31st of Verdant Rain Moon
Claude sighed as looked after the rapidly fleeing horse. "Of course that little toad Acheron is involved in this. Of course."
Lorenz sneered. "And of course we have to clean up the weathervane's mess. Typical, really."
The day had started simply- the Golden Deer had arrived fast enough to catch some bandits off guard in the early morning, finishing up the lot that certainly didn't have any lord's backing. The knights Catherine, Shamir, and Cyril had even tagged along, which made things even easier. Hanneman had even been quiet through it all- perhaps too quiet. Claude would have to ask about that later. Then Acheron showed up from a forest path, demanding the fort the bandits had been hiding in be ceded to him.
Well, him and a few dozen mercenaries, all heavily armed and on horseback. The toad had immediately ordered his men to attack the Golden Deer. The resulting fight was made more stressful by the fact that there were apparently civilians and merchants running about the battlefield midway through the fight, something that seemed to catch even Acheron off guard. Claude had been about to ask one why before a peal of roars echoed through the forest.
"It's the demonic beasts!" one merchant yelled. "Someone must have ridden through the forest on horseback! The beasts can't resist the smell of horses, especially in large groups!"
All eyes had turned to Acheron, who made a half dignified squeaking sound, before riding away from the fight, his men in hot pursuit.
"It couldn't possibly be easy. No, we can't sneak about the forest, kill them one at a time. We've got to take on a horde all at once." Claude muttered.
"Where's Tom's group?" a Merchant shouted. "Did anyone see Tom's group?"
"And it just keeps getting better." Leonie growled. Raphael looked uncharacteristically serious, and Ignatz seemed even more nervous than usual.
"Alright, whatever kids." Catherine snorted, unsheathing Thunderbrand. "You can pour candle wax in his marmalade or whatever you Alliance nobles do to each other. I've got a Demonic Beast or three to kill."
A roar sounded from behind a wooded hill, and the snapping of twigs and trees alike rang out. Catherine grinned. "There they are! Come on kids, stay behind me all we'll all be going home in no time!"
Shamir snorted. "Ever since Byleth arrived you've been hopeless."
"Hey!" Catherine shouted back. "She's a wake-up call! If some twenty-year-old can take out a horde of demonic beasts, I should be able to do twice that! Lady Rhea is-"
A crash of wood sounded, and a giant wolf exploded out of the foliage, snarling as its maw opened wide, ready to swallow Catherine whole while her back was turned. The beast's claws gleamed brightly, and Its teeth looked endless. Claude raised his hand and started to shout out a warning, but the monster was already inches away from Catherine. It would take a miracle to save her now-
A flash of lightning burst free from Thunderbrand, forcing Claude to shield his eyes for a moment. When he looked back, the wolf was howling in pain, half a dozen cut's littering the beast's face, each sparking with an electrical power. Catherine stood before the beast, Thunderbrand held casually, sparks dancing along the blade's branches. Another burst of light from the Hero's Relic, and in the next moment Catherine had dug the blade into the creature's eye. The wolf twitched violently before collapsing, a faint smoke rising from its corpse.
"See? I'm just as capable as Byleth is! Even more!" Catherine huffed. "You don't need to be the Blade Breaker's daughter to kill a monster!"
"You just have to have one of those magic Crests you Fódlan people are always on about."
"You mean Major magic Crest!" Catherine shot back.
"…Didn't teach do that without a Hero's relic?" Claude muttered. Shamir twisted her head back to glare at him.
"Do you have any idea how long it took to shut her up about that?" Shamir growled.
"…My lips are sealed."
"Humph." Shamir turned back to Catherine, who was stretching her arm. A band of merchants had come running out of the woods. "Archers, mages, form up. Catherine will take the brunt of these monsters. We keep them from advancing too quickly. Everyone else, keep the merchants safe."
The Golden Deer scrambled to obey, Leonie and Lorenz riding out on their steeds to herd the merchants to safety. Another growl tore through the woods, and Claude nocked an arrow. Beside him, Hanneman did the same with an almost disinterested expression. The beast came crashing through the foliage just as the last merchant rushed out onto the open trail.
"Fire!" Shamir shouted. Ignatz, Cyril, and Claude's arrows sailed through the air, burying themselves into the beat's snout. Shamir fired a moment later and pierced the beast in the eye, causing it to reel back in pain. Hanneman's arrow sailed out afterword, straight and true, striking the beast's shaggy mane. Catherine made short work of the rest of the monster. Claude looked to his side- Hanneman was listlessly tugging at his bowstring, almost daydreaming.
