery, on her hands and knees looking for something.

“B-byleth?” Edelgard asked, looking at the dirty student. Her academy outfit was torn in multiple places, though to call it an outfit in its current state would be being nice: it was more like a bundle of rags. Byleth shot up, looking at Edelgard. She mumbled something under her breath that vaguely sounded like “shit”, and then walked over to the princess, handing her a bent rose and an attempt at a garland wreath.

“S-sorry for how bad they are,” she said shyly, hanging her head in shame. “I lost the perfect rose I found, and I’m no good with making wreaths.”

Edelgards entire face went red. “Y-you're giving me a garland wreath? During the Garland Moon?”

“Yup. Dorothea said it would be a great gift for me to give you. She didn’t elaborate,” she said, frowning. “Wait, did I fuck up again? Did I do something wrong?”

“N-no!” Edelgard said, grabbing the wreath and rose. “I love them, thank you so much! It’s just… usually you save wreaths for romantic partners.”

“Romantic?”

“Like, someone you like a lot.”

“I like you a lot,” She replied, completely deadpan. “Most people do.”

Edelgards face could be classified as a tomato. “Y-yes, but in a different way. Like, it’s for people you love.”

“I love my dad, should I get him one?” Byleth said, her face suddenly dropping again. “Oh shit. I need to get one for papa, and for Dorothea, and Petra, and Hubert, and Monica, and Ferdinand, and Ber-“

“N-not love like t-that!” Edelgard replied, now looking like she’d been trapped in the sauna for days. “More like… Love for someone you enjoy spending time with. Lovefor someone you’d want to spend the rest of your life with. Love for someone you’d stand beside no matter what.”

Byleth thought about that for a moment. “…I see. So like you?”

Edelgard blushed even hard at that, although it shouldn’t be possible for her to. “I… I uh…”

“Oh I get it! It’s like what papa and mama had, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes! That is what I mean.”

At that, Byleth blushed for the first time Edelgard had ever seen. “Oh. Sorry for the gifts, then.”

“N-no, don’t apologize,” Edelgard responded. “It’s you didn’t know.”

“Yeah, but I should have…”

“No, it’s fine. It’s clear that you don’t know much about romance. If anything, I appreciate the gifts more knowing you had no intentions of the sort.”

Byleth looked at the floor for a second, before looking back up at Edelgard. “Alright. I hope you enjoy your birthday!”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what day is your birthday?”

Byleth thought for a second. “20th of Horsebow Moon, the same as Sothis’s.”

“Who’s Soth-

——————————————————————

B̵̠̟̔͋̏̈́̄̎̃̍̚̚y̶̧̛̞̗̦͚̮̟̘̖͌̒͊͂͌́̃̉̈́̑͂͋͜l̷̥̬̦̹̻̙̔͒̈̔̀̍͛͛͌͋͒̕ë̸̡̜͖̞̱͉̹͓̰͇́͂t̵̛̠̳͍̗̜͔̰͕̭͊͂̀́̃̆̆̽̂̈́̃̒̇h̶͆̔́̚͜ ̷̩̫͖̈́̔̆̓̅͗̃̐̆͘͠y̴̙̭̘̰͉̝̦̯̪̔̆̆̿͜o̷̢͇̘̞͓̝͕̞̱̪̲̪̾͋̌̾̀͐̈͗̓̋̐̕ŭ̸̩̗͕̳̼͗̉̐̏̓̉͛̒̅͒ ̸̨̧͍̯̖͖̣͎̋̈́̉̐́̔̽̄͜f̴̧͈͍̻̤̫̥̫̻̗̗̺̄̍̈́̂o̸̡͖̱̻̙̪͓̼͊̌̾̿͆̀̈́̋̎̃̈́̚̕̕ơ̸͍̰̥͈̳͔̹̮̯̊́̑͛̈̓͊̊̑̌͂̍͂͘͜l̸̫̭̳̘̜̘̘̖͚̮͈͈̖̤̎͒̃̚!̷̧̢̭̦͕͒́̒̂̎͗̈̿̚̕ ̷̨̏̀͆̉̉̂̍̆̀͒̕̕͝͝Ȁ̸̫̝͖̥̯͎̺̙̲̫̝r̴̺̉̂̋̍́͠è̵̡̝̪͇̖͍̯͎̣̩̣̥̭̩̪̊͛̊̍͑́͋̈͛̆̋̚ ̸͔̮̞̫̬̞͛͆̇̈́̑͛͋̍͘͝͠y̵̛̙̹̩̯͖̯̟̞͛̋͐̔̔͆̊̍̎͐̀͂͝͝ǫ̶̧̫̰̠̬̰̠̗̝̠̩̝̇̀̄̈̏͒̎̾͝͠͝ū̴̡̢͇̮͍̐͋͑̿͆͒̓̈́͠͠ ̶̨̢̰̯̯̲͈͖̭̰̃̓̒͂̔̎r̵͕̼̬͛̏̊̑̈́̀̃́͋͆̚͜ȩ̴̼̦̪̰̥̺̭̳͔̖̲̪͒͊͑̃̑͛͆̿̚a̵̙͎̣̻͚̩͇͙̲̤̹̱̻̋̊́̈́ļ̸̛͓͕̮̩̤̜͖͓͙͎̄̐̌̿̉̽̋́̀͐̕͜͠͝͝ḻ̸̣̭̫̬͉̮͍̬̳͍̥͖̭̊̀̀͊͗̊̕͜͝͠ÿ̷̼͓̼̫̟͔̗͝ ̸̢̗͔̼̗͉̯͚̩̹͚̭̲̱̲̅̽̎͌̀̀ṣ̶̒̍̀̔̈́̓̓͗̒͊̽̀͘͝o̷̤̭͙̰͍͕̠̭̻̊͋̿͌̈̉̓̔͘͜͠ ̷͍͓̤̥̺̥͖͍̬̻͇̬͓̎̉ͅe̶̢̝̣̗̓̋̄̍̓͒̅͘͜n̷͇̐́͋̎̊͒̎̂̉́a̷̢͎̯̫̜̟͍̟͇̘̖̹̝̜̓m̸̡̱͕̻̤͉̞̑̐̕ớ̶͈͍̏͊͒̄r̷̝̣͒͌̿̔̈́̉̑̀̏̈́̐͌ę̸̘̑͑̋̑̔̍̑ͅd̴̨̢͙̠̮̗̮̈͒͑͂́̾́́͒ ̸̡̼̠̭̟̼̱̼̙͔͚̈́̄̊̈́̆͊̐ẃ̴͔̽i̶̢̺̲̺̠͍̲̠̮͌́̕ͅt̷̗̖̰̱͖̗͈͖͓̹̆͐͒͌̓̄́͋̎̉̋͋̌͠ḩ̷̡̨̧̨͍̩͈̼̠͈͇̯̭͙̒͋͐͝ ̸̛͉͉̈̐̉̆̈́̌͆̄̀̃̌͐̊͝t̵̠̟̗̲̺̣̀̆́̀̈́̅̊̋̆͐̌͘͝͝h̶̡̡̼͔̻̬̱̻̥̿̈́͛ī̷̧̦̬̗̙̳̗͈̲̺͈͖̼̐̿͐̓̐̔̂̈́̄͒͜͝͝ṡ̴̹͚̱͕̲̞̲͇̦͚̪̻̈̍̓̄̅̓ ̶̧̝̣̥̎̇̽̆͑͋̾̅͑̊̽͝g̸̞̞͇̘̪͉̙̩̩̿ĩ̸̡̢̦̬͚͎͕̳̥̯͇̟͚͘ŕ̴̛͈͌̽̅̋̇͛̔̇̓̃̕̚l̷̟̖̤̗̦͙͎̆ ̵͔̹̦̱̒ṱ̸̛͎̲͕̠̙̰͔̄͋̽̄̚͜h̷̨͖̳̉̏̃̊̋̈͛̅̓̉̒͘a̷̬͖͉̥͕̤̞̺͙̤̝̰̕ͅt̵̙͚̑̆̐̉̑̒̕͝͝͝ ̶͉̱̳̫̟̲͛͂̽̊̍̕ẙ̵̥͔̤̒o̵͎̖͕̘̳̭̗̼̭̖͍̣̭̔̍͐̓̿̔͑̑̔̎͝ų̸̧̟̫̜̠̟͓̞̦͓͍̞͕͙̽̒̅͘ ̵̡̢͉̣͚̤̩̥̯̖͋͂̂͌̄̒̚ͅw̶͎̼̪̖͚̗̗̗̳̖̼̫͇̞͇̾̂̎́͌̎͛̂̕ò̶̦̪̳̮̳̙͓͔̮͂̉̉̄̇̋͂͊̀̍̑͘̕ŭ̵̳͚̑͒̆̒̂̃͌̌̔̍͆̚l̴̛̝̻̣̩̱̂d̸̥̣̟͖̣̣̲̫̩̳̳͋͒̃ ̸̮̥͖̥̐̑̓̏̽͠ẗ̵͈̦̣́̓̓́̋̊e̵̱̍̽̐́͠l̴̨̗̹̺̪̤̝̯̤̥͕͙͓̾̈́́̈́̈́̚͝ͅl̸̺̰̻͑͌͛̓͋͋̒̐̿̚͜ ̸͈̭͍͒͂́́̅̃̾̐̃ḩ̴̝̪̗̗̼̃̈́̒̔̂͊̿̽̚͘͘͘ê̷̹̲͓̻͓̱̽͜r̵͇͍̫̞̣͎̮̜̠̯͕̤̀͐̈́͆͜ ̸̡̡̡̨͕̗̪̯͇́̈́͒̈́̀̚ͅͅͅĮ̷̧͔͉̤̝̄͊̅̉̂͑͗̐͌͠ ̵̢͓̘̪̊͆͂̀̃̅͂̐̎̈̿͠ȩ̴̨̤̳̩̬̯̘̳̳͍͍͋̈́̽͂̀̋̉͆͆̋̎̒͜x̵̢̗̝͓̑͋͛̿̈́͑í̵̲͕̪̖̺̣̹̗̣͉͎̀ͅs̸̡̖̪͗͗̂ṯ̵̭̖̙̗̖͓̈́̽̈́́̅̓̀̃̂͛͘͜͝?̶̡̧̗̩̻̭̝̗̓̌̌̉̇̽͒̎̿̊̊̚̕͝ ̸̛͖͕̙̥̉͌̀́͊͑̕͝͝Ŝ̸̪͎̺̤͙͛͌̃̓̎̐̈́͂̚͜͠ͅh̴̰̖̫̊̆͊̿̀̈́͜͠e̸̢̯͉̼̭̖̰̮͒̊͒̊̑ ̶̡̢͙̩̩̠̈̎̅͒̕͠m̵̭̫̿̇i̶̧̤̩̯̣̘͙͂̅g̵̢̙͇̭̳͍̦̹͎̖̹̳̯̗͔̅̓̅͊̑̐̀͋͋̂͘͘͝͠͠h̶̞̠̣̰͖͇̤̀̍̈͘t̶̨͔̻̱͙̮͒͂͛̐͜ ̶̰̘͓̼̒̏̋͊̐͗̈́̽́̍̋͠͝t̵̛̜̪͈̜̮̳͚͎̙̠͉͇̂̉͛̅͆͛̏̇̒͌́͊͘̕ͅḧ̷̢̨̡̘̩͚͕͚̟͈̳́́͆̓͆̕į̵̛͇͈̜̩̘̰̯̺̖͖͊̈̄͑͗͛͜n̸̜͖̈́̑͐̈̂̕k̷̘̰̭͇̱̝̳̮̰͍̬̖͐͂͋̀̅̅͆̈́̄͋̈́̋͜͠ͅ ̶̫͇̻͇̘͔̩̥͊̈́̍͊̃̈̓̈͊̓̓͒͛̿̄y̴̡͚̗̯̘̥̥͔̳̹͝͠͝ǒ̶͍̱̟̜͈͓̙̲̰͊̎͜͠ữ̴͖̬͇͍̱͗̑͑̇̀͂̑̍͛̔̄̍̑’̸̛͓̳͈̞̈́̓̀̓̍͆̑̕͝͝͝r̸͕͌ê̴͎̘̗̓̏͒ ̷̢͎̹͖͖̞̝̃̓̓͌͆̀͗̇͆̀̇̍c̸̟̖̙̪̠̳̪͓̭̯͓̖̉̕͠r̸̹̗͖̮̖̳̰̮̝̺͙̣̒̔̀̂̇̍͑̊̌̌͂͘̕͘a̵̧̢̢͍̱̘̣̠͖̯͊̏̒̋͊͑͜z̴̡̘͈̩̱̯͇͔̘͎͈͉̙̠̔̌̂y̷̡̧̛͕̥̝̗̲̰̙̞͆̎̒͆̓̊̏͗͘͘̚̚͘͜!̶̛̳̯͚̞̥͇̣̝͋̆̈̊͛̅͋́͝ͅ

 

“Oooor she could believe me.”

 

Ļ̴̧̛͖̠͇͙̜̺͉̿̀̀̽̾ě̸͚̖͛̈́̐́͆͆͆̑̽͋̿̆t̸̫̻̰̤͖̟̘̺͚̖̞͉͊̈̂͂͗̚ͅ’̴̨̬̻̪̘̹̟́̑̍͌s̷͕̭̲̘̘̄̅̌̐͐ ̸̢̨̛̦̟̜͎͓̝̙̫̹̣͉̖͒͒͆̾̊̀̎̈͐̐̂̚̚͠n̸̖̺͙̅́̓̽͆͋͘̕͠͝͝ö̶̱̭̣̘͚͓̮̳̼̓̈́̏̓ẗ̸̰̣͈̼͇̰̠̩̜̪̲̤̰͈́͑͊͜ ̶̧̧͉̭̟̝̠̺̻̞͖͐̽̄͗͂͑͜ͅt̵̛̤͓͈̦̰͋̃̓̾̍̄́̌̈́͠ȃ̷̛͈̯͈̦̩̞̟̹͒̑̆̽͂͋͛̍̒̚͘̚k̶̗̮̪͍̊͊͛e̵̢̢̡͇̠̪̝̮̤̥̼̓́͌̃͆͋̎̾͐́̍̆̈́̚̕͜ͅ ̸̩͙̘͚͓̀̑͒̆̆͆͛͝ͅt̵̡̿̄̓́̾̚h̴̨̜̗̞̰͖̯̭͉̮͍̳̜͙̎̽ą̸̗̖͖̙̿̌͛͌̿̒t̵̞͇̹͓̦̺̳͛̋̌ ̵̛͖̝̹̯̭̼̰̇́̏̚r̵̢̧͈̫͚̗̖͓͛̋̚͝i̵̤̺͙̺̝͇̻̗̪͚͍̠̙͕̺̇̔̈́̍͆͑͒̀̐͆̂͠s̴̛̗͕̮̖̜̰͙͒̈́̉̕͝k̸̖̂̉͘!̸̞̻̺̩̒͐̀̍̎̚͜ ̷̧̯̲̠͈͕̝̬̲͕̤̇̆̈́̂̍́̈́̚Į̶̖̮̻͙̬͕͉̙̹̬̄̓̀̽͒̊͆͋͌́́͝͠’̶̧͓̯͙͖̭͕̪͕͔̘͕̞̒̆͆ͅm̵̰̞̦̹̦̪͍͖͈̲̾͛͑̊̊̈͗͝͠ ̵͙̪͚́̉̈́̑͋̄̈̏̍̕ͅť̵̢͖̦̑͌̿͋́̌͐͋͘͜ȗ̸̼̜͔͉̘̥̹̗̞̤̄̆́́̑͜ͅr̸̡̭͙͙̳̞͛͑͋̌̂ͅn̸̢̛̛̪͉̩̜̯̠̓̓̆͌̾͗̐͘͠ì̵̻̖̯̩̤̫̩̣̞̪͗̉̑̎̽̑̈́̽́̌̇̀̓̚n̶̢͍̪̤̘͔͓̋̑͌̚ģ̸͉͍͎̦̥͈̩͙̮̬͎̔̄͗̀͛̀͌̉ ̴̰̝͊̅͂̎̂̓͜b̵͉̟̑̈́̀a̴̰̦͖̝̭̥̽͊̆̄̉̽̀̈̚ͅͅͅc̸̛̲͖̰̼̹̪̞͙̒̄̽̿͌̚̕͜͜͝k̵̮̭͎̈́͑̾́̈̑͋͆̈̔͛̓̋̈́̕ ̸̧̛̗̹̗̮̬̠͎͙̱̣̰̳͐̽͌͒̾̈́̇́̎̔̓̒͐͘͜ț̵̠͙̹͕͊̽̄̍̂̊̂̃̚͘h̵̡̡̯̳̮̞͔̮̻̗͑̈́͆̅͒e̶̜͓̝̘̦̣̥̔̅̽ͅ ̶̰̃̏̍̅͌̑͝h̶̽̇̄͜a̴̮̘̻̠̘͖̾̽͛͑̑̌ͅn̸̥̺̗̬̲͇̮̐̐̒͌͊̌͌͛̚͝d̸̟͒̈́͛̈́͒̿̒̅̾͗͜͝͝͝s̷̨̫͔̹̱̙̳͓̟̓͆̇͒̃̎̏̈́́͂̕͝ ̷̧̛͖̤̠͕̬̹̥͉̫̙̿̄͒̔̄̀͌͑̿͘͜͝͠ȯ̴̺̺̖̗͑̑f̶̢̢̧͖̰̞̗̝͕̙̼͌̓̇̽͂͝ ̸͔̹̬̺̹͙̍̇̌̋͛̆͆̉̃́̅͘͘t̵͓̭̬̖̦̤͍̯̱͍͓̠̏͊̆̈́̾̆̄̅̿͝͝ͅͅi̶̬͎͛̎͂̎̐́͊̓̑̑́́̚͠ḿ̷̤̝̿͊͌̂̈͛͐̔̀̄͌̈͝e̸͍̤͖̻̯̺̠͙͠,̴̹̟̼̖̀͊͂͋́ͅ ̵̧͍̩̘̲̔̊̍̏̍d̴̢̟̰̯͔͍͕̹͖̪̓̐͛͆̍͠͝o̶̞͕͇͙͙͇͎̒̐̀̓̄̄̑̉̕ņ̷̛̟̻̲̳̼͉͋̑̊̊́̾͑͜ͅ’̶̲͉͍̪̀ṯ̸̨̟͖̙͉̞̱̳͖͛̊͋́̂̍͝͝ ̴͚̲͖͕̘͓̣̥̟͙̻̫̭̫̒̌́̊́̇̆̑b̵̼͚͖̥͉̳̝͎̎̌̉́̽̉ĕ̷̜̒̀̀̏͑͆̋͝ ̴̧̳̮̣̘̜̬͔̲͕̐͋́̄̂̃̍s̸͉̤̄̍͋ͅò̴̱͚͖͎̆̓͌̂̈́̐͑̔̅͒͝͠ ̸̨̛̭̠̲̣͔̺͓̄̀̄̀̾̂̄̕͝r̶̛̞̪̠͔͉̞̮̤͉͌̈́̚̕͘ͅẻ̵̡̤̱̽͒̔͂͝͝c̴͕̬͔̫̭͛̓̀̅̌̆̽̋̑͘͘͘͝k̸̨̨͍͓̱̤̞̈̒̐̉͊̓͝ḷ̷̖͉͎̘̟̰̭͇͇̪̓͗̓̾͑͘͜͝͝ě̷̛̻̦̹̫̩̝͖͐̌̀͗̽͐̎̾̆̅͜ş̸̨̨̺̬͚̙͓͍̗̜͆̈̋̓̋̊͜͜ş̶̜͓̫̝͎͔̜͆̈́!̷̙͍̞̥̮͈̞͎̯̭̠̇͊͐̈́̃̈́̓̍̂

——————————————————————

Byleth looked at the floor for a second, before looking back up at Edelgard. “Alright. I hope you enjoy your birthday!”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what day is your birthday?”

Byleth thought for a second. “20th of Horsebow, as far as I know.”

“As far as you know?” Edelgard replied, eyebrow raised.

“Hey, from what papa said, you forgot today was your birthday.”

Edelgard chuckled at that. “That is true. Anyways, it has been a long day. I think I will retire to my room.”

Byleth nodded, with a small frown forming on her face. “Okie. Goodnight, Edel.”

Edelgard clutched the rose and wreath to her chest, and walked back to her room. She opened her door, put the two gifts down on her dresser, and began to change into her night clothes. As she was changing, she heard a knock at the door. After carefully wrapping a blanket around herself, she opened the door to see who it was.

“Raphael and Ignatz said you forgot these and were bringing them to you, so I saved them the effort.” Byleth said as she handed Edelgard the gifts. Edelgard snatched them with one hand, and her blanket pooled around her feet. She blushed a bright red as she saw Byleth’s gaze flitting downward Her eyes lingered on Edelgard’s barely-clothed body, before staring at one of the larger scars on her arm.

“Thank you so much!” Edelgard forced out, slamming the door behind her so she could catch her breath and slow her heart down.

“Any time, sorry!” Byleth yelled through the door, as Edelgard heard her walk away. Edelgard leaned her gifts against her bed, and collapsed into her bed. It was only seven, but she was already tired as she would be after a long day of training.

But that night, Edelgard slept the best she had in years, holding her red rose, her eyes shutting before the sun set for once.

Notes:

I’m tired so I’ll keep this brief.

Raxis and Aemon are my beta’s, they are awesome.

Read An Eagle Among Lions, peak fiction.

Thank you for reading, two chapters from now Bernadetta will say fuck

Chapter 12: Mud and Guts

Summary:

Edelgard and company prepare to squash what remains of Lonato’s rebellion

“Remind me again why I’m awake at this hour?” Linhardt asked as Edelgard and Dimitri led him, Ashe, Caspar, Dorothea, Annette, Shez, and Felix into the marketplace.

“Because our mission, which we are leaving for in two hours, requires us to have battalions for everyone,” Dimitri replied, a smile on his face.

“It’s an Officers Academy for a reason.” Edelgard said as they finally approached the battalion master. He was talking with an armored knight, who seemed to be a…

Oh no.

Captain Bismarck was currently arguing with the battalion master, which meant Edelgard’s personal hell had just arrived. He carried himself in a strange manner, as if he wasn’t used to the armor. On his left and right stood the lieutenants that Aegir had mentioned. She believed their names were Randolph and Ladislavia.. Hubert and Monica had done some digging, and it seemed that nothing was wrong with the two. Ladislavia was a commoner who had managed to impress Count Bergeliz during the Dagda-Brigid war, while Randolph’s family had married into House Bergeliz. As the group walked over to the battalion master, the conversation he was having with Captain Bismarck got louder and louder.

“Hear me well,” Bismarck said, raising his fist at the man in front of him. “If we do not have our lodging within the next forty-eight hours, there will be hell to pay.”

“We don’t got any open space!” The battalion master retorted, clearly fed up with the captain.

“I am asking you to make some. We are here to serve a princess, damnit! We require proper lodging.”

“We ain’t got none!”

Edelgard walked up to the group, clearing her throat. “Captain, the men will not be waiting long. We will be moving to Magred Way in a little under 2 hours. For now, I would ask the battalion to prepare to move.”

“But Your Highness, we need places to stay!” He retorted. “It is beneath such a prestigious guard as ou-“

“That’s enough, Captain. For now have your men stay in the town. Meet me back here in 3 hours. Am I understood?”

“Your Highess? Certainly you wish for me to guard you at the very least.”

Edelgard flicked her hair back in a single motion. “I am inside of Garreg Mach Monastery, one of the safest places in Fodlan. Do you really think an assassin's blade can find me? Plus, I have my retainers from Houses Ochs and Vestra. I am sure even now they are tailing me.”

“Bu-but, your hi-“

“Enough. Do as you are told. Perhaps your lieutenants care to listen better?”

Ladislavia and Randolph both gave her a salute as the princess mentioned their names.

“I’ll take our boys to a nice grove I found near the town, Your Highness.” Ladislavia said, taking a deep curtsy in her armor.

“I can go ahead and rent out some tavern space for breakfast while she does that, if you wish.” Randolph continued, going on one knee as he raised his left fist to his chest: the Imperial salute.

Edelgard returned his salute, then stood back up. “That would be excellent. Captain, your lieutenants have wise counsel. I would ask you to follow their suggestions to a T.”

The snake disguised as Bismarck gave a small grunt. “Very well. But you would be wise to have our protection around, even more so than your shadowy retainers. You will not always have them…”

He pivoted to walk away. Ladislavia and Randolph saluted Edelgard, then walked away. Edelgard wanted to see how far she could push the captain, but ultimately left it unsaid.

Either way, with that settled, Edelgard turned to the Battalion Master. “I apologize for my Captain’s behavior. He can be quite… aggressive in how he protects his charges.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” the Battalion Master replied. “Anyways, how can I help you today?”

“We are requiring battalions for many of our classmates,” Dimitri said as he walked up. “We will need seven in total.”

“What kinda Battalions?”

“Linhardt, Dorothea, Shez,” Edelgard said, waving at them. “Please come over here.”

Dororthea and Shez walked over, with Shez dragging Linhardt behind her. The Hevring heir had already fallen asleep in the five minutes she had been away from him.

“We would like to hire two companies of the Seiros Sacred Monk,” said Dimitri. “One for our sleeping friend, and another his fellow heal-“

“Ahem, I’m not a healer and would like to choose for myself.” Dorothea said, as she looked at the Battalion Master. “Would it be possible to request a company from the Seiros Magic Corps, please?”

The battalion master nodded, and went back to grab a quill and paper. From there, Dimitri turned towards Dorothea. “My apologies, I had only assume-“

“Yeah well, you assumed wrong. Next time maybe actually ask what people want.”

“I’ll do my best to keep that in mind.”

“Mhm, you will,” Dorothea sourly finished as the battalion master handed her a slip of paper marking her leadership over the battalion she was assigned. She walked out of the marketplace to go collect her troops. Dimitri just stood there dumbfounded, then shook his head.

“I didn’t know trying to help people would make them so angry,” he mumbled as he went back to collect his housemates. From there, Shez walked up to Edelgard, after she had propped Linhardt against a pole.

“So uh, Edelgard,” Shez asked nervously. “How exactly do these battalions work? Like, do I need to pay for them or-“

The battalion master cut her off, handing her a sheet of parchment. “Everything you need to know is on here. Happy reading!”

Edelgard peered over Shez’s shoulder, reading the parchment, which stated as follows:

Students shall receive a stipend to recruit battalions.

Professors can but are not forced to, beyond the first time, help students in recruiting and arming of battalions.

Students have to devote their time in teaching their battalions if they're not already properly trained.

Creating a battalion is mandatory.

Any mistreatment of battalion members is a crime and is to be severely punished.

The church shall serve as witness for the officialisation of contracts to any non-mercenaries.

It is customary for students, regardless of wealth, to build their forces themselves instead of taking from their kin.

Edelhard was technically breaking that last one, but after clearing it with Seteth it was decided to let her have a personal guard for missions, just so long as Dimitri and Claude were offered the same option.

“I think I get it now,” Shez said, scratching her chin. “Hmm… can I hire some Seiros Brawlers, if y’all have any?”

The battalion master nodded. “Yup, lemme get you a slip.”

While he was doing that, Edelgard went to wake up Linhardt.

“Mmm… Gouda…” he mumbled, as he snoozed peacefully.

Edelgard lightly tapped on his shoulder, before shaking him. He woke up with a jolt, glaring at Edelgard right in the eyes.

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Yes. You need a battalion.”

“Yeah yeah, sure I do. I love the idea of commanding soldiers to kill and die for me.”

“Linhardt, you can command a healing battalion, if you don’t wish to fight. It’s alright.”

“You know, you don’t have to mother me or the other Eagles.”

“Perhaps if you weren’t sleeping so much, I wouldn’t have to treat you like this.”

“Sounds like someone didn’t get a good night's rest,” Linhardt said. “And besides, I’ll still be in charge of all those men. I don’t want to give them an order that gets them killed! Think about the last time we went on a mission.

Edelgard hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest in about a week, but that was besides the point. She knelt down next to Linhardt, trying to comfort him.

“Linhardt. This is going to be an awful battle. I can tell from the get-go. We will need talented healers like yourself. We only have you, Mercedes, Lysithea, and Annette as healers for our battalions. Please, for us.”

Linhardt stared at her for a second, before pulling himself up.

“Alright, fine, I’ll come out to fight with the rest of you, and I’m sure it’ll be all fine and dandy.”

As he walked over to Battalion Master, Edelgard sighed to herself. His attitude needed working on. A seed of doubt about the mission crept into her mind, but she pushed it away. Lonato’s territory was a small one, and he wouldn’t have that many militiamen. It would be all fine and dandy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was not all fine and dandy, Edelgard thought to herself 7 hours later, as her silver axe cleaved through another peasant. The rebellion had mostly been squashed, but Lonato was still holding out somewhere. He appeared to have at the very least 600 men still fighting for him, which meant the students once again had to play clean-up crew. Edelgard guessed that Rhea had let the rebellion go on this long to show to the students what would happen to them and their loved ones if they rose in rebellion against her.

She and the rest of her Imperial guard were in the thick of the fighting. The militia Lonato had gathered had formed a sort of battle line to oppose them. They were mostly armed with hunting bows and woodcutter’s axes, thought some of Lonato’s own house swordsmen were sprinkled throughout their ranks to shore up their defenses. A strange fog for the season had set across the battlefield, which led Edelgard to believe that the slitherers had already infiltrated the ranks of the western church.

By this point in the combat, the combined battalions of the Black Eagles and Blue Lions had cut through the majority of the militia. Edelgard hacked down another peasant, watching as Dimitri effortlessly tore through the militiamen around him. He was taking on what seemed to be five or six combatants at once, while his battalion of about fifteen lance-wielding infantry supported him. He knocked one enemy fighter to the side with the butt of his lance, and then skewered another before the first man hit the ground. Turning, Edelgard noticed that Hubert’s battalion had been flanked from behind, and that his personal Vestra Dark Mages were currently being wedged between a group of Lonato’s actual troops and the militia.

“Randolph, Bismarck!” Edelgard cried out as she pushed towards Hubert’s group. “Take half the company and hold the center. Ladislava and the other half, with me!”

Bismarck gave her an incredulous look, and Randolph nodded. “Bergeliz men, with me! Cavaliers, with the Princess!”

Edelgard and her group broke off and smashed into the side of the flanking Militia. Ladislava and her cavalry tore through the peasants like thin sheets of parchment, while Edelgard leaped to where Hubert was, taking out a peasant who had gotten behind him.

“Thank you very much, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert said, sporting a genuinely malicious grin. “Now, to repay the favor.”

He let out a wicked laugh as he unleashed a wave of Miasma spells towards three peasants that were charging him. The cloud enveloped them,, leaving them all gasping, kneeling, before finally dying. From there, Hubert’s men let loose a multitude of spells, opening a wide gap in the enemy lines as Ladislava and her troops mopped up the forces in the rear. Edelgard swung her axe, taking the head of one peasant before burying the axe head in the chest of another.

“REPENT FROM THE GRAVE!” a voice suddenly rang out across the battlefield.

The ground suddenly began to violently shake, and it became hard for Edelgard to stay on her feet. . She hit the ground, rolled over, and jumped right back up, looking at the now-fleeing enemies. She gazed around, trying to figure out what ha- Oh. Of course it was her.

Catherine yanked Thunderbrand out of the crater she had made, as Sylvain, Dorothea, Ferdinand, Caspar, Felix, and Jeritza walked up behind her, with their respective battalions following after them. From there, Edelgard and her group went over to join her.

“Thank you for the assistance, Dame Catherine,” Dimitri said with a curt bow. Dedue stood to his left, while Ingrid stared at Catherine.

“It is an honor to meet you, ma’am!” The Galatean heiress said, snapping to a salute.

Catherine chuckled. “No need for all that. And I’m happy to help!”

As the three of them talked between each other, Ferdinand and Caspar walked up to Edelgard.

“We have successfully routed the enemy left flank,” he mumbled, shamefully looking down.

“What’s wrong, Ferdinand?” Edelgard asked, as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

“All… all of this!” Caspar interrupted, shaking his hands. “It’s all so awful!”

“I agree wholeheartedly! This is no noble mission against bandits! This-this is debauchery! Slaughter!” Ferdinand said, pointing at the peasant corpses.

“Oh don’t worry, you two,” Dorothea said as she walked up. “This is all in the name of the goddess. So don’t worry your noble little head over it.”

“Dorothea, this has nothing with some stupid title!” Caspar said, his fists balled at his sides. “We just… it was all so pointless… why?”

“Because this is war,” a cold voice said from behind all of them. Byleth was walking up to them, her expression neutral: the mask of the Ashen Demon. “War tears men and women apart like this. It shatters villages and cities. It shakes territories to their very core. At least these men died fighting for something they believed in.”

“B-byleth, you can’t truly believe that, can you?” gasped Dorothea.

“I can,” the Demon replied. “They did not die for some useless conflict they care nothing for.”

“I agree with Miss Eisner,” Jeritza said as he walked up. “War and death feed each other. But these men and women died fighting with belief. You can tell by the ferocity with which they fought.”

“But why would Lonato raise such a force?” Hubert asked, as he made himself the latest person to join the conversation.

“That is why we are here,” Edelgard said, trying to break up the conversation. “Now, we should collect our wounded an-“

“YOU’LL NEVER TAKE LONATO!” A voice screamed as a sword thrust through Edelgard’s chest from behind. As the world got dark, Edelgard could see Ferdinand cut down the man who attacked her, while Doro-

——————————————————————

Oh fuck. Sothis, did you see where he came from?

 

Ņ̶͈͖̰̻͊̈́̉̐͒̔͂͆̾̀̈́̕͘͠o̸̧̖̩̺͕͖͕̤͓̩̞̙̪̎̓ͅ,̶͉̒́͂̈́̃̎̂͗ ̷̢̡̩̗̘̥͎̗̪̣̞̪͓̤̄͗͑̏̌̈͂̊̄̐͝͠͝͠ͅI̸̛̝̎͂̋̇̌̿͆̃͠͝͝ ̷̧̝͈̻͈͉̩̺͈̥̳̃̏͌͌̂̏̈́̂̉̇́̀̊͘͜͠ͅḑ̷̠̪̭̻͇͉̞̮̝̰̦͔̜͚͐͛͐͝ḭ̸̘̮͙̙͙̠̗̞͈͓̳͈͙̭͂d̶͔̄̀̆̂̀͂̏̈́̽̇̈́ņ̸̡̯̮͓̰̯̠̤̯̮͕̖̳͋̉̊͜’̵̨̧̮̺͉̞͖̮͚͈͈̞̀̓̃̉̅̋͊̊̄͝t̶͙̼̪͍̝̣̺̭̝̺͍̾̓̏̐͐͆̓̍̏͜.̸̢̩̭̦̬̮̱̫̻̊͐̇̿̏͒͝ͅ ̸̛̛̼̰̀̔̆̓ͅŖ̵̢̨̡̟͖̰̺̺̣͉͖̿͗̅͛͆̿͌̀̆͐̀͒̚͠͝e̶̤̿͑̏͋̍̽̓͒̇̑ẁ̵̨̧͙͙̬̰͓̂̆͘͝i̴̥̙̺͇̲͍̘̖͂̾̀n̷͙̒͆́͋͛̐͑͊̊̌̈́̕̕͝d̸̤̘͙͉͍͇͇͉̮̤͆̆́͑̽͒̾͒̇͘̕͝ ̵̧̨̨͈̩͚̦̲̯͎̪̈́̆̒͛͛́́̃̃͝͠͝͠t̵͎̔͜͜î̵̡̛̻̖̫̫͍͚̄̄͋̇́͘͝ṁ̵̖̭̰͊͒̐̇͑̒̏̆̉ȅ̸̯̗̮̯̪̗̪ ̴̡͚̤͒̌̒͒͗̑͊̚s̴̡̢̠̟͓̰͈͇͕̫͔͍̠̹̍͜͝o̸̪̗̹͖͒̓ ̴͔̺̗̭̺̘̞͂̌̋̉̀͊͐̃̊̀̕̕͜I̸̗̰̩͉̰͕̳̟̞̞̫̦̪̯̐̏͗̉̄͗͑́̋͋͝ͅ ̴̢͎̤̱̗̯̓́̓̄͝͝c̸̡̟͙̞̳͎̼̫͕̺̄͗̈́́̈́̅͊́̒̈́̒̽̊͘͝ä̵̞̝̠̺̭͕́̐́̀́͗̓n̴̨͇͖͔̟̹͉̦͉̥̱̬͓̮͊̔͆̐͑̈́͋̈́̔̅͠ ̵̨̗̙̱̺̝̭̦̺̞͍̦͇̑͒́̽́͌͆͗͜ͅc̴̖͖̽͒̿̍̀̑͆͋̚h̸̨̢̢͉͈̪̘͙̱̫̮̚ͅe̸̢̻̙̮̞͂͊̎́͆̽̽͜c̵͎̮͊̅̉͠͝k!.̷̢̮̠̦͚̰̻̝̝͉͈̦̾̇͑̉̑͊ͅ

 

——————————————————————

“Dorothea, this has nothing with some stupid title!” Caspar said, his fists balled at his sides. “We just… it was all so pointless… why?”

“Because this is war,” a cold voice said from behind all of them. Byleth was walking up to them, her expression concerned for some reason. She was nervously gazing near Edelgard, which unnerved the princess. What was Byleth so worried about? “War tears men and women apart like this. It shatters villages and cities. It shakes territories to their very core. At least these men died fighting for something they believed in.”

“B-byleth, you can’t truly believe that, can you?” gasped Dorothea.

“I can,” Byleth said quickly and… strangely automatically. It reminded Edelgard of her own rehearsed speeches. “They did not die for some useless conflict they care nothing for.”

“I agree with Miss Eisner,” Jeritza said as he walked up. “War and death feed each other. But these men and women died fighting with belief. You can tell by the ferocity with which they fought.”

“But why would Lonato raise such a force?” Hubert asked, as he made himself the latest person to join the conversation.

“That is why we are here,” Edelgard said, trying to break up the conversation. “Now, we should collect our wounded an-“

“YOU’LL NEVER TAKE LONATO!” A voice screamed as a sword entered Edelgard’s gut. As the world got dark, Edelgard could see Ferd-

——————————————————————

Į̵̛̲̲͇͔̭̦̦͓̮͚̫̬̳͓̀̃̑̔͋̄̋̀͋̋̚̕ ̷̥͍̮̊͌̾͒̌̆̾̊̏̋͑̓̕͠͝s̵̢̜̩͙̠͉̜̀̿͐͊̓͜ͅa̸̡͚̟̖̼͉̹̱̽̏̽̌͝ͅw̶̡̛͖̭̩̖̦̲̯̗̻̝͇̹̍̄̋͌͊̄̍̚͜ ̸̛̛̛̰͓̼̰͛̊̈́̀h̷͕̠̥̯̻̦̿̆͛̋̕̚̕i̶̞͕̰͍̓̀̌̅͐͆̾̑̕ͅm̵̢̛̪̜͍͚̥̦̤̟͔̽̃̊̚͝͝!̵̢̧̡̨̢͖͇̞̣̪̱͚̾̃̓̀ͅ ̴̢̪͇̭̲͖̭̆Ơ̸̫͓͙͙͆͌̃͐̄͐̈̋̑̇͜ň̴̤͚͉͈̫̲͓̤̼̝̇͆͝ ̷̡̱̭̻̜͖̗͊̕t̵̬̫̮͍̻̗̺̼͇̭͒̀̇̍̒͒̌̎ḩ̸̲͍̼͕̞̩͓̬͌̋͊̑̓̾̃̃͛͊͘͝ȩ̴̛̟̠̩͙̪̦͉̲͇̟͍̣͋͆̀̽̌͂̐̒͋̌̕͘ͅ ̵͍̹̺̮̺͚͓͉̫̼͙̏͛̃͒̀̉̄͐́̒͗̐̋̔͝g̸̼̞͊̓͌͑̇̔͠͠ŗ̵̛͕͚͈͆̾́̓̍ǫ̵̧̢̨̭̝̯͍̲̼̣͉̮̤̎͑͆̑̓̑̽͂͐̍̕ṳ̶͙̜̜̫͙̭̋̄̉͋ņ̶̖̺̟̤͎̮͈͔̪̼̠̀̈́́̏̚ḍ̶̨̊̎̉̍̿̐͗̎̓͐͑̀͝ ̷̙͉̓̋͂͆͌̓͆n̷̢̖͉͎͉̯̲̝͊̄͒̆̆̒̀̈́̏̋̃͌̈̑͘ë̵̜̦̠̤́͆̚x̴̧̨̲̙̟̰̺͓̦͇͎͕̱̼̒̊̀̈́̎́̚̕ͅt̸̡̲̦̯̣̖̺̠͚̻̓̂̈́̏͝͝ ̸̛̗̭͉̭̦͘t̴̢̹̦̤͓̅̊̾͝ͅő̵̡̡̝̯̞̱̗̣͖̑̓̀̉̃̀͐͛̉́̚ ̷̬̜̪̏̃̂t̸̛̬̞̻̹̙̟͓̺̾̀̄̋̈́̆̓̽́͊̎̕ḧ̸̛̗̺̠̘̼͍̼́́́̍͐̆̑̆͌́̽͒̚ę̸̨̧͇̣̯̼̱͇͓̼̗̪̀͑͒͂͛͐̍̉̑͒͒͒́͜ ̸̝̦̯͊̅̒̌́̊̐̐͆̕ŝ̷̢̧͕̣͕̣̠̟̰̜͖̠͛̇̇͊͒̾̿̾͒̀̕̕h̷̡̟̣̲̮̞̹̯̰͉͓̟̽̏̾͒̓̄͘͘͠ơ̸̧͉̻̱̤̠̦͎͕̤̗͈̮̿̂͒̒͂͑̾͂͛́͛͐̕͜r̶̖͕͙̊̽̂̊̌̊̇̈́̉̆͜ẗ̵̳̬̫̼̦͖͕̘̩̟́̈́̄̂̒̅̓̂̈́́͜ ̵̺͔͉̇́͌͒͗̅̋͝s̸̢̡͙͔̙̑̀a̶̢̮̹̼̗͍̭̺̩͕̯͇͍̥̍͊d̵̡̛̲̻̺̙͕̈̓̓́̎̒̇͋̕͝ ̶̩̹̳̖̼̱̺̻̱̟͖̃̈́͋́͛͑̀͋́͛͛͝girl!̴̢̰̲̝̥̻̬͇̣͂̓̇͌͛͝ ̶̧̛̼͔̙̈̈́̍̀̍̓͋̆̕͠G̷͚̹̞͋ͅͅe̶͈̘͇̞̱̭̻̍͋͂̊͂͋̆͗͝ţ̴̟̻̫̯̩̠̥̘̖́͑͗̋̑̅̄͋͆͒͜͝͝ ̶͚̣͔̦̤̯̘͉̤͈͆͝ḩ̴̧̤͚̗̜̥̫͈̬͎̙̾͜i̵̧̧̨̗͓͍͉̬̺̟̹̎͛̔́͂̑̏̀̋̾̕m̸̧̢̭͖̱͉͉͚̟̘̦̠̥͖̅̎͐͐̂͑́̃̿͒ ̵̺͖̿̄̉̑͊̇̈́̆͠͝͝B̸̢͕̮̼̣̦̞͐̍́ÿ̵̢̪̫̠̰̫͈̮͈͈̲̱́̅̄͒̎̇̈́̏̓̀̉͜͠͝͝ͅͅḽ̷̛͙̼̯̘̫͉̮͈̖̈́͒͑̈́̊̄̇̌̉̔͂͛̕͝e̷̛͓̞̤͔̰̟͙̹̱̹̱̹͇̟̬͌̀̋͆̕t̵̝͖͖̗̪͇̰͓̼̽͒ͅḩ̶̡͕̪͈͉̰̼̬̮̺̳̒͑̽̓̆͊̾̓͋͌͗͑̐̕

——————————————————————

“Dorothea, this has nothing with some stupid title!” Caspar said, his fists balled at his sides. “We just… it was all so pointless… why?”

“Because this is war,”a cold voice said from behind all of them. Byleth was walking up to them, walking determinedly towards Edelgard. She buried her sword in the back of a man who was still alive, which Edelgard was surprised how quickly she noticed. It seemed to be the man Dimitri had brushed aside earlier.

Byleth then turned around. “War tears men and women apart like this. It shatters villages and cities. It shakes territories to their very core. At least these men died fighting for something they believed in.”

“B-byleth, you can’t truly believe that, can you?” Dorothea gasped

 

“I can,” Byleth said quickly and… strangely automatically. It reminded Edelgard of her own rehearsed speeches. “They did not die for some useless conflict they care nothing for.”

“I agree with Miss Eisner,” Jeritza said as he walked up. “War and death feed each other. But these men and women died fighting with belief. You can tell by the ferocity with which they fought.”

“But why would Lonato raise such a force?” Hubert asked, as he made himself the latest person to join the conversation.

“That is why we are here,” Edelgard said, trying to break up the conversation. “Now, we should collect our wounded and return to our camp. I’m sure Petra, Ashe, Shez, and Bernadetta will be back from scouting at this point.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The “camp” the knights had set up was little more than a collection of tents and medical stretchers. The ground was muddy and cracked, and the small dirt road coursing through the camp appeared almost indistinguishable from the ground around it. Edelgard could smell smoke and a putrid stench, which probably meant that the church was burning bodies. As she walked into the camp with Dorothea, Edelgard noticed Lysithea, Linhardt, Mercedes, Maneula and Annette were running here and there in a frenzy. They were healing where they could, while their battalion members lent their aid. Annette ran up to Dorothea and Edelgard, panting as she spoke. “You! You two, you’ve studied magic right?”

Dorothea nodded, while Edelgard shrugged.

“I know a little,” Edelgard responded

“Okay, I hope you know a basic heal spell, cause we need it! Go, go, go!” The small mage shouted as she ran towards Monica and Hubert, asking the same question.

“I’ll go help Lin, I guess,” Dorothea said, walking away while clenching her fists.

From there, Edelgard went to lend her aid to Mercedes.Using her faith in her goals, she could summon some healing magic, so at least it would help. As she walked over to the tent, she put her axe down outside the flap, and walked inside.

“Oh, hello Edelgard,” Mercedes said with a cheery smile. Edelgard couldn’t get a read on her, which was dangerous. She could sense that there was more to Mercedes than a cheerful smile and a soft voice, but just what was hidden there eluded her.

“Hello, Mercedes. I’m here to help however I can.”

“Oooh, wonderful! Here, you take this brave Knight of Seiros, I need to move on.”

The cheery healer ran to her next patient, so Edelgard started healing the knight Mercedes had just been with.

“It’s so sad that Lonato did what he did,” Mercedes started, as she healed another knight’s shoulder wound.

“Yes, all this bloodshed is quite pointless.”

“It does make me wonder. Why would Lonato raise a blade to the central church? They’ve never done anything against him in particular, I don’t believe.”

“I heard a rumor that they executed his son on false charges for assisting in the Tragedy of Duscur.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Mercedes asked, her eyes widening.

“It’s only a rumor,” Edelgard continued, moving to a new knight to heal. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you what exactly happened, but the church did still execute his first-born child.”

“That does explain why Lonato would be so angry. I know I could never be around someone who would hurt my baby brother.”

“You have a brother?”

“Yes, his name is Emile. I haven’t seen him since…” Mercedes trailed off as she finished healing her current patient.

Edelgard let out a small gasp. Mercedes was the sister that Jeritza had mentioned. Edelgard had gotten Hubert to pull every file on the Bartel’s incident, and had always hoped to find the sister that had gone missing. Which meant that somehow, house Bartels had only lost its lord instead of the whole house.

“Hmm? Is something wrong, Edelgard?” asked Mercedes.

Edelgard blinked. “Uh, no! I just remembered that I need to check if the scouts have returned.”

“Ah, I see. I can take it from here, but thank you for helping!”

“Of course,” Edelgard quickly said as she bolted out of the medical tent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edelgard arrived at the command tent, opening the flap to see the senior knights, the professors, and a few of her fellow classmates inside, sitting around a table. Hubert was suspiciously missing. She quickly sat down next to Monica, who was resting her head on top of her hand and hook.

“Finally, we’re all here,” Jeralt said, crossing his arms. “Left us waiting.”

“Apologies for my tardiness,” Edelgard started, before Catherine held up her hand.

“It’s fine. Annette told us you were helping with the injured when we went looking for you. It’s good to see both house lords being so helpful.”

“Catherine, I barel-“ Dimitri started, before she cut him off.

“Oh, don’t sell yourself short, I saw how many men you dragged back. That Crest of Blaiddyd sure does help, huh?”

“Alright, alright, if we are done with the compliments, let’s get started,” Jeralt said, pointing to a map he set up on the middle of the table. “We believe Lonato is holding out here,” he continued as he pointed to the upper right corner of the map. “There’s an old fort in that area, so if he’s smart he’ll be there.”

“I knew his son,” Catherine said, briefly grimacing. “If Lonato is anything like him, he’ll be a clever adversary. He’ll probably try to draw the battle out as long as possible to show he’s willing to fight for his ‘justice’. We’ve sent scouts to collect intel on his exact location.”

 

“Have they returned yet?” Jeritza asked.

“No,” said Jeralt, “we’ve not gotten any word-“

Suddenly, Annette burst into the room. “The scouts have returned, but Ashe, Bernadetta, Shez, and Petra aren’t with them!”

“What?” Dimitri said, shooting straight up. “We need to send a search party for them now!”

“Calm down kid!” Jeralt said, reaching his hand out to stop Dimitri from moving. “Annette, do you know where the scouts were last seen?”

Annette gave a brief nod, and Jeralt nodded back. “Alright then. For now, we can send one of us out alongside Annette to go look for them.”

“Hubert is a much better tracker than I am, but I can go with her if need be,” Edelgard said, standing up. Having three of her fellow Eagles missing was a serious problem, especially on a battlefield. It would be terrible if something happened to them, Particularly Petra. Brigid would be outraged once news of their future queen’s death reached them. Then there was the possibility that Ashe might go over to his adopted father’s side. Edelgard didn’t know him well enough to decide whether or not he would really do.

“That sounds good to me,” Jeralt said, flashing Edelgard a grin.

“Sir,” said Monica, “with all due-”

“But Papa,” said Byleth at the same time, “she-”

The two girls stared at each other, each with surprised looks on their faces.

“You first,” Monica said, flashing a sweet smile that her eyes didn’t reflect.

“No, I think you should go first,” Byleth replied in a cold tone.

“You insist.”

“Yeah, I do insist,”

“Very well then,” Monica stood up and cleared her throat. “I believe I should go with Annette and Lady Edelgard. It would be improper for Her Highness to walk around without an escort, and I’m sure Annette and I will be more than enough. I would ask for Hubert to come with us, but I haven’t been able to find him. Apologies.”

Edelgard nodded. “It is quite alright. And I will go alone with Annette.”

“But-” Byleth and Monica said at the same time.

“I’ll be fine. Annette and I can handle ourselves just fine. Isn’t that right?”

Annette nodded excitedly. “Yup! We got this! Let’s go.”

Catherine sighed, then pointed to the tent flap. “The two of you better get moving. If everything goes as planned, we’ll be assaulting Lonato’s position in a little under 3 hours. Try and be back by then.”

Maneula ran over to the two girls, handing each a vulnerary and a torch.

“Be careful, girls. Come back to us safe,” she said with a soft smile, as she returned to her chair.

“Happy hunting, Edel,” Byleth said, waving.

“Good luck, your highness!” Monica said, before glaring at Byleth. The stoned face woman either was ignoring her or didn’t care.

“Take care, Edelgard,” Dimitri said, giving a friendly wave, brushing a lock of hair out of his right eye.

Edelgard walked out of the tent, ran to the medical tent to grab her axe, and followed Annette as she showed her where the scouts had come from.

Notes:

Shout out to my beta readers, Raxis and Aemon. Love y’all! If any of y’all want to beta, just let me know here! https://www.tumblr.com/juliakeyoto

Todays fic of the week I’m shilling is An Eagle Among Lions! I just finished it last night, and goddamn is it good! Go read it now! https://archiveofourown.org/works/24608248/chapters/59445880

As always, stay tuned for next time! I promise Bernie will actually say fuck next time

Chapter 13: Clipped Talons

Summary:

Edelgard receives consequences for acting against her mole men Allies

Notes:

WARNING: This chapter includes instances of

Blood
Mutilation
Disgusting imagery
Crimes against a character I like

Please, skip the 3rd section if you have issues with these things! It is perfectly alright to have issue, so don’t worry!

“Sooo, Ellie,” Annette started, as the two of them traced the battalion's path. “What do you do for fun?”

“For fun?” Edelgard asked, putting a hand to her chin. “I do enjoy reading, and I also have started to fish a bit.”

“Oooh, me too! What do you like to read?”

“Mostly historical texts. It’s interesting reading about what people did in the past. What about you?”

“Oh, me? Well, I do like baking, I’ve been really busy studying!”

“Studying, hm? What’s your ideal certification you’d want?”

Annette put a hand to her chin, thinking. “Hmm… probably a gremory! I’d really like to get better with reason magic, though. Maybe go down more of a Mage-Warlock route since Mercie is doing Priest-Bishop.”

“Very impressive, Annette,” Edelgard said, flashing her a warm smile. “I myself was planning on trying some magical classes, as I’m almost ready for the Fortress Knight certification. One can’t have too many tools in their repertoire.”

“I can help ya with that if you’d like!”

Edelgard shook her head. “Thank you, but I already have plenty of help from the Black Eagles. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you when you’re already so busy.”

In reality, she was learning magic as a convenient excuse to meet with Hubert, Lysithea, Monica, and Shez. She didn’t want to endanger anyone else in their meetings by bringing in more people. The less people that knew her secret, the fewer people that would have to keep it. Keeping the arrangement as it currently was was safer for everyone, both within and without her little conspiracy.

“Oh don’t worry, I have plenty of time-“

“WHAT THE FUCK?” A shrill voice rang out from over the trees, scaring multiple birds.

“I think we found Bernadetta!” Annette said, bolting to the direction where the voice came from. Edelgard followed closely behind her, hoping that the shy girl and her fellow scouts would still be alright.

As the pair broke through into a clearing, they saw Petra raising a bow at Bernadetta, who was blocking something along with Ashe. Shez just looked on in horror.

“Excuse me, what is going on?” Edelgard said as she ran over to join the ongoing crisis.

“Petraistryingtomurderababy!” Bernadetta stuttered out, waving her arms in the air.

“It is no baby,” Petra said calmly. “It will grow to be a killer! It will be eating us all soon!”

“You can’t know that!” Ashe piped up. “It’s just an infant! We can’t harm it!”

Edelgard turned to look at Petra. “Please put the bow down so we can discuss this calmly.”

Petra glanced at her. “I am trying to be saving lives! Has no one been-“

Shez put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be alright, Petra. The bear is just a cub. We can handle it.”

Petra locked eyes with her purple-haired friend, then slowly lowered the bow. Meanwhile, Annette’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. “I-I’m sorry, did you say a bear?”

Bernadetta slowly nodded, stepping to the side. Behind her and Ashe was a bear cub. The cub had an anxious look in its eye, as it hid behind Bernadetta. It let out a small roar towards Edelgard as it cowered behind the purple archer.

“W-we found him next to his mother, but she was already dead…” Bernadetta said. “He was just so… sad and alone. Kinda how I feel sometimes. So I wanted to help him! Now I can be his mama!”

Edelgard snorted a little bit. “That’s all this is over? A bear cub? Petra, he could barely harm a fly right now, look at him!”

Petra bowed her head in shame. “Apologies. I am having bad experiences with bears back in Brigid. I was letting my fear get the better of me.”

“It’s okay, Petra,” Ashe said grimly. “That sorta thing can happen to anyone.”

“Even you, Ashe?” Shez asked, looking at the poor boy.

Ashe blinked at her. “Yeah. Stuff like….”

“Ashe…” Annette moaned. She hugged him tight, and he began to cry into her shoulder.

“I-I’m sorry, I just-“ he sniffled a bit, taking a handkerchief out from under his tunic to blow his nose.

“It’s alright, Ashe,” Edelgard said, walking over and giving his shoulder a squeeze. “I’m sure your father has a reason to do this.

“Maybe we could try to talk things outwith him?” Annette said, pumping her arm. “

Ashe shook his head into her shoulder. “P-probably not…”

“We can always try! Come on, maybe we can convince him to end all this!”

“Y-you really think?” He asked, looking at the ginger girl.

“Yup! Right, Edelgard?”

Deep down Edelgard knew he wouldn’t, but she had to give the grieving boy something. “I’m sure we can try.” From there, she turned around and faced Bernadetta.

“Bernadetta, are you sure you want to take care of it?” Edelgard asked, giving it a cautious pat on the head. “A dog or cat would be one thing, but a bear? I have a feeling he will be quite a handful.”

“Yes I do!” Bernadetta shrieked out, stars in her eyes. “He’s gonna be my baby bear! I’m gonna call him Theodore, or Theo, or Teddy!”

“Would the monastery even allow a bear?”

“I-I don’t know,” Bernie said, gazing at the floor. “But I’ll come up with something!” Teddy the bear let out a long yawn, as Bernadetta gave him a hug. “You can count on Bernie!”

“Bernie, hm?”

Bernadetta looked down upon hearing her nickname. “Y-yeah, Bernie. It’sstupidisn’titofcourseitisbernieyouawfulFUCKING-“

Edelgard tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but was blocked by Petra grabbing Bernadetta in a massive hug.

“You are not one of the ‘awful fucking,” Petra said as she hugged the poor girl. “You are Bernie the Bear Tamer. The people of Brigid will be telling legends of you.”

“T-they will?”

“They will. I will be telling them of how Bernadetta the Bear Tamer showed Queen Petra how to not judge an animal off of others.”

Theo then walked up to Bernadetta, and began to lick her hand.

“Yeah, you’ve done nothing wrong!” Shez said, as she knelt down next to Bernie. “Us purple-haired girls gotta stick together, and I’m stuck to you.”

Lastaly, Edelgard knelt down, joining in the group hug. “I quite like the nickname ‘Bernie’. Why would you think you were awful for it?” She asked, trying to coax an answer out that she already knew.

“Because Fa-“

“Guys! Get up!” A voice suddenly called out from the distance. Edelgard shot up and turned around, looking at Ashe and Annette as they ran inside the small clearing.

“Lonato’s men! They’re nearby!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, the group had gathered around an old oak tree, trying to stay out of sight by the patrol that had just passed by them. There were about 5 men in the scouting party, and they all were armed with short blades

“I think we can take ‘em,” Shez said, flashing a toothy grin.

“A-are you sure?” Bernadetta asked as she petted Theodore “They could call for backup!”

“Yes, but I think if we do it right we’ll be fine.” Edelgard said, brandishing her silver axe. “Shez, Petra, we will attack at close range. Ashe, Bernie, and Annette, cover us. Are you ready?”

The group all nodded, with Bernadetta giving a smaller nod then the rest.

From there, the three melee experts darted out of the treeline, bolting towards the small patrol. Edelgard stepped on a tree branch and silently cursed as the guards swiveled around.

“I-it’s them!” One of them shouted, reaching for a horn on his side. He tried to blow into it, but an arrow embedded itself in his right eye, throwing him to the ground. Edelgard ran up to the remaining four soldiers, swinging her axe around like it was a spinning top. She knocked two of them aside, impaling her axe head in another, and the fourth managed to leap to the side. Suddenly, another group of enemy swordsmen entered the cleaning.

“Hang on Erasmus, we’r-“ one of the swordsmen tried to say, but multiple blades of wind struck him. He was immediately torn to shreds, startling the other four with him, who started rushing the tree line. Edelgard noticed this, and gestured to Petra. “Petra! Head back an-“

But her fellow princess was already halfway back, throwing a hand axe at the lead swordsman. It found a new home in his chest as the man fell to the ground. Turning around to focus on the battle at hand, Edelgard yanked her axe out of its latest victim, as she narrowly dodged a blow from another swordsman. Shez then leaped onto the man attacking Edelgard, splitting him in twain from his midsection. The two patrolmen that Edelgard had knocked down were getting back up, so Shez turned towards the treeline

“I’m gonna go help Petra, you’ve got this!” She yelled, bolting back. Edelgard in fact, did have this. She removed her hand axe from her belt, chucking it towards the first man. He dodged it with little effort — right into a lethal chop of Edelgard’s silver axe. He went down, and Edelgard dashed to recover her throwing axe. The second man meanwhile was chasing Edelgard. “You bitch!” He shouted, gaining speed. “He didn’t deserve to die!”

“I know,” She whispered, picking up the hand axe and chucking it at the man. It buried itself right between his head, splitting his head in twain.

From there, she sprinted back to the rest of the group, watching as Petra cut down another man using a steel axe. Shez then leaped over Petra, burying her blade into the second man. The third man tried to swing his sword at Bernie, but Theodore unexpectedly threw himself at the man’s leg, giving time for Ashe to plant an arrow in his head. Realizing he had lost the advantage, the last of the enemy patrol fled into the woods. Edelgard rejoined Petra and Shez. “Shez, with me! We’llgo after him. Everyone else, regroup with the main force!”

“I am having confusion,” Petra said, cocking her head. “Why just Shez and you?”

“Because someone needs to make sure the others get back safely. I would rather it be you since Shez and I have done this before.”

Petra thought for a second, then nodded. “I have understanding. I will be tracking you down after I am getting them back.”

“Of course!” Shez beamed, putting her hand out toward the middle of the group. Petra and Edelgard reluctantly put their hands below Shez’s.

“Let’s go!” she cried as she threw her hand back up. Edelgard and Petra mimicked her, then Edelgard and Shez bolted into the woods, chasing after the last man before he could get reinforcements.

“So, Edelgard?” Shez asked, as the two of them ran side by side.

“Hm?”

“You think the Western Church will give up the whole rebellion thing after this?”

“Probably not,” Edelgard said, shrugging. “I ensured their rage at the Central Church would burn hotter than whatever was thrown their way.”

“I see. I saw a dark mage mixed in with the enemy earlier on, did you see them?

“Yes, I did. What about them?”

“Dunno, they just…” Shez stopped for a moment, thinking. “They just make me feel uneasy.”

“How so?” Edelgard asked, cocking her head.

“You think they are,” she stopped, looking around, then looking back at Edelgard. “The Slitherers?”

Edelgard slowly nodded. “Yes, I do believe so. Now, let’s ge-“

Suddenly, a painful shriek filled the air, and birds shot out from the leaf canopy above. Edelgard turned toward the sound, hoping it wasn’t who she thought it was.

“Was that Hubert?” Shez asked, her eyes widening.

“I think so. We need to go, now!” Edelgard yelled, running in the direction of the awful sound.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few minutes of running, Edelgard and Shez arrived at their destination; a forest clearing. In the middle of it was Hubert’s body lying on the grass, a dark mage, and-

Edelgard nearly gasped. There stood Captain Bismarck — or more appropriately, the monster impersonating him. A bulky man with ghastly pale skin and bright orange hair stood over Hubert, holding a axe over his shoulders.

“Now, anyone care to remind, me what did I tell the council?” The imposter asked. “That Kronya would find some way to dick up? And that they needed a heavy infiltrator to take care of business?”

“Yes yes, you’ve made your point Belopheon,” the dark mage said, looking down at Hubert’s twisted, broken body. “You didn’t kill the beast, did you?”

The infiltrator named Belopheon shook his head. “Nope, but he’ll be in quite a state. What am I Deadlus, a tube larva? Next you’ll accuse me of forgetting to send the parts to Cleobulus — which I did already. He’ll live, but he won’t walk for a few months.”

“Excellent. We still have information to squeeze from him. He won’t ever see the light of da-“

“OH THAT’S IT!” Shez suddenly roared as an orange crescent formed around her head. Her eyes went orange and her blades caught fire. She lunged forward so swiftly it caught everyone by surprise, and she slashed viciously at Belopheon. He barely dodged out of the way, before looking at Shez in horror.

“T-hat power! E-Epi-M-my lord?” He said, gasping for air.

“Oh no, not me! I ain’t no damn lord.” Shez said, pointing her blade at the infiltrator. “But you’re done!”

From there, she bolted forward and slashed at Belopheon. His blood sprayed as his arm sailed off. He howled in anger as he swung his axe one-handed at her. Shez effortlessly dodged the frenzied blow, darting to the left before slashing at him again. The infiltrator howled in pain and slashed at Shez again as she parried the blow.

Meanwhile, Deadlus ran towards where Edelgard had been, trying to escape from Shez’s onslaught. Edelgard popped out of the bushes, tossing her hand axe at him. Its blade sank deep into his chest, and he let out a howl of pain. He crumpled to the ground, disintegrating. The fog slightly dissipated, but Edelgard ran toward her fallen vassal, every ounce of her attention for him alone.

He was covered in blood - his own, for once, judging from the dagger laying at his side. She stemmed the bleeding wherever she could with what healing magic she knew. As she worked, she noticed the bastards had cut off three fingers from his right hand, two on his left, his entire left ear and left foot, and — most disturbingly of all —, his genitalia. His right eye was swollen shut. Hopefully they hadn’t taken that as well., Lastly, his forehead showed off a nasty gash. He was barely clinging to life… She seethed for her vassal - her friend’s - suffering, but she focused on her work.

Suddenly, Edelgard watched Shez get slammed against a tree, as Belopheon held her in a chokehold.

“Any last words, you sorry excuse for a vessel?” He spat as Edelgard bolted to her feet, charging toward the infiltrator.

But someone else got to him first. A fire ball hit Belopheon in the back, and he crumpled to the ground. Shez landed on both her feet, as the slitherer slowly disintegrated into nothing. Edelgard then looked across the clearing to see Monica and Lysithea running over, panting.

“Oh thank fuck we found you!” Monica said, running over to Edelgard. “We figured out that Bismarck was a Slitherer, and after the fog vanished were worried he got to-“

Her eyes fell on Hubert and she clapped her hands over her mouth. “Hubie!” She yelled, as she ran over to heal his wounds.

“Goddess…” Lysithea said, staring at Hubert’s body in shock. “H-he… It’s like when my little brother was….”

Edelgard looked at Hubert again, feeling sick to her stomach.

“W-we need to get him back to the tents,” Edelgard said, struggling to hold back tears. “T-the infiltrators said he would live, but only I-if he got immediate care.”

Monica nodded, and she and Lysithea worked together to carry him. From there, Edelgard’s group of close allies ran back to the camp, hopefully not about to lose one of their own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, kid,” a voice said from behind Edelgard, as she sat staring at Hubert on a medical bed. It had been about an hour since they returned with Hubert’s body, and he was still comatose. Manuela managed to stop the bleeding, and began the work of closing the spots where Hubert had been mutilated. His breathing had eased, which was a good sign. But still… it was her fault he had been roped into this. It was her fault he’d been maimed. Whether he’d ever wanted children or not, he’d never have them now. There’d be no repaying this.
“Kid, come on,” the voice again said. Edelgard looked behind her to see Jeralt putting his hand on her shoulder.

“I know you’re worried about him, but he’s going to be fine,” he continued. “Right now, we need you more than he does.”

Edelgard stood up, looking at Hubert again before turning to Jeralt. “You are right. Do we have a plan of attack?”

“Yeah. Now come on. Don’t want to keep your new retainer waiting.”

New retainer? Edelgard assumed he meant Monica. As she followed him out of the tent, she glanced back one more time. Hubert was still sleeping soundly, and it seemed like that wouldn’t change anytime soon. She hoped one day she could repay him. For everything.

The two of them walked back to the command tent in utter silence. Edelgard hung her head low as they entered the tent. She sat down in an open seat next to Monica and Byleth, noticing that the two professors, Catherine, Dimitri, and Dedue were also in the room. Jeralt then walked out, mumbling something about finding Felix.

“Hiya Edel,” Byleth whispered. Edelgard gave her a weak wave, staring blankly at the ground.

“Guess what I am now,” the blue haired woman continued.

“What?” Edelgard said, snapping at Byleth. The poor woman recoiled back, before a frown adorned her face.

“Sorry, I just-“

“No, I’m the one who should apologize,” Edelgard said. “I’m just… upset about Hubert. Please, share your news.”

“Professor Jeritza said that I should be your replacement retainer until Hubert gets better.”

