Chapter Twenty-Six – Negotiations

No one sided with me.

Even Seteth, whose opinion was not needed on such things, adamantly opposed my plan. "Rhea would have my head if I let you walk willingly into such an obvious trap."

To which I responded that Rhea was not here and that I was the head of the church he served, but that hadn't gone over well with him, especially given my new circumstances. He told me I reminded him of Flayn when I spoke so brusquely and not in the way he missed.

Of course, he was already in a bad mood these past few days. My changes… well…

The cool demeanor he worked so hard to achieve over the past few years vanished the instance he saw me. He rushed to my side, gaping at me without the ability to speak momentarily. His hand shook as he reached up to touch my hair, but he stopped himself before touching me without permission.

"What have you done?" he breathed.

"Now is not the time to discuss such things. We are working on a plan to deal with the Agarthans now. Hanneman is already on his way back to—"

"Hanneman did this?" Seteth became even more frazzled as he stepped away from me and began to pace. "Can it be reversed?"

I saw there would be no way for me to avoid discussing this now. I nodded at Dimitri, and he continued on to gather our war council. I pulled Seteth into his office and pushed him down into a chair, and he slumped against the back with wide eyes.

"Rhea will kill me…"

"Rhea will do no such thing," I assured him. "I saw no other choice. The Agarthans are after my Crest and will not stop pursuing me and putting others in danger until they get it—so, I removed the source of their pursuit. The Crest of Flames has been extinguished." I paused, watching Seteth's gaze travel up to mine. "I know this complicates things… that my Crest was the only reason I was made the archbishop to begin with, since I grew up with absolutely no knowledge of the Church. But we will have to deal with such things another time."

"And the goddess?"

I inhaled sharply and crossed my arms over my baby bump. "My connection with her has been severed."

Seteth looked away from me and rubbed his temples. "Rhea will be devastated."

I sighed and sat on the edge of Seteth's desk. "I know that she… was family to you. I'm sorry," I said. "But I have preserved her. My son inherited the Crest of Flames, and Hanneman extracted that Crest. We hid it away. Should my son choose to, he can regain the Crest, and he will develop a connection with Sothis."

Seteth lowered his fingertips from the sides of his face, as if realization set in. "How so?" he asked. "The reason you developed a connection with the progenitor god in the first place was because Rhea placed her heart within you. Edelgard's autopsy revealed that she, too, bore the Crest of Flames, yet she did not have a connection with Sothis. In other words, the Crest alone is not enough to connect with her."

The Crest… wasn't enough?

"I've been able to hear her voice, and she told me it was because of my son. I do not pretend to know all the answers. To be honest, I never thought passing along the Crest of Flames biologically to a child was possible, yet…" I paused, holding a hand in front of me and staring at my palm. I curled my fingers in and let my fist drop back to my side. "Perhaps it was because she shared her powers with me that it could be passed on."

Seteth nodded. "It is conjecture, to be sure, but a reasonable one. You say that you hid your child's Crest away?"

"Yes."

"That's good," he said slowly, "but this certainly—as you say—complicates things. No one can deny your prowess as a leader, but the cardinals of the church may be hesitant to allow you to continue to serve as archbishop when your connection to the progenitor god has been severed. Perhaps it is best if we… say nothing for now."

"How do I explain this?" I asked, touching a strand of my hair.

"Let us keep you out of the spotlight of the church for now. That will be easy enough given your condition; we can use your pregnancy as an excuse."

The cardinals hadn't met in quite some time, given the current circumstances with the Agarthans, so it was no problem to hide this information for now. I wondered what life as a queen, one with no connection to the church, would be like. Certainly, tensions would ease…

The days of formulating plans continued beyond that moment all proved for naught, given the note we received about Hanneman. So, now we were gathered again, with people who thought they knew best for me telling me what I should and should not do.

Admittedly, it stung a little that no one wanted me to do this. It was not a question of trust; I knew that much. But with the Agarthans always a step ahead of us, it seemed too dangerous an operation to go willingly into a situation that was surely a trap.

But that was the catch: I knew this was a trap. I assured everyone that I would not go unarmed or unsupported, but that was not enough to relieve the doubt in their minds. I understood, truly, I did. To think about Hanneman, an innocent bystander in all this who I pulled into the fray myself, levied an incredible amount of guilt on my shoulders. He should not have been involved at all.

Dimitri, supportive husband that he was, could not be convinced either. The best-case scenario, he thought, was that the Agarthans spoke the truth, and it was the most unlikely of all scenarios. I could meet up with an unarmed Theron, and he would negotiate an exchange of Hanneman. But the only thing we had of value was my son's Crest, and we didn't know how much information Hanneman shared. It was not an exchange we could make, knowing that handing over that Crest could result in the deaths of hundreds or thousands, depending on what the Agarthans wanted with it. Considering their hatred for the children of the goddess and humans alike, it didn't look good.