"Say, professor?" Hanneman didn't respond. Claude coughed into his hand. No response. "Professor Hanneman!" Claude shouted. The older man nearly jumped.
"What? Yes, I'm here. What is it?"
"Are you alright?" Claude asked. "You seem out of it. Earlier, too."
"I'm fine, thank you. Just thinking."
"Really? Cause you seem really lost."
Hanneman was still for a moment, before pushing his glasses up his nose. "I've been given much to think about."
Claude gave a sympathetic look. "It's not a death in the family, is it?"
"What? No, no." Hanneman's mustache twitched. "It's just…a problem that my work brought up- a private matter, so please don't pry. You've learned how I am by now."
"We all miss you in class, professor." Claude bit his lip. The only person giving people too much to think about in Garreg Mach had her fingers in far too many pies. Hanneman was also working on something related to Lysithea's twin Crests-whatever he was worried about probably had something to do with it.
But given how much Fódlan obsessed over Crests and the amount of time Byleth had spent working away in Hanneman's laboratory, it might be worth a try to figure out exactly what was bothering Hanneman so much. Maybe his professor had a diary Claude could look through after Hanneman collapsed from exhaustion? Or maybe he could try to get Lysithea to translate whatever notes the professor had lying around in his office-
Three distinct roars echoed out of the forest. "Get the merchants to safety!" Shamir shouted. Raphael carried the last two stragglers over his shoulders. Lorenz hoisted a young boy up onto his horse. Marianne was healing the cuts and bruises of the already rescued civilians.
Then between the roars growing ever closer, another one sounded from a clearing. Neighing and an all too familiar panicked squawk of a voice came rushing back into the Golden Dear's lives.
"HELP! HELP!" Acheron shouted. "A beast ambushed my party, and my men fled without me! You have to rescue me too!" his horse ran into the Golden Deer's lines, very nearly running over two merchants to reach the safety of the fort.
"What are you doing!" Ignatz shouted. "You can't just run over people like they are nothing!"
Acheron's face turned a revolting shade of purple. "I'm more important than a bunch of merchants!"
"You must be joking." Lorenz spat. "How is this oaf still causing us problems!"
"Can we just not rescue him?" Hilda asked loudly. "We would save ourselves a bunch of trouble…"
"Well, Acheron controls a fairly important border region, and letting him get killed would stir all sorts of trouble for Count Gloucester, and make him even angrier at me." Claude said.
"So it's the best idea Hilda's had all week." Lorenz said as he glared down at Acheron cowering behind the wall.
A thoughtful noise escaped Claude. "You know Lorenz, you have this wonderful habit of being right when I least expect it."
Hapi chewed on her lip. The sunlight felt nice against her skin- a welcome reprieve to the usual clammy coldness of Abyss. Plus she could just walk in the shade of the tall cedar trees if she wanted a break. It was nice to have choices. The hilly road was full of plenty of gorgeous sights and pretty views, and best of all, not a single wannabe suitor was in sight or earshot.
As for the rest of the party, Balthus and Yuri didn't seem to mind it. Byleth was as talkative as ever, eyes fixed on the road. Aelfric was chatting about something or other with Seteth. At least that meant Hapi didn't have to entertain the stick in the mud. His little sister seemed ecstatic, skipping around Byleth and the Wyvern that casually lumbered behind them.
Constance, of course, was miserable in the sunlight, but three out of four Ashen Wolves wasn't bad.
"Is this your first time visiting Adrestia, everyone?" Flayn asked cheerfully. "I have not been able to visit its cities in many years! I wonder how they have changed…"
"Oh yeah, I've been to Adrestia a few times before." Balthus said, puffing out his chest. "Went down here to fight some tournaments in Enbarr. Good brawls." Then he frowned. "But then I did pick up a pretty heavy bar tab…" His shoulders slumped. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back…"
"I share your sentiments, Balthus." Constance sighed drearily. "My return only reminds me of my failures. The house of Neuville will not be restored to its glory by a worthless, sniveling wretch like me."
Flayn blinked. Her mouth thinned. "…You have…my condolences?"
Constance sighed dramatically. "It is just as well you hesitate with your pity. I would only burden you with more of my failures-"
Yuri looked at Balthus and pointed at Constance. Balthus nodded, lifted up Constance by her arms and placed her on the side of road, firmly under the tree's shadows. Constance shook her head, then huffed indignantly. "Yuri! I am heir to the great house of Neuville! You cannot simply order Balthus to move me like some farm animal!"