Edelgard’s eyebrows raised at that. “Oh? Is that so? Well, I’m glad to have you. I’m sure your expertise will be invaluable.”

Byleth beamed at that, as Jeralt returned with Felix. “Here’s your other retainer, Mr Blaiddyd.”

“Thank you, Sir Jeralt,” Dimitri replied, patting the seat next to him. “Come, Felix. I chose you for a reason.”

Felix walked over, mumbling something about a boar. Catherine then cleared her throat, pointing to the map in the middle of the table.

“Now that everyone’s present and accounted for, let’s go over the plan.”

She pointed to the upper right corner of the map. “We now know for a fact that Lonato is hiding out around here. Thankfully, that means we don’t need to stumble around blindly in the fog anymore. We just need to follow this route, and everything will be fine.”

As she spoke, she traced the route with her finger. It would take them along the dirt road, around a group of trees, then finally along the north-west path up to the fort.

“If everything goes as planned,” she continued, “we’ll be home sleeping in our own beds tomorrow. Any questions?”

No one said anything, so she clapped her hands. “Allright then! Remember, Lady Rhea wants them exterminated. Don’t let a single one of them go. Prepare your classes, and be ready to move in about twenty minutes.”

From there she walked out, leaving Edelgard fuming silently. Of course Rhea wanted them wiped out. She couldn’t risk the rebellion growing any larger. Edelgard could only hope that some semblance of guilt or anxiety might rob Rhea of a peaceful night’s unbroken rest, petty a wish as it was. Edelgard wished she hadn’t told Ashe there would be a hope of compromise. If anything, Catherine would cut down Lonato herself.

And now Byleth had taken Hubert’s spot as her retainer. Interesting…

This development could work to her favor. She then turned to leave the tent with the others, setting off towards Lonato’s final fight.

Notes:

Sorry Hubie. Don’t worry, there’s a reason behind all this mutilation. You’ll find out soon :3

Shout out to my lovely beta’s Raxis and Aemon, couldn’t do this without y’all. Thank you so much!

No shilling today, AEAL burnt me out lol. Amazing fic but it’s looooong. 1.6 million words is a lot to read lol

As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day! Next week will be the ending to C3, so stay tuned!

Chapter 14: Honor and its various meanings

Summary:

The fighting at Magdred way finally ends

The fog had completely set in, Edelgard noticed, as her group walked along the path Catherine had plotted. The holy knight had taken the blue lions along the left side to push through the forest, while Jeralt took the black eagles up the main path. Much of Lonato’s force had been decimated, and the stench of death and gore was spreading thickly across Magdred Way. As Edelgard and her companions walked along the path, a sense of dread set in on the Black Eagles.

“I am not liking this at all,” Petra mumbled, firmly grasping her sword hilt.

“It’ll be fine,” Monica said, as she used her book hand to summon a light. “The ghosts won’t come out to bother us.”

“Gh-ghosts?” Lysithea cried, looking at Monica with a fearful look in her eyes.

“Why yes. Ghosts tend to haunt battlefields, you know.”

“B-but ghosts are supposed to be ancient, so they wouldn’t be here just yet!”

“You don’t know that.”

“W-well, g-ghosts aren’t real anyways!” Lysithea suddenly yelled, stamping her foot down. “There’s no way th-“

Jeritza suddenly shushed her. “Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by our enemy. Be silent or be dead.”

This quickly shut Lysithea up, but she reached out to grab Edelgard’s hand. Edelgard took it quickly, flashing Lysithea a rare, warm smile.

“Even if ghosts are real,” she whispered to the terrified mage. “I am sure we would have seen them by now.”

Lysithea nodded, taking a deep breath. The group continued along the path, until they eventually reached the small group of trees where the road split.

“Now, we shall head right, to victory!” Ferdinand said, raising his lance in the air.

“Uuuh, you sure?” Caspar asked. “I’m pretty sure we are going left.”

“We are supposed to, but would it not be smarter to link up with Dame Catherine?”

“I guess it wo-“

“Exactly, my noble companion!” Ferdinand interjected, filled with a determination that wasn’t there originally, even if it was so terribly typical of him. “We must ensure that no one else is injured today!”

Ah. So that was why he was so eager. Edelgard would have to ask what happened between the two rivals later. But, for now, she focused on the task at hand.

“Ferdinand, we should stick to the plan for now,” she said, staring him in the eyes. “Besides, I am sure that Dame Catherine can handle herself.”

“But, we must pro-“

“It will be fine. Trust me, nothing bad wi-“

“There! It’s them!” A voice suddenly rang out as a horde of Lonato’s men appeared out of the fog. Many of them seemed to be swordsmen, which meant that Lonato’s forces had been mostly routed.

“Imperial guard!” Edelgard cried out, turning to her lieutenants. “Form a wall! Let none pass!”

Edelgard’s fellow students issued similar commands, and their battalions braced for impact. The swordsmen clashed against the battalions, trying to break through on the right flank where Byleth, Shez, and Jeralt were holding. Ferdinand Petra, Caspar had moved to the opposite flank with Dorothea and Bernie. Linhardt was behind all of them, trying to physic injured soldiers where he could. That left Edelgard, Monica, Jeritza, and Lysithea to hold the center.

“Monica, Lysithea!” Edelgard cried out again as she brandished her silver axe. “Move behind me and Jeritza!”

The two of them complied, pulling their battalions back as Jeritza and Edelgard’s battalions filled the gaps. Edelgard joined the line herself, standing shoulder to shoulder with Randolph and an unknown fortress knight. She swung her axe down, splitting a man's head in half while Randolph knocked over three more with a single swing. Edelgard dodged a jab from one man, shattering his shoulder in return.

Suddenly, Jeralt and his paladins broke formation and began to charge in and out of the enemy line. Close behind was Shez and Byleth, leading their battalions to mop up the enemies Jeralt and his men had missed. By that point, Edelgard and Jeritza’s combined battalions, along with support from Monica and Lysithea, had destroyed most of the enemy’s central line.

Suddenly, Edelgard had an idea. “Imperial knights, pincer them between ourselves and our right flank!” Edelgard yelled. “Ladislava, take your cavaliers and join with Jeralt!”

Ladislava didn’t give a response, but the sound of hooves on dirt confirmed Edelgard’s orders had gotten across. From there, Edelgard and her men broke through, cutting down anyone in their path. Edelgard split one man in twain, before running to the next man and removing his head. From there, she continued to pincer Lonato’s men, before pausing to watch as Shez and Byleth moved towards her. Their battalions had torn through the already disorganized militia like a scissor through ribbons, and the two former mercenaries were even stronger than their respective battalions. Shez’s sword carved through their flesh with ease, and Byleth’s strong, muscular arms-

Edelgard’s line of thought ceased to exist as she dodged a blow from a swordsman. She then swung her axe into the man’s chest, killing him with a single blow. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, as Jeralt’s paladins came storming through the line again, expertly avoiding allied soldiers and obliterating what was left of the militiamen on the right flank. As they began to flee into the fog, Edelgard looked over at the left flank, which had also been thoroughly routed. Ferdinand and Caspar were battling what little remained of the enemy forces, while Dorothea and Bernadetta were checking for their wounded allies.

Suddenly, dark spikes thrust out of the ground, impaling several of the paladins and killing their horses instantly. Edelgard dove out of the way of a spike aimed at her, and eyed up the distant tree line. There was only a single dark mage, but he appeared to be a powerful one. With a single flick of his hand he summoned numerous Miasma Δ orbs, which began to scatter across the battlefield, choking the soldiers with their foul vapors.

“Perish, you mindless beasts!” He called before throwing out another volley of Miasma. Edelgard managed to leap out of the way of one of the orbs, but landed on her ankle in a bad way. She hit the ground, watching helplessly as the dark mage turned his hand toward her-

“I WILL REMOVE YOU!” Petra suddenly yelled, having drawn her short bow and launching an arrow at the dark mage. It hit him right in the face, and his body instantly went limp as it disintegrated, confirming Edelgard’s suspicions. The fog then began to dissipate, allowing the rays of the sun to shine down upon the bloodstained clearing. She pulled herself up, dusted off her uniform, and walked over to where Jeralt and Jeritza had gathered.

As he saw her approach, Jeralt gave Edelgard a curt nod. “Good work, kid.”

Edelgard smiled at that. “Thank you, Captain Jeralt.”

“Hmmprh,” Jeritza grunted, staring at the corpse riddled battlefield. “They were much fiercer this time. They must be getting desperate.”

“I would be too if I was cornered,” Jeralt said, putting a hand to his chin. “Still… that dark mage easily killed twenty of our men. Where did he come from…”

Edelgard desperately wanted to shout out “there’s a secret city of ancient humans hell bent on destroying the world as we know it!”, but she held her tongue. At best, they would assume she had come down with a fever and was spouting nonsense. At worst, she would be instituted.

“Perhaps the Western Church has been dabbling in dark magic?” Edelgard lied, hating herself for doing so.

“Maybe…” Jeralt said, but he didn’t look convinced. “Regardless, we should keep going. By this point-“

“THUNDERSTRIKE CASSANDRA!” A voice suddenly boomed across the entire forest. It was Lonato’s.

“Well, looks like they’ve found him.” Jeralt said, remounting his horse. “Gather your battalions, come on!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Edelgard’s group had arrived, it seemed that they wouldn’t even been needed. A trail of bodies and broken men led to a small fortification, which was barely being held by why remained of Lonato’s men. Edelgard watched as Sylvain and Ingrid fought their way through the enemy right flank, their soldiers trailing just behind them, while Annette and Ashe supported them from afar. The left flank was a wall, which left the center to Felix, Catherine, Dedue, and Dimi-

What the actual fuck was Dimitri doing.

Edelgard watched in bewilderment as Dimitri impaled three men on the same lance, then swung their still living bodies into another group of swordsmen. There was a devastating cracking noise as Dimitri’s lance - and the men’s spines along with it - split to pieces. Dimitri then grabbed a sword from a fallen swordsman, swinging it around like a madman as he brought it down the flat of it onto a man’s head, turning it into a fine red mist.

And the worst part? His eyes. His eyes looked feral, as a haunting smile encompassed his face. He seemed to be… enjoying the slaughter. His claimed sword shattered to pieces against a man’s helmet, so instead he reached out with his bare hands and, and crushed the man’s neck with a single squeeze. As the man fell to his feet, he reached down and grabbed a lance from the ground to continue the slaughter, seemingly unaware of anything around him.

“E-Edelgard?” A small voice asked from behind her. Edelgard turned around to see Bernadetta, who had also stayed back. She had a nervous look on her face as she pet Theo, who was sitting still next to her.

“Yes, Bernie?” Edelgard asked, trying out the nickname.

“Um, are you alright?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“You just st-stopped, and I was worried s-something was wrong.”

“I just…” Edelgard trailed off, turning around as she watched Dimitri continue to fight like some kind of rabid animal. Felix had been right about him. There truly was a boar deep within.

“I was just distracted,” Edelgard said, turning back again to face the archer as she lifted her axe up onto her shoulders. “Shall we go now?”

“Y-yeah, I guess!” Bernadetta said, lifting her bow into the air in celebration as her battalion mimicked her. “We’ll cover you!”

Edelgard nodded, and she rushed into the fray, pushing thoughts of Dimitri aside for now. She led her battalion to support Sylvain and Ingrid, who had already received reinforcements from Ferdinand, Petra, and Shez. Edelgard rushed to assist Ingrid, who had been cornered by three swordsmen. Edelgard took the head off the first man, while Sylvain skewered the second. Ingrid finished off the last man with a jab to his face, killing him in an instant.

“Good to see you, Your Highness!” Sylvain shouted upon seeing Edelgard.

“My apologies, we were held up!” She shouted back, as she dodged out of the way of a lancer. Edelgard repaid him by slamming her axe into his chest, throwing him a foot backwards. From there, Edelgard began to push forward, trusting that her battalion was still behind her. As she pushed deeper into the enemy flank, she heard a crackle of thunder. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Catherine supporting Dimitri, her two-handed sword wielding somehow being more graceful compared to Dimitri’s rabid attacks. Focusing on the battle at hand, Edelgard removed the head of another man, then she slammed her axe head into another man’s thigh, cleaving the leg from the body. Edelgard then noticed that armor knights in the distance. She turned around to face Petra and Ferdinand and she raised her axe into the air.

“Follow me! We must force our way through!” She shouted, as she whirled around on her heels, pushing off her back foot to charge forward. She caved in the head of the first man she encountered, before burying her axe head into the chest of another. Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed Ferdinand impaling a man on his iron lance, while Petra used a steel sword to kill another. Sylvain and Ingrid also had followed Edelgard’s push, and the five of them and their battalions slowly carved through the enemy’s right flank. As they began to converge on the center, Catherine leaped back toward Edelgard’s side.

“Great work, now keep up the pressure!” The holy knight yelled, as she cut down three men with a single swing of her blade.

Suddenly, Edelgard heard the thundering of hooves and cacophony of whinnying that foretold a cavalry charge. She looked towards the middle of the fort where Lonato and his men had begun to charge toward the battle.

“FOR LONATO!” A sudden cry arose from inside the fort, as what remained of Lonato’s forces began to pour out. Lonato himself was leading the charge, stabbing whatever soldiers were unfortunate enough to get in his way. Suddenly, he pulled the reins on his horse, and pointed his lance at Catherine. She snarled at him, raised her blade, and leaped at him. Edelgard watched as Catherine slammed into the ground, sending shockwaves from where her feet touched it. Edelgard could barely keep herself balanced, and nearly everyone nearby stopped fighting to watch Lonato and Catherine fight.

“Well then, Thunderstrike Cassandra,” Lonato said, hissing the words out. “It’s good to see you’re taking this seriously.”

“The name’s Catherine, you slime,” she retorted. “Now, will you roll over like a good dog, or continue to fight against the goddess herself?”

“You are the hound, Thunderstrike!”

“No, I’m her loyal knight. Something you could never understand!”

Lonato laughed at that. “Your loyalty is empty. Tell me, where was your loyalty to Christophe?”

Catherine noticeably recoiled at his words. “I-it vanished, the moment I learned what he was responsible for! Do you really believe he was innocent in Duscur?”

“I do! I was never given any evidence for why he was accused. Were you given any, hound?"

Catherine hesitated for a moment, before smirking at Lonato. “I have Lady Rhea’s word, and her word is enough for me! Now die, heretic!”

With that, Catherine lunged toward, the tip of her sword sailing to skewer Lonato’s horse. Lonato spurred his horse quickly to escape the thrust, before turning and galloping straight back at Catherine. He thrust forward with his lance, but Catherine parried the blow with ease. She then slashed towards Lonato again, and this time her sword carved into his proud steed The beast fell, bringing its rider down with it. Catherine then walked over to the downed horse, the tip of her sword digging against the grass underfoot. Lonato stared up at her from under his horse, his body clearly broken.

“Any last words, sinner?” Catherine asked as she raised her sword.

“My violets…” he choked out, before coughing heavily. “Live long…” Edelgard shut her eyes as she heard the blade fall, ending the life of a proud man. A life that she had a hand in its demise. She would make sure it was worth it.

Notes:

Shout out to my beta, Raxis like always. A fantastic beta who constantly delivers when I need him to.

Sorry for the shorter chapter, could only manage like 2,500 because I simply didn’t have much to say. Next time will be longer.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 15: Plans in the dark

Summary:

Edelgard makes plans that will not be interrupted by anything :)

“Okay, everyone!” Monica said as she looked around at Edelgard, Jeritza, Lysithea, Shez, and Hubert.

The group had gathered around Hubert’s cot to have some “private Black Eagle magic practice”, as Manuela had allowed them private visits due to Hubert’s injury. In a move that surprised everyone, Edelgard had decided to work towards a Dark Knight certification along with her Fortress Knight certification, in order to keep up the illusion . Shez had also decided to study magic, planning upon becoming a Mortal Savant. Edelgard had heard that Mortal Savant wasn’t the best for practical combat, but she supposed if it was good enough for Catherine that it would work wonders for Shez’s fighting style.

“Shall we begin the meeting of Those Who Clash in the Darkness?” Monica asked, using the name Hubert had made for their group.

Jeritza let out a growl. “Must we call ourselves that?”

“Do you have a better idea than Those Who Clash in the Darkness?”

Jeritza opened his mouth, then shut it quickly, groaning under his breath.

“That’s what I thought,” Monica said with a smirk. “Now, let’s start out with the pressing question: how do we get rid of Solon?”

Edelgard had thought long and hard about this, and it was proving to be a very difficult problem. Monica had wanted to reveal that Tomas had been to the one who kidnapped her when she was first rescued, but the group had decided the strategy was too rash. Monica had instead claimed she couldn’t remember who it was, only that it looked like a church official. Rhea then concocted the pathetic story that a brigand had disguised himself as a church official. Edelgard was disgusted but not surprised: Rhea could never see anything wrong with her precious church. There had to be some way to implicate Solon, however. He couldn’t be allowed to remain in the monastery any longer than physically possible.

“I was thinking,” Lysithea started, stroking her chin. “We could have the Death Knight ‘kidnap’ one of us, and then have him say it was on Solon’s orders.”

“Perhaps, but we’d have to t-“ Hubert started, before going into a coughing fit. He reached for a mysterious healing potion using his left hand, and took a deep swig. “Apologies. Allow me to continue. It would take time to set up something like that, and quite frankly I don’t trust the Death Knight not to harm one of us.”

“He is right,” Jeritza said, staring into a corner with a thousand yard stare. “The Death Knight is reckless and difficult to rein in.”

“The DK might also hurt the rescue party, and I think we’d rather not have any more injuries to deal with,” Shez added, slighting grimacing.

“The DK?” Lysithea asked, cocking her head at Shez.

“Yeah, y’know. Death Knight but shorter.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“Yeah, y’all should try shortening names some time. Like just say ‘Twisted’ instead of ‘Those Who Slither in the Dark’.”

“But that doesn’t make sense, It would be abbreviated as TWSITD,” Hubert added, pronouncing each letter separately.

“Yeah, but you’d say it like Twisted,” Shez said.

“I agree with Hubert,” Edelgard said, crossing her arms. “Plus, it’s much more respectful to the work put into naming them to pronounce Those Who Slither in the Dark as a whole phrase.”

“Yes but-“ Lysithea and Shez before started, before Monica banged her hook on the table, like a makeshift gavel.

“It doesn’t matter how we pronounce it, for fucks sake,” muttered Monica. “Can we please just move on?”

“Yes, yes we should,” Edelgard said, slightly blushing. “Apologies.”

“No, it’s fine,” Monica said, resting her head on her hand and hook as she sat down. “Let’s just keep going. For now, we know the Solon front is stalled. What about that other plan you were thinking of, Edelgard? To push Thales out of Enbarr?”

Edelgard thought silently for a second before speaking. “It’s barebones, but it’s more of a plan than I had before. We will need a way into Duke Aegir’s manse, however. If we can’t get in there, any plan we make is doomed to failure.”

“I’ll have a way in within the next three months,” Hubert said before he went into a coughing fit. Shez got up to hand him the medicine that he was drinking beforehand, which seemed to stop the coughing.

“I think I speak for everyone,” Shez said as she sat back down. “Cause I think Hubert shouldn’t do anything while he’s recovering.”

Hubert nearly shot up straight. “My wounds are not as-“

“Hubert,” Edelgard said, eyeing her vassal with sympathy. “You are missing 5 fingers, an ear, a foot, and… other parts. You need to rest while your body heals and adjusts to these changes.”

“But-“

“No buts. Please, rest. That’s an order.”

Hubert crossed his bruised arms, but didn’t complain. A scowl marked his face, his forehead scrunching as it showed off the diagonal scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his right temple. Edelgard wanted to send him home, to tell him it would be alright, that she would ensure it could never happen again. But she couldn’t, and he knew it. And Hubert wasn’t one to easily bend.

“We should discuss this month's goal,” Jeritza muttered.

“I second that,” Lysithea said, turning to Edelgard. “What do you expect to find in Saint Seiros’s coffin?”

“It’s quite simple,” she explained. “I expect to find nothing.”

Shez raised an eyebrow at that. “Nothing? Really? Shouldn’t… you know, Seiros be in there?”

“Yes, nothing”, Edelgard explained. “Our allies’ in the western church expect to find Seiros’s corpse. But as we all know, Seiros still walks among us. I am quite certain that the revelation of there being no corpse in her coffin will cause quite a stir.”

“I don’t get it,” Shez said. “What’s it matter if there’s no corpse or not?”

Edelgard opened her mouth to answer, but the door slowly opened. Ferdinand came in, holding a can of what seemed to be beans.

“I uh,” he said, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. “I see I am interrupting your meeting. I will retur-“

“No, no,” Monica said, a small grin adorning her face. “We were just finishing up. Edelgard, I’ll work on that thing you mentioned, mkay?”

Edelgard nodded, and rose from her chair. “That would be satisfactory. Hubert, please rest, for me.”

Hubert rolled his eyes. “Of course. I will do what I have been doing for days.”

As they cleared out of the room, Ferdinand mumbled something to Monica. She just smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up and a hook up. The small group exited the room, almost running into a clearly panicked Cyril.

“Professor Jeritza, sir!” He said, clearly out of breath. “Lady Rhea needs you and Edelgard right away!”

Ah

So she was going to ask the students to defend against non-existent assassins.

“Well then, it would be rude of us to be late,” Edelgard said to Jeritza, as the two of them began to walk across the hall to Rhea’s chamber.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The meeting went as expected. Rhea tasked all three houses to assist the knights in their protection of Garreg Mach during the Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth. From how tense she sounded, it seemed as if Rhea would be panicking in her tower while the conflict between churches only intensified. The Bishop of the Western Church, Yoder, had officially claimed that the church members helping Lonato had been infidels, but Edelgard knew they were preparing for a full scale battle. The Holy Mausoleum was to be their opening move. It was also going to lead to the Central Church showing their true colors.

Even though relations between the church and Adresdia had cooled considerably over the last century, now that the Southern Church was no more, many of the common folk in the Empire were adherents of the Central Church. But those attacking the mausoleum would be only loosely connected to the Western Church. so if Rhea acted the way Edelgard hoped she would, and made martyrs of the visiting western church officials… Well, that would be a tragedy, wouldn’t it?

The men leading the assault had already pledged their loyalty to the cause of fighting the tyranny of the Central Church. Edelgard, as the Flame Emperor, had personally met with Yoder to ensure no man fought unless he was truly committed. It still gave her chills to order men to their doom, but she had steeled her resolve. She would make sure that their sacrifices meant something.

She pushed those thoughts aside as she stepped into the cafeteria, grabbing a plate of roast beef and walking across the room to sit next to Dorothea. The Songstress was deep in a conversation with Ingrid and Leonie. The blonde knight held a letter in her hands, and Dorothea was angrily ranting about something.

“Yeah, he sounds like bad news,” Leonie said as Edelgard walked up.

“Would you mind if I sat with you girls?” Edelgard asked. They turned to look at Edelgard, Dorothea smiling warmly.

“Of course, Edie. How’d your magic practice go?” She asked, though Edelgard could see her tightly clenched her fists.

“It went well, Dorothea. Is something wrong?” asked Edelgard.

“Yes, yes there is. Can you help me convince Ingrid not to marry a man soaked in blood?”

Edelgard blinked. “What?”

Ingrid groaned, and looked at Edelgard. “I don’t suppose you’d like to hear the context?”

“Yes, I would,” Edelgard said as she sat down.

Ingrid sighed, and handed Edelgard a rolled up piece of parchment. Edelgard unfurled it, revealing a stern letter from Ingrid’s father.

Dear Daughter,

As I am writing to you, Lord Shamchant of Erebus has offered quite a considerable dowry for your hand in marriage. I urge you to consider this proposal. The dowry he has offered us could almost single-handedly support our territory long enough for us to return to our feet. I urge you to think of the needs of your family first when you consider this arrangement.

Please, write back when you have the chance.

Your father, who loves you.

“Ah, I see,” Edelgard said, handing the letter back to Ingrid. “Am I correct in assuming Dorothea knows this Lord”- she quickly re-checked the letter -“Shamchant?”

Dorothea nodded her head fervently. “Yup. Before he became the lord of Erebus, he was a merchant who traveled all around Fodlan. Tried to court me during my opera days. When I refused, I got jumped by some of his goons the next day. I might not be here today if it wasn’t for Nop.”

Ingrid cocked her head at that. “Nop?”

“Yup, that was her name. Small girl with greenish hair. She saw the men cornering me, and managed to beat ‘em back with a weird rock she’d fou-“

Leonie cut her off. “Dorothea, stay on topic!”

Dorothea smacked her head with the palm of her hand. “Goddessdamnit, Ingrid! Quit getting me going!”

There was a small snicker from behind Dorothea. Edelgard looked up to see Sylvain, with a sly smile on his head.

“Does she now, Dorothea?” He asked, a small smile on his face.

Ingrid stood up and smacked the back of Sylvains head. “Damnit, Sylvain! Dorothea didn’t mean it like that, and we were talking about another one of father’s marriage proposals for me before you so rud-“

“Oh shit,” Sylvain said, the cocky grin disappearing from his face. “Who’s it this time? Do I need to get Felix again?”

Edelgard was surprised at how quickly Sylvain went from messing around to stone-face serious. Leonie and Dorothea seemed just as shocked.

“It’s Lord Shamchant of Erebus,” Ingrid said. “Dorothea just told me that all of his money came from shady deals.”

Sylvain cringed at that. “Yeah, I’ve heard the same. Apparently he bribed and threatened his way into his position, but good ‘ol Rufus dismissed all the claims against him. I wouldn’t trust him one bit.”

“Rufus?” Leonie asked. “Who’s that?”

“He’s the current regent of Faerghus,” Sylvain explained. “And even more of a philanderer then me.”

“Bullshit.”

“Nope. Being completely honest.”

“Yeah, right,” Leonie said, smirking. “You’ve flirted with every damn girl in this monastery other than me.”

“Would you want that to change?” Sylvain said, bending over and getting close to her face. Leonie said nothing, but she did grab her knife and quite violently cut a piece of meat for herself, which seemed to get the point across.

“Back to the point at hand,” Sylvain continued. “The guy sounds no good. Last he was seen, he was doing something in Ailell. Your father hasn’t heard any of this?”

“It would seem he hasn’t. I also asked Dimitri about him earlier and he hadn’t heard any of this,” Ingrid nervously said. “But, the money he’s offering might outweigh the risk, whether the rumors are true or not….”

“Ingrid, no!” Dorothea exclaimed, stomping her foot down. “This man will hurt you, and I’m not going to let it happen to my friend!”

“Maybe we could look into his business?” Leonie suggested. “We could try to ask a teacher to get permission from Seteth to investigate.”

“That’s absu-“ Ingrid said, before Dorothea held a finger up.

“Nope! It’s not. In fact, it’s a lovely idea, Leonie. I’ll ask Professor Hyrm next time we have homeroom.”

“I agree with Leonie,” Edelgard said. “If this man is truly who we think he is…”

“If y’all are going, so am I,” Sylvain said, looking at Ingrid with a concerned expression.

Ingrid threw her hands up in frustration. “Fine, fine. But if these rumors are just rumors…”

“They won’t be,” Dorothea said with a wink. “No one’s going to hurt my Ingy!”

“Your Ingy?” Sylvain asked, flashing a grin

Dorothea slightly blushed. “Y-yup. It’s a new nickname I wanted to try out.” She turned to Ingrid. “So, you like it?”

Ingrid thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I think I do. It has a nice ring to it.”

“Just what I was thinking!”

Their conversation was brought to an abrupt halt by the sound of the Garreg Mach bells. As the students began to stand up from their seats, Seteth walked to the front of the dinning hall.

“Attention, students!” He announced, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Please return to your house classrooms instead of your classes to receive this month's assignment. Do so in a timely manner!”

Interesting. They were truly terrified of the assassination attempt. This was excellent, as it meant that the tomb of Seiros would be completely unguarded. Edelgard could have skipped for joy at how easy Rhea was making her plans.

“Care to walk back with me, Edie?” Dorothea offered, smiling at the white-haired princess.

“I’d enjoy that,” she responded, as the two of them walked back to the Black Eagle classroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Black Eagles weren’t in absolute chaos for once as Edelgard and Dorothea entered the classroom.. Monica and Byleth were playing a game of Water Sigil that seemed to be to Byleth’s advantage. Meanwhile, Shez and Caspar were having an arm-wrestling contest, which Lysithea was watching very respectfully. Bernadetta was talking to Petra rather than hiding behind something, and Linhardt was asleep at his desk. Strangely, however, Ferdinand was slumped over at his desk, his face buried in his arms.

Dorothea looked over at him with a confused look. “What’s eating Ferdie?”

“I don’t know,” Edelgard replied. “But as house leader, I should probably check up on him.”

Dorothea nodded, walking over to spectate the Monica-Byleth game. Edelgard then walked over to Ferdinand, and sat in front of his desk. “Ferdinand, is something wrong?”

The ginger noble raised his head to look at Edelgard, then shook it. “No, I’m just tired.”

“Ferdinand… Please don’t lie to me. I can tell something that has you upset.”

Ferdinand locked eyes with Edelgard for a moment, then buried his head in his arms again. “…as supposed to be with Hubert,” he mumbled.

“Pardon?”

“I was… supposed to be with Hubert on patrol when he was attacked by the Western Church… instead I was in the infirmary, helping Mercedes.”

“Ferdinand… you were saving lives, and I highly doubt you could have helped Hubert. In fact, I worry that both of you would have ended up in the infirmary.”

“But I could have-“

She shushed him. “‘It is unhealthy and unhelpful to think like that, Ferdinand. When Shez and I fought the ones who attacked Hubert, we barely managed to win, and that was with the help of Lysithea and Monica catching their beast of a leader by surprise. Trust me when I say I am glad only one of my classmates was maimed that day.”

Ferdinand looked back up at her. “I still feel as if I should share in his injuries, as punishment for-“

“You will do no such thing,” Edelgard responded. “You do not need to punish yourself for something that is not your fault. Instead, you should show your gratitude for him by ensuring no one in this class is injured again.”

“But how can I?” He responded, tears beginning to form in his eyes. “If I could not protect one of us, how can I protect us all?”

“Continue training, Ferdinand. Dedicate yourself, mind and body, to becoming as strong a man, and as skilled a leader as you can. Work as hard as you can, until you can protect all that you care for. I’m sure that as long as you do that, you will be able to help whoever you wish.”

Ferdinand blinked at her, then began to rub his eyes. “I will… I will do my best, then. Thank you, Edelgard.”

Edelgard shook her head. “No thanks necessary. I am simply doing my job.”

From there, Edelgard walked over to the ongoing Water Sigil game, patiently waiting for Jeritza to arrive. The map that Monica and Byleth had chosen was a starter map, a grassland with a single river and two forts. Monica had chosen to set up a defensive position in the fort left of the river, using ten Gremories and five Fortress Knights to defend. She had also set up five Wyvern Lords across the river, slowly moving them towards the fort on each turn Meanwhile, Byleth was slowly encircling the fort with about fifteen Paladins, with five Bow Knights taking pot shots at Monica’s defensive position. Lysithea, Shez, and Caspar were all watching now, and Edelgard sat next to Lysithea.

“How are you, Edelgard?” the white-haired girl asked as Edelgard sat down.

“Good. How’s the match?”

Lysithea leaned in, whispering in Edelgard’s right ear. “Byleth hasn’t reacted to Monica’s Wyverns for a few turns. I can’t tell if she’s baiting them in, or if she truly hasn’t noticed.”

“Knowing Byleth, she is probably baiting them in,” Edelgard whispered back.

By this point, Petra and Ferdinand had also come to watch, with Bernadetta hiding behind Petra. Byleth used her Paladins to crash into the wall of Fortress Knights, landing a few lucky rolls and taking down three of them. She then moved her Bow Knights into a line behind her Paladins, launching a volley into the gremories. 4 of them went down, which ended Byleth’s turn. Monica then slowly crept her Wyverns forward, clearly aiming to barrel them into Byleth’s line. If Byleth noticed, she didn’t show it. From there, Monica launched 3 meteors from her gremories, taking down five paladins and two bow knights. She then ended her turn, which was her first mistake. Her second was letting Byleth fool her.

“Hey Monica,” Edelgard’s newest retainer said.

“Yes?” Edelgard’s second oldest retainer asked.

“Good game.”

“Huh?”

Byleth took her Paladins in her right hand, and rolled the dice with her left. All of her attacks missed.

“You were saying?” Monica said, smirking.

——————————————————————

Ơ̷̖̙̝̜̯̼̱̥͕̫͓̈̍͑͝h̸̩̖̲̮̔̈́́̍̃̎̅̄̈́͋̽̀͗͘͠ ̸̡̡̛͇̤̰͚̞̠̩͕̳̲̂ͅÿ̵̰̜̮̹͂̏̈̈́̆̑̈́͑̑͂̂̚̕͠ͅo̷̘̖̖̯̽̓̓̅̀͂u̶̢͉͕̰̼̎͂̀͛́̓͝’̷̨̳̫̣̟̖͍̣̀̃̇͋͛̉͗̕͘ŗ̸̜̭̮̈̈́̈͐̐́̍̃͐͜ȩ̵̨̱̜̻̟̼̤̀͆͊͛̂̃̐͒͋͛̈́͗͊͠ ̸̝͂̃̓̀̅͝͠͝k̶̢̛̤̙̗̭͙̻͔͔̈́̌̀̒̓̈́̒̉̐̔͜i̸̪̞̞͚̯̪̦̳͕͕̪̘̔̑ͅd̷̢̬̣͗͋͋̀͠d̵̩̠̗͕̀̌î̶̫͕̥̟̟̣̤́̌̎͌͑̅̈́̾̊͊͆̀ņ̶̡̞̮̳̦̹̱͒ͅḡ̶̡̛͖͕̻̦͇̳̼͓̱͑ͅͅ ̶̻̭̠̈́̀m̶̳̃̀͊̃̋̈́̂̈́̎͠e̸̱̹̯̣̝̬̤̼̦̠̞̪͙̍̊̿̒̀̔̾̍̔̋͠͝.̶̡̧̭̲̩͖̩͎̠͈͓̭̲͙̀̅̇̍͌̍̊͑̾̇̉̈́͋͘͝ ̸̻́̑̓͠R̴̨̘̳̜̤̗̙̠̼̦̓̓̌̽̎̓́́͘̚͜͠͝ę̴̡̡̛̱͍͍̖̳͚̝̤̜̺̰̤͗́̅̍̀̚̚͠à̷̫͎͖͔͍͎͙̮͙̮̳̬͉̲͎̈́̍̀̾l̶̡͍̗̖͇̼̰̳̦̓͜l̸̖̝͔̖̼̝̠̬̂̀͝y̸͍̖͙̳̖͙͚̫͈͕̦͚̾̓͆̅̈́̓̋͛̓͊̕ͅͅ?̴̳̟̟͔̬̻̘̳̦͔̙̜̩̘̎͆͌̂ ̷̧̙͕̱̭̮̩̪̘̦͚̝̇̍̽͑ͅ

 

Nope. I wanna show off. Plus, if I’m going to be Edel’s retainer, I need to use every advantage to gain her trust.

 

I̷̪̗͉͙͍̭̻̼̻͖͈͆̿̌̅̽̅̿̾͠s̵̡̧̧̛̜̠̲̭̞̺̳͈̲̜̞̤̭̻̹̒̃͑̈́̋̎̀̾̍̑̈́̽̆̉̏̇́ ̷̙̣̰̺̮̭͈̻͍̰͔̝͓̲̞̝̳͍̙̀̌̏́́͊͊̐̔̑̾͗͆̇̈̌͗̈̏͠͝ͅͅţ̴̨̪̪͙͔͑͑̓͐͒̀́̏̈́̚̕͝h̷̢̠̝̫͖̯̱̬̬̞͉͖̝͎̓͋̾̍͆͐̚̚͝ę̵̢̢̛̛̺̼̻̭̮̳̦̘̫̠͖̯̞̂̀͌͂̒́̏̇̑̈́̚͘͜͝ ̸̧̨̪͓̞͉͙̺̦̦̰͐̽ͅb̵͎̰̬̲̝̣͛̽͆̉̀̃̃͂̑͒̈́̿̐́̚͘̕͘͝͝͠͝ͅe̸̛̛̯̘̘͉̣̭̥̰̱̞̠̳̺̦̝̙͋̐͗͋͋̈̽͆͗̃̇͘̕͜͠ͅš̴̨̧̛̙̤̪̠̜̪̼̖͈͙͕̪̤̞̤̦͉̑̿̉͘̚ţ̷̛̦̪̰̼͚͕͇͕͔̠̠̮̹̫͈̼̀̑̈́̇͛̽̓͜͜ ̸̧̡̞̮͓̭͉̩̩̫̜̹̹̪̖͎͙̮̃̍̔̒̏̏̐̏̇͒̎͘͝w̵̨̧̘͔͍̙͍̩̱̦͍̹̌̾̈́̾̔̈́́̓̅͒̃̈́́̑͛́̚͝ã̵̬̣͚̲̲̈́́̈̌̑͋̾͛̕y̵̢̡̢̡̮͕̩͙̳̘̼͓̜̩̜̦̙̖̦͐̊̍̈́̏͛̚͘͝͝͝ͅ ̵̧̡̡̛̛̫̼̦̭̹̣̱̺̟̥̰̞͖̻͕͖́̀͌͆͋͌̓͂̑̏̃̒̈́̽̓̓̌̾t̴̡͇̘̬͇̱̦̰̻̝̖͙͙͂̅͒̑͐͐͐͒̓̄͘͜͠ͅͅͅơ̵͖̰̱̬̮͈͇̣̣͚̥̰̈̀̍͑̾̑͒̇͛͒̍́͛̉͗̓͒̐͘͠͝ ̸̬̩̬̖̯̖̯̓̑͐̑͊̓͊͒̍̍̔͗͊͒̍͋̈̒̎̿̕͠s̶̰̓͊̿̎̓̓̀͗͆̍̇̉̊̆̓͋̐̚h̸̛͈̯̪̼̼̳̬͍̘͒͌͛̈͊̑̈̆͘ͅơ̴̡̦̼̳͆͒̉́́͛̌̍͋̄͂̑̎̉͆̚̕͠͝͠w̵̧̡͈͓̱͙̦̗̫̞̟̻͖̙̟͍̻̄̏̒̈́̀̂̉̊͛̂̈́̏̍̍͘ ̴̧̛̹̰̦͔̲̟͍͈͍̳̣̥͇̩͗͂́̓̿̈́́̍̓̅̿͆̾̉̚͝͝ơ̶̧̢̠̬̜̣̲̖̩̣͓̟̺̘̩̰̩̳̮͑ͅf̵͈̫̥̻̭̖́́̉̄́̆̊͐̈́͊̀̿͛̋̈́̈́͊͜͝͝f̸̧̹͙͓͍̳̭͍̤̳̱̮͔̠̊̈́͆͆̃͗́̿̀́̃͜͝͠ͅͅ ̷̙̱̘͇̝͕͍͌̋͆́̆̕͠ř̷̡̮͍̞̜̗̾̐͆͐̑͝ë̸̮̫̫̠͚̖̰̟͓̟͎̬̫͛̍̈́͛́̌́̏̈́͘͠ͅͅa̴̩͖̺͙̠͈̺̰͉͖̬͍̯̒̀̐̀̒̈́͊̓̀̈̔͐̊ļ̷͈̰̪̲̦̞̱̺̯̖̣͎̝̬͖̘̳̳͋̇̃̎̂̈̎͐̉͗̌͒͋͌̔̈́̓͊̈͐͝ͅḻ̵̡̧̢̺̲̯̖̟͈̈̏͌̓̈́̔̊̊̀̏̿̂̏̎͘y̴̧̤͇̟̠̜̜̓̉́̀̓́̎ ̵̢̛̛̭̩͈̳̠̟̫͎̱̳̪̾̾͂̀͌̅͘̕͝ͅͅw̶̢̛͓̼̤͉͑̆̏̄̀̂̽͑i̵̗͊̊̊̀̍̈́̈́͆͛̓͋̅͊̐̅̅͆̿̚͘͠͝ņ̴̺̻̬͇̞̰̻̯̣̥͙̤̤̼͗̋̆͂͑́̅͜ͅṇ̵̛̛̛͆̋̅̈̀̈́͐̍̅̉̊͐̅̅̈́̓̇͋̉i̵̯̫̪̯͓̫̳̮̞̳̦̻̪̣͇̍̾̾̐̃̐̇̾̆̌̄̀̀͋͠n̶̡̡͈̳̮͈̪͕͎͓̲͓̮͉̖̝͎̖̜̱͔̅̉͐͆͒͐̊̒̈́ͅģ̸̧̛̙͇̖̤͚̭̦̣̲̯̥͔͍̭̞̻̠̘̜̪̓̀́̏ ̶̧͓̳͓͚̳͙͒̎̓̀͊̍̃͛̄͂̀̑ͅį̴̙͓͓̣̞̫̠̜̤̺̍̀̄̅̇͑̑̇͝ņ̴̧̲̩͉̼͉̫̓̽̈́̃̃̆̌̾̓̈́̂̐́̚̚̚͝͝ͅ ̵͙͈̙̪͓͓̝̼̊̒̊̀̑͌̈́́́̍̽͌̿͒͗̄̏͘͝ͅâ̶̡̼̤̹̘̺̟͎͕̻̮͐̂̄́̈́͋͗̿͆̌̾͂͗̋͂̆̚͠͝͠ͅ ̵̧̉͗͂͆̈̂͒̎̏̇ģ̶̡̙̹̞̩͕͉̪̬̞̬͑̋͆͌̒͛͠͠a̶̙̱̪̲̣͍̮̤̞͈̖̒̉͑̿͗̍͌̀͝͠͠͝͝m̵̙̀̒̄̆̉̿̒̐̎͐̽͗̄̑̓͆̅̍͐e̶͈̹̰͖̠͉̩̹̳̣͍̯̭͉͉͈̲̐͛͊̈́́́͋̎̚̚̕?̷̡̯̭̖̪̫̮̾́͂̿̒͋͆̀̑̒̔̓̿͘͜͝

 

I mean, yeah. It’s a strategy game. Now lemme do this. Pleeeeeease.

 

F̴̧̡̢̧̡̣̘̮̲̜̤͓̖̤̜̝̀͗̂͊̓̂̈́̕͜i̶̡̺̰̬̟͉̝̱͚͌̒̓̾̀̾͆̅̍̋̀̇̚n̶̨̡̤̫̤̤͙̬̣̺͈̦͚͚̞̹̦̩̻̱͆̄̽̍̾̂̎͒̃̿̎̿̓͂̊̚̕͘͝͠ę̵͎̅̂̍̈͒͆͗̋̔̄̊̀̒̕͝,̷̨̧̨̫͈̟̬͓̪̾̂͛̈̀̐̔̈́̓̉̏͐̚̚ͅ ̴̺̫̗̟͉̘͖̰͆̈̀̅̿̒͌̔͂̿͆̆͛͠f̵̟̥͈̮͓̘̦͔̫̯͖͇̱̪̱̫̌̾̅͘ȉ̷̢̻̗̖͕̻͕̯͖̺͈̮̞̔̆̉̀͝ͅņ̶̨̧̛̘̺̬̙̝̣͕͚̥͈̣̞̺̙͕̲̦͈̮͛̋̉̓̂̒͐̊̎̔̐́̊͒̕̚̕͠͝e̴̡̥̝̳̪̼̳̯̦̥͓̙̗̘̤̥̠̝̲̦͊̊̅̇́͆̅̂̂̽̐̾̀̒̈́̓͗̂͘̕͜͠.̵̛̦̫̲͕́͑́̾͂̌̒͋̈́͐͛͋̾̐̓̚͝ ̶̨̨̖̖̤͙̯͔̠̣̭̜̙͚̖̫͔͉͈̟̑͐̍͆͜B̵̧̧̹̖̪͇̻͖̻̬͖̯̗̣͖̰̬̗̉̿ų̴̝̭̫̞͖͔̣̾̇̆t̷̢̢̡̢̡̺̗̳̳͍̣͎͍̪͔͎͇̝̼̓̽ ̷͓̱̝̙̑̈̍̀͌͌͋̑̈́̈́̓̌̀͝͝y̴̺̱̱̪̦͖̮͍̹͈̟̞̣͈͑̐̏̐͑̾͂́̾̋̈̓̽͛͂̊͛͠ơ̵̢̧̧̢̧̭̥̩͖͙̩̝̬̬̤͈̝̥͇̟̍͒̀́̎̽̌̿̂͂̅͐͘̚͘̚ṵ̷͖̭̤͈̝̤̣̋͆̃͗͋̈́̆̂̇̒͋̀̐͑̕ ̸̢̢̖̮̰͍̲̯̲̪̇̈̄͗̈͂b̵̲͒͐̍͒̋̊̉̂̉̚̕̚͝͠ė̷̜̽̎̉͒͋̊̿̕͘͝t̴̛̮̼̘̳̼́̈́͐̿̑̏̿̒̆̕t̷̛̞̱͙͍̭̙͙͉̂̌͑̉̏͐̊̊̿̚͜ȩ̸̺͈̩̜̲̭͖̯̦̹͙͇͇̬̍̄̋̐͒̽͜͜͝r̶͎̼͚̞͔̳̝̲̱̅͝ ̴̠̤̹̗̖͍̪̹̝̔͑͛̾̂͗͌̕ͅn̸̰̹̗͓͒̌̂̂͗o̵̧̢̤̖̥̱̦̞̽͐̅̆͗̌̿t̷͎̞̻̫̪̘͔̱͂͂̓̕͜ ̴̧͍͉̞̤̉̀̽͊͂̈́m̵̮̾̀̾̒͆́̃͐̏̃͛͊͗̅̂̒̔e̶̮͊s̷̡̛̝̪͓͈̗̬͖̰͉̈̋̏͌̂̇̿̋̑͠͠͝ͅs̶̖͕͉̳̟̲̼̦̺̆̌̋́̌͑̋̆͑̾̿̈́͌́͋̅̅͗͝͝ ̵̧͓̲͚̹̫͐̆͗̓͂͆̔͊͂̊̿͌̄́̎̽͐͗̕͠͝i̴̧̨̪͎̭̝̖̳̟̗̣̝̩̗̩̤̭̻͈͈̾́̍́͆̓̒͜t̶̡̨͇̻̞͚̫̩̤͚̗̠̭̘͓̭̹̜̾̿̿͝ͅ ̵̡̮̼͈͔͓̜͈͔̟̘͙̣͛̽͊̔͆͆̓͗͑̈́̒͊̍̓̀̾͛̚̕͠͠ͅṵ̵̢͈͚̮̫͇͈̤͚̪̓ͅp̵̢̺̪̖͕̉ͅ ̶̢̢̧̡̘̤̱̩͚̺͚̜̺͓͉͇̰̓̓͒̒͌̏̍̅͐̌̑́͒̍̈́̓̿̅̐͐͝a̵̡̻̺̖̯̺̪̩̟̯̹̜̜̯̟̟̔̿̾͑͑ǵ̸̡̨̧̰̮̼͍̙͙̗̫̩͈̜͆̊̔̅͗͑̓̉̂̓̾̌̂͂͛̿̽̀̓̏̚͜ͅą̸̨̜̭̝̬͔͙͚̥̣͚̰̼̥̩̬̏̒̈́̈́͗̈́̏̔̂̉̿̒̒͐̂͜͝i̸̝̳̭͍̻̬̘͙̤̪͔̖͖̥̺͙̐̒̉̽̂͋̒͊̄̅̀̈̅͆̇̈́̈̍̚͠n̸̛͇̣͉̰͕̠̫̽̐̀̓̇̃̈̂͋͐͋͗̌͘̕̕͘͠͝͠.̵̤̫̭̜̐̂̄̅̐̈́̕̕

 

It’s a dice roll. I could have like a 92% chance and still mess it up. But I’ve got a good feeling

——————————————————————

 

“Hey Monica,” Edelgard’s newest retainer said.

“Yes?” Edelgard’s second oldest retainer asked.

“You messed up a little.”

“Huh?”

Byleth took half Paladins in her left hand, and rolled the dice with her right. Seven of the eight attacks landed, which was more than enough for the Paladins to eviscerate the Wyverns that Monica was relying on. From there, she took her remaining Bow Knights and volley fired into the Gremories, wiping them off the map with even more lucky rolls. She then used her remaining Paladins to kill the rest of the Fortress Knights, leaving only two alive.

Monica’s eyes widened as she looked at her remaining forces. “Y-you’re a lucky bastard, aren’t you…”

Byleth grinned and nodded her head. “Yeah, I am.”

The two shook hands as Jeritza opened the door, marching over to his desk.

“Everyone, sit,” he commanded, watching as the Black Eagles did as he he said. As they all sat down, Edelgard noticed a small bowl in Jeritza’s hand. He sat down, took a small scope of whatever he was eating out of the bowl, swallowed it, then stood up again.

“Our task this month will be to prevent the archbishop’s assassination. We will be guarding the Goddess Tower during the Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth.”

This caused quite the uproar among Edelgard’s fellow classmates. Caspar and Ferdinand shot straight up in shock, Dorothea covered her mouth in shock, Bernadetta seemed ready to faint, and Byleth-

Byleth just didn’t look surprised at all. She seemed calm and calculating. Edelgard expected Shez, Lysithea, and Monica to receive the news better than the others, but Byleth? This should have shocked her.

“Is it the Western Church again?” Ferdinand said, viscerally spitting as he said “church”. “We’ll end those dastards!”

“Yeah, you said it, Ferdinand!” Caspar exclaimed. “We gotta stop them from killing Lady Rhea!”

“I don’t think Lady Rhea is the real target,” Byleth suddenly said.

Edelgard, panicking, knew she had to keep up appearances. “Y-yes, I’ve had some suspicions as well…”

Monica and Lysithea looked at Edelgard in shock, but Shez spoke up, “I was also thinking… the monastery’s is one of the most fortified places on the continent. And with all the extra security around Lady Rhea, why would they go after her now of all times?”

Byleth nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. I believe their objective must be some other location in the monastery.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Ferdinand said, his interest peaked. “I say we all search the monastery then! Surely we could figure out their real aim!”

Jeritza, visibly a bit taken aback, spoke. “We had better search carefully,then. We cannot chase after shadows during a threat as serious as this.”

“What about this upcoming Sunday?” Caspar asked. “We can use our free time to look for some proof.”

Dorothea bit her lip. “About that…”

“Dorothea, this is a massive threat!” Ferdinand said. “We cannot waste any time.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But Edie and I were planning on helping Ingrid with some family issues.” She pivoted and looked at Jeritza. “Could you ask permission for our class along with some students from the other classes to do a training exercise in Ailell this weekend?”

Jeritza thought for a second, then looked at Edelgard. She nodded.

“Very well,” he said. “Tell me the other students' names. We will leave tomorrow. This better not be a waste of our time.”

“It won’t be professor, I promise!” Dorothea said, winking at the stalwart professor. He didn’t even blink.

Jeritza asked Dorothea a few more questions which Edelgard ignored. Byleth deducing the truth behind the phantom assassination attempt hadn’t been part of the plan: If the Black Eagles found the Holy Maesolum while the men from the Western Church were attacking it, everything would fall apart. And even worse, since the Death Knight was going to aid in the attack, one of her fellow classmates could be killed. Everything was-

Unless…

She’d have to betray her allies in the Western Church, but she could still achieve the same effect if the tomb was opened. All she had to do was make sure they got through the Western Church forces without error.

Notes:

Hi guys! I’m back, after a 2 week hiatus. Don’t worry, nothing bad happened. I just decided to move posts to every 2 weeks. Turns out it’s much easier to write 4-5K words and have them be edited within 2 weeks!

Anyways, shout out to my beta Raxis as always. Have you read On Black Wings yet? No? Then why are you still here? Go read it?

Also, I’ve discovered a fantastic Huberine fic called The Marquisate's Gambit! It’s very nice and cuddly, for all you Huberine enjoyers like me! Here it is! https://archiveofourown.org/works/42381438/chapters/107659296#workskin Go read it! Idk if my fic will have Huberine, but it is a possibility!

Last but not least, thanks for reading. I never thought I’d reach over 5,000 hits or get 100 Kudos! It’s such an honor to know so many people like what I make! Thank you so, so much!

Next time, the gang goes to hell!

Chapter 16: Shadow of the Valley

Summary:

A trip to Aillel goes about as well as a trip to hell could go

“Wow, it’s hot as the eternal flames out here,” Sylvain complained as the group walked through Ailell.

“Back in my village, some said Ailell was damnation itself,” Leonie responded, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. “Some even said you could hear the damned spirits on a quiet night.”

“R-really?” Lysithea asked.

“I don’t believe in spirits, so it was probably just a story to spook kids,” Leonie said, as Lysithea breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Still..” Monica. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this place actually was the flames…”

“Yeah, it definitely feels like it,” Shez replied.

“Can we focus on the task at hand?” Edelgard asked, using her cape as a makeshift sweat rag. “The more we complain, the less we get done.”

Jeritza had gotten permission from Seteth to take the Eagles on a “practical training exercise” the day earlier, and the students had been traveling by way of a carriage escorted by some of the knights since about evening yesterday. After one break, they’d almost arrived at their destination around the middle of the afternoon. Edelgard had gotten Monica to investigate Lord Shamchant, and had learned that his dirty business did in fact exist. From what she could gather, much of his fortune had come from hiring bandits to raid the territory he now owned, eventually gaining enough plunder and money from legitimate means to buy favors from the current Regent of Faerghus, Rufus.

But that was a paper trail that Monica could barely connect with the limited time she had. Hubert might have been able to dig up more information through his criminal contacts, but Monica relied on a place called ‘Abyss’, wherever that may be. In any case, this turn of events gave Edelgard the opportunity to not only help out a fellow student, but to also begin her fight against corruption before it truly began. If they couldn’t find anything, hopefully they’d be heading back in a few hours. If they did… it could be much longer.

“How long until we need to be back again?” Monica asked as she anxiously twisted her hair around her finger. “I don’t want us to be gone for too long.”

“Oh relax, Monica,” Sylvain said. “We’ve got until tomorrow! Heck, I bet we’ll be out here a few ho-“

“Shhh, guys!” Leonie whispered, pointing towards something strange up ahead. It seemed that in the middle of the hellish land that was Ailell, someone had set up a camp.

“What in blazes,” Ferdinand murmured, staring at the small collection of tents.

“Be silent,” Jeritza said as he walked up to the group. “Or do you want them to know we are here?”

A bandit camp lay in front of their path. The others had been the plan was just to hold war games with some Galatean knights, but Edelgard and Dorothea knew better. Now it was time to begin putting corruption to the sword.

“Perhaps we should scout them out?” Edelgard suggested, as she turned to Jeritza.

“Yes, we should,” he curtly replied.

“I would be doing the scouting, if needed,” Petra said, as she walked up to the pair.

“Very well. You may begin.”

Petra nodded, dropping her steel axe and steel sword. She grabbed her bow off her back, and ran off towards the camp, using what little cover she had to hide herself.

Meanwhile, the rest of the students sat down. It had been a long walk out there, and it would be a longer walk back to where their escort was waiting. Edelgard was about to sit down next to Dorothea, Ingrid, and Leonie, but then saw Bernadetta off all by herself. She walked over to the purple-haired archer, noticing that she looked more panicked than usual than normal.

“Bernadetta?” Edelgard asked, sitting down next to the poor girl. “Is something amiss?”

“Y-yeah, there is!” She responded, crossing her arms and pouting. “Bernie’s in a hot, sweaty place where she can die at any time! And Petra, who’s been being nice to me, has gone all by herself! What if she gets hurt? What if something happens? What if the bandits kill h-“

Edelgard put a comforting hand on Bernafetta’s shoulder. “Bernadetta. She’ll be fine. And I promise, you won’t die out here. I won’t allow it.”

Bernadetta looked up at Edelgard. “A-are you sure?”

Edelgard nodded, and Bernadetta seemed a bit more relaxed. Then she bolted straight up.

“I forgot to lock my room door!” She said, starting to panic and drawing the eyes of the rest of the group. She dropped to the ground and opened her bag, beginning to toss items out of it and onto the burnt dirt.

“Why would your room be unlo-“ Edelgard started, then paused. “Was that where you’ve been keeping Theo?”

Bernadetta nodded slowly, finding her room key at the bottom of her bag. “Aaagh! Stupid Bernie, alwaysbeingastupidfuckuppieceofshit-“

“Woah, hey now,” a voice said from behind the pair. Edelgard looked up to see Sylvain, as he knelt down next to Bernadetta. “A cute girl like you shouldn’t be saying that about yourself.”

“Sylvain-“ Ingrid groaned, but Sylvain held up a hand, turning back to look at her.

“Hey, this time I’m being serious,” he explained. “I just wanna help.”

He turned back to Bernadetta. “You’re not a stupid fuck up at all. I promise.”

“Y-you do?” She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Yes, I do. In fact, I know you’re not a fuck up. Remember when I read you-“

“AAAAAAAH!” She suddenly screeched, pushing Sylvain onto the ground. “Into the flames with you! Your words can’t hurt Bernie if you go into the flames!”

“Bernie, I’m not-”

“N-no, stay away! You’re gonna t-tie me up j-just like father!”

Sylvain visibly recoiled. “Yo-your dad does what?”

Bernadetta then broke into tears, her words becoming gibberish. Dorothea came over and gave the poor girl a hug, and Edelgard looked at the Varley heiress. Her abuse was inhumane, as was the abuse of everyone else in Varley manor. Judging from some of the reports Edelgard had read, Count Varley was a vicious brute of a man who had his servants and family beaten for the smallest mistakes. Edelgard yearned to pull out the root of the corruption poisoning her homeland as soon as possible, but she knew that was still years away.

Or maybe…

She pushed that thought away from now, noticing that Petra had returned. Edelgard walked over to her, as the Brigidian Princess, as she conversed with Ingrid and Jeritza.

“Good news, I’m hoping?” Edelgard asked as she walked up.

“The camp is being completely empty,” Petra reported.

“Excellent,” Jeritza said. “Then we shall slip in unnoticed, and find evidence of this worms foul deeds.”

“Or this is a coincidence, and my family doesn’t go hungry this winter,” Ingrid mumbled, although she was seeming less and less convinced.

“We move in, now,” Jeritza said, as he dug his heels into his horse.

“P-professor?” Ingrid asked, alarmed, but she was too late. He galloped into the camp, leaving the students to run after him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The camp was completely empty, just as Petra had described. However, its size alarmed Edelgard. It was almost as large as a small war camp, with plenty of tents surrounding a central command tent. There was even a small kitchen area, which seemed to have been used just recently, judging by the tables that had plates with half eaten food.

“This is eerie…” Lysithea whispered to Edelgard, as they searched through an empty tent. There was barely anything inside aside from two bedrolls. Still, Jeritza wanted to try and find someone here to explain what was going on. This was the second tent the ‘sisters’ had checked, and there was still no one there.

“Yes, and it is quite unsettling,” Edelgard agreed.

“You think… that they could all be dead? And g-ghosts?”

Edelgard turned to the small girl, smiling. “Don’t you remember the half eaten food? If anything, they are simply not home. And there’s no such thing as ghosts, remember?”

Lysithea nodded. “R-right. It’s just… what if they were?”

“I think I would have seen some by now,” a new voice said, scaring the two white haired women. Byleth had entered the tent, sporting a small, sad frown

“G-goddess, Byleth!” Lysithea said, crossing her arms. “You scared the shit out of me!”

“Oh, sorry,” Byleth said, her frown deepening. “Just wanted to join your conversation.”

“It’s alright, Byleth,” Edelgard said, trying to smile at the girl. “It was an honest mistake. But what do you mean?”

“About what?”

“About the ghosts.”

“Oh.” Byleth’s frown deepened. “I just… think by now, I would have seen some ghosts of the people I killed. But I can’t… can’t remember a lot about that.”

“About what?”

“About fighting. I just… I don't remember much about fighting. Or much at all.”

“I…” Edelgard said, sighing. “I have some issues with my memory as well.”

Byleth perked up at that, her eyes widening. “You too?”

“Yes,” Edelgard responded, and Lysithea nodded.

“So do I,” she said, moving a bit closer to Edelgard. “I can’t remember much of my childhood or my siblings before…”

“Before what?”

Lysithea gave Byleth a stern look. “Before I lost them. Goddess, are you that dense?”

Byleth blinked. “Dense?”

Edelgard turned and faced Lysithea. “Byleth is not dense! Please do not insult my friend like that.”

“I…” Lysithea started, before sighing. “Sorry, Byleth. I just… it’s hard to talk to you sometimes.”

“How come?”

“You just… at times you act like you’re not human. Like your heart doesn’t really beat or something.”

“It doesn’t.”

Both girls stared.

“Pardon?” Edelgard asked.

“It doesn’t beat. Dunno why.”

“Ri-right, okay,” Lysithea said, moving towards the tent door. “I need some air. I’m going to go find Shez or someone else.”

As she walked outside, Edelgard turned towards Byleth. “B-but it has to! How does someone’s heart just not beat?”

“You can feel it, if you’d like,” Byleth replied, taking her breastplate off, revealing her skin-tight outfit underneath. Then, she began to peel her shirt off. Edelgard’s face turned about as red as her cape, and she looked away. “Byleth, please put your breastplate back on.”

“Huh? Is there an issue?”

“Y-yes. I’d rather not… see your bare chest.”

“Why not?”

Edelgard somehow blushed even harder. “Because it’s inappropriate to see someone’s nude body.”

“It is?”

“Y-yes. Very much so.”

“Oh. My bad,” the strange woman said, putting her shirt and breastplate back on. “You nobles are funny.”

“Do mercenaries really run around nude?” Edelgard asked, as she looked up.

“Nah, but like, who cares about the body like that?” Byleth asked. “It’s just my chest. We both have a chest. Is it really that wrong?”

“Byleth, do you remember that talk you had with Dorothea on the way to Kostas’s fort?”

“Yup,” Byleth replied, looking confused. “Why?”

Edelgard started to speak, before a shriek penetrated the air. It sounded a lot like Dorothea. The princess tried to rush outside of the tent, but Byleth caught her by the wrist and held her tight. “Wait,” she said, her confused look replaced by a thousand yard stare. “We need to find the others. Now.”

Edelgard nodded, and the pair silently exited out of the back of the tent, both of them hoping for the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, Edelgard was hiding behind the central tent, watching as two brigands held Ingrid and Dorothea at knife point while Lord Shamchant paced in front of them. Of their classmates, Edelgard and Byleth could only find Petra, Linhardt, and Caspar. Petra had been separated from Shez, who was somewhere in the camp, and the others were nowhere in sight. It was possible that Jeritza had gone with them to find the Galatea Knights that were nearby, but Edelgard was worried they were still nearby, but unaware of what was going on. For now, the group watched silently, while the Lord of Erebus ranted to his captive audience.

“So you’re telling me,” he was saying. “That not only has my soon-to-be wife wandered straight to my Galatean base of operations, but so has the Mystical Songstress herself? Man, what a lucky break! Who are you sweethearts out here with?”

He leaned over, getting right in Dorothea’s face. “You’ll sing first, won’t you? Wouldn't want that face of yours being ruined by one of my men slipping, now would you?”

Dorothea kicked him right in his nether regions, causing him to double over in pain. “Gragh!” He shouted, clutching his crotch in pain. “Put the bitch in my tent! She’ll talk eventually.”

As they dragged Dorothea away, Shamchant slowly recovered, but he still moved with a noticeably limp as he made his way toward Ingrid, and he kept a healthy distance. “And what about you, my bride-to-be? Are you going to tell me what you're doing sticking your nose in your dear fiancés business?”

She spat on the ground in front of him. “I saw the letters inside your tent. My father will never approve of our union once your crimes come to light.”

Shamchant laughed in her face. “Oh, but they never will. Letters can be burnt, and bribes arranged. And who’s going to hear you out? You’re just my crest-bearing bitch, who will one day bear me plenty of crest-bearing heirs.”

He laughed to himself, staring into Ingrid’s alarmed eyes. “I think I’ll keep your songstress friend with me as a guarantee. After all, who’s going to notice a commoner slut going missing? You’ll go back to Garreg Mach to learn how to be a good wife, and then we can be married in holy matrimony.”

“This is horrible!” Caspar whispered, as he pulled back behind the tent. “We’ve gotta do something!”

Byleth nodded. “Edelgard, Petra. Follow me into the tent. Linhardt, Caspar, stay here.”

She ducked through the back flap of the tent, through which which Petra and Edelgard followed. As Lord Shamchant's voice lowered to a quiet murmur, Edelgard looked around. The tent was quite spacious and had a cot instead of a sleeping roll, among other things, such as a desk that showed a map of the nearby territories, a small icebox, and-

“Hey, who are you?” A bandit asked, brandishing his axe at Edelgard. Neither of them had time to react, as an arrow embedded itself in his head, courtesy of Petra. Byleth rushed over to the body, caught it before it hit the ground and dragged it behind the tent. Edelgard then noticed Dorothea on the floor, her arms and legs bound.

“E-Edie?” She whispered, looking up at the imperial princess. “Ha, I knew you’d be back!”

Edelgard drew her dagger, slicing the ropes open. “We would never leave a comrade behind. How are you?”

“Good, good,” Dorothea responded. “I was getting worried that you guys weren’t going to make it back.

“Why would we be ‘’making it back?’” Petra asked.

“Y-you’re not with Jeritza and the knights?” Dorothea asked, her eyes widening.

“No, we aren’t,” Edelgard responded, her theory confirmed. “But we are here to help. What happened?”

Dorothea stood up, brushing off her blouse. “We were investigating this tent when Ingrid and I were jumped by that bastard Shamchant and his men. Jeritza, Shez, Monica, and the rest got chased off. Who’s still here with us?”

“The three of us, Caspar, and Linhardt,” Edelgard responded. “I believe we can take Shamchant if we get the jump on him.”

Dorothea nodded, summoning a bit of lightning in her hand. “Let’s get some payback, shall we?”

Byleth ran back to get Caspar and Linhardt as Dorothea, Petra, and Edelgard prepared to burst through the front flap.

“On three,” Edelgard said. “One, two-“

Suddenly the tent door opened, and standing outside was Lord Shamchantwith an angry Ingrid.

“W-what the-“ he stammered out, his eyes widening.

Dorothea grinned. “Nop says hi.”

She blasted him in the face with a bolt of thunder, knocking him to the ground. Ingrid stared at Dorothea with a surprised look, before throwing her arms around the former diva and holding her tight.

“Thank you so much,” she said. “He was about to…”

She began weeping into Dorothea’s shoulder, and the songstress tried running her fingers gently through her hair. “Shhh, shh. It’s going to be alright,” Dorothea said, carefully lowering the two of them to the ground. “He won’t hurt anyone ever again.”

Suddenly, as the two were embracing, multiple other brigands began to appear in front of the tent.

“What’s with all the nos- B-boss?” One of them gasped, looking at Shamchant’s corpse.

Ingrid and Dorothea sprang to their feet. Petra gave Ingrid her sword, as she knocked an arrow. Dorothea summoned more thunder magic, preparing to smite the first brigand to come near her.

Meanwhile, Edelgard herself her axe at the brigands. “I am Imperial Princess Edelgard von Hresvelg! I command you to lay down your arms and surrender yourselves at once!”

One of the bandits chuckled. “Okay, Mrs ‘Imperial Princess. You know this is Faerghus, right?”

“It is indeed Faerghus!” Ingrid shouted, pointing her sword at the bandit. “And I am the heir of this Galatea territory. I demand that you follow the Imperial Princess’s orders to the letter, lest you face her wrath!”

Dorothea chuckled softly. “You’re quite the actress, huh?”

“Shh, you can tease me later!” Ingrid hissed back.

A loud bout of laughter rose from the bandits as they began to size up the four girls that stood in front of them.

“Looks like Shamchant’s luck ran out at last,” one of them said.

“Let’s have some fun with these girls, then go back to pillaging!” One of the larger ones said, heartily laughing. “What say ye, boys?”

An outstanding chorus of “aye” arouse from the bandits, which got the larger one laughing again.

“Now, let’s get to-“

An arrow found itself in his eye, as he stumbled to the ground.

“Apologies,” Petra said. “He was angering me greatly.”

“Understandable,” Edelgard said. “Now, Black Eagles! Strike!”