Could we weigh the life of one man against the lives of thousands?

Of course, it would never get to that point. I would not be unarmed, and I could potentially end Theron's life then and there. But to what end? Would he just be brought back to life like Adonis and Sybil?

And surely Theron would expect such doubts in my mind. He knew that I would not appear unarmed or alone, so he would not either. Thus, a negotiation was out of the question. This meeting would result in bloodshed only.

The trick was that I needed to make sure the only blood that spilt was Agarthan.

But we could not get the conversation that far. We left the meeting with the Knights of Seiros with no plan.

I would not give up there. It was time to call on the Master Tactician.

Once the Knights of Seiros and their generals left, I called back my students—they were the ones I could trust no matter what. And even though they did not like the idea of sending me to meet the Agarthans, either, I had a better chance of convincing them with reason.

"Claude, I want to kill two birds with one stone. Get back Hanneman and get an edge over the Agarthans. We need a scheme," I told the Almyran king. His eyes flickered towards Dimitri, as if he held some reservations about going against the wishes of Fódlan's king, before landing back on me.

He sighed. Not a good sign.

"Teach, I think we're better off sticking to the original plan. I know you want to rescue Hanneman, but I don't see how we can without putting you in danger," he said. "Even if we sent you with forces, that would reduce the forces protecting Garreg Mach, which could be exactly what they're looking for. Split the forces, reduce the defenses."

I tapped my fingers on the wooden tabletop. There had to be a way…

My fingers stopped. "So we don't split them. I only need two people. Everyone else can remain here and protect the monastery and the location of the Crest."

Claude's gaze softened, the hint of a smile on his lips. "The one person they would expect you to bring no matter what… and me." Claude stood up and walked over to the blackboard, erasing the chalk with his sleeve. "I see. I serve as a sniper, hiding my location and waiting for an opportunity to strike. But once I loose my arrow, all hell will break loose. You won't be able to avoid a battle."

"The place Theron wants to meet is curious, though," Dimitri interrupted. "The village at the base of the monastery… it will be crowded. I am sure he chose that location in order to prevent you from striking out against him, knowing that it would bring innocent villagers into the fray. Should you attack, he could set flame to the town."

"Plus, there's no saying that even if we get Hanneman back that he hasn't been done in like Cyril was. They could have taken over his body and want to use him for a spy," Claude added. "It could all be for naught anyway."

So, there was no convincing any of them. Their points were valid. But I couldn't help but think that this was the way to go. Perhaps I would be playing right into their hands, but at the same time, did they truly expect me to agree?

What was the answer the Agarthans wanted?

"I'm sorry, Teach."

I nodded at Claude and relaxed into my chair, both hands gripping the sides of the seat. The child within me kicked, kicked again, and I closed my eyes.

"Back to the original plan. We will draw the Agarthans out using—" Claude cut off as he picked up a piece of chalk from the base of the blackboard. He held it between his index finger and thumb, staring at it with a furrowed brow.

"Claude?" Dimitri asked.

Claude tapped the chalk against the blackboard, leaving behind some white residue that flaked to the floor. Before he wrote anything about our formations for our old plan, though, he turned around with his lips pursed. He didn't say anything right away, and our group watched him without interrupting his thoughts.

Finally, Sylvain tried, "What's… going on?"

The Almyran king held up a hand, and Sylvain backed down, but not without looking at me and shrugging.

It took Claude another moment to sort out his thoughts. He turned back to the chalkboard and drew a large rectangle, flanked in spots that appeared randomly spaced with small Xs. Then in another space on the blackboard, he wrote three more Xs, two paired together and one a foot or so away.

"What do you think, Teach," he started, still facing the blackboard and tapping the chalk again, "about making a trade after all?"

Dimitri curled a fist against the table, and I placed my hand on top of his as I sat up straight again. "What kind of scheme are you cooking up?" I asked.

"Well, if what you said Seteth told you is true, you were the only one who could use the Sword of the Creator after Nemesis because you had the progenitor god's Crest Stone. It wasn't enough to just have the Crest of Flames. Meaning," Claude waved the piece of chalk as he spoke, "now that you destroyed that, there is no one at all who can utilize the Sword of the Creator. It's useless. But the Agarthans don't know that."

My newly beating heart skipped a beat. "So… give them the useless Sword of the Creator in exchange for Hanneman…" I considered it briefly and frowned when I realized what it meant. "That gives Rhea one more reason to hate me, and I'm already going to be breaking her heart when she finds out about what I did. She would feel so betrayed. I'm not sure I have the power to give it away."

"She bestowed it upon you. It's yours to do with as you please," Claude countered.

