Recommend Songs:
"Listening With a Million Ears" by Ramin Djawali or
"Gion-Cho" by Band-Maiko (a spin-off of Band-Maid)
C-Support:
*Edelgard and Hubert are playing a game.*
*Claude walks by*
Claude: What is that...?
Edelgard: Checkmate.
Hubert: As peerless as always, My Lady.
Edelgard: Thank you Hubert, but peerless isn't perfect. What were my errors?
*Claude walks between Edelgard and Hubert*
Claude: What game is that? I haven't seen it before.
Hubert: A game one so carefree as you does not need to concern himself with.
Edelgard: You'll have to excuse Hubert this time. It's an old Imperial game. I'm sure you've seen the modern iteration.
Claude: The modern...oh! You mean...yeah, I've seen it before. Can't say I don't like it. What's the difference between the two?
Edelgard: The older version has a smaller variety of pieces, but far more of them. Victory requires far more sacrifice in this version than the newer ones.
Claude: I see. So you're saying that the experience comes down to intelligence? How is that different from the newer versions?
Hubert: Her Majesty does not have time to waste teaching you the rules of something you have no real skill in.
Edelgard: Hubert, it's alright. I can explain a few things.
Edelgard: The key differences, Claude, are the victory conditions. You'll see that the modern interactions are focused around one goal - to take down the King. In the older versions, there's more than one way to victory. See this piece here? The King usually sits on a throne, but is free to move off of it if the situation requires such tactics. If you take the throne. You can win by taking the throne as easily as you can by taking the King.
Claude: I see. And which way do you prefer to win, Your Highness? By taking the throne, or by taking the King?
Edelgard: Why don't you play me and find out?
Claude: Heh, I accept the offer. But it will probably have to wait for another time. I think your shadow is going to cast me into a different realm if I stay here too long.
Hubert: I have done worse for less.
Claude: I don't doubt it. In that case, I look forward to playing that game with you, your majesty.
*Claude leaves*
Hubert: ...should I follow him?
Edelgard: No, Claude may have his secrets, but he's not one we need to fear. Besides, I believe you have a report for me. Peerless isn't perfect.
Hubert: Of course, My Lady.
C+ Support:
*Claude is talking to Dimitri*
*Claude is talking to Lorenz*
*Claude is talking to Petra*
*Claude is talking to Hanneman*
*Claude is talking to Seteth*
Claude: I think that covers it.
Edelgard: Claude?
Claude: Edelgard! Just the person I wanted to see.
Edelgard: Oh?
Claude: You see, I've been doing some digging.
Edelgard: Oh?
Claude: Not on you...well, not yet anyways.
Edelgard: Yet you say...that's quite forward of you.
Claude: I believe that if you're going to betray an ally, you should do the honor of letting them know.
Edelgard: How polite. And foolish.
Claude: What can I say, I'm a gentleman.
Edelgard: If that's what you choose to believe. What did you intend to talk to me about?
Claude: I found a copy of that game you were playing and - after teaching a few people myself - wanted to know if you have time to take me up on that offer from before.
Edelgard: Huh...and here I thought I'd have to teach you everything.
Claude: I like games like these. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to teach you a thing or two.
Edelgard: You can try. Very well. Maybe not today, but I'll be ready soon. Until then, sharpen your skills.
Claude: Likewise.
B-Support: MUST BE COMPLETED AFTER CHAPTER 7: BATTLE OF THE EAGLE AND LION
Edelgard: ...and that's checkmate.
Claude: Again? I thought I had you beaten this time.
Edelgard: You forgot about the reinforcement rule.
Claude: Wait, what? We're playing the Akag-Era rules, aren't we? That technique wasn't invented until...wait a minute...you're tricking me, aren't you!
Edelgard: And you nearly fell for it too. ..consider it payback for the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion.
Claude: Heh...look at you, playing a prank. I never figured you to be a prankster. Keep this up and we'll make a rebel out of you yet.
Edelgard: There's a lot you don't know about me.
Claude: Too true. We both have our secrets.
Edelgard: And here you are, trying to tease mine out in a game.
Claude: ...that obvious, am I?
Edelgard: People tend to play like they've been trained to, especially when they're too used to one thing. You play as if cornered at all occasions, yet you always leave yourself an out. You sacrifice pieces easily, but then reach for them, as if you forgot that you gave them up.
Claude: And what does that say about me?
Edelgard: You don't trust anyone. You make allies for the sake of making them, but are capable of throwing them away quite easily if it suits your goals. Am I right?
Claude: ...not bad, Your Highness. Not bad at all. There's one small problem, though.
Edelgard: Oh?
Claude: I was mimicking your playstyle.
Edelgard: What? That's impossible...I was sure that…
Claude: Well, mimicking may be an exaggeration. I based my style off of what you did, mimicking where I could, and playing how I usually play when I couldn't.
Claude: You see, when I was practicing and playing with other people, I noticed the same thing you did. So I decided to test it out on you. See if I could unravel some of those secrets you're hiding.
Edelgard: And by asking me what I found about you, I was tricked into talking about myself.
Claude: That's correct.
Edelgard: ...hehehe...hahahaha!
Claude: Uh...Your Highness...?
Edelgard: Ah, please, forgive the outburst. It has just been quite some time since I've been bested like that in such a carefree way.
Claude: Glad I could help. But I do have one question.
Edelgard: Ask away.
Claude: I was reading a book about the game, and I found this weird analogy. It compared this game to romance, saying "to go for the King is to go for the body, but to go for the Throne is to go for the heart." I didn't understand at first, but after playing against other people I think I understood what that book was trying to say.