The four girls rushed forwards, to the surprise of the bandits. Edelgard cut down one man before he could even react, the silver of her axe cutting through him like butter. Edelgard watched as another bandit went down, courtesy of Dorothea’s thunder magic. Ingrid and Edelgard worked together to take down another while Petra’s arrows continued to find their marks at a lightning pace. Suddenly, a war cry arose from the right of the bandits.

“Let’s get ‘em!” The voice of Caspar rang out as he and Byleth bolted out from behind another tent. Caspar leaped onto the first man he saw, battering him with his iron gauntlets. Byleth was like a blur, cutting down anyone who dared get in her path. Linhardt held back behind the tent, occasionally shooting blades of wind into any bandits that left them exposed.

But there were simply too many bandits. After a few minutes of fighting, the Black Eagles had to pull back to the central tent. They were all exhausted, and all of them save the mages and Byleth were sporting light injuries.

“That… that could have gone better,” Linhardt said, clearly out of breath.

“Indeed,” Petra said. “Now we must hope the bandits cease their assault.”

Petra’s hope was shattered almost instantly as an axe tore through the tent flap, nearly missing her shoulder. The group pulled back further inside the tent, as the bandits began to pour in.

“End of the line, Lad’s n Lassie’s!” one of them said, with a scowl on his face.

Edelgard put herself between the bandits in her classmates, brandishing her axe. “This is your last chance to surrender yourselves. You’ll be hunted from one end of the continent to the other if we die here.”

The bandits hesitated for a moment, but then continued moving forward.

“Naw,” another one of them said. “No one will know what happened to y’all if we throw your remains into the fires of torment! Get ‘em la-“

Suddenly, the ground began to violently shake. One of the bandits looked outside, and screamed. “I-it’s the knights! The Knights of Seiros!”

“Scatter!” another cried, as the bandits began to flee out of the tent. They didn’t make it far, as Jeritza was leading the charge. The knights slammed into the bandits, cutting them down where they stood. Dorothea and Petra ran out as well, firing both spells and arrows into the bandit crowd. For now, the group had managed to avoid death. But as Edelgard glanced at Ingrid’s sunken eyes, she knew some wounds wouldn’t heal for quite some time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The journey out of Galatea territory was mostly silent. Edelgard was in a carriage with Ingrid, Dorothea, and Sylvain. Ingrid was staring out the window, looking In the direction of her homeland. The knights had searched Lord Shamchant’s tent, and found multiple incriminating letters. They promised they would deliver them to Count Galatea, and eventually Regent Rufus. But, with Shamchant’s death, the money that was promised to Count Galatea was now gone, to be inherited by whoever ended up occupying the Erebus territory. Ingrid was probably thinking along those lines, as tears began to run down her face. Dorothea tried to give her a friendly hug, but Ingrid pushed her away.

“I… I should have just accepted his offer,” she murmured, her eyes red. “I should have just been a good wife and secured my family’s future…”

“Ingrid!” Both Sylvain and Dorothea exclaimed.

“Goddess, neither of you could understand!” she snapped, slamming her fist against the window. “My family needs me to do this! Because of my Crest, I’m the only one who could secure a favorable marriage! My Crest is the only thing that’ll save my family and my people from starvation!”

“Ingrid, enough!” Edelgard said, standing up. “You are worth more than the Crest you bear. You should only marry because you want to, not because your family demands it. You are a strong woman, destined for more than becoming the breeding mare of some worthless man.”

“Yeah, what she said,” Sylvain said. “Ingrid, you’re going to be a damn good knight one day. You’re not at the academy to learn how to be some noble’s quiet little wife, you’re with us to learn how to strategize. To learn how to fight. Ever since I can remember you’ve always wanted to be a knight. To be like Gle-“

Sylvain bit his tongue, but it was too late. Ingrid was crying even harder, which led to Dorothea wrapping her in a tight hug. “Ingy, it’s going to be alright. I promise. I won’t let anyone hurt you like he would.”

“B-but marrying him w-would have-“

“You shouldn’t marry someone only for money or power! You should marry for love, because that’s what truly matters!”

Dorothea cleared her throat, and continued. “I-I originally came to the monastery looking for a safe future. I came from nothing, so I hoped to find a nice, rich husband or wife while I was here. But having met all of you… I realize now I don’t need all of that. I don’t need guarantees. I know I can be much more than my beauty, even long after I’ve gone old and gray.

Ingrid looked up at Dorothea, tears in her eyes. “W-wife?”

“Yes. I don’t know who I’ll end up loving, but their gender wouldn’t matter to me. But that’s besides the point. Right now, I want to care for my friend.”

Ingrid hugged Dorothea harder, her tears subsiding. “T-thank you, Dorothea. Thank you for everything. I-I…”

“Shh, it’s alright,” Dorothea said.

The two girls held each other the whole way home. After ensuring Dorothea could handle the situation on her own, Edelgard and Sylvain fell asleep. Edelgard fell asleep with a smile on her face, and for the second time in as long as she could remember, her rest was untroubled by nightmares.

Notes:

Hi so I lied last time, sorry! Chapters will just release when I feel like it, but it’ll usually be on a Friday, so stay tuned!

Shout out to Raxis for betaing for me, like always. Just a fantastic person in general, and he said he really likes this chapter, so hopefully you’ll like it too!

Sorry Ingrid fans, hopefully you like Angst.

Stay tuned for next time, for when Edelgard and friends don their detective cap!

Chapter 17: Investigations

Summary:

Edelgard gains a new ally, and begins an investigation that she already knows the ending to

El was running, but her little legs could only carry her so far.

She was crying. Crying for her father, who was as strong as ten men! He could save her and her siblings from the bad men!

But the bad men were faster. Their legs are longer, and they didn’t get tired as quickly as her. It had taken El weeks to use the piece of wall to chip at her chains. She couldn’t get caught! Not now! She would escape this place, then come back with father and his knights. They would stop the bad men!

Then the air was knocked out of her chest, as a gust of wind magic hit her back. She fell to the ground, scraping her knee.

“Uhh… Agh…” she cried out, tears forming in her eyes. “Fath… Save…”

The bad men grabbed El, chaining her wrists behind her.

“No… Agh…” El said, sluggish. She had to escape. Had to-

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Edelgard woke with a racing heart, as she heard her door open. She was safe in her bed. A few days had passed since the Aillel mission, and she was back at her dorm room, where she belonged! She pulled her sheets up to her chest, covering everything but her head.

“Who’s there?” She cried, looking around groggily. Then she saw-

“Byleth… What are you doing here?”

Byleth blinked at her, staring into Edelgard’s eyes. “I was night crawling.”

Edelgard blushed. “What could that possibly mean?”

“Means I was crawling. At night. Y’know, like when you can’t sleep so you go for a walk.”

“I see. In any case, please don’t scare me like that.”

“Okay, sorry,” she said, then she frowned. “Bad dreams?”

“Ah… so you heard me, then,” Edelgard grimaced, trying to push aside the thoughts of the dungeons. “Yes, it was a nightmare. I’ve had them since I was a child. Stupid, pointless dreams I can’t control… it’s terribly frustrating.”

Byleth cocked her head, a small frown appearing. “Anything I can help with?”

Edelgard shook her head, slowly rising. “No. They’re just worthless dreams of the past. Talking about it won’t change a thing.”

Byleth placed her hand on Edelgards hand. “You can trust me with anything.”

“I…” Edelgard slightly blushed. “I had a feeling you’d say that. I suppose I could try. Only if you promise not to tell a soul.”

Byleth held her pinky out. “I pinky-swear.”

Edelgard chuckled a little, and wrapped her pinky around Byleth’s. “I appreciate it.”

The two girls sat down on the bed, as Edelgard cleared her throat. “I dream of… my older brother, paralyzed, helpless… my older sister crying for help that never came… the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light.”

She could still see Wilturd, a smile on his face as his back snapped from all the animal parts that had been forced onto him. She could hear Eliza, as she rambled on about radiant heroes with blades of gold, before she had died of starvation. Edelgard noticed a tear running down her face, and she wiped it away. “I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger. Such a large family, and yet I became heir to the throne. Do you know why?”

Byleth shook her head, so Edelgard continued, “Every last one of them was crippled by disease, lost their mind, or died. I was the only one left who could inherit the throne.”

The former mercenary put a hand to her mouth, silently gasping. “That’s… that’s awful. How could such a thing happen?”

“I don’t know,” Edelgard lied, not willing to explain everything. “But what I do know is things kept getting worse. The darkness kept getting darker. In the end, I was the only one who survived. I like to believe that the nightmares are a reminder… to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again.”

As if to mock Edelgard, Natasia’s screeches as her she ripped apart her own skin ran through her mind. Edelgard pushed the noise away, and continued.

“Even now, I’m the only one who can carry the weight of the Adrestian Empire. The future of the Empire.. of everything… depends on me.”

“Not just you, you know,” Byleth said.

“Pardon?” Edelgard asked.

“You have Monica, and Hubert, and…” Byleth trailed off, scratching her chin. “You always have me if you need someone to just… talk to. I’m a great listener.”

Edelgard chuckled at that. “That you are. Thank you for listening, Byleth. I don’t have many people I can share my past with, and it is pleasant to have a confidant in you.”

Byleth beamed at her. “Of course. I hope I’ve been helpful.”

“Very much so. I wouldn’t be here without you.”

“You wouldn’t?”

Edelgard blinked. “You saved my life, remember? On the day we met?”

Byleth scrunched her face for a second, thinking. “I… I don’t remember. I remember the next day and the joke you told me, but…”

She looked down, holding her legs to her chest. “…Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Edelgard said. “Sometimes I have issues with my own memories of the past.”

“Because of the darkness?”

Edelgard nodded, so Byleth started petting her on the head.

“B-Byleth, what are you…” Edelgard asked, dumbstruck.

“Petting you, like a creature.”

“You mean… like a cat?”

Byleth shrugged. “Same thing.”

Byleth continued to do this for a few seconds, until Edelgard recovered from her initial shock. “W-why?”

“‘Cause you looked sad,” Byleth explained. “And I wanted to help. Should I stop?”

“N-no, it’s just…” She slowly leaned into Byleth. “Unexpected. Thank you, Byleth. It feels lovely.”

Byleth smiled back at her. “Anytime.”

They sat together for a few more minutes, before Byleth got up to return to her room. Edelgard quickly fell back asleep, and slept like a rock for the rest of the night, unaffected by any nightmares that normally would plague her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Edelgard got up bright and early to meet with her class. It was a free day, meaning that it was time for her class to begin investigating the monastery for any potential points of attack. Since about half the class already knew where the attack was happening, it was up to Edelgard and her fellow members of Those Who Combat in the Dark to play along innocently for now. She entered the class room, and walked over to a table where her fellow classmates gathered around a map of Garreg Mach. The only member of the class missing was Jeritza, for some reason.

“Ah, welcome Edelgard,” Ferdinand said. “We were just getting started.”

“Does pondering over a map for 20 minutes count as ‘just getting started?’” Shez asked.

A bead of sweat ran down Ferdinand’s head, but he continued. “Regardless, we believe we have narrowed down a few locations to focus our efforts on.”

Ferdinand pointed to the Knights Quarters first. “We believe the Western Church could use their visiting knights to cause a riot here, and from there attempt to rob the armory during the confusion. If they gained access to the weapons in Garrrg Mach, they could quickly overwhelm the knights here. It would be a massive power grab, and could be an attempt at a coup. Lysithea?”

The short mage nodded, pointing to the chapel. “Our next two ideas would be somewhere here. We believe it could either be the treasure vault, or the Holy Maseoulem.”

“Aren’t both of those usually under heavy guard?” Caspar asked, scratching his head.

“Yes,” Lysithea explained. “But there’s two issues. For one, Lady Rhea has pulled most of the guards to protect the Goddess Tower due to the assassination threat. There’s also the fact that the Maseoulem and vault will be open to visitors the day of the Rite of Rebirth. So it would be easy for the Western Church to slip in with a large force, pretending to be pilgrims and the like.”

Caspar nodded. “Ah, I get it.”

“Regardless, I believe we should investigate these areas in particular,” Ferdinand said. “If we can find any weakness in the defenses, we must be prepared to protect it at all costs.”

Shez clapped her hands together. “Alright then, let’s split up, gang!”

Everyone gave her a confused stare, and her eyes fell. “It’s something Lazley used to say,” she murmured under her breath.

“I must agree with Shez,” Linhardt said, awake for once. “Splitting up would allow us to cover more ground.”

“I concur,” Edelgard said. “I will lead one team, Monica can lead another, and Byleth will lead the last.”

“Sounds good to me,” Byleth said, smiling.

“Now hold on for a moment, this whole plan was my idea!” Ferdinand said, crossing his arms. “I should be allowed to lead a team!”

“Ferdinand, please don’t right-“ Edelgard started.

Ferdinand then walked over, throwing one of his gloves on the floor in front of Edelgard. “Like my ancestors before me, I challenge yo-“

“Let me guess,” Edelgard said, adopting an impersonation of Ferdinand, “‘I challenge you to a little duel for the right to lead, just like my ancestor once did with the emperor of Adresdia! I shall show the strength of House Aegir!’”

Ferdinand was dumbstruck, so Edelgard continued. “The answer is no, Ferdinand. We may spar when we have the time, but for now we need to focus on the business at hand. We can’t afford to waste time on a silly duel.”

She picked up the glove, handing it to Ferdinand. “Shall we get back to work?”

Ferdinand took the glove, sighing as he put it back on. “Very well. Let us sort into teams.”

In the end, the team sorting didn’t take long. Byleth took Caspar, Bernie, and Petra, while Monica took Ferdinand, Dorothea, and Lysithea, leaving Edelgard with Shez and Linhardt.

“I’ll take my team to investigate the vault,” Edelgard said. “Byleth’s team will handle the Mausoleum, and Monica’s can take the Knights Quarters.”

“Alright then!” Caspar exclaimed. “Let’s get going!”

As the class exited the classroom, Edelgard noticed Ingrid walking over. Her eyes were still slightly red, but she was looking a little better.

“Hello, Ingrid,” she said, waving at the blonde knight. “Feeling better?”

Ingrid gave a small nod, her eyes not agreeing. “Yes, a little bit. But that’s not important. I was here to ask if I could, uh…”

She stopped for a second, thinking to herself. “Would it be possible for me to join the Black Eagles?”

Edelgard smiled. “Of course it would be. We would be honored to have you.”

Ingrid let out a small sigh of relief. “Thank you. Don’t worry about talking to Professor Cassagranda. I can do that myself.”

“Very well then. I’ll let Professor Hyrm know when I see him next. Care to join us?”

“What are you doing?”

Edelgard explained their investigation, and Ingrid nodded along. “Sounds smart. I think I will join you. I won’t let you down!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a brisk walk, Edelgard’s group arrived at the chapel. There was no event taking place today, so the students mostly had free rein. As they began to approach the vault, however, Edelgard noticed Ashe. He was slumped over, as he seemed to be half heartedly praying.

“You think he’s still hung up over…” Shez began, before shaking her head. “Dumb question. Of course he is.”

“All of you, go on without me,” Edelgard said. “I’m going to go speak with him.”

“Are you sure?” Ingrid asked, a small frown forming on her lips. “As his classma - former, classmate, I might be able to do more for him.”

Edelgard nodded. “It is a house leader’s job to help their fellow students. Even though Ashe may not be one of the Black Eagles, I still wish to do whatever I can.”

Ingrid smiled at that. “Alright. We’ll wait here for you.”

Edelgard nodded, as she walked over to the poor mourning boy. She sat down on the pew beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her for a moment, before putting his head back into his hands.

“Ashe…” Edelgard started, carefully choosing her words. “If it makes you feel any better, I have been where you have before. Losing one’s family is always hard.”

Ashe looked up at Edelgard, tears in his eyes. “W-who did you lose?”

“All of my brothers and sisters,” Edelgard replied. “But that’s not important right now. What is important is you, and how you move forward right now.”

Ashe burried his head into his arms again. Edelgard hugged him, letting him sob into her shoulder for a few seconds. He recomposed himself, looking back at the Adrestian heiress. “How do you… how do you keep going? Knowing you’ll never see them again? Knowing all the opportunities you’ll never have?”

“I live for them,” Edelgard explained.

“For them?”

Edelgard nodded. “I live on so that they may in spirit. For as long as I live, their goals and lives shall not die. I will ensure that the dreams they had before they died in the d - I mean, before they died from Illness, shall not burn out.”

Ashe looked up at Edelgard, wiping away his tears. “But, s-surely you still miss them?”

“Every day, yes. Not a day goes by where I do not mourn them. But I know that they would not want me to stay still, frozen in grief. I must experience all the experiences they were unable to. I will live on, not for myself, but for them.”

Ashe stared at Edelgard in awe for a few seconds, then stood up, glancing back at Edelgard. “I’m going to catch up on some… work I’ve missed. Thank you.”

Edelgard nodded her head. “Anytime. Let me or Dimitri know if you need anything else.”

Ashe nodded, seemingly star struck. Edelgard then walked back over to her group, as they headed towards the treasure vault.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So we are decided, then?” Ferdinand asked, as the Black Eagles sat around a table. It had been a week since their investigation, and the time had come. The Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth was about to begin, and they had decide where the Western Church meant to strike. Of course, Those Who Clash in the Darkness already knew what the real target was, but Edelgard was concerned to see the others piece it together so easily. Were her plans that simple and easy to link together? She hoped not.

“We are,” Lysithea said. “It only makes sense that they would target the Holy Mausoleum. It’s the only time all year that it’ll be open, which means it would be the perfect time to strike.”

“But why?” Caspar asked, a quizzical look on his face. “What’s so important about some dusty old tomb?”

“There could be any manner of things in there,” Ferdinand explained. “Old weapons, old jewels… whatever they may be, we cannot allow them to pillage the place like common bandits!”

“I agree,” Edelgard said. “We must move quickly now. Black Eagles, to arms!”

The group quickly moved to grab their weapons from the training grounds, then moved towards the Holy Mausoleum. As they were about to enter, they were stopped by Seteth.

“Where are you all going?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re meant to be patrolling the kitchen and fishing pond.

“Seteth, Sir, we believe that dastardly fiends mean to attack the Holy Mausoleum!” Ferdinand declared, shaking his lance in fervor.

Seteth’s eyebrows raised at that. “Then we must be off immediately. Follow me!”

Edelgard was shocked by how quickly Seteth believed their plan. She quickly glanced over at Lysithea, who was equally shocked. Although, thinking about it, the Nabateans wouldn’t want the world knowing that Seiros’s corpse was missing. Which meant Edelgard had to find some way to slow the group down, so that the casket could be unsealed. The group moved quickly to the Mausoleum, and were greeted by a horrifying sight. The two knights that had been guarding the entrance now lay dead, blood dripping from the corners of their mouths. They’d drowned in it. The door to the Mausoleum had been smashed down, revealing a long staircase that stretched out of sight.

“T-this is…” Ingrid said, putting a hand to her mouth in shock.

“Heretics!” Seteth shouted, turning to Petra and Shez. “I believe you two would be the fastest among us. Run to the Goddess Tower and request help. The rest of you, follow me!”

He grabbed a lance from one of the fallen guards, and bolted down the stairs. Petra and Shez started to sprint towards the Goddess Tower, as the rest of the Black Eagles followed Seteth, deep down into the Mausoleum.

As they entered the Mausoleum, Edelgard took a good look around. There were many graves, and surrounding most of them were soldiers of the Western Church. At the far end of the room lay Seiros’s casket, which was currently being pried open by a mage. And in the middle of the room-

Oh no.

There stood the Death Knight, who was simply standing still, menacingly. Edelgard had sent him to help the Western Church, but he was only meant to be deployed if needed. With him here, this was going to be a tough battle. Edelgard quickly began devising plans to circumvent himMaybe she could sneak up to the Death Knight and force him to-

“Heretics, you die here today for trespassing on sacred ground!” Seteth yelled, charging forward. Even without a wyvern, the old saint was fast. He skewered one man, taking out the next with a sweep of his lance. Ferdinand, Caspar, and Ingrid hurried after him while the rest of the Black Eagles began to slowly fan out.

“Goddessdamnit!” Monica said, smacking her forehead with the palm of her head. “Guess we’re doing this now!”

Edelgard ran forward, decapitating one man with her axe, then embedding it into another man’s chest. Three men began to charge at her, but were quickly forced back by a barrage of spells from Lysithea and Monica. Edelgard watched as Ingrid and Ferdinand took down one man, while Bernadetta shot another that was charging at them from behind.

“You.” A voice suddenly rang out, as the Death Knight pointed the heel of his scythe at Byleth. “You wield great power. We shall dance together in the flames!”

He then kicked his horse into a gallop, charging at Byleth, which alarmed Edelgard. What “power” could he possibly be sensing? It was enough to make him disobey orders, which was very concerning.

“You shall not harm my friends!” Ferdinand yelled, rushing the Death Knight.

It turned out to be his last mistake, as the Death Knight skewered him on his lance.

Notes:

Hello everyone! After a brief 3 week break, APO3 is back! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and I hope you’re ready for more silly antics!

Shout out to Raxis, my beta, who finished this chapter in 2 days cause he’s awesome :)

Anyways, till next time, where Byleth will make a cat sound

Chapter 18: Secrets Revealed

Summary:

Edelgard faces revelations and enemies from all sides

Well fuck.

B̴͙̮̻͓̭̰̲͈̻̖̑͗̐̀͗͌̾̐͛̃͛̓̾͜ȅ̸͔͒̔̂͠ ̵̧̨̧̘͉̳̟̘̗̭̙̫̏̀͂̂c̶̥̱̦̤̰̀̄͐ͅa̴̲̖̪͆̔̍́͐̽̒̂͑̚r̵͇̮̣͚̱̊̾̏́͑e̵̢̛̛̱͍̺̻̩̞̯̓́͒͛͊̃͋f̴̡͎̼̥̺͉̩̯̰͚̱̎̋͘͜͜ṵ̵̡̨̧̱͔̪̝̦̫̖̜̩̝̊͜ḷ̶̛̛͕̋̏̈́͑͂̉ ̸̢̰̘̠͚̠̣̫̙̰͈̥͆̔͝B̸̨̢̧̧̗̙̝̦́̽̈́͐͠ȳ̴̛̙̱̺̯̻̮̣̀̈́͆̂̋̊̓͝l̸̞͎͔̺͍͈̠͉̩͉̿̂͗̌̕͝ͅȩ̷͔̗̝̳͎̙͈̊͐̈́͂̔̍̃̚ͅt̸̡̛̻̣̜̖̮̘̓̎̔͋̍̂͂̈́̔̋̑̽̔͘ͅh̷̢̡̜̩̝͙̱͕̫͇̫̙̣̲̥̾̃͆͑̒̏̀̒̽̎̈̓̎͠!̷͈̫̲̰͙͔̾͑̉̍́͗̋͐͊̕͝͝ ̶̫́̃Ţ̸̛̪͙̣̘̠̫͖̮̭̤̇̿̓̀̔̇͂́̽̚ͅͅḩ̷̽͑̄̅̊̉̂̓̈̌͌̓͋͘͝i̴̡̮̬͓̖̲͎̘̞̻̞͍̜̳͇̊̀ś̵͎̹̯̳̣̝͠͠ ̵̡͖̺̟̤͍͚̘̖̒̒̍̈́͝͝ǫ̴͎̫̙̩͍͇̜̮̫̲̭̜̑̊̔͒͋̔̈̍ṗ̸̧̢̨͕͚̻͚̓̿̒̽̊͛͋̒͌̓̓͒̕p̵̢̨͍͈͔͈̜̞̗̏̀̓̊͝ͅǒ̶̢͕̘̙̳̬̹͎̤̼͑͐ͅn̵̢̥̥͇̻̯͉͈̟͓̒̅͑͊́̂̂̆̋̚͘͝͠ë̷̡̨͎̟̫̻̭̳́n̶̙͖̖͍̭̖͗́t̵̙̙̰͂̈͗̇͝ ̶̨̩̞̮͙͙̯̫͉̜͐i̵̡̯̘͙͖̳̺͓̗̖̝̪̱̅̑̐͘s̶̗̖̤͓̖̜̈̀̕ ̴̧̢̰̺͉͖̲͎̫̈́͗͗̐̈̽͂͆̓̈́͂͊̕͘͜ͅͅv̷̭̈́̽͠ë̴̳̲͖͚͌̕r̴̢̨̮͕̱͈͕̤̙͕̖̰͉̓͗̈́̍͊̎́̈́̃̾̓̓y̸̡̘͔̹͓̟̼͇̳̋̓̂̈͘ ̶̨̣̦̤̪͍̠̠̣̲͙̭̗̺̳̿͌͗̇̓̈́͋̈́͆̆̚̚͘̕d̵̨͕͙̖͕̮͊̌̇̔̂͌̈́͊͆̓́͗̿͜͝â̷̘̺̝̝̭̋͆̂́n̸̛̯̤̹̬͂̿̓ͅģ̸̘̻̹͖̘͔̞̙̜͉̘͉̲͊̂͑̑̒́̊̇͗͘͜ę̷̢̛͕̮͉̩̲͍̩͕̬̠͖̲̲́̀͂̍͑͘͝͝ȑ̵̨̧͉̻̝̥̯̬̦̫̰͉͊̊́̈́̉̚͘͝ͅờ̶͍͕̳͚̜͔̤̼̹̺͍͍͊̋̇̓̐̓̊̃̿͐͝ͅų̴̤͉̙͔͕̥̯̤̥̥̮̽̓͑͗̿̀̇͠ͅs̷͇͙͓̅̔͛̂̈̔̆̊̑͒͜͝͝͝!̵̠̠͓͙͘

 

I know, I know. Still, what power was he talking about? Do you think he senses…

I̴̧̧̛̤̱̼̱̽͌̈́͐̍̏̒̒̌́̑͊͂̌̍̄̎̄̕͘ ̵̧̡͕̻͙̪̫̝̘̼̘͎̙̲̖̬̼̺̉̆̔͒͠w̶̡̻̮̺̼̟̪̘͚̝͇̮̯̬͚̭̪̭̪̅̐͌̑̓̋̓̽̂̃̄́̄̏̄̓ŏ̴̯̠͖͍͎̯̯̤̟̣̕u̶̡͍̺̺͚͇̰̍͛̾́͂̈́͘̕̕l̵̡̡̛̰̖͕̞̮͚͕̥̼͔̰͎͖̠̦͎̥̹̾̈́̄̑͗͑̋̾͊̊́̂͆̚͜ͅd̸̥̎̈̀͒̄̓̀̔̏́̓ ̷̮̪̳̘̝̠̪̗̰̰̬͚͖̟̭̮̞̌͒̈́̎̀͗̇͑̓̌̕͘̚͜h̸̡̪̯̲͇̗̖̞̫͖͉̫͉̩̲̻̳͎̘̗̬̺͙̤̰̹̫̓̓͘͝ȯ̶̡̢̨̬̖͈̜̘̦̖̤͓̯͍̖̗̫̣̖͎͍̫̙̖̓͊͑͆̏͗̈́͒̏́̈̒̉̃̾̇̚̕͘͜͝͝͝p̷̨̲̜̲͕̦̯̤̹͖͉̅̿͑͜ḙ̷̢̨͍̩̺͔̟͓̮͖͕̝̣̥̭̉̓̈́͠ͅ ̵̤͓̗͇̏̍͗̍̔̄̏̚͜ņ̵̛͔͕̮̤̟̤͓͓͕̣̬̺̯̦͔̣̞̱ö̵̢̦̙́͌̽̚͝͝t̴̢̨̧̡̩̩͉̙̯͓̳̖̮̦̯̰̻͓̣̙̮̼͕̬̝̿̄̍̃͋̂́̽̋̏̒̊̌̋͗͐̀̄͘̚͝ͅͅ.̴̧̛̝̳̫̬̭̪̞̜̘̺̍̄͗͆̊̋̔̔̑̐̏͗̎͆͐̍͌̊̏͛̕͘͜͝ ̷̢̧̢̛͇̱͚͓̹̼̝̟̜͗̀͒̏͗̏̊̔̒̔̎̄̈̕P̸̼̼̠̗͚̻̹͔̝͈͗̋̊͜ͅē̶̡̧̨̛̳͉̖̯̮̙͈̰̞̬͔̭̠̭̲̼̤̈̂͝ŗ̵̢͉̥̙̗̮̥̳̟͖̪͎̘̦̼̮͖̝͉̜͈̯͙̗̇̑̔͋͆̄̔̚͘͝ͅh̵̲̫̻͓̭̗̬̥͉͋͜͜ä̶̧̟̞̰̖͕̜͔̫̦͎̖͉͕̺͇̠̘̩̺́̽̌͒̉̂̈̏̊͌̐̑̎̂͜p̸̡̤͓͈̖̝̱̳͓̮̰͓̩̘̞̼͔͔̮̝̮̰̯̅̑̓̏͐̽͗͂̀̇̂̉̋̆̐̍̉̆͌͒̃͗̕͜s̶̡̧̡̛̛̛̼̭̯͎͇͍̹͓͈͕̰͓͚̠̪̣̈́͂̇̃̾͐́̓͛̿̏̏͋̓̏̈̓̾͂̕͠ͅ ̸̫̬̣̮̞̰̭̔̏̈̀̈́̉ì̷̧̢̡̧͎͙͓͕̰͈̩̫̠̠̟͈͍̬́̍̾͛̌̍̋̉̀͊̄̓͑̽̈́̈́̋͊͑̏͋̋̚͘͠ṫ̵̨̨̧̨̼̘̘̬͇̠̜͎̯̟̰̦̗̫͚̳̗̭̣̮̱̀̐̑͆̈́̕͜ ̴̡͕͚͇̪͙̥͇̼̰͚͙͙̠̗̽͋̑h̵̞͖͛̌̆͋̒͑̓̎͊̋͌͘̕ą̶̨̧̨̹̮̟͚̟̮̺̫̝̣̻̤͓̭̔̀̌́̄͛̃͗͛͆̃͗͜ͅs̸̢̛̹̟͍͔̰͈̥̬̱̺͚̗̠͔̫̤̟̞̲̻̙̺̫̣̙̎̎̃̇̉̄͒̐̎̋̀͊̀̾̑̀͒̕̕͝͝͝ ̴̢͙̭͍̼͚̲͖̭̭̰̣͓̠̿̉͝͝t̷͓̱͎̔̏̉̇̀̓̌̒̂̅̍̑́̽̏̄͜͠ͅơ̴̻̩̮̺̠̠̣̪͓̝̟̣͇̼̺͔͊́̃͌͗̊͛͐́̿̔̒̇̎̂͜͜͜ ̸̧̥̝̮̝̦̗̣̜̭͕͉͙͙̼̖̫̘͖̱͋̾͋̍̑͋͐̉̓͋ḏ̴̑́̀͆̇̍̈͒͒̒̿̈́̾͌͆́̇̑̆̉͛͗̎̇̉͜ơ̴̡͚̯͕̻̮̰̔̇̃͗͌͌̇͗̋̆̓͝͠ ̶̨̢̗̺̟̬̩̪̲̟͚̥͂̍̅͋̕͘w̸̢̨̛͚̼̜̼̘̰̩͓̗͉͉̥͍̠͕̞̖̆͛͐͗̽̕̕͜ͅͅį̶̧̲͈̝̪̜̗̞̠̼͕̽̑̇̏̏̾̎̆̓͑̓̑̀͛̎̌̈́͝t̸̢̞̠͙̗̪̱̩̼͕͎̻̞̻̺̠͓͙̖̔̑̅͗̂͜͝ḥ̸̛̞̩̝͗͒͗̽͗͋͋̿̓̕ ̵̛̛͎͉͉͔̞͖̥̠͙̥̤̬͎͍͈̗̮̭̣͇̩̰͎̙̈́͆̌̌̆͗̐́͊̾̑͒̾̽̈́̅̐̐͂͂̓̕͝͝ţ̷͈̣̘̫̬̲̣̥̭̬̮͍̪̼̗̼̳̟̳͎̽̈͗̆̕͜h̴̡̛̲͚̺̗̪͚͙͕̲̤̬͉̗̦͈̳̭̬̜̪̹̹͈́̍̎͜ͅą̸̡̟̯͕̗̣̣̤̲̱̮̺̰̫͖͂̓͜t̸̨̳̜̟̦͖̣͖̮̰͓̲͖̥͉̬̥̰̙̬̦͍̓̈́̽͋̑͋͌̄̒̆͜͝ͅͅ ̷̢̼̝̬̻̼̙͉̰̱͎̫̻̘̜̝̹͍͖͕̯̝͍̘̟͖̀̉̉͑͊̂̐̾̚ē̵̡̛̩̳̬̼̭̭̪͙̺̬̺̺͉̾̏̓̽̇̓̔͂̿̿͗̿͗̔͑̈́͆̓͗̎̕n̵̨̨̛͚̼͓̣̤̐̐̎̍̾̾̍͒́̾̾̀͂͂͋̒͊̃̕̚͘͘͝͝ȩ̶̛͈̜͖̺͕͕̙͎̻̥̖̤̻̘̪̩̙͍̄͛̐̿̔̂͒̏͂̉͛̓́̕̚͘͜͜͜͝ŗ̶̨͈̩̪̣͎̤̭͖͂̎̓̌̈́̌̂̀͐̐̂́͆͌͝ͅg̴̭̝͎̘͕͎̦̰͈͙̘̞̙̮͕͍̹̟͚͈̬̤̈́̽͌̐̐̀͑́͆̈̈̐̀͊̅͆̇̒̈̃̇͋͘͜͜͜͜y̴̛̼̩͖͔̰̭͓͉͓̯͈̙͎̲̩̖̞̳̣̥̦̪̔͌̒̎̃͊̍ ̸̡̢̛̣̫̣̙̻̳̫͎̼̰̩̘̦͙̟̦͔̫͎̞̽̇̾͑̍̽͊͆͊̂͛̑̃̕͜͝͝t̴̰̗̪̦̹͙͚̝̦̼̝̬̗̭̲̭̘̒̍̀̐͊͆ͅḩ̷̡̠̭̝̯̣͙͚̦̣̹̜̞̓̅̉̎̈͋̉̆̈́̆̀́̀̌͐̍̚͝a̶̛͙̝͖̲̫̭̖̖̻̹̟̺͊̎̓̾͛̉͑͊̈̑̎̓̕ṭ̴̢̛̣͇̦̋̍̌͑͆̃̌͝͝ ̵̼̬̪̩͍̳̲͇̟̦̦̺̹̄̆̏̃̈́͑̑̽̈̀͒̍̍͌̓̈́͆͂̃̍͛̕͘̕͘͘͜ï̵̛̪̮͚̰͉͖̮̾́̊͊͒̓̍̉́͛̍̆̎̇̏̂̚ş̶̹̠̞͙̭̠͖͉̤͓̲̮̞̬͕̘̝̊̑̏̇̽̊͒͌̇̽̀̍̇͒́̒͛̍̃̈́̕͘͘͘ ̶͍̤̲̭͚͖͕͙̝͓̭̍̌̓͛̈́͗̚͘͠͝ẻ̸̝̥͇͉͓̮̥̬͍͔̥̗͍͚̗̘̺͂̓̚͝͝͠m̸̙̼̫̣̭̗̣͕̟̺̣͓̈́̋̇́͊̌̆͝i̸̡̝͇̩̰͉͖̰̰͍͎̹̤͔̫͔̘̬̩̘̣̅̄͒͒̃̉̽̎̀͑̆̈̈́͜͝ͅt̶̻̼̱̖̔͐̆͛͂̔̈́̾̎̔̕t̷̡̢̛̬̙̠͖͔̫̯͈̫͇̼̗̦̙̭͖͖̰̞̽̃͋͐͊̄́̇͊̈͂̎̌͗̌̚͘͘͘͜͜i̷̡̡͕͔̲̬̼͙̮̤̔̊͛͛̍̓̏̑̒̽̓͊͘͘͜ͅn̶̢͎̼̑͛̋̏́͂̈́̿̂̓́͛͆̐̓̀̓̽̈́̏́̕̚͝g̸̛̭͇̙̞̤̎͒̇̓͝ ̷̨̺̞̠͎̟̮̥̭͇͎͕͉̭͕͈͕̥̺́͐̐̿̃̄̿̕̕ͅͅf̸̧̝͎͓͚͙̦̠͇̭͎̬͍̱̮̥͈͈͙́͛̀̑̓̓̈́̉͠ͅr̸̮̭̳͖̻͚̻̺͚̠̼̻͕͋̈́̽̐͊̀̕o̷̢̜̭̞͓̥̺̝͇̼̤͍̖͖̗͉͓̥͎̫̥͕͇͒͊͂̏̾̊̎̆̒̎̑̍͐̉͌̌͑̓̾́̀͆͋̎̕͜͠͠m̵̢̛̯͚̭͖̣̥̠̹͙̰̠̠̥̫̬͓͈̜̞͂̽͂͊̎̌̽̓͛̋́̆̊̎́̆̔͑̇̆̎̕͜͜͝͠͠ ̷̛̛̤͇̣̯̰̜̓̇̈̀̅̃̎̉͊̂̄̈́̈́̈́̏̂͘̚̚͜͝͠t̸̛̮̳̙̻̣͆͐̊̉́̓̂͒̌̌͆̃̓̈́̈́̋̚̕͘͠h̵̯̭̲̝͔̭̮̟̳͉͛̿̒̀̄̀̉͗̇̽́͒̽͑͊̋̏͘͠ͅe̸̢̢̛̺̦̬̙̹̪̼̥͎̦̖̦̥̱̰̥̻̺͑͛̊̅͋̐̈́̀̈́͑̌͝ͅ ̷̡̧̪͈͙͇̖̝̞̝̮̅͛̀̆́͝ͅͅţ̸̨̢̦̜̜̫̭̬̬͍̪̲͚̙̦̭̠̟̞̅̿̄̑̂͗̾́́͌̓͌̈́̎̚̚̚͜͠͝͝ọ̵̧̡̻͉̦͇̪̠̰̝̊̓̓͋̇͋́͗̆́̎͒͌̂̓͊̆̈̓̚̚͘͜͠͝m̸̛̟̪̮̈́̇̑̈́̎̒͒̾̔̉̌͘̕͜͠͝ͅb̸̧̡̛͎̩̳̳͔̖̤̠̬̪̺͖̘͙̟̉̂͌͂̅͗͊̌͗͝…̶̛͎͖͔̤̯̯̪̈́͌̆̑̅͆̒̾̈̈̑̐̔̈́͂̄̈́͋̒̄̊̚͜

 

What energy?

I̸̡̛̞̗̼͉̩̭͊̈̈́̉́̾̾̍̀̈́͗͋͑̌̀̈̓̃̍͛̈́̚͝͝g̷̨̡̻̳̞̘̟̠͙̫̮͖͇̖̖̪͙͈̝̼̺̫̫̐͊̔̈́̒̈̇͜͠͠͝͝ņ̴̧̨̛̲̣̮̩͗̌͂̀͌̏̈́͛̊̾̂̓͌̈͒͝͝o̸̢̡͕̪̹̖͍̥͙͕̫̫̞̮͆̇̿̽̀́̂͠ͅr̷̢̗̠̳̯̹͇̟͖̣̳̜̮̯̞̭̖̈́̈͌̀̌̎̎̉̄̈́͝ę̷̧̨̣̻̫͖̝͉̲̯̰͚̻̪̼̜̯͍̳̟̘̲̻̅͂̌̍̆̐̂̓̕͜͠ ̵̡͔̩̯͙̤̮͕̞̯̱͚̀́͗̐͊̆͂͋͒̇͐̅̚̚͜ţ̴̧̨̨̛̛̝̭̪͔͔̱̙͍̬̥̰̗̞͍̩͓̦̓͑͑͆̌̈́̃̒̽̐͋̐̓͋̈́̕̚͘̕h̸̡̛̩̹̰̦̞̻̙͎̯̰̺̩̣̄̀́̂͛̎̌̔̈́̄͘͘͝͠a̶̪͖̫͇̳̪̻̘̟̟̻̟͖̓̌̔̈́̑͒͌̎̓́̈́͐̀͌̿͗̄̀͛͊͌͠t̸̢̨̨̜͕͎̠͖̫͉̮͎̝͖̟̲͎̗̼̻̟̙̝͛̍͒̎͑͗̀̋̈́̓̀́͐͒̂̕͜͠ͅ ̸̢̰̗͍͉͕̰͓̻̳̪̫̱̰͕̼̩̺̯͇̺͓̊̌̌͋͋̈́́̾̊͌f̸̢̧̘̺͇̮̲̜̬̑̈́͌̀̽̌̏̈̊͆̆͌̃̓͌̓̎̏̏͆̃̈́̓͜͠͝ö̴͍̥͔́̏̾̋͛̕̕͝r̴̡̢̢̢̧͚̘̪̗̹̭̬̝̖͎̮̫̻̤̔͗͗̀͛̆͘̚͜ ̶̨̛̩̬͖̻͎̫̬̦͖̯̟͔́̈́͒̂͑̒̐̍̋͜ͅņ̷̢̛̺͕͖̮̮̜̻͙̹̳̩̣̽͐̄̈́̌̓͆̽̂̽̃̒̚͘͜ͅỡ̴̢̲̭̺͓́̍̉̉̂͂̐̊͂̎͆̏͊̉̌́̓͘͘ẘ̶͎̤̯̟͉̩͊̾̋̔̓́̈́̈́͒̃̌̋͗̀̎͝!̵̨̗̥̻͎͇́͜ͅ ̴̨̨͙͇̰̼̈́̇̃͐͐͌̂͛͊̀̅̈̆͛̆͗͋͘F̷̨̢̧̜̠̱̗͙͙̫͊̈́̉̒͛̈́͗́͐̿͒͌͑̀̊̇̕͜ơ̴̛̲̫͕̝͕̤̜̤̖̺̹̖̼̤̬̪̽̔̎͊̈̈́̀̄̑c̶̨̣̭̫̬̟̥͕͚̤͓̗̞̰͖̹̳͎̤̺͔̜̏̾͒̏̈́̂̀̔͂̊̊̀̕ư̸̧̼̞̭̘̪̭̩͇͎̘̮͍̫̬̥̟̣̘͉͋͒̅͊̉̂͂̀̽͑́̌͌̏̈͘̕͝ͅͅͅs̴̨̢̺̻͉̗̤̘̹͓͍̻̘̰̠̯̪̙̜͔͈̼͍͊̽̏͋̂̐͝͝ ̷̧̯̹̣͓̰̠͉͇̼̫͈̥͇̜͊́̏̓͛̄̃͘͜͝͝ͅŏ̴͉̫̆͐̎̀̆̓̉̾̍͒̋͠n̵̜͍̤̗̜̖̩͛́͋̓̑́̀͆́̔̈͊͑̀̔̌̎̂̍̚͝ͅ ̴̢̖̦̝͈̮̆ṯ̸̡̨̢̢̠̹͔̼̳͉̤͖̝̥̫̫̻̭̥̬̦̖̯̮͔̂̊̑̄̏̒̔͗̅̾̏̀̿͌̈́̅̔͑̃̎͒̍̉͛̈̕͠a̴̧̧͈͓̞̤̣̟̼̠̙̣̺̾̓͛͑̏͑̓͗͒͒̃̔͋͋́̒̑̓̓̕̚͝ͅk̵̤̳̠̻̓͛̾̍͂́͋̔̌̒̏͊̚i̴̧̨̦̹̦͚͓͎̠̣̺̼̼̙̙͓̤̖̤̱̺̰̋́̌̋́̓͒́́͘͜͜n̸̨̧̧̢̗̗͉̩͉͓͇̺͔̬̲̥̰̰͕̖̊̍̒̈́̕͜ͅģ̵̨̼̹̤͔̝͚͖̯̱̬̟̠̼͕̗̠̘̘̜̇̕͜͜͜ ̵̛̜͔̲͖̙͇̮̊̍͐́̃̏͛̊̊̾͐̄̔͌̓̃́̚͘͝ͅh̷̡̟͎̻̼͕̻̟͖͈̳̪͕̥́̉̋͋͠͝ͅi̶͇̙̩͈̫̭͕̗̐̑͒̾̿̐̽̓̓̑̌̈́̅́̈́͋̓́́͘͠͝͝͝͝m̸̨̢̡̧̝̗͙͙̖̠̩̦͙̥̭̰̫͎̜̻̣̝͕̘͍̈́͋͌̎̓̆̈́̀̐͊͜ͅ
̷̝̲͉̭͙̭͆͛͂̄̒̃͑̃̈̇͆̑͂̾̐͑̏͋̃͘̕͜͝͠͠͝ͅḑ̵̡̢̡̛̳̤̞̺̘̯̟̱̠̰͈̠̲̼̳͌̔́͋̐͂̿̕͘͘͘ͅo̴̡̯͉̬̱̅̔͂̀̄̅͊͛̆͝͝͝w̷̡̧͓̹̙̟̦͓̙͔̩͇̲̠̞̞͖̜͚̤͓̳̟͎͘͝ͅn̵̻͓͉̝͍͓͎̳̟̞͖͈̝̟̥̞̗͍͔̻͇̻̠͐̆̇̂̽̈́̐̾͋̈͋̓̈̉͛̊͝͠͠!̷̢̭̜̫̤̺̼̺͇̞̙͚͔̑̀͌̐́̇̀͛̾͗̽̍͛̊̃͝͝ͅ

 

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Edelgard ran forward, decapitating one man with her axe, then embedding it into another’s chest. Three men began to charge at her, but were quickly forced back by a barrage of spells from Lysithea and Monica. Edelgard watched as Ingrid and Ferdinand worked together to take down one enemy, while Bernadetta shot another that was charging at them from behind.

“You.” A voice suddenly rang out, as the Death Knight pointed the heel of his scythe at Byleth. “You wield great power. We shall dance together in the eternal flames!”

He then kicked his horse into a gallop, charging at Byleth, which alarmed Edelgard. What “power” could he possibly be sensing? It was enough to make him disobey orders, which was very concerning.

“You shall not harm my friends!” Ferdinand yelled, rushing the Death Knight.

It was almost his last mistake, as Byleth barely blocked a blow that was meant for Ferdinand’s chest. The Death Knight’s momentum carried him past the pair, but he checked his horse and circled back around to another attack on Byleth.

“I’ll handle this, focus on the others!” She cried, narrowly dodging a blow from the knight’s scythe. She replied with a quick series of slashes, which put a small dent in his armor.

“Yes, yes!” The Death Knight cried. “Our duel shall feed me well!”

He barred down on Byleth again, but Edelgard’s retainer quickly dodged. The princess could only watch in shock as the two duked it out. She was quickly brought back to reality, however, when an arrow whizzed past her. Edelgard replied by throwing a fire ball - a new spell she had learned - at the archer. The poor man burnt to death, as Edelgard quickly examined the battlefield.

The group had formed a small perimeter around Edelgard, with the physical fighters doing their best to shield the mages and Bernadetta. There was also Seteth, who was fighting 12 of the western churches men at once, which was honestly impressive. That left Edelgard free to survey the battle.

“Black Eagles, with me!” Edelgard shouted as she began to charge toward the Death Knight.

“Are you crazy?” Monica yelled back, but she and the others followed Edelgard anyway.

By this point, the duel had dissolved into a confused brawl. Byleth managed to dismount the Death Knight, but had also broken her sword in the process. The knight’s scythe lay discarded on the ground. Byleth was currently attempting to subdue him with her bare hands, which was certainly an interesting sight.

“Byleth, head for the coffin!” Edelgard shouted, as Byleth turned to look at her. “We’ll keep him bu-“

“Do not interfere!” The Death Knight suddenly screeched, aiming a right hook at Byleth. She dodged, leaping back.

“It’s over!” She announced, striking The Death Knight’s helmet. A great crack rang out across the mausoleum, followed by twin thunks as two halves of a ghastly skull helmet hit the ground. Jeritza stood there, exposed for all to see.

“P-professor?” Dorothea gasped out, her jaw dropping.

“Hmmph. Very well then.” The Death Knight said, pointing a finger at Byleth. “We shall meet again. And next time, only one of us shall walk away!!”

With that, he leaped into his horse, and galloped away, probably heading for the inner workings of Garreg Mach.

“We need to go after him!” Ferdinand yelled as he began to hurry after him.

“We shall search for him later!” Seteth said. “For now, we must protect the tomb!”

By this point, the Western Church forces had mostly been decimated. The only ones left were a few Armor Knights, and a mage who was trying to open the coffin.

“Students, purge the heretics!” Seteth yelled, once again taking off towards the mage. Byleth was close behind, having grabbed what was left of her broken sword.

The combined spellwork of Monica, Lysithea, Linhardt, and Dorothea quickly overwhelmed the armored knights, which left only the mage. “It’s too late!” He announced as he opened the casket. “Now, see how the body of Saint Seir-“

As expected, there was no body, but something else entirely. It was a blade, made out of the same materials that-

Wait.

Edelgard gasped, drawing her classmates attention. It was the Sword of the Creator! For some reason, the legendary blade of Nemesis was where Seiros’s corpse should have been!

“W-what?” The mage asked, before being punched in the face by Byleth. She snatched the sword out of his hands, and slashed at him with it. Suddenly, the weapon began to glow, and the blade slashed out like a whip. Byleth sliced both the man and the casket in half, leaving a jagged hole where the blade had touched.

“What in the name of Cichol…” Seteth said, looking at Byleth with confusion.

The class quickly began to run towards Byleth, Edelgard bringing up the rear. How did Byleth manage to activate the blade? This could only mean… Did Byleth and Edelgard have the same crest?

As Edelgard got closer, excitement stirred inside her to have someone else like her in the world. Someone she could share something with. Edelgard was not a horrible monster for having the Crest of Flames! She simply had it due to external means, just like Byleth somehow did!

But wait. As Edelgard got closer, she noticed that the Sword of the Creator didn’t have a Crest Stone. It made sense that the sword and stone would be separated, of course, but this confused her even more. How was the weapon working without a Crest Stone?

“Quite an impressive weapon, Byleth,” Edelgard said, finally approaching the group huddled around her vassal.

“Meh, it’s alright,” she said, holding the blade behind her head. “Wanna hold it?”

Edelgard nodded her head, but was blocked by Seteth.

“Ms. Eisner, please come with me,” he said, taking her arm. “We need to speak with Lady Rhea at once.”

Byleth’s face flashed a look of panic for a brief moment, before becoming a small frown. “Alrighty. Let’s go then.”

The two of them walked off, as Catherine and multiple knights came barreling down the stairs. “All right, who dares invade this sacred—”

She looked around, and lowered her sword slowly. “Aww, we missed the fun part,” she murmured, sheathing her blade.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Edelgard was wishing she had gone with Byleth. It was late at night, and the Sealed Forest was an awful place to be, especially considering who Edelgard was waiting for. The mask of the Flame Emperor began to fog up, as Edelgard’s breathing intensified. She heard Thales begin to walk up to her, and mentally applied the persona of the Flame Emperor.

“The archbishop lives,” the leader of Those Who Slither in the Dark said. “Truly a shame. Not that I ever had much faith in those swine from the Western Church.”

The Emperor grimaced, but her armor didn’t betray her thoughts. “I have news, both good and bad. As we knew, the remains of Seiros were not in the coffin. All those in the western church who saw are dead, however.”

“A shame, honestly,” Thales said, rolling his eyes. “I would have liked something to come out of this plan.”

“You speak too quickly,” she retorted. “Many of the students noticed. I’m sure they’ll have questions and spread rumors. Also, something else was inside the coffin: the Sword of the Creator.”

“The weapon wielded by that thief, the ‘King of Liberation’. How interesting.”

“Thief?” The Emperor mused. “Hm. At any rate, it is now in the hands of one of the new students of the academy. I doubt you’ll be surprised to hear the Crest Stone was removed when it was found.”

“Hmph. As expected. It would be foolish to keep both in the same location.”

“There’s more. The student was able to awaken the sword's true power. Even without the Crest Stone, the sword glowed red. The student’s crest is compatible. There is no mistaking it.”

This caused Thales to raise an eyebrow. “Absurd. Using a relic without its Crest Stone should be impossible.”

He scratched his chin for a few seconds. “The King of Liberation’s bloodline should not even… Hmm.”

“She must be allowed to keep it for now,” The Emperor blurted out, forming a plan. “I do not have enough information about the student to act.”

Thales thought for a few seconds, then nodded. “Very well. What is this student's name?”

The Flame Emperor froze, and tried to find some way to send Thales on a wild goose chase after someone else. But she knew she had to tell the truth. The consequences if she lied would be dire, and she didn’t want anyone else being caught up in her plans.“Byleth Eisner.”

“I see,” he said. “Moving on, I am sure you have given my request the ample consideration it deserves.”

“There has been a complication. The Death Knight’s identity has been exposed.”

“What? How?” Thales demanded.

“His mask was shattered by the student I had mentioned. He has fled somewhere into the Garreg Mach underground.”

Thales clenched his hands together for a moment, then let them go. “So be it. I’ll send some of my men to hunt him down and save him. I assume his identity was exposed?”

The Flame Emperor nodded, and Thales sighed. “Very well. Solon will have to make do on his own for the time being. Speaking of which, do not think I have forgotten that your pathetic class slew one of our infiltrators.”

The Flame Emperor shook her head. “Of course not. But the Ochs girl has proven to be useful to our cause. The merc-“

“Oh yes, the mercenary army you’re assembling to replace the decrepit Imperial army.” Thales said, mocking The Emperor. “Would it not be much easier to give in to our demands and use the war beasts? We also have a new experiment that will create loyal, rabid killing machines for your army.”

The Flame Emperor shook her head again, attempting to save face. “I would rather use them as a last resort. You already know my feelings on using such ghastly means.”

Thales sighed, placing a hand on The Emperors shoulder. He squeezed tight “You pull against your leash fervently, my ‘niece’. Do not forget who gave you your power.”

He pulled a red rectangle out of his pocket, and The Emperor gasped. Thales turned on the strange, glowing tome, and used its strange powers to conjure a blurry image of Fodlan. He then tapped on the location of Enbarr, creating a hovering illusion of the Imperial capital.

“Don’t forget,” he said, devilishly grinning. “It only takes a slight slip of my finger, and all those lives…”

“I haven’t forgotten,” she replied. “It is merely that I did not think my objections would cause that reaction. Perhaps the Empire can begin a volunteer program once I have claimed my throne…”

Thales smirked, putting the strange device back in his pocket. “Good girl. You do understand your position. Now, continue to be a good girl, and find the Death Knight.”

The Emperor silently grimaced, watching as Thales walked away. As she removed the mental mask of the Flame Emperor, Edelgard's knees began to wobble. From there she walked back to her warp tile, using it to travel back to the Garreg Mach baths. As she reappeared in the towel room, she startled Lysithea and Monica, both discussing magic.

“E-edlegard, you’re back earl-“ Lysithea said, stopping as she saw Edelgard tear off the mask.

“Lady Edelgard, are you alright?” Monica asked, running over to the heavily-armored women. Edelgard didn’t reply, merely weeping into Monica’s shoulder, as Lysithea came over to give a hug.

Suddenly, the door opened. Dorothea walked in for a second, naked as the day she was born, reaching for a towel. Suddenly, she saw Edelgard, Monica, and Lysithea all embracing, and made a small screech.

“What the actual fuck are you wearing, Edie?”

Notes:

Sorry for taking an extra week, I’ve been getting fucked hard by writers block. Hopefully it stops being so annoying so I can keep writing.

Shout out to my beta Raxis, as always. If you’re looking for a great fic, go read his fic called On Black Wings. Might hold your interest while my upload schedule explodes itself.

Next time, Edelgard learns she is unable to hide her conspiracy.

Chapter 19: Accomplices in the Dark

Summary:

Edelgard gains a new ally, and gains a shocking new professor.

“O-okay, so,” Dorothea said, her modesty now protected by a towel. “Let me get this straight; you plan to destroy the Crest system?”

“And the nobility,” Edelgard confirmed. She was still inside the armor of the Flame Emperor, albeit without the helmet, and she could tell Dorothea was afraid. After their encounter with the Death Knight, any mysteriously-armored people must have seemed like a threat. It probably didn’t help that she was wearing nothing but a towel.

“Okay, okay, give me a second,” Dorothea said, taking in a few deep breaths.

Suddenly, Monica put a hand on Edelgard’s shoulder. The imperial princess turned around, to see a concerned look on her vassal’s face.

“I’m not sure about this, Edelgard,” she said, frowning. “Those Who Clash in the Darkness is already quite a large group, and I know you wouldn’t want to endanger anyone else.”

“What else was she supposed to do?” Lysithea asked, turning to face Monica. “Make up some story about how she was just walking around the monastery in full battle armor?”

“You have a point,” Monica said, sighing. “Still, I’m worried that she might-“

“That I might tell the church of your plans?” Dorothea asked, having drawn a bit closer to the trio. “Do you really trust that little?”

Monica nodded her head, which caused Dorothea to sigh. “Listen. As someone who’s seen the Church’s ‘kindness’ to those that aren’t of noble birth, anything that finally brings justice to my fellow commoners is fine in my book. In fact, I want to join you.”

“Dorothea, I understand that you want to help, but it’s still dange-“ Lysithea started, but Edelgard cut her off.

“I’m sure Dorothea knows the risks. If any of this plan leaked, nobody but us would try to protect her from the repercussions. She is in the most danger.”

A look of confusion briefly flashed across Dorothea’s face, until her eyes lit up. “Wait, is this why you guys were ‘studying magic’ with some of the other Eagles?”

Edelgard nodded her head, and Dorothea let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. I thought I was just being left out because I was of common birth. Good to know instead you were just starting a conspiracy to subvert the social framework of our entire society.”

Suddenly, the door flew open. Hubert ran in, miasma in his good hand. “Lady Edelgard! Is everythi-“

He then looked at Dorothea, still wrapped in only a towel, and blushed slightly. “What do you think you-“

“She’s joining us, Hubert,” Monica quickly explained.

“Are you sure that is wise, Arnault?” Hubert asked, scowling.

Dorothea put a hand on her hip, using the other one to keep her towel up. “Yes. I’ve seen first hand how nobles use and abuse people. I’d do anything to help end that system. And are you sure you should be out of bed?”

She sighed again, turning to Edelgard. “I had to do… unpleasant business with my own father — or I’m pretty sure he was, anyways. He was a rotten noble who abandoned me at birth just because I didn’t have a Crest. I had butter him up so I could get into the Officers Academy. If I can make that fat, ginger bast-“

“Wait,” Monica said, her eyebrows raising. “A fat ginger noble? Where did you meet him to… ‘earn’ your way into Garreg Mach?”

“I met him in his mansion in Enbarr,” Dorothea explained. “I only figured out he was my father because he said I resembled a maid that was my mother. Why?”

“Did you get a good look at his face?”

“Not really. It was dark, and he needed me to… do a task to secure my recommendation. I only saw his head briefly, as he hid behind a mask. Probably to hide the shame that he was taking advantage of his bastard daughter. He was balding, and-“

Monica shrieked, and Edelgard turned to stare at her.

“Monica, what’s wrong?”

“I think her father-“ Monica started.

“Is Duke Ludwig von Aegir himself,” Hubert finished.

The room went silent for a moment, before Dorothea kneeled over and fell to the ground. Edelgard rushed over to support her, helping her to her feet.

“That-that means, I’m related to Ferdie!” She gasped in the midst of her hyperventilation.

“It would seem that way,” Hubert said. “How interesting.” Then, Lysithea walked over and kicked him in the shin.

“Show some sympathy!” She shouted. She went to kick him again, but Monica stopped her.

“Hubert was getting there, I’m sure,” the red-headed vassal said, staring at her black-haired counterpart.

“I was, you brat,” he spat out, glaring at Lysithea.

“For the love of…“ Edelgard growled, glaring at the three mages. “Can we please focus on helping Dorothea?”

The three of them nodded, Lysithea holding her head low. Meanwhile, Dorothea was still breathing heavily, her face in her hands. Edelgard knelt next to the poor girl.

“Dorothea, it’s going to be alright,” she said, placing a hand on the songstress's shoulder.

“I- I don’t know, Edie,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I just… he has everything because of his damned Crest! I was cast out of one of the wealthiest families in the Empire because I didn’t have one of my own! Goddess, I was nothing more than trash to them!”

“And that’s horrific”, Edelgard said. “No one should be cast aside for something so trivial. Crests don’t make wise scholars, or brilliant military commanders, or great leaders; they merely make a man physically stronger than his peers. But let me tell you this: you are one of the most talented mages I’ve ever met. To learn magic by learning one of the hardest spells first - you have talent many do not. And you deserve a life befitting that talent. All of humanity deserves the chance to rise due to their talents, and not to be held down by their lack of a Crest or, or because of their status.”

Dorothea looked up at Edelgard, her mouth hanging slightly open. “Wow, you really mean this, don’t you?

“Why would I invite you to join us if I didn’t?”

“Fair”, Dorothea said, sighing. “I-I’ll follow you, Edelgard. I want to believe your words aren’t just coated with honey. But you know this will… this will kill a lot of people, right? The church won’t go down without a fight.”

Edelgard nodded her head. “I… I know a pool of blood will begin to form at my feet, but there is no other option. I will try to spare and protect all I can, but I must liberate the world, no matter who stands in my way.”

“I… I would prefer to not do any of the killing, but…”

Dorothea looked away, and then nodded. “I trust you, Edie. My magic is yours.”

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The next day, Edelgard was standing groggily in Rhea’s office. She didn’t sleep well after the incident with Dorothea, and Thales’ threats certainly didn’t help. She was still lost in thought, reconsidering her plan to remove both Duke Aegir and Thales from their positions of influence in the Empire. Monica had suggested using Dorothea’s status to blackmail the duke, but Edelgard knew nobody would take her seriously even if she tried to announce the truth. If only there was some way to-

“Princess Edelgard?” Rhea asked, snapping Edelgard out of her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Are you well,, dear? You seem lost.”

Edelgard bit her tongue, wishing she could expose Rhea for her crimes here and now. But that wouldn’t do. She would be dismissed as a madwoman and confined to a heavily-guarded cell to live out the rest of her days.

“I’m fine, Lady Rhea,” she responded. “Simply a poor night’s sleep.”

The former saint nodded. “I see. Back on topic, then: the Black Eagle’s mission for this month will be to accompany me and Dame Catherine in our mission to smite the heretics in the Western Church. After the grievous sins they committed last month, we cannot suffer their heresy to continue for even a moment longer.”

Edelgard nodded, unsurprised. It seemed her skeletons were poking out of the closet, and of course it was her class being chosen to deal with it.

“Claude,” Rhea continued. “We have received a plea for aid from the merchant guilds of the Alliance. It would seem piracy has grown rampant in the waters around Derdriu of late. I am dispatching Ser Alois and Dame Shamir to resolve the matter, and I would like your class to assist them. Our reports indicate that an Almyran fleet has been spotted nearby, so we cannot take any chances.”

“You got it,” Claude said, winking at Rhea for some reason. Edelgard rolled her eyes.

“And lastly, Dimitri. The Blue Lions will be helping Ser Gilbert in recovering the Hero’s Relic of House Gautier. I trust you understand the severity of this matter?”

Dimitri nodded, a grim look on his face. “It shall be done, Lady Rhea.”

“Very good. Now, let us discuss a task we have set aside for a select few of your house members.”

All three of the lords glanced at each other with confused looks.

“The so-called Death Knight has fled into the Garreg Mach underground. Five days from now, I will send you, your two retainers, and your professors to search the underbelly of Garreg Mach to find him. We would send the knights on this mission, but they are occupied investigating a contagion that has sprung up in Sauin Village.”

“Isn’t that Leonie’s village?” Claude asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I believe so,” Rhea said casually. “Regardless, I have one last announcement. As the Black Eagles no longer have a professor to call their own, I have called upon one of the knights to serve as their teacher for the remainder of the year. Everyone, please welcome Professor Jeralt Eisner.”

As she spoke, the doors opened, revealing Ser Jeralt. Edelgard raised her eyebrows, staring at her new professor.

“Well, uh,” he started, staring at Edelgard. “Hello there.”

Notes:

Hello everyone, and welcome back to APO3! I’m so sorry for the break I’ve been on, writers block really had me in a stranglehold. I should be back to an every 2 week’s schedule, so yippee for that!

Once again, thank you to my lovely beta Raxis, I could not do this without him. Go read On Black Wings if you haven’t already it’s so peak.

Goodbye for now! Next time we’ll be visiting some rats in the underbelly of Garreg Mach

Chapter 20: New Lessons

Summary:

Edelgard’s new professor teaches the Black Eagles some lessons

“Alright, listen up brats!” Captain Eisner - No, Professor Eisner shouted, standing at Jeritza’s former desk.

“Here’s the first order of business: you all have a new classmate. Everyone, say hello to Leonie Pinelli.”

The Black Eagles turned around to see Leonie sprinting into the classroom. Edelgard smiled at the ginger huntress from Sauin; she had practically begged at Edelgard’s knees to be let into the Black Eagle House when she learned that Professor Eisner was to be its new professor. She stopped just short of Professor Eisner and snapped into a salute.

“Reporting for duty, Captain!”

“It’s ‘Professor’ now.”

“Can I call you ‘Captain’ for old times sake?”

“No. Everyone here will be treated the same, so everyone here will call me Professor Eisner.”

Leonie’s shoulders slumped a bit, but she still kept her salute. “Yes, Professor!”

“All right, sit down now.”

As she did, Byleth’s hand shot into the air.

“Yes, By- I mean, Miss Eisner?”

“Can I still call you Papa?”

Jeralt thought on this for a moment, then nodded. “When we’re in private. In this room, I’m Professor Eisner. For all that it’s worth.”

Byleth smiled, turning to Edelgard. It was one of those smiles that was enough to turn Edelgard’s cold heart a little warmer.

“Alright then, soooo,” Professor Eisner said, looking around the room. “Where did you all leave off with Jer-, I mean, former Professor Hyrm.