I wasn't so sure. Those were the bones of Rhea's mother we were talking about. It wasn't my place to just go and give the Sword of the Creator away, whether she bestowed it upon me or not. It would be like someone giving away my dad's remains. A disturbing thought.

Claude must have seen my hesitation because he added, "You'll get it back when we defeat them. Rhea doesn't even need to know."

It seemed irresponsible, as many of Claude's schemes were. But he had a point. The Agarthans wanted the Crest of Flames, meaning that they probably also wanted to use the Sword of the Creator for whatever their plans were. Or thought they could.

"Fine," I agreed. "Tell me more."

At the time and place designated on Theron's letter, I stood without any visible weapons beside a heavily-armed Dimitri. Claude perched himself in a tree a hundred or so feet away, Failnaught poised and ready to loose an arrow should he be needed. And even further back, outside the limits of the village, Dedue held the Sword of the Creator wrapped in linen.

Back at the monastery, elite soldiers were placed throughout, guarding locations with seemingly trivial reason. Sylvain and Seteth prepared themselves outside the Holy Mausoleum, Felix and Mercedes stood within the Holy Tomb, Ingrid and Annette—who agreed to return for this plan—guarded the entrance to Zanado, as well as a few Kingdom soldiers spread throughout the grounds for added protection.

There was no telling if the Agarthans would return Hanneman even if they received the Sword of the Creator. It was also likely that this was a distraction to lure me away from the monastery so they could search from the Crests they hoped still existed. Our game would need to be a perfect one, and knowing Claude, he would think of it all.

Allowing Dedue to hold onto the Sword of the Creator would give us an excuse to remove ourselves from the village. The Agarthans likely would not show Hanneman to us until we showed something of value to them. We just needed to convince them it was something they wanted to see: outside the village, outside their layer of protection.

And then what? If Hanneman was "alive"—whether he was turned Agarthan or not—we could make the trade. If they refused to show him, we assumed the worst and walked away with the Sword of the Creator. Theron wouldn't want that, and he would make some excuse to keep us there, whether it meant attacking us or bargaining.

If he attacked, so did Claude. And now we would be outside the village, where it was slightly safer. The Knights of Seiros would enter the village once we left it and move to evacuate the citizens, just in case.

If he bargained, we would be able to play a little longer.

What if Theron refused to leave the village, refused to set foot outside the protective wall he set up for himself? Or if he didn't believe that we had the Sword of the Creator? Well, it mattered little. We would walk away. Again, if he attacked, so would Claude, and at that point, there would be little we could do to protect all the villagers. But the Knights of Seiros would be close by.

Even if we walked away with Hanneman, with the Sword of the Creator in the hands of the enemy, that didn't mean the end. The Agarthans were likely to make some sort of move. And if they did, so would we.

If anything, this game would end in a temporary draw, but one that would allow us to gain the upper hand: because I didn't plan on allowing Theron to leave alive.

All the pieces were in place. The only thing we needed now was Theron to show himself.

He arrived late, but like me, he did not arrive alone. Two masked Agarthans flanked either side of him, neither of which matched the body structures of Adonis or Sybil. Surely Theron realized the risk I poised and would make sure that even if he fell here, the Agarthans would continue on.

Of course, given the fact that Adonis and Sybil had already been resurrected once before, there was no telling if Theron would stay dead.

"Thank you for joining us here, Your Holiness." Theron bowed, swinging his arms to the side as he lowered his head. His hand had been replaced with something similar to Sybil's, with claw-like features made of a mysterious metal.

When he lifted his head, there was a smirk plastered on his lips.

"I see you did not adhere to all our terms, so I hope you do not mind that we did not either," he gestured to the two Agarthans beside him.

"You're being rather amicable today," I said.

Theron laughed. "Shall we end the niceties and get straight to the point then?"

"I came from a mercenary background—I've never been one for formalities."

His smirk relaxed into a smile. "Very well. We invited you here today to negotiate. Your dear colleague Hanneman von Essar informed us, very much against his will, that you have removed your Crest. As if it was not obvious enough by your appearance," he added, his gaze flickering to my hair. "Not just your Crest, but your child's, as well."

I nodded. "That is true."

"You must have been driven to such desperate measures to do something like this. How unfortunate. You would terminate your connection with that so-called goddess just to justify the safety of your family? Give up your powers and immortality for them?" Theron folded his hands together and clicked his tongue. "Humans are such simple creatures."

"And you were the ones who drove me to this point." I reached for Dimitri's gloved hand, and he shifted Areadbhar to his other hand to clasp mine.

