Chapter Nineteen – To the Edge
A week passed before support arrived from Almyra with a note addressed to Dimitri and me, and in that week, we enjoyed a respite from the Agarthans, as well. We knew that with the arrival of the Almyran army, things would set in motion again, and the time I enjoyed with my family and friends during this short period would be but a memory. I would miss it.
How odd it was not to see Nader approach me as the general of the Almyran army. It wasn't as if I had many interactions with him as the leader, but every time I had interacted with the Almyran army, it was with Nader to lead their troops. Hearing the words from Claude that Nader had died in the attack on the capital had not yet sunk in—and now they did.
The general in Nader's place, bearing a similar sort of garb to Claude's with lots of fabric and layers, pointed to the diadem atop my head. "You the one in charge here?"
Dimitri rarely wore his crown. Given his tendency to suffer from headaches and the weight of his crown, it made sense for him to avoid it as much as possible. It was only during public appearances that he put it on for show. My diadem, on the other hand, had been given to me by Rhea when I fused with Sothis, and though I didn't typically wear it, Seteth informed me that I ought to in any situation in which I was "serving as a representative of the church." He seemed to think it gave me more authority as a leader.
Crowned or not, Dimitri gestured for me to go ahead and take the reins, so I nodded to the Almyran general. "I'm Byleth Eisner Blaiddyd, Queen of the Kingdom of Fódlan. Claude probably mentioned me." The general's face contorted slightly at the mention of Claude's name, and I smiled. "Sorry. We've known each other for quite some time, so I don't usually—"
"Oh, good, they're here," a voice interrupted, and our attention shifted to Hilda, who approached with dramatic clicking of her heels.
The Almyran general got down on one knee and bowed before her. "Your Majesty."
"Yeah, yeah, you can get up," she said, waving her hands at him. The man stood, straight as an arrow now. "Got any news?"
The general pulled two scrolls out of one of his many layers and held one out to me and one out to Hilda. "A letter for each of you from His Majesty."
We both took our respective letters, and I signaled for Dimitri to come closer to me, seeing that the scroll handed to me bore both our names. But before we could begin reading, the Almyran general cleared his throat, and we all looked up at him as he stared expectantly at Hilda.
She sighed, then pointed away from the stables, where they had landed their wyvern. "Dining hall's that way. But don't make a mess. Or a scene. There are students here."
I frowned, watching as dozens of men whooped and hollered as they walked away towards the dining hall. I looked at Hilda, who shrugged. "Did Claude or Cyril ever tell you about Almyran festivals? Goddess, the first time Claude brought me to one, I had never been so drunk in my entire life. The Almyrans really know how to party, let me tell you. Most celebrations are saved for holidays and after big battles, but they also use them to get amped up sometimes."
"In the dining hall?" Dimitri asked. "Seteth will not be pleased."
"They'll clean up after themselves," Hilda assured us. "And they'll be ready to go as soon as you tell them, too. Anyway, let's read these." She wiggled her scroll in front of us, and I nodded.
The outside of the scroll read THEIR MAJESTIES BYLETH & DIMITRI BLAIDDYD, but the greeting inside was much less formal and much more indicative that Claude had been the one to write this. Claude's handwriting had always been like chicken scratch, especially compared to Dimitri's, who enjoyed the finest formal education money could buy.
Not to say that Claude hadn't been formally educated, but the priorities of his parents had been different. Handwriting and calligraphy didn't seem to be particularly important, and Claude would likely agree, given how badly he had been harassed as a child. His priorities were different, too.
Dimitri and I leaned into each other to read the letter, our heads inches apart and the letter held in one of each of our hands between us.
Dear Teach and His Kingliness,
Things aren't looking great in Almyra. People are angry. All my work busting open Fódlan's Locket feels like it might be for naught. I was able to convince the new general to go help you, but the citizens believe that Fódlan is responsible for this disaster. I am doing what I can here to talk down the resentment, but people seem to be angry with me, too.
I think I understand why the Agarthans risked attacking us. It was not just to try to murder your children. They must have realized the kind of resentment that would fester here. Our relations were fragile as Hilda and I worked to ease the tension between our two nations, and though improvements have been made, there will always be those—both in Fódlan and here—who will fight change.
Now, all the people who witnessed the tragedy saw the javelin of light appearing from the direction of Fódlan, and they remember the distinction between our two countries. I will have to stay here longer and continue to hear their thoughts and convince them that you are an innocent party. But the Almyrans are a warrior people. Groups are organizing who wish to cross into Fódlan and battle. I've asked Hilda to return to Goneril territory to work with her brother to subdue these groups. In the meantime, you have the support of those who respected Nader and therefore respect me out of sheer debt, even if they do not believe me.
I am sorry I cannot be of more help, but I have faith in both of you. When all of this is over, we can sit down for a feast greater than anything you've experienced.
Good luck.
Claude
Dimitri finished reading before me. I kept rereading parts, both stumbling over his handwriting and the words themselves.