 

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Ţ̴̧͉̼͖̙̟͉͕̥͈̓̽̓̄̀͝ḩ̶͈̿͒̒̅͂̓͠i̴̠̩̪̗̮̮͈̬͓̞͛̂̈́͛̒̀̿̌͘̚͠s̶̨̯͚̳̬̠̿̎ ̵͙̲́́͋͛͊̈́̐̍̑̓̋́͝͠i̸͉͇͔͘s̸̢͎̫͍͇̝̥͇̈́͗̉͂̅̏̏̓̓͛̕͝͠ͅ ̴̧͇̲̩̮͓̱́̊̌̈́̄̿͘̕͜t̶̫̙̪̲̠͇̩͛̋̒̿͋̐̀̕͘h̷̨̧̥̪͉̥͓̰̦͇̦̯̘͎͌͗̑͌͂̑͂͘͜e̸̼͙͕̗͖͑͑̌͐͆̐ ̵̘͎̿̈́͒́̔̽̈́̉̈̀̊̈́̒͐f̶͈͇̝̆͛̄̈͆̇͐̋́͝a̶̡̖̥̫͙̩̭͔̘͇̚ͅm̴͔͚͐́̋̽̍o̷̫͇̻̱̹̙̻̓͋̅̇u̶͓͔̯̞̦̜̰̯̳͙͔̪͗́͂̀̏̀̈́͜͝s̵͕͈̻̪͛̀̾ ̷̨̢̠̹̻͈̖͐̈́̅̄̈́͌̐̄͗̔̀̑͛̓͝ͅm̵͖͈͓͎͖̗̲̼̺̲̅̓͋̇̊̐̏̍̎̅͜͝͠e̶̺͚̮͙͌̌̒̌̊͆͘r̴̨̠̘͓̮͎̘̹̩̪̳̤̗̈́́͆̓̅̀͋͌̽̎̄͜ç̴̩̟͕͕̪̜͙͇͋̈́̀̑̒̈̏͋̇́̈͝͝e̷̟̤̞͎̜̲̰̥̺̪̼̮̰̿̂̆̋̈̒͑́̚͝n̷̡̨̖̹͎̜͙̱̘̦̓a̷̛̩͛́̅̋̆͂̈̄͐̊̐͂ŕ̸̛͖͖͎̹̲̖̱͈̳̯̃̀̽̒̆͗͌̈̽͝͠͝y̶̡̢̺̻͖̠̘̱̣͓̰̟͆̆̌̈́͘̚ ̴̞̳̰̥̿́́̍͘͠ţ̸̨̛̦͚̙̹̥͈͔́͋̊̐̀̎̒̈́̈́͜͝ḥ̴̢̛͎̪̪̪͙̞͙̠̀̉͌̌͐̒̓̇̾̒̌͘ā̴̡̜͍͙͙̳͔͍̲̜́̈͝t̸͕̲͚̝͔̗͎͖̍̒͛̓̑̏̿̿͐͠ͅ ̵̡̢̖̱̩̻̬̀w̷̙̳͉̪̓̓͒͗̐̌͐́̉̐͜͠į̷̢̨̛̞̥̺͍̫̰̥̲̘̬̪̻̎̉͗̅̄̀͠p̵͇͈͝e̴̢̛̬͇̱̱̖̹͙̿͆̅̀͐̾̿̏͑̏̿̓͐͘d̵̲̻̬͉̼̖̞̘͓͖́͂̽́͝ͅ ̴̝̭̍̏̄̈́̏͝o̶̡̞͚̼͕̟͂̽̌͛̃͐̆͗͘͠ͅͅů̷̥̠͋̆͗́͒͛͒̽͜͠ͅt̵̨̛̬̜̝̫͎͚͇̲͓͉̪̙́̈́̉̀̈́̿͆̌̀̚͜͝ ̷̢̢̗̞̥̗͍̤̱̠̟͒͐̃̓͗͝ý̶͓͚͚̠̖̞͓͚̯̲͗̇͛͊̎o̴̼̼̠̯͖̘͑ų̸̗̩̥̖̳̺̘̏́ͅr̴̡̤̥̱̗̯͕̻̱̬̗͒̃̆̋̂̒͋͜ ̷̳̮̒̿c̵̨̨̛͕͔͓͎͖̱̪̄͑̈̇̀̑̒͘͠o̵̺͚̝͙̼̳͎̊̓̿̈̉̍̃͌̋̐̓͘͝ͅṃ̸̡̱̤̬̝͇̼͕̩͓̭̿̀̄̈̎̏̈́̓͌͗̽̚͜͜͝͝ͅr̷͓̺̮͛̄̈̓̂͒̽̈́͂̂̀͝a̴̰͎͙̼̳͌d̶̥͓͈̺̦̲͍̗̔͘ͅͅe̷̢̛͔͇̟̙̘͉͋̊̐͊͐̀̋̋̈́̎̆̕͝ś̴͎̗͍͚̬̱̦͕̣̀̂̓́̅̍͐͊͘͜͠ ̶̧̛̰̐̋̎͆͂̀͋̾͒̊̍͝

Oh shush you. Besides, it was the Ashen Demon who slaughtered most of them, and you’ve seen her fight.

Î̶͖̰͔̫̬̜̥̘͉’̵̲̈v̶̢̘̯̺̯̯̖͚̝͙̠͎̲͗ͅe̷̫̝̹̳̙̪̼̞̯̭͍̰͚͒̏̓͒̋̀͒̔̂̾ ̴̛̪̗͓̺̔̓͐͌ä̴̡̹̭̺̪̺̜́͐̅̒̔̀͂ļ̷̨̪̩̹͙̭̝̬̟͔͆̑̄͗͜s̴̠͙̔́̋̓̕ͅo̸̢̫̮͒̔͆͆͘ ̸̢̨̡̯̭̻̱̖̪͚̞̣̻̟͐̚̚͝ͅs̸̢̙̈́̽͋̑ẽ̴͉͛̌̿̍̆͑̈́̌̂̋̊̓̽̚ȅ̸̡̛͍͍͇̼̩̠͚̗͉̞̿̌̓̍̎́͊̑̒̿͜͜͜ͅń̵̛͕̝̟͕̩̅̂͒͠ ̸̢̠̳̦̑̂̈́̀̈́͋͛̿͋̕͝͠ͅͅt̸̨̙̙̰̦̹̗̠̯͙̬͑̏̈́̄́̄͘h̴̢̫̘̙̬̺̰͉̝͗̍̅́̀̈́̃̎́̌̕͜e̵̱̳̲̠͉͎̎̾̉́̌͑͊̓͝͝͠ ̸̣͎̳̦̘̳̝̾̈̏̐w̵̡̛͈̙͈̩͖̦̜̲̣͓̯̳̓̓̌͑͋͋̍̔̈́̊̽̕̕ͅą̸̯͕͚̜̬̝̺̞̣̀̊̿̈̈́̀̉̍̐̐̕̕̕͝y̴̡̱̤͈͍̠̫͇̫͔̫̩͙̽̏̎̉͂͆̒͝͝ ̶̪͎̼͇̦̱̞̿͜ͅs̴̨̩̗̘͔̲̺̐͜͜ͅh̸̠̯̰̒̏̓́͑̈́͗͗͋̆͘̚̚͠͠ĕ̷̡͍̜̤̳̦͚̥̰̭͖̻͛̏̽̾̈́̊͐̓͜͝ ̵̺͇͈̖͈̖͂̕f̷̝̭̣̺͉̳͚̫͉̯̥̤̗͙͝á̵͉͖̫̦͓͎̩̋͂͐̌̀͛͜͝w̷̧̨̛͓̰̺͓̰̬͕̟̩̼͉͉̙͗̄͊͛̐̊̐́͊̀̕n̵̼͖̲̽̐͊͗͘͠s̸̛̘̖͂̔̀̌͗̉͂̒̑̋̚͘͝͠ ̷̛̮̗̝͇̖̙͔̭̥̹̔̄̓̓̿̉͜ͅò̵̳̩̀̃̔̑͂̊̇́͑̿͘̚͠v̸͓͖̭͂e̵̗̫̼͇̻̯̰͓̬̭̰̫̹͚̖̔̐ř̵̢̞̹̻̭̟͖̰̞́̊̌ ̴̧̧͔̙͙̗̟̞̺͈̯̝͉͎́̐͒̒̾͊͆̍̅̅͝͝͠ţ̵̻͍͔̜͕̿̄̑͊́̐̓̈͒͗̑̉ȟ̷̛̥̰͕̺͈͇̭̭̜̲͋̃̃͗̐̓͒̋͑̕̕̚͜ë̷̟̺́́̿ ̸̧̧̻͎͇̥͈̓̈́͊̉̒̉̃͊͘͝p̸̰̼̟̮̅͋͝͝r̴̡̳̼̟̮̅͜ĩ̵̧̥̗̰̣̤̑͌̏̅͑͊͋̓̓̕͜͝ņ̸͎͖̟̻̘̖̫͎̬̮̮̅͗̈̚ͅc̶̞͔̺̮̬͎̠̃̌͒̐̐̈́͋́̓̈́̕ͅè̷̢̮͚͔̥͒̎̾̽͝ͅs̶̢͈̳̻̹͚͎̃̎̐̉s̶̡͇̘̻͈̰̮͚͈̠͛̂ͅ.̴̛̰̗̜̞̹̼̽̑̀̒̂͋́̏͌́̈́͒ ̷̨̮̲͉̗̒D̴̲̈́̃̀̔̌̔̾́̕̚͠ǫ̸̥̗̱͙̲̿͌̓ͅ ̷̹̯̠̣͓̾̋̾̆̈̌͋̄̇̽̏̎͘̚y̷̥̮̘͈̤̠̅̇͛̊͊̀̒͜ȯ̸͚̳̗̫̂͝ų̸̝͖̖̯͈̠͇̖̦̖̈́̈́̾͂͌̒͂̋̀̂̓̊̚͝ ̵̠̫̭̟̀̏͋̿̿̊t̶̡̧̪̙̮͖͍͈̺̓̈̽̏͆͑̀͐͗̔̊̓h̵̡̝͚̲̘̦̠̝̋̊͊í̸̭̥͓̲̻̥͕̠̹͚̩͖̇̽̐̅͝ṉ̴͍̮̖̣̳̰̝͐͐̃͊̽̂͘ḵ̴̛̠̩̲̹͇͍̖̪͙̲̜̟̟͉̾̈́̎̈́͐͌͠-̷͎̙̦̔̾̊͑͊̆̅̄̉̚

I don’t think the Demon can experience emotions like that. But, she is our ally now. It’s the nobles that have to go.

F̶̡̡̡̤̲͇̺̺͇͖͖̖̿̄͋͆̑̔͂̆̎͛͑̈͂͗̄̏̎̊͊͐͛̈́̕a̵̛͈̲̗̓̃̈́͋̀́̈́̆̉̒̊͐̀̍͆̌̃͑̅̇̎̊̒̆̆́̓̍̓̚̚͝í̴̡̧̯̼̞̪̬͙͖̻̬͖͙̖̘͇͙͕̞̜̣̺͔̰̻̻̱͕̝̪̖̰̩͋͑͋͒̀̌̉͑̋̅̚͠͠ͅͅŗ̶̛̛͖͎͕͔̬͈͈͓͖̫̫̊́̄͒͌̿̄̈́̈́̀̿͌̀̌̀͑̋̆̅̈́̈́̈́́̂̇́̎͛͂̈̇̕̚͜͝ ̷̧̧̛̪̺̖̞̘̠͇͎͍͑̑̂́͛̐̑́́́̂̑̀͋̋̈́͘͘͘͝͝͝͝ĕ̶̻̝̟̉͆̉̉̀̐̔̃̈́̈̌̎̕̕͝ͅn̵̡̡̛͇̺̖̘̭͈̭̳͉͇̞̥͖͓̮͓̗̤̘̟̼̱̭̾̊̾͗͊̒̅̽̽̓͗̄͗̒̕͘ơ̴̧̧̛̠͉̥͎̳͓͈̭̯̣̻͈̠̝̠͓̰̥͓̠̘͙͍̘̼͆͊̑̓̅̋͌̋͊̀̓̂̎̒̽̏̃̒̒̈́͂͑̀̆͂͊̄̓͘̚͘̕͝͠ͅų̶̡̳̙̤̹̮̠̮̱̯̣͙̺̤̀̅̿̇̊̑͗͑̀̅́̈̏̄͊̿̀̉̇͂̚̚̚͘͜͜͝͠ģ̵̢̡̦̻͓͈͙̫̰͎͈̠͔͓̤̜͓̭̝͓̺̯̝̟̳̟̥̖̇͒͋̔͗̐͑́̂̏̎́̾̈́̑͜͝͠ͅh̸̨̡̡̡̛͎̪͉͖̱̳͍͕̯̻̭̙̦̪̖̭͓̝͔͇̦̩͙̳̼̠̭̺͆̊̂͛̈̾̍̔͛̾̍͛̅͗̈́̈́̈́̐͋̑̈́͑̑̿̏̽͋̕̚͜ͅ.̵̨̢͖͔̱̫̟̜̙̫̥̩͔̩̬̥͖͎̤̘̖̳̘̠̗͖̪̲̜̖͙̠̹͇͎̳̓̏̚͜

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“Mrs… uh, what’s your last name?” Jeralt asked, glaring at Shez.

“Uh! I, uh-I don’t have one, Professor!” Shez replied, being snapped out of her thoughts. It was funny enough to make Edelgard giggle slightly, which got her a confused look from Byleth and Monica. Edelgard coughed into her arm, collecting herself.

“Okay, Miss Shez. Can you tell me where the class was before I arrived here?”

“I believe we were, uh…”

Suddenly, Ferdinand shot up. “We were learning about the Battle of Derdriu during the Crescent Moon War!

“Thank you, Mr Aegir,” Jeralt said, turning to face the class. “Fine, what have you all learned so far.”

“We were at the Siege of Derdriu, and how it was broken by the Duke of Gloucester,” Hubert said, smirking. “It was quite ingenious to use poison to cripple the forces of Fraldarius, which left King Alain’s right flank open for a brawler charge from Duke Goneril.”

“It was a craven and dishonorable trick,” Ingrid said, crossing her arms.

“My, my, do you expect your foes to follow the rules you set for yourself in war?” Hubert asked, chuckling darkly.

“They should!” Ferdinand exclaimed, slamming his fist down on his desk, scaring Bernadetta, and waking Linhardt.

“War is war, Ferdinand,” Shez said, with an annoyed look in her visible eye. “It’s not all proper like jousting or duels.”

“Chivalry doesn’t win wars,” Lysithea continued. “It’s a bloody, brutal conflict.”

“Yes but-“ Ingrid started, before being cut off by Jeralt.

“This isn’t getting anywhere. Who wants a more practical test?”

“Heck yeah!” Caspar said, clapping his hands. “What were you thinking, Professor?

“A mock battle against some of the Blade Breakers.”

The entire class stared at one another in surprise. Even Edelgard was shocked that Jeralt would suggest something so bold. The Blade Breakers were some of the most prestigious mercenaries in Fodlan. How could a small group like the Black Eagles ever hope to win against them?

“It could be fun,” Byleth said, beaming. “Plus I owe Miller for our last duel.”

“Y-yeah!” Caspar said, his expression a mix of excited and afraid. “We’ve got this!”

“Caspar’s right!” Shez exclaimed. “Plus, it couldn’t go that bad, could it?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the contrary, Edelgard thought, it could go very bad. The Eagles and Blade Breakers were fighting where the mock battle had taken place three months ago. The fight was going rather differently than it had before. The Eagles had been ambushed in an clearing, and already most of Edelgard’s classmates had been routed. Only Byleth, Shez, Ingrid, Petra, and Leonie managed to escape the ambush, mainly due to Edelgard yelling a retreat the minute she saw the mercenaries exit the treeline. The mages had been sniped from a distance, Bernadetta panicked and ran straight into a group of the renowned mercenaries, and Caspar and Ferdinand were defeated after they attempted to charge the enemy, only to find themselves encircled. The remaining Eagles had managed to defeat a handful of the Breakers while running away, but all in all, it was a disaster. From there, the remaining Eagles tried to regroup on the other side of a nearby group of trees.

“I am not having much confidence in our victory,” Petra said, nocking an arrow and preparing to fire over the treeline.

“It could be worse,” By- No, that wasn’t Byleth. It was the cold mask of the Ashen Demon. She was seemingly lost in thought, her Relic gripped tight in her hand. Why she was allowed to use it during a practice battle was beyond Edelgard, but Ingrid was also allowed to use Lúin (which had been sent by Count Galatea following the Shamchant incident), so Edelgard guessed it was apparently normal to practice with Heroes’ Relics.

“Same here,” Shez admitted. “Although that was also against the Blade Breakers. At least this time we have the Ashen Demon on our side.”

The Demon’s normally neutral expression darkened slightly, but returned to her blank expression afterwards. “Regardless, we need to think smarter. We waltzed into that trap like rookies.”

“But how do we outsmart the captain's men?” Leonie asked, a worried look on her face. “We’re just students; they’re world-renowned mercs.”

As if to prove her point, a volley of arrows began to fly into the treeline. The remaining Eagles managed to avoid them by staying in cover, but the message was clear; they were surrounded and pinned down. Being mercenaries, the Breakers probably weren’t going to go easy on the students like the knights sometimes would.

Suddenly, Shez’s eyes lit up. “All right, I’ve got an idea!”

“Whatcha thinkin’?” Leonie asked, a bit of light returning to her face.

“Whatever it is, you better explain fast,” Ingrid said, readying her lance. “I think they’re about to attack us again.”

“Okay, so,” Shez began explaining. “I’ll take the middle. Leonie and Ingrid, go right, Byleth and Edelgard, go left. Petra, try and cover us. Ready, break!”

Suddenly, a strange orange light began to encompass Shez. Her skin instantly became pale, and her eyes, a bright orange. A strange, orange halo appeared above her head, and her blades started glowing with an equally unusual light. The last time Edelgard had seen this was during the mission to rescue Monica, and it was just as surprising. She would have to question Shez about this power later.

Shez bolted forward, as the remaining Black Eagles followed her orders. Edelgard hurried to the left, ducking under an arrow. She hit one man with her training axe, sending him flying into tree. From there, she angled to hit another ma-

Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of Edelgard’s chest. She flew backwards, her weapon landing a few meters from her. She looked up to search for her assailant, only to see a cavalier. Professor Eisner didn’t say he was deploying any cavaliers!

“First rule of warfare!” A deep, booming voice shouted from across the field. Edelgard looked up to see Professor Eisner looking at the battlefield, his voice being amplified by Lysithea’s magic.

“The battlefield is unfair, and unpredictable! You have to learn to adapt, or you’ll be dead!”

Edelgard looked around, and saw her companions being swiftly routed. Even Shez, with all her strange magic, had been caught off guard by the sudden cavalry charge. Edelgard scowled, annoyed that they had been so quickly outsmarted and outmatched. She shouldn’t have listened to Shez-

No, that was a bad line of thought. The blame lied with the whole group for expecting mercenaries to fight fair. Edelgard looked down in dismay, but vowed that next time, she’d be the one deceiving her foes.

“All right, match over!” Professor Eisner shouted out again. “You’re all dismissed for the rest of the day. Ochs, Hresvelg, and Eisner, meet me at the classroom like we discussed.”

With that, the former mercenary walked away, as healers from the Church began healing the smaller wounds that the students and mercenaries had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, tell me again why I’m working at this dreadful hour?” Professor Cassagranda asked, as the combined classes stood in a dimly lit part of the monastery.

“Did you not listen to Lady Rhea, you ridiculous woman?” Professor Essar demanded angrily.

“Remind me, which of us was running on three hours of sleep after investigating Sauin Village!”

“Maybe you should have planned better then, you fu-“

“Enough, you two,” Professor Eisner growled, rolling his eyes. “We’re here to investigate whether the Death Knight is still stalking the lower levels of Garreg Mach.”

“Well, what are we wasting time here for?” Dimitri asked, a hungry look in his eyes. “We should find him before he does more harm!”

Edelgard glanced at Monica for a moment, and she shook her head. Monica’s agents had been tracking the Death Knight, and they had come up with nothing. It worried Edelgard that Jeritza’s alter ego might be roaming for so long, considering all the destruction he could get up to. It was e worrying that he was injured. Edelgard didn’t want him to bleed out in some dark, lonely corner of Garreg Mach. She was responsible for him, however potentially disastrous his extreme tendencies might be.

“We’re waiting for Claude to show up,” Lorenz said, a smug grin on his face. “Perhaps his fecklessness has finally caught u-“

“Sorry we’re late!” A cheery voice called out as Hilda and Claude sprinted over to where the gathered students and professors were.

“You can all blame my sleepy friend over here,” Claude said, pointing at Hilda. She crossed her arms and pouted, but didn’t say anything else.

“All right then, let’s get moving,” Felix said, moving towards the wall in front of the group.

“Felix what are you doing?” Dimitri asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Relax, Boar. I saw the pink-haired merchant do this once.”

With that, Felix placed his hand on the wall, causing it to slide upwards suddenly. Edelgard watched in awe as a tunnel appeared before her very eyes, a tunnel that seemed to stretch on for forever.

“Wow,” Byleth said, her eyes widening. “That’s neat!”

“Agreed,” Dedue concurred stoically.

“Well then,” Professor Eisner said, readying his lance. “Hanneman, Goneril. You stand guard here. Everyone else, with me.”

“With all do respect, Jer-“ Professor Essar started, before Hilda cut him off.

“Okay, Professor! See ya soon!”

With that, the group began moving down the tunnel, keeping to a tight-knit formation with Dedue, Edelgard, Byleth, and Dimitri in the front, as they were the strongest out of the party. They continued down the tunnel, moving cautiously.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the door behind them shut, leaving the group in total darkness. The mages all summoned fire magic as light sources, and Lorenz turned to Felix.

“Did that happen when you watched the merchant?”

“Shut up, you pig-head.”

“Pig-head? I will have you know, I, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester-“

“Can we please focus on the task at hand?” Monica asked, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, Byleth sprinted back up the tunnel the way they came, placing her hand where the opening had been. The door once again opened, letting the moonlight spill forth to illuminate it. Hilda and Hanneman peered down, with Hilda waving at Claude.

“Still neat,” the strange former mercenary said, skipping back down the stairs to stand next to Edelgard.

The group moved on, ignoring the door closing behind them once again. As they continued, however, they saw a strange light at the end of the tunnel. The stairs began to plateau out, and the group was greeted with a large room that looked rather similar to the Holy Mausoleum.

“Wow, what is this place?” Byleth remarked, staring all around.

“It would seem many secrets lurk in the depths of Garreg Mach,” Lorenz commented, taking in the sight for himself.

Suddenly, Edelgard felt a knife to her throat. She tried to swing her axe backwards but it was knocked out of her hands.

“They do indeed,” a voice said from behind her. “A shame you thugs won’t live to plunder it.”

With that, Edelgard felt a sharp pain in her throat, and her world faded to black.

Notes:

Hello everyone! I hope you’re having a wonderful day and that you enjoyed the chapter! I’m pretty pleased with this one, so I hope you are too!

Shout out to my beta, Raxis, for being wonderful as always. Did you know he just finished his version of White Clouds in On Black Wings? That’s pretty cool if I do say so myself!

Also did you know I have a YT channel where I make fire emblem content? Not to shill, buuuuut: https://youtube.com/@JuliaKeyoto?si=Gv0a4g5gxDrLi6N6

Anyways, next time we’ll get to visit the rats underneath Garreg Mach. I promise this time.

Chapter 21: Abyss

Summary:

Edelgard and Friends fight for their lives in the underbelly of Garreg Mach

————————————————————

Sothis, did you see who that was?

Ì̵̘̙͛͝ ̴̮͕͉̃́͐d̶̛͔͖͈i̴̡̙̙̣̯̥͓̝̠̝̮͈͍͉̠̓̓͒̂̉̇͠ͅḋ̶̫͉͉͉̾͒̈́̊̈́͗̓͝.̸̢̨̳͉̠͚͉̻̗̘̳͔̹̗̹̦͕͓̖̦̜́̔̀̋͆̎̀̾͐̊͒̓͋͑̾͂̾̈́͂̓̋͜͝ ̶̧̡͖̙͇̼̹̝͈͈̜̅͋̂̎̅̎̈́̉̉̐́̌͌̊̄̇̕͠A̷͓͑̆̊͒̀̂̊̅̓̏͐͆̓̍̃͘̕͠͝ ̸̛̛̹̍̏̈́͗̓̈̅̽̂̋̐̊͋̃̀͝͝ş̸̞̱̬̘̞̳̭̻̣̯̯̟̝̩̙͚̿̇͗̃̊̐̈̊̊̀m̷̧̡̧̡̛͇̰̣̻͇̘̝̯͖̗̹̤̳͚̟̙͖͍͖͕͊͐͊́̒̔̇͗̈̕̕ä̶̡̧̡͙͙̰̜͍̹͔͖̮̦͖́̋̇͑̋͑̉ͅl̴͍̾͗͑̿͛̀̑͊̀̆͌̊̚͘͝l̴̨̡͍͎͍̯̺̬͍͕͇̬̣̱͔̠͎̤̰͖̹̫̬̎̋̋́͠ ̵̧̢̨̨̛̛̲͔̻̫̘̖͖̞͕̺͉̤̘̖̫̹͈̼͒̾̑̂̿͌͆̆̄̏̋̀͋̈̆̌̐͒͌̍͘͝͝m̸̡̨͔͍͉̮̲̮̙̞̠͍̜͚̞̱̰̺͈̭̤̩̙͓̼̙̒͛̍̇̈́̀̈́̚͜å̷̛̮̖̬̤̘̘͖͇͔͙͖̤̦͇̠̠̜̟̟̪̥̰̒̓̂̉̽̿̅͆͗̈́̔̐̒̍̈́̚̕͝͝n̵̨̡̛̩͙̤̻̙̻͔̱̦̯̰̗̈́̌̀͋̑̋̚͠ ̶̧̫̪̼̯͉̣͙̫̞̝̩̝̱̥̤̖͓̄̋̏̏͛͊̓̅̀̓̌̊͑̐̑̆͌̚͜͜͝ẅ̸͍̘̱̝̗̜͚́͛͂͛̍̿͒̉̋̐̾̿̀̂̎̒͝͠͠į̵͕͖̩̒ṯ̶̡̨̡̦̗̱̦̙͇̣̭̬̍͒͗́͆̑̈́͑̉͒́͆̿͑͆̾͒́͝͠͝͠͠ḫ̴͎͈̤̙͚͓̯̹͚̯̝͔͖͔̮̬̲̘͔̣͙̲̹͔̮͂̌̃͆̓̇̓̑͐̀͋͌̀̿̿̅̕̕ ̴̨͇̙̮̯͔͈̥̠͈̲̱̟̃̿p̶̖͓̰̖̏͑̃͑͠u̵̳̺͖̱̣͖̣̣̳͇͆̂̇̌̿̈́̍͊̒̈́̀̇͒͘͠r̷̢͓͙̻͖̥̰̮͎̮̟̱̱͕̠͚͇̀̌̎̃́̐̀̔̿͝͝p̴̧̛̱̻̪̮̜̖̪͇̟̙͚̭͊͒̄͌́̊̃͛͑̀̏ͅl̵̢͇̜̜̬̬͎͍̓͂̒͋̋̓ȩ̷͍̼͈̤̲͙͉̳̖̅̇̐̾̇̽͑̓̌͝͝ͅ ̴̗̣̬̳̳̦̝͓̞̈́̉͊̉ͅh̶̦͎̥̬͚̦̰̮̳̹̬̯̲̤̺̐̅̽̎̿̾̍̋̀̀̌͐͋͛͂̍͒̌͘̚͘͘̚͜͝͝͠a̴̧̧̨̙̹̳̦͖̻̟̬͓̤̳͙͉̘̍̋i̸̟͕̱̿̎̈̀́͜r̵̘͙͈̞̼̭̩̀͌͋̽̓́̃́͝.̵̗̻̞̤͈̍ ̴̛̠͇̰̯̗͖͓͕͓̱͕̪̱̟͗̈͊̈̌́͛̈́͂̈́͗̋͂̅͛͛̿̉̕̕̕͘̕͝͝H̸̛̳̟̟͕̠͕͕̍̔͒̾̉̑͛̈͌͒̉̃̌̒͌̾̈̂͜͠͝͝ͅe̷̡̡̛̜̫̤̱͎̯̝͎̦̘͔̣̰̣̜͉̣͍̯̪͛̋̄̈͛̊͛̑̈́̈́̈́͐̈́̈́͆̉̋͠͝͠ͅͅ ̴̢̧̧̨͈͉̤͎͖͓̫͍̗̜̞̘̮̓̾̅̌͌̋̈́̀͜ś̷̗̟͇̜͍̓̀̿͛̅̅̚ȇ̸̘̻̬̼̰̳̔̋͘͝͠ę̸̨̙̬̣͚̲͕̮̺̞͓̙̤̈́̆̽͌̑̒́̀̿̀͜͝m̶̨̧͈̞̮͈͂͊͋̊̓͛͘s̵̡̢̢͎̩̞̤͇͔̣̞̫͇͕̳̱͕̺̬̎̈̿̈͊ͅ ̴̛̫̺͇͍̈́͆̂̊̊̉̀̈́̈́̀͆̈̇̿́̎̽͗͘̚͘͝ţ̶̧̢̯̗͎̰͔̪̥̱̗̳̩̼̫͕̖̻̳̩͕͛̉̓̉̈́̓̾̏̚͘̕͜ǫ̴̧̢̧̣̹̖̳̘̘̤̲̙̬͖̤̗̉͋ ̶̛̻̣̻̥̺͌͐̿̍̐̃̊̓͘̕ḥ̶̨͔̬͔͙̺̝͉̋͆̈͌͌̂̓́͛̃̆͗̽̇̒̎̾̍͋̆̒̓͜͝͝ḁ̵͎͍͇̥̮̝͗̓̌̐̆͛̒͛̒͘͘̕͝͠ͅv̷̨̨̮͎̗̼̥̦̯̺̗́̃̃̒͒͐́͒̆́̉̽̇̈́̃͛̈́͆̑́̚̕̚̚͝ę̵̧̮̯̯̰͕̪͔͇̜͕̯̞̼͚͎̳̩̝͓̳͚̰̠̒̒̽̾̍͆͊̎̾̔̈́̈̊̌͐͌̍̔͂͂͐̀̈́̏̎͘͜͝ ̸̧̡̡͕̼̺͙̯̼͈̠̹̣̯͉̩̱̹̗̤̭̔̅̉̈́͜ǰ̵̧̛̞̝̝̦̰̰͚̹̜͕̞̯̗͖̯̪̪̘͇̻̤̀́̅̎͌̀̄̒́̑̍̐̊́͐͌́̓̕͘ų̴̧̧̢͚̯͙̝͍̩̟͖̲͖̰̦̯̳̤̼̩̝̩͙͇̎̿͂͗͑̿̑͒̉̆̈́͂͑̐̀͘͠ͅş̷̨̢͓̠̯̙̦͉͉̙̼̮̮̫̟̫̟͈̱͓̼͙͓͗̎t̶̻̤̰̥̝͍̺̩͓͕̹͈̠̜͓͓̍ ̵̢̡̙̪̻̪̟̪̪̞̥̮̱̪̗͓̼̤͉̌̔̏̏̌̐͑́͒̿̊́̔̆a̸̖̫̱͎̹̲̳̫̫̬̖͋̅̆̊̈́̑̒͌̀͊̃̏̐͘͝p̵̢̮̳͔̝̯̜̝̰̰̺̙͍͖͔̻̲͒̒̀͗͑͊́̕͘͝p̵͎̖͙̝̪̻̤̯̺̂͒̈́̓̽͊̿ͅͅè̷̥͔͈̠͙͖̪̋̐͛̎̀̈́̈́̂̄̏̌͊̓̈́̉̑̚͝͠ͅȧ̸̢̛̩̣̞̜̻͓͇̲̬̿̾̉͋͐̿̋̓̋̋̽̊̓͑̓͘͘͘r̴̛̗̲̘̟̰̠͙̉̎̈͋̏͐͗̔͂͊̃̂̀͑̉͂͋́͆̏̌̃̓̎̓͜͝ë̴̢̪̲̖̜͔̳̮̟̻̱͖̣͈̺͉̹̠́̈̿̍̉̂̒̔͂̀͐̑̽̾͌̅̎͜͜͝ͅd̷͈̞͔̱̤͍͕́̇̅͒͛̔̐̈́̈̈́̐͋̾́̇́͒͗̅͒̇̚͘͠ ̷̮̲̜̰̩̫̭͕̞͍̮̯͈͖̜̥̫̐́́̾́̊͗͆͌̅̀̈͋̃̅̍͗̆̓̚͘̚̕͜͠͠ơ̵̧̨̧̭͍͖͓̘̻̦̺͙̙͔̤̰͑́̑̋̑̂̑̽̚ṵ̵̻̘͍͎̘͔͕͙̳̳̗̜͓̬̉́̃͂͊̍̌͗͆̌́̇̆́̀͒́̑̽̕̕͠͝t̷̢̢̢̠̱̼̠̩͙̘̤̲͎͓̭̠̖̪̹̲̄̌̂̇̏̈́̌̽͂͗̋͗̂͛̌̀̓̈̅͊͌̀͠ͅͅ ̴̧̨̺̙͓̦̺̤̦̯͖͖̼̻̯̱̥̯̻̫͖̤̩͖̦̽̅̿͊̈́̈̉̐̾̍̇͋͠͠ǒ̸̟̘̦̭̟̗̞͝ͅf̴̢̨̢̻̞̺̘͓̩̠̳͇̬̠̙̱̬̺͚̿͛̄̍̈͗͝ ̶̛͔͈̪̰̖̬̐͐̍͑͒̿̅̀̎̏̑́̈̓̉̎͆͝͝͠ň̴̢̼̳̻̪̭͕̪̗̯̙̥͚͙͉̪̊͆̋͂̌̂̽̍̊̇̒́̈́͌̌̚͘͘ŏ̸̧̙̳͙͖̑͂̒̐̾̑̂͂͐̓̈͊̀̔̓͆͑̒̒͐͋̃̚͠͝ͅ ̸̛̛̤͖̝̗̭̭̖̥͉̘͈̳̼͎̠̩̾̄́̊̋̒͆̃̾͒̓̊̎̀̄̿̾̈́͜͠ẅ̷̧̢̯̳͕͕̺̝̘̭͔͕̻̦̺̰̙̰̜̳̜̗̬͎́̂̍͐͌͊͊͂́͑́́̌̀̆͆͗̓͝h̸̞̜̮̦̰̫͙̳͚͈̪̫̤̖̫͎͎͍͂̆̂̇͗̍͐͘̚ͅe̴̛̛̩̱̯͙̟͖̦͇̬̖̦̿̋́̑̇̊̉̍͂̍͛͌̈̿̀́̍̈́̈̔́̚͜͠r̵̡͈͇̯̟̙̺̦̖͖͍̾̑̿̈́̽̓̓̈́̑̍̏̎͋̽̇̚̚̕̚͝͝e̸̬͙̣̬͕̲̫͈͉̟̫͑̆̍̽͛̽͊̉̀͋̅̆̊͒͜͝!̸̞̝̹̳̻͇̝̈́͌̓̍̐͂͆͋̏͠͝

Warp magic, huh. Take me back to right when the door closed again. I’ll get him.

————————————————————

The group continued forward, ignoring the door closing once again. As they continued, however, they saw a strange light at the end of the tunnel. The stairs began to plateau out, and the group was greeted with a large room that looked rather similar to the Holy Mausoleum. As they entered the room, Byleth came over to Edelgard, her hand outstretched.

“B-Byleth?” Edelgard whispered, her face turning red as she looked at the strange woman.

“Do you trust me?”

“Ye-yes, very much so, but what does that-“

“THEN DUCK!”

Edelgard obeyed, and heard a loud clang just overhead. She looked up to see a feminine man with purple hair, his blade clashing against Byleth’s.

“A Hero’s Relic? Down here?” The assailant asked, whistling. “You’re mighty fancy for some brigands.”

With that, he leaped gracefully back from the blade lock. He then put his fingers to his mouth, and a shrill ringing came forth from his lips.

“Boys, take ‘em out.”

Suddenly, the strange man vanished. In his place stood a brawler with a Hero’s Relic of his own.

“Well, chumps, looks like it’s your lucky day; you get to enjoy the thrill of a brawl with the Legendary King of Grappling!” He announced as various soldiers began to appear out of the walls behind and around him.

The giant rushed forward, swinging a left hook at a still-shocked Lorenz. Jeralt rushed to intercept, pushing the Gloucester heir out of the way and blocking the gauntlets with his lance.

“Hey, not half bad, pal!” The brawler shouted, struggling to push against Jeralt’s lance.

“Ochs, go get help!” Jeralt exclaimed, headbutting the strange brawler and knocking him backwards. “Everyone else, defensive positions!”

Edelgard readied her axe, swinging it down on one of the men who was charging at her and slicing him in twain. She ducked under the swing of another man’s sword and chopped at his legs. He went down, and Edelgard lurched around awkwardly to face an axe fighter who was charging to avenge him. The princess didn’t have the proper footing to defend herself, but she needn’t have worried; Byleth used her whip-like relic to cut her assailant down.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning smashed into the ground in front of Edelgard. She leaped backwards, looking around wildly for her attack. Then, she saw her; a blonde woman riding a Pegasi.

“Ohohoho!” The strange woman laughed, preparing another bolt of lighting aimed at Lorenz. “Foul miscreants, tremble beneath the awesome magical prowess of Constance von Nuvelle!”

Wait.

Constance von Nuvelle? Edelgard recognized that name from her youth; a pompous young noblewoman whose house had been swept away during the Dagda-Brigid war, not long after Edelgard herself returned to Enbarr alongside the demon wearing her uncle’s skin. Edelgard recalled seeing the blonde noblewoman during the food-fight a few months ago, but she never would have imagined encountering her down here of all places. Nor could she imagine Constance mistaking her and her companions for Brigands!

Edelgard began running towards the blonde woman, but her path was blocked by a dark-skinned red-head on a horse.

“Nuh-uh,” she said, preparing a blast of Miasma. “Not letting you hurt Coco!”

Edelgard narrowly dodged the blast, and landed close to Constance. The eccentric mage looked down, a look of horror on her face.

“Y-your highness?” She stuttered out. “What in blazes are you doing with these loathsome brigands?”

“We aren’t brigands, we’re students of the Officers Academy!” Edelgard quickly explained. “Please call off your forces! We mean no harm!”

Constance quickly nodded, and. She then put her fingers to her mouth and cast a voice-amplifying spell.

“RESIDENTS OF ABYSS, I INSIST YOU STAND DOWN AT ONCE! THESE STRANGERS ARE NOT OUR ENEMY-“

“All right, you fuckers, you asked for it!” The dark skinned mage growled, interrupting Constance with a deep, drawn out sigh.

A loud rumbling sound emanated from one of the nearby tunnels. Edelgard whipped her head around to see the ground shaking. Suddenly, the tiles near the source of the mysterious noise exploded into the air, as a strange creature burst from beneath the floor. It was a horrific, giant worm, flailing around on the ground and people at random.

Suddenly, the purple-haired man warped back into the room, and put his hands on his hips as he looked at the mage.

“Hapi, I swear to the goddess-“

“Yuri-bird,” the strange woman named Hapi said. “Shut up.”

“Hey, both of you!” The “King of Grappling” shouted, as he rushed towards the monster. “We got bigger fish to fry!”

The man named Yuri turned and looked at Edelgard, thrusting out his hand. “Hey, I’m Yuri. Sorry for ambushing you guys. Truce?”

Edelgard reached out and shook his hand. “Truce. Once we’ve dealt with this threat, we can discuss what exactly is going on here.”

Edelgard ran over to the sand creature, which was engaged and surrounded by the combined forces of most of the students and their former adversaries. Lorenz and Monica were blasting it from afar using magic, while the more physically powerful students were battering it from all sides. Edelgard drew upon her crest, leaping into the air and bringing her axe down on the head of the beast. With an ear-piercing scream, the creature slammed into the ground and writhed there in agony. Dimitri leaped into the air as well, and dug his lance into the beast’s skin until the shaft snapped in two. The giant worm jerked in pain one last time, before it finally fell still. Edelgard looked over at the prince, and saw that rabid look from before in his eyes.

Oh what a shame that her goals would lead them to fight. And what a terrifying enemy he would be.

With that, Yuri walked over to the group, clapping his hands. “Well, looks like that was easy. What say we all regroup and explain what exactly is going on here?”

“I agree,” Professor Eisner said, reaching his hand out. Yuri took his hand and shook it firmly, though he gave a wince toward the end. After that, Yuri began leading the group down another tunnel, leaving only questions in Edelgard’s mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So this is where you’ve been, Baltie!” Hilda exclaimed, grasping the brawler in a hug.

“Yeah, just been down here trying to escape some debts,” the brawler named Balthus said, patting Hilda on the head. “How’s Holst been?”

While the two of them caught up, Edelgard walked towards the front of the combined Officers Academy and Abyss residents group. When she got there, she saw Yuri, Claude, Dimitri, and the professors in deep discussion.

“So you’re telling me there’s been a haven hidden right under Garreg Mach this whole time?” Claude asked, whistling. “Sounds mighty suspicious that we've never heard of it.”

“The church doesn’t care to acknowledge us lightly,” Yuri explained. “They mostly leave us to our own devices, at least until it comes time to throw someone down here.”

“So it’s like a safe haven,” Dimitri said, his face bright. Clearly, he hadn’t picked up on Yuri’s barbed words. “Incredible!”

“Yeah, if you can call a sunless pit with barely any clean water or food, ‘safe’,” Hapi said, walking up.

“Still, it’s a place where people can get away from the horrors of the world,” Dimitri said, oblivious. “That kind of place would be lovely in Faerghus.”

“Anyways,” Yuri said, ignoring Dimitri. “We’ll be there soon, and then we can rest a little bit. Hope the rest of you can find as much enjoyment as His Highness over here.”

The group continued moving forward, walking through dark tunnels and long staircases. Eventually, they went down a staircase where a big, burly man was standing guarding.

“Hey boss, fresh meat?” The man asked, raising an eyebrow at the collected group.

“Visitors, for once.”

“Academy brats?”

“Yup.”

“I see,” the man said, grinning from ear to ear. “Well then, welcome academy brats, to Abyss! I hope you enjoy your stay!”

With that, he moved out of the way, revealing a large opening. Edelgard looked through, and saw a large open area, where people of all kinds mixed and mingled. She saw those from Almyra, Sreng, various parts of Fodlan, and even some Duscur survivors. But one thing united them all: the low social standing of all of them. Many were dressed in rags, or wore clothes that were clearly patched together from multiple sets of old, discarded clothes.

“It truly is incredible,” Dimitri said, his jaw slack. “All these people down here…”

“Hey Princey,” Hapi said, having walked up behind the group. “You do realize the people down here are basically fucking penniless, right?”

Dedue rounded on her, face tight with anger. “You will watch your tongue around His Highness-”

Dimitri waved his hand calmly in the air, silencing his vassal. “It is all right Dedue. I can endure a few insults from those who cannot see what I see.”

“Are you shitting me?“ Hapi started, her eyes rolling. “This isn’t some paradise. This is where the church sends the undesirables, you-“

“Hapi, please watch your mouth around our guests,” Yuri said, his eyes betraying his words as he too rolled them. “Let’s try and make everyone welcome down here, shall we?”

“I must insist upon an audience with Princess Edelgard and her entourage!” Constance said, eagerly running up to the group. “I have much to discuss with regards to House Nuelle!”

“I’ve also got some catching up to do with Hilda and her friends,” Balthus said. “How about we break up for a little bit, then come back together to talk about what comes next?”

“Sounds good to me,” Hapi said, still glaring at a forlorn Dimitri.

“Well, I suppose that makes three of us,” Yuri said, flashing a smile. “How about this? I’ll go and plan with the professors here, while you students get caught up and have a look around Abyss.”

“Ohohoho! I would enjoy that greatly!” Constance said, grabbing Edelgard’s wrist. “Follow me, Your Highness! I must meet your retainers!”

Constance then led Edelgard, Byleth, and Monica to a strange library. It was massive, and filled to the brim with strange books and tomes.

“Here is the Shadow Library, also known as the Nuvelle’s New Domain!” Constance exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. “By the wisdom and grace of our caretaker, I have been given the opportunity to lord over this area.”

“Caretaker?” Monica asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, our caretaker, Aelfric! But we can discuss him later. I wish to know more about the both of you. And where is Hubert?”

Edelgard’s face darkened, trying to push back the memories of her oldest retainer's broken body. “He was… injured in the line of duty. Severely injured.”

Constance put a hand to her mouth, gasping. “I am… so sorry to hear that. I wish him a speedy recovery, no matter how he was maimed. Still, let us not dwell on memories that clearly pain you. I recognize Monica von Ochs, but who is this… uniquely clad woman you now travel with?”

Byleth waved, smiling at the description of her. “Hi, I’m Byleth Eisner.”

“Eisner? That would make your father Sir Jeralt! Tell me, what events transpired to lead you to the monastery?”

Edelgard and her retainers spent the next couple of hours explaining all that had transpired over the past few months. Looking back on it, it hadn’t felt that long to Edelgard. Almost like it was a mere 20 or so chapters of Edelgard’s life. But that was a philosophical line of thought for another time. Regardless, Constance listened enthusiastically to the Black Eagles adventures.

“Ohohoho, how remarkable!” She exclaimed. “How I wish I could rejoin you on the surface, but I have my duties down here. Perhaps one day, perhaps indeed!”

“Perhaps you’d like to meet some of our friends?” Byleth asked.

“Oh that would be wonderful! To meet so many fascinating characters would be interesting indeed!”

Suddenly, Yuri entered the room. “Sorry to break up the excitement, ladies, but it’s time to move out.”

“Move out?” Byleth asked, her face hardening. “What’s our objective?”

“You see, there’s been some miscreants up to no good down here,” Yuri said. “We would appreciate some assistance in routing them.”

“And we would be glad to oblige,” Edelgard said. “We’ll be ready as quickly as possible.”

“Good, good. Another thing, we’ve also agreed to help look for your ‘Death Knight’. If he’s still down here, my boys will find him in no time.”

He then turned to walk out the door, then turned back. “Well, what are we waiting for?”

Notes:

Hello everyone! How are we doing today? I sure hope it’s lovely. Also I missed this last time, but wow 20 chapters, huh? It’s 21 now, but I still can’t believe we’ve made it this far.

Shout out to my beta, Raxis, as always for telling me how many fucks is too much. Hapi in this draft is much more toned down.

Also, have you read Thus Always To Tyrants? No? Then go read it silly https://archiveofourown.org/works/54996196 . It’s so good trust me.

As always, stay tuned for next time, where our mischievous wolves lay a devious trap.

Chapter 22: The Shadow Library’s Secrets

Summary:

Edelgard and Monica discover forbidden texts, and have a conversation with Byleth

As the students and Ashen Wolves began to move out, a rogue ran up to Yuri.

“We’re all done with the ambush, boss. More importantly, about your-”

“Later,” Yuri responded sharply. “For now, tend to your mission. Don’t worry, no one will die. We’ll get everyone out safely.”

The rogue nodded. “Gotcha. Any more orders?”

“Once the trap is set, shift your focus to protecting the residential areas of Abyss. Just in case things go south.”

As the man ran off, Lorenz turned and looked at Yuri. “A trap, hmm? And what prey are we looking to ensnare?”

“The reason for the not-so-warm welcome we showed you was thanks to some mercenaries that have been giving some of the folk down here some trouble,” Yuri explained. “We thought you were them. But now, since we know better, we can better set a trap for them.”

“How do you plan on that, Yuri-bird?” Hapi asked.

“It’s quite simple; us wolves will serve as bait, drawing them into an arena a few kilometers south of here. From there-”

“Excuse me, Yuri?” Constance asked, putting her hands on her hips. “I do not seem to recall volunteering to be bait!”

“Hear me out, all right?” Yuri said, putting his hands behind his head. “It’ll only be for a few minutes. Once the mercs have made themselves apparent, our boys will launch an ambush, and our lovely academy friends over here will graciously lend them a hand.”

“How very ingenious,” Professor Essar commented.

“Why not meet these foes in direct combat?” Dimitri asked. “Surely that would be more honorable.”

“Sure, Boar, and why don’t we throw our weapons aside while we’re at it?” Felix asked, crossing his arms.

“I’m just saying-” The Prince started.

“We aren’t doing that because we would be slaughtered,” Yuri said. “These aren’t the same knights you’re used to fighting; these are mercenaries, plain and simple. Paid to fight, no matter how dirty.”

“Yuri’s got it right,” Jeralt said. “It’s much different fighting mercs than it is some knight who’s obsessed with an honorable match.”

Dimitri’s eyes fell with shame. Edelgard wanted to pity the man, but his ideals unfortunately were woefully naive.

“Moving on,” Yuri continued. “If we’re all ready, we’ll move into position. Be ready to come running once we give the signal. Any other objections?”

“I still take issue with-” Constance started, before being shushed by Hapi.

“No objections, good,” Yuri said. “All right, we’ll see you all on the other side.”

With that, Yuri and the Ashen Wolves turned and left the room.

“I will say, quite a risky trap you’re laying, seeing as how you’re all wagering your lives on it,” Claude said, spinning an arrow in his hands.

“Not even the best trap is wholly without risk,” Byleth commented. Edelgard could have sworn she heard someone mutter “Atta girl”, but she ignored it.

“Guess we have nothing to do but wait until that signal goes off,” Hilda said, stretching her arms and yawning.

“While we wait, I should very much like to speak with Claude about the reappearance of Lord Holst’s best friend,” Lorenz said, giving the Alliance heir a side-eye.

“I also wish to speak with Lady Edelgard, if that is all right with her,” Monica said.

“Then let’s break for now,” Professor Cassagranda said. “I need a drink before we fight.”

“Manuela, how on the goddess’s green earth can you even think about drinking right before a battle??” Professor Essar asked.

“Do you even think, Hanneman?”

“Oh for the love of-” Professor Eisner started, before coughing into his arm. “Alright everyone. Meet back here in thirty minutes. Don’t be late or you’ll be running Catherine’s fitness exercise.”

The group shuddered in fear at the mere mention of Catherine’s training regiment, and then broke into smaller groups. Byleth went with her father, Dimitri, with his Retainers, Professor Essar and Cassagranda stayed put, bickering, and Hilda left to take a nap. Meanwhile, Lorenz laid claim to the room that the group had gathered in, which left Edelgard and Monica to head off to the Shadow Library together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What is it, Monica?” Edelgard asked, as Monica went and grabbed a book.

“I found this earlier today, when we were talking with Constance,” Monica explained, handing the book to Edelgard. She examined the cover; it seemed to be an Encyclopedia of Fodlan’s Insects.

“What’s so special about-”

“Read the page I have bookmarked.”

And so, Edelgard opened the encyclopedia, and began reading.

Distance Viewer (Based on Glasses)

By combining glasses lenses, one can view great distances with enhanced clarity. Crafting such a tool was forbidden by decree of the archbishop for the following reasons:

1. The ease of locating enemy camps would escalate wartime violence.

2. It would be too easy to snipe from afar.

3. It would lessen the mystery of the goddess, who watches from above.

Flammable Black Water

A sticky black liquid was discovered in northern Faerghus. It burns fiercely and emits a highly toxic gas. The use of this wicked substance was forbidden by decree of the archbishop for the following reasons:

1. Misuse could result in accidental death.

2. It could be used tactically by those lacking magical ability.

3. Competition for it could cause strife.

Metal-Mold Printing Machine

Though initially lauded as a practical replacement for woodblock
printing, after careful consideration, the archbishop deemed it taboo
for many reasons, particularly the following:

1. Risk of mass circulation of misinformation and malevolent rumors.

2. It is useless to illiterate commoners.

3. Risk of intensifying disparity between church branches.

Human Autopsies (Especially Involving Head or Chest Incisions)

Though it is widely believed that this is medically relevant, such actions upon a corpse are considered desecration of the dead. Since white magic can be used to a similar end, autopsies were deemed taboo. A notable cardinal asserted that if medical science were to excel over faith-based white magic, it would destabilize the foundation of the church.

After she finished reading the book, Edelgard carefully put it down, and let her clenched fists fall to her side. “I knew the church would stop at nothing to maintain its power over Fodlan, but this….”

“...Is clear evidence that human advancements have been delayed by the church,” Monica finished.

“Monica, I have a task for you,” Edelgard started. “I need you to get this book to Hubert somehow. He can start making copies of it, and we can distribute them when the fighting begins-”

“What fighting?” Byleth asked, having walked into the room.

Monica spun around, trying to hide the book by kicking it away. “It-it’s nothing, Byleth.”

“Hold, Monica,” Edelgard commanded, turning to the woman who could warm her frozen heart. “Byleth, what if I told you that, in spite of its benevolent public facade, the church is not as good as it seems?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“Huh?”

“Papa recently told me about his issues with the church,” Byleth explained. “Especially with Lady Rhea.”

“I see,” Edelgard said, an idea forming in her head. “Then what if I told you the church was holding back humanity?”

“What?”

Edelgard picked the ledger off the ground, handing it to Byleth.

“Have they been… holding back humanity using insects?” Byleth asked.

“No,” Edelgard said, suppressing the urge to laugh. “Please, just read the book.”

Byleth opened the book, her eyes widening as she read through the several inventions that had been banned. She finished the book quickly, handing it back to Edelgard.

“What would be so wrong with many of these ideas?”

“They threaten the church's power,” Monica explained. “Think back on many of the reasons why they were banned.”

“But why? Why worry so much about power?”

“Tyrants always care about power-” Edelgard started, a speech swelling in her chest. But fate was not with her today, for Jeralt entered the room.

“Alright brats, we just received the signal. It’s time. Get moving!”

 

“We’ll have to continue this later,” Monica said, readjusting her hook and walking out of the library.

“Yeah, I guess we will,” Byleth said, a solemn look on her face. As she walked off, Edelgard noticed that she had her head hung low. The princess wanted to reach out, but she knew the time for that would come later. Right now, it was time for battle.

Notes:

Hello everyone again! I’m gonna keep this short cause I’ve got things to do, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know it’s a bit short, but I promise the upcoming chapters will be longer. This was more of a breather chapter.

Shout out to my Beta, Raxis, like always. Idk if you read these chapters, but if you do thank you sooooo much!

As always, have a great day, and next time we’ll get to see the wolves in action again.

Chapter 23: To the Death in an Abandoned Arena

Summary:

Edelgard, her classmates, and the mysterious Ashen Wolves fight for their lives in Abyss.

After about thirty minutes of walking, the students and their professors finally arrived at their destination. It had been a long, winding path through the tunnels of Abyss, but now they were standing right in front of a hidden door, disguised as part of the wall.

“Bossman says for y’all to wait here,” A rogue explained. “You’ll know the signal when you hear her.”

“Hear her?” Professor Eisner questioned. “What do you mean by-”

“Dunno, but bossman said she’ll be loud enough to spring the trap.”

With that, the rogue vanished into the shadows. Edelgard was still taken aback at how effortlessly they were able to move through the various hidden doors and traps of Abyss. The secrets that the underbelly of Garreg Mach could hide would put the hidden chambers of the Imperial Palace to shame.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, and the roar of a lightning bolt resounded from nearby nearby.

“TREMBLE AT THE AWESOME POWER OF CONSTANCE VON NUVELLE! I SHALL CAST MAGIC BOTH GLORIOUS AND TERRIBLE, LIKE THAT OF THE SUN AND MOON! OHOHOHOHO!”

“Looks like that’s our signal,” Professor Eisner said. “Let’s get to work.”

With that, the Knight of Seiros ran over to slam a button on the wall, opening the false door. Edelgard, her fellow students, and the professors all rushed out into the former arena, much to the shock of the enemy mercenaries.

“Wh-what the-” one of the mercs babbled, as Edelgard cleaved him in half. She then moved on to the next, similarly shocked man, removing his sword arm from his body. From there, moments passed in a flurry. Edelgard cut through multiple mercenaries, her mind focused on the battle at hand. Occasionally a stray spell from one of her many allied mages would pass by, but other than those rare few occasions it was mostly a bloody melee.

Edelgard sliced one man’s legs off, turned, and buried her axe in another’s chest, killing him instantly. As she pulled her axe out of his corpse, she watched as Byleth cut through one man with her relic, before the blade sprung out like a whip and slicing through multiple others. The look in Byleth’s eyes, however, was one of sadness. They didn’t have the same cold look as the Ashen Demon’s. Byleth also seemed to be fighting more sluggishly, her movements were less fluid and exhibiting less experience. But even so, she was glorious to look at in combat. The way her hair flowed, the way-

“Die, you monster!” A merc yelled, snapping Edelgard out of her thoughts as she spun back around, blocking the sword stroke with her axe hilt, then twisting her weapon about to slice his head off. Edelgard berated herself for being so careless. What was it about this woman that distracted Edelgard so much?

Regardless, Edelgard returned to the battle. She swung at one man, who narrowly dodged her attack, causing her to embed her axe into the floor. Realizing there was no time to pull it free, She drew her dagger and threw it at the man's face where it embedded itself into his eye. Quickly retrieving the dagger, Edelgard ran back over to her axe and yanked it free from the ground. From there, she cut down another man, and watched as the rest of his comrades were obliterated by a barrage of spells fired by Lorenz, Monica, Constance, and Hapi. Edelgard continued to move forward, slicing down any who dared block her path.

But then she saw him.

He wasn’t riding on the same horse he had in the tomb, since Byleth had killed that one. This time, the horse was pale, but the rider was unchanged. The Death Knight had returned.

She could tell it was him and not Jeritza by the crazed look in his eyes. Without his mask on, he looked even more terrifying; the mere look in his eyes was enough to strike fear into most men.

And worst of all? He was charging toward Byleth!

Edelgard ran forward, trying to warn the former mercenary in time, but was too late. She was busy fighting another opponent, heedless to the Death Knight’s attack. Edelgard knew she had no time to spare, so she prepared to leap-

Byleth suddenly vanished, and in her place stood Yuri, who threw a blast of fire at The Death Knight. The grim reaper of a man maneuvered his horse around it, glowering at Yuri.

“You are not my prey,” He snarled. “Move or I will send you to the depths of hell.”

“Already going, friend,” Yuri retorted. “But I’d rather not go too soon.”

The Death Knight rounded back again, swinging his scythe at Yuri. Yuri gracefully leaped out of the way, whistling his fingers.

“Oh Baltie!” He yelled out. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished again, Balthus now standing in his place.

“You got it, boss!” Balthus exclaimed, barreling towards The Death Knight.

Edelgard would have kept watching, but a lance that missing her by inches brought her back to the reality around her. She quickly turned around and buried her axe deep into her attacker’s chest. From there she watched as Hilda knocked over 3 men with one swing of her hammer before leaping onto the next man like a berserker. Claude was standing close to the door they had entered from, firing arrows while bickering with Lorenz, who was lobbing spells.

Edelgard dodged an arrow, watching as the archer was taken down by Felix. His swordsmanship was impressive, Edelgard begrudgingly admitted. Meanwhile, Professor Eisner was riding around the arena, skewering anyone unfortunate enough to get close to him. The other two professors were in the middle of the arena, seemingly moving in sync despite also bickering. Constance was flying around the battlefield, blasting anyone she could see. Hapi also was riding a horse, but she was staying back mostly. Meanwhile, Dimitri-

Dimitri was fighting like a monster.

He was facing off against at least a dozen men with only Dedue to assist him, and he appeared to be enjoying enjoying every moment of the carnage he wrought. Edelgard turned away from his bloodshed, not wanting to witness the sheer barbarity.

“Do you understand why I call him ‘Boar’ now?” Felix asked, having walked behind Edelgard.

“Shouldn’t you be focusing on the battle?”

“Look around you,” Felix said, gesturing around. “The battle is over. We slaughtered them like animals. The last few mercs are either fighting the Boar or running for their lives.”

Edelgard looked around, and Felix’s blunt explanation proved to be right. The combined forces of the students, professors, and the Ashen Wolves had completely routed the mercenaries. With the exception of the few fighting Dimitri and Dedue, the remaining enemies were being chased down.

“Well, at least the bloodshed is nearly over,” Edelgard commented.

Felix chuckled grimly.. “Yeah, for now. But only the strong survive in this world. There will always be more bloodshed.”

With that, the swordsman walked away, leaving Edelgard to ponder what had happened to make him the man he was. But that could come another day. For now, she slung her axe over her shoulder, and walked towards Yuri, who was giving commands to a group of rogues.

“I want that knight found, you hear me?” He asked, clutching his bloodied left arm. “Once you’ve found him, report back to me. Next time he won’t get away.”

As Edelgard walked up, the underground lord spun on his heels to face the imperial princess.

“Well, we seem to be in your debt,” he said, smirking.

“That can be discussed with our professors,” Claude said, having walked up alongside Lorenz

“Yes, knowing Claude he would abuse your your feelings of gratitude for some absurd scheme had he the power to claim it,” Lorenz said.

“Lorenz, you wound me!”

“Your unsavory conduct wounds me, Claude!”

“Quiet down, both of you,” Professor Eisner commanded, having ridden up on his horse. “Did you see where The Death Knight went?”

“I have my best men tracking him,” Yuri assured the Knight of Seiros as he healed his arm with white magic.

“So you lost him?”

“Yes, but it’s not exactly easy to hold down a man of his… caliber.”

“Fair enough,” Professor Eisner said, a small frown on his face. “Still, we’ve held up our end of the deal. Here’s hoping you hold up yours.”

“I am a man of my word, Captain,” Yuri said casually. “I promise you that we’ll find your man and capture him.”

“Well, all's well that ends well, right?” Professor Cassagranda asked, stifling a yawn. “I’m tired, and ready to head back up to the surface.”

“For once I agree with my fellow professor,” Professor Hyrm commented. “It has been lovely, but I really should be getting back.”

“All right then,” Professor Eisner said. “Let’s get a move on, then.”

With that, the students began the long march back topside. Once they were back to the arena’s secret entrance, Edelgard turned her head around to see Constance bolting up the stairs.

“Wait, Your Highness, I have a most important request!” She exclaimed, stopping mere meters in front of Edelgard to catch her breath. “I would like to formally request that I be allowed to attend the lessons of the Black Eagle Class of 1180!”

“You wish to join the Black Eagles?”

“Sadly, I cannot,” Constance said, her face contorting into a frown. “The church forbids residents of abyss from joining the Officers Academy, and I have already graduated. Which is why I am asking permission to attend the classes, so I may prove myself worthy enough to reclaim my title as a proud Black Eagle!”

“That is a reasonable request,” Edelgard admitted. “I will check in with Professor Eisner to see what he thinks.”

“Ohohoho!” Constance exclaimed, smiling ear to ear. “I promise you, Your Highness, I shall not disappoint you! I shall be in the Shadow Library if you need to find me!”

With that, she barreled back down the stairs. Edelgard watched as the former Nuvelle heiress vanished into the darkness, a plan formulating in her mind. Could Constance be another ally in her fight against the Empire’s corruption? Edelgard had dared reach her hand out to multiple allies over the course of the school year. Maybe she could trust more people than she once dared to believe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next few weeks went by in a blur of classwork. The only change to the well-worn routine of the Black Eagles was Constance occasionally being allowed to attend classes . Edelgard was mostly waiting for the upcoming mission, in which she was sure Rhea would show her true face. Of course, there was also Hubert and his Vestra mages working on attempting to create the printing press described in the book Monica and Edelgard had found. But Edelgard hadn’t heard much about that, so she couldn’t let it distract her-

“Aha!” Sylvain shouted, staring at the dice he just rolled. “Looks like your Fortress Knights are mine!”

Edelgard looked down at the gameboard, shocked that Sylvain had somehow rolled two twentie’s on his Paladins, which meant two critical strikes. The two were playing a game of Water Sigil in their tactics class, and Edelgard was barely holding her own. The church had introduced crested units to simulate how crests would work on the battlefield, and Sylvain had gotten a Great Knight with the Crest of Dominic, who was currently tearing into Edelgard’s Holy Knights using Crusher.. She had gotten a Gremory with the Crest of Gloucester, and she was keeping her busy defending a small fortress. But with that lucky crit, both of Edelgard’s Fortress Knights holding her chokepoint died, leaving her commander wide open.

“Your turn, Princess,” the Gautier heir said, flashing a smirk at Edelgard. “Let’s see how you’ll deal with my skills this time!”

“It wasn’t skill that landed those crits,” Edelgard said, maneuvering two of her Great Knights into the chokepoint. “It was pure luck. Anything can happen on the battlefield. Like this!!”

Edelgard rolled the dice, smiling as she got a thirteen and a fifteen on her Dark Fliers. In her mind's eye, they swooped in and obliterated Sylvain’s paladins with two well placed Boltings. But in reality, she just moved the pieces to take the now-shocked ginger’s Paladins, re-establishing her front line. From there, she moved her three remaining Holy Knights towards the crest-bearing Great Knight and closed her eyes as she rolled the dice, praying for a Hail Seiros.

“Holy shit,” Sylvain said, and Edelgard opened her eyes. She rolled a one and a five on the first two Holy Knights, meaning that the Great Knight would counter with a lethal blow. But for the third, she rolled a nineteen, guaranteeing a critical strike and would badly damage the Great Knight and prevent a follow-up attack! Her heart racing, Edelgard pressed her advantage and used her Gremories to launch a Meteor at the Great Knight, killing him with a well-rolled fourteen and twelve.

“Huh,” Sylvain said, scratching his head. “I coulda sworn Lady Luck was on my side for once.”

“She’s a notoriously fickle mistress,” Edelgard said, getting a snort out of the flirtatious Gautier eir.

“Still, I would have creamed you if not for that crit,” Sylvain continued. “With my Great Knight using Crusher, I would have dominated your defensive line.”

“Which is why I used my Holy Knights to keep him occupied,” Edelgard explained. “By keeping your crested unit busy, I was able to effectively defend against your attack.”

“Yes, but if this was a real battle, the Great Knight would have just smashed through the Holy Knights and been on his merry way.”

“Would he have?” Edelgard asked. “Certainly, a Crest individual is a powerful asset on the battlefield, but a battle is not won through strength alone. It is tactics that control the battlefield.”

“Yeah I….” Sylvain started, before clearing his throat. “I guess you’re right.”

“Great leaders in history, such as Emperor Wilhelm I or King Loog fought more often with their heads than their Crests.”

“Yeah….” Sylvain trailed off, scratching his chin. “What about bandit leaders?”

“Huh?”

“Bandits,” Sylvain started. “Could they be great leaders if they weren’t bandits?”

“I think that any leader who can command the respect of desperate bandits could be considered great, if only from a certain point of view.”

“Desperate?”

“Yes,” Edelgard started. “Most bandits are not bandits by choice. Most are simply people who have been forced to steal or pillage to survive. Many come from overtaxed lands, or in areas where one’s daily meal isn’t guaranteed.”

“.....Huh,” Sylvain said. “I never thought about it like that.”

“Very few do,” Edelgard continued. “All they see is a scary bandit out to take their food or women. But not all bandits want to kill or maim. Many have it as their only option to survive.”

Suddenly, the bell rang, signifying it was time for lunch.

“Well, I’d love to speak with a lovely lady brimming with sympathy for the scum of the land,” Sylvain said. “But I have lunch plans with what remains of the Blue Lions. Play me again next time?”

Edelgard nodded her head, heading towards the lunch room. But as she looked at the gautier heir, she noticed that he had a sad look in his eyes. It probably had to do with his brother waiting for him on the Blue Lion’s mission.

She hoped it went well.

Notes:

Finally, a chapter with over 2,000 words! I’m getting my mojo back!

Anyways, how’s everyone doing? Y’all should comment more, it’s always nice to interact with y’all in the comments section. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A little less Felix than in the original draft, but that’s a tale for another time. I do hope fans of Felix and Sylvain enjoy what I did with them this chapter.

Once again, shout out to my Beta Raxis, always nice to have such an accomplished writer look over my back, especially when I completely forget how a support chain goes.

Also, if you could check out this fic, https://archiveofourown.org/works/55812337#main , it would be greatly appreciated. A friend of mine just started writing, and I think she would appreciate some love towards her work, like all writers deserve.

Wow I yapped for a while. Almost a thousand characters worth of yapping. See y’all next time when we enter one of the worst maps in 3H because it has fog of war.

Chapter 24: To Trust Another

Summary:

Edelgard has someone reach for her hand, and she gladly accepts

“All right students, listen up!” Catherine exclaimed, pointing to the map she was using. “We’ll be moving to Rowe territory. We expect this trip to be short and sweet, but there is a chance that the Western Church heretics might try and ambush us.”

“Which is why we’re coming along!” Caspar said, pounding his knuckles together.

“That’s the spirit, kid!” Catherine said, beaming at Caspar. “Lady Rhea was so impressed with your actions during the raid on the Holy Mausoleum, she decided you were better for this mission than a company of knights.”

“It’ll also allow us to move without drawing too much attention,” Professor Eisner added. “We’ll be at a disadvantage if we announce our presence, and Bishop Yoder will have a harder time fleeing with his tail between his legs if we catch him by surprise.”

“No way we’re letting that scum get away, Captain!” Catherine exclaimed, a zealous look in her eyes. “We’ll grind his traitorous bones to dust!”

Professor Eisner slightly rolled his eyes, and continued, “Either way, we’ll be setting out soon. Any questions-”

Suddenly, the doors to the Black Eagle classroom burst open, revealing Ashe. “W-wait! I wish to ask permission to join you all for this mission!”

“Ashe?” Catherine asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why do you want to join us so urgently?”

Edelgard wished she could smack her forehead, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself. Of course Ashe would want to get back at those who had helped provoke Lonato into rebellion. The boy had probably deluded himself into thinking that the Western Church was solely responsible for Lonato’s uprising. Edelgard’s stomach twisted, remembering the proud man that Lonato was, and how her actions had led to him giving his life. Still, he had done his job; the Western Church was about to be destroyed, and that would leave the people of Adrestia searching for an alternative.

Many in the Empire didn’t trust in the Central Church due to its involvement in the birth of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, meaning the currently defunct Southern Church could be revived with ease. But Edelgard needed a bishop. The current Minister of Religious Affairs was Count Varley, but not only had that title meant nothing for years, Edelgard did not want to place such an odious man in a position of power. Not only because of her personal biases, but also because of the abhorrent harm he’d done to his daughter. Edelgard glanced across the room to see the poor girl hiding under her table, hugging Theodore the bear. Edelgard hadn’t seen much of him in the month since they had rescued him from Magdred Way, but he was growing quite large.

“Miss Hresvelg?” A voice asked, snapping Edelgard out of her thoughts. Professor Eisner was staring at her, clearly unamused at the way she’d gotten lost in her own thoughts.