Balthus rubbed his neck. "Sorry Constance…"
Yuri shrugged. "I've seen the sights in the empire. Pretty nice place to do legitimate business."
"Don't just ignore me!" Constance shouted.
Flayn blinked. "What a peculiar cast of characters."
"That's the Ashen Wolves for you. We're a regular band of clowns." Hapi deadpanned. "Still, it's nice to be able to get away from the church for a while."
"Oh, I had forgotten…" Flayn murmured. "You have also been locked away in Garreg Mach? Like me?"
Hapi looked at the girl. She wore her green hair in a style that looked like it would take more time to comb then Constance's, wore clothes that looked to be the highest quality of craftsmanship, and wore two hairpins that looked like they could sell for a small fortune to an antique collector.
Hapi scratched her hair. There was still some dust that just wouldn't come out. "Yeah, exactly like you."
The group stopped in a clearing to rest around midday. Aelfric wondered over to look over Constance, and Seteth was busy fussing over Flayn. Yuri was chewing on an apple while Balthus had gotten a bit of jerky out of his pouch. Hapi picked at a loaf of bread.
"Hello."
Hapi looked up to see Byleth standing beside her. "Hey Chatterbox. What's up?"
Byleth shrugged, and sat down next to Hapi. "How is the Sign of Timotheos I gave you working?"
"Good. Great." It felt warm in her pocket. "Shai's finding all sorts of rocks to eat back home."
"You didn't take him with us?"
"Nah." Hapi stretched her arms over her head. "He'd have to move quick through a lot of unfamiliar territory. Shai gets lost often enough at Garreg Mach, and I didn't want to risk him wandering off every time he could get distracted."
Byleth hummed. They stayed quiet for a time, watching the clouds drift. It was nice to see without church towers blocking the view.
"Say, Chatterbox?"
Byleth turned her head. "Yes?"
"You're pretty close to her holiness, right?" Hapi finished her loaf of bread. "How come?"
Byleth pressed her lips together. "I share history with her through my father."
"And so you pal around with her?"
"To an extent."
"Does she…" Hapi paused, then huffed. "Is she always like she was when we met in her office with you?"
Byleth tilted her head. "More or less."
"Humph." Hapi fell back into the grass. "Always that self-righteous, huh?" She flicked some hair out of her eyes. "Are you friends with her?"
Byleth's voice didn't change tone. "I wouldn't exactly call us friends."
But she didn't say she wasn't. Hapi's mouth twitched. Byleth put her hands on her knees. "Why do you ask any of this."
Hapi closed her eyes. She could still see Rhea's furious gaze staring her down, her fist just millimeters away from ripping an ear off. The way she looked down at Hapi like she was nothing more than trash to be swept away.
"She pisses me off." Hapi said. "I wanna get back at her."
"Destroy her favorite hallway?" Byleth drawled.
"Nah." Hapi stood up. "Maybe I'll start up a nasty rumor. Haven't figured it out yet." Her thoughts drifted to the only tempting offer she had received in the past month. "Well. Maybe I have."
"Don't hurt anyone, please."
Hapi smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not like her. I only hurt people who try to hurt me."
Edelgard smoothed out a wrinkle on her uniform. Hubert stood behind her, arms folded behind his back. The guards standing in front of Lord Arundel's gate shifted nervously. The Black Eagles kept themselves busy helping Jeralt's mercenaries keep the prisoners secure. The prisoners themselves radiated a nervous energy. Quiet murmurs sprang up and down the prisoner's column, spreading to the students, the mercenaries, and even the guards. Edelgard breathed in, remaining calm. An eerie quiet had settled at the gate, no one ready to break it quite yet.
Before them stood a gated fortress, buildings made of stone and mortar, each brick laid to inspire majesty and awe- It was not Fort Merceus, but the guard spires could easily match the stubborn old general's height and splendor, and the number of men patrolling could make telling them apart difficult. Surrounding the fort was a well-maintained garden, full of trees and flowerbeds all uniformly placed along rows, each section mirroring the other side. Each shrub and tree was meticulously clipped and sheared, with gardeners buzzing about plants, barely paying any attention to the crowd outside the gate.
And at the center of the garden, clear to see from the outside, was an execution scaffold. The nooses dangled on a gentle wind.
"Does your uncle usually make people wait outside his forts?" Jeralt asked aloud, his voice casual.