Cyril told me once that the Almyrans thought the Fódlan people to be cowards. And they had mistreated Claude for being half-Fódlan, just like the people of Fódlan mistreated him here for being half-Almyran. The Almyrans invaded Fódlan's Throat for fun, resulting in the death of Almyrans and Fódlan people all the same. And all that added up to a clear sign that we didn't get along.
Claude had done a lot to ease those tensions, though. They accepted him as their ruler, and Hilda too, when Claude's father abdicated to spend more time with Claude's mother. We reworked the trade agreement, which had loosened significantly under Claude's grandfather on his father's side, instituting a free trade market that helped build relations between us. The border was bust open like Claude wanted, with people able to move with little restriction between countries.
But it was all still so fragile. The Fódlan people didn't necessarily understand the Almyran warrior culture, and though Claude had convinced the Almyrans to hold their battles elsewhere so as not to provoke those in Goneril territory, people who had family members killed defending Fódlan's Locket remembered. And there seemed to be the impression still, perhaps even more so because of Claude's request to not battle in Fódlan, that we were all cowards.
Well, we would have to do what we could and defeat the Agarthans. We had no choice now, lest a war broke out between Almyra and Fódlan as a result of their meddling.
"We need to implement our plan as quickly as possible," Dimitri said once he saw I finished reading. "Tomorrow, perhaps, after the Almyrans recover from their feast."
"Probably for the best, anyway," I agreed. "It's been a week without anything happening from the Agarthans, and the more time we give them to prepare, the riskier this plan becomes."
"I'll give whatever orders you need me to before I head back home to Goneril territory. Apparently, I'm needed," Hilda interjected, her fist tightening around the curled scroll. "I think my brother can handle it, of course, but Claude seems to think an appearance from me might help placate the Almyrans without resorting to battle. They do love me after all."
Dimitri put a hand up to his chin and frowned. "Certainly the last thing we need is to have to designate our troops to small fights like that…"
"I'll take care of it," Hilda assured us. She let out a small gasp and brought her fingertips to her lips. "This is the most resourceful I've ever sounded. My brother would be so proud."
I smiled, but it didn't last long. A loud crash from the direction of the dining hall startled me out of my amusement, and I narrowed my eyes at Hilda instead. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I'll take care of all of it, okay? No worries!"
She walked off, leaving Dimitri and I behind (followed silently, of course, by Dedue, Sylvain, and Felix, the latter two of whom had begun to take their knightly duties surprisingly seriously). "Do you think we can trust them? The Almyran army?" I asked.
Dimitri looped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him, some semblance of the peace we enjoyed this past week filtering back in for just a moment. "We have no choice but to trust them. Let's put our faith in Claude for now."
As it turned out, the Almyrans needed a bit longer to recover from their hangovers than we thought. Besides that, the mess in the dining hall had not been cleaned up, so Hilda had to scold them into scrubbing the place spotless with the threat that, if they didn't, they wouldn't get their post-battle celebration. It frightened me to think there'd be another of these.
It was two days later, after Hilda left on Tulip's back to return to her childhood home, that we donned our battle gear and led the Almyran army and the remnants of the Kingdom troops to the heart of the old Alliance just past Riegan territory where it would make the most sense for our troops to clash.
Though it would truly be a mock battle of sorts, in that we would be staging a violent battle to goad the Agarthans, we still ran the risk that the Almyran army would turn on us. Dimitri wanted me to put faith in Claude, but Claude even admitted in his letter that the only reason his army was here was because of their lingering respect for Nader. If they, or even a single person in their army, believed that we were responsible for Nader's death, there would be blood spilt here unnecessarily.
In which case, I supposed, Sothis's gift of turning back time truly would be needed.
This was all a risk. It hurt my heart to be doubtful at all the Almyrans, as if having any doubt at all put me in the same category as the Fódlan people they thought to be cowards. But I also understood where their anger and resentment came from, as someone who dealt with it after my father's death.
It took an extra day to arrive in the valley that sat just southeast of Derdriu, the Aquatic Capital. The weather was fair, clouds blocking out the heat from the sun enough that the weight of armor did not seem overly warm. Sylvain still managed to complain about being hot, even though I found the temperature enjoyable.
Enjoyable for now, anyway.
The small Kingdom army faced the large, seemingly endless Almyran one, with Dimitri, the Almyran general, and I positioned at the front of both lines. Both groups, despite their numbers, were silent as they awaited our orders.
"Are you ready, my beloved?" Dimitri asked.
I tapped my temple twice and smiled at him, trying to feign complete confidence. Sothis had been quiet through most of this, likely because she thought this a foolish plan, but she spoke up in my head with a quick, You can do this. Just be sure to leave some of your powers for the battle to come.
"I would like approximately ten-minute intervals between each use of my power," I said. "This will give some semblance of an actual battle and should indicate to Theron that something is wrong, and I could potentially be in danger."