“Y-yes, professor?”

“Do you approve of Mr. Ubert coming along with us on our mission?”

Edelgard thought for a moment, then nodded her head. “Yes. If he wishes to attend this mission with us, I have no objections to his company.”

“The more the merrier, especially considering what we’ll be up against,” Catherine said, cracking her knuckles. “Now, I’ll go tell Lady Rhea we’re all ready. Everyone, grab your weapons, and meet me by the gate. We’ll be leaving in less than an hour.”

With that, Catherine left the room. Edelgard couldn’t help but feel pity for the devoted knight. She was so blinded by Rhea’s false promises that she couldn’t see the suffering around her. She couldn’t even see the fact that the Western Church officials had been unjustly executed, and the rest of their brethren were awaiting a like fate. But Edelgard couldn’t allow herself to feel too much for the captain, since she would most definitely be an enemy in the upcoming fight for the fate of Fodlan. Edelgard allowed her mind to wander again, thinking about how easy it would be for Rhea or Catherine to tragically pass away while they traveled through the heavily fogged regions of western Faerghus. It would be as simple as a knife in the back. Or maybe a stray arrow-

“Edie?” Dorothea asked, interrupting Edelgard’s train of thought.

“Y-yes?”

“I was just wondering….” Dorothea started, but then cut herself off. “Nevermind. I’ll ask at our next meeting.”

“Does it involve…” Edelgard gestured towards Catherine, who was still in eyesight

“Yes, but I don’t think this is the place.”

Edelgard nodded.

“What are you two talking about?” Ingrid asked, having walked up behind them. Edelgard jumped a little bit.

“We were just talking about how pretty Dame Catherine is,” Dorothea explained, saving Edelgard from having to concoct a cover story. “Don’t’cha think so?”

Ingrid blushed a little, putting her left hand to her chin. “I… I never really thought about it. I guess she looks…. Good?”

Dorothea made a pouting face. “Oh come on, Ingy. Surely you have better words to describe a dashing, handsome knight such as Dame Catherine.”

“Handsome?” Ingrid asked, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t that more of an insult for a woman?”

“Women can be handsome, Ingy.”

 

Ingrid crossed her arms, giving Dorothea a suspicious look, but then ultimately gave up. “Whatever you say, Thea.”

“Yay, I got a nickname!” Dorothea cheered, clapping her hands together.

Ingrid blushed again, and playfully pushed Dorothea. “Yeah, you did. Now let’s go get ready! We’ve been talking for too long.”

“Agreed,” Edelgard said, finally getting a word in the conversation. “We need to ensure we are prepared for the upcoming journey.”

“Well, then I won’t hold up you two wonderful ladies,” Dorothea said with a playful wink. With that, she walked away.

“That woman confuses me,” Ingrid murmured under her breath, as she also walked away, leaving Edelgard giggling at the two girls. But her mirth didn’t last long, and she returned her focus to her thoughts. She would have to speak with Monica about-

“Hey Edel,” a voice said, once again interrupting Edelgard’s thoughts. Annoyed, Edelgard spun around, crossing her arms. “Yes, can I help you-“

And then she saw Byleth’s chest plate, and she looked up to see those wide, beautiful eyes of hers. But that was beside the point. “Oh! Apologies, Byleth. I didn't mean to snap at you like that.”

“It’s okie,” Byleth responded, giving Edelgard a small smile.

“Why’d you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like…” Edelgard said, but she stopped herself. “Nevermind. Did you need something?”

“I was going to ask if you wanted to tent with me.”

“You mean… us? S-Sharing a tent together?” Edelgard stammered out, giving Byleth an incredulous look.

“Yeah. Did you not hear when Dame Catherine said we’d need tent-mates?”

“No I… I’m sorry, I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

“I getcha,” Byleth said, frowning a little. “Anything you’d want to talk about?”

“Not particularly,” Edelgard said. “It’s… private.”

“I see,” Byleth said, taking Edelgard’s hand into her own. “Wanna go see something?”

Edelgard blushed at her hand being held, but nodded her head. “Lead on.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“By-Byleth?” Edelgard asked, her jaw dropping as she realized former mercenary was leading herto the Goddess Tower. Byleth had led Edelgard throughout the monastery, and now she was taking her to the place her parents met?

What on earth did this woman want?

As they approached, a Knight of Seiros approached the duo. “Halt! What do you students think you’re-“ He started, before noticing Byleth. “Ah, Lady Eisner. Do you have need of the Goddess Tower??”

“Nope, but my friend does.” Byleth responded, before gesturing to Edelgard, who was currently a blushing mess. Why did this woman make her act like a lovesick schoolgirl? She was Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir to the throne of Adrestia, and the last if all her ambitions went as planned .

“… I see,” The knight responded, moving out of the way. “I hope your ‘friend’ feels better soon.”

With that, Byleth took Edelgard into the Goddess Tower. From there, they climbed up several sets of stairs, until they reached the top. The building had no roof, and the sun shined brightly under the noon sun.

“Rhea said when she’s stressed, she comes up here to think,” Byleth explained. “She said I should do the same, so I thought you’d like somewhere quiet where you can just… think.”

Ah. That would explain it. Of course Byleth didn’t want anything romantic to do with Edelgard. Everything was fine, but Edelgard’s face was still as red as the cape she wore. “I… I see. Thank you, Byleth.”

“You can call me By if you’d like.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm. It’s what my Papa calls me, and I’d like people close to me to also call me that.”

“I… I understand. I also have a name I like people close to me to call me.”

“You do, too?” Byleth asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Yes…” Edelgard started, before considering her options. Did she really know Byleth well enough to entrust her with that name? The name of Edelgard’s most private self, hidden under the mask she wore for others. The real Edelgard that just wanted to be free of all her problems and goals and munch on sweets all day. The Edelgard who wanted to have the childhood she had been robbed of.

Edelgard thought more about it, and decided that yes, she did want to trust Byleth. “My siblings used to call me El, and I would be delighted if you would start to use that name as well.”

“El…” Byleth - no, By said, smiling. “It has a nice ring to it.”

“Indeed,” Edelgard agreed, deciding to change the subject by trusting By more. “Have you ever felt a sort of longing for the outdoors?”

The former mercenary nodded, so Edelgard continued, “I have, too. There are times I long for the warmth of the sun, for a sweet breeze on my face… Do you remember what I told you the other night? About my past?”

“I remember,” By said, frowning. “I think about it often. It’s so… terrible to think about what happened to your siblings.”

“None of my siblings had a chance to lead the life they deserved. An ordinary life. But do you know why they were all afflicted with madness, or disease?”

By shook her head, so the imperial princess kept going. “The objective was to endow our bodies with the power of a major crest. I have always possessed the Crest of Seiros, inherited through the Hresvelg bloodline. But it was only a minor crest, and most of my siblings bore no crest at all. In order to create a peerless emperor to rule Fódlan, they violated our bodies by cutting our flesh open.”

Edelgard then flicked her cape backwards, extending her hand to point at herself. “Now here I stand, the fruit of that Endeavor: Edelgard Von Hresvelg!”

By put her hand to her mouth, and Edelgard - no, El for now, continued. “But that came at too high a price… The others were sacrificed.”

El’s memories of her siblings' last moments reared their ugly heads again, but she shoved them down. “Ours weren’t the only lives devastated by that terrible process. Innocents died as well, without even knowing what they were dying for.”

Once again, terrible memories began to surface. Homeless commoners - men, women, and children - were kidnapped off the streets at night, only to end up as meat to replace the decaying flesh of her siblings. Simply due to their status in life, they were used as fodder in terrible, dark experiments. Of her 10 siblings, only El’s flesh remained able to take on the power of the Crest of Flames. And even then, El couldn’t be sure that the flesh she wore was the same as she entered the dungeon with.

Pushing those thoughts aside, El continued, “There you have it, the truth of Hresvelg’s empire.”

“Who…” By started, her eyes tearing as she clenched her fists. “Who would do such a thing? Why…”

“It was the Prime Minister and his gaggle of nobles,” El explained. “They had the Empire under their thumbs. My father, the Emperor, tried to stop him, but… it was futile. My father was nothing but a puppet on strings by then. He was powerless to save us. I know how it all sounds. But when you see my true strength, you will know I speak the truth.”

El held her palm out, preparing to summon the sigil of the Crest of Flames. “I have kept it hidden all this time, but… I will reveal to you the power of my second Crest.”

She focused her energy into summoning the sigil, causing it to burn bright on her palm. By gasped, holding out her own palm and summoning her very own sigil, the same as El’s.

“It is the same as yours,” El confirmed. “The Crest of Flames. When it manifested for me, I swore a silent oath. For the sake of my family and for all the poor souls whose lives were traded for my existence…”

With a snap of her fingers, El extinguished the sigil. “For their sake, I will build a world where such meaningless sacrifice is never again sanctioned. As emperor, I will change the world. I swear it.”

With that, El - no, now she was Edelgard once again - turned toward the stairs. “I am sorry to dump all of this on you, but I guess you just make me want to share things about myself. I feel… at peace around you. Like I can share whatever I wish, without fear of being judged.”

“I feel the same way,” By said, giving a small smile. “I want to discuss this more but… let’s go get ready for now, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Edelgard said, moving down the stairs before turning to face By again. “Thank you, By. It means a lot to have someone to share this with.”

“Anytime, El,” By responded with, making Edelgard’s heart swell. The two of them walked out of the Goddess Tower, heading to get ready for the mission ahead. Edelgard smiled the whole way back, happy to finally have another person in her life whom she could trust.

Notes:

Hello friends! How’re y’all doing? I hope you’re all doing great on this Saturday! That is also Edelgard’s birthday, btw. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Just some heads up, APO3 will now be on Saturdays! It just makes more sense to me, and it’ll still be every two weeks.

Once again, shout out to my beta, Raxis. He managed to beta all of this yesterday, and I am so grateful for him.

Today’s plug of the biweek is…. Myself! I wrote a new fic, about Bernadetta and Petra getting together! If you like my writing at all, you’ll probably enjoy what I’ve written there. Here’s the link if you wanna read it: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56753680

That’s all for now! I’ll see you all in two weeks, when I finally write the Catherine and Ashe paralogue!

Chapter 25: Brutality

Summary:

Edelgard helps Rhea with her journey to the western church. It goes about as well as you could imagine

“Tell me again, why is this part of Faerghus so damned foggy?” Catherine grumbled as the Black Eagle’s and their entourage pushed through a clearing.

“Remember your language, Dame Catherine,” Rhea said, frowning slightly. “We do not want the students to pick up bad habits.”

“Of course, Lady Rhea,” The knight said with a small bow. Edelgard rolled her eyes once she was sure no one could see her. It was like Rhea was blind to how teenagers actually acted, like the fact that Dorothea and Leonie both had a sailor mouth to rival… Well, sailors. Pushing that thought aside, Edelgard began to dwell on other things. Monica and Hubert had managed to get a messenger owl out to Bishop Yoder, warning him of Rhea’s trip to the Western Church. While they hadn’t gotten a response, they remained hopeful that the Bishop could escape Rhea’s wrath in time.

Or, he could decide to fight back against Rhea’s unjust planned execution. At least that’s what Edelgard assumed Rhea was going to do to the poor man. She wasn’t one to take prisoners, especially not when her enemies had just attempted to raid her mausoleum.

Suddenly, Edelgard tensed up as she heard a bow string go taut. An arrow flew through the air and found its target in Rhea’s neck. The tyrant fell instantly, convulsing on the ground while choking on her own blood.

“No!” Catherine screamed. “You bastards!”

Thunderbrand drawn, she charged in the direction the arrows had fired from. Edelgard however, was warring against an overpowering desire to burst out in relieved laughter.. Her most formidable enemy was dead! She looked over at Monica, who was smiling ear to ear where no one could see her. Hubert, who had been so glum at having to stay at the monastery, would surely give a rare true smile when they returned. Now, she could declare her war with little opposition, remove the church, and crush those who slithered-

_____________________________________

 

Ȋ̶̛̳̞̳̙͇̖̈́̈́͑̎̃̈̽͛̓͒̊͗̕̚t̵̨̧̡͔̘̬͙̯̜̟̫̟͒̀͌̀́͊͝ ̶̢̢̛̛̙͖͙̳͖̲͍̥̯̹͖̘͇͙͍̜͚̰͕͈̹̊̃̃̏͗͊͂͆̀̌̀̄͛̿̿̀̏̈̉̂͒̈̆͗̔̔͊̕̕͜͠ͅͅͅw̴̢̧̢̢̧̤͚̦̺̠̪̤̼͈͈̱͇̙̳͔͚̖͖̰̍̀͐́̋͆͜͠ͅã̷͙͎̗̾s̵̨̢̧̮̪̜͎̣̻̼̮̬̝̥̥̣̰̣̜̰̤͔̭̻̺͕̟͉̮͙̝̜̿̆͗̓̉̍̓̕͘ ̴̡͍̠̰͕̠̩̪͍͎̤̹̮̲̳̫̺̺̙̰̠̯̠̦͙͙̈́̔͌̌̓̀̍͜a̵̧̧̨̰̳̼̘̻̗̼͔̗̳̱͕̘̾̀̓͐̌̓͌́̑͗́̅͑͒̂͐͗̌̄͒̉̐̕̕̕͝ ̴̭͔̻̯̅̿̇͛̀̽͗̓̾̊̽̈́̂̎̏̄̾͆̈̕̕͘͜s̶̨̡̢̧̰̦̩̪̝̘͕̙͇̫̬̭̬̱̗̻̳̟̭͇̪͓͎̩͙̦̋̇͗̈̃̆͋͂͐̏́̽͗̀̒̚͜͝͝ͅn̸̨̨̰̻͚͕͈̩̠͉̹̭̮͇̪̯̮̭̯̺͖͔̫͐̔͋͗̇̂̿͛͒͐̌̄̄̓̈́̌̀͋́̅͌́̔̐͐̈́̚͘͝͠ḯ̴̢̛̟̤̳̻͖̻̗̠̝͈͓͚̖̿̄͂̓̿̃̾͋͊͛͗͑̊͛͑̅̂̏͛͆̕p̷̛̣̪̖͕̩̙̮͈̘̼̖͍̪͔̠̿̈̀͐̂̓̑̎́̉̆̄̍͛̃͗̿̈́̇̉̎́͘͝e̸̡̨̨̨̝̜͍̪̠̳̯̰͕̝͎͚̖͉͚̼̫͍̳̼̜̙̳̽̂̾͑͋̆̌̊̊̀̈́̈́͘͜͜͝ͅͅȓ̴̮̦̻̗͇̳̦͚̱̹̳͇̟̣̲̮̮̯̖̼͍̯͚̊́̌͋́͜͠,̶̛̩͉͛͊͛̑̏̆͌̅́̓̎̀͐̑̾̓̍̅͋̆̆̂̿́̈́͑̍̀̇̓͜͠ ̷̨̦̪̲̬͖̦̜̦͓̻̜̜̟̤̪͕̦̲̰̝̮̟̝͓̈́͒̐͗́͂͋͑̾͐̅͋̀͗͆̔́͋́̈͒͐̒̀̌͂̆͘͘͜͠͝ň̷̨̢̧̨̛͍̥͚̩̗̮̻͈̹̳̲̠̲͉͍͇̫͍̩̟͚̓́̆̒̾̾̈́̾͑̒̋̏͐̉̏̌͊̽͒̂̌͂͆̽̂͘͠͝ͅę̸̧̢̰̥̩̯͎̟͈͖̝̤͎̫̰͊̌̀̈́̈́̄͑̏̀͐̉̂̈́̉͘͝a̸̛͙̻̻̩͖̝̣̳̲̘͓̯̝̓͑͂̏̊̾̇̇̿̓̕͠͠͝͠r̷̛͖̥̘̗̝̥͈̟͍̻̞̝͆̇̾͂́͂̎̊̓͌͒̇̿̍͆̈́͆́̉́͆̃̈́͋̆̌̈́̈́͘͝ͅ ̸̛̪̤̖̘͙̰̖͖̻̤̻͖̈́̅̌͆͌̈́̄̔̈́͜t̴̡̧̧͖̟̳̰̻̰̭̬̪̥͙̤͐̊́̈́ͅͅḧ̵̡̡͓͓̰͓̳̭͈̮̲̣͖̺̣͓̼̦̞̣̩̯̠͍̯̫͓̝̦͙́͊͊͐͌́͋͗͗̽͋̇̒͜a̴̧̢̧̻͍̮̜͔͕̳̮͎̺̭̘̥̗͙͎͓̰̭͈̦̹̳͍̒͗͌̊̎̾̿̈́̃̎̿̓̓̔̈́̇̑̕̚͜͝t̵̛͚̣̥̰͎̹̼̣̰̹̟̖̣͊̀̓̐̀̈́͊̀̚ ̴̮̤͝t̸͍͉̣̳̜̻̗͚̰͕̯͉͙̝̎̐͗͒̓̇́͆̔́͆͊͗̀̇̋̎̊̎̑͘r̷̨̨̧̨̖̟͚̫̟͔̱͚̗̰̣̣͚̰͔͈̰̩̬̮̺̔̂̏ͅȇ̷̡̜͔̳̙̱͉̰͕̩͑̆̆͆̓̀͊͒̆̀́͌̌́̐͛̈̃̆̄̅̐͛̅͆̆̄̕̚͝ȩ̵̜̠̞̥͉̦͓͕̞͍̪̫̩̠̱̯̤̮͇̗̭͙̱͆ ̷̨̡̢̢̧̲͔̭̘̘̻̘̳̝͈̗̝̜̗̱͓͈̝̳̩̣̗͛̅͌͆͗̇̓̂̆̏̒́̌̋̈́̊͘͘͝ͅͅţ̵̛͚̥͎̟͔̥͚̔̈́̔́͂̈́̃̊́͊̆̑͆̑͊̒́̋̏̒̕͘͝h̷̡̢̛̗̟̰̼̜̫͓̲̑̃̀̄̆̈̈̊̒́̇͊̒͋̅͛̄̾̍̍͆͛̉̽̓̏͂͘͝a̶̛͇̻͕̰͕̼̦̙̰̞̗̟͇̬̱̜̞̫͔̞͍̟̖̣͕͛̋́͋́̂̈́̄̆̚͜ͅṫ̶̨̡̢̨͕̲̟̦͙̲̺̮͔̣͚̖̘̦͙̟̠̻̰̪̯̲͉̪͕̰̀̏̀͋̑̂̀ͅ ̵̡̧̪̗̩̻̞̹̝̟̗͚͙̮͚̩͚͍̈́̈́̓́͋̑̍͒̀̂͛̈́́͊̽̐̀̈̓̂͗̊͌̕͘͘͝͝͠͠y̸̛͓̻̰̹͎͓̬̤̠̮͆͊͂̿̑̂͂̾̎̇̂̒̏͠ͅờ̷̧̡̢̻͚̤̲̙̖͚͕̮͙͈̰̮̖̗̮̫̖̹͕̀̓̉̅͊̂́̓͆̆̀̒̏̊̃̾̚̚͘͜͠͝͝u̶͓͈̭͍̘̥̇̓̾́̿̐͒͊̈́͋͂̾͂̊̓̂̾̀͑̑͗͆̿̌͆͘͘͝͝ ̶̡͎̣̦̪͖̗̘̙͔̹̗̟̙͉̫̩͈̀́̅̀̏̃̿̅̏̎̄̇̅̉̍̓̑͂̑́̂̀̉͌̓͂̽͆͋͆́͘͜n̶̨̗̬̟̒͌̓̆͗̋̈̃̇̊͌̈͐̀̉̏̌͊͑͊͂͗̓̿̍͊̄̓͘͝ơ̸̧̧̭̲͓͚̫͔̞̩̜̺͔̳͎̖͚̞͍̹͚̿̈́͊̀̄̒̾̀̃̌͌̎̌̓̒̀̎͗͛̓̊͒͛̒̕͜͝͠͠ţ̵͔̺̺͖͇̩̦̗͚̲̗͍̪̦̘̀́̃̃͑̑̔̍̏̐̀̎̿̎̽̉́͐͑͊̑͘͠ͅǐ̵̢̢̨̜̮̝̹͉͍̣͈̬̬̩͎͍̯͈̤̫͛̈́̈́̄̊̓͌͆́̽̌̋̀̃͑͂̈͗̌̂͗̊͗̆̆͂̕͝c̶̢̨̡̨̱͙̩͕̫̲̞̮̭̘̬̭͙̗̈́͛͛͜͠è̸̡̩͍̖͖̲̤͉͉̤̤̟̣̼̥̭̘̮̮͚͖̝̪̪̘̭̃̓̑̇̆̇̌̈́̿̑͑̀͜͝ͅd̷̡͚̲̰̞̣͙͚͖͉̭̝͓͍̘̗̥̟̘̠̙̮͎̫̘̪̞̄̋̓̓͌̋̅̿͘͜ ̵̧̢̧͕͙͙̝͉̰̭̣̖̪͚̠͍̰̠̻̰̩̳̲̜̗̮͙͉̒̇̉̿͐́̑͐̀͑̈́͐͊̂͂̄̃̚͜͝ͅȩ̴̢̨̧̨̧̲̭̞̙̦͚̖̻̹̱̝͇̖͔̲̦͕͓̙͇͚̗͓͔̔̔́͛́̅́̊͒̏̀̓̉́͒͒͒̂̕͝ḁ̸̢̢͉̘̖͙̱̮̖͚̭̣̥̙̻̱̲̥̰̪͚̰̍̍̃͊̈̔͋̓͐̽̉͐̔̊̐͒̕͜͝r̵̢͚̝̹̝̪̗̅̈́̋̃̏̚ļ̴̡͚̝͖̥̹̟͖̗̬̞̗̟̺̹̙̱͙̼̳̖͉̠́̂̅̅̈̈́́̊̐̎̇̋̓̅̂̅̓̿͜͝͠͝į̵̲̟͚̘̗̯̰̪͚̀ě̵̛̬͕̫̹̄́̄́͒̀̊͆̇̎͑̏͒͆́͛͋̉̋̊͒͝͝r̷̡̧̢̢̖̭̹̮͙̗̟̫̰̪̫͈̮̠̻̹͉͔̈́̉͜

 

Shit, I should have investigated it more thoroughly. Sorry, I was distracted thinking about El.

T̴̡́̿̊̿̿́̋͜͠͝͠ḥ̸̢̞̺̬̊i̶͔̙̠͕̙͎̹̯̍̎̅ş̴̭̹͍̮̼̇̿̀͑̓͌̇͆͘͜͝ ̵̧̡̢͇̣̫̙̞̞͘͘ï̴̲̥͕̝̫̑̃̎̈́͊̽s̷̛̗̗̭͈͚̾̉̅̓͒͘ ̷͍̰̱̓̀̂͋̎̚̚͝͝ṉ̴̨̛͚͖̇͋̽̉͊͘͠͠ǫ̶̝͆̿̋̈́̀̌̊̐̒̕ ̷̺̼͈̔̒t̴̼̤͔̮̖͔̳̠̜̗̓̈́i̶̛͉͚̐͂́̌͝m̵̢̪͎̼̰̔̂̈́̾̇e̷̠̩̱̔͆͊ ̷̗̺̙̼̦̥͖̠̹̔̏̂̈́̏̑̍̒̊̕ẗ̶̝́̀́͘ȏ̷̟̯́ ̵̖̪̦̼̘̳͙̐͛̀̒͜͠ͅb̸̖̄̎̿͛͗͛̕̚ê̵̡̛̟͉̤̫͙̯̥̓̓̌͆͛͑ ̷̧̣̰̟̠̃̋͑̑̋̀͘͝ţ̶̹̥̻͚͕͉͚͈͊͗̑̈̑̊́͜h̴̛̙̎͛̈́͊̈́͠i̷̡̡͇̺͉̜̰͔̜͋̌̉̃͆̆̾͘͜͝n̶̜̹̣̤̦̳̊͋̓̔́̒ḵ̴̫̝̽͑͑̃i̵͍̟͋͠͠ͅn̵̜̞̮̈̎͒͊̏́̄ğ̵̺̼͉̀͌̊́̌ ̷̥̪̺̄̓̆̾̀̀̋̕͝a̴̜̣͒̄b̵̨̟̟̯͙̭̏͆͛͗̀͊͂̊͜ọ̴͔̎́̋̅͐̈́͊ȗ̸̘͍̭͜ͅţ̵̖͙̼͍͂͗̓̕ ̷̢̢̹͈̳̩̟̱̰̹͒͊̓̀͛͋͂̕h̵̳͋̂̂͌͑̂͑͐̆͛ȩ̵̛̪͙̟̼̰͇̰̤̼́̓̿̐̆̇̏̓ř̴̡̖̖̣̤̮͈!̷̠̒̿̾̽ ̶͓̻̿I̵̡̙̲̖͉̱͎̐͑̏͊̅̈̿͘͠ ̸̨̢̭̯͔͚̫͖̭̃̎ḱ̴̲̌̋͛̀̌̑͝͝ǹ̶̢̩̦̐̈́͘͝ǫ̴̪̻͖͖̠̓́̂ẁ̴̨̢̮̙̑͘ ̸̡͉̲̦̮̓͒͆͐̐͒̇͂̋s̶̡̒́̑́́̑̚͠ḣ̸͓̲̥͍̼͚̤͌͐̄͘͝e̶̠̎͛́͌͐̆̚͠’̵̺̲̭̪̮͖̏s̸̨̥̠͉̻̪̹͐̓͆͋̾̽ ̷̮̋̍͐̍̊̏̚c̸̯̃̅̓̀̋̿̽͑̍̈́l̷͓̇̓̈́̕̕ǫ̸̮̻̦̯̻̻̣̼̺̿̔̔͛̌̓̃ş̵̠̋̒̈́̊̀̄͝e̸̗̓͠ ̸̨͇͓̦͙̰̄t̸̨̪̳̦̏̓̀͘͝ͅo̴̢̘̙͚̍̚ ̷̡̧̢͙̬̹̝̼̔̋͐̌͛̑̓̃͘y̸̮̝̌͝ȯ̸̲ů̸̯̘̟͇̥͎̼̝͈̐̏̇̀̍̚̕͜͝r̵̛͔͙̞̀ ̶̥̐͆̈̀̈̀͝͝h̷̢̙̣̤̑͋̿̿̓̈́̆̏̄̇e̷͚͖̫̭̽͂̏́͑̅͜͝å̴̢̰͇̱̪̥̬̂͌̐̈́͂̕͜͝r̴̡̰̯̍͆t̵͙̺͓̹̾̇,̸̡̛͈̺̤̪͙̣̯̐̄̋͆̂͘͝ ̸̢̻̰͍̥̳̮̯̏͑̍̂b̸̛̮̟͚͎̼͔͋̌ư̷̧̘͌̊̑t̴̼͍̻͙̓̍͑̚͝͝͝ ̶̰̜̈́̀̐̄̕͠t̸̜̣̭͋͗̀͠h̸̼͚̄ḭ̵̩̣͊̍̈́̿̕͝s̴̤͈͝ ̸̧͓̣̖͒̋͆̐̾̕͜͝i̷͓̱̟͂̃͛͒́́̇͐̕͝ŝ̸̠̠̼͔͓͕̬͔̗͋̀͆͑̈́̕͝ ̵̗͕̃̿͆̆̒͐̕a̷̧͕̮͍̖͌ ̶̡̧͕̺͇̪̯̩́̓̉̊͋̏ͅb̵͇̹̼͕͓̱̞͙̙͓̔̏̄̑̈́a̴̧̛̤̠͉̠̣̲̪͒̌̂̾̆̈͑͘͜͝t̶̡̛̟̩̭͈̙̺̹̰̄̓͜ț̷̨̡̮̘̬̲͕̝̑̈́̀̈́͠͝ͅl̵̨͓̫̟̥̼̥͚̂͑̉͜͠e̷̮͗̊̈̂̂̈́̄͘f̶̟̯̩̱̟̻͋̊̑̆͛͝i̸̧̙̻̳͔͓̿̅͋̆ͅe̶͎͎̹̋̀͗̃͋̉l̸̨̰͈̲̄͒̊̓́̏̃̚͝͝d̸̲̬͊̊̈́͐̏̈́̓͘!̸͎̞͕͈̯͂͂͌̇́͗̔̿͝

You’re right, sorry. Rewind time back to right before the arrow was shot. I can probably deflect it with my sword.

————————————————————

Suddenly, Edelgard tensed up as she heard a bow string go taut. An arrow flew through the air and found its target in-

Byleth leaped in front of Rhea, deflecting the arrow with the Sword of the Creator. From there, she lashed out with the Relic, the blade taking on a whip-like form as Byleth decimated the nearby tree line, revealing more assassins.

“Fools!” Rhea exclaimed. “You shall now face the wrath of the goddess!” With that, Rhea drew the Sword of Seiros, strapped the Shield of Seiros onto her arm, and charged towards the shocked assassins.

“You heard Lady Rhea! Charge!” Catherine shouted out, drawing Thunderbrand before running up to help Rhea.

“Black Eagles, defend Lady Rhea!” Professor Eisner shouted as he dodged an arrow from one of their assailants who’d decided to stand his ground rather than flee. As the group ran at their enemies, Edelgard felt deflated, and a small amount of déjà vu. Someone had put all their faith into assassinating Rhea, and they had failed. No doubt Rhea would take this as a clear sign of treason, probably assuming Bishop Yoder had ordered the attempt.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Edelgard focused on the battle in front of her. She swung her axe down on one of the assassins, grimacing as she heard his spine split in twain. From there, she heard the neighing of a pegasi, and watched as Ingrid gracefully flew around the battlefield on, Cheese, her faithful mount. She also watched as Professor Eisner, Ferdinand, and Leonie galloped around on their horses, skewering any opponent that dared get in their way. Caspar was beating a man to death with his new pair of steel gauntlets that Lindhart had give him last month as a birthday present. Speaking of Lindhart, he was helping Monica and Lysithea fire off spells at the assassins coming from the western treeline. Meanwhile, Petra and Bernadetta were working together, firing off volleys of arrows. Shez was also joining in on the fight, having awakened her mysterious power again, cutting through anyone who stood in her way. It was amazing at how quickly the Black Eagles could use their individual strengths to come together as a unified fighting force. It made Edelgard proud, and she returned to focusing on the fight at hand, emboldened by her comrades' growth into the fine unit they had become.

Edelgard cut one man's arm off before kicking him to the ground. From there, she pushed up to where Byleth was, just as the Ashen Demon sliced three men in half with a single swipe of her Relic.

“Sitrep?” The former mercenary asked, glancing over at Edelgard. Edelgard stared at Byleth for a few moments before she understood she was asking for a situation report.

“We seem to be pushing them back, but it’s hard to tell in this fog.”

Byleth dodged out of the way of one of the assassins with the grace of a dancer, decapitating her as she did. “Understood. If we kill enough of them, they’ll most likely scatter.” With that, Byleth took off towards where Catherine and Rhea were-

What the hell was Rhea doing?

Rhea was fighting with her bare fists, having either been disarmed or been forced to toss the Sword of Seiros aside, and was currently leaning over a man while pummeling him to death. By chance, Edelgard and Rhea’s gazes met, and the look in the archbishop’s eyes was furious. There was something wild and primitive in them, causing Edelgard to look away. She needed to refocus on the battle at hand.

She watched as Ashe joined in Bernadetta and Petra’s firing line, the three of them raining flurries of arrows onto the enemy’s misshapen lines. The fog was mostly clearing up, revealing the assassins’ corpses that lay strewn across the battlefield. Edelgard watched as Jeralt, Ingrid, Ferdinand, and Leonie began to chase down what little remained of the enemy forces, when suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, and spun around to see Rhea looming over her.

“It is good that the heir to the Adresdian Empire is here to help slay these fools that defile the goddess’s will,” Rhea said with a smile, her once-white robe stained red. “I hope the bonds we forge on the battlefield today will strengthen relations between the church and the Empire.”

“Y-yes, Lady Rhea, I agree,” Edelgard said, forcing a smile. She knew deep down no matter how terrifying Rhea could seem, as long as humanity stood strong with each other, there was nothing they couldn’t overcome.

Rhea’s face contorted into a small frown, before she looked down at her blood-stained clothing. “Ah, I see why you are so nervous. Do not worry, child. The blood that was shed here was spilled in the name of the goddess. I’m sure you’re familiar with what it says in the Book of Seiros?”

Edelgard nodded, silently screaming to herself. Of course she knew about Rhea’s damned book. The one Rhea wrote herself, giving herself permission to kill whomever she pleased. It made Edelgard sick to think that, in order to preserve her power, Rhea banned violence unless deemed fit by the goddess, which just meant whoever Rhea wanted dead. If Thales was to be believed, the goddess was long dead, meaning that Rhea’s power came from nothing.

Still, Rhea continued. “That is good. I wish it had not come to this, but these heretics forced our hand. By attacking the representative of the goddess, they attack us all.”

With that, she turned and began heading north, taking one last look at Edelgard. “Come. We must ensure that the head of this blasphemous snake perishes alongside the body.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours after the skirmish, the Black Eagles and company arrived at the Western Church's headquarters.. Though not as decadent as the luxurious grounds of Garreg Mach Monastery, it was still a grand building, Edelgard thought. It was still an egregious waste of time and resources that would have been better-spent helping the common man.

But alas, as long as the people allowed themselves to be ruled by Rhea’s so-called “religion”, such wasteful buildings would only be looked upon as holy edifices whose construction was ordained by the goddess. Why the people didn’t just worship in a less luxurious building baffled Edelgard. The Book of Serios, the religion's binding document, stated that the goddess enjoyed temperance. So why wouldn’t the people see that the church was abusing their funds? Apparently, the church could spare a monthly 5,000 gold piece stipend for the professor of the Officers Academy, but they couldn’t spare those same 5,000 gold pieces to fund projects to repair roads languishing in horrid states of dilapidation, or to arm and train villagers to protect themselves from wild beasts and brigands.

Instead, they “helped” the people by killing those who had been forced into banditry due to the economic conditions of Fodlan, while the root causes of their lives of crime continued unchecked. Edelgard knew not all bandits were as unfortunate as she would like to believe, but she knew that many common criminals simply had no other way to live.

Edelgard pushed these thoughts away as they finally arrived outside the doors leading to the chambers of the Western Church Bishop.

“Lady Hresvelg, Dame Catherine, Sir Jeralt, and Byleth,” Rhea said, turning to face the combined group as she took on a more motherly persona. “Come with me. The rest of you, gather the Nuns, Bishops, and other members of this establishment and bring them outside. Report back here once the deed is done.”

Edelgard was confused. It made sense to bring Professor Eisner and Catherine, as they were Knight-Captain and Knight-Lieutenant respectively, and Edelgard herself made sense since she led the Black Eagle house. But why Byleth?

Byleth and Professor Eisner seemed to be confused as well, but Rhea entered the room like nothing odd had been said, so the knights and students she’d selected followed her in while the others left to begin clearing out the church. As they entered, Byleth came over to Edelgard, giving her hand a panicked squeeze.

“I’m scared,” she whispered to Edelgard, sending a chill down the princess’s spine. Whatever was scaring Byleth was enough to make Edelgard’s skin stand on edge. Regardless, Edelgard gave an affirmative squeeze.

“It’ll be all right, my friend,” She whispered back.

Suddenly, the two of them heard shouting, as Catherine brought forward Yoder, the Bishop of the Western Church. He was an older man, with a snow-white goatee. His body was clearly not meant to be forced down onto his knees, but Catherine was doing just that to him.

“Bishop Yoder!” Rhea said coldly, marching over to where he was kneeling. “You bring shame upon the Church of Seiros with your cowardice.”

“W-what is the meaning of this?” Yoder gasped out, clearly having trouble breathing. “We haven’t done anything to deserve-”

Catherine kicked him in the gut, causing the man to spiral on the floor. “Enough, heretic! We know what blasphemy you ordered!”

Suddenly, a nun burst through the doors, causing the whole room to stare at her. “Wait, Lady Rhea! It wasn’t Bishop Yoder that ordered the attack!”

Yoder looked up, clearly scared and confused. “S-sister Elen? What are you talking about?”

“It was me,” Sister Elen explained. “I organized the revolt with Lonato and planned the recent attack on your party. Bishop Yoder has been trying to figure out who caused so many of our priests to revolt…. It was me! Me and the Flame Emperor! Please, take my life instead, Bishop Yoder has done no wrong!”

Catherine marched over to the poor woman, grabbing a fistful of her hair and slamming her to the ground. “You? And the Flame Emperor? What are you talking about?”

Edelgard was also confused. Every letter was signed by Bishop Yoder, so unless Sister Elen had been forging signatures the whole time, she was telling a very convincing story.

“Well, that settles that,” Professor Eisner said, walking over to where Sister Elen was being pinned to the ground by Catherine. “We have our culprit. Lets haul her back to Garreg Mach for trial-”

“On the contrary, Sir Jeralt,” Rhea said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We cannot allow these rats to nest within our sacred halls ever again. They shall be executed, and this unholy place, burned to the ground. Only then can the holy church begin again, cleansed of this betrayal.”

Edelgard’s body went still from alarm. What was Rhea thinking? She couldn’t be allowed to just destroy everything, anything that stood in her path! Someone had to do something!

But alas, no one did anything.

“Byleth, execute Sister Elen and Bishop Yoder at once,” Rhea commanded, her eyes glaring at Byleth.

What the hell was going on?

“I-” Byleth started, before being cut off by Catherine.

“You heard Lady Rhea, Byleth,” she barked. “Kill these heretics good for me, would ya?”

Byleth hesitated again, as Professor Eisner shouted at Rhea.

“Out of the damn question!” He said, stepping between Byleth and Rhea. “You’re not using my daughter as your executioner!”

“The world will learn that The Sword of the Creator is a tool of the goddess, and these lost souls shall find penance by serving as an example of that truth.” said Rhea.

“I won’t let you use her simply because she can use a damned Hero’s Relic!”

“Sir Jeralt, do you forget your place? She will do as she’s told-”

Suddenly, Byleth lashed out with the Sword of the Creator, killing both Bishop Yoder and Sister Elen at the same time.

“There! It’s done!” She shouted herself, glaring daggers at Rhea. “Now please, stop yelling at each other!”

Edelgard was shocked at what just happened. Something just seemed to snap inside of Byleth. As the former mercenary turned to leave the room, Edelgard could see tears forming in her eyes.

“Well done, Byleth,” Rhea said to Byleth, causing her to turn around and stop, as she clearly fought back tears. “Just remember, the goddess would not allow these events to come to pass if there was no righteous cause to be had from them.”

“Now, Dame Catherine,” Rhea said, turning to face the shocked knight. “Find the students and tell the mages to set fire to the church. We leave at once.”

Catherine stared. “But, the evidence-”

“They do not matter. We have destroyed the heretics, and now we must obliterate all traces of them.”

With that, she turned and began to leave the room, summoning fire magic as she left. Catherine followed after her, leaving Edelgard the Eisners alone with two corpses.

“Why…” Professor Eisner murmured to himself, as he began to head for the door. He stopped as Byleth walked up to Edelgard, tears in her eyes.

“El…” She whispered, before collapsing to the floor, sobbing.

“By!” Professor Eisner exclaimed, running back to hold his daughter, as Edelgard could once again, do little but watch.

Notes:

What a doozy, huh?

I hope y’all enjoyed this chapter. I’m not the most confident in it, but hey, it is what it is! I sure hope no Rhea fans come after me for depicting things she’d probably do in canon :3.

Gonna get this short and sweet as I’m tired and want to go back to sleep. Once again, shout out to my Beta Raxis! Such a lovely guy, I couldn’t do this without him.

Today’s biweekly shill is Wilted Flowers! Such a heartbreaking, devastating fic that I still love sooo much. Do be warned, it gets pretty brutal, but wouldn’t you after hearing the premise of the fic? Go read it here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/55463734/chapters/140741170

Have a good two weeks y’all! I’ll see you all next time where Sylvain has a revelation (not the fates kind)

Chapter 26: Gah!

Summary:

Edelgard and Byleth have a heart to heart.

Edelgard lay awake in her and Byleth’s tent for hours on end, even after the smell of burning wood outside dissipated. She knew so many of the Central Church’s dark secrets and yet still she couldn’t believe she lived in a world where Rhea was allowed to simply destroy anything that displeased or inconvenienced her. It was a wonder no one before Edelgard had tried to do anything to stop Rhea’s mad reign. No, there were certainly others who tried, but they were simply buried beneath the false history written by Rhea and her church.

Regardless, Edelgard couldn’t sleep now. It wasn’t the loss of Bishop Yoder and Sister Elen that bothered her. She had already mentally prepared for the Bishop's death, and Sister Elen’s was just added to that. She was worried for Byleth. The poor thing was buried under her blankets, still sobbing after the events that happened inside the church. Edelgard had thought the former mercenary invincible and mostly removed from her emotions, aside from her strange, happy demeanor when out of combat.

But this? This made something inside of Edelgard terrified, and she couldn’t quite place why. Perhaps that was what truly frightened her. Edelgard was feeling an emotion she couldn’t quite place, and it grew stronger and even harder to understand when she was around Byleth.

Edelgard suddenly heard rustling as Byleth sat up. She was no longer crying, but her eyes were as red as Imperial banners. She slowly got up, opened the tent flap, and silently went outside. Edelgard, curious, decided to get up and follow the strange woman.

Byleth moved quickly and quietly through the camp, making it hard for Edelgard to follow. But occasionally, Edelgard would hear a tree branch snapping, telling her where to go. Eventually, Byleth came upon a river, leaving Edelgard confused. What could she possibly be doing out here?

Suddenly, Byleth began to strip, and Edelgard blushed furiously and buried her head in her hands. After a few moments, Edelgard heard a splash of water. Edelgard was even more confused, until she realized Byleth was swimming. Why would Byleth be swimming after sobbing for hours on end? It made no sense, and-

“El” Byleth suddenly asked.

“Gah!” Edelgard shouted out, stumbling over a tree root and falling on her back, her face one of horror. What would Byleth think of her now? She’d probably assume Edelgard was a peeping tom! She heard more splashing, and suddenly Byleth was standing over her, her hand outstretched.

“I’m so sorry, By,“ Edelgard started, shielding her eyes.

“Huh? Is something wrong?” Byleth asked.

Confused, Edelgard lowered her hands from her eyes. “I- Yes! Yes, there is something wrong with me accidentally seeing you while naked!”

“What’s wrong with seeing me naked?”

“It’s indecent!”

Byleth, using her arms to cover her… bountifulness. “Is it really? I’m used to being naked around my fellow mercenaries. At least I… I think I used to do it a lot?”

“You think?”

“Yeah. My memories are spotty, remember?”

“That’s right,” Edelgard said, a small frown on her face. “I told you I struggle with the same problem, haven’t I?”

Byelth nodded, so Edelgard continued. “Is it the same for you? Just blank spots where there should be… something? Some kind of… memory of an old childhood friend, or a young crush that just isn’t there?”

Byleth shook her head. “For me it’s more… hazy. Like, I think I was Captain of the Raiders at some point, but then it could have always been Garrick. It’s… hard to explain. I don’t know where I’d begin.”

Her eyes began to slightly water, before her expression returned to its familiar, neutral look. “I wish I knew more of… who I am. But it’s all foggy before I met you in Remire.”

Edelgard smiled softly at that. “Oh? Is that so?”

Byleth’s expression lightened a little. “Mhm. Most of my memories are from being in class with you, or eating with you, Dorothea, Monica and the others… most of them are good memories.”

Edelgard frowned again. “Only most?”

“Well, my most recent memory of you is… you standing there as Lady Rhea commanded me to cut down Bishop Yoder.”

“Right. I’m… sorry I didn’t realize that. I should have assumed.”

“No!” Byleth suddenly shouted, stamping her foot down. “Don’t apologize! You haven’t done anything wrong. It was… me. Again. Just being a vessel for others. Not giving a damn about anything but pleasing other people.”

Suddenly, Byleth stared Edelgard straight in the eyes, an almost pleading look on her face. “Do… do you know why you live?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you know why you… exist? What purpose you serve in this world?”

Edelgard hesitated, but then she looked at Byleth’s sorrowful, dripping form and thought of how it reminded her of a wet cat. She sighed. “I like to think so.”

Byleth’s eyes ever so slightly lit up. “R-really? Would you tell me?”

Edelgard nodded. “I believe I am here to serve others. Not in the way a servant does, but by watching over them. I want to dedicate my life to ensuring that no one suffers the way I have. I want people to live in a world where they don’t have to die because their lord ordered it, a world where people don’t have to turn to banditry and theft to fill their stomachs. I wish for a future where women aren’t treated like a brood mare, and sold off for the sole purpose of siring the next generation of victims. I yearn for this future, and I believe - no, I know it is my purpose to be serve the people by seeing it to fruition!”

With this, Edelgard flicked her shoulder cape backwards and put her hands on her hips, striking a pose as Dorothea would say. Byleth watched in awe, slowly clapping her hands as Edelgard finished.

“You know, El,” Byleth said, smiling. “You’re quite good at speeches like that.”

Edelgard blushed, trying to avert her eyes from Byleth’s now exposed genitalia. “I-I suppose I am. I have long practiced for my ascension the throne.”

Byleth’s eyes darkened a bit at that. “Oh right…”

“Is something the matter?”

“It’s just…” Byleth started, before she stopped. “It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s clearly something.” Edelgard smiled, her hand on Byleth’s. “You can tell me anything. I’ve spoken enough, now it’s my turn to listen.”

“I-I can try then,” Byleth started. “I can try to explain how I feel.”

She took a deep breath and slowly opened her mouth. “I- I don’t want you, or Monica, or Dorothea, or anyone else to leave. I know once you all leave the academy, you’ll go your separate ways a-and most of you will inherit your titles. I don’t know about Dorothea, or Shez, but I-I-”

A single tear ran down her face. “I don’t want to lose you guys. When I’m with you, I’m finally able to remember things, When I’m with you, I-I have these weird, good feelings! I love how brave and confident you are, El. I love how Ferdinand acts like a rival to you, how he always pushes himself to be better. I love how Monica adores you and always wants to assist you. I love how passionate Dorothea is, how brave and strong Ingrid is, how smart Linhardt is… I just love every part of everyone. I feel like I would lose a part of me if I were to ever lose you guys.”

Suddenly, without warning, Byleth leaned in to hug Edelgard, pressing her body firmly against Edelgard’s. “I… I need people in my life, El. I need you in my life. I… I don’t want to go back to what I was before. I can’t go back to what I was before.”

Edelgard, having recovered from her shock, leaned in and hugged Byleth back. “I understand, By. I really do. I… I think I need people in my life as well. I can’t shoulder everything alone.”

“Lady Rhea said something like that too.”

Alarm bells began to ring in Edelgard’s head. When was Byleth with Rhea? Surely Byleth didn’t trust her anymore, not after the events of a few hours ago..

“S-she did?” Edelgard asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah,” Byleth said, now also whispering. “She talked to me after I… killed the bishop and sister. She’s… lonely, El. She’s really lonely, just like I was. I… I should have just listened to her.”

Edelgard’s eyes widened with shock as she pulled away from the hug. “By! You can’t just- no! I-”

Byleth looked at Edelgard, a frown on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“You can’t just say ‘I should have listened to her’,” Edelgard said. “You just said you can’t go back to the way you were, didn’t you?”

Byleth blinked. “Yes, but I… I think I can trust Lady Rhea. Papa is skeptical of her, but I think she deserves my help, just as much as anyone else does.”

“But she gave you those cruel orders, treating you like her slave!”

Byleth looked up at Edelgard, and then nodded. “Yes, but she… it’s like I said. Someone hurt her. I want to know what happened so that maybe I can help her. Maybe next time they won’t yell at each other and Rhea will be better, but I can only know that for sure if I try to help her.”

Edelgard couldn’t help but feel sorry for Byleth. Clearly, her heart was too big for her own good. Edelgard wanted to tell Byleth everything she knew about Rhea’s tyranny, but she knew that it was too soon for that. She was especially worried now that Rhea and Byleth seemed to be getting closer. Edelgard didn’t want to fight Byleth; hell, she wouldn't fight Byleth unless it was life or death. But, unless something drastic happened, it would be hard to show Byleth the truth-

“El?” Byleth asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Gah!” Edelgard shouted again, stumbling backwards. How did Byleth so easily catch her off guard? She was standing right infront of her this time!

Regardless of how’s, Byleth caught Edelgard, pulling her up. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” Edelgard stammered out, trying to ignore how she felt in Byleth’s strong arms. “I just… was lost in thought. That’s all.”

“Oh.” Byleth blinked.. “Whatcha thinking about?”

“Nothing important,” Edelgard said, not having a better excuse. “Let’s talk more about you instead. How are you feeling?”

“I… I feel a little better,” Byleth said, softly smiling. “I might go back to swimming. Care to join me?”

Edelgard froze at that. “N-no, I…”

She sighed, blushing deeply. “I can’t swim.”

“Oh,” Byleth said. “That’s an easy fix. Why don’t I teach you?”

Edelgard’s jaw dropped. “You… Teaching me to swim… while I’m naked in front of you?”

Byleth nodded, not caring to cover her nude body. “Yup. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Edelgard’s face turned the same shade as her cape, and she shook her head. “I… I couldn’t!”

She turned around, and began heading for the campsite. “I- I hear Monica calling me! I must be off!”

“Isn’t she sleeping?”

“Nope! I can hear her! Maybe the running water is blocking your hearing! I must be off! Goodnight!”

“Night, El,” Byleth replied, and Edelgard could have sworn she heard her smile. The Imperial princess ran back to the camp grounds, where Monica popped out of the tent she was sharing with Shez.

“Do you need something, Your Highness?”

“Gah!” Edelgard yelled out, falling for the third time tonight. This time, however, there was no Byleth to catch her.

“Your Highness!” Monica shouted out, and she dived under Edelgard to provide cushion.

Edelgard fell onto Monica, and their commotion led to Shez poking her head out of the tent.

“Something wrong-” she started, before seeing Monica and Edelgard tangled up. “I’ll leave y’all to it.”

After several minutes of profuse apologizing, Monica returned to her tent and Edelgard, to her own. She curled up in her sleeping bag and tried to forget the wild fantasy of skinny dipping with Byleth. The more she tried, however, the more appealing it became. Edelgard buried these thoughts and tried to sleep.

Try as she may, sleep didn’t come easily that night

Notes:

Hello everyone! Been a hot minute, hasn’t it? To be exact, it’s been like 2 months since I last posted. Sorry about that! I’ve been dealing with a nasty case of writers block, along with getting a job and just generally being busy! I can’t believe I missed the one year anniversary cause of it, and I’ll do my best to try and keep to a two week schedule. No promises tho! Writing is weird. Sometimes I can write 1000’s of words in a single sittings, and some days I’m only able to get out like 10. It’s weird, as I said before.

Regardless of all that, I hope you enjoyed! Once again, shout out to Raxis my beta, who managed to get this chapter done the minute I finished it. He’s so amazing, go read OBW, which is his fic!

Let’s see, what to shill today… oh I know! Shout out to Our professor is strange- Now she's getting engaged (gettit?). Yes that’s the full title. I have the honor of speaking to the author in the Edelgang server, and she’s a blast! Go read it now https://archiveofourown.org/works/49722007/chapters/125504932

Btw, this upload is because I’m impatient and wanted to get this out ASAP. The next upload will be two weeks from now on Saturday! See you all soon, where Edelgard gains more allies!

Chapter 27: New Allies

Summary:

The Black Eagles grow!

The trip back to the Monastery was a solemn, quiet one. Many of Edelgard’s classmates were still shocked and upset about the burning of the Western Church monastery, but none were more upset than Ashe. He was standing next to the supply convoy, looking down at his feet, as he shook in anger. Edelgard watched him from afar as she stood alongside Monica and Byleth, both of her retainers locked in a conversation she wasn’t listening to. Hopefully her third retainer would soon return to his duties, but Hubert’s full recovery was still a long way away, as he was still adjusting to the loss of his foot and hand… and the other things he lost on that tragic day. Edelgard tried to push those thoughts away as she refocused her attention on the upset boy in front of her.

Suddenly, Edelgard felt a finger on her shoulder, and she turned around to see Ingrid standing behind her. Byleth and Monica turned with her.

“Yes?” Monica asked, raising an eyebrow at Ingrid.

“Hey…” Ingrid started. “Edelgard, would you come talk to Ashe with me before we set out?”

It was Edelgard’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Why me?”

“Because you’re… you’re good at talking with people. I would ask Dorothea but she’s..” Ingrid gestured to Dorothea, who was sitting with her head hanging down low, as she took down her tent. The poor girl must have lost sleep over what happened yesterday, and Edelgard didn’t blame her.

“I understand,” Edelgard said. “Shall we then?”

“Lady Edelgard, may I attend to you?” Monica asked.

“But we were in the middle of discussing what she was like as a child,” Byleth said, causing both Monica and Edelgard to blush.

“Thank you for the offer, Monica, but I would rather you continue your conversation with Byleth.”

“Are you sure my lady-”

“Yes, Monica,” Edelgard cut her off. “I’ll be fine. I don’t need to be attended to all the time.”

Monica slightly pouted, but nodded her head. “I understand.”

“You did describe her as a strong, independent woman last night.” Shez said, having walked over to the group.

“I- that was confidential!” Monica said, her cheeks as red as her hair.

“Oops,” Shez said, rubbing the back of her head. “Didn’t realize.”

As the two girls bickered and Byleth watched, Edelgard went with Ingrid over to Ashe. He still hung his head low, but his eyes darted up to look at who was approaching.

“What do you want?” He asked, malice in his voice.

“We want to help you, Ashe-” Ingrid started, before Ash put a hand up to stop her.

“Help me?” He spat. “You can’t help me. Anything that could have helped me burned down in that monastery.”

As he finished, he pointed at the smoldering remains of the Western Church monastery. Edelgard knew without a closer look nothing valuable still remain. Sure, she had heard wood snapping and fire crackling before she talked with Byleth, but to actually see the monastery burnt to nothing but ash and charred foundations… it was nothing but a monument to all of Rhea’s crimes, now.

“Ashe, listen to me-” Edelgard started, before Ashe interjected again.

“Listen to what? ‘I’m so sorry, that the only thing that could have told you why your father and his militia died is now ashes’? Is that all you have to-”

“No, not at all,” Edelgard jumped in. “I’m here to tell you that you must focus on the future now.”

Ashe looked up, tears in his eyes. The normally cheerful boy had been through a tough few months, and Edelgard couldn’t blame him for what he said next.

“What future? I don’t have some cushy title to fall back on. I only have my knighthood, and that’s not guaranteed. If anything, Count Rowe will install one of his own sons as the Lord of Gaspard, and cast my siblings out as poor orphans again. You and Ingrid at least have something to return home to! My family has nothing!”

“Ashe, I’m-” Ingrid started, but Edelgard raised her hand to silence her. Edelgard grabbed Ashe’s shoulders, causing the sobbing boy to gasp and look up at her.

“Listen to me,” Edelgard said. “Your future must be what you make of it. You have lost so much, and it is up to you to hold onto what you have left. You must cut your own path to your own future, no matter what it costs! Only you can decide your fate.”

Edelgard took a deep breath, and continued. “You are a strong and bright person, Ashe. Your compassion is never ending, and you work harder than most people I’ve ever met. You must put those qualities to use! You know that you can’t sit here and wallow in your sadness forever. I promise you, you will have friends that will assist you, no matter what.”

Edelgard turned to Ingrid, and the lady knight nodded. “Yeah! Ashe, if your family is cast out, I’m sure that I could find some place in Galatea for you. Or maybe the church-”

“The church?” Ashe asked, laughing. “What’ll they do? They didn’t do anything for us when we were living on the streets, they definitely won’t do anything now.”

“Then forget the church,” Ingrid said, finally finding her own voice. “I promise you, Ashe. I’ll help you, no matter what. You’re a friend, and friends help friends.”

“Indeed,” Edelgard said. “You were clearly bright enough for the academy, and that means you’re bright enough to chase after your own future.”

Ashe looked between the two girls, dried his tears, and then nodded. “Y-you’re both right. I… I was being selfish, wasn’t I? Wallowing in my own pain.”

“Not at all!” Ingrid exclaimed.

“Forget the things you’ve done. What matters now is what you do next,” Edelgard said. “I’m sure you will find the answers you’re searching for, one day. But for now, you have to live for the future you’ll make.”

Ashe nodded again. “I-I understand. I’ll do my best, going forward. And that starts with joining the Black Eagles!”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow at that. “Are you quite sure? We would love for you to join, but you shouldn’t make rash decisions.”

Ashe shook his head. “This isn’t a rash decision. I do truly wish to join the Black Eagles.”

“Well, we’d love to have you then, kid,” Professor Eisner said, having walked up on the trio. “I’ll get the paperwork done once we get back to Garreg Mach.”

Ashe smiled at that. “Thank you, Professor! I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t, kid,” the stalwart knight responded, before turning to Edelgard. “Let’s get ready to move, shall we?”

Edelgard nodded. “We shall.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later, Garreg Mach had returned to a somewhat normal state. Most of the Black Eagles had either recovered or were hiding their pain well, and life went on. Dorothea, Ingrid, Leonie, and Petra still hung out when they could. Felix still practiced his swordplay non-stop, and Rapheal still ate mountains of food. Edelgard could only feel relief to enjoy peaceful days after everything they’d all gone through recently.

Well, not everyone was having peaceful days.

Sylvain sluggishly moved his Great Knights, not even noticing the trap he was walking into. There were bags under his eyes. Something was bothering him, and it was up to Edelgard to figure it out.

“Is something wrong, Sylvain?” Edelgard kindly asked, moving her Gremories into position.

“Hm?” Sylvain asked, looking up.

“I asked if something was wrong.”

“Oh, right. Nah, I’m fine. What have I done to worry such a beautiful princess?”

Edelgard rolled her eyes at that. “Cut the act, Sylvain. I can tell something’s wrong.”

Sylvain’s smile faltered a bit, and his eyes flickered down for a moment. He cleared his throat, while moving his Great Knights further into the trap. “It’s… I’ve just been thinking a lot. About what you said. Y’know, the whole speech about bandits and all.”

“I remember,” Edelgard said, moving her paladins through the valley while readying her gremorys’ siege magic. “What exactly about it? I don’t mean to be blunt, but does it relate to-”

“Yes, it relates to him,” Sylvain suddenly snapped, as his great knights followed Edelgard’s paladins. Sylvain suddenly realized what he said, and cleared his throat again.

“Sorry, sorry. I just… Have you ever thought about what life would be like without a Crest?”

“All the time.”

“Then surely you’ve thought about what could have happened.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “You mean that I could have been treated like a broodmare, sold off to the highest bidder due to my gender?”

“Well, yeah, but I mean more like…” Sylvain started, before clearing his throat yet again. “I’ve been thinking… what if I ended up like Miklan. He was cast out of our house for not having a Crest. Is that… is that really the only thing people see in a person?”

“Not everyone,” Edelgard said calmly as she moved her gremorys into position. “Sure, there are some that see Crests as the end all be all, but that’s certainly not everyone.”

“You’d be surprised,” Sylvain mumbled under his breath, louder than he meant to.

“Sylvain, that is a toxic way of looking at the world,” Edelgard said, crossing her arms. “Do you truly intend to live your life expecting a blade behind every doublet?”

“It’s worked so far,” Sylvain explained, entering the last stages of the trap. “Do you know how many girls have talked to me, despite my status, just to end up discussing my title or Crest?”

“Perhaps the Crests are to blame for most things,” Edelgard said, thinking out loud. “Think about it: how many men are in your situation? How many women are only valued due to their status or Crest, treated as only worthy of producing heirs?”

Edelgard then enacted the final part of her trap: her gremories rained lightning and meteors down on the cliff sides, causing a massive rock fall on Sylvain’s troops. As Sylvain sat there in shock, Edelgard continued. “How many great leaders, magical researchers, or others have been buried due to not having a Crest? Should we truly allow Crests, or even nobility, to dictate our lives?”

Sylvain raised an eyebrow at that last line. “You mean to abolish the nobility… and replace it with what?”

Edelgard flicked her hair backwards. “I would have the brightest and most talented take their place. Nobles and Commoners alike would be chosen to govern over territories-”

“And how do you plan for the Nobles and Commoners to be on equal footing?” Sylvain asked.

“I-” Edelgard cut herself off. How would she plan for that?

“How would you ensure that the system isn’t abused?” Sylvain continued, picking up the Water Sigil pieces and putting them into the proper bins. “Commoners already need heaps of gold to get into the Officers Academy. How would your system change that?”

“I…” Edelgard thought for a moment, before a metaphorical light sphere appeared above her head. “I create multiple officers' academies, each of them offering free education to all. Of course, the Empire would pay out of its treasury to create these.”

“Why, I had a similar idea!” Ferdinand said, having walked up to his two classmates. “Clever as you are, Edelgard, you are still a step behind Ferdinand von Aegir!!”

Edelgard groaned, while Sylvain smirked, leaning back in his chair. “Well, it sounds like the Black Eagles are full of great minds. Maybe I should think about joining.”

Edelgard’s head snapped around, as she looked at Sylvain. “Surely you’re joking.”

“I don’t jest about matters like this,” Sylvain said in a mocking tone. “Plus, you’ve already got so plenty of beautiful babes, so I’m sure I’ll fit in nice and tight-”

Suddenly, Seteth burst through the door. “All students! Please return to your homeroom for instructions! Flayn is missing, and we need everyone to help in the search!”

“Wait, she’s missing?” Ferdinand asked, turning to Seteth.

“Yes, she is,” Seteth said, looking like a vein was about to pop in his forehead. “We must immediately begin to look for her!”

All of the other students in the class began to run out, leaving Ferdinand, Edelgard, and Sylvain in the dust.

“We should probably go join them,” Edelgard said, preparing to follow them. Before she did, however, someone grabbed her shoulder. She spun around to see Sylvain, a serious look on his face for once.

“We should, yes,” he started. “But I want to be clear: I do actually want to join the Black Eagles. I’m not joking.”

“Then I’ll talk with Professor Eisner, after we find Flayn.”

“Thank you, Edelgard.”

“Of course. Now, let’s get to work.”
And

Notes:

Welcome back everyone! I hope that whenever you’re reading this that you’re having a great day, and that you enjoyed the chapter! Quite the large black eagles we have, huh? Don’t worry, it won’t get much bigger. You’re all welcome to leave a comment guessing who else will join, and I’ll leave a response on how hot/cold you are :3

Shout outs to my beta, Raxis, for being awesome like usual. I truly am lucky to have someone to put up with me when I forget to capitalize Crest or other stuff that goes on behind the scenes.

Today’s fic of the week is Feathered Affliction, by my good buddy Caller. They write some great stuff, so go check it out! https://archiveofourown.org/works/59563525

Also btw, please do not feel like you’re bothering me by commenting. I live off of comments by injecting them into my bloodstream, so please comment if you want to!

I’ll see y’all next time, where we get to see TWSITD’s plans begin in full.

Chapter 28: In the Deep Dark Lair

Summary:

Edelgard confronts some demons, literal and physical

“Okay, everyone!” Monica yelled out to the Black Eagles, who were simmering in a panic as they waited for Professor Eisner. “Please remain calm!”

“This is bad, really bad!” Caspar exclaimed, pacing back and forth.

“Oh calm down, Caspar,” Linhardt said, looking at the frantic warrior. “Working yourself into a frenzy won’t manifest Flayn..”

“B-but what if she’s been abducted?” Bernadetta asked, holding Theodore the Bear close to her. The cub was still quite small, much like his owner, and Edelgard hoped he stayed that way. Still, there were more important matters at hand.

“I am thinking Bernie could be climbing onto a thing,” Petra said, fiddling with one of her daggers.

“You mean onto something?” Ferdinand asked.

Petra nodded.

“Then we should mount a search party and search for her,” Ashe yelled out. “We are wasting time.”

“I must agree with the silver-haired boy,” Constance said, having shown up at some point. “We must find her before some dastardly villain gets hold of her!”

Leonie opened her mouth, before being cut off by the door slamming open.

“I agree with Constance,” Dimitri said. Behind him was the remaining Blue Lions House.

“We were told to remain in our classrooms,” Ingrid said, walking up to Dimitri. “What are you doing here?”

“I must insist that you refrain from speaking to His Highness in such a-” Dedue started, before Dimitri cut him off.

“Peace, Dedue. She is still a friend.”

 

“Can we get on with the search?” snapped Felix

“Right, back on topic,” Dimitri said. “Our Professor is missing, and we only know what Seteth has told us. We are here to ask for the assistance of the Black Eagle house in searching for Flayn and Professor Casagranda.”

“And why should we break Seteth’s rules?” Edelgard asked, forcing back a laugh at the irony.

“Because someone's life is in danger!” Dimitri cried out, looking around the classroom. “We need to look for them, and fast!”

“That we can agree on,” Hubert said, hobbling over to where the two house leaders were.

“We have to make sure they’re both safe,” Byleth said, standing in the back of the classroom.

“See? Even your retainers agree with me!” Dimitri shouted out, turning around. “Those helping, come with me. If you wish to stay and do nothing… then you may do as you wish. I will ensure that she is safe, whatever it takes.”

With that, he turned and walked out the door, his classmates following after him.

“Dimitri, wait!” said Edelgard..

Dimitri stopped and turned. “Yes, Edelgard?”

“We’re coming with you. As a larger class, we can help cover more ground.”

Dimitri nodded his head, smiling. “I had hoped you would say that. Come now, let’s go!”

The united Black Eagles and Blue Lions ran out of the classroom, searching for Flayn. Edelgard, Dimitri, Monica, Dedue, Annette, and Lysithea ran off towards the knight’s quarters to see if there was anything suspicious there. Once they got there, they split up to search all of the rooms, making sure no stone was left unturned.

Firstly, Edelgard checked Catherine’s room. It was a mess, with various gauntlets and swords scattered all around the floor and furniture. Edelgard opened the bootlicking knight’s closet, only to find a…

Why did Catherine have a shrine of Rhea?

Regardless, Edelgard looked through the entire room, until she was sure there was nothing. She didn’t suspect Catherine to be the culprit, she was far too loyal to Rhea for that, but Edelgard couldn’t afford to discard options carelessly, not while those who slither in the dark were still out there. She knew she could rely on Those Who Clash in the Darkness, but they hadn’t had the time to meet lately. Given that Flayn was most likely one of Rhea’s kin, the possibility that those who slither in the dark were behind this was more likely than many would think.

“Hey guys! Come over here!” Annette called out, causing Edelgard to bolt out of the room. She was standing in front of Jeritza’s old room-

Oh no.

Could the Death Knight be behind this? Edelgard had heard rumors that he was lurking in the town, but she would have thought Jeritza would be smarter than to kidnap Flayn of all people. But still, if it was the Death Knight who did it…

The group gathered around Annette. She was standing in front of the door, which was slightly cracked open. “I-I think there’s something in here!”

“Great job, Annette!” Dimitri exclaimed, turning to Dedue. “Go see if you can find the others. We’ll explore this room.”

Dedue ran off and the group entered Jeritza’s room. Someone had already turned the place upside down. Scattered papers and clothes were everywhere, probably the work of the knights trying to find any link between the Death Knight and the Western Church. But in the far corner of the room, there was a hole in the wall, leading into a staircase. And right in front of it was-

“Professor Casagranda!” Lysithea shouted.

The group ran over to her body. She appeared to have been stabbed in the back, and the wound was curved. Like one caused by a scythe.

“I wasn’t able to find everyone, but I did find a few,” Dedue said as he ran into the room. Behind him was Mercedes, Lindhart, Byleth, Ingrid, and Caspar.

“Wh-what happened?” Caspar asked, looking at the body on the ground.

“It looks like a scythe wound…” Byleth said, kneeling down next to the former songstress. “Did the Death Knight do this?”

“What’s this I hear about the Death Knight?” An old man's voice asked, startling the students. And the voice in question belonged to-

No. Not him.

Tomas- no, Solon wearing the flesh of Tomas stood in front of the doorway, putting on a fake look of concern as he saw Professor Casagranda’s body.

“What is the meaning of this?” He asked, hobbling over to her body.

“We believe the Death Knight was the culprit, Tomas,” Dimitri explained, gesturing to the secret passageway. “We must go after him!”