Edelgard turned her head to him. The captain had an almost bored look about him, idly scratching the back of his head. His posture was relaxed, and he was very nearly slouching atop his horse. His eyes slowly wandered from fence post to fence post, glancing at the well-maintained garden inside the Arundel estate.
"My uncle should be along shortly."
"Huh." Jeralt scratched the back of his horse's ears. "And why do we need to wait for him? I figured he would have better things to do then watch a bunch of convicts be shuffled around his prisons."
"I am in the habit of overseeing prisoner transfers." A calm voice wafted through the gate bars. Everyone turned. Arundel was standing in front of the gate, composed and formal, expression betraying nothing. His eye locked onto Edelgard's. "Niece."
A silent shudder passed through Edelgard. She bowed her head to hide it. "Uncle. It has been too long."
The guards rushed to open the gate, and Arundel waved the group in, his voice dully polite. "My warmest greetings to you all, be we already acquainted," He nodded to Hubert and Ferdinand. "Or young people I have only heard of." He looked at Petra and Caspar. "Thank you for your service. Please, come in, and bring your…guests." It was difficult to tell if Arundel was looking at the prisoners being held captive by the mercenaries or the mercenaries keeping the prisoners in order. The gate was fully opened, and the group began to march towards the fortress.
"Thank you, Lord Arundel!" Manuela stepped forward, smiling brightly. "I'm Manuela Casagrada, the Black Eagles' professor. My students and I are all honored to meet you!"
Arundel gave a small sniff. "Please, the pleasure is mine." His voice remained steady and almost unengaged. "I have heard much of you from graduates among my minsters. Your lessons sound sobering."
Manuela hid her frown well beneath her smile. Arundel turned to Jeralt. "And you must be the Blade Breaker, correct? Recently returned to the church from your work as a mercenary?"
Jeralt shrugged. "The church just offered me a nice contract for the year. Figured my men and I could use a bit of stability."
"And for your daughter as well, I imagine? I have heard she is of age, and is making quite a name for herself."
Edelgard felt her fingers tighten on instinct. She bit her tongue and forced herself to suppress the invading impulse. Jeralt paused for a moment, before replying neutrally. "She's always been an independent spirit."
"Indeed." Arundel swept his hand to the left, towards a small stone building standing just next to the fortress. "That is our entrance for prisoners. I trust you and your men have more than enough experience turning in bounties. Help the prison staff manage the sorting." He looked at the rest of the Black Eagles. "And I am sure your class are eager learn about bookkeeping and other valuable lessons they don't teach you enough of in the officer's academy."
"But I thought you wanted to oversee the prisoners?" Caspar asked.
Arundel looked back at the boy, an unblinking stare. "I decided you were capable enough to follow my servant's directions in sorting the prisoners." He said in the same even tone. "Am I wrong?"
The students and mercenaries alike looked at Arundel with a mixture of annoyance and grudging obedience. Arundel turned towards the fortress, and began to walk. "Edelgard, come. We have something to discuss."
Edelgard looked after her uncle, who continued to walk away and not look back. Manuela approached Edelgard, no longer bothering to hide her twitching eyebrow. "Your uncle is a real charmer."
Edelgard bit her cheek. "I have learned as much."
Manuela's expression softened. "He isn't always this rude to you, is he?"
"No." He was worse. "Still, I'd better go speak to him."
"I will go with you." Hubert said, bowing his head.
Manuela looked surprised, but quickly smiled. "Alright. Look out for Edelgard for us, will you Hubert? We'll deal with the prisoners."
"Yeah Hubie, make sure none of his slime gets on her, will you?" Dorothea chimed in.
"Just don't let his temperament get to either of you. That will do no one any good." Ferdinand added.
The rest of the Black Eagles quickly joined. "Do not allow of him to stomp on the pride of yours. Both you are better than that."
"Yeah! You can show that jerk Arundel what's what!"
"J-just don't make him loose his temper…"
"I agree. Healing you on top of sorting through this sorry lot's paperwork sounds exhausting."
Edelgard looked at her classmates, all wearing bright smiles or supportive expressions.
It felt unfamiliar. She settled for nodding politely. "Thank you. I will try."
Edelgard turned to walk after Arundel, who had not so much has paused to wait for her. She kept her trot quick enough to catch up to her uncle, but not fast enough to give the idea that she moved at his pace. As she passed the gallows, Edelgard turned her head back to see her classmates still waving after her.
"Lady Edelgard?" Hubert questioned. Edelgard blinked. "It's been a minute."
"…It's nothing." Edelgard continued on. Arundel awaited them atop a flight of stairs to the fortress' main entrance, staring down at her.