Both Dimitri and the Almyran general hummed their agreement. The three of us shook hands and took our positions. The flag of the unified Fódlan rose beside each of our steeds, and the Almyrans cried out from atop their wyverns with battle cries that sent shivers down my spine.
Then the battle began. The troops clashed, the grunting of metal against metal real, but there was restraint to the movements on both sides. Dimitri rode around with Areadbhar pointed down but away from all opponents, and I hopped down from my horse with the Sword of the Creator unsheathed.
No real battling that I could see.
I focused on one spot in the picture of the world around me, pulling everything back to me and then releasing again. Time returned to the start of the battle, and the scene replayed out similarly to the first iteration.
I ran around the field, surveying the clash of the armies to make sure nothing was real. There were a couple of accidental injuries, men and women who would likely suffer concussions or small wounds. But it seemed the Almyran army was keeping its word—honorable through and through.
In the next half hour, I turned back time twice, and nothing changed from each previous part. Every time I used the Divine Pulse bestowed upon me by Sothis, I could feel the power within me change. It burned at first like a flame in my chest, one that raged and longed to be set free. But the more I used it, the smaller that flame got.
No appearance from the Agarthans yet. I would have to keep going.
You can keep going for now. I can tell you when you should stop, Sothis offered.
I could see the people around me losing energy as time continued. The "battle" waged on for nearly two hours, though some of that had been repeated several times. In reality, maybe an hour had passed for these people. The fire within me grew dimmer, but without the Agarthans appearing, I had to keep going.
One more repeat of time. No one around me made any indication they felt anything. They continued along the same path predestined to them, or so it seemed. Sothis believed in fate, and admittedly, watching these people follow the same course each time made me wonder if she was right.
You're running out of energy. You should stop now.
Where were they? Why wasn't Theron showing up to check on me? Did he not need me—need my crest—for whatever it was he wanted to do with it? If I died, what good would my crest be then?
No, I had to keep going. I had more power within me.
I turned back time again, my breath becoming more ragged as if I had been truly fighting all along. I could see red, like Sothis's anger at me was palpable, and I closed my eyes.
I said stop.
But within those next ten minutes or so, there was still no appearance by Theron. How much did I have left within me to keep going?
Several soldiers on both sides had collapsed from exhaustion. Faking was almost more tiring than truly fighting, as movements had to be more rigid and controlled than usual. The battlefield appeared to be scattered with bodies and wyverns. No one had much left in them.
Dimitri, who also had abandoned his steed, ran toward me. "How are you doing? You look exhausted. Perhaps we should call it."
I had to keep going. We might not have this opportunity again, and now was the best time. I could turn back time as far as I could, remove some of the fatigue from the others at least temporarily. I focused on Dimitri, but when I blinked, he was gone from in front of me, somewhere out in the field again.
Byleth! Sothis scolded. Stop right this instance.
More time passed. Thirty minutes give or take. Nothing. Where were they?
Do not do it again. This is your last one.
I ignored Sothis's voice. I missed her, certainly, but I did not particularly miss the nagging. I knew my body. I knew the limits. This was the last I could pull from the fire in my soul, all gone but a kindling. The world contorted around me for the last time.
But a minute passed before someone appeared from thin air in front of me—and then two, then three, then a dozen, and more. Some had hoods pulled over their faces, while others like Theron bore their true colors now. He was not in the front of the group, but I could see him in there.
He was the one who stepped forward and approached me, however. He broke from the small crowd of Agarthans and surveyed the field around us. It looked like a battlefield, surely. The blood didn't pool across the ground as it had in some of our battles against the Empire, but there were enough accidental injuries and collapsed men and women to make it look convincing.
"The Almyran army…" Theron muttered, then looked up at me. "Your mutt-friend couldn't prevent this?"
I swung the Sword of the Creator at the group of Agarthans, launching it like a whip, but the group vanished. I spun around as they appeared behind me, but it was a person just past them that caught my attention. Dimitri held Areadbhar offensively now and approached the group with fury in his eye.
A blast of purple light exploded from the Agarthans, and I shielded my eyes with my hand. When the light faded, a crater revealed itself where Dimitri once stood, but my husband was not to be found within.
Instead, I let my gaze travel further. I could see singed fur smoking just beyond the crater.
Dimitri…
I sprinted forward, past the Agarthans, and slid to the ground beside him. I tore off the fur cape and pulled off his breastplate, trying to hold my breath so as not to breathe in the smell of burnt skin. Tears burned in my eyes already, even before I held my ear down to his chest.
The scream that erupted me caused all fighting to cease.
It… couldn't…
"Alas." Theron stepped beside me. "It seems your poor husband is no more."
Author's Note: Um. Sorry to end it on this note. And sorry that this update took a little bit longer. I'm sorry in general. Don't hate me.
Also, if I don't get a chance to update before all the holidays begin, I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season. Specifically, I believe Hanukkah begins tonight, so to those of you who celebrate, Happy Hanukkah!