“Not all of us,” Solon said, gesturing to Professor Casagranda’s body. “I’ll take her body to the Infirmary, but I need some help…”

 

He looked over at Edelgard, smiling softly. “My dear, would you help me?”

Edelgard hesitated for a moment, but she knew she had to keep her cover up. “Of course. Let’s get her moved.”

“Stay safe, you all.” She said to her classmates, as she and Solon lifted up Manuela’s body and began carrying it to the infirmary.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Solon gave Edelgard a sadistic grin. “The Death Knight will surely get them all. I look forward to savoring the mess he leaves behind.”

“What?” Edelgard asked, shocked.

“He’s not your pitiful friend Jeritza anymore. No, we’ve made sure that he’ll sleep for a little bit. The Death Knight will slaughter all of them, including his dear sister.”

Dear sister… Who could Solon mean by that? Regardless, it didn’t matter right now.

“Are you here to taunt me, Solon, or do you mean to say something worthwhile?”

“Oh, I did forget something,” Solon continued, as they rounded a corner. The slime of a living being looked around, before whispering to Edelgard. “He could be commanded by the Flame Emperor. But, that would take so much time. Let’s hope he could get down there fast enough.”

Suddenly, Seteth came running up to the pair. “Wh-what happened to Manuela?”

“We believe she was attacked by the Death Knight,” Solon explained. “It also appears that he kidnapped Flayn, and is hiding her somewhere underneath Garreg Mach.”

“What?” Seteth exclaimed. “Where? You must tell me!”

“There was a secret passageway in Jeritza’s room-”

That was all Seteth had to hear. The man bolted in the direction that Solon and Edelgard had come from at a breakneck pace.

Edelgard and Solon carried Professor Casagranda in silence for the rest of their trip, eventually arriving at the infirmary. They placed her down on one of the beds, as nurses got up from where they were assisting Hubert to attend to her.

“W-what is going on?” Hubert asked, a look of shock on his face for once.

“Long story,” Edelgard said. “I need you with me, however. Now.”

Hubert nodded, following Edelgard and Solon as they exited the room.

“I must return to the Library now,” Solon said, grinning at Edelgard. “Remember, the clock's ticking.”

As he walked towards the Library, Edelgard turned to Hubert. “We need to go to the bathhouse.”

Hubert simply nodded again, as the pair bolted to reach the Flame Emperor armor’s hiding place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edelgard kicked open the door to the women’s bathhouse, Hubert moving in behind her. Thankfully it was empty, so the two of them ran to the closet where the Flame Emperor armor was hidden.

“Hubert, see if you can track the Death Knight while I put on my armor,” Edelgard commanded as she put on the greaves. Next, she-

 

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B̵͚͖̙̼͕͎͙͙͚̞͚̻̣͚͔̳͚̿͗̋̅̋́̓̇͑͆̉̃͊̀͐͒̀̉̌̏̆̑̀͂͋̊́̎͌̚̕̕͘̕͜͜͝͝͠ý̴͚̣̜̙̫͉̩̩̘̗͍̜͑̓̅̔̇̽́̑̏̌́̒̇̒̊̑̇̑͒̒̎̌̎͂̾͒̌̀͋́̎̇͌̕͘̚̚̕͝͠l̸̛̙͕̦̮̒̿͌̔̈́̃̾͐́̉̋͑̾̾͌̀̂̀̈͛̆̚̕͝ę̸̧̨̡̙̙̠͕̞̦̳͓̖͍͚͓͉̮̟͓̹̘̼̹̘͈͇̻̬̯̟̙͉̿ͅͅt̷̛́̔̊̽̏̊͌̎̉͋͂́̄͒̊̎̎͆͊̐̆̃̚͜͝͠͝h̴̨̼̫͍̪̦̦̅̒͊̓̓̃͗̿̇̏̌̿̋́̏̏͂̍̇̇͑̆̐̔̔̄̍̕͠͝!̵̦͚̝͇̖̞͚̙̦̯̖̘͈̅̆̿̈́͗ ̶̢̣̱̹̼̫͓̗͙̠͉̩̲̯͓̺̹̦̪̻̭͈̰̟̙̖̱̹̬̳̃͊̋̉̽̌͘͠ͅL̶̡̢̨̡̬̣͍̼͕̜̯̥̹̣͕̜̫͎͎̙̠̺̫͖̖͔̞͇͈̟̘̘̥̤͉̙͚̼̦̣͉̇́̈́̏̐̄͌̑̓̚͠͝o̶̧̗͙͎͔̞̼̬̙̜̲͔̙̩̠͙̰̺̟̺̩̻͖̻͇͈̼̣͎̫̞͙͌͂͛̔͌̎̎͛̀̿̏̂́̇̐̆̇͗̋̍͐̉͜͜͝͝ͅơ̸͚͓̫̩̪̘͈͓̭̺͕̰͐̈͋͆͛̿̈́̄͋̏͑̕̚͠͝͝ķ̶̻̰̈́́̋͑͗̈̌̕͠ ̸̡̢̡̮̫̭͖̫̪̩̼̲͖̘̞͕̳͍̿̈̊͋͑̈̈̿̈́̿̀͘͝ͅo̸̼̻͆̿ư̷̡̨̢̺̠̺̮͕̣̗̟͇̠̯͉̙̻͔͇̜̝̙̬̪͇̩̎͛̃͆͗̈́͘ť̸̛̞̣̿̃̉͌̓̓̈́̎̆̾̒͛̎̃͂̀͋̽̉̉̑͌͋̈́̋̂̅̇́̇ ̶̨̰͕̦̬͓͉̖̲͚̠̺̙̥͚̆̔̾͂͘̚͜f̶̨̧̛̫͉̞̩̝͖̠͇̩͐̒̎̀̈̓̒̂̊̋͆̚͝͠ͅơ̴̻̻͚̘̹͔̤̼̣͇̇͛͑̔̆̌͑̓͂̈͝r̴̨̨̡̢̧̠̬͍̬̬̜̫̖͎̪̯̤̻̣̲͈̭̤͔͔̟̺̀͊͜͜ ̴̡̡͚̥̣̭͚̪̹̯̮̻̰̬̤͖̩̝̰̳̪͚͇̘̬̊̓̍͂̒͐̅̾̈́͋̾̒͋̆̇͆̿̊̌ͅͅḩ̷̡̣̜̻͖̺̰̪͓̞̝̻̺̮͖͎̤̟̰̫̦̩̒͜ͅi̷̢̢̢̡̧̧̧̛̤̟͙̥̝̺̺̥̭̹̘̩͔̫͎̦͇̼̻͖͚̬͇̫͚̩̜͐̐̃̓͛̈͛̓̋̒̃̇͛̀̂́̽̏̌͌̐̓͌̍̄̇͗̕͘͜͠ͅͅs̴̡̡̛͇͖̫͈̼͙͓̫̖̙̹̝̤̣̩͖̣̪̩̲͚̹̭͎̻̖̹̩̋̐͐̆͋́͆̊̚͠͝ͅ ̷̡̧̨̯̗̻͍͚̼̝̫̳̩͉̜͕̘̬̠̩̰̟̟̞̘̯͍͑̌͋̓̌̆̉̉͊̓͑͒͊͊͐̽̿̆͑̊̈́̔͐̐̃̄̀̔̿͛̉͛͊̍̆̀̕͘͝͝s̵̡̢̟̟̳͉͕̰̼͚̣̠̞̤̖͉͕͓͙͚̭̦͈̘͚͓̽́͛̓̂̔̓̽̌̇̀̽̈́͗̈́̐̿̓̔̇̽͗̐̀̅̂̔̍͒̈́͘͘c̴̟̬̘̬̳͇̮̙̭̦̱̻̰̝͈͍͇͖͚̀̀͛͂̅̈́͊̌͋̆̅̈́̚͘̕͜ͅy̷̨̤̝̖͇̰̙̠̝̠̺͙̘͉̙͇̲̖̲̾́͑̔̉̃̐̓̀̔͊̂̉̓̒̓̓́̈͐̑̍̾̎͑̎͋͛͌̕͠͠͠t̶̨̧̤̗͖͙̱͚̙͉̭͚̪̼̘͚̮̻͕̮̜̝̟̫̠̤̱̀͒͐̉͆͗̍͋̋̊̌͗̊͌͂̊͛̈́̃̋͘͝͝ͅͅh̸̢̨̡̲̺̬̰͎̻̣̯͖̦̲̦̥͓̱͚̥̰̠̙̬̲̝͎̤͚͑̀̈́̀̋͐͋̊̋̉͂̓͛̊͛̏̃̋̿̽̕̚͜͠ȩ̴̼̲͍͓͓̖̤̹̦̬̬̣͎̰̗̗̟͚̰͗̿͐̃͌̚̕!̴̢̡̢̡̡̗͓͕̹̘͓̼͕̥̪̤͍͙̝̫̹̙͎̥̫͍͊̈̒̈͆́̉̒̅̇̿̓̐͊́́̈́̈̀̈̈́̅͑̊͗́̆́̾̕͘̚̚͝͠͝͠ͅͅ

Fuck, that was close. Thank you, Sothis. Keep an eye on Mercie, will you? She’s trying to reason with him.

————————————————————

“Hubert, see if you can track the Death Knight while I put on my armor,” Edelgard commanded, as she put on the greaves of the Flame Emperor armor. Next, she put on the boots, making sure they were latched on tight. She then put on the breastplate, strapping it-

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N̷̢̢̧̢̛̙͖̮͖̥̜̟̠̰̼̪̮͙̜̙͖̩̫̺͉̯̘̣̺̭͙̻̬̲̪̳̆͋̆́͆̓̔͜͜͜ͅo̴̰͖̻͎̼̺͉͇̞̻͚̮̳̘̯͗̋̊͊͒͑̽̈́t̷̢̢̨̨̧̲̯͎͈̪̥̦̣̻͉̤̼̩̫̙̯̤̞͈͉̤̻̦̘̱͎͕̜̖̭͎̠̾́̀̊̃̉̾̌̉̽͜͝ ̶̡̹͇̮͎̹͖͙̘̉̅́̓̈́̉̃͌͌͆͐̅̊̇̇̀̉̈́̐̍̈́̊̓̄̕̕͝ȩ̶̛̮̭̱̹͎̟̤͇̙̝̞͕̯̓̄̋̂̄̈́̿̀͋̓̔̌́͗̂̿͋̓̍̆̇̑̊͛̆̋̌͐̄̈́́̈́͌̕͝͝v̷̲̪̗̳̐̑̍͐́̓̓̃̆͒͠ȩ̵̢̨̧̢͎͍̦̠͓͙̹̩̜͉̱̰̱̥͔̙̰̼̰͙̩̜̺̜͖̯̜̮̮̤̗̃́̀͗̎͒͛͂̅̐́͗̀͊̿͗͘̚͘͜͜͠ͅn̷̢̡̛̛͓̙̽͑̒̄̐̍͗̈́̍̂̅̏̒͂̿͊̂͛̽̐̔͑͌̆̈̿̀̅̌̾̉̊̚̚̕̚͝͠ ̶̧̨̛̮̪͕͖͉̻̗̝̘̰͚̰̫̭͑͋̿̏͒̍̿͊̒͋͐̋̌̃̄̅̋̊͂̕͜͜͝ͅţ̸̛̜̖͙̺̭̲̬̝͙̬̹̙̱̘̥̙͎̦͚̺̹̣̥̱̦̗̩͆̽͛̀̉͜ͅͅḫ̸̨̡̖̦̲͈̽͒̓̎̋̀͆̇̒̀͛̾̄̈́̀̽̓͋̈͋͗͗̾͋́̓̍̉͆́̏̈́̊̕͘̚͝͝͝͝e̷̢̧̛̗̻͔̟̣̘̳̭̪̰̼̟̱̦͕̗̤̪̹̳̫͇̹̯̭̜͎̗͊̀̌̉͂̾͂̾̈̇̏͐̈́̓̎̀̏̉̀̌̓̋̎̀̓̎̍̊̒̇̈́̉̚̕̚͘͜͝͠ ̵̢̡̡̢̯̰̯̙̻̥͚̩̥̞̗̞̪̠͙̭̥͉̰̝͔͖̲̣̯̜͎̤̻̖͖̥͔̑̀͑̓̇͑̐͂̑͂̿́̈́͛̋̒̊̔͆̍͑͑̈́̅̊̐̓̃̕͘̕͘̚͜͜͝ͅb̴̨̧͍̫͕̝̦̪̲̮͓̮̦̠̙̙̞̤̫͒͐͛͊̓̌̇͗̊́̒͌̈̉́̀̉͑͛̌̈̀̄̿͊͗̓͗̚̕͘͜͝͝l̴̛̛̛̯̙̭̱̺̗̩̖͚͚̓̍͌̂̎̀̏̅̂̑̏̋̇̏́̒̈́͋͌̉̌͐͐̑̚̚̕͝͠͝ǫ̶̝͕͈̞̪͎̥̭͖̯͇̲̻̮̔̈́̋̎̏͊͊̉͐͗̇̆̍̆́̎̎̇̏̚͠͝͝n̶̡̛̞̼̫̬̮̱̞̟̘̺̣͗̅͑̈̄̌͒̒́̑̈́̒͗͐̽̉͌̏̊̎̿̄͌̐͗̃̾̒́͑͊̕͜͜͠͠͠͠d̵̢̡̬̪̱̭̬͉̲̘̝͕̜̮̯̭͔̭̪̙̲͈̳͖̘̜̥̪̤̻͖̳̮̰̘̭͛́̀͊̓̓̑̍̿͐̔͒̅̊̂̑̋͜͜ͅͅę̵̨̢̠̠̙̯͈̯̼̝̜͉̥̺̭͍͍̞̱̖̯̦̳͖̫̇̀͂̆̅̓̒̆̉̓̉̊̑̇͒ͅ ̷̧̢̥̳̖̜̠̝̮̬̙̻̣̻̙̥̖͕̬͓͕͕͚̺͑̒͑͂ḩ̶̧̡̧̨̱̙̻̫̹̭̲͓̟̦̞̣̥̹͚̦͔͇̻͖͚̤̻̻̭͉̠̣̣̯͔̖̼̮̜̺̓̽̆̿̂̀̓͑̑̍̀̊̇̉̃̓̆̇̾̿̾͑͂̅͗͊̄̈́͛̈͛͛͂̚̚̕̕a̴̡̢̡͙̩̮̦͖͕͎͖̘̙͕̜̝̔̏̊̎̔̓̒̀̈́̋̈́̕i̷̡̡̨̛̩̘͈̠͕̪̭̟̺̤̝͉̠̣̱͖̩͕̫̗͚̐͑̓̀̇́͑̾͒̆̅̓̏̽̋͋̽̀́̈͆̔͝͝ͅŗ̶̢̬̗͙̦̮̦̙͓̗̥̪̳̝̗̯̱̝͉̅e̷̦͚̝̞̜̱͇̞͙̗̋͌̈́̌͊͛̀̊̎̉̊̅̏̔́͛̾͝ḍ̸̛͂͂̄̓͛̕̕ ̷̢̛̛̖͙̪̙̻̙̭̰̩̳̤̲͚̘̤̬͕̠͍̻̫͈̜̦͉͙̭̈́͂̉̍̒̾̊̏͋͗͒͂͛͑͌̈́͗̓̊̄͋͗̈́̇̌́̽͋̇́͒̽̚͘̚͘b̸̡̨̧̛͎̟͔͕̘̪͒̀̔̄̽̅̍̋̍̄͌̋̀͗͗͆͐̿̋̈́͒̔̓̏͂̇̈́̊́̚͘͝͝͝o̸͙̫̹̝̗̪̳͎̤̾̿͐͂̇̉̌́͛͂͌͛̽̓̕͜͝͝ͅý̶̬̦̎̓̈́̒̈̿̍́̀̓̈̍̿̑̐̔̽̓̉̇͌͋̉̽͆͒̀̓̀̚͝͠͝ ̴̧̢̧̡̼̰̳͔̙̮͉̻̝̫̠͔̭̬̫̪͇̠̜͙̳̜͚̲̻̪̯̘̬̞̩̠͕̈́͆͂̽̓̃͒͒͘͝͝c̵̡̛̬͇̫̙̮͕̃͑̎̾̂͗́̈́̈́̀͠a̶̢̡̮̦̺̤̪̹̝̳͔̯͑͒̔͊̀͋̌̈̓̃̀̒͐̔̅̄͋̔̽̅̇̓͋̋͒̈̀̕̚̕̕͜͝͠ͅn̷̨͎̗̠̞̬̲͚͖̪̘̲̖̤̲̱̣̲͙͇͔͍̦͎̭͍̞͉̹̬̰͌̐͑̇̈̇̃͆̑͂̔͂͆̈̈́̇̈́͐̇̈͒́́́̉̉͛̃͊̇͊̄̿͂̀́̋̚͜͝͠͠ ̴̧͉̯͓͉͎̩̪̝͚̥̣͆̓̒͌͐̆̋̿̑̋̂͒̉͌̌͋̓͌́͊̒̈́̅̌̿̋̈́̊̌̈́̀̆͂̆̓́̇̕͘͝͝ͅţ̶̡̢̧̡̧̢͕̝̝̻̠̥̱͕̜̣̭͙̣͇͉̣̳͓̼͍̝̠̬̺͚̯̹͖̿͆̉͋̀̾͒̾͛̓̐̈̂̓͂͗̏͐́̀͒̓̿́̅̐͘̕͜a̷̩͕̣̟͉̤͗́̇̊̈̎͑̈́̿͛̈̅̋̅̽̾͝ķ̶̧̛̺̮̺̤̜͍̻͖̼̯͚̤͎̜̹͍̟͔͓͔̱̔͑̔͑̔̿̉̿̎͂̋̇͆̂̓̈́̈́͊͗͐͛͐̈́̿͑̅̿̈́̒̓̈́̄̚͝͝ȩ̴̛̘̱͕̿̐̄̈́̄͌͛̈͋̌̄̿̚͠ ̷̨̰̟̟̫̹̯͍̠͕̦͔͔͖̖̞͕͕̱͈̜͎͕͊̽̄̑̂̏̌̒̕͜h̷̢͖͕̰͚̫͔̝͔̩̪̲͍̞̻̫̩̹͎͎͔͍͕͓̳̪̙̘͐̿̿̿̍̾͂͑́͜i̷̧̢͍̩̻͕͍̟̘͉̰͙͎̝̟̝̻̠̽͑̇̊̾̔́̐̌͊̔̂͒̂̈́̏͊̄̑̐̊̈́̐̃͆͒̉̉͆̊̋̈̚͘̕͠͠ͅṁ̷͈̝͐̍̅̔̎̊́̿͗͑̂̓̄͋̀̓̋̿̍̄̃͊̄̔̔̾̈́̒̾̄͘̚̚͘̚͝͠͝͝!̸̢̨̡̨̹̯͚̝͍̭̻̙̝̘̱͔̠̯͚̪̝̥̥̝͔̻̻̹̘̉̉͂͑̍̎̍́̑͐̓̐̈́̀̒͑̓̐̒͌̃́̀̈́͆̅̍̋̚̕̚͠͠͝ ̵̝̗̙̭͇̱͐̋̋̆͂́͊́͝͠ͅẈ̶̡̢̨̧̦̘̞̪̼̗̦͈̙͓̩̜͈͕̘̬̼͉̩͔̣̱̩̙̗̹͍͇̣͆̀͆̓̓͆̎̀͑̃̎̋̀̌̀́͊͌̏͛̑̅̈́́̾̆̋͂̈́̕͝͝ͅę̵̡̫͈̥̣̘̥͉͓̫̟̖̫͖͙̠̪̙̲͓̬̹͙͖̻̥̞̅̄̋̅̆̈̓̍̏̕̚͘͜͝ͅͅͅ ̸̡̨̧̢̨̛͚̟̠̜̞̯̟̫̠̟̼̘̰̦͋͆̄͌͗͗̈́͗͋̇̑͊͂̕͝n̴̰͙͈̦̪̼̣̹͛̓͌͗͒̎̀͂̎͋̐͠ę̸̛̟͖͕̪͓̤̖̥̀̔̄̋͌̐̄̔͌͆̿͆̒̓̉͗̐̄͑̂̋̀́̀͛͛͌̅͑̂́̅̆̃̆̕͜͝͝͝e̸̢͚̯͚̟͕̽̄́̓̔̏̒́͜d̷̡̛̛̛̫̘̃͋͂͐̓͊̑͌̊̾̀̄̌̃̏̑͒̓́͆̃̾͐̿͂̾̽̀̋͐́͘̕͘̚͠͠͝ ̷̖͕͖̹̪̲̲͔̦̰̣̦̣͍̖̯̱̝̲̦̪̺̘͖͙̣̻̝̤̒̀̏̒͌́̌̓͒͆͆̒̋͋̾͂̽͒̐̈̓̃͝͠ͅb̵̢̡̞̞̘͉̮̘̗̰̹̘͚͍̱͖̪̼̙̱̗̺̯̘̬̲̫̼̙̺̜̀̽̅̍͊̒͂̿͐ͅe̵̢̧͚͍̣̜̣̲̜̟̞͚͍̞͍̦̲̰̹̤͕̫̥̯͙̘̖̱̬͙͙̝̹̩͔̰̍͒̇̈́̌̿̎̇͋͊̓͗̈̿̒͘̕̕͜͠ͅͅt̴̛̤̺̪͉̰̘̀̆͑̃͛̒̔̄͐̅͑̆̍́̀̔͘͘͠t̶̡̨̧̧̡̛̛͔͉͉̫̲͖̪̗̳̩̼̬̳̼̙̪̝̦̠͙͉̺̖̮͓̠̫̟̀̒̊̒̉̌̅̔̌͗̒͒̒̾̐̿̇̿̌̾͒̀̐́͌̀̀̚͠e̷̢̢̡̡͇͎͉̪͍̙̘͔̤̥̬̹̬̱̟̼͚͕̱̤͖̠̺̙̜̼͍͈͉͓͈͔͎̟̒̽̌̆̔̍̂̽̕͜ͅͅr̶̛̥̘̙͕̰̱͓͓̝̟̈̀̐͐̅͌̔͋͊̈́̏̆̋̾̄̃̈́̍͗͌̆̆̓͆͑̕̚͠ͅ ̵̧̨͈̫̥͔̩̰͚̟̭̻̱͖̱̝͈̰̤̳̬̞̝̙̲̭͓͇̗̣̙̮̅͑̅̆̄́̂̆̿̽͛̾̈͒̆̅̅͗̇̃̓̀̎̑̈́͘͜͜͠p̸̟̹̟̈́̑̈͑̀͆̽͒̇̀́̑̉̆̋̃̐̌͒̈́̇̉͒̈́͊̀̔̋̀͝͠͝͠l̵̢̲̣̜̫̺̹͈̤̜̠̥̖̠̣̪̮͚͉͓̳̏̏̆̓̇̚͝a̸̢̛̛͈̮͕͑́͂̀̽̈́̾̐̿͒̓̄͑̈́̋̃̈́͂͂͆̉̀͆̽͌̉̅̊͘͘̚n̸̡̡̛̛̠̰̮̦̜͎̫̹̭͖̩̙̦͈͍̤̬̯̰͉͖̗̉͆͒̈́͋̉̎̽̽̉̋́̈́͛́̈́̐͗̇̂̆̐̓̅̏̃̆̑̂͘͘͘͜͝͝͝n̵̠̭̗͕̋̇̀̋̋̎͐̎̑͒̋̅̐̿̆̈́̓̎̾̇̈̌̊͒̕͝͠ỉ̸͉̦̝̺͖̤̪̥̿͑̉̌̈́̓̾͒̌̾͂̆̐͛̔̾̆̅͌͆̓̃̐̀͛̿́̄̈́́̅̒͐́̋͘̕n̵̨͔̦͎͙̣̮̰̤̤̐͛͗͌̉͛̀̚͜͠͝ģ̸̢̢̛̛̛̻͍̱̻̟̙̝̳̖̥̙͎̘̤̟̜̳̩͙̗̥̤̼̭̼̖̙̪̪̖̣̓̉͌͆̀͊̎̈́̈́̈́̒̇́̀̈́̉̾̅͒͑̔̐̉̉͐̍̄̏̿̓̐̚̚͘͜͜͝͝͝ͅͅ.̵̢̳͚̥͓̦̭͎̙̻͉͈̘͍̪͉̰͉͕̺͋̊̋̀̎̈́̀̇̅̕͜͝ ̴̨̨̛͔̘͖̹̜̤͎̦̭̦͚̥̜̫͇͐́̒̅̀̏͋̎̌͑̐̔̌̀̀́͐̉̾̌̎͑̇̿͂̃̿̓͋̂͑͒͘͝͠ͅ

 

I know, I know! I need more time, or a miracle!

W̸̢̨̡̢̢̙͚̖̘̻̱̟̫̹̠͓̱̗̳̣̠̫͓͖̼͕͎̬̭̬̳̫͌̋̀̽̄͆̉̏̉̋̎̍͋͌̊̆̽̚̕͜͝͝͠ͅẽ̸̡̧̢̢̳̼̹̹̙̻̖̻͔̣̯͔̳̟̞̮̫̠̟̜͓̹͖̝͉̓͒͊̂̀͌̀͋̐͐̊̋͂̉̓̕̚̕͝͝͝͝ ̷̧̛͈̪̦̠͈͕̦̖̝̱̼̘̭̩̻̥̬͎̪̻̮̉̀͆̐͛̿̓̉̈́̈́̄̅̑̔̊̐̈́͑̀̎̆́̉̇́́͛͂̋̅͝͝͠a̶̻̲̾̈̏̐̄͑̅̉̇̌͆͛̀͆̎̌̅̈́̏̊̄͘͠͝͝͝r̵̨̳̝̯̘̩̪̄́̌̈́̏͛͌́̔̑͛̍̑̈́̆̌ĕ̴͍̪̭̮̳͉̬͈͔̠͛̈̓̾͑̏̌͆̈͒͝ ̷̢̢̯̘̻̫̫̣͈̣̮͍͍̭̣͔̜̫̙̘͍͔̩͆̽̐́̀̏͐͗̀͗̽͐̎́̃̽̑͗̿̓̊͊́̈́̆̕͘͠͠͠ͅw̷̨̢̨͕̲̘͈̮̠͙̭̭̗͚̲͍̪̤̠͔̫̬̆̿̔͆̌͠e̶̢̢͕̠͙͎̾͆̀̓͊̽̈́̉̋͜͠ ̸̡̢̨̧̢̨͕̮͚̝̦̮̹͚͕̻͉̗̣̟̗͖̙̦̝̖̪̗͓̦͙̰̩̞͖͎̪̭̰͖̉͋̍͑̈́͛̊̉͂̄́̈̍̒̀̓̆̐̇̌̂̓̎́̕̚̚ͅg̷̨̨̖̬̯̦̯͆̆̋̔̒̓̓͊̊́ǫ̷̡̨̛͇̱͙͈̈̿͋̿̍͌̈́̈̍͌̀͑͐̉̑̌̉̀͒́́̊́̄̈͛͂͂̀͋͛̾̀̄͑̒̕͝͝i̸̡̡̨̙͕̩͕̫͓̭͚̺̦̝̗̠͇̼̹͍̞̠͈̙̹̤̻̱͖̺̦̯͈̪̯̱̳̦͂̓͊̾̑̀̈́̅̅̄͌̏̐̈́͑̔͆͂̈́͗̈́̎̆̀̇͌̚̚̕͝ͅn̶̡̛̛̩͙̖̖̗̖̩̝̣͔̩̻͍̼̻̙̤̜͙̠̦͈͚̻̹̺͎̜̝̬͑̈̅͋̋̋̓͗̀̊͒͑̃̉͆̾̽͊̈̾͛̓̾̍̽̚͘͜͝g̸̡̛̛̛̛̥̳̰̪̬̝̟̟̯̣̗̗̺̗̰͍̦̝̭̭͎̱̖̪̹͎͙̘̣̖͇͙̬̳̠͎͎̻͑̐́̓̌̽̽̈̈́̂̇͆̏͠͠͠͝ͅ ̸̧̨̛̭̳̩͎̙̜̭̲͎̬̮̰͔̺̹̻͉̜̦̤̝͓̞̥̙͛̍̂̎̈͋̾̆̓͐͂̀̄͒̋̊̽́́͒́͊͊͛͊̓̅̒̃̈́͒͌͊̏̓͘͝ͅţ̸̨̧̡̼͍̙̪̯̖̲͍͕͓̘̻̜͖̣͍̯̦̞̤̖̫̭̜̻̯̜̘̣͎̫̲̊̅̓̈́̓͆̒͆̌̀̋͒͒̆́̀̿́̕͜ͅͅỏ̵͕̭͎͚̲̺͈͖͓͓̩̤̝̫̱̗͎͔͓͙͇̬̠͈̞̥̠͇́́͝ ̵̢̳̼̯̟͔̭͔̜̻̖̞̖̈̏̈̊͊̌̄̎͛̋̓͋̏́̍͠͠͠d̷̨̛̛̰̯̭̬̟̦̮̯̼͉̥̝͉̣̺̺̟̞̘̜͇̦͈͒͗́́̅̾͊͜͝͠ǫ̵̨̛̛̟͍̙̫̲͎̣̭̯̣̠͕͔̝̹͉̤̣̗͇͓̩̺̠̪̻̲̜̣̣̍͒͆̔̃͋̏͊̈́͊̓̐͑̕ͅ?̷̨̢̳͈̟̣̼̻̲̠̠̬͇͕͎̖̈́̈́̀̄̂̔̿̈̈̅̀̂̇́̈̈́͐͑̋͊́̆̊̕̚̕ͅ

 

I- I don’t know! We have to figure something out! Rewind to right before we opened the doors. We can plan there.

————————————————————

 

Edelgard kicked open the door to the women’s bathhouse, Hubert moving in behind her. Thankfully it was empty, so the two of them ran to the closet where the Flame Emperor armor was hidden.

“Hubert, see if you can track the Death Knight while I put on my armor,” Edelgard commanded as she put on the greaves. Next, she- put on the boots, making sure they were latched on tight. on the boots, making sure they were latched on tight. She then put on the breastplate, strapping it tight, and then the gauntlets and the rerebrace, making sure there was no way anyone could identify her through the clothes under her armor. Finally, she put on the helmet.

“Hubert, Location?” the Flame Emperor called out, the mask already making her voice unrecognizable even to her.

“Found him!” He called out before summoning a warp circle.

The Flame Emperor jumped onto the circle, and found herself appearing somewhere beneath Garreg Mach. She looked around at the room, and saw Flayn on the ground. The Death Knight stood right in front of the emperor, and he was about to charge at Byleth!

“Halt,” the Flame Emperor commanded, causing the Death Knight to turn around and look at her. “You’re having a bit too much fun.”

“You are getting in the way of my game,” He growled.

“Hmph,” She retorted, crossing her arms. “You'll have more opportunities to play soon. Your work here is done.”

The Death Knight stared at her for a second, then nodded. “Understood. I will go…”

As he teleported away, the students and Seteth stared at the Flame Emperor. Lysithea looked a bit confused that she would be here right now, while the other students had a mix of fury and distress. Seteth’s eyes darted between the Flame Emperor and Flayn.

“Who are you, dastard!” Dimitri shouted, a javelin held tight in his hands, ready to be thrown.

“Oh my, he looks terribly dangerous,” Mercedes said, before Byleth stepped in front of her.

“Then we should take him while he’s alone,” Byleth said, a grim look on her face. Edelgard had never seen Byleth so furious. Only the armor concealed her shaking.

Realizing she was out of time, The Flame Emperor opened her mouth. “We will cross paths again. I am the Flame Emperor... It is I who will reforge the world.”

With that, she teleported away, returning to where Hubert was. As she reentered the room, she yanked the helmet off and threw it at the wall with enough force to leave a crack. The Flame Emperor had become Edelgard again. And Edelgard was furious.

“Lady Edelgard,” gasped hubert, “what is-”

Edelgard grasped him tight as she let her metaphorical mask fall away, tears streaming down her face.

Notes:

I didn’t forget to upload this yesterday shhhh.

Anyways, imma keep this brief as I have noodles cooking. shout out to my lovely beta Raxis always for being lovely as always, couldn’t do this without you! Go read How to Care for Your Eagle by a good friend of mine, FavoredVassal (you get three hints of who their favorite is and the first doesn’t count) Go read it now! https://archiveofourown.org/works/59861518

See you all in two weeks where we get down to business. To defeat. The Huns.

Chapter 29: Punishment

Summary:

Edelgard faces down two foes, and has some help from her friends.

After she dried her tears, Edelgard changed out of the Flame Emperor armor. Then, she made her way out of the bathhouse, with Hubert following close behind. They ran back to Jeritza’s old room just as Dimitri, Byleth, and the others emerged from the door. Seteth was carrying Flayn in her arms. The deceptively-youthful girl was pale, but she seemed mostly unharmed. Edelgard was relieved.

“Ah, Edelgard!” Dimitri exclaimed, walking up to the Imperial Princess and her first retainer. “You’ll be happy to know we found Flayn!”

“That is good to hear,” Edelgard said, putting up one of her many masks. “Did you also find the Death Knight?”

“We did,” Byleth said, her face stern. “He got away, however. There was also-”

“We had him on the ropes though!” Caspar interrupted, pumping his arm. “He retreated as soon as we saw him!”

“Retreated is one way to describe it,” Byleth continued. “There was also someone else down there.”

“Oh?” Edelgard asked, raising an eyebrow. “Who was it?”

“Someone called the Flame Emperor,” Seteth explained. “He seemed to be in control of the Death Knight’s actions.” His face contorted into a scowl. “I will never forgive him for what he’s done to Flayn.”

“What did he do to her?” Hubert asked.

Seteth rolled up one of Flayn’s sleeves, revealing bandages wrapped around her arm.

“It appears he extracted some of her blood,” Seteth explained.

“Why would he do that?” Linhardt asked.

“We need to get Flayn to the infirmary,” Seteth said, ignoring Linhardts questions. Edelgard fought against the urge to roll her eyes. How the creatures that controlled the world managed to stay hidden despite all the evidence pointing toward their existence baffled her. Regardless of any questions anyone else might have, Seteth began to run toward the infirmary at a breakneck speed. Watching him go, Edelgard wondered whether the saints were truly merely brother and sister. TWSITD never told her how they were related, but it was clear to her that no siblings would act the way they do.

Although, most of Edelgard’s memories of her siblings were in their final moments, so perhaps siblings that actually got to grow together over thousands of years were closer than the scant few years she had with her own.

Regardless, the students returned to their classes. As Edelgard, Hubert, and those who rescued Monica entered the room, they were bombarded by questions by about what had happened during the search.

“So, you see,” Caspar started, putting one knee on his chair. “We found Professor Cassagranda in Professor Hyrm’s old room! And then, there was a secret staircase behind a wall, so Edelgard and Tomas took Professor Cassagranda to the infirmary, and the rest of us went down the staircase. And once we got to the bottom of the staircase, we found some dudes, so we went like, Wablam! And beat em all up! And then-”

“Then we found the Death Knight,” Byleth said, interrupting. “He was… a fierce opponent. I don’t know if we could have beat him.”

“Maybe if I was able to get a Dark Spikes off..” Lysithea grumbled, before Caspar continued.

“Eh, I dunno. I think we had him on the ropes! It was so bad his boss had to show up to save him!”

“His boss?” Ferdinand asked, leaning forward with interest.

“Yeah, some guy called the ‘Flame Emperor’!” Caspar shouted out, pumping his fist. “He was all like, ‘I am the one who will reshape the world’, or something like that, but he was a huge wuss, so he just ran off.”

“It looked like someone was behind the Death Knight,” Linhardt said, yawning as he laid his head down.

“Oh?” Edelgard asked. “Is that so?”

“It would be seeming that way, if the Death Knight was taking the orders from him,” Petra commented, her eyes narrowing. “If the Death Knight was being in the monastery, this ‘Flame Emperor’ could also be lurking among us.”

“I would not think so,” a calming voice said from the doorway. Edelgard turned around to see Rhea, who was putting on a motherly smile for them.

“The rest of our staff has been thoroughly vetted,” she continued. “Trust me when I say that Professor Cassagranda, Essar, and Eisner, along with Seteth, Tomas, and all others serving at Garreg Mach would never harm a hair on a student’s head. Professor Hyrm- no, that fiend Jeritza, the Death Knight, was recommended by Lord Regent Arundel. Iit seems we may need to investigate the renegade more thoroughly.”

Rhea then turned to Edelgard, smiling softly. “Take heart, dear Edelgard: your uncle is a very pious man, gracefully reigning over Adresdia since Emperor Ionius IX has taken ill. I trust with all my heart that he knew nothing of the wicked deeds the Death Knight would unleash.”

Edelgard almost gagged at the thought of Thales being pious. Memories of the sharp tools that were used to cut and pierce skin threatened to break through Edelgard’s mental walls, but she shoved them back down.

“Yes, my uncle is quite the pious man,” Edelgard said, masking her thoughts. For now, she would suffer almost any indignity to ensure her brighter future would come to light.

Rhea simply nodded, and turned back to the gathered Black Eagles. “I wished to thank you all for your contributions toward rescuing Flayn. Without your quick assistance, she may have been lost to us forever. I know Seteth is especially thankful for all you’ve done. In fact, I believe a celebration is in order for those who punished those foul heretics down in the Death Knight’s wretched lair.”

She then called on everyone who’d participated in the fighting underground, and then the large group went to the Blue Lions classroom to gather the other students who had helped save Flayn. As they left, however, Tomas hobbled into the room.

“Ah, there you are, Edelgard,” he said, putting on a fake smile. “I could use your help with something in the Library. Would you be willing to do an old man a kindness?”

Every instinct in Edelgards body screamed not accept. But it would look suspicious to her classmates that hadn’t gone with Rhea. She had to accept, and she hated that simple fact.

“Of course, Tomas,” Edelgard said, putting on an even faker smile. As the two of them walked out of the classroom, she turned back to see Hubert trying to follow them, but Edelgard waved him away. If there were going to be consequences for Edelgard’s actions as the Flame Emperor, she would face them alone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The consequences were far worse than Edelgard feared. Solon locked the library door behind them the moment they slipped inside and shed his disguise. Two dark mages suddenly appeared and pinned Edelgard to a table. She tried to summon the power of her Crests, but Solon pulled out some strange object. It was metal in nature, and seemed to be some kind of rod that had the Crest of Flames on it. Regardless of how it looked, he began to wave it in front of Edelgard. She suddenly felt very sluggish, like she was trying to wear heavy plate armor without any training. The Imperial Princess tried to kick against the mages holding her down, but her legs wouldn’t move. Suddenly, memories of her past in the dungeon began to swell over her, as she tried to bite back tears.

Solon then walked over to Edelgard, and smacked her across the face. “What were you thinking, ‘Flame Emperor’?”

“I was…” She started, struggling to concoct an excuse.

He smacked her again. “Do not speak! Listen. When I first received word that our infiltration unit was slain by you, I was beyond furious. But the Agasta assured me that there was nothing we could do, that it was the bandit worm's fault. But this….”

He began to pace back and forth. “This is beyond a minor worm's fault. We thought that crippling your stupid boy would be enough to convince you to quit interfering with our plans, but clearly we were far too merciful. The Death Knight had the Faerghan Prince in his grasp. Surely even a beast like you can understand the turmoil that would sweep his wretched, backwards kingdom if he had died? To say nothing of the Fell Star’s demise!. Our victory would have been assured in one fell swoop!.”

Fell star? What did he mean by that? Edelgard tried to rack her brain of anyone who could be called that. Maybe a name for Flayn? She was a former saint.

Solon then turned back to face Edelgard. “But you. You ruined that. This time, the consequences will be more severe.”

He pulled out a small slate from his robes, and suddenly a magical image of a small village appeared over it. Edelgard gasped as she realized it was Remire Village. She tried to call upon her Crests again, causing Solon to wave the strange object in front of her again. She fell limp onto the table, and breathing became harder.

“Now, let us see…” Solon started, as he began to run his finger along the magical projection. “What shall we do to this worm nest? Kill them all for more flesh? Shall we obliterate them from orbit? So many possibilities.”

He then darkly chuckled, as he placed down the tablet and snapped his free hand. The dark mages let go of her, then warped out of the library. Edelgard tried to stand up, but she couldn’t find the strength.

“Oh I know…” He started. “It will take some time, but I know…”

He then put the tablet away, and cast a spell on Edelgard that healed her wounds. “Here are your instructions: you will continue to be our agent against the wretched Nabateans and their beast pets. If you put so much as one toe out of line, what I have planned for the worm nest I showed you will be the least of your worries.

He then put the strange item away, and let Edelgard stand up. “Do not fail us again, ‘Flame Emperor’.”

Donning the persona of Tomas once more, he unlocked the door, holding it open for her.

“Thank you for the help, dearie,” he said, faking a kind smile.

Edelgard took a moment to collect herself, then walked out of the library. As soon as she rounded the corner and was out of sight of Solon, she broke into a sprint, fleeing for her one safe haven in the monastery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours after her harrowing encounter with Solon, Edelgard was jerked back into the world by the sound of a knock at her locked door.

“Go away,” she mumbled, rolling over in bed to try and ignore it.

“Edelgard?” Byleth. Of course it was Byleth, the person she wanted to see the least right now.

“Byleth, please go away,” Edelgard weakly called out.

Suddenly, she heard a crash! The imperial princess shot straight up, using her sheets to cover the fact that she was only in small clothes. There Byleth was with a plate of food in her hands, and behind her stood Dorothea, Monica, Ingrid, Lysithea, and Leonie.

Seeing the state that Edelgard was in, Dorothea gasped and ran over to her. “What’s wrong Edie?” She asked, hugging her tightly. “We noticed you weren’t at dinner, then Monica, who always knows where you are, couldn’t find you, and then we heard from Sylvain that he had seen you going to your room, and-and-“

She then leaned in and whispered. “Was it Solon?”

Edelgard nodded, which caused Dorothea to shake with anger. Ingrid walked over and put a hand on the former songstress's shoulder, and she took a deep breath. Edelgard then looked over at Monica and Lysithea, mouthing the word “Solon”. The two petite mages also grew furious The others, who didn’t know what was happening, watched on in confusion.

Byleth was the first to pick up on it for once. “Was it one of them?”

Leonie looked over, confused. “‘Them’?”

Byleth then put a hand over her mouth, nearly dropping the plate of food she was holding. “Oh for fuck’s sake. Sorry, Edelgard.”

Edelgard hesitated for a moment, then she softly smiled at Byleth. “It’s okay. The truth would come out eventually.”

“Are you sure you want to tell them, Your Highness?” Monica asked.

“Yes.” She then motioned for the others to sit down and told Byleth to close the door behind her. As they sat down, like children sitting down for story time, Edelgard recounted what had happened to her in the Enbarr dungeons. Of course, she told a more sanitized version, leaving out TWSITD and referring to them only as dark mages instead, but Ingrid and Leonie got the message all the same. By the end of it, the Galatea heiress had her fists clenched, and the Leicester huntress had fury in her eyes.

Then, Lysithea stood up and began telling her story about what had happened to her, shocking everyone but Edelgard and Monica. She was on the verge of tears by the end of her tale, so Leonie grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight.

“Why…” Ingrid started, fury in her eyes, just like Leonie. “Why would they do something so monstrous?”

“Because they wanted this,” Lysithea started, summoning the sigils of both of her Crests. Edelgard followed suit, showing off her twin Crests as well. Ingrid gasped, while Leonie was confused.

“You can have two?” Leonie asked. “They… did all that for another crest in someone?”

“The worst part isn’t just that,” Edelgard started, before looking at Lysithea. “From what I understand, she was just the test for my family. I owe her a debt I can never repay.”

“That’s a dumb way of looking at it,” Leonie said, frowning. “You never asked for this.”

“But if the Empire never invaded Ordelia during the Hyrm Crisis, then-” Edelgard started, but was cut off by Lysithea raising her hand.

“What happened then wasn’t your fault,” She explained. “It was the nobles. They were the ones who invited in those…. the dark mages to terrorize my family, even though my family fought so hard against them. You owe me nothing.”

“But-”

“Edelgard,” Byleth said, placing a hand on the imperial princesses shoulder. “I… I am not good with feelings and stuff. But what I do know is that Lysithea doesn’t blame you. So let it go.”

“I…” Edelgard started, before shaking her head. “You’re right. Thank you, Byleth.”

“Now that you’ve told us all this,” Ingrid started. “What do we do about it?”

“That’s where I come in,” Monica said, raising her hook into the air. “Edelgard, remember that plan we were making to oust Th- I mean, Arendel and Aegir?”

Edelgard nodded her head, so the redhead continued. “I’ve been working on it, and I know exactly how to expose him. He’ll be at the Battle of Eagle and Lion, right?”

“All the parents of noble children will be,” Ingrid confirmed. “It’s tradition.”

“And nobles love tradition for… some reason,” Leonie continued, before looking around the room filled with nobles. “Present company not included.”

“No, I quite agree,” Edelgard said, before turning back to Monica. “Do we have the evidence to prove Aegir’s guilt?”

“Not yet,” Monica confessed, her cheeks turning slightly red. “But I have some plans brewing.”

“You do a lot of planning for a noble teenager,” Byleth pointed out, causing Monica to blush even more.

“We are at a military academy,” Leonie said, coming to Monica’s rescue.

“Eh, fair enough.”

“Back on topic,” Ingrid said, turning to face Edelgard. “How can we help?”

“Hm…” Edelgard started, before a metaphorical ball of light appeared above her head. “By winning the Battle of Eagle and Lion!”

“How will that help?” Leonie asked, tilting her head.

“Because, the winners get the full attention of everyone,” Monica said, the wheels in her brain turning. “It’ll be the perfect time for us to expose him!”

“As long as we have the evidence by then,” Lysithea added. “That’s the important part.”

Edelgard then had another great thought. Of course, it would be so easy to have the Flame Emperor armor smuggled into his tent. Then, when the investigation began… but she couldn’t tell half of the people here that. Especially after the events that just occurred below Garreg Mach.

“That, I can have House Vestra and House Ochs look into,” Edelgard said, causing Monica to beam at her. “We can and will show then that we will no longer suffer silently.”

But as Edelgard said that, doubt began to creep into her mind. What if TWSITD found out what they were scheming? Edelgard also had to decide how to ensure Remire Village’s safety. But all of that could come later.

For now, she had more friends willing to help her expose the corruption of the nobility. It was a start.

Notes:

Hi everyone! For those who weren’t aware, I took a tiny little break at the beginning of November due to my crumbling mental state. You can probably guess why. I’m okay now, but recovering also lead me to some realizations: I am not cut out for a 2 week upload schedule. I just don’t have it in me to be constantly churning out chapters. Sorry! I’ll try to keep to a 2 week upload schedule, but also know that if I don’t upload when I’m supposed to, that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped or anything. I’ll keep marching, from this point onwards.

Anyways, once again shout outs to my lovely beta Raxis. He got this chapter done in literally two days so you should all go read OBW if you haven’t already.

For the shilling of this fic, I’m shouting out Mountain View. From what I’ve read so far, it’s mostly fluff with some plot elements of 3H mixed in, but it’s also an Edeleth modern AU. Please go read it, its so good. https://archiveofourown.org/works/35677141?view_full_work=true

That’s all for now! If I don’t upload in the next upcoming weeks, then have a happy holidays!

Chapter 30: Beach Day, Part 1

Summary:

Edelgard and friends go to the beach, beach!

“All right brats, listen up!” Professor Eisner yelled from across the long, winding coast, his voice amplified by a mage's spell. “The Battle of the Eagle and Lion is a treacherous mix of all climates, formed by magic! You’ll need to learn how to fight on rough, sandy terrain if you want a chance at winning! You have exactly 5 minutes to prepare for the Blade Breakers to capture your flag. Starting… now!”

As Professor Eisner’s voice returned to normal, the Black Eagles began to panic. The last few times that they had simulated fighting on different terrain, it had been disastrous. Even with the advantage of defending a flag, it was a calamity. Over the past few weeks, they had practiced fighting in the cold, muddy terrain of the Tailtean Plains, in grassy plains inside of Gloucester territory, and they had even held a mock town battle just outside Garreg Mach. The Black Eagles had only won the plains battle thanks to their superior cavalry working as a unit.

Wait, did Pegasi count as cavalry?

“Edelgard!” Ferdinand said, snapping Edelgard out of her thoughts. He was on his horse, and looked mad. “That is, unless you wish for I, Ferdinand von Aegir-”

“Be silent, you fool,” Hubert snapped, turning to Edelgard. “Your orders, Lady Edelgard?”

Edelgard put a hand to her chin and looked around at her class. It wasn’t exactly a group that was well-equipped to fight in sandy terrain. There was the aforementioned cavalry, which was, with the exception of Ingrid, terrible at fighting on sand. Even those fighters who didn’t fight on foot, such as Byleth, Shez, and Edelgard herself, would struggle in this sand. The mages, which included the recovered Hubert, and Constance, who had chosen to participate alongside the Black Eagles, would prove invaluable here, as they were able to use primitive wind magic to allow them to glide along the dunes. But the others would be sitting ducks. But then, so would the Blade Breakers, who were primarily cavalry and infantry. Not a magic user among them, aside from their healers. Which meant they would have to slowly advance to get to the flag.

“Mages, prepare to form a firing line!” Edelgard cried out, much to the shock of her classmates. “Calvary, dismount! Use your horses to make a barrier around the flag. Infantry, we’re on flag duty.”

As the Black Eagles scrambled, Byleth walked over to Edelgard, smiling.

“You did a good job, you know.”

“Thank you, Byleth. That means a lot coming from you.”

 

“How so?”

Edelgard blushed slightly at that. “Well, you are incredibly good at Water Sigil.”

“I could teach you to be better, y’know.”

“I… I would like that.”

Byleth grinned at that. “We can start later. Papa always brings a board with him.”

“Sounds lovely.”

“Apologies for interrupting this lovely moment,” Hubert said. “But they are almost upon us.”

“Right, yes,” Edelgard said, as she began trudging over to defend the flag with her fellow infantry. Her heavy armor was unbearably hot, and part of her was looking forward to going swimsuit shopping with Dorothea, so she could take a dip in the ocean after the match.

But, she didn’t dare step into the water. The ocean was treacherous, after all.

Edelgard got into position, and looked over at the mages. They had all lined up, and were preparing various non-lethal spells. She then looked over at the approaching Blade Breakers, who were slowly approaching.

“On my command, fire!” Edelgard said, raising a hand. From there, she began counting down from five. As only one finger remained up, she raised her fist into the air.

“Fire!”

A barrage of ice, wind, and thunder magic shot out from the combined mages. The Blade Breakers had barely any time to move out of the way, and many of them fell to the ground, shocked, too numbed to move, or blasted aside by the wind.

“That takes care of the Infantry,” Shez said, pumping her arm.

“Yeah, we did it!” Caspar said, slamming his gauntlets together.

“Not yet!” An unfamiliar voice called out, as Edelgard whipped around to see the Blade Breaker cavalry circling the Black Eagles. They began to dismount, and drew their swords. The infantry who survived the initial onslaught arrived as well, and joined their comrades. They then all cried out a mismatched volley of insults and profanity, and charged the group.

“Mages, defend the flag! Everyone else, charge!” Ferdinand cried as he began to run forward. Shez and Caspar followed suit, not realizing that they were going to be encircled.

“Damnit,” Edelgard whispered under her breath, trying to think of a new plan. Then it hit her like a horse drawn carriage.

“Cavalry, defend the flag!” Edelgard cried out, as she broke off “Everyone else, use those three as a distraction while we pick off the stragglers. We will assist them later!”

Edelgard tried her best to bolt towards one of the Blade Breakers, but her armor slowed her down. The mercenary tried to swing at her, but Edelgard blocked him with her shield. She then swung down her axe, knocking the man to the ground an earning her his surrender. Another straggler approached her, but one of the mages intercepted him with a spell. Slowly but surely, the stragglers were cut down, and Edelgard turned her attention back to the encirclement. Ferdinand was on the ground, but Shez and Caspar were still fighting. Another idea struck Edelgard, so she turned to Monica, Dorothea, and Lysithea.

“You three!” She commanded, pointing at the encirclement.”Fire at that pocket!”

“But what if we hit-”

“They are too close to the flag. If we don’t get back in time, then they could take it. Now, try and freeze them!”

Dorothea hesitated for a moment, but then nodded her head. The three mages fired ice magic towards the encirclement, and froze everyone involved in the melee. After that, Edelgard turned towards the flag, to see the Blade Breakers that were still standing heading towards. The calvary were doing their best to try and defend, but there were too few of them to defend for long. Bernadetta was already down, and the remaining three were doing their best to hold off the five mercenaries attacking them.

Suddenly, Byleth came running in like a demon from the flames themselves, knocking down two of the Blade Breakers at once and shocking the other three long enough for Sylvain, Ingrid, and Leonie to finish them off.

“That’s it!” Professor Eisner called out. “The Black Eagles win!”

He then walked over to Edelgard, and his expression was solemn. “Shall we go over the problems with how you won?”

Ah. That was not good.

“For starters, you had troops acting of their own accord,” the Blade Breaker began. “They don’t want to follow you yet. A good leader never allows that to happen. A good leader needs soldiers disciplined enough to follow them to the flames and back.

“On that note,” He continued, pointing at Shez, Caspar, Ferdinand, and the other Blade Breakers that were still thawing out. “They’re all dead, thanks to you.”

“In her defense-” Monica started, but the professor raised his hand.

“You did what you had to do. I get that. For the limited time you had to make it, it was a good decision. You can be the reincarnation of Pan himself, and still have to make those hard choices. The main thing to learn is to plan so you never have to make those choices.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Edelgard responded.

Jeralt grinned at that. “Good. Now, you almost lost the flag, but were saved due to the timely intervention of my daughter. Did you ever consider that you, a slow moving, heavily armored unit would be better suited to defending a point, instead of dismounted cavalry?”

“I prefer to fight on the frontlines,” Edelgard said, feeling a little defensive. “It helps show that I truly care about those I fight with.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Professor Eisner conceded. “But remember: there are times when it makes more sense to take up a position that suits you.”

“With that being said,” He continued. “We’ve fought for long enough, and we don’t need to leave until tonight. Who’s up for a beach day?”

Monica’s hand shot straight into the sky, with Byleth’s following close behind. Then came Dorothea, then Petra, and eventually, every Eagle but Edelgard had their hand in the air.

“Good, ‘cause I’m ready for one,” the former mercenary muttered. “Blade Breakers!” he called out, whistling to them, “It’s time for a beach break!”

The mercenaries all cheered at that, and Edelgard couldn’t help but but to smile a little.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright ladies, it’s time for us to be the cutest and sexiest girls on this beach!” Dorothea cried out as she ran in front of them, heading for the town's clothing shop. They were in Ibath, a small coastal town in Ochs territory, which had been recommended by none other than the Ochs heiress. She had apparently gone here many times, and had suggested the beach for an area to fight and relax in. And Edelgard had to admit, the town was nice. It was arranged around a town square, and had multiple shops dedicated to things surrounding the beach and the ocean. There was a fishing shop, a seafood shop, and most importantly, a shop for swimwear.

The Black Eagle girls continued to walk towards the store, many of them lost in their own conversations. The boys had agreed to let the girls go without them, although Sylvain needed to be given a stern look by Ingrid. The plan was that the girls would shop for a short while, then the boys would get a turn, and after that they would meet up at the beach. It made Edelgard a bit nervous that she could potentially wind up showing a lot of skin, but she knew that a good swimsuit would cover the worst of her scars. The ones on her arms and legs could be easily passed off as battle injuries. The one that mainly concerned her was the one upon her chest, but she didn’t want to worry about that right now. This was no time for agonizing about Crests, or saving the world, or the hundreds of other things she usually worried about.

As they entered the shop, the shopkeeper eagerly greeted Monica. “Ah, young Lady Ochs! It is good to see you again. We were worried you had left us- what happened to your hand?”

“It’s… a long story,” Monica said, looking down at her hook shyly. Edelgard pitied the girl. It was her fault that-

No- this was not the time for that. Edelgard took a deep breath and refocused on the task at hand. While Monica talked with the shopkeeper about what she had been up to, Edelgard began to browse the swimsuits. Many of them were revealing, a little too revealing if you asked her. They were just going to hang out at the beach, not become tavern dancers. Edelgard continued searching for a little bit, until finally settling on a one piece that would cover her up nicely. It was also a lovely shade of red, which she considered a bonus.

“Find something you like, Edie?” Dorothea asked, grinning at the future emperor. She was holding a bikini which left… little to the imagination.

Trying to ignore the shade of crimson that her face had become, Edelgard looked at Dorothea. “I believe I did. I think this swimsuit will be the perfect blend of function and style.”

Dorothea snorted at that. “Edie, you need to cut loose a little bit. You’re too strung up to be going to the beach.”

“I know, it’s just…” Edelgard started, before looking around to see that they weren’t being watched, as she mouthed the word “scars”.

“Oh, right…” Dorothea said, a glum look on her face for a second before it brightened up. “But the swimsuit will cover that!”

“Yes, I hope it does,” Edelgard said, before she went slack jawed.

“Something catch your-“ Dorothea asked, before she saw what Edelgard was looking at.

 

Byleth was wearing a bikini. And not a modest one, no. A skimpy one that left nothing to the imagination.

“Wow. Edie, if I wasn’t taken I’d go ask her out right now,” Dorothea said, grinning at the stunned princess.

“I… you’re taken?” Edelgard asked, trying to not look at Byleth’s chest.

“Yup. Someone’s already in my heart. Although, I don’t know if I’m in her’s yet.”

“I… I see,” Edelgard said, trying to refocus.

Wait, where did Byleth go?

“Hiya El,” a voice from behind her said.

“Gah!” Edelgard shouted, as she turned around and tripped. She then fell onto something… soft? What?

Edelgard picked herself up, and then looked up to see-

Oh fuck.

Edelgard had landed face first into Byleth’s chest.

“I-I am so sorry, Byleth!” Edelgard cried, her face redder than the swimsuit she was holding.

“Huh?” Byleth asked, tilting her head. “Nothin’ wrong with trippin’”

“Well yes, but I, uh, you see-”

“You tripped ‘cause I scared you. No need to apologize for that.”

“B-but I-”

“No buts,” Byleth said, helping Edelgard up and putting her hand on Edelgard’s shoulder. “It’s fine, trust me.”

“O-Okay…”

“Now, let’s go to the beach. We can play Water Sigil there.”

And with that, Byleth turned around, and walked out of the shop.

“You better get changed,” Dorothea said, grinning. “Don’t wanna keep a girl waiting.”

Notes:

Wow, what’s this? Me actually being on schedule for once? Incredible, I know.

Anyways, keeping this brief as I’ve got two shifts of work back to back today and I gotta get mentally prepared for that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and all that jazz. For my biweekly shilling, it’s Castle of the Crimson Flower. Really good fic from what I’ve read so far, you should check it out! Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26965576?view_full_work=true

Anyways, I hope you have a great day! And thank you so much for reading, all y’all’s support means a lot!

Chapter 31: Beach Day, Part 2

Summary:

Edelgard enjoys some time at the beach, while TWSITD get an upper hand at Garreg Mach.

“It’s over!” Byleth shouted as the dice flew out of her hand. She had moved her pegasi knights to target Edelgard’s commander, and everything rested on this final dice roll. Edelgard watched as they tumbled over the table, ending up snake eyes.

“You were saying?” Edelgard asked, grinning as she moved her great knights into position and rolled her dice, landing a 16 and 19, killing the Pegasi where they flew.

————————————————————

R̴̛͕͇͕͔̪̀̑͝ẽ̷͖̘̭a̷̢̘͐͐l̸͔͗̑̇̀̈́̀ͅl̵̨͔̻͈͚̽̀ỳ̷̦?̷̻̀͌̒ ̵͉͖̊̐̃Í̵͖̆̋̽͘͝t̵͚̓̽̔̾͘̕͝'̷͓̫͒͌̾̃̃͂̐ş̸̧̖̆͛̓̉̚ ̴͔̰̊̓͐j̴̛͓̰̘̼͚̲̔̈́̿͒͛u̴͕̜̩̩̖̞̓́͌̑ŝ̶̹̤̪̪̩̅̓̿̈͜t̷͈̙͆̿͒ ̴̫̭̞͕̩̹̱̏̿̄̏̂̕a̶̢̼̳̿̋ ̸̻̹̼̝͗̿̀͑g̸̤̻͉͕̙̋̎͑͋̈́ä̵̻́͂̽͋͋́͘m̵̮̲̈̈̈́͒̓̒͘ͅḙ̴̼̥͇̹̮́!̴͔͍̤̜̩̤̗̍̓̇͝͠

And I intend to win. I wanna show off for her.

Y̸̯̓͒̃͂̌̃͘ò̵͈͍̙̹̹̥̆̈́̿̏̆̋ų̶̰͕̳̯̤̾͊'̶̢͈͙̲̣͒͂̉̇͜r̷̨͉͎͓̙̖͐ȩ̵͆̈̃ ̸̢̹̭̟̯̭̇͛͆̈̄̔̅s̷̲̮͝m̷̜̭̖̽̌͘͜͝i̵͉͉͖̭̇̈́̉̎̀t̷̝̠̘̱̙̗̬̄t̷̲̯̬̎́ę̸̾̐̕͝͝n̴̮͂̃̾͌̋͐ͅ,̷̜͖̠͎̼͆̀̀̈́̍͘͜ ̷̛̱̻̟̟̝̌a̸͉͖̝̝̟̔̉r̸̡̡͈͈̬͖͕̓͗̕͘̕e̶͎͚͎̫̕ń̶̦̯̼͖̬̂̃̍͛̚͜'̸͓͚̆̍̅t̴͔̻̣͍̯́́̍̀̾̔̂ ̸̜̬͚͎̔͋̌̀̏̅̑ỳ̸̥̲͚̜̻̦̦̃̇͒̑̿o̷͇̫̣̲̖͍͛̂̚ų̶̛̳̫̿̎̔͂?̸̨̙̮͛̐̕͝

What does that mean?

Ǫ̶̱͈̼̻̝́͗ȟ̷̟̫̉͛͛ ̵̭̱̤̹̏̒̑͌̿̌̽n̷͇̖̚e̷̮̣̽͑́͜͠v̵͓̐̈́̽ë̴̞̺̄̓r̷͍̲̂̃̑m̷̠̳̺̊́i̴̡̯̺̍̏͐͒̀n̸̳͙̳̹̄͝ͅḏ̵͈̼̠̣̯͎̀̀.̸̤̝̙̰͖͈͐̊̾̀̊͌ ̶̡̬͖͉͋̋̄͜S̶̢̘̩͇͔̠͈͌̌͌͒̓͛̚h̸͍̔͊̈́̌̕̚o̸͚̹͉̪͕̳͊w̴̧͙̙̣̻͉̒͆̇͝ ̵̹͆̀̉̔͊̕͘ȯ̶̮̮̀̔̄͠f̸̢̰̰̎́̾͝f̴͇̙̠̿ ̵̞̍̾̉̿́̋f̴̣͎̯̳̬͙̈́̋̆̆ỏ̷̱͕̈́̍̚̕͝r̴̛̠̱͙̥͐͋͘ ̴̡̟̳̥̭̈́̈́͜h̶̗̤̍̀̒̋̅͘ͅḛ̶̑͐̀r̴̛̟̪̙̫̪̜͕̓̂́̚.̴̘̟̬̲͐̆́ ̷̭̬͊̀̿͂̏͘͘͜M̷̢̛̓̐̆a̴̧̝͓̘̯̹͊̒̆̄̇̔ͅý̷̖̞͒͝b̴̛̼͉̫͔̂̑͂̒e̵̟̎̈́́ ̷̨͓͛̒͒̂̾́y̷̘͔̐͂̔̆͜o̷͙͉̞͇̞̿͝ü̷̼͙̤̫͝ͅ ̸̠̔̈́̑̚͝c̴̠̬̒̓̓̕o̵̦̳͈̳̬̗͋u̷̡̖̕͝ĺ̶͔̲̙̔̀͘d̷̰̮̞́͜ ̶͔̭͓̖̲̎̔̔̆i̷̛̭̱̟̺̹͌͋̽͊͊n̵̤͈̪̦̺͓̥͠t̵̫̻̬̭̱̜̾ͅŗ̷̫̗̝̣͓̟̈͘ö̴̭̳͍̪́͛̈́̄́d̸̺̺̲̈́͝u̵͙͂c̵̜̬̰̻̗̮͒̚͝e̴̡̹͈̮̿̂̒ ̵̦̮̟͇̒̋̈́͝h̶̛̜̓̐́̓̽e̵̡͉̅̿̾̏̅̋r̸̮̼̽̍ ̵̯̮̹̼̗͒̿̋̈́̿́̏t̷̢̪̭͓͗ọ̷̡̯̜̓̅̈́́̂̕͠ ̵͎̼̫̒̓t̷̨̤̱̻̼͒̓̈̔h̶͎̯̜̆̿̋͑̚ả̶̧̖͉̱̠̦̳́͌̈́͆͐͠t̷͕̙͉̻̅͝ ̷̮̱̪̋̎͑͑A̵̺̦̽l̷͕̥͙͙̙̼̊͆̈́̊̉͠m̴̼̭̺̗̯̹̖̒̔͂̈́̚ỹ̷̢̛̗̖̭̗̬́̓̚ṛ̸̤̺͒ȧ̵̜̃͑̏̀n̴̰̜͓̳͓͆̇̈́̇̍ ̵̥̤̘̆g̸̞̯̠̒͂̈́a̷̡̛̟̰̖͇͋́̈̈́̚ͅm̷̡̭͙̄̄̋͂̿͆͝e̵̮̽̓̀̐͜ ̶̛͍͓̳̩̻̠͂̐͗̉͆̿ÿ̷̟͇͈̻̮̮̝́ȏ̴͇̜̯̞̌u̶̺͌̍̆r̶͈̱̦͇̐̚ ̵̛̹̪̫̳̲̤́͌̒̍͠f̷̡͍̮̘̥̏̓͂͑̔͠͝ả̷̮͔̞̪̞̙̋̀͌̽͝t̵̡̊̏͛́̋͂͠h̵̫̓̋ę̵̛͍̹̝͓͌̆͐̽̚ṙ̵͎̝̻̟̰͎̈̎͛̀͂͝ ̶͕̦͆͊̉͐̆̐̂h̴̛̜̪̰̦̮͇a̷̢̨͕͖̓s̴̝͔̠̮̯̺̋́͠?̴̜͖̩̰̠̦̱̓͊

That could be cool. I’ll try that after I win.

————————————————————

“It’s over!” Byleth shouted as the dice flew out of her hand. She had moved her pegasi knights to target Edelgards commander, and everything rested on this final dice roll. Edelgard watched as they tumbled over the table, ending up in double 20’s.

“Well then,” Edelgard said, as Byleth took her commander off the board. “That concludes that.”

“Yup,” Byleth responded, a rare, warm smile on her face. It was enough to make Edelgard blush, or at least it would if she weren’t already doing that due to Byleth’s swimsuit. Byleth didn’t seem to care at all about how Edelgard’s eyes continued to drift, but Edelgard was sure her play was suffering from her… slipping attention

“I have an idea,” Byleth said, getting Edelgard’s attention. “After a job on the Almyran border a few years back, papa got a new game. Wanna try it?”

“Sure,” Edelgard said, wanting to spend more time with the mysterious woman. As Byleth walked away, Edelgard watched her classmates enjoying their time on the beach. Petra, Ingrid, Sylvain, and Caspar seemed to be playing some strange game involving a net and a ball, while Dorothea watched. Bernadetta was hiding underneath an umbrella, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper. Linhardrt was, of course, asleep. Ferdinand had fallen asleep laying on a towel, which led to Leonie and Lysithea burying him, while Hubert watched from a distance with a smirk on his face. Last but not least, Shez, Ashe, and Monica were all swimming. Dotted around the beach were various people from the town, and the Blade Breakers, who seemed to be having a sand fort competition.

All in all, it was a peaceful day. Nothing to stress over, nothing at all.

Edelgard could get used to this.

“Ahem,” a voice from behind Edelgard said. The imperial princess turned around to see Constance von Nuvelle standing, holding a parasol over her head.

“Ah, Constance. How may I assist you?”

“I was hoping you and the Black Eagles could come down to Abyss soon,” the former heiress to Nuvelle responded. “There is something we require your assistance with.”

