It's spooky season so of course I gotta give my spooky girl some love. Here's an idea I came up with after reading some fanfic I had comissioned from my friend TSAtlas.
Enjoy!
It was over, for now at least.
Kronya, the woman who wore the face of Monica Von Ochs and killed Byleth's father in cold blood, was now captured.
He wasn't sure why, or what made him save Kronya's life when she desperately cried out for help when Solon betrayed her; maybe it was the genuine fear in her voice, the desperate look on her face, to cry out from help from the man who she robbed of his own father. But he did, he saved her.
When he brought her unconscious body back to the Monastery he was immediately surrounded by church guards, Rhea and Seteh approached him and demanded he hand over Kronya, as he did Kronya came to and she cried out desperately to not be given to them. But he didn't listen to her cries. His own heart was confused right now. Besides, it was the church.
What's the worst they could to her?
It had been a few days since Kronya was taken prisoner, she was being held in the Monastery dungeons; a place Byleth had no idea existed. Seteh had informed him that they usually try to keep the dungeons a secret, as it would paint a rather bad image of the church; despite the fact it was barely used.
Just like when he saved her, he wasn't sure what prompted him to go and visit her, he spoke to the guards and they allowed him entry. He walked down the stony corridor, dimly lit torches barely illuminated the cobweb and rat infested prison, a few stray bones lay in some of the cramped cells. When he finally approached Kronya's cell he stopped and faced her. She was hanging off the side of her bed upside down, staring at the wall opposite of her.
Byleth took a closer inspection at her cell, the bed she was laying on was barely a bed at all, just an old wooden frame with a poor excuse for a mattress, a single candle sat atop a small, rotting wooden nightstand and a plate with only a few scraps of stale bread left on it sat near the bed; in the corner a wooden bucket was all that was allotted for her to relieve herself.
Upon noticing him Kronya's gaze turned into a glare and she sat up right, standing from her bed and approaching her cell bars.
"What do you want? Come to take some personal revenge?" She spat at him.
This attitude took Byleth by surprise, there was no sign of that desperate pleading girl here at all. He wondered if he simply imagined it.
"Nothing of the sort." He said. "I just came to see how you were doing."
Kronya's glare didn't soften. "Is that supposed to be some sort of cruel joke? Look at me, I'm a prisoner." She turned around and walked to the center of her cell. "Should've known you'd hand me over to the church...I was probably better off dead after all..."
"I'm sure I can convince Rhea to work something out." Byleth said, Kronya let out a laugh.
"You truly are as naive as they come. You really think that fat-titted bitch Rhea will let me walk free after everything I've done?" She turned around to face Byleth. "Oh no, I'm one of the churches sworn enemies, and now that she has her hands on me she's going to enjoy every last second wringing every bit of life from my body until I am NOTHING but a dried up corpse!" By now Kronya was gripping the cell bars and glaring daggers at Byleth through them.
"What are you saying? Rhea wouldn't do something like that, nor would Seteh or any of the church members." Even though Byleth said that, he suddenly remembered that Rhea had ordered the execution of a bunch of members from the Western Church.
Kronya let out another laugh at this. "They really have the veil over your eyes don't they?" She pushed off from the bars and walked back over to her pitiful bed, sitting down on it and crossing her legs.
"Thanks for saving me, worm. But now I'm wishing you really hadn't." She laid down on her bed again, and Byleth could tell she was done talking. He turned to leave, exiting the dungeon and returning to the surface; where thunder clouds had begun to swirl overhead.
"Professor?"
Byleth was startled awake from his thoughts, looking up at Dorothea, who was staring at him worriedly.
"Dorothea, what is it?"
"You doing okay? You look kind of out of it..."
Byleth nodded, offering her a weak, but reassuring smile. "I am, just have a lot on my mind is all."
"I would imagine so...You've been through a lot, haven't you..." Dorothea gave a smile back. "If you need anything, you know I'm here for you."
Byleth nodded and Dorothea gave one last smile before shuffling out of the classroom with the rest of the students. Once Byleth was sure they were all gone, he gathered his books and walked to his room. He opened his door and threw his books on his desk then turned right around left immediately, making his way to the churches dungeon. Once again speaking to the guards as they let him pass.
He approached Kronya's cell and stopped in front of it, staring at her as she sat on her bed. Continuing to stare at the wall, only this time the look she had on was...Different...It's like she wasn't really there. He glanced down at the ground and noticed there was no plate there, it was lunch time right now, so shouldn't she be having lunch? Maybe she had already eaten?
When she finally noticed him, she didn't pay him much attention. Her eyes looked...Soulless, she simply looked away from him and stared back at the same wall as before. Byleth furrowed his brow.
"Kronya."