"How… sweet." Theron's nose wrinkled for a moment. "Alas. It seems that nothing can be done if you destroyed such precious commodities. Unless…"

He looked at me expectantly, even though I doubted he thought I would fill in the blank for him. As I figured, he knew this detail, too. This was necessary, if not disturbing. If he thought that we destroyed both Crests, what would be the purpose of offering him the Sword of the Creator?

When I did not finish his sentence, he continued, "You kept one. Once again you prove that humans are simple creatures. You wish to offer your son the choice? He would not have ever known. You already have one child born without a Crest, do you not? It would be no surprise to have another."

"A surprise, no. Still, he will be a person in his own right and deserves the option to choose his own destiny," Dimitri responded, "as we chose ours."

Theron's expression darkened as Dimitri spoke, but by the end of my husband's sentence, he simply seemed bored. "Lucky for you, then, that you have another choice to make." He turned his attention back to me. "If you deliver that Crest to me, we will end our feud with your family. By my word, you shall live the rest of your days in peace with your husband and three children. All you must do is give me the Crest of Flames."

I exchanged a glance with Dimitri. It was an… intriguing proposition. Guaranteed safety.

But… safety for us alone? Not for our friends, Rhea, the Knights of Seiros? Whatever he needed the Crest for was not something that would end this war, but further escalate it. As king, Dimitri wouldn't be able to ignore the threat. As archbishop—even if only temporarily given my new circumstances—nor could I.

Dimitri nodded, and I inhaled deeply. "I'm afraid we cannot accept that. But that isn't to say we could not negotiate something else. Dimitri's vassal is waiting outside the village limits with the Sword of the Creator. Since I am unable to use it anymore, it is of no use to me. Today, we ask that you return Hanneman to us in exchange for the sword."

The corner of Theron's lips flickered, as though he was holding back a smirk. "What use would the sword be to us if there is no Crest to use it?"

"We will have to discuss the matter of the Crest of Flames another time. For right now, for this moment, this is the exchange we offer."

Theron seemed to ponder his options, since it was unusual for him to remain silent for so long. Then, finally, he nodded. "Very well. Show it to me."

I gestured for him to follow us. His masked guards also joined us on our short trek outside the village. We were far enough away that the village had disappeared behind one of the hills, but Claude would still be able to see it from where he was. Should the Agarthans try anything, we would know.

Dedue stood exactly where we planned, holding a sword bundled in cloth. I took the Sword of the Creator from the fabric and held its hilt in my fist.

Sothis, please forgive me for this. I will get you back.

"Show us Hanneman."

Theron nodded to the masked Agarthan on his left, and the person vanished momentarily, returning quickly with a battered old man on his knees. Hanneman's face was hardly recognizable through the purple and swollen skin. His chin touched his chest as he slumped over with his arms limp by his sides.

"Hanneman…" I breathed.

"He will live," Theron assured us. "Besides, what you see is not the worst of what he endured."

"You monsters," Dimitri hissed, and I touched his arm.

"As I said, he will live." Theron shrugged. "I will even show how much I trust your judgment by releasing him to you first. Then you may hand over the sword."

I nodded. The masked Agarthan lifted Hanneman effortlessly like a rag doll and closed the distance between us. Dedue stepped forward and took Hanneman from the masked Agarthan, holding him with a bit more care.

My grip tightened around the hilt of the Sword of the Creator. I could flee right now. We had Hanneman. I thought for a moment that this was what Theron expected us to do somehow. But it would be the perfect excuse to attack again, should we go back on a deal.

I walked over to Theron and handed the sword to him. He gripped the hilt in his metal hand while cradling the blade in his own, running his fingers along the vertebrae that magically forged a sword that could mythically slice a mountain in two.

"Such simple creatures…"

Theron looked up, and I followed his gaze to where the monastery sat on top of the hill. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, at least until I looked back. Adonis had appeared, hints of injury on his right arm and lower chest based on how he carried himself, but it was not his injuries that mattered. He held up a bottle and wiggled it back and forth; the liquid inside wobbled like a thick broth.

My son's Crest…

I held up my hand, and an arrow sped from behind the Agarthans straight into Theron's back. His eyes widened, and his grip on the Sword of the Creator loosened, but that split second was all I could see. The small group vanished, the Sword of the Creator, the Crest of Flames, and the Failnaught's arrow gone with them.

"Felix and Mercedes. They were at the Holy Tomb. We need to get to them now," Dimitri said, startling me out of my own state of shock.

I couldn't bring myself to speak, so I nodded.

Felix… Mercedes…

All I could do now was pray to a goddess who no longer existed to save them.

Author's Note: You know I always have excuses about why it takes me so long to update. The school year is finally over, though, and remote learning was… something. I'm going to be starting some additional graduate classes soon, so fingers crossed I can get some updates out before then.

In other news: it's my birthday! You know what I would like for my birthday? For you to drop a review about the story! It will be the greatest gift of all! :)