Thank you for viewing! This fanfiction is entirely set around the premise of what if Byleth abandoned Edelgard's cause in the Crimson Flower route. Feel free to leave a comment on any predictions or theories. This story takes place promptly after the events of the chapter The Master Tactician. I have taken some liberties with the plot, but otherwise, most events will be consistent with the game until this point of divergence.
The weight of the world rested on her back. The verge of history changed with every decision. At the very least, it was what Byleth wished to believe. Bogged down by heavy forests and all too familiar fog, the ground was no longer stained red. As much as Gaspard territory was far more welcoming, circumstances were far from ideal. A stale taste from days-old bread lingered on her tongue. The road ahead was far from the kind on her aching feet. To make the journey worse, her companion's stamina held them from maintaining a long sprint. The cloudy skies gave no warmth as if already a sign of her misjudgment. However, even a fissure would not halt her advance.
"How much further?" her companion groaned, even more, winded than her. Initially they had acquired two horses, but the difficult terrain forced them to abandon the steads, lest they were caught by their pursuers. On foot, the number of paths multiplied exponentially. The knights on their tail were forced to scatter if they had even a chance of catching the two of them. It was a genius plan by all means, but it limited the distance they could travel.
The fog cover, however, made the trek ahead even more difficult. It was a challenge to spot any clearings. "I cannot say." Her curt response was not unusual. Even if it was better form to converse and pass the time, the woman was never one for idle discussion. Her mind continually went back to a single moment. That very memory caused her both to stumble and find the strength to march onward.
"Well, what can you say?" her companion huffed, not entirely pleased with the simple answer. She too held similar reasons for the journey, but any sane person would be worn down by the journey. Poor rations, little water, and no transportation all pushed hard against their morale. However, the alternative was death. Death was their most possible fate at any rate. Both sides wanted her head. Traitor, villain, deserter... Those words hit her non-beating heart.
Her green eyes lingered on the shorter woman. Upon a closer look, the girl was not irate. Rather, she was feeble, weak, and clearly sleep-deprived. Though, the green-eyed woman was certain she looked the exact same. They likely both shared the same nightmares. The very same ghost kept them from turning back.
At any rate, they knew not what fate came if they turned back. From the few incursions they had, the pursuers sought only their capture. Yet, all that meant was that either they were to be imprisoned or executed publicly. While the two women held a particular place in the emperor's heart, they were still traitors, the greatest crime of all to the Empire. "I can say we must push forward. Once we reach Arianrhod, we will be out of imperial reach."
"And then in the Kingdom's reach..." the shorter woman murmured in response, already deflated by the thought of how desertion was their easiest task thus far. The road ahead had far too many obstacles for both their likings.
The green-eyed woman nodded in tandem, "Yes, we will be at the mercy of the Kingdom and Church." While the Kingdom may show leniency on account of her own damage being on the other factions, the archbishop was not as likely to forgive her transgressions. Their destination at the very least was occupied purely by forces loyal to the king. So as long as she could reason with her former students, it was possible they would be accepted as allies. Worst case scenario, the shorter woman could be spared.
The prospect of being a prisoner was far more ideal than an imperial commander. Rotting in a prison cell meant that she could harm no one, "I will admit... we could have thought out this plan better. Not to sound... depraved, but if we brought the head of-"
"No talk of that," The green-eyed woman interjected, "It already took a lot to abandon them. To commit such a deed may only worsen things. I would rather they execute me than go back to my life as the Ashen Demon." Ever since her teal hair and eyes turned jade, her heart metaphorically began to beat. Her emotions before were only starting to manifest in her, but the goddess's gift changed her. When she first turned her blade on the world, her newfound 'heart' had only just shown its colors. She made an emotional decision, one that she came to regret.
Her companion gave a hum, not doubting the answer. "We are in the hands of fate then. Considering my life until now, I don't trust my luck." The green-eyed woman's face fell to the floor. Her gaze lingered on the uneven ground, muddied by the moisture in the air. Their foot tracks were not easy to miss at a close glance.
"It was your luck that spared you the same fate as Claude." The former demon's words cut like a knife for them both. She found herself wincing at the mere mention of the man. When looking at their circumstances, they paled in comparison. They both had borne witness to the man's final moments. Regret etched into the man's expression as the emperor's ax fell. It was a clean-cut, but still, the image haunted her. A dizzy spell overcame her in that moment from the memory.
The other frowned, seemingly less shaken on the response. "It is quite ironic. I was so hung up on the fact that I had so little time left, but everyone... My classmates met their ends before me. Claude, Ignatz, Leonie, Hilda... They all had full lives ahead of them, but I live." There was nothing they could do to raise the dead. The green-eyed woman's time abilities were limited in their usage. She had to be present, still have enough uses of her pulses, and the ability could only span a matter of an hour. By the time the strike force reached Claude, she only met two of the three conditions.