Claude: Yet when playing you, I couldn't tell which you favor. You seemed to attack both the king and the throne with equal ferocity. So which do you prefer, Edelgard, the body or the heart?
Edelgard: ...I'm not well-versed in such matters, but I think there is room to conquer both the
body and the heart. Those who believe otherwise have not tried hard enough.
Claude: In the game or in our lives?
Edelgard: Heh. Why don't we play another game and find out?
A-Support:
*Edelgard is in a cell*
*Claude enters*
Edelgard: ...come to gloat?
Claude: You know, even in prison, you're still quite the catch.
Edelgard: *embarrassed* YOU!
Claude: I came to play a game.
Edelgard: Forgive me if my loss doesn't put me in the mood to play your games, Claude.
Claude: So harsh! Well, this is a new version of the game we used to play.
Edelgard: …
Claude: I think you'll find that it may fit both of our needs.
*Soldier enters*
Soldier: Sir Claude, I have the things you require!
Claude: Great, set them up.
Edelgard: Claude...this board...it's massive.
Claude: Your pieces are over there. My side is over here.
Edelgard: And that third side?
Claude: We'll get to it in a moment. Here are the rules…
*Scene fades out and back in*
Claude: And that's checkmate.
Edelgard: …
Claude: ...which brings our third foe into play, and revives the defeated enemy's King as my ally.
Edelgard: What?
Claude: Oh, did I forget to explain that rule?
Edelgard: It's one you conveniently left out, yes.
Claude: Well, I'm explaining it now: Our true goal of this game was to defeat that third army. But the only way to do that is for one of the other two armies to lose first.
Edelgard: So each side needs to keep their pieces, and preserve their opponent's pieces while trying to win against their first opponent in preparation for their second one...not bad.
Claude: Thank you. I'm thinking of calling this the Khalid-Era version.
Edelgard: Khalid-era...heh...
Edelgard: So, what role do I play in this?
Claude: We both know the answer to that. Edelgard, please, help me. I want - no I NEED to conquer both the heart and the body. To capture hearts and minds. You taught me that it was possible. But I need allies to do that. I need friends. ...I need you.
Edelgard: Very well.
Claude: Really?
Edelgard: After all, you seem to have conquered the throne. Let us see if you shall do with the rest.
Paired Ending:
Claude and his mysterious prisoner vanished after defeating Nemesis, returning to Claude's homeland of Almyra, where the former Alliance leader accepted his rightful place as king. Not long after, Almyra's government culture was revolutionized, and the walls between Almyra and Fodlan were torn down. When those from Claude's class at the academy went to visit, they claimed that the new Almyran queen reminded them of someone, but they could not place who. It is said that Claude and his wife played games with and against each other late into the night.
Author's Notes:
I've had the idea that Edelgard and Claude would bond over a board game in my head for a long time. It was probably the first idea of the Silver Routes that I came up with. It was always meant to show a more...introspective side to Claude. But it also would allow for Edelgard to show of her tactical mind as well. As I wrote it, the idea expanded into a metaphor for the history of the Fire Emblem franchise in a way, so I had fun playing with that.
From the B Support on there was also a little flirting between the two, with the talk of the "heart" and the "body." The question was basically asking if Edelgard prefers casual flings or meaningful relationships. Edelgard's response is actually her answering that she believes that both physicality and emotion are needed in a relationship...even if she herself doesn't know that yet.
Claude is also lying when talking about "letting the allies know," or at least he's not telling the whole truth. I threw this in to keep things consistent - Claude likes knowing secrets and discovering things, but he's almost always respectful about it. His support convos with Flayn involve him pestering her about her and Seteth's Crests and doing some research, but he never really bullies or forces Flayn to tell him. The same is true for his relationship with Marianne.
The A Support is pretty plain to see. I wish it was more overtly romantic, but I didn't think it'd fit either character very well at this point. Claude may flirt, but he isn't going to profess his love for someone he barely trusts. Meanwhile, Edelgard may have feelings for Claude (her line about him conquering "the throne" was both literal and metaphorical about her heart), she really doesn't like her new position in life.
In my head, Edelgard's recruitment would be revealed during the Dubstep Level. You would start the mission normally, and around turn 2 or 3 Edelgard would come down as an ally, and Claude would state that she's right on time. This would throw Thales for a loop, but I imagine it to be a fun reveal.
After the battle, the Golden Deer are confused as to why Edelgard is there, and then there'd be a flashback with Claude stating that they faked Edelgard's death and she's now a prisoner under his watch. (The distinction between "Claude's watch," "the Alliance's watch," and "the church's watch" will be talked about by Lorenz in the Monastery in the next chapter, as he noticed the change and is suspicious about it.)
However, the events that are going on in the flashback tell a different story. Things are going as they do in the normal version, with Claude & Co. receiving the letter about the whereabouts of TWSITD. Byleth then asks Claude if they did the right thing, to which Claude would mention that he'd like to speak to Edelgard about this, if he had the chance. From there, Byleth would go back in time to the moment he killed Edelgard and instead knock her out, capturing the Emperor.
From there, we'd see Edelgard and Claude's A support, and then we'd head back to the present. For all of this to happen, one would need Claude and Edelgard to be at an A Support level by the time Part 2 roles around, but I don't think it'd be that hard to do.
The Golden Deer (and all other recruited units) are all in on the little "you remind me of someone" joke in the Epilogue, but they aren't going to spill the beans.
The title is an obvious reference to A Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire. Although admittedly the reference to the latter was secondary. At first I thought I was just spoofing the YA fantasy "An X of Y and Z" trend.