She turned to him and scowled. "What do you want now? Leave me alone."
"Are you...Okay?" He himself knew it was an odd question, given the circumstances. But something felt...Off.
Kronya's expression soured. "Don't ask me such a stupid question." She turned back to the wall. "Go back to fucking your students, you dog."
Another week had passed.
He shouldn't be feeling so troubled about her, yet...He was...
Today was one of the classes rare days off, and Byleth would usually be making the rounds by now, talking to everyone he could, having lunch or tea with his students. But he wasn't, instead he sat at his desk; fiddling with the ring he retrieved from his father's belongings.
He knew what he wanted to do, but he felt like he shouldn't. Why was he seeing her over and over again? What was the purpose of it? Was he waiting for her to apologize? Did he want to see her slowly break? Or maybe he just enjoyed the sight of seeing her locked up and powerless. But he never took himself for being that sadistic...
What would Sothis say. he wondered.
"Why are you just moping about!? You wish to speak to her so do so! Honestly you are such a child!"
He smirked to himself, he could almost imagine the look on her face and the chiding tone of her voice.
He sighed and stood up, pocketing his father's ring and stepping out of his dorm. Making his way to the dungeons, talking to the guards and stepping past them, walking down the corridor and stopping at Kronya's cell.
The first thing he noticed was Kronya was no longer wearing her leotard, instead some tattered rags adorned her pale form; her back was turned to him and she was shaking terribly. He noticed that the back of the shirt she was wearing had gashes in it, and blood was dripping down her back.
"Kronya-"
"Don't...J-Just...Leave..." She spoke to him without looking at him, Byleth wanted to say more; but he didn't what else to say. Instead he turned around a left, the pit in his stomach only growing deeper.
Kronya...What happened to her? Could the church really have...
No, they wouldn't do such a thing, right?
"They really have the veil over your eyes don't they?" Kronya's words echoed in his head. Was the Church not as benevolent as he was lead to believe?
Doubts of the church begin to fill his mind as he patrolled the courtyard at night, his lantern in hand illuminating the darkness. He suddenly found himself in front of the dungeon, he clearly wanted to see her again. But the dungeon was locked tight at night, and he had already tried a few times to get in during it but the guards always turned him away.
He took one last look at the dungeon's entrance before turning away and continuing his patrol.
Suddenly a scream cried throughout the night, Byleth whipped around, it was coming from the Dungeon. Another scream cried out, begging for help this time. He recognized the voice.
Kronya.
He clenched his fist and approached the dungeon door, trying its handle. Locked, as expected. But he wasn't going to let that stand in his way. He unsheathed his divine relic and jammed its blade in between the padlock's shackle, he pulled on his sword and snapped the lock off the door, kicking it open and storming inside. He followed another scream through the torch-lit hallway of the dungeon before finally coming a metal door, he heard the crack of a whip followed by another painful cry. He kicked open the door and stepped in, his eyes widening at the sight before him.
Kronya was strung up, her knees resting again the stone floor with her arms chained to the ceiling, forcing her to raise her arms. Her back was turned towards him and she was shirtless, blood was dripping down her pale skin and pooling into a small puddle on the floor, several deep gashes lined her back.
And the one holding the flog, was Rhea. Who turned to look at him as he entered, a disappointed look on her face.
She sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't have seen this..."
"Rhea, what's going on? What are you doing to her?" Byleth sheathed the Sword of the Creator. Rhea set the flog on top of a wooden table.
"Punishment, she is an enemy of the church, but more then that she is the killer of your father. Death is too much for her."
Byleth looked to Kronya's shivering form, she had begun gently sobbing now.
"This isn't right. Let her go."
Rhea furrowed her brows. "How could you defend her? After everything she's done to us!? To you!?"
"She killed my father, and I wanted to kill her myself. But not like this, she doesn't deserve to be tortured." Byleth walked over to Kronya and begin to unshackle her arms.
"You step away from her! Do not fall for her tricks! Those are fake tears! She deserves every bit of this and you know it!"
Byleth ignored her words and her bellowing tone, freeing Kronya from her restraints and letting her fall into his arms, where she begin to sob and burrow deeper into his embrace. He lifted her up and turned to leave the room.
"Byleth! Get back here!"
The Professor ignored her.
He thought the Church was benevolent. But they were just as bad as Those Who Slither in The Dark.
They had pulled the veil over his eyes for far too long, but no more. He had seen Rhea's true colors.
He held Kronya closer to him as he exited the Dungeon. He knew he would have to deal with a lot tomorrow.
But for now, he was going to help Kronya.
Sorry this is REALLY late, work has been busy and I've just been hitting a big writers block, etc.
I hope you all enjoyed this, was pretty fun to write.
Until next time.