"Lysithea..." She muttered the white-haired woman's name sheepishly. The guilt felt like a noose around her neck, constricting her words. "I'm sorry."
Her companion's response was a wave of the hand. "I don't blame you. You were not the one that chose to invade the Alliance. You went along with her orders since you thought it best at the time. I would have too if I were in your situation." It was quite strange to even consider the shorter woman a turncoat to begin with. After all, she had only sided with the Empire during the last battle and never saw true combat as an imperial unit. "If anything, I should be grateful for you sparing my life and listening to my words."
The thought clicked then for the green-eyed woman on why the other had even suggested the idea of deserting. "What reason did you have on approaching me?" she subsequently asked upon collecting her thoughts.
"You did spare my life. More importantly, I saw your reaction to his death. Everyone was shaken, but you," her pink eyes locked with the green intently, "you looked mad. You looked like Edelgard crossed the line in that moment." Her point was not... unfounded. Unlike so many others, the Alliance's leader was captured. It was wise to cut off the head of the war on that front, but he was essentially their prisoner and never was keen on this war. To slay him then and there was cruelty. The benefits of killing him all went to the unnecessary war. The green-eyed woman was only motivated to support the emperor on the basis of minimizing casualties and ending the war swiftly.
"I see, I was mad. I was very mad." Her anger toward the emperor was suppressed by some innate justification of her precious student. Edelgard was very dear to her. In order to bring on the emperor's sense of justice, she was willing to fight life-ending battles. However, this was not what she wanted.
Lysithea was truly wise. The white-haired woman was very observant and very dutiful. The green-haired woman recognized that the other truly was the one that broke through to her better judgment. "What do you think will happen if Edelgard catches us?" The morbid question was somewhat unprompted, but the green-eyed woman knew well that it was to come eventually. Navigating around another tree, she turned her attention back to the shorter woman.
Admittedly, the green-eyed woman had not the faintest clue. "I cannot say, but I suspect that she may not have the heart to kill us outright." She didn't catch on to the girl's darkness until it was too late. So she felt that making a statement would be a waste of time, but they had a fair bit of time until they reached Arianrhod or at least that was what she assumed. Her informant described the journey would take a full day to go through Gaspard territory on foot through the forested route.
"Do you think she would have listened to your opinion if you talked to her?" Lysithea asked, uncaring of how the question affected her companion. The green-eyed woman tensed at the idea. It was such a gamble already to desert, but threatening to go turncoat would have made this step even more difficult.
"I believe she is... too far gone. I do not think that she would even give up on her path for my sake. She... did overlook the tragedies of Remire and the chapel incident in order to keep her plan functioning." Truthfully, her grudge spanned past the Alliance leader's death. Her compliance in those tragedies motivated discontent in the green-eyed woman.
Lysithea nodded and took in the information, "I do not wish to die, but I am not going to join her. I don't care about who will win. I just want to give my life toward a cause worth fighting. You know... I wanted to join your class. Not just because of you, but I saw a sort of kinship with Edelgard." Truthfully, the green-eyed woman knew little of the other's background, but the similar white hair was a strong hint after what Edelgard had told her. The white-haired woman's comments during their school days too gave credence to her theory.
The green-eyed woman felt the same. Her resolve was set on following her morals, "My life is forfeit for atonement. My compliance and support have already caused the tragedy. It is only right that I give my everything toward making up for my actions." She was never one for such a strict code, but her newfound emotions made her rigid. There was little else she could do than take to an extreme in order to find peace within herself.
Her companion did not share the sentiment, but it was not hard to recognize where the other was coming from. It was not hard for the taller woman to recognize the white-haired woman's difference of opinion. Unlike her, the younger one had little to repent for, "I simply wish to make her pay for killing my friends."
Regardless of the days gone by, the students still stood together. It was not a very pleasant thought when the Deers were all but massacred, but it brought a fond smile to the green-eyed woman. She had only wished it were so for her class, "We'll avenge your friends and save Fodlan. I promise that much." There was no promise for Byleth to live after all. All she needed to do was submit the necessary information to king Dimitri and archbishop Rhea. If she was to be fallen, then she had the expectation that her informant would complete her mission.
While she joined Lysithea in abandoning the imperial forces, there were those of similar mind in the camp. So long as she created a secure line between her informant and the Kingdom forces, then Edelgard's warpath would end in failure. The very thought that her life mattered little did not bother the woman all too much. "Do you think that we will truly convince them? I mean, you turned your own blade against Rhea."