“Of course, Constance.”

“Ahahahha! Excellent! We shall see you then!” And with that, Constance ran off towards one of the seats.

Edelgard then heard shuffling from behind her, and she turned to see Byleth, radiant as ever in her bikini, carrying a small wooden tray. She set it down on the table, and then opened the top of the box to reveal 32 little wooden pieces. Some of the pieces were red, and some were blue. The pieces were varied in size and shape, some being short and stubby, and others tall. There were 4 pieces shaped like horses, 4 like forts, 4 like a wyvern’s head, 4 pieces that all looked vaguely familiar but she couldn’t say for certain how, and 16 smaller pieces.

“What’s this?” Edelgard asked as Byleth set up the board.

“The guy who gave it to papa said it was called ‘Shatranj’,” Byleth explained. She then went on to explain the rules and how the pieces worked. It was confusing, from things like en-passants being explained to fortressing, among other things.

“So to win, you have to force the king into ‘Checkmate?”

“Yup.”

“Very well, show me how to play, my teacher.”

Byleth’s face slightly blushed. “‘My teacher?’ What’s with that?”

“Well, you are teaching me, no?”

“I guess. I could get used to that.”

“Very well, my teacher.”

And so the game began. Multiple games, actually. Edelgard wasn’t very good, but Byleth was a good teacher, pointing out what she did wrong and how to improve it. Byleth really would have made for a wonderful teacher…

Maybe if things had gone differently…

There was no time for those thoughts. Edelgard had a game to learn. And dammit, she would learn this game, if only to spend more time with Byleth. They played for quite some time, to the point where the sun had begun to set on the beach. Finally, after several games, Edelgard finally had Byleth’s back against the wall. She only had 2 pawns and her king left, but she was proving elusive. Edelgard was trying to pin her with her two rooks and her remaining bishop, but she kept misjudging how she should play, allowing Byleth’s king to wriggle out of check time and time again.

“Patient, Edelgard,” Byleth said, her face concentrated. “You’re making rash moves without thinking through them. It’s very unlike you.”

“It’s different when you’re around,” Edelgard responded, trying to concentrate on the game. “I feel much more at ease around you than I do others. I don’t feel the need to constantly be perfect.”

“I’m glad you feel safe around me.”

“Why wouldn’t I? Something about you causes me to spill my deepest, darkest secrets.”

“Maybe it’s my turn then?”

Edelgard looked up at Byleth, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve told me a lot about yourself. Why shouldn’t I tell you about myself?”

“That’s.. Very generous, but don’t feel like you have to. You said yourself that your memory is spotty at best.”

“Yeah but there’s some things I remember.”

“Like what, then?”

And so they talked. Byleth told Edelgard about various other mercenaries in the Blade Breakers, about her favorite fishing spot before the pond in Garreg Mach, about how she obtained the pieces of “armor” that she used to wear before she joined the academy, and other things like that. The game of Shatranj was forgotten, and overall it was an enjoyable experience, with the two women just talking for hours, until the sun had completely set and Professor Eisner said it was time to go.

“Aww, but we weren’t done with our hole yet!” Caspar cried out, as he began to fill in the hole he, Shez, Leonie, Sylvain, and Ingrid had dug.

“Maybe we can organize a trip like this again?” Monica asked. “I’ll be in charge of the territory soon. I’m sure I can invite all of you back one day.”

“That would be lovely,” Linhardt said, yawning. “Clear skies, a gentle breeze, it’s a lovely beach for napping.”

And so, the Black Eagles agreed to one day return to the beach. Edelgard could only solemnly look on as they planned what they would do next.

If only they knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trip back to Garreg Mach was an uneventful one. The moment she walked through the front doors, however, Cyril walked up to Edelgard and said to meet Rhea in her audience chambers. Curious, Edelgard left her stuff with the supply convoy, and went upstairs to meet the archbishop. Of course, Edelgard wasn’t that worried about what Rhea wanted. It was probably just a meeting of all the house lords.

As she entered the audience chamber, she once again forced down a laugh at the sight of Rhea sitting on her throne. Her face was stern, but a smile broke out when she saw the Imperial princess.

“Ah, child,” she started, standing up and walking towards Edelgard. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”

“It is good to see you too,” Edelgard said, lying through her teeth. “Did you need something, Lady Rhea?”

“I had summoned you along with the other 3 house leaders, but seeing as they haven’t arrived yet, I was hoping you and I could speak alone.”

Oh. How fun. “Of course. What do you wish to discuss?”

Rhea’s smile grew. “I just wished to speak with the heiress to House Hresvelg. Over the years, our two states have grown distant. But, the blood of Seiros still runs through your veins, yes?”

“Of course,” Edelgard said, hoping Rhea wasn’t looking at her clenched fist. “I am honored to carry the blood of Saint Seiros.”

“As you should,” Rhea continued. “She was always a favorite of mine. I have always admired the steel underneath the silk.”

Edelgard once again stifled a laugh, causing Rhea to raise an eyebrow. “Oh? Was it something I said?”

“Oh, not at all Lady Rhea,” Edelgard said, trying to recover. “I was just thinking of a story that Byleth told me. She also used that metaphor.”

“Oh?” Rhea asked, her eyes widening. “Pray tell me, what story did the young Eisner tell you?”

“It’s not my place to tell,” Edelgard said. Why did Rhea want to know about Byleth?

“Ah, excuse me. I am just always interested in learning more about the daughter of my dear friend, Jeralt.”

“You’re friends with him?” Edelgard asked, to which Rhea’s smile brightened.

“Yes. He saved my life, you know. When he was younger, he was a knight of Adrestia. He threw his own body in the way of an attack that would have certainly ended my life. He has my eternal gratitude for his selfless, heroic deed..”

Interesting. “When was this? Someone as renowned as Professor Eisner would surely be known to me and my family. I would have grown up hearing tales about him.”

As Rhea opened her mouth to respond, Claude and Dimitri hurried inside.

“We sincerely apologize for our tardiness,” Dimitri said, bowing.

“We would have been here in time, but Lorenz insisted on seeing which one of us could deliver the better speech,” Claude continued, grinning.

“And?” Rhea asked. “Who won?”

“Uh…” Claude started, before Dimitri cut him off.

“According to Lorenz, Dedue, Annette, and Raphael, I did. Claude was voted on by Ignatz, Felix, Mercedes, and Hilda. We left before Marianne could give her vote to break the tie.”

“What were you all doing together anyways?” Edelgard asked, smirking.

“Both of our classes got asked by Lorenz to help him with some shenanigans started by the Weathervane- I mean, Viscount Phlegethon,” Claude responded.

“Why both?”

“Cause you stole, like, half of our classes.”

Edelgards smirk grew, but she was cut off by Rhea before she could respond.

“Regardless of why you were late, we have matters to discuss. Each of your classes have grown spectacularly. We have not had such a gifted group of students in many years. And in two weeks, we will learn whose class is best-equipped the trials that might await them in the years to come. Of course, as you all know, due to her injuries, Professor Cassagranda has elected to sit out this year’s Battle of Eagle and Lion. But what we haven’t told you yet is that she is returning to Enbarr for better medical care than we can provide for her here. She will return to teaching duties next year. In her place, will be-“

Suddenly, she was cut off by the door slamming open. The three house leaders turned around to see-

Fuck. No, no no no no! Why her? Why? Of all the people that could have been chosen to lead the Blue Lions, why her? Edelgard looked at the person who had entered, and locked eyes with her. Those same eyes that once stared into hers as she told a much younger Edelgard that she was the only survivor. Those eyes that had bored into Edelgard’s as they cut and tore her flesh. Her body had changed, yes. It was much more voluptuous than the one that she had when she was in the Enbarr dungeons. But her eyes hadn’t changed. In fact, her face hadn’t either: it had briefly contorted into an smirk upon seeing Edelgard, before returning to a fake smile.

“Greetings, Lady Rhea!” the one who had taken on the form of Cornelia Arnim said. “Which one of these strapping young lordlings do I have the pleasure of teaching?”

Notes:

Hello everyone! I’m actually on schedule again! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday season, and that your new years also goes well! I guess I’ll see you all… next year (ba dum tiss).

Anyways, this bi-monthly shill is Our professor is strange- Now she's getting engaged (gettit?). If you like engage, or just want some wacky shenanigans, then please go read it. It’s lotsa fun!

Anyways, I’ve gotta go cause I need to get ready for work. I hope you all have a lovely day, whenever you’re reading this, and that everything goes your way! Bye now!

Chapter 32: The Gronder Calamity

Summary:

The Battle of Eagle and Lion begins!

“Welcome, one and all, to the 200th annual Battle of Eagle and Lion!” Rhea announced, her voice amplified over Gronder field. “We shall begin in a few minutes!”

Edelgard gripped her axe, and looked over the fortress she had constructed on the Blue Lions side of the bridge she was on. The Black Eagles had arrived a few hours ago, and had spent the entire time shoring up their defenses. They had no intel on what the other two houses were doing, other than that the Deer had taken positions to the west of the central hill, while the Lions had set up to the east of said central hill. The Eagles, meanwhile, had taken up a position across the river from them. Edelgard’s plan was simple. She, along with Caspar, Linhardt, and their respective battalions, would fortify the river bank facing the Blue Lions, leading the defense with her battalion, while Shez, Lysithea, Byleth, and their troops held the river bank facing toward the Golden Deer. Last but certainly not least, were Monica, Ashe, Petra, Dorothea, and Hubert, who were assigned to guard the main base. Meanwhile, Professor Eisner would lead the cavalry to strike the Golden Deer, hopefully catching them off guard and taking Claude’s encampment. After taking out the Deer’s base, Byleth and Shez would lead the remaining Black Eagles in order to take the central hill, which Dimitri and Claude would no doubt be fighting over. They would then attack the hill alongside the cavalry in a pincer maneuver, after which all forces would begin converging on the Blue Lion’s encampment. It was a perfect plan.

Of course, even the best-laid plans could fall victim to unexpected enemy tactics. Edelgard and the rest of the Black Eagles would have to stay on their toes, especially with how the weather would be changing every 20 minutes..

But all things considered, Edelgard wasn’t worried about the other houses all that much. Although Flayn had elected to join the Blue Lions, the other two houses had their commanders thinned by others joining the Black Eagles. Unless, out of nowhere, the Blue Lions and Golden Deer received some bonus members-

“Ohohoho, it is a blessed day!” A voice from behind Edelgard cried out, as the Imperial Princess whipped around to see Constance von Nuvelle. She still had that same parasol from the beach, while in her other hand she held a strange tome.

“Constance? What are you doing here?”

“I am here to assist you in your endeavors of winning the Battle of Eagle and Lion! I am sure my magical prowess shall turn the tide in our favor. For you see, in this tome I have concocted many elaborate spells!”

Wait. If Constance was here…

“Constance,” Edelgard said, gripping the former Nuvelle heiress’s shoulders. “If you’re here helping us, does that mean that Balthus, Yuri, and Hapi are helping the other classes?”

“Oh, indeed, they are,” Constance said, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. “But I assure you, they will be no match for my awesome powers!”

“Did they allow Yuri to use his relic?”

“Yes, as it is non-combative, but why would that be an issue-“

Suddenly, Edelgard heard the sound of warping behind her, and saw that Yuri and a whole battalion of Faerghan troops had been teleported into the makeshift fort!

“To arms!” She cried out to the others as she picked up her axe and charged towards the Faerghan knights. Edelgard ran toward two knights, both brandishing their swords at her. She allowed them to approach, blocking their slashes with her shield, as she slammed said shield into them. The two she had targeted flew backwards, clearly knocked out of the fight as they were warped away. She then turned her attention to the rest of the battle. Her lieutenants, Ladislava and Randolph, were in the thick of battle, Ladislava riding around on her horse, knocking over those in her path while Randolph was trying to rally his men to him. Linhardt was casting non lethal spells, but the soldiers seemed to be protected by some strange magical barrier. Constance’s magic was more effective, as she cast a strange spell that made several soldiers around her fall to the ground, clutching their heads before being warped out. Caspar had thrown himself into the fray, him and his grapplers doing their best to hold back the knights from the gate-

Wait.

“Supreme armored core, to the gate!” Edelgard yelled, as she desperately tried to run toward the gate’s control lever. But Yuri was too fast, and he got there faster by swapping places with Caspar using warp magic. The trickster yanked down on the lever, causing the gates to swing open, allowing Faerghan swordsmen to enter the fort. And at their head, was Felix.

“You!” He yelled out, pointing his training sword at Edelgard. “Finally, a worthy opponent!.”

He rushed towards her, and the Imperial Princess held up her shield to block his first strike. Her quick reaction stunned him, so she swung back. The Fraldarius heir nimbly dodged the blow, leaping to the right and swinging towards Edelgard’s head. She once again blocked his attack, channeling her crests for more speed and swinging her training axe at a horizontal angle. The blow struck true, knocking the swordmaster to the side. He tried to get back up, but she held the blunted axe blade to his neck.

“Yield,” Edelgard demanded, as the Fraldardius' heir groaned. Suddenly, he was warped away, and in his place stood Yuri.

“Sorry, your highness,” he said mockingly, twirling a knife in his hand. “But that one’s off limits.”

“Then I’ll settle for you!” Edelgard exclaimed, swinging her axe towards the lord of the underground. He dodged out of the way, and began throwing numerous daggers at her. Most of them harmlessly bounced off her armor, but one of them found its way into the opening near her elbow, causing Edelgard’s arm to jerk back and lose her shield.

“Looks like the Eagle is about to lose its-“ Yuri started, before he was smacked in the back by Caspar, sending the small man flying towards Edelgard, who nimbly dodged his body.

“Alright, score for me!” The brash brawler cried, before running off yet again. Edelgard looked over to Yuri, who was warped off the battlefield. This gave her the chance to survey the rest of the fight. By this point, even with their commander down, the men that Yuri had warped in combined with Felix’s own troops were overwhelming the defenders. She watched as six enemies ganged up on Caspar, forcing him to yield and be teleported away. Randolph followed, leaving Linhardt, Constance, Ladislava, Edelgard, and about two dozen men left to hold the makeshift fortress.

“Retreat across the bridge!” Edelgard yelled.
“Defend Her Highness!” Ladislava said, as she and her remaining men began to form a wall behind her retreating comrades. Edelgard channeled her Crests to slam open the rear gate with her axe, as she, Constance, and a scarce few men began to cross.

Suddenly, the grass turned to sand, the battlefield magically transforming into a desert around them. This would be good for Edelgard, as the knights wouldn’t be able to follow quickly with their heavy armor, if only Edelgard and her company weren’t impacted, themselves. Which meant that Edelgard had to make a hard choice. As soon as Constance, Linhardt, and Edelgard crossed, the soon-to-be emperor turned and faced the mages

“Blow the bridge behind us.”

“But what if not everyone makes it-” Linhardt asked, before Edelgard held up her hand. The two mages nodded. Constance dropped her parasol so she could cast her magic.

“Forgive my inadequacy,” she murmured under her breath, drawing strange looks from Edelgard and Linhardt.

“Apologies for my dreadful demeanor, but the blinding rays of the sun cause me to show my other half.”

Not wishing to push it for now, Edelgard simply nodded as Constance cast a bolting spell and Linhardt, a Meteor spell, blowing the middle part of the bridge to splinters. Ladislava and her remaining forces on the other side of the bridge cheered as Edelgard crossed safely.

“Stay safe, your highness!” The lieutenant called out, waving her lance in the air. Felix then tackled her to the ground, forcing her to yield, and she was warped away.

Edelgard didn’t have time to mourn. She turned to Constance and Linhardt.

“They’re going to try to replace the bridge. Keep them occupied with whatever magic you have. If they cross the river we’ll be in dangerous waters. Linhardt, warp me to the Leicester front.”

Linhardt nodded, as Edelgard was enveloped in light, appearing right in front of Byleth and Shez, who were having an impromptu arm wrestling contest, while Lysithea watched on very respectfully.

“Woah, is it that time already?” Shez asked, momentarily losing focus as her arm was slammed down by Byleth.

“Rally your troops,” Edelgard said, heading towards the door. “I’ll explain on the way there, but we are marching on the central hill.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wow, that went terribly,” Shez said, as she walked alongside Edelgard. The 4 women and their battalions were trudging through the harsh magical desert as they walked towards the center hill.

“It’s not Edelgard’s fault,” Lysithea said, putting her hands on her hips. “We weren’t told that someone who could warp an entire battalion using a relic would be fighting us!”

“We should have been prepared for everything,” Edelgard muttered.

“Even my papa gets outmaneuvered sometimes,” Byleth said. “At least you managed to save a few lives.”

“Well, this isn’t a real battlefield,” Lysithea explained. “No one’s actually dying.”

“Still, shouldn’t we bulk up our defenses after that?” Shez questioned, fanning herself. “Why are we taking the hill?”

“After that, we need a victory to improve morale,” Edelgard explained. “By now, news has surely spread of our failure in holding the stronghold. Even if it hasn’t, the lightning and meteors hitting the bridge will have alerted Hubert and Monica that something is wrong. If we take the hill now, we can deliver a blow to both of our opponents in one fell swoop, while securing a morale boost for ourselves.”

“It’s a sound plan,” Byleth said, causing Edelgard to slightly blush. Suddenly, Edelgard heard a sharp whistling noise, as she looked up to see a Ballista bolt heading straight for her-

————————————————————

Y̵̢̘̘̞͙̗̦͎̜̪̺̦̰͍̊̈́̎̌̓̎͂̈́̅͠͝ͅơ̶̡͙̔͒̍́̇̎̃̌̎͊̈̕ū̷̡̧̧̪̹̭̻̞̻̽̐̽̆̔̅̓͛̕̕ ̸͎̦̤̯̗̯͈̊̈͆̋̂̑͘d̷̨͓̏̀o̶̭̺̥̘̦̬̱͗͊͑͑͐̒̒̄͘ ̷͓̤͇̘̤̥̘͈̭̙͒́̍͛̾̋̇̒̿͆̕͠ř̴̠͓̳̫͚̤̰̒̅̓̓̋̿͗͌̓͠ȩ̷̨̡̢̹͇̫̻̣̦̠͕͛́̿͑̀̚̚͝a̴̧͇̰̠͇͇̜̿͐̐̈͊l̷̯̱̙̹͔̱̬̺̄̄̃̀̋̃̎̓̒̔̑̍̂̕͝i̴̤̳̘̭͈̘͕̖̠̳̫̍̈́̀̍z̶̢̛̫̭̳̼͓͖͖̺̯̏̅̔͛͐́̓̋e̷̲̣̫̗͖͚͇̯̭̙͇͓̊̌͒̈́̈́̀̑ ̷̛̼̝͕̟͌̒͂̎̽̃͆̑͂͆̉̿̚͝t̶̙̦̜͍̭̎̈́͛͝h̶̨̺͇̦͖͉̺̯̫̜̺̒̀̓̊̏̓̇̃̎̄̃̃̈́͘a̵̯͚̰̫̖̤̻̅̋̏̅́̈́̓̔͂̚̚͠ͅt̸̨̰͎͊͐̓̍ ̷̲͓̯̰͓͛͋̄́̄̎͊̚w̵̡̱̮̞͍̭͈̯̦͚̺̐͂͑͜͝͝o̶̠̣̺̞̮͚͚͙̤̮̯͇͌̓͆̀̔u̸̡̬̯̇͑͒̉͆̓̈̕͜l̴̖̹̻̭̭͓̐̆̈́̅͝d̷̢̤̱̪̗̭͓͔̙̼́̿̚͝ͅ ̸̡̻̏͂͒͆̾ĥ̸̢̛̞͚̲̹̬̬͙̗̗͇̳̈́̾̈͒͆̃̔͆͒̌́̏̀a̶͍̣̫̬͓̿v̴̡̞̥̹̖̖̼̩̣̺̱͒̆̅̂̈̕ͅe̷̢̖̤̞̯̥̠̼͕̜͗̈́̔͒͆̔̑͐̑͠ ̴̡̛̙̟̳͉̣̜̠͓̟̰͔̰̘̯̂͋͌̐̑̏̓̅̇͐̎͠b̸̨̢̫̘̜̑̏̊̿̉͗̂̊̄́̀̊͝ȩ̶̹̘̪͔̻̿͒͌ȩ̸̛̼̯̗̲̙̗͔̻̣̟͛̿͌͆͊̒͠n̷̛̤̩̖͇͚̜͚̻͓̉̂̀̀̓̑͑̅͆ ̸̡̧̰͉̰̮͔͖̯̳̬̦͙͌̑͛͌͝n̵̛͖̪̂͆͂͘ȍ̶̢̜̼͙̜͓͖̭̰͉ņ̷̘̰͖̭̜̠̞̳̺̘̹̻̤̤̉͑̐̍̅͑͒͝l̸̨̨̺͔͉̮̝̦͙͓̹̞͗̓̋̈́́̿͗̚͜͠ͅe̴̡̛͚͇̯͔̩̠̱͉͎͍̜̜̍̀̓͐̕͝ͅt̶̯̺͚̺̆͆̈̐̓͆̓ḩ̸̧̙͈̪͉̘̝̻̦̐̎̀͒͂͂̋̈́́ͅạ̷̢̡̘̪̹͎̘̘̜͈̫̔̊̋l̶̢͙̭̞̯̪̦̫͍̜̻̄͜͜,̶̨̪̝̠̰̹̈́̅ ̴̦͂̽̚r̴̨̟͕̮͔͙̩̐̈́̎͆ì̴̮͈̳̺͕̈̈́͒̋̓͑̎̓͌͂́̌͝g̴̛͉͕͖̝̐͛̀̉͘h̶̫̘͎͔͇̣̰̫̦͇̘̱͎̟̓̐̌̓͋͘t̵̡̢̡͚̻̖͖͖̰͈́͐̓͆́̍ͅ?̸̨̤̼̰̮̝̥͍̭̽͝

 

Yeah, but it would have knocked her out of the battle. And I want her to be here for when we win.

M̵̼̱̦̤̬̮̓̇̓̄͘͠y̸̡̧̰̜̜̜̻̼̹̘̺̯̩̒̈́̎̔̂̀͋̈́̈́̈̾́͒̈̀̔̈́̅͋̈͗̀̉͂̾̈́̃̚̚͜,̵̨͍̻̯̝̦̰̗̘̫͇̠̥̙̳̯͇̼͔̼̻̝͐͊͌́̉̃̒̊̽͆̀ ̵̳͈̺̗͙̼̚̚s̸̢̩͇͉̤̠͈̤̮̳̹͎͈̗̤̦̲̹̺̈́̾́̿̅̾͛͛͜o̵̲͎̔m̸͙̩̝̀ḛ̸̡̠͚̲̲̫̹͇̬̘̟̖̮̦͎͍͎͙͖͌̎́͆̀̂͌̈́̎̆͛̂̒̌͝͝o̵̢͚̺̙̥͇͇̊̇̽̐̈́͊̀̈́̑̓̈̉̌̀̒͒́͌̇͒̊̿̾̕n̴̛̩͈̗͂͒̈̿̓̃͌̀̕͝ę̴̥͎͕̜̉̋̈̊̾̆̅̇̋͛̓̀̈́̆́̌̑̇̈́͘͘͘’̶̡̢̬͙̰̤̭̝̙̥̭̥͚̪̱̹̣̯̫̻͍͂͊͛͊́́͂̾̿͒̈́͛͗́̀̓̚͜s̵̢̤̦̲̼̘̯̝̳̊̏̈́̎͂̏̌͂̈́̈̓̓̓́̐͐̏̓̌́̕̚̕ ̵̧̧̡̙̹̥̬̗̤̟̜͖̩̳̜̣̥̒͒̌̚͝ṃ̷̡̡͎̤͕̖͓̳͕͖͙̙̞̞̳͗̉̈̆̈́̇̎́i̴̧̦̗̪̗̭̟̦̝͔̣̟̟̐̐̐̄̾̇́͒̎̕̚̕ͅğ̸̡̢͖̩͍͖̪̘̼̻̪̏̀̈́͆̓̀͂̓́̾́͋̓͛̄̋̐̍́̆̅͐̀̚͘͝͝h̷̝̘̱̖̰̩̞͙̹̰̼͚̰̥̼͍̼̿͊̾͗̐̐̓͒̑̌̐̓͒̍͑̚̕̚͠͝ͅṫ̵̛̜̰̱͇͓̹̰̟̙̫̭̪̘̗͔̺̹̹̜͙̺̀̃͗̈̂̐͂̓̈́̋͂̂͗͐̒͝͝͝y̴̧̰͓̮̟̹̰̱̹̆̏̎̀̋ ̴̧̨̧̧̨̛̬̥͓̹̦͎̰̠͈̤̣͔̗̙̗̘̘͙̙͖͍͍͌̈̃̄̍͌̇̉͒̌͆͋͂͋̿̾̈́̇̚͘̕͘͜͝ͅć̶̡̮͖̤̭̦͙̣̗̹͚̼͇̫̫͓͚͕̙̰̰̱̙̞̇̄̂̐̀͐̌̃͋̐̂̽̈́̐̂̈́̀̂̓̐̇̍̇̾͘̕͝͠ͅȯ̴̟̥̟͉̳̼̯̺͚͖͔̤̜̖̥͚̪̣̩̦̜̼̂̀̊̐̄̽͗̀̾͒̈́͆̏͊̑̊̀̏͌̚̕̚̚͜n̴͍̟̳̯͒̄̆͗́́̃͂̏̃͛̄̈́̐̔͒̕͘͘͠͠f̵̨̯̯̮̲̩̫͕̹̭̦̟͈͈̻̻̹̣̩̟͎̩̮͙̹͈̄́̌̉̈́́͑̏͌̈́̐̌͋͑̈́̌͐̾̋́̊̆̚͠͝į̵̨̨͖͎̖̪͈͖̜͕̰̗̪͉̟͇͚̥̮͇̩̟͚̺̫̄͊̇̐͂͆̿̏̓̄͋́̌͗͑͘͘͝͝ͅͅͅď̶͕̼͗̐̇̈́͒̀̀͒̋̍̽͗́́̅̃̓͊̀͛̚̚̕͠͝e̴̜̣̦͖̓̀͌̏͒̈̈́̇n̷̛̘̖̣̗̔̑͂̐̓̋̃̍̈́̽͗͛̄͝͝ẗ̸̡̢̘̘̻́̊̏͝.̶̡̨̢̨͎̫̜̳̻͍̬͎̺̠̳͎̯̫̋͊̉̃͗͐̐̇̃̊̿͆̄̇̀̊̿̍̆̌̏̾̾̕

 

Well, we do have Edelgard and my Papa. With them I feel I can do anything.

 

I̶̢̡̳̫̗̻̘̗͈̙̠̙̲͕͑̈́͌͆̉͊̉̓͛̆s̷̛̛̹̽̊̈́̐̀̆̒̆͂͘ ̶̡̛̖̠̞̰̭̌̓͘͜t̴̺̫͗͊͒̈́͊̊̎͐̐̈́̂̎͝h̶̦̰̣̪͇̯̔̓͑̋̆͐̑̽̐̀̍͝͝ą̴͓̫͓̗̳̻̥͎̙͉̟̮̱̬̩̄͛͋̒̔͒͂͌̎͗̈͆̀̚͝t̴͖̦̻̪̯̦̾̓̀̾̉̏̅̓̋̚̚͠ ̵̘͓̮̫̐̿̆̅͗̉̑̇͘s̷̱̚ọ̶̢̩̭̩͍͍̹̝̝̤̜̏̔̒̍̌̈̑͂̒̚͠?̷̢̧͕̲̯̗̱̞̠̭̜̱̃͑͆̆̀ ̶̧͙̖͉̹͕͈̮̐͆̅̌̆̈̈̃̈̔̂́̋̍͝ͅW̷̢̛͚̮̫̟̝͍͙̗̫̅͐̔̍̔͛̃͋͗̋̍͠e̸̡̠͇̪͚̫̻̞̪̗̘͍̹̓̔͂͒͆͒̔̏́̆̀͘͝l̴̢̧̖̩͔̫̙̝̤̲̮͈͍̳̜̔̽̑̄̋̾̐̏͑̆͂ͅl̴͎̝̫͓̏̈͂͒̀̽̂́̚,̶̮̹͖̰̮̒͗̽͛͐̔̐̈́̃͘ ̴̗̦͙̼̋̒́͝I̵̻̺͖̊̆̽͋̂͂̐̌́̌̒̂͝’̵̭͙͕̩̰̲̟̣̻̠̫̞̮̬͙̇ͅl̵̩͙̘̥̝͂̇̆̿̒̿́̈l̴̠̣̦̅̾̈̅̆̇̕͠ ̷̡̧̯̮̱̯͚̯͓͔͙̥̘̠̩͕́̓̽͋̍͊̾̒͑l̸̡̥̞̩̱̭̰̖̞̈́͂̑̕͠ȩ̷͙͉̬̝̙̜̞͇͈͔̏̀̐͛̏͌͜͠ͅͅa̴̗̣̙̬̦̙͌̊̌̌̆̾̀̈͐͆̇̉̌̓v̷̧̗͈͔̳̗̱̎̾͋̈́̑̂̄͛̓͛̿̔ͅe̵̛͚̭͊͌̿̓͆̎̓́̒͋̊̓͘͜͝ͅ ̸̰̲̈́̒̕͝ͅy̷̨̧̢͇̖̯͓̹͍͙̘̭͋͂̃̆́͌̇͋͘͘͝o̷̮̭͓͈̮̺̜̗͇̜̭̤͔̘͚͐͂̒̊͗͐̄̄̆̿͝͝ͅu̸̗̖̯̪̲̩̱̇̐͊̃͆̂̑̓̇͂̊̌͘͜ ̷̨͔̻͔̰͋ͅt̵̡̧̫̲̬̩̠̱̱̖̦̥͎̩͒͆̀̂̈́͘o̷͔̬͂̈͂̔̄͗͘̕ ̶̢̰̤͓̤̭̫̥̈́̎͛͝ͅs̸̨̡̛̻͉͉̱̅͌̆̃̇̊̃͆͑̅̽̏̕ä̸̧̛̜͇͇̪̪͓̮̈́̄́͋̍̏̾̒͂̓v̶̨̙͓͎̰̹͕͓͗͑́̽́̓̆e̸̢͖̩̯̗̝̦͇͇̞̊̆̏ ̷̛̖̮̪̞̤͖̤̦̀̾͋̿͗̃̀͑̕͝y̷͈̭̠̞̓̽͑̏̽̃̏ͅo̸̜̾̓̀ũ̵͉̻̅̍̑͐̐́̕r̵͕̺̎̌͛̌ ̷͍̺̬̻̩̮̹̻̭̾̌ǵ̶̨͍̪̫͉̝̞͚̫̈̓̓̂̍ͅȋ̶̡̥̗͓̺̪̼̥̻̦̭̠͎͈̟͛͛̒̀̏̋͌̋͆́̀̚̕͝͠r̸̰͓͙͙̮̀̒̂͒̂́̃̈́͝l̴̰̼̈̈́̎̓́̀͑̎͘f̴̛̭͓̣̱͍̙̃͐̎̈́̋̅̃̃͒̅̕͜͝ṙ̸̥̭͊̏̅͠ȉ̸̞̫̲̖̺̀̄̈́̇͂̿̿̂̊̋̃͊͐͠͠è̸͙̌͌͂̏́̆͐̀̆̕̚̕n̵̡̼̥̭͈̣̩͂̐̂̈́̊̌͛͗͆͘d̷̡̧̩̣̠̗̙̱͈̖͕̳̓̀̈̌.̵̦̝͊̂̉̅̈́

 

My girlfriend? What’s that mean?

 

O̶̢̥̦̗͇̱̦͇̜͓̲̥̝͈̭̰͇̱̜̍̀̇͌́͝͠ḧ̷̘̯̬̠̠̦͑̂̏͗,̸͕̘̟̺͍̤̣͐͗̇́̈́̑̍̽͛͋̿ ̵̧̧̱̜͈̯̘́͋̓̈́̅̒̓̑̿͗͂͂̉̈́̆̋̒̽̀̄̎͘͘͝s̵̮͌̈́̍̎̓̈́̂́̚w̶̡̙̜̫̭̳̹̰̮͂̋͛͒͋̾̎͊̾̄̃̀̏͑̑͊̓̒͘̚͠ę̶̥͇̺̝͖͔͙̗̼͍̭͚̰̓ͅḛ̸̛͈̲͇͕̅̑̂̏͊̈́̏̑̆́͛̀̎̔͒͑̈́̈́͛̔̾͘̚͝t̸̢̥͕̙͎̳̅̈́̎͊̊̒̉̈̍ ̷̡̧̨͇̘̜̭̼̙̺̟͚̭̯̭͉̣͚͑̉̽̂̓̌͒̈́̓̎̌͐́̎̆̈́̀̓̅̔͌͂̓̋̚̚ͅB̷̨̡̗͖̪̝͖̣̦͉̠͇̣̭͚͈͓̥͉̱̈͒̾̽̎͑̂̔̅͐̓͛̋͐́̌͊͋̓̇̂͠͝ͅy̸̘̗̭̱͊͛̆̆̌͆̿͐͂̅̏̒̑̔͗̿̉̔̂̎̆̔͠͝͝l̴̡̧̯̤̮̹͈̰̈́͊̔͜͠e̴̛̼̺̩̘̗̤̠̬̪̝̓̈̊̅̈̓͋́̚͝͝͠ͅͅţ̷̛̱̱͂̀͂͆͑͊̃͋̋̀̌͆͌̚͠͝͝h̶̡̢̜̞̠̭͕̳͕̱̝̦̦̰͖̫̅̒͑̌̌̎͌̈̍̑̓͗̈́̇͆͝.̴̢̹͔͕̟͔̳͚̜͙̥̣͖̳̟̘̱̯͍̹̖̺̯͚̲͚̓̒͂͑̅̒̑̐̋̔͂́̕ ̶̡̧͉͖̼̘̳͎̭̣̥̼͚̞̬̤̣͉͔̬̼̳̺̫̃̓̃̃͘̚͜͠ͅY̷̧͙̯̙̦̗̯̣̖̥̞̝̗̤̮̪͎̑͂̄͆̐̎͘̚͘͜͝ͅȯ̷̘̗͎̮̪̩͛͂̈͗͆̐͂̀̆̈́̒̓̅̿͛͠͠u̴̧̗̤̯̙̫̗͓̥̝͎̞͚͙͓̞̰̫̤̣̠͑̓̇̊̄̾̿̌͗̒̚͘ͅ ̴̢̧̖̠͔̰̳̪͚̮̞̗̖̥̜̙̠̗͚̯̖͎̭͓̬́̇͑̀̒ḩ̵̖̗̞͎͔͇̜̱̺͕͚̙̟̥̯̬̯͎̲̭̮̝̗͂̿͌̂̈́̈̇̎̌̈́̚͜ͅͅą̸̘̖͓͔̦̬͍̮̯̫̯̺̤͇̱̙͇͔̥̺͝ͅͅv̷̛̥͈̮͈͚́̓̓̾̀̓͊̓̓͋̕ȩ̴̝̝̰̼̻̱̪̼̰̣̪͇͉̮̳̺͈̄͒̎͌̒̈̎̍̒͑̀̍̂̓̿̐̄̿̚͜͠ͅ ̴̫̦̬͑͐s̴̢̛̹̣̬͛̍̄̂̅̎̾̊̊̔̅̓̿̿͐̎͘̚͠o̵̼̯̫̘̝̮͈͈̪̞͍͙̳͙̝̠̯̙̺͕͍͂̀͗́͆̌̊̿̉͆̈́͗̾̈́̈́́̄̐̑͜͠ ̶̨̨̛̜͕̯͈̣͇̬̹͕̰̞̰͈̔̇́̓̓̈́͌̽̑̌̾̋͗̄̈́̀͝͝m̷̛͕̭̬͍̊̇̃ủ̵͉̦̜͙̖̜̮͕̌̅́͊̒̒̊̀͗̑̌̾̓̑͝͠͝ͅc̶̡̛̹̼͇̞͚̞̬̹̲̖͚̭̺͙̘͔̞̘͌̿͛̽͗̅̌̏̔̔̈́̽̈́͒͒͒̿͑̓̉͋̋͘̚͘͠ͅͅh̶̢̨̨̧͚̙͙̺̤̫̻̪̠̤̼̭̪̤̩̀̾́̓̑̆͋͛́ ̵̨̛̪̳̲̙̫̥̖̜͔͉̠̋̑͑̋̌̽̋̅̇̿̓͐̂͗̏͑̒̑̂̒̊͋͒̕͝͝t̴̡̛̺̿͐̂͆̒͊̌̐̎͛͂̏͌̑̂̾̃̄̊̇̉̿̚͜͝ȯ̸̧̢̢̡̫̠͉̘͍̟̹͉̪̰̮͚̳̻͍̖̞̻̣̠̯͓̇̈̈́̊ ̴̻̫͍͓̯͈̫͗́͒̋̐̌͊̄̉̆̉̆͒̾͒͠l̸̡̨̪̝̭͓̫̘̫̭͔̫̭̞̈́̅̌̏͋͗̈́̀̀͊͘͜ḛ̶̢̧̛̤̤͔̤͓͎̱̫̟͈̺̪̗̲̪̠̤̥̃̂̈́̆̀͒́́̆̉̒̊͑͋̋͜ͅͅä̸̧̧̛̛̳̺̪̩̰̣̰̜̱́͂̈́̂́̈̆̄̽͐̌̊͋̿̕͝r̶̖̭̅͋̾̈́̓̆̎̌̄̈́̒̓͂̽̌̋͗́͂͐͐͝ͅn̸̛͎͈̯̟̥̞̖̲̺̣̦̏̑̋͆̎̌̈̂̀̐̚̚.̵̲̞̪̯̹̗͔̜͕̯͍̝̰͈̩̼͈͓͎͋̔́̉͑͌͂̏͐̿̃̈͂͘͜͝ͅ

 

————————————————————

 

“After that, we need a victory to improve morale,” Edelgard explained. “By now, news has surely spread of our failure in holding the stronghold. Even if it hasn’t, the lightning and meteors hitting the bridge will have alerted Hubert and Monica that something is wrong. If we take the hill now, we can deliver a blow to both of our opponents in one fell swoop, while securing a morale boost for ourselves-“

Suddenly, Byleth bolted forward, tackling Edelgard to the ground as a blunted ballista bolt slammed into the ground where Edelgard had been standing just a moment before.

“How did you know-“ Edelgard started, but Byleth shook her head.

“No time. We need to start moving, now!”

Edelgard scrambled to her feet and raised her new shield into the air. “Imperial forces, advance!”

A wave of cheers arose from the gathered forces, as they began to run with all their might towards the hill. They were pelted by spells and arrows, causing Edelgard to look up and see Ashe and Annette manning the hill.

“Hit the deck!” Shez cried out as she teleported with that strange magic of hers. Edelgard blocked the onslaught of projectiles with her shield, but the others were not so lucky. Many of Edelgard’s men fell to the ground, as they were swiftly warped off the battlefield. Which gave Edelgard an idea.

“Lysithea!” She cried out, facing the young mage. “Warp me, you, and Byleth a few feet above the top of the hill!”

“Understood!” Lysithea yelled, as she cast the spell. The three of them were teleported to a few feet above the ballista, where Edelgard channeled her crest to slam down onto the hill, knocking Annette to the ground. Byleth and Lysithea landed more gracefully, as Byleth held her sword to Annette’s neck.

“Aww man!” Annette said, before she was warped away. Annette’s battalion then began to run up the hill, encircling Edelgard and her two friends.

“What now?” Lysithea yelled out, readying a spell.

“We have to hold out until our battalions can rescue us!” Byleth said, brandishing her sword.

Edelgard suddenly heard hooves on wooden planks, looking up to see the rider that dared approach them.

It was Dimitri, prince of Faerghus. And he had that wild look in his eyes that Edelgard had seen before.

But this time, it was directed at her.

Notes:

Welcome, one and all, to the beginning of the Gronder chapters! This will be a 3 parter, and I hope you enjoy all 3 parts of it! Writing combat is hard, but man is it fun to think of fun ways to work within the limits of 3H.

Anyways, no shill this time as I’ve got things to do! Sorry about that, but real life calls! I hope y’all enjoy y’all’s day and I hope everything goes well for y’all!

1/20/25 edit: forgot about Ashe not being a Blue Lion, oops.

1/27/25 update: how the fuck did I forget about Dorothea and Petra. I am so sorry, what the fuck is wrong with me lmao

Chapter 33: The Gronder Miracle

Summary:

The Battle of Eagle and Lion continues

As he approached, the prince of Faerghus held his fist in the air. The battalions formerly led by Annette halted, instead forming a magical barrier around the center of the hill. Edelgard, Byleth, and Lysithea were trapped.

“Can you warp us out, Lysithea?” Byleth asked, turning to the small mage.

Lysithea tried to draw a warp circle, but the magic fizzled out. Lysithea’s eyes went wide, and then she groaned. “They must be blocking any teleportation magic!”

Edelgard grimaced at that, and readied her axe as Dimitri rode up.

“Stand down, Edelgard,” Dimitri said, dismounting his horse and assuming a combat stance. “Even against the three of you, I will not lose!”

“Bold of you to saying, being just one person,” Edelgard said, brandishing her axe.

“And make that four!” Shez said, as she suddenly appeared next to Edelgard.

Dimitris' eyes went wide. “How did you just appear like that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, princey boy,” Shez countered, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Your Highness!” A voice called from behind Dimitri, as Dedue ran up. “I am here. Mercedes and Professor Arnim have engaged the Golden Deer.”

“Excellent. Then we deliver our final blow to the Black Eagles here and now!”

Dimitri suddenly bolted forward, swinging his training lance in a wide arc. Edelgard and her classmates barely dodged out of the way, with Lysithea’s robes receiving a cuts. Edelgard immediately countered, swinging her axe down on the prince, but her axe bounced harmlessly off of Dedue’s shield. He was covered in armor, but he was still fast. Edelgard recovered by channeling her Crests, swinging down at Dedue’s shield, hoping to crack it down the middle. Dedue showed how fast he was once again, rolling to the side as Edelgard slammed her axe into the floor of the Ballista. The axe and the floor both splintered, leaving Edelgard with only a handle. Jumping on the opportunity, Dimitri leaped into the air, angling his lance downward.

Edelgard thrusted her shield upwards, and Dimitri bounced off and rolled across the splintered floor. He recovered and thrust his lance forward, almost hitting Edelgard before Shez dashed into the way of the lance. The lance shattered against her stomach, drawing blood. Edelgard winced at the sickening sound of bones crunching. Shez flew backwards, her training swords flayling through the air. She landed on the ground, moaning in pain before vanishing in a burst of light.

“I-I didn’t mean to-” Dimitri said, his eyes widening just before he vanished under a hail of spells and hexes cast by Lysithea.

“Are you an idiot?” She screamed. “You broke her ribs! This is supposed to be a mock battle!”

Dimitri leaped out of the way, as the barrage of miasma narrowly missed him. Edelgard managed to get a look at his face, which while concerned still had that wild look. He snarled, and lunged at the mage. Edelgard darted in front of the so-called ‘Boar’, blocking his blow with her shield. Not Lysithea! Not after what he did to Shez! Her furious defense sent him flying like a rag doll, giving her Edelgard time to grab one of Shez’s swords off the ground and thrust into him with it. The Faerghan Prince groaned as the sword dug into his chest, bringing him to his knees. As he he tried to stagger back onto his feet, Dedue stood in front of him.

“Retreat, my prince!” He called out, slamming his axe against his shield. “I shall hold the line!”

“I will not leave you-“

“Go! Let me shield you, as you shielded me!”

Dimitri looked down for a moment, then began to run down the hill. Edelgard rolled her eyes. She understood being a little dramatic in a tense situation, but this was a mock battle.

Still, what Dedue said intrigued Edelgard. What did he mean by shield-

“Edelgard, focus!” Byleth called out, parrying Dedue’s blow just before it could eliminate Edelgard from the match

“Right!” Edelgard said, using Shez’s sword to push the advantage Byleth had created. She swung at Dedue, knocking him flat onto his rear. He groaned in pain, and was then warped away.

Then, all hell broke loose. The Kingdom mages broke their circle, and began to advance upon the three remaining girls. Edelgard then looked down the hill, and saw that the three units that had come with herself and her classmates had been mostly routed by Dimitri and Dedue’s battalions. There was no way that the three of them could take on that many soldiers all at once.

It was over.

Edelgard and her two friends fought, but it was in vain. There were simply too many mages for the three girls to fight, unless they broke the rules and used lethal methods. Lysithea was the first to fall, overrun by several of the mages. Edelgard took a spell to her shield, finally cracking it and leaving her exposed. A few more wind spells hit her, and she was almost knocked to the ground. Edelgard grimaced as she realized that this was the end for her team. A mage walked in front of her, readying the spell that would knock Edelgard out of the match. Only a miracle could save her now-

Suddenly, a lance struck the mage from afar sending him flying backwards. Edelgard looked up to see a horde of pegasi descending upon the top of the hill, and not far behind them was the Black Eagle cavalry. And the woman who saved Edelgard was no other than Ingrid herself.

“Need a hand?” She asked, grinning as she reached her hand down from her atop pegasus.

“Maybe a few more than just one,” Edelgard replied, taking Ingrid’s hand. She then assisted Ingrid’s soldiers in cleaning up the mages that had almost lost them the battle. As they knocked down the final few soldiers, she heard riding behind her, turning to see Sylvain, Ferdinand, and Bernadetta arriving on horseback, and bear.

“It would seem my masterful plan to turn around and assault the hill has borne fruit!” Ferdinand proclaimed, proudly sticking out his chest.

“Don’t you mean Ingrid’s?” Sylvain asked, knocking an eyebrow.

“Well, it was a joint effort!” The Aegir heir proudly stated. “While she was first to turn with her company after seeing the battle on top of the hill, I was the one who mobilized our cavalry to assist! For no one’s plans are a match for those of Ferdinand von-“

“Yes, we know, thank you kindly, Ferdinand,” Edelgard said, cutting off the proud heir. “I need a status report on Claude and his fortifications. Did you take him down or not?”

Sylvain opened his mouth, but Bernie beat him to it. “It was so scary! WegotthereandRaphaelandIgnatzandProfessorEssartriedtostopusbutwemanagedtoknockthemoutand-“

“Bernadetta, please take some deep breaths,” Byleth said, smiling at the young woman.

“Okay, okay…” Bernadetta started, then began again. “After we beat off Ignatz, Raphael, and Professor Essar-“

“Phrasing-“ Sylvain said, smirking before Ingrid smacked the back of his head. “Yeow!- okay, okay, sorry Bernadetta. Go ahead.”

Bernadetta took another deep breath, and continued. “After that, we saw Claude, Hilda, and their men flying off to the south, and Professor Eisner said he was going to chase them cause he thought they would be heading to our home base, so Leonie joined him and-“

“Wait, papa said what?” Byleth asked.

“He said they might be heading to our home base,” Bernadetta finished. “But, we’d know if they were, right? Monica and Hubert can use warp magic, and they’d let us know if something was wrong-“

Suddenly, Ashe warped in front of the group, his hands on his knees, clearly out of breath. “E-enemy attack at our base! We need help now! Hubert and Dorothea already down, and Monica, Petra, and Professor Eisner need our help!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Black Eagles quickly remounted, Edelgard ditching her armor so she could ride with Ingrid, while Byleth saddled up alongside Ferdinand, and Ashe with Sylvain. Edelgard had never ridden a pegasus before, but it wasn’t the worst experience. Not having her armor on made her feel uncomfortable, and not having her axe only made her feel worse. . She wished she had been allowed to bring the silver axe she received for her birthday, but since this was a mock battle only training weapons would be allowed.

“Commander, we’re almost to the base!” One of the pegasus knights in the front called out.

“Roger that!” Ingrid called out, turning to face Edelgard. “Do you wanna stay up here with us, or shall I drop you off?”

“I’ll probably be more useful down there,” Edelgard said.

“Alright, I’ll get you close and- woah!” Ingrid called out, as suddenly the skies were filled with wyverns. “Damnit, looks like you’re staying up here!”

“I’ll find my own way down!” Edelgard yelled out, leaping off the back of the pegasus, much to Ingrid’s horror. She thrusted her sword downward, hitting a rider of one of the wyvern riders. He fell out of his saddle, and was warped away before he hit the ground. Edelgard managed to grab the reins and pull herself into the saddle, but riding an animal that she had no experience with proved hard.

The creature bucked, trying with all its strength to throw Edelgard out of the saddle. But Edelgard knew a little bit of flying a wyvern from the lessons her brother Karl tried to teach her, and she held on. Unfortunately, the animal decided now was the time to dive toward the ground. The Imperial princess braced for impact, pulling the reins up with mere inches to spare. The wyvern pulled up, saving Edelgard from becoming a stain on the floor. After a few minutes of flying around at random, Edelgard finally remembered how to properly fly a wyvern. She had it hover in place for a few moments, and turned to observe the battlefield.

At the base below, Lorenz’s cavalry had been mostly routed by the combined Black Eagle cavalry, and Bernadetta was surrounding Marianne’s unit. Edelgard then looked to the sky, to where Hilda and Claude’s units were still engaged with Ingrid’s pegasi. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a losing battle for Ingrid, as only her and a handful of her knights were still flying around.

Then Edelgard heard an arrow fly past her head, and she turned to look at Claude, who was smirking at her.

“Well, your imperial highnessness,” he called out, nocking another arrow. “May I have this dance?”

“Maybe in your dreams!” Edelgard yelled, raising her sword in the air. Edelgard snapped the reins forward, causing her wyvern to bolt forward and do a barrel roll. Claude’s wyvern barely managed to dodge out of the way. She heard the sound of him whistling pierce the air.

“Didn’t know you knew how to fly, princess!” He said, letting loose another arrow.

“I learned a little bit from Adrestia’s best!” She cried out, dodging the arrow and coming around for another pass. She swung her sword down in an arc, grazing Claude's shoulder and causing him to recoil in pain.

“Hey, be careful there!” He called out. “Don’t scratch the merchandise!”

“You should be nimbler then!” A voice cried out, causing Claude to look up as Byleth fell from the sky. She grabbed first onto his wyvern, and then on Claude himself before throwing him to the ground.

“How the fuck did you even-” Claude yelled, being cut off mid sentence as he was warped away. Edelgard raised her sword in victory, before turning to see Byleth, who was wrestling with the wyvern she had claimed.

And then, the unthinkable happened.

Hilda, flying up behind Byleth, slammed her axe into Byleth’s back, knocking her off the wyvern.

“Good luck, El!” She yelled, before being warped away.

Edelgard was furious. She couldn’t quite place why, but seeing Byleth be eliminated had her seeing red. She whipped her head around to face Hilda, who audibly gasped upon seeing Edelgard’s face.

“Woah, it’s just a mock battle, she’s going to be fine-”

She never got to finish, as Edelgard channeled her Crests and chucked the sword at Hilda, ripping her free from her saddle. Edelgard then furiously flew to the ground, landing in front of Monica, Petra, and Ashe, who were on the walls.

“Status report?” The Imperial princess called out coldly.

“We’ve routed most of them, Your Highness,” Monica responded. “Lorenz’s cavalry has been scattered, and so have Marianne’s mages. We saw how you took down Claude and Hilda, so the remaining wyverns shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Good. Once they’re routed, we’ll march on the Blue Lions and finish this.”

Suddenly, Edelgard began to shiver. She looked around, and realized something.

It was getting cold. Fast.

Petra began to shiver. “I am suddenly having much coldness.. what is happening?”

“The climate is changing!” Ashe called out, before his eyes went wide. “That means the rivers are going to freeze. Which means-”

“The Blue Lions can cross and attack us, assuming they’ve dealt with Balthus,” said Monica.

“Then we have no time to waste,” Edelgard said, turning around, her demeanor as cold as the ground around her. “We have to wrap up here, and then take the victory for ourselves.”

Notes:

Hello everyone! I'm still going strong on this schedule, so I hope y'all are enjoying! Gronder has been really fun to write, so I really hope y'all enjoy! Also, once this chapter goes up, I will have hit 100k words! I never thought I'd make it this far, and I hope it has been worth it for y'all.

Moving on, this chapters shill of the week is Crimson Reblossom. It's pretty cool so far, so I hope y'all will enjoy it! https://archiveofourown.org/works/57494737/chapters/146281129

Next up on APO3, the battle of Eagle and Lion concludes!

1/27/25 update: how the fuck did I forget Leonie, I’m so sorry you guys

1/27/25 update 2: I also forgot Dorothea and Petra. What the fuck why do y’all read this lmao

Chapter 34: The Gronder Conclusion

Summary:

The Battle of Eagle and Lion concludes!

After the remaining Golden Deer forces were defeated, Edelgard rallied her forces to see who remained. Ashe, Petra, and Monica were obviously still fighting, along with most of their men. Of the cavalry, Professor Eisner, Sylvain, Leonie, Ingrid, and Bernadetta were still standing, Ferdinand having fallen in a “noble duel” against Lorenz. The status of Constance and Linhardt was unknown, however. This left potentially ten of them and their soldiers to fight against Dimitri, Felix, Mercedes, Hapi, and worst of all…

The demon who wore Cornelia Arnim’s skin.

Edelgard couldn’t recall much of her childhood. But, she could faintly remember her mother’s friend, Cornelia. From what Edelgard had learned, she was originally a mage of Adrestia, who moved to Faerghus during one of their myriad plagues. She managed to stop it, probably by introducing Adrestian sanitation systems to the city of Fhirdiad. From there, she was promoted to court mage of Faerghus, becoming a close advisor to King Lambert. But something happened during those events. The real Cornelia was replaced, and most likely killed, by an imposter named Cleobolus. Edelgard still vividly remembered how she looked as an Agathan. She was a tall, imposing woman, who was one of the heads behind the Dual Crest Project, along with Solon and Thales.

But that was a concern for another time. Edelgard had a battle to win, and she intended to win it full-heartedly. As they marched towards the ruined fort where the battle began, Edelgard saw a certain eccentric mage running towards them, her parasol held proudly over her head.

“Ohoho!” Constance called out, as she sprinted towards Edelgard. “Consider yourselves blessed, for I have come with news! The Blue Lions have not yet crossed the river.”

“Which means they’re probably gearing up for an assault,” Professor Eisner said, groaning.

“But we have you, captain!” Leonie called out, raising her lance into the air. “With your awesome prowess, we have nothing to fear!”r

“Even with the Professor's awesome prowess, we still need to be careful,” Monica said. “We still don’t know how Professor Arnim or Hapi will fight.”

“Oh, worry not for the latter, my dear,” Constance said, smirking. “Once she sees me, her dazzling partner in life, she will have no choice but to lay down her arms and run to my side!”

“What did you just call her?,” Sylvain asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, she is my partner in life, of course,” Constance said, putting one hand on her hip. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Nope, none at all, just didn’t realize y’all were married.”

“Oh no no no, not married. Not yet at least. She said that she wanted to buy me a ring befitting of my-“

“Coco!” A voice yelled out, as a blast of miasma soared past Constance’s head. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone how sappy I am!”

“Apologies my love-“ Constance started, before Professor Eisner stepped in front of her.

“Black Eagles, to arms!” He cried, as he remounted his horse, dragging Constance up into the saddle with him. “This is it!”

Edelgard shot forward like an arrow, swinging her new axe down on the first poor mage in Hapi’s squad that she came across. The poor woman went flying, being warped away before she even hit the ground. The princess then took down another, gunning for Hapi herself. As she reached the tanned mage, however, she found herself being cut off by Felix.

“Finally, we can continue our duel-“ he started to say, before Petra leaped in front of Edelgard.

“I will be handling him,” she declared, assuming an assassin's stance.

“Very well, what’s another soft princess to me?” Felix asked, taunting Petra.

“You will be being slapped down!” The huntress cried out, lunging forward. Edelgard moved on, knocking out a few more casters in her way before she arrived at what seemed to be a mage duel between Constance and Hapi.

“My love, it pains me to do this, but I will not back down!” Constance called out, opening a strange tome.

“Coco, can you not announce to everyone that we’re dating? Wasn’t it you that said you wanted to keep it private?”

“Oh, I was not myself then. Now the world should know of our impending union!”

Hapi blushed a little at that, before looking down and seeing that vines were appearing from the ground and grabbing her. “Oh you motherfucker! This was a distraction, wasn’t it?”

Constance cackled. “Oh my dearest, I promise to make it up to you tonight~”

“Coco, what’s come over you?”

“Oh, nothing. Just pure, unadulterated love for you! Now, please submit and surrender!”

“Fine, fine, but you better not be lying about tonight!” Hapi said, as she put her hands in the air before being warped out. Hapi’s forces gaped at confusion at the show they’d just witnessed, and then promptly surrendered. Edelgard continued her push forward, until she finally heppened upon her target: Dimitri.

“Ah, so you’ve come!” He called out upon seeing her, gesturing his troops away. “I have no intention of fighting you again, so if you would surrender-”

“You waste your time!” Edelgard cried out, leaping forward, swinging her axe directly at Dimitri’s body. The blow forced back a few inches, but he still remained standing.

“Attacking me while I’m requesting your surrender? Have you no honor?” The prince demanded.

“Honor doesn’t win battles, Dimitri,” Edelgard said. “Perhaps if we were to go to war, I could show you why that is.”

“Edelgard, do not even joke about that!” Dimitri said, his eyes widening.

Edelgard looked down at her feet for a second, then looked back up. “Apologies. That was insensitive of me. I believe the battle is getting to my head.”

“I… I understand, more than you could imagine.”

Edelgard frowned at that, but quickly brought her expression back to normal. “Ready when you are.”

“Thank you-” Dimitri started, before a flurry of miasma came raining down towards Edelgard. She nimbly dodged out of the way, before seeing who cast it:

Cornelia Arnim.

“My Prince, you aren’t hurt, are you?” She cried out, mocking sympathy as she reached Dimitri.

“No, but I do not need the assistance, professor,” Dimitri said, assuming a battle stance.

“She already attacked you once! I won’t let her hurt you again!”

Edelgard could swear she saw a slight blush on Dimitri’s face, but she had no time to think about that before a barrage of ice magic was once again hurled at her. She nimbly dodged out of the way, and heard a horse coming up behind her.

“Need some help, kid?” Professor Eisner said, dismounting and assuming the same stance that Dimitri did.

“Ah, my fellow professor,” Cornelia called out, leaning over… seductively? What was she doing? “It is an honor to meet you on the field of battle! Today we will learn what is stronger: magic or brute force.”

Professor Eisner just grunted, and turned to Edelgard. “I’ll take Professor Arnim. Can you handle the brat?”

Edelgard nodded, so Professor Eisner lunged towards Cornelia, leaving Edelgard to deal with the main issue at hand. Dimitri must have channeled his Crest, as he managed to leap about five meters into the air, and then angle himself towards Edelgard as he came crashing back down. The Imperial princess angled her shield up and caught him as he came back down, sending him flying and putting a crack in her defense. As he rolled along the ground, Edelgard slashed at him, but he managed to bring the shaft of his lance up to deflect her strike at the last moment. He then began a series of thrusts, all of which Edelgard either avoided or managed to block with her shield.

“Yield, Edelgard! You’re outmatched!” He cried out, the force behind the thrusts intensifying.

“Oh, I know when I’m outmatched, and I’m far from it!” Edelgard taunted, as she blocked another blow.

Dimitri growled, dropped his lance, and lunged at Edelgard. She dropped her shield and axe in surprise as he tackled her ot the ground. He clawed at her with his gauntlet tips, tearing into her uniform. Dimitri tried to pin Edelgard down, but she kicked him in the groin, causing him to recoil in pain as she then kicked him off of her. Edelgard then leaped up, grabbed her axe, and then brought it down towards Dimitri. As the axe was about to hit him, however, a strange figure leaped in front of Dimitri. They took the blow, and fell against Dimitri. Edelgard looked down to see that it was Cornelia who blocked Edelgard’s strike. What was she playing at?

“My prince…” She said, her voice a whisper as she was being warped away. “Win for me…”

She vanished in a flash of light, leaving Edelgard confused. Why would Cornelia do that for one of the people she hated so much? Time, however, would not allow her to ponder that. Dimitri had already gotten back up, retrieved his lance, and was attacking Edelgard with more ferocity than before.

“You’ll pay for that!” He snarled, swinging his lance around in an arc and catching Edelgard at an awkward angle. She staggered to the side, and Dimitri went to leap into the air after her again, but she hurled her axe at him, tripping him up before he could get off the ground.. Edelgard then ran up and channeled her Crests, socking him in the jaw just hard enough to knock him to the floor. Edelgard retrieved her axe, and angled it toward Dimitri’s neck.

“No more games,” She said coldly. “Yield.”

“I… very well,” Dimitri said, his eyes downcast as he was warped out. Professor Eisner then ran up behind her, and clapped her on the back.

“Great work, kid!” He said, as the remaining Black Eagles came over with them. “I think that’s it!”

Edelgard then looked over the battlefield, and saw that the only remaining troops were wearing Adrestian colors. Edelgard raised her axe into the air.

“My comrades!” She called out, looking over the battlefield. “The battle was long and hard, but we came out on top. Raise your voice in a victory cheer!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edelgard was supposed to head to a meeting of the professors and house leaders, but she went to the infirmary with Monica first. Byleth and Lysithea were standing at the entrance, seemingly waiting for her.

“Well, what happened?” Lysithea said, as she looked over Edelgards torn uniform. “Did an actual lion attack you?”

“Something like that,” Edelgard said, suddenly feeling self conscious about her state. “Regardless, we did win the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.”

Lysithea cheered in excitement, while Byleth just smiled at Edelgard. “I knew you could do it. Let’s get Shez and join the ceremony.”

“Well, she'll need to change before the ceremony, that’s for sure,” Lysithea said.

“Does she have to?” Byleth asked, a confused look on her face. “Wouldn’t it be better to show her hard-earned victory through her battle scars?”

“She makes a good point,” Monica added.

Edelgard blushed at their praise. “It wasn't my hard-earned victory. It was all of ours. No matter how much I contributed, I couldn’t have done it alone.”

“Still, you did lead us to victory, Lady Edelgard,” Monica said, her smile beaming. “I knew you could do it!”

“So did the rest of us,” Lysithea said. “With your leadership, we can accomplish anything!”

Edelgard’s face went as red as her cape, but she quickly regained her composure. “Maybe not anything, but that’s beside the point. Let’s check on Shez.”

The four girls walked into the tent, to where Annette and Mercedes were fussing at a still injured Shez, who was trying to get out of her bed.

“Shez, you need rest!” Annette said, looking at the former mercenary with wide eyes.

“Nah, I’ll be fine,” Shez said, looking at the tent entrance. “Hey y’all! Did we win?”

“Yes, in fact, we did,” Monica said, gesturing to Edelgard. “Her Highness defeated Dimitri, and won us the match.”

“Nice!” Shez said, raising her arm for a mercenary hand slap, before wincing in pain and lowering it. “Goddess, he did a number on me.”

“And it’s not going to get better unless you rest, okay?” Mercedes said, her voice soft and smooth. “So please, rest for us. It was our plan that got you hurt this badly, so we want to help you.”

“Thanks, you guys,” The purple haired woman said, before laying back down. “I guess I’ll just skip the ceremony.”

“You said it was your plan?” Edelgard asked, looking at the two Faerghan mages.

“Oh, it was more Annie’s plan, but I helped,” Mercedes admitted.

“Oh, don’t downplay yourself, Mercie!” Annette said, pumping her arm. “You helped convince the others of our gambit, even if it didn’t work the way we planned.”

“It almost did,” Edelgard admitted. “We expected the hill to have no reinforcements once we arrived. Am I to assume that Yuri warping in was also your plan?”

“Yup!”

“That almost led to our downfall,” Edelgard admitted. “You should be proud of your edgenuity.”

Annette blushed slightly, and nodded her head. “I am! And thanks for the kind words!”

Suddenly, the professors, Claude, and Dimitri entered the room.

“There you brats are,” Professor Eisner said, walking towards the collected girls. “Come on, we’ve got a ceremony to get to!”

Notes:

Hello Everyone! Welcome back to APO3, where I've finally finished up TBAEAL! It was a blast, and if I may brag, the next few chapters (in my head at least) are cooking. The shill for this chapter is The Marquisate's Gambit. It's a very good Huberine ship, and I've been meaning to get back into it. Go enjoy it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42381438/chapters/106429143

Anyways, keeping this short and sweet, but just know that it's going to be scary for a while, but we will all get through this. You know what I'm talking about. Stay safe out there, and remember that if you ever need anything, I'll be here. My tumblr should be linked on one of these chapters, so feel free to DM me anytime, and I'll respond when available. Stay frosty y'all, and I'll see you next chapter, where a certain Duke gets his due.

Chapter 35: Retribution

Summary:

A certain “friendly” uncle comes to congratulate Edelgard on her victory

Notes:

A bit shorter than usually, but I wanted to put at least something out.

Also TW for abuse

As the group walked towards the temporary campgrounds, Monica pulled Edelgard back a little bit.

“He’s here,” she said, grinning at the princess. “We’ve got him right where we want him.”

“Were you able to plant the evidence?” Edelgard asked, a small smile forming on her face.

“Yes. Enough documents, some forged and others, what my agents could find, to bring him down hard. All you have to do is accuse him. The church won’t be able to ignore such claims, and even if they tried they’d still have to investigate his tent.”

Edelgard’s smile stretched from ear to ear, something that had not happened in a while. This was it. Duke Aegir would be exposed for the monster he was, and she could imprison him and finally deliever justice to the the insurrectionists. The conspirators that hadn’t already decided to stand by her would stand trial for what the horrors were complicit in. And then, Edelgard could begin her reforms in earnest.

It was almost too perfect.

“Ah, my dear niece,” A voice called out from behind the two girls. “A moment, please?”

Edelgard turned around to see the monster that wore her uncle's skin: Thales. He smirked at her for a second, before faking a warm, loving smile. “Nothing to say to your dear uncle, Arundel?”

“Ah, regent Arundel,” Cornelia said, walking over and shaking his hand. “It is good to see you again.”

“It is always a pleasure, Cornelia,” the leader of TWSITD responded. “I would love to stay and chat, but I have to congratulate my dear niece's victory.”

“Must we now, uncle?” Edelgard asked, forcing a smile. “We are already almost late for the ceremony.”

“I’m sure they can wait a few more minutes,” he responded with a tone that left no room for argument.

“Very well,” Edelgard said, turning around to face the group. Upon seeing the concern on Byleth, Lysithea, and Monica’s face, she smiled softly at them. “Worry not. My uncle only wishes to speak.”

She then turned to face him, steeling herself for what was coming. He gestured for her to walk alongside him, which she grudgingly did.

“It is good to see our… ’work’ has not gone to waste,” Thales started, all pleasantry in his voice gone now that they were out of earshot. “I was pleased by your physical capabilities in the battle.”

“Thank you, uncle,” Edelgard responded coldly.

“Why the cold tone?” He asked mockingly. “Are you not proud of the strength that we gave you? You shouldn’t waste your breath on those weaklings who did not survive-“

“Do not call them that!” Edelgard snapped, before Thales brought his hand down on her cheek. She stumbled backwards, holding her face as the insidious man healed her physical appearance. The sting remained, sharp and throbbing.

“Ah ah ah,” he said, as he roughly grabbed her chin, making her look into his eyes. “Remember your place, worm. You are nothing more than a tool. And tools that do not work are discarded as easily as one breathes.”

He paused for a moment, pushing her away from him and looking over her. “Or perhaps it would be better for us to go after one of your ‘friends’. Our agents report you are quite close with that Eisner girl…”

“Don’t you dare-“

Her response was cut off by another slap, but this time she avoided the blow. Thales snarled, and brought out the strange metal tablet he was ever so fond of.

“Girl, don’t make me repeat myself,” he spat out. “You may believe yourself above us, but you are nothing more than our puppet. Now, tell me, which part of Enbarr should I obliterate for your insolence?”

Edelgard gasped as a magical display of Enbarr appeared above the tablet. Thales laughed at her reaction, and he began to select buildings from the display.

“Let us see… the opera house, the palace, the grand cathedral… such wonderful works of architecture, even for worms. A shame they will be wiped off the map because one insect thought she was an eagle.”

“No! P-please!” Edelgard said, her voice cracking.