Their greatest complication was just that. Rhea. Amongst those that lined up against her, the archbishop carried an almost psychotic grudge. She had not yet had the chance to see the woman's rage after the five years passed, but the green-eyed woman had no expectations of the archbishop's rage mellowing. It was obvious that her olive vine could never be extended to the woman. "I believe it is more important to forge all our ties with Dimitri. If he vouches for us, then there is little that she can do to me. Though, I'm certain you will be fine."
"I would rather we both made it out of this alive," the white-haired girl huffed, not content with the idea of only her being saved from execution, "You may have some blame on you, but I believe you're the key."
"The key?" The words took the female off guard.
Lysithea nodded her head in confirmation of her words, "You wield the Sword of the Creator after all. If I recall correctly, Claude himself remarked on the importance of the weapon, even though he had the Failnaught to inherit." The legendary bow was certainly without equal. With the mere pull of a bowstring, a powerful arrow could decimate any enemy in its path. Though, the green-eyed woman hardly thought this fact was ample enough to prove the idea of being the key.
"I turned my sword against the monastery." she remarked, not too proud of the fact but didn't wish to deflect the responsibility. Her previous responsibility nearly led her to ruin. If such obliviousness overtook her again, something unthinkable may happen. Truthfully, she was afraid of herself.
"It was your blade that ultimately shattered the church forces and destroyed the Alliance." Lysithea's facts caused the other woman to wince, both battles still fresh in her memory. Though, her argument was becoming more and more clear by the moment. It was her that turned the tide of the war in Edelgard's favor. Not that she was the singular factor, but her influence and strength created a breakthrough. Regardless of the damage she brought on the continent and herself, her approach created great shockwaves. If her services to the Kingdom were just as significant, then the war could stop before Edelgard razed another land.
However, such responsibility scared the teacher still. It was to the point where she questioned whether or not she sought out her own death at Rhea's hands. Atonement through death was tempting, but she'd squandered the opportunity when she didn't turn her blade on Edelgard. Suffice to say, she did not have the resolve to save everyone. Darkness slowly began to swallow her, "I don't think I'm worthy of respect," she blurted, jumping ahead to the consequences of being the key. If she truly saved Fodlan in the future, some may call her a hero. She was no hero. She was a coward.
The white-haired woman stomped her foot, even if it drained her already depleted energy. The endless woods did little to relax either. Even when resting, they had to be on high alert for enemy engagements. "You are. Whether or not you realize it, you have the potential to save us all."
"Why are you so certain?!" the green-haired woman snapped, a rare display of her irritation.
Lysithea gave a weak smile, not even startled by the other's fury. If anything, she took power in how the other cracked first. "Aside from the anger I saw that day, I also observed your willingness to glare at the emperor. Claude himself could not face the woman with such intent. Many loathe her or even downright hate her, but none can look down on her and consider squashing her. To me, you stood taller than anyone else." Her confession dumbfounded the green-eyed woman, not even aware of her actions in that very heated moment.
Eventually, the woman found her words after gawking for a minute, "I... did that? I actually... Goddess, I already thought of killing her." As much as that fury truly did exist in her, the urge to slay the emperor was faint. Her attachment to Edelgard was far greater than Claude or Dimitri. She wanted only for the emperor to find her peace, but it seemed like she was content to impose a different kind of peace on her prized student. "To tell you the truth," the woman found herself continuing her thought, "I have no grasp of my emotions. I probably did so without my control."
"All the better," the white-haired woman responded, "your emotions allow you to be just as valuable an ally as Rhea herself. Unlike Rhea, you're attached to us all. As ironic as it might sound to you, you surprisingly have the biggest heart of all now." It was indeed quite ironic to Byleth and her unmoving heart, but the sentiment was left undoubted.
"You know, Lysithea... you sound so much more mature than before," the teacher said with a faint smile, no longer caught in her darkness. The thought of being a 'heart' resonated well with her. All she wanted, after all, was for her students and all others to be happy. It was an odd goal, but she found it steeling herself for the confrontations to come.
"Did you just imply that I'm-" Lysithea sounded quite miffed at the jab.
The teacher, however, was quick to interject and cut the former student off, "And... I regret not asking you to join my house." Her smile at that moment was only rivaled by the one she had when reunited with Edelgard after so long.
Lysithea puffed her cheeks and grumbled to herself, "You better be." Her pouting likely was carried over from the insult moments prior. Regardless of any lingering animosity, the two had no issues with each other as they crossed the woodlands. Eventually, the fog did clear and the trees opened up in front of them, with great fields standing ahead. They had bested their pursuers through the rough terrain and got to the other side before any could ensnare them. In fact, the imperial forces had little ground left as the two neared the great fortress, the Silver Maiden. Whether or not the lord and garrison of the great defense would sympathize with them was up to fate alone, but they had at least escaped from Edelgard.
For Byleth, her journey had well and truly started as the mouth of this mighty base stood before her.