“Oh? Has the ant remembered her place?” Thales asked. “Then grovel before me. Show me where your loyalty lies.

Edelgard grit her teeth, and then got down onto her knees. She bowed her head low, her only solace coming to her in the form of imagining all the ways she would deal with Thales and his ilk once the war in the shadows began. But now was not the time for that. Now was the time to keep up appearances.

“Good girl,” Thales said, his voice oozing with vicious mockery. “It seems you still know your place. When Solon came to me and said how you interrupted his plans, I almost came down and… corrected your behavior. However, I can see that you still understand how this alliance works.”

He then gestured for her to stand, and she stood up to face him. “Now, I shall tell you what you will do next. You’ll give your little speech, but leave the parts about Aegir out of it. Or else I’ll make that village in Leicester look like a picnic. Am I clear enough?”

“Yes, very much so,” Edelgard said through gritted teeth.

“Excellent. Now, go to your ‘friends’. Enjoy the time you have left until they see the monster you truly are.”

With that, he walked away. Edelgard turned away from him, and started running towards where the ceremony was. She was so upset that she nearly ran into Lysithea on her way to the podium.

“What did he do?” Lysithea asked, her eyes wide at Edelgard’s panicked state.

“Doesn’t matter,” she responded, her breath ragged. “We have to abandon the Aegir plan.”

Lysithea’s eyes went wide with shock, then sharpened with anger. “That… that bastard! What do we do?”

“There’s no time for anything,” Edelgard said. “I need you to go to Aegir’s tent and remove all the evidence Monica planted. If he finds any trace of us tampering, he will tell Thales, and thousands of innocent people will die.”

Lysithea looked confused at that last part, but she didn’t argue. “Alright. I’ll get a move on. And you better hurry!”

As Lysithea ran away, Edelgard started sprinting towards the ceremony again. She mentally steeled herself, suppressing the anger and fear writhing within.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the awards ceremony of the 200th Battle of Eagle and Lion!” Rhea said, her voice amplified by magic as she began her speech. Edelgard raced up the stairs to the stage as quickly as her legs would let her, panting for breath as she stood next to her professors, fellow house leaders, and Byleth, who was with them for some reason.

“What took ya so long?” Claude asked, flashing a smile that, as usual, didn’t quite reach his eyes. Edelgard knew deep down he must be seething at his loss, and the idea of outscheming the so-called “demon of the tabletop” made Edelgard feel a bit better.

“Apologies, my uncle wished to talk about incorporating some of the Black Eagles into military operations,” Edelgard lied, smiling softly. “Perhaps once we are leading our own nations, we can practice maneuvers to see whether you fare any better a second time.”

“I think we’d trample them all over again again,” Byleth said, pumping her arm and grinning.

Edelgard was momentarily stunned, as Byleth wasn’t usually this emotive. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah!” Byleth responded, grinning ear to ear. “I’d bet nothing could keep us down, not even the Knights of Seiros.”

“You speak boldly, Byleth,” Dimitri started. “But from my perspective, the battle was a back and forth tug. Still, practicing maneuvers does intrigue me. I’ll have to consider it more when I am crowned.”

“Yeah, I’ll also think about it when the roundtable makes up their mind and says I can be the next Duke Reigan,” Claude said, scratching his chin. “Although, right now I’ve got something else on my mind.”

“Is it about how I beat you midair?” Byleth asked.

Claude frowned for a second, before his lazy smile returned. “Nah, it’s food actually. I was thinking we’d have a grand feast when we get back to Garreg Mach. And by grand, I mean a fairly modest feast in the dining hall. Sound good to everyone?”

“Why, that would be lovely!” Cornelia said, clasping her hands together. “It will give me a great opportunity to get to know my students better.”

“I’ll never say no to free food,” Professor Eisner said.

“I must agree,” Professor Essar said. “It is scientifically proven that free food tastes better.”

“We’ll celebrate our victory!” Byleth cried out, almost loud enough to drown out Rhea’s speech, causing more than a few eyes to turn towards the group.

“Well, aren’t you in good spirits?” Edelgard asked, smiling warmly at her friend.

“Yeah, you aren’t usually in such high spirits, kid,” Professor Eisner said, scratching the back of his head. “Did something happen?”

“I just feel… this warmth in my chest I guess,” Byleth admitted. “I don’t really know, it just feels good to win.”

“Well, from what young Claude said, it sounds like you put on quite the show,” Cornelia said, smiling at Byleth. “Us professors will have to watch your career with great interest.”

“Thanks,” Byleth said, and it took all Edelgard had in her to not lunge at the shape-shifting demon.

Byleth then turned to Edelgard, and grabbed her hand. “Still, we owe our victory to you. If it wasn’t for your quick thinking with warping, I’m not sure that we could have taken the hill or fought off Claude’s attacks.”

Edelgard’s face turned red-hot, and she struggled desperately not to look at the way Byleth’s fingers entwined with hers. “T-thank you, my friend.“

Byleth smiled, and then Rhea walked off the stage, turning to Edelgard and Byleth. Edelgard swore she could have seen a look of disdain for a second, but her face quickly morphed into a soft, motherly smile.

“It’s your turn, Princess Edelgard,” Rhea said, her eyes narrowed but her lips smiling.

Notes:

Fun fact: this chapter was completed a few hours ago, and my beta literally finished with it literally 7 minutes ago. Sorry for being late, but I was sick most of last week and couldn’t find the energy to write. But I hope you enjoy now!

This chapters shill is Memory Husks. It’s not a 3H fanfic, but if you’ve beaten Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and 3 then I think you’ll love it. Here’s the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54304048/chapters/137531773

Stay tuned for next time, where Edelgard finally gets to give her speech, and we get to some feast shenanigans!

Chapter 36: A Modest Feast

Edelgard walked up the stairs to the podium, and looked out over the crowd. In front of her were nobles from all over Fodlan, from mighty Counts and Dukes, to Viscounts and Lords. Also there were the soldiers that had participated in the battle, and the students themselves. And all those eyes were on her. Edelgard didn’t have issues with public speaking, but a crowd this size was still intimidating. She looked back to see Byleth smiling at her, before the former mercenary returned to her conversation with Rhea and Professor Eisner.

Edelgard looked back to the crowd, took a deep breath, and began her speech.

“Esteemed guests, I stand here before you, victorious against all odds. I have guided my classmates to achieve this, just as our year of students will guide the generations that follow us! But my guidance did not win us the day alone. My classmates, my faithful Black Eagles, all contributed to our victory, and if not for them, another of my fellow house leaders would be giving this speech. Today is not just only a victory for myself, but a victory for all of us. Together, my class can and will overcome all obstacles. We are stronger together, and I implore you all to think of those that support you, from the mightiest warrior to the lowliest peasant. Because together, we shall lead Fodlan into a brighter dawn!”

With that, she bowed, and walked off the stage, trying to ignore the cheers and applause she received from the nobles. Little did they know, that soon their titles would mean nothing, and that those who refused to walk into the new dawn would be cast aside.

“Well, that was certainly something,” Claude said to Edelgard as she reached their group. “Didn’t expect a fairy tale speech of ‘working together’, and all that.”

“Claude, there’s no need for rudeness,” Dimitri said, frowning. “I think it was a lovely speech.”

“Yeah,” Byleth agreed. “Though I would have said more about how we kinda clobbered their plans.”

Claude and Dimitri both looked shocked at her statement, while Professor Eisner snorted. Cornelia, Rhea, and Professor Essar were not amused, however.

“Byleth, you would do well to be mindful of what you say,” Rhea said. “It was an even battle for everyone, and I truly believe that all sides fought well.”

“I must agree with the archbishop,” Professor Essar said. “Although I would like to speak with Mr. Reigan about how he completely abandoned the original plan, leaving most of us in the Golden Deer to fall to Professor Eisner's charge.”

“I’ve got two things to say about that,” Claude started. “One: I saw an advantage and took it. Two: shouldn’t we be heading back now so we can get to the feast faster?”

“Kid has a point,” Professor Eisner agreed, turning to Rhea. “With your permission, of course.”

“As long as the students are in their rooms by midnight.”

“How about a little after midnight?”

“Midnight.

“Oh come on, just a little bit?”

Rhea sighed. “Fine. But only a little bit. They need their rest. Especially considering their next mission…”

This piqued Edelgards interest. She looked at Rhea, noticing the solemn expression on her face.

“What’s wrong, Lady Rhea?” Dimitri asked, having also noticed.

“Nothing you students should worry about right now,” Cornelia said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “The only thing you should only worry about is who can drink me under the table!”

“I’ll take you up on that-“ Professor Eisner started, before Rhea shook her head.

“I do not wish for the students to be drinking,” she said.

“Just a little bit?”

“Jeralt, I am not budging-“

“Oh come on, let them live a little. They won’t be students for much longer. The next time they’ll be drinking is most likely at some stuffy feast or wedding.”

Rhea’s face softened at that, and she thought for a second. She eventually nodded her head. “Very well. But only those of drinking age.”

“Which countries' drinking laws are we using?” Dimitri asked. “Because, in Fearghus it’s 16, while in Leicester it’s-“

“18.” Rhea said, ending the conversation. “Now, let us depart. If we keep standing around and talking like this we will never get back to Garreg Mach to have our feast.”

With that, she walked away, and Professor Eisner looked over the group.

“You heard her! Let’s get the other brats back to the carriages, and get out of here!”

He ran over towards the other students, who had broken into other groups, and began barking orders.

“Well, I guess we better get going then,” Claude said, a smirk on his face.

“Indeed,” Dimitri replied.

As the group headed out for their respective houses, Edelgard suddenly felt her hand being grasped. She whirled her head to see Byleth, who was beaming with positivity.

“B-By?” Edelgard asked, whispering under her breath.

“I don’t know what happened with your uncle,” Byleth said, squeezing her hand. “But just know I’m here for you, okay?”

Edelgard hesitated for a moment, before squeezing Byleth’s hand back. “Thank you, my friend. But now is not the time for that. It’s time for merriment!”

Byleth nodded, and the two girls walked off towards the rest of the Black Eagles, chatting about silly things as they walked along. Edelgard felt at peace for the first time in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“So there I was, right?” Raphael said, flexing his muscles. “Well, me, Ignatz, and Professor Essar. Anyways, we were holding out just fine against y’all’s cavalry, then suddenly boom! Claude just takes off with Hilda, Lorenz, and Marianne! We stood no chance without them!”

“Nah, you stood no chance to begin with!” Caspar cried out. “After all, we had more guys, so we were bound to win!”

“Is that why we had you on the ropes in the beginning?” Yuri asked, smirking.

“Yeah, well, who won?”

“That’s not the point-“

“Who won?”

Edelgard shook her head and smiled as the three boys argued, and then walked away from the table to survey the room. All of the students were gathered in the dining hall, along with most of the Garreg Mach staff, minus Gilbert, who had disappeared after a while. Professor Eisner, Byleth, Catherine, and a few other students were engaged in a drinking contest, while a certain red-haired merchant took bets on who’d last the longest. The current winner seemed to be Professor Eisner, which was little surprise to Edelgard. As for everyone else, Claude had somehow “acquired” a dart board, and he was playing it with Petra, Felix, Ferdinand, Leonie, and Lorenz. All in all, it was a lively night, and Edelgard was grateful for some peace.

Of course, her mind wandered to other places. Of how she would trample peaceful days like these, all in the name of a cause that she was to champion. She knew that peaceful moments like these would be rare over the coming years, and the fault for that would fall on her shoulders. Blood would pool at her feet, and she would have to shoulder the-

“Edie, you’re thinking too hard, aren’t you?” A voice asked, startling Edelgard. She turned around to see Dorothea and Monica looking at her, smiling.

“You know me too well,” the Imperial princess admitted. “Just thinking… of how grateful I am for peaceful days such as these.”

“Makes sense,” Monica said. “According to my memory, you’ve said something similar about 43 times since you recruited me.”

“Is that so?” Edelgard asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I may not have the memory Monnie does,” the former songstress started. “But even I know that’s true. You worry too much! Tonight’s a night to enjoy yourself, and here you are, drowning in tomorrow’s misery.”

“I must agree,” Lysithea said, walking over. “Plus, the sweets here are delicious! I could almost forget all my problems…”

“Well, you’re all in a good mood,” Edelgard said, smiling at her classmates. It was a nice feeling, for once. Maybe tonight she would let loose just a little bit.

“Of course we’re in a good mood,” a voice from behind Edelgard said. She turned to see Byleth, who had a rare, wide smile on her face. “We kicked their asses!”

“You could have said it more elegantly, but I agree,” Dorothea said, turning to the other girls. “I think we should go try the cake!”

Lysithea’s eyes lit up. “Yes! That is a wonderful idea!”

As the two of them walked away, Monica looked at them, confused. “Shouldn’t we wait for Lady Edelgard-“

“She’ll catch up, Monnie, don’t worry,” Dorothea said, winking at her, which confused Edelgard. Was she being excluded? What was the point of the wink?

“Oh, yes!” Monica responded, as she began to follow them. “I’ll see you and Byleth later, Lady Edelgard!”

“But shouldn’t I come with you-“

“Did you hear something, Lysie?”

“I don’t think I did, Dorothea.”

The three of them walked off, and Edelgard turned to Byleth. “What do you make of that?”

“Dunno. I guess they wanted to leave us for now?”

“But why would they do that?”

“Dunno. Wanna go fish?”

Edelgard chuckled a little at that. “Are you sure you can fish after all the drinking you’ve done?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Byleth said, smiling. “Plus my papa says if I inherited one thing from him, it was his tolerance.”

“Very well then, I accept your invitation,” Edelgard said, bowing and reaching out her hand. “Shall we?”

Byleth grinned at that, and took her hand. “Very well then, Madame Noble,”

With that, Byleth pulled Edelgard towards the door, and the Imperial princess followed with glee. Edelgard couldn’t quite place it, but the idea of doing something with just Byleth made her heart race. The two girls arrived at the docks, and asked for two fishing rods from a very surprised fishmonger. They then sat down on the edge of the dock, and cast their lines.

After a few silent minutes, Byleth spoke up. “So, how’d you learn your fishing technique?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s just… very unorthodox. Like you’re just guessing how fishing should work.”

Edelgard’s face turned a bit red. “Well… I was never truly taught. Your father showed me a little bit, but it’s been some time. So I am just guessing.”

“Makes sense,” Byleth said, smiling softly. “Want me to show you?”

“That would be lovely,” Edelgard responded.

Byleth then took Edelgard’s hands, and positioned them on the bamboo rod. “You have to hold it with your right hand above your left. Instead of launching it like a normal rod, you should carefully cast it. When you feel a bite, unless it’s a big one, gently pull up on the pole and try to set the hook. This secures the hook in the fish's mouth, and makes sure it can’t get away. Then, gently pull up until the fish is above water enough to sling it onto the dock. Does it make sense?”

Edelgard, trying not to blush at Byleth’s hands on hers, nodded. “Y-yes, thank you, my teacher.”

Byleth chuckled at that. “That nickname again. You seem to be fond of it.”

“Is it not fitting?” Edelgard asked. “You are just my teacher, since I don’t see you teaching anyone else how to play Shatranj or how to fish.”

Byleth shrugged. “Fair enough. Now, try and catch a fish using what I’ve taught you, my student.”

Edelgard laughed at that. “I don’t think that works the same as my nickname.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Byleth admitted. “Now, focus on fishing. And be quiet, or you’ll scare off the fish, like Alois.”

Edelgard nodded, and turned her attention to fishing. It took many minutes, but eventually she felt a tug at her rod. She did exactly as Byleth directed, jiggling her rod to make sure the hook was in place, then slowly tried to guide the fish out of the pool. Suddenly, Edelgard felt a sharp tug against her rod, nearly sending her flying into the pond. Byleth grabbed her and pulled her back sharply.

“Pull, El!” She shouted, trying to keep Edelgard on the ground. “It’s a big one, so you gotta pull!”

Edelgard kept pulling and tried to yank, but to no avail. With no other option, she channeled her Crest of Seiros, and with one last tug she managed to yank the fish out of the water. It flopped onto the deck, and then was tackled by Byleth to make sure it didn’t escape.

“Holy shit….” Byleth said, her eyes wide. “You caught a Fodlandy! On your first try!”

“Is that good?” Edelgard asked.

“Hell yeah it is!” Byleth said, picking up the fish. Edelgard looked at it, and saw how amazing it was. It was longer than an iron sword, and had scales that looked like gleaming gold.

“That is quite the fish,” Edelgard admitted.

“Yeah, it is,” Byleth said, before chucking it back into the water.

“By?” Edelgard asked, shocked.

“Now it’s my turn to catch it.” Byleth said, grabbing the rod and casting it into the water. Edelgard laughed at that, which caused the former mercenary to cast a confused look at the princess.

“Something funny?” Byleth asked.

“Oh, I’m not laughing at you,” Edelgard said. “It’s just… all that work, and you’re eager to fish it out again.”

“Yeah, cause I’m in it for the thrill of the game,” Byleth said. “Oh right. Merc saying. It means you’re in it because you enjoy it, not for profit or anything.”

“I see,” Edelgard said. “In that case, I would also like to be in it for the thrill of the game.”

With that, the two girls continued to fish, having small talk for a few hours before they both got tired and retired to bed.

Edelgard slept nightmare-free once again.

Notes:

Kept you waiting, huh?

Being serious, my life has been a whirlwind over the past few months, and this past month since I last updated has been hectic as all hell. So sorry for the late update, I’m not really going to stick to an upload schedule anymore so chapters will come out as I finish them. So a chapter could come out 3 days from now, or 3 months from now. Sorry, I just can’t really stick to a schedule to save my life.

Anyways, time for this chapters shill! Today I am shilling To Want, by my good friend Caller. Go read it, it’s a one shot but very sweet. Then go read everything else by caller. This is not an ask it is a demand. https://archiveofourown.org/works/63600874

Anyways, see y’all next time, where we get back to the basement wolves.

Chapter 37: Chalice Hunt

Summary:

The Black Eagles assist in finding a church artifact.

“So Constance, what gave you the idea that it was prudent to wake us past midnight and drag us down here?” Linhardt asked, yawning as he walked with the rest of the group down the staircase.

“Because Edelgard agreed some time ago that the Black Eagle house would assist me and my companions in a task!” Constance exclaimed, her eyes glowing. “Which will remain a secret until we are certain the walls are entirely bereft of ears!”

“The walls are having ears?” Petra asked, a quizzical look on her face.

“I-I think she means until no one can hear us,” Bernadetta said, doing her best to not panic. Edelgard had to commend the small girl for the brave face she was putting on. She had grown over the past few months, and Edelgard was proud of her.

“Ah, I am having understanding,” Petra said, smiling at Bernadetta. “Thank you, Bernie.”

“Of course Petra!” The Varley heiress shouted, startling everyone.

Sylvain whistled. “Wow, I haven’t heard you shout that loud since that time I found your-“

“A-anyways!” Bernadetta stammered out, looking over at Constance. “Lead the way!”

“I will do, my noble-in-arms!” Constance said, cackling as she continued to lead the Black Eagle house down into Abyss. Edelgard, sleep deprived due to a meeting with Those Who Clash in the Darkness, was suddenly regretting ever agreeing to help Constance. But Edelgard wasn’t one to back down when she wasn’t feeling up to it., especially not when potential allies could be involved.

As the class continued moving deeper and deeper down the stairs, the tight corridor opened up into the vastness of Abyss itself. Edelgard took a look at her classmates as they walked around, since they had some time to explore while Constance gathered the other Wolves. They had grown so much over the past few months, with Lysithea and Bernadetta nearing Edelgard’s height. She also wasn’t oblivious to how Dorothea continued spending time with Ingrid, how Bernadetta seemed so interested in matching Petra’s footsteps, or how Caspar was essentially carrying Linhardt around.

Friendship was a beautiful thing, and Edelgard was happy her classmates could form such bonds. But then the princess remembered a dark truth, and grimaced. She would be the one to break these bonds. hatter them, with her own two hands. Unless, by some miracle, all of them decided to join her, they would inevitably end up on opposing sides, rent on opposing sides of a war that would set the entire continent ablaze.

“Is something wrong, Edelgard?” A voice asked from behind. She turned her head to see Ashe, looking at her with a face full of concern.

“How can everyone always tell?” Edelgard asked.

“You usually have your fists clenched,” Leonie added, as she walked towards the two. “Plus your face goes all tight. Like this.”

To prove her point, Leonie scrunched her face, taking on the look of someone who was thinking too hard. Ashe giggled a little, and Edelgard groaned at the impersonation.

“Please tell me I don’t actually look like that,” She asked, resting her head in her hands.

“Not exactly, but it’s pretty close,” Leonie said. “But back to the point. Do you want to talk about it?”

Edelgard froze for a moment, and before she knew it she was making up a lie. “I’m just… in shock at how the church can let a place like this exist. They have so many resources and so much gold, yet the people down here will never see a shred of it. Abyss is a destitute place, one I wish we could help more.”

“You make a good point,” Ashe said, fidgeting nervously. “It reminds me of before Lonato-”

He winced at that, and Leonie patted him on the back. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“I agree with Leonie,” Edelgard said, turning to Ashe. “We haven’t had much time to speak one-on-one, but do know, as house leader, I am here for you should you need help with anything.”

“And as a friend, right?” Leonie asked, smirking.

“Well, I suppose if Ashe considers me a friend. But I wouldn’t wish to assume.”

“I’d say all of us Black Eagles are friends,” Ashe said. “And I’m sure everyone considers you a friend, Edelgard.”

Edelgard winced at those words, causing the two commoners to look even more concerned for her.

“Is there something wrong with us considering you our friend?” Leonie asked.

“Not at all, I just…” Edelgard started, searching for the right words. “As the Imperial princess, I am expected to rule over half the continent. I would never have imagined that so many people considered me a friend.”

“I don’t really get how those are connected,” Ashe said. “But I can tell you many of us just see Edelgard the person, not Edelgard the heir. And I hope the bonds we forge here stand the test of time.”

“I…” Edelgard started. “I hope that as well. Thank you, for your kind words, you two.”

“Of course!” Leonie said, pumping her arm. “After all, you’re dating the captain’s kid! That means I’ve gotta protect both of you!”

“Thank you, Leonie-” Edelgard started, before blinking. “Wait, what?”

“Wait, you’re not dating Byleth?” Ashe asked.

“W-We are just good friends,” Edelgard said, blushing. Why would they think the two of them were dating? Sure, Edelgard felt safer around her, and they spent a lot of time together, but dating?

Leonie snickered, and Ashe opened his mouth, but he was cut off by the arrival of Yuri. “There you guys are. Come on, if you’re going to be any help you need to actually attend the meeting.”

“Right, yes,” Edelgard said, blushing furiously as she began to walk towards the Ashen Wolves classroom.

As they walked, Yuri ran up next to Edelgard. “Did someone proposition you? If it’s bothering you, I can talk to everyone and make sure they steer clear of you-”

“N-no!” Edelgard said, smacking her palm to her face. “I was just- we were talking about- you see-”

“I’m not even going to ask,” Yuri said. “Come on, let’s get this show on the road.”

The four of them walked into the Ashen Wolf classroom, where the other Wolves, Black Eagles, and a strange man were gathered around a map.

“Ah, greetings, your highness,” The man said, looking up at Edelgard. “I am Aelfric, caretaker of this place. Come, let us discuss why I had Constance summon you here.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So this is the place, Coco?” Hapi asked, as the group walked out from the cramped corridors of the underground and into a much wider space. It took Edelgard a few moments for her eyesight to adjust, but after that she looked around to see an open field below the elevated area they were on. Scattered around the field were large statues with strange, long arms and doll heads. There were two on her right and left, respectively, and four more dotted the field below. Those weren’t why they were here, however. The reason the Black Eagles had been called upon was to find the Chalice of Beginnings, a legendary artifact that the church had lost. Aelfric hadn’t explicitally said why he needed it, but he was a Cardinal, so it would make sense why he would want to get it back. The church loved their relics after all.

“It would seem I was right, for once,” Constance said, frowning. “I was sure I would lead you all astray.”

“Hey, there’s no need for that, Coco,” Hapi said, smiling. “Come on, chin up.”

“Why must you care so much, my lovebird,” Constance asked.

“Cause I love you, silly.”

“But why?”

“Do we need to do this in front of everyone?”

“If it would bother you, then no.”

Balthus cleared his throat, and then turned to the confused Black Eagles. “Sorry about them, pals. Constance gets all mopey in the sunlight. Hapi usually gets her back on track, though.”

“I am having confusion,” Petra said, scratching her chin. “Why is she acting like this?”

“‘Cause of what happened during the war against Dagda and Brigid,” Yuri explained. “Nuvelle territory was wiped off the map. Seems Constance was never the same after that.”

Petra’s eyes darkened at Yuri’s words, and he frowned. “Sorry,” Yuri muttered, “I should have thought about that more.”

“It is not concerning me,” Petra said, but her eyes were still stormy.

Yuri then cleared his throat. “Alright, while Shady Lady and Hapi are doing lovey-dovey stuff, we need to start looking for the Chalice-”

Yuri was cut off by Hapi smacking him in the head, as she and her fiancé walked over. “Hey! We are not lovey-dovey!”

“Sure, sure, whatever you say friend,” Yuri said, rubbing the back of his head. “As I was saying, we need to start looking for the Chalice of Beginnings. And remember, don’t do anything stupid. Aelfric wants us home and alive. If any of you Officers Academy brats get hurt, they’ll come for our heads. Got it?”

A chorus of hesitant agreement came from the students, so they split up and began to explore the area. Edelgard walked alongside Hubert and Ferdinand, as the two of them bickered about something. She tuned them out, determined to not get dragged into one of their arguments again. They continued to explore, eventually linking up with Monica, Dorothea, and Ingrid.

“Any luck, Lady Edelgard?” Monica asked.

“We would get more done if this fool could learn to keep his mouth shut,” Hubert said, gesturing to Ferdinand.

“I am no fool,” Ferdinand said, puffing his chest out. “I am the legitimate child of House Aegir, Ferdinand-”

“You say legitimate child like there is an illegitimate child roaming around somewhere.”

Ferdinand's face tore contorted into a snarl. “Do not sully my father’s good name with your barbed words! You should consider yourself lucky I am too considerate of your wellbeing to challenge you to a duel right here and now.”

“You were never one to care about me,” Hubert said, grinning. “Could it be that deep down you know I’m right?”

“Preposterous! Slander! You will eat those words!”

Ferdinand tackled Hubert to the ground, before Edelgards second oldest friend kicked him with his prosthetic foot. Ferdinand howled in pain, and the two tumbled down the hill. Edelgard was horrified that Ferdinand would act in such a way after Hubert’s maiming, but also knew that Ferdinand wouldn’t seriously injure her first retainer.

“We should make sure those two don’t hurt each other,” Ingrid said, taking off and murmuring something about always having to be some boy’s babysitter. Edelgard, Dorothea, and Moncia followed after them, eventually finding them still wrestling on the ground in front of a stone wall. It was cracked, and had 4 strange sigils surrounding the circle.

“What’s going on down here?” Yuri asked, as he walked up to the group with Balthus, Hapi, and Constance in tow.

“I am protecting the honor of House Aegir!” Ferdinand said, slapping Hubert. Hubert replied by once again kicking him, and the two continued to fight.

“Well, nobles will be nobles I guess,” Yuri said, shrugging. “Why don’t we let those two figure out their differences, while we keep looking for-“

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and the four sigils began to glow a strange yellow, like a heroes’ relic. Then, the wall began to crumble, as a hole formed in the middle of it. After the shaking stopped, Edelgard and company looked inside the hole, to see a strange goblet inside. It was made out of pure gold, and had gemstones on all sides of it.

“So this is the Chalice, huh?” Balthus asked, whistling. “Weird that it’d be in a wall that exploded when we got here.”

“Those sigils do look like our crests,” Yuri admitted. “Maybe that had something to do with it?”

Edelgard’s eyes went wide. “You four have crests?”

Yuri smacked his head, and opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Ferdinand yelling.

“Aha! I knew I could find it!” Ferdinand said, before Hubert pushed the Aegir heir off of himself.

“You oaf, I saw it first, as is expected of one of Lady Edelgard’s vassals.”

“Not true! I saw it with my own eyes, while I had you pinned to the ground!”

“Woah, ladies, calm your teats,” Hapi said. “I’m pretty sure Memory Gal saw it first. So uh, quit your fucking bickering, please.”

The two nobles looked down in shame, while Constance, now covered by her parasol, let out a hearty chuckle.

“Ohoho! It seems even in my exile, I remain the noblest of nobles!”

“Not sure that’s a good thing,” Dorothea said, grimacing.

“Yeah, I agree with Singy,” Hapi said, drawing some confused looks. “Okay, not every name is going to strike gold.”

“But we have struck gold today!” Ferdinand cried out, getting off the ground and snatching the chalice from the hole in the wall. “We shall return this trophy to Cardinal Aelfric and let the church know that the Black Eagle house were the ones that returned this legendary artifact-”

Whatever speech Ferdinand had planned, it was cut off by multiple Inhuman screeches coming from behind. Edelgard spun around and saw that the statues dotted around the field were moving - and they did not look friendly. Many of them were wielding magical javelins, and were beginning to throw them at the other groups still exploring.

“What the fuck!” Hapi said, grabbing Constance's hand. “Alright, this looks bad. Let’s get the hell out of here!”

“Yes, let’s,” Edelgard agreed.

With that decided, the group hurried back to rescue the others - and then to hopefully escape with their lives.

Notes:

So it turns out not being tied down to a schedule does wonders for me wanting to write. Who knew?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! This chapters shill is The Emperor That Burned and the God That Remained Silent! It’s sooo good guys, please go read it and hopefully it’ll be updated soon. https://archiveofourown.org/works/27654734

Thank you all for 18k hits, and I hope to see you next time when Edelgard and friends run away from scary golems.

Chapter 38: Through the Halls

Summary:

The combined Wolves and Eagles make a run for it

“Woah, why are they so fast?” Caspar asked, as the combined Black Eagles and Ashen Wolves continued to run. Edelgard chanced looking back for a second and saw to her horror that the strange doll-like creatures were gaining on them. One of them was glowing a strange color, and summoned some sort of magical javelin. Edelgard and the students in the back barely managed to round a corner as the projectile flew past them and slammed into the wall, bringing it crumbling down. One of the pieces flew into Balthus’s shoulder and he cried in pain, but he kept moving. One of the dolls tried to move over the rubble, but it couldn’t cross over it. Edelgard breathed a deep sigh of relief, but she kept going. The worn-out students ran a bit further, before abruptly stopping the moment they came upon a wider chamber. Hubert nearly collapsed onto the floor, while Edelgard’s other classmates took a moment to catch their breath.

“Goddess damnit, how are they still following us?” Hapi screamed out, as Constance laughed beside her.

“Ohohoho, my dear Hapi, can’t you see that this is wonderful? To see such magical creations unleashed! I hope we can take at least one down so I may study it!”

“Coco, it’s trying to kill us!”

“And?” Constance asked, raising an eyebrow. “Magical research is dangerous! You must understand that, in order to make progress, you must be willing to risk everything!”

“Constance von Nuvelle,” Hapi stated, taking on a serious tone.

Constance’s face went pale. “Y-yes, my love?”

“I love you too, but we are under fucking attack. This is not the time to be studying.”

“I have to agree with Hapi,” Yuri said. “Alright, let’s get moving again before that thing-“

Suddenly, a magical bolt soared overhead and smashed into the wall, and Bernadetta screamed and began running as fast as her legs could carry her.

“Theyregonnakillusallfuckwevegottagetoutofhere!” She screamed as she ran, stirring the others to run after her.

They fled for what felt like forever, and Edelgard could tell that many of her fellow classmates couldn’t take it much longer. The mages in particular were beginning to gasp for air, and even Caspar’s boundless energy was running out.

“I think… we’ve… lost it… for now….” Monica panted out, before falling to her knees.

“How much… longer ‘till Abyss… Yuri?” Ashe asked, putting his hands on his knees and leaning over.

“Can’t be that much longer, friend,” Yuri replied, trying to put on a brave face. “We’ve just got to find some way to-“

“Well, well, well,” went a voice from the dark. “What’ve we got here, a bunch of kids and the King of Mockingbirds?”

Edelgard groaned, and looked to see a band of rogues emerging from the shadows.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Yuri mumbled under his breath. “Guys, can we please not do this today?”

“Your boys shat on us royally last time, pretty boy,” One of the men, clearly the leader, said. “Now you’re gonna pay!”

The men charged forward, and Edelgard readied herself.

“I don’t have time for this!” Lysithea suddenly shouted, as she leaped backwards into the air and fired off a miasma ball. It hit the leader of the bandits square in the chest, killing him instantly. His goons stopped in their tracks, suddenly a lot less interested in fighting.

“Anyone else?” Yuri asked, swinging his sword down.

One of the bandits opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by a terrible screeching noise. One of the walls slid down into the floor, and Edelgard turned her head to see the dolls emerging from the hidden passage. The bandits screamed and ran back towards where they came.

“Alright, rest time is over!” Yuri said, as the collected Black Eagles and Ashen Wolves on the floor scrambled to their feet. “Chop chop, move that frock!”

They all began running again, with Edelgard catching up to Yuri after channeling one of her Crests for extra energy.

“We need to find some way to cut them off!” She cried out, trying to keep pace with the underground lord.

“No shit, princess!” He shouted back. “The only thing I can think of is somehow collapsing another wall on it, but I don’t think we have enough time to break it.”

“Oh, has my time finally come?” Constance asked, as she warped in front of the two lords, stopping them in their tracks.

“How did you-“ Yuri started, before shaking his head. “Right, Hapi can do that. Okay, what’s your plan, shady lady?”

Giggling manically, Constance pointed to the ceiling. “If our mages channel all their energy, we can send parts of the ceiling toppling down onto our fearsome foes!”

“Yeah but like, do we have the time?” Yuri asked.

“Why, of course! You see, I’ve talked with Hapi, and she has agreed to make a distraction for our powerful pursuers!”

“Wait, you don’t mean-“ Yuri started, before the ground began to shake. Edelgard looked around and saw sand worms emerging from under the floor all around them

“Oh for the love of the goddess, this just makes more problems, Constance!” Yuri said. He was struggling to keep on his feet amidst the violent shaking of the floor

“Oh, but worry not, if the ceiling comes down, all our problems will cease! Just follow my plan to a tee!”

She then turned to the collected students, who were all shocked at the sudden appearance of monsters. “Those with magical talent, come to me and weave the spell I write! The rest, protect us!”

The mages scrambled to join Constance, Hubert having to sit down. The rest of the group formed a defensive semi circle around them. Edelgard found herself standing next to Balthus and Yuri.

“So, that was Hapi, huh?” Balthus asked, clutching his shoulder.

“Yup,” Yuri responded. “Shady lady asked her to, and you know she can’t turn her down.”

“What exactly did she do?” Edelgard asked.

Balthus and Yuri exchanged a quick glance, before Balthus answered. “Sorry, not our place to tell, pal. You’d have to ask her.”

“Ask me what?” Hapi asked, since she was the closest mage to Edelgard.

“How did you summon the beasts?” Edelgard asked. Hapi’s face darkened for a moment, before sighing. Suddenly, the ground shook again, and more worms showed up.

“How on Fodlan can you-“ Edelgard started, before Hapi cut her off with a glare.

“Time and place, princess,” She spat out, still glaring. “Let’s focus on getting out alive before we go into tragic backstories or any of that sappy shit.”

With that, she turned and faced Constance, and continued helping with the spell. A million questions flew through Edelgard’s head, but she didn’t have time for that right now. For now, she watched how Constance’s spell began making the ground glow, a strange sigil appearing in the middle of the mage circle. Suddenly, a beam of energy shot off towards the ceiling, right above the fighting dolls and worms. The ceiling exploded, sending chunks of it crashing down on top of the gigantic creatures.

“Hell yeah!” Balthus yelled, pumping his arm.

“See, now,” Constance said to Yuri, her hands on her hips. “My magical prowess saved the day yet again!”

“Yeah yeah, we aren’t out of this yet,” Yuri replied, turning to the collected students. “Alright gang, let’s get a move on. We don’t have to run anymore, but we can’t rest safely until we get back to Abyss proper.

This solicited a collection of groans and curses from the group, but they began to trudge forwards again.

“We should have… brought our… mounts,” Ferdinand gasped.

“Agreed,” Sylvain said, hunched over as he tried to catch his breath.

“I don’t know, this felt like a fine workout to me!” Ingrid said, flexing her arms.

“Yeah, you get it!” Caspar said, mimicking Ingrid’s pose. Edelgard did notice that the pegasus knight had slightly more muscle mass than the brawler, but she chose not to say anything.

Then, Byleth also flexed, and Edelgard went slack jawed. The former mercenary’s arms were big enough to rip apart a tree trunk, and deep down Edelgard wanted her to-

“Edie, you’re drooling,” Dorothea said, snapping Edelgard out of her stupor.

“What? No, I’m-“

“I am also noticing the drool,” Petra said, carrying a sleeping Bernadetta on her back. “Is it the idea of food? I am also quite hunger.”

“It’s hungry, Petra,” Dorothea explained, before leaning in and whispering something in Petra’s ear. The Brigidian Princesses eyes lit up in understanding, and she giggled a little bit.

“Ah, I am having understanding!” She said, as Bernadetta began to wake up.

“Huh? What’s so funny?”

“Edelgard is having feelings for Byleth!” Petra exclaimed, drawing a few eyes.

“Oh! Y-yeah, that makes sense!” Bernadetta said, nodding her head.

“That is not true!” Edelgard said, her face scarlet. “I merely see her as a grand companion.”

“Mhm, and I’m a farmer who’s sworn off rain,” Sylvain said, before Ingrid smacked the back of his head.

“Lay off her,” Ingrid said, putting her hands on her hips. “It’s not like you’re any better.”

“With friends like these…” Edelgard said, pouting as she walked away.

“Wait! I didn’t mean to agree with him!” Ingrid said, much to the amusement of Dorothea, Petra, and Sylvain. Bernadetta just looked down, and clung to Petra tighter. Edelgard ignored their conversation, instead walking up to where Hapi and Constance were talking in hushed tones.

“Would it bother you two if I walked with you instead of the group back there?” Edelgard asked. “They seem to believe I long for Byleth.”

“You don’t?” Hapi asked, suddenly grinning.

Edelgard went more red, shook her head, and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Aelfric, I’m alright!” Balthus cried out, as an Abyssian mage walked up to him. Edelgard watched as Aelfric tried to reason with Balthus that he might need healing, judging by the wound the brawler was trying to hide.

“Balthus, at least let them take a look at it,” Aelfric said calmly.

“Nope! I can heal it myself!” Balthus said, holding his hand to his shoulder and using a weak heal spell. “I got it, just- gah!”

He was suddenly grabbed by Yuri from behind, as he and a few others held the king of grappling still.

“You damn traitor!” Balthus said, as the mage approached and began to look at Balthus’s shoulder wound.

“He’s lively as always,” Hapi said, having walked up to Edelgard.

“It would seem so,” the Imperial princess agreed. “Oh, and I wish to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have been so brash.”

Hapi scowled, but then her face softened a bit. “It’s whatever. Not like you’d really know what happened.”

“If you ever need a shoulder to lean on, I would be happy to offer mine.”

“Nah, for two reasons. One: I look cooler and mysterious like this. Two: I don’t think a princess like you would want to hear all the excruciating details about bodily experimentation.”

Edelgards face paled. “Could we… continue this conversation in private?”

Hapi tilted her head, then shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

The two of them found a secluded room in Abyss, and Edelgard locked the door behind them.

Hapi raised an eyebrow. “Woah, I’m engaged and it’s not exactly an open-“

“Which one was it?” Edelgard asked, taking a massive gamble. “Was it Thales? Solon? Cornelia?”

The last name got Hapi to gasp, so Edelgard continued. “Tell me, is this normal?”

Edelgard held out her palm, and summoned the sigils of her Twin Crests. Hapi gasped, and then ran around the room, examining any nook or cranny she laid eyes on.

“Shit, what if they overhear us?” Hapi asked, making sure that there was no way anyone could listen in. “If they hear us and try to take me away again-“

“Hapi, I swear that won’t happen,” Edelgard said, placing a hand on the panicking mage's shoulder. “They can’t hurt us right now. And I plan to make sure they never can again.”

Hapi took a few deep breaths, then looked up at Edelgard. “Is it just me and you, or are there more?”

“One more I know for sure,” Edelgard explained. “And one I suspect. Both are on my side, however. And we don’t plan on letting them take anymore from us.”

“But how?” Hapi asked, her expression somber. “It’s not like any of us can really trust anyone, especially with how the fuckers can blend in.”

“Because they have a weakness: their pride. I know many of their operatives, and I know they like to believe they hold all the cards. And I know that they’re in for a rude awakening.”

Hapi looked up at Edelgard, and Edelgard continued. “We will outlive them, Hapi. In my envisioned future, no one will ever live in fear of them again. Those who slither in the dark will no longer be a threat. I swear it.”

Hapi giggled a little. “Stupid name… but I like the sound of that.”

She then stood up and wiped her tears, looking at Edelgard with new resolve. “Alright, enough speeches. You say you’ll get rid of them? Fine by me, just don’t forget me or anyone else along the way. Okay?”

Edelgard softly smiled. “Deal. Now, let’s head back before anyone gets suspicious of us sneaking off.”

“Oh please,” Hapi said. “I’m soon to be married, and you’ve got the hots for Byleth.”

Edelgard blushed again, stamping her foot down. “I do not!”

Hapi laughed. “Uh-huh, sure. I believe you. The only person who doesn’t is you.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Edelgard and Hapi froze, and a few seconds later the door went flying off the hinges. Byleth, Dorothea, Lysithea, and Leonie all ran into the room.

“Oh, she’s in here,” Leonie said. “See Byleth? Everything is fine.”

Byleth didn’t seem to listen, however, as she marched over to Edelgard and grabbed her hand. “Why are you here? We thought someone had got you!”

“Apologies for the distress, my friends,” Edelgard said, trying to avoid the rising heat to her face as Byleth held her hand. “I merely needed to speak in private with Hapi.”

“About what?” Lysithea asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, you see-“ Edelgard started, before Hapi cut her off.

“She needed relationship advice,” she said

“Edie, you know you could have come to me, right?” Dorothea said, pouting, and with her arms crossed.

“Yeah, well uh-“

“You haven’t asked out any girls before. I have. That’s why she went to me..”

“You presume a lot-“ Dorothea started, before a sly grin appeared on her face. “Is she finally going to confess?”

“Hapi!” Edelgard hissed, but Hapi continued.

“Well, she was going to wait until later, but seeing as she was caught in the act, I think it’s time.”

“Well, go on then,” Lysithea said, crossing her arms and smirking.

“Well, uh…” Edelgard started, before she turned to Byleth and accepted her fate. “Byleth Eisner.”

“Yeah?”

“I uh… you see, I like your company a lot, and I wish to be better friends with you.”

Hapi, Lysithea, and Dorothea all groaned, while Leonie just looked confused.

“Is that a bad thing?” The Leicester woman asked. Dorothea opened her mouth to say something, but Byleth beat her to it.

“You… just want to be better friends?”

“Yes!“

“Okay!” Byleth said, smiling. “So are we best friends now?”

The three girls slapped their heads, and Leonie simply smiled.

“Uh, yes!” Edelgard said, relieved to have avoided confronting her feelings. “Best friends, right!”

“Does that mean I can do this?” Byleth asked, leaning forward and kissing Edelgard on the lips. Edelgard’s eyes went wide for a moment, before she gave up caring and leaned into the kiss as well. She then felt something wet and slippery on her lips, and she pulled away.

“Wh-what was that?” She asked, before she saw Byleths tongue sticking out.

“Oh my goddess,” Dorothea said, while Hapi walked out of the room.

“You’re hopeless, Edelgard! Hopeless I say!”

Byleth retracted her tongue, and looked at Edelgard in confusion. “You don’t know how to kiss?”

“I-I can’t say I do!” Edelgard admitted.

“Oh,” Byleth said, tilting her head. “Want me to teach you how?”

Edelgard blushed, and a million thoughts went through her head, but her heart reacted faster than her mind. “Of course, my teacher.”

Byleth smiled. “I think I like that nickname.”

She then leaned back in, and showed Edelgard how to kiss. The two girls kissed for a few minutes, holding each other close. Edelgard could vaguely remember seeing Dorothea, Leonie, and Lysithea walking out at one point.

But none of that mattered, as Edelgard’s lips stayed firmly locked with Byleth’s. The Imperial princess, the flame emperor, none of them were here at this moment. Edelgard was simply Edelgard, and Byleth simply Byleth. And nothing else mattered, as they entered their own world for a few minutes.

Notes:

Didn’t expect that did ya

Chapter 39: Conflicts of the Mind

Summary:

Edelgard is lost in thoughts, all alone (I feel like I’ve done this bit before.)

The next few days seemed to fly by for Edelgard. She spent almost all of her free time with Byleth, her new “best friend”. Of course, Edelgard couldn’t officially begin a courtship of Byleth due to their difference in status, and a scandal was sure to break out if anyone of influence discovered the Imperial princess making out with another woman, and a commoner at that, but Edelgard could care less what they would think. She had found someone around whom she could be herself. Over the years, she had worn so many masks that who “Edelgard” really was had become a blur. But around Byleth, Edelgard could just be El, and her lover could be By.

“Miss Hresvelg!” A voice shouted, snapping Edelgard out of her sappy thoughts.

“Yes, Professor Eisner?”

“Are you paying attention? Or have you got something more important on your mind?”

Edelgard wanted to say to his face that Byleth was more important, but the more rational side of her won out for now. She shook her head, and returned her attention to the table in front of her. For some reason, every class shared this month's mission, so Edelgard currently stood around a table with all the professors, Dimitri, Claude, and their respective retainers. Apparently a strange disease had broken out in Remire Village-

Wait.

Edelgard had been so busy thinking about her blooming relationship that she had completely forgotten about Solon's threats. He had done something to the villagers there! She mentally chastised herself for prioritizing herself over the lives of the innocent, and turned her full attention to Professor Eisner's speech.

“As I was saying,” Professor Eisner continued. “Tomas, Manuela, and Professor Armin already went to Remire to investigate the disease.”

He then turned to Cornelia, and gestured for her to speak up.

”Manuela and I deduced that this was no natural disease, and that it may be some kind of poison. Tomas has decided to stay in the village to investigate further, so until we hear from him we need all classes on standby.”

Of course that snake would be staying behind. He was behind it! Edelgard clenched her fists, knowing that all it would take was one conversation with Seteth to end the threat of those who slither in the dark.

But would it be enough? Even if she did tell the Church about her tormentors, she would just be trading one evil for another. The church would take drastic measures to ensure there were no more infiltrators, even if it meant starting some sort of inquisition. How many innocents would die on the mere suspicion of their being aligned with TWSITD?

No, Edelgard would deal with them all herself. The influence of both the Church and TWSITD had to be removed from the land, so humanity could take control of their future and mold it with their own hands.

Suddenly, she felt a calming hand open one of her fists, and she looked down to see one of Byleth's calloused hands holding her own. The former mercenary gave the princess’s hand a soft squeeze, and Edelgard felt much better.

“But why?” Dimitri asked, crossing his arms. “Why would someone target a village like Remire?”

“It is pretty far in the mountains,” Claude said, putting his hands behind his head. “Maybe some enterprising bandits who poisoned the village are planning to offer them the cure?.”

“Or like, I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with that Flame Emperor guy?” Hilda asked, staring at her nails and seeming disinterested.

“You may have a point, Miss Goneril,” Professor Essar said. “There have been reports of strange soldiers moving around the mountains surrounding Remire.”

“Then why haven’t we done anything about them?” Felix asked, scowling.

“Because it’s in imperial territory,” Lorenz said. “For all we know, they could just be Imperial Knights training.”

Edelgard had no doubt that the strange soldiers and Imperial Soldiers were one and the same. The current Imperial Army was rotten and corrupt, which is why Hubert and Monica had hatched the Mercenary Maneuver, as Edelgard had dubbed it. Countless companies had been contacted and sent to train in Ochs Territory, and according to reports from Baron Ochs, they were being drilled into proper soldiers. Of course, Edelgard would have to be the one to pull them all together, but she could worry about that later.

“Imperial Knights don’t usually go that far into the mountains,” she said, lying through her teeth. “If anything it could be a group of bandits posing as the Imperial Army.”

“How would they do that?” Seteth asked. “Heavily armored bandits would struggle to move through the mountains.”

Edelgard had to mentally restrain herself from lashing out. How could the Nabateans be so blind? Could they not see that their suppression of technology was hampering humanity from moving on from lords and nobility?

Even ignoring that, all the nobles who ruled did so using the church’s name to justify many of their crimes. Even if Rhea and her kind were not directly to blame, they allowed the festering corruption to continue. Just listening to him talk without reacting was a test of Edelgard's ability to restrain herself.

Dimitri pushed himself out of his seat, answering Seteth before Edelgard did. “It is a well known fact that bandits are quite numerous in the mountains, as they are throughout the territories within Faerghus and Adrestia.”

“But you’ll fix that, won’t you my prince?” Cornelia looking at Dimitri. The hints of softness in her voice and sweetness on her lips may have been lost on the other students, but not Edelgard.

Dimitri lowered his head ever so slightly, smiling back. “Of course I will. Any who would dare resort to banditry cannot be left to do as they please. They knew what price they were willing to pay the moment they raised their axes.”

Edelgard once again had to mentally hold herself back, closing her other fist so tight it even started to shake. Did no one else in this room stop to realize that bandits were fighting because their kingdoms, which they will rule, failed to protect the people forced to turn to it? Not every bandit was as vile and villainous as they so easily insinuated. No, many had resorted to thievery and banditry because they simply couldn’t provide for themselves. So many people wanted to believe that criminals were all morally corrupt individuals, but Edelgard hoped she could show them that not every everyone who broke the law was doing it out of malicious intent. Hell, she knew what Ashe resorted to before Lonato adopted him.

“Of course, Prince Dimitri,” Seteth said, his voice monotone as always. “Especially those that defy the goddess’s will.”

And that made Edelgard almost open her mouth to scream, but she felt Byleth’s hand squeeze tighter, and she restrained herself. It still made her mind race with rage. Seteth knew that he had to be preaching the teachings of a false goddess. And if TWSITD were to be believed, a dead one. It made her want to—

“Princess Edelgard, do you agree with the course of action?” A sly voice asked, snapping Edelgard out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Cornelia looking at her with a soft smile like before. But her eyes… her eyes were like those of a venomous snake, ready to strike.

“Apologies, Professor Arnim. I was lost in thought, concerned for the villagers,” Edelgard said, sidestepping the question entirely so that she wouldn’t have to compromise her morals any further.

“Ah, such a mindful girl,” Cornelia said, obviously mocking her. “You’ll be a wonderful ruler.”

Edelgard wanted to strangle her, but thankfully, Professor Eisner came to her rescue before want became need.

“Alright, for those not listening, we are going to stay cautious for now," he said "Professor Arnim and Maneula will continue to monitor the situation, but we’ll have to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Am I clear?”

A chorus of agreement rang out, and Professor Eisner nodded. “Alright, good. Dismissed for now.”

Edelgard began moving towards the exit, but someone pulled on her hand. She turned to see Byleth, with a conflicted look on her face.

“You okay?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” Edelgard lied. She hated herself for lying to Byleth, but this was her burden to carry.

“Okie, want to come fishing with me and Papa?”

Edelgard blinked, then nodded. “Uh, of course! It will be a lovely time.”

Professor Eisner walked by, and grabbed Edelgard by the shoulders.

“Alright then, let’s get you ready to fish.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No, I’m not wearing this,” Edelgard said, crossing her arms. They had found her a long brimmed hat, along with shorts that were way too short and were apparently part of a “swimsuit”. The other part of said swimsuit was a shirt said to be “waterproof”. Edelgard didn’t believe that for one minute.

“Why not?” Leonie asked, as she had decided to join them. She was kicking her feet while standing in perhaps the skimpiest outfit Edelgard had ever seen, aside from that time she found the lingerie closet in her father’s room. It was essentially a shirt in the same way Dorothea’s skirt was a gown: it didn’t cover any of Leonie's well toned stomach. And the shorts were the same length as the ones Byleth picked out for Edelgard.

The worst part was that while Leonie looked great in an outfit like that, but Edelgard knew she could never pull it off. Especially with the state her body was in: the scars would draw too much attention.

“Something wrong, Edelgard?” Byleth asked from behind Edelgard. Edelgard whipped her head around to give Byleth a stern talking to-

Holy fuck.

Byleth was wearing a bikini… but not the same one from the beach. No, this one barely covered any skin, only the essentials. Edelgard’s jaw went slack.

“You like it?” Byleth asked, smiling softly. “I got it on sale from a merchant who was visiting from the coast.”

“Niiiiice,” Leonie said, nodding her head. “A good deal is always great.”

“Alright, has everyone changed?” Professor Eisner asked, as he walked up towards the group. He was wearing some swim trunks, and behind him was-

“Hello everyone!” Alois exclaimed, wearing a swimsuit that looked more like women’s underwear. “Today looks to be a great day for fishing, but it was too hot for normal clothes! I’m glad you all thought the same!”

“Yeah, I’m glad we’ve got all this gear for fishing!” Leonie said, pumping her fist.

“Yeah, well, we can’t go until everyone’s ready,” Professor Eisner said, looking at Edelgard.

“I-is there anything else I could wear?” Edelgard asked, her face red.

“You could wear your swimsuit from the beach,” Byleth suggested.

“I guess you could,” Professor Eisner said, scratching his chin. “But it might also trap the sweat. It’s blazing hot out there.”

“I’m used to the heat,” Edelgard burst out, desperate for any leverage. “Besides, it's the Red Wolf Moon. It surely can’t be that hot? Shouldn’t it be snowing?”

“The church controls the weather up here with magic,” Alois explained. “And Lady Rhea likes it to be hot a lot of the time. No idea why!”

Edelgard could assume why, but she kept it to herself. “Still, could I wear something a bit more… covering?”

Leonie went to say something, but Professor Eisner spoke first.

“Alright, alright. Let’s go see what we can get for you.”

He turned to Alois, Byleth, and Leonie. “You three go on ahead. I’ll go with the princess here.”

“Mind if I come too?” Byleth asked.

“Nah, wouldn’t want you to miss any time out there, Kiddo.”

Byleth looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded. “Okie! See you soon!”

The three of them walked off, and Professor Eisner turned to Edelgard.

“Alright, we’re alone. What are your intentions with my daughter?”

Edelgard reacted like he had splashed cold water on her. “W-what? What do you mean, Professor?”

“Oh please,” Professor Eisner said, putting his hands on his hips. “I’ve seen the way you look at each other and how you hold hands. Plus you’re one of the only people she talks about with me.”

Edelgard blushed, and looked away. “W-we are simply good friends, Professor-“

“Just call me Jeralt,” The Knight of Seiros said, sighing. “And I’ve done this song and dance before. I’m sure that ‘good friends’ kiss each other in secret rooms in Abyss.”

Edelgard gasped at that. “How did you-“

“Leonie told me first thing when she got back. She asked me if all mercenaries tongue kissed their ‘best friends’.”

Edelgard blushed even harder, and Professor- no, Jeralt, continued.

“Listen, I’m not judging you for liking girls. I don’t care if you like men, women, or anything else that I could list from my long life. What I want to know is if this is actually something you both want, or if you’re abusing your power and leading her along.”

Edelgard wanted to run, but Jeralt stared at her with burning eyes. Edelgard could tell he was very protective, and she knew that she had to tell the truth.

“I… your daughter means the world to me, sir. She makes me feel like… myself. Something I can’t say about anyone else. She makes my heart flutter and my skin turn red and I…”

Edelgard lowered her voice to a whisper. “She deserves someone better than me. I can- no, I should break it off. I don’t deserve her.”

Tears began to well in her eyes, but the Imperial Princess fought them off. The Edelgard who cried tears died long ago, after all.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jeralt, smiling softly at her.

“That’s about what I thought. You have my blessing then.”

“F-for what?”

“To pursue her, of course. She really loves you, y’know?”

Edelgard stood there in silence, and she felt like she could melt. “I- I- I-“

“Alright then,” Jeralt said, ignoring her.” “With that settled, let’s go get you something to wear.”

He then walked off, and Edelgard followed him, feeling some pressure lifted off her shoulders.

Notes:

Hello everyone! Told you I’d be back soon lmao.

Gonna keep it short, shout outs to my beta’s Raxis and Sushion, y’all are amazing Tysm for your help. Shill of the chapter is How to Care For Your Eagle, by my good friend FavoredVassal. Good Monigard stuff!

Alright, next time on APO3: pain lmao

Chapter 40: Remire

Summary:

A terribly calamity occurs

A week had passed since Edelgard’s fishing trip with Byleth, her extended family, and Leonie. The princess was jostled out of sleep by the sound of someone pounding at her door.

“Lady Edelgard! You’re needed awake at once!” Hubert’s voice yelled from outside the door.

Edelgard looked at her window, then sighed. “Hubert… it’s Tuesday. Classes don’t start for-“

“It’s Remire! The situation has changed!”

Edelgard bolted straight up out of bed. “Is it-“

“Monica and I believe so. Rhea is mobilizing all classes along with a battalion of knights to deal with the situation.”

Edelgard cursed under her breath, as she yanked her sheets off and began to dress. She quickly removed her sleepwear and then hastily threw on her uniform. Yanking open the door, she saw Hubert’s form looming over her. He had healed quite well in the past few months, but his prosthetic fingers and foot were still strange and unfamiliar to see. Edelgard wished she could demand Rhea allow him more medical assistance, as she was sure that woman had something that could further help, but of course that would compromise everything. So she grit her teeth and looked up at her retainer, trying to ignore his missing left ear.

“We should hurry,” Hubert said, turning to run down the hall. Edelgard followed until the two of them arrived in the grand hall, where everyone else was gathered. Edelgard briefly saw Jeralt talking with Byleth, Alois, and some of the other retainers of the house leaders, when Lieutenant Randolph from her battalion ran up to her.

“Your Highness!” He shouted, snapping into a salute. “Your personal battalion is ready to depart when you are!”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Edelgard replied, returning the salute. “I’m assuming Captain Ladislava has been training them well?”

“Only the best for you!“ Monica said, walking up to Edelgard. “I’ve been helping Ladislava drill them, and I would say that the Supreme Armored Corps are in top shape!”

“Thank you, Monica.”

“Of course! Hubert has also been helping.”

Edelgard turned to face her retainer, who lowered his gaze. “I simply also wish the best for you, Lady Edelgard.”

“Yes, but I was reluctant enough to let you participate in a mock battle. Actual training of battalions is too much str–”

“Let’s get moving!” Jeralt barked out, cutting off their conversation.

“We will discuss this later,” Edelgard said, sighing as she made for the entrance. As she rounded the corner, however, a beam of light suddenly shot upward into the sky, right in front of her! She stumbled backward, crying in surprise

“Never seen a teleporter like that before?” A voice asked from behind Edelgard. She turned her head to see one of her tormentors staring at her with eyes like a snake.

“No, I can’t say I have, Professor Arnim.”

Cornelia laughed. The sound was pleasant to the ears, but knowing the true identity of the monster that made it sent a shiver down Edelgard’s spine. “Oh please, you may call me Cornelia. After all, I was friends with your mother.”

Edelgard recoiled like she was slapped, but before the vile woman turned and left before Edelgard could ask her anything else. Edelgard attempted to run towards her, but a crowd had appeared in her path. She tried to get past it, but before she knew it Cornelia had vanished.

“There you are, Your Highness!” Captain Ladislava called out from the head of the battalion. “We will be using this teleporter to arrive more quickly! Professor Arnim helped the Mages develop it.”

Ah. That would explain it. Edelgard brushed aside thinking about Cornelia for now, and nodded. “Alright, Captain. Let’s get moving.”

Edelgard took her place at the head of her battalion, and she led them onto the warp circle, amazed by how large it was. Apparently there was technology underneath Garreg Mach like this, according to Hubert’s intel, but she had never seen it herself.

Suddenly, that blinding light appeared again. Edelgard closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was in a field with her battalion.

Then she started to hear the screams. Blood-curdling screams, ones that made Edelgard’s skin prickle with goosebumps. Ones that conjured up memories of the dungeons of Enbarr, of her siblings crying out for someone, anyone to save them.

Edelgard pushed those thoughts aside and ran towards the hill where she could make out Dimitri, Claude, and a few others.

Awaiting her on the hill, however, were new nightmares, ones of sight and smell. Edelgard looked down at the village to see some of the villagers running around, their clothes ragged and bloodied, making noises that makes Edelgard want to slap her hands over her ears. One villager was hunched over another’s corpse, taking a bite-

It all made Edelgard want to vomit. She took a breath and composed herself, before she heard Byleth’s voice.

“Situation, Commander?”

Edelgard hesitated at Byleth's proper address, but then she regained her composure.

“The situation is horrible. Beyond what I imagined, this is fu- I mean, messed up.”

“Definitely fucked up,” Byleth agreed, earning a glare from the imperial princess.

“I corrected myself, so let’s not focus on that.”

“Savages…” Dimitri murmured under his breath, before turning to those gathered around him. “We must save all those still alive and sane, and kill the bastards responsible for this!”

“I think we need to wait for-“ Claude began, before Dimitri suddenly screamed and charged forward. Dedue followed soon after, along with a distraught Ferdinand, Lorenz, Annette, and Mercedes.

“We need time for our battalions to regroup!” Edelgard said to the remaining students.

“B-but we can’t let them go in alone!” Marianne said, unusually assertive. “We need to hurry and save who we can!”

“Yeah, let’s go!” Caspar said, before he also bolted. Shez followed him, and Edelgard had no choice but to run after them all.

Once she arrived in the village, she was immediately startled when a maniac villager attempted to leap on her. Edelgard dodged out of the way, and settled into a defensive posture, but the villager was skewered by a javelin before she could even come a step closer. Edelgard turned around to see Jeralt riding into the town with some of the Knights of Seiros at his back.

“We need to move!” he yelled as he rode past her.

Edelgard started running after him, trying to ignore the grisly scene all around her. She could still hear their manic screams, and she could tell that Petra and Ingrid were flying overhead on their respective Wyvern and Pegasi. She heard a sharp crack next to her, and she looked over to see a piece of burning roof falling right on top of her. She brought her shield up-

Suddenly, she something hard slamming into her from behind, as she was knocked out of the way by Theodore the Bear, Bernadetta settled snugly on his back.

“Are you alright, Lady Edelgard?” She cried out as she rode her mount towards her, frantically searching for another arrow.

“Yes, thanks to you!” Edelgard yelled back, and the shy archer simply nodded and kept riding towards the village square. Edelgard followed her, and when she finally arrived, she came face to face with Dimitri. His eyes were wide and rabid, and he was escorting-

Edelgard gasped as she saw Solon, currently disguised as Tomas, his arm draped over Dimitri’s shoulder as he hobbled in time with Dimitri’s running.

“Edelgard, have you found any other survivors?” Dimitri snarled, oblivious to Solon chanting under his breath and preparing a spell.

“Dimitri, look out!” Edelgard cried out, leaping forward to tackle him out of the way of Solon’s spell. She felt ice cold miasma flying over her head, as she landed on top of Dimitri.

“What are you doing?” the prince screamed, thrashing to free himself of her before a pillar of purple energy appeared behind the two of them.

“It seems this doddering persona has no use anymore!” Solon said, cackling as his guise melted away, reavling his true form. When he stepped forward, his robes were black and his head was swollen to the point of being misshapen.

“Now, it’s time to ensure no evidence is left of my espionage,” he said calmly, as he raised his hand to summon more miasma. Edelgard and Dimitri rolled out of the way just in time, coaxing a sigh of displeasure from the Agarthan.

“Die, you insects!”

He raised his hand to summon more miasma when a blade whipped through the air, and through Solon’s wrist. As the old monster howled in pain, Edelgard looked over to see Shez standing a few paces away from Solon, her sword dripping with Solon’s blood. Claude stood next to her, an arrow pointed at Solon’s head.

“I’d suggest not moving, egghead,” He quipped, earning a sigh from Shez.

“Grah…”Solon growled, holding his new stump close to his chest. “I need to get this flesh underground!”

With a flick of his good hand, Solon vanished. And in his place now stood the Death Knight, who looked over the assembled students and gripped his scythe.

“Fresh meat for the harvest,” he said coldly, charging towards a shocked Shez and Claude. The two of them barely managed to leap out of the way, and Edelgard scrambled to her feet to run towards Jeritza.

But Dimitri beat her there, leaping a distance that no ordinary Crested human could. He dove towards the Death Knight, driving his lance through the reaper's horse. It screamed in pain and ran wild, crashing into a wall with a sickening crunch. The Death Knight had already abandoned his horse, and engaged Dimitri in on-foot combat. Edelgard and Shez ran up to engage, joining Dimitri’s onslaught.

The Knight swung low, aiming for Edelgard’s legs, but she managed to leap over and land a swing of her axe into his shoulder. He stumbled backwards, hissing in pain. Dimitri went to stab him in the chest, but the Death Knight lashed out and punched him in the face, sending him tumbling like a rag doll. The Death Knight wrenched the axe out of his shoulder, jerking it out of Edelgard’s hands and tossing it aside as he began to run towards Shez, his scythe swinging in a wide arc. She paired it with her right sword while slashing across his face with her left. He barely moved out of the way, but the tip caught on the edge of the man’s mask, shattering it.

“Jeritza, you monster!” Dimitri cried out, rushing to finish off the wounded warrior. Jeritza tried to stop the prince's advance with a sweep of his scythe, but Dimitri caught it and jerked it out of his hands.

“Brother!” A shrill voice rang out, causing everyone to turn and look towards the source. Mercedes ran over and pushed a shocked Dimitri out of the way, kneeling next to Jeritza. Edelgard felt so stupid - how had she not put together that Mercedes and Jeritza were siblings?

“Mercedes!” Dimitri yelled, trying to yank her away. “This monster is no brother of yours! He is a slave with the demons who caused this!”

“No he’s not!” Mercedes said, tears in her eyes. “Look at him!”

Edelgard looked at Jeritza, who suddenly sat up, gasping for breath.

“Where- sister?” He said suddenly, looking up at Mercedes, before looking away. “Don’t look at me! I’m a monster, a murderer! Flee why you can, before he returns!”

“He admits it!” Dimitri cried out, still fighting with Mercedes. “He must be working with the Flame Emperor and the monster who disguised himself as Tomas! We must kill him!”

“No! You can’t!” Mercedes shrieked, holding Dimitri back as much as she could. The healer of the Blue Lions was surprisingly strong. Edelgard could only watch, knowing that this heartache was her fault. If she had never recruited Jeritza-

A crack of magic burst through the air and sent everyone flying. Edelgard rolled on the ground for a few moments, before recovering and looking up. Jeritza had vanished!

“Brother!” Mercedes yelled hysterically as she ran to where he had been. But Dimitri stopped her, tackling her to the ground.

“He caused this! Can’t you see that?”

Shez, Edelgard, and Claude could only watch in stunned silence as the two wrestled, before eventually Jeralt and his knights appeared.

“What in the Goddess’s name is going on?” He asked, dismounting and running to pull the two lions apart.

“She let him get away!” Dimitri screamed. “I had the Death Knight in my grasp! I could have killed him and prevented anything like this massacre from ever happening again!”

Jeralt’s eyes widened. “The Death Knight? Here?”

“Please, Professor Eisner, he was forced against his will!” Mercedes pleaded, pulling against the knight restraining her. “M-my brother wouldn’t do that!”

“He admitted to it!”

Jeralt sighed, and waved to the knights restraining them. “Take them both to separate parts of town until they’ve cooled their heads.”

He then turned to Edelgard, Shez, and Claude. “You three can fill me in on what happened. Hopefully more calmly than those two.”

He walked off, and the three of them followed. They each took turns explaining what happened, Jeralt’s face darkening with each new detail. As they approached the village entrance, he sighed, turning to them.

“That is… a lot to take in. I’ll have people question Mercedes and the prince, and we’ll go from there. For now just… help the others find survivors. I need to make sure my daughter is safe.”

Jeralt walked off, leaving the trio alone with their thoughts. Edelgard most of all.

Notes:

Kept you waiting, huh?

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of A Path of Our Own