They made their way into the castle, up a spiraling flight of stairs. A door opened and a cold stone room appeared, decorated with a wooden desk and a chair. Arundel took his seat and folding his hands together. Edelgard stood before him, unflinching. Hubert, ever loyal, stood behind her.
"What do you want?" Edelgard asked.
"What do you know of this Byleth's motivations?" Arundel asked back.
"Only what she has told me. I've said as much."
"Yes, you have." Arundel sniffed. "She has been taking steps to ingratiate herself with the church. I know she is very close to the archbishop."
Edelgard paused. Arundel was leading her somewhere. "I have noticed."
"And she is also trying to influence you to stop the war."
Edelgard felt something freeze. She dug her nails into her palm and continued on. "What is your point, Thales?"
Arundel rolled his eyes. "Perhaps sleeping in the enemy's den has made you forget. A war is coming. We together will unleash it on the church. I have been hard at work, summoning our armies. Bringing the other lords into order. Hiding away our strength from prying eyes. This is not simple. It has required years of machinations to achieve. From me. From our allies. From you." He raised a finger and pointed it out of the window. "Those criminals you escorted are here to have their sentence commuted by serving their empire, be it through forging our weapons, fighting in the frontlines, or-" Arundel lowered his hand. "-To be both."
"What do you want from me?" Edelgard's eyes narrowed. "Do you doubt my commitment? I have secured Countess Varley's cooperation. I will soon make a deal with Count Bergliez, and secure the full might of the empire. I have aided you when you asked. What more do you want?"
"To impress upon you the importance of our task in the final hours of preparation." Arundel remained firm. "We are making war against the church. To break the power of the monsters who control it. To allow humanity to find its own path. And now in the final stretch, you are confronted by a woman who has the monster's ear. She even looks like one of them." Edelgard could see the veins bulging under Arundel's gloves. "Why should you trust anything she says?"
"Who says I do?" Edelgard's annoyance crept into her voice. "Must I repeat myself? What is your point?"
"My point is that you should ask yourself what this future witness has decided not to tell you." Arundel leaned forward. "Do you want to know the true lie the church has infected the land with?"
"I already know that the Archbishop isn't human. She is the Immaculate One, who has controlled humanity for millennia."
Arundel smirked. "And who do you think the Immaculate One is?"
Edelgard blinked. "What?"
"Saint Seiros, of course."
"I-" Edelgard stumbled on her words and her jaw grew slack. "…What?"
Arundel stood, looming over his desk. "The entire history of the church, from its founding, is rotten to the core. The very monsters that have led humanity to war against itself are the same monsters that enslaved humanity in false dogma from the beginning."
Edelgard stared. Arundel continued. "And now this Byleth reaches her hand out to you, while her other is firmly grasped around our enemy's. She will not allow us to save the world. She is a tool in a much larger game. Something the archbishop will use to cling onto power." He took a deep breath, and locked eyes with Edelgard. "The war is coming, sooner than you know. When your time comes, you must put aside weakness, and walk the leader's path. Byleth will become an obstacle that we must overcome." Arundel leaned back into his chair. "Her powers of foresight make that challenging to the extreme." He smirked, and Edelgard remembered the last time she had seen that smile all too clearly. "But we have something special for her. You need not fear."
Edelgard felt her fingernails at their breaking point against her palm. "Is that all?"
Arundel nodded his head. "I know you will make the correct decision. Humanity's future is in the balance, after all." He stood up and opened the door. An older woman with matted grey hair stood, taking one glance at Edelgard before looking down at the floor. "My secretary will see you out."
Edelgard stared down Arundel a moment more, before marching out of the room, Hubert stepping after her.
What was Arundel's play? He clearly suspected her of siding with Byleth, and was trying to ensure her loyalty. That meant he still needed her, at least. But to claim Rhea was Seiros- the idea confused her- she wasn't sure what to think. And then-
Edelgard saw Rhea standing in her strange battle garb, hate burning in her eyes. In a moment, her fist descended. "Wicked-!"
Edelgard shook her head. "Hubert. What did you think about what he said about…" She glanced at the secretary leading them. The old woman still had her eyes locked on to the cobbled stone beneath their feet. "-The archbishop?"
"…If true, it would certainly strengthen our position." Hubert said after a moment. "If proven, we could uproot the entire rotten structure…" He muttered something under his breath. "Though this is undoubtably a ploy by him. If we are to prove it…" He looked up at her. "I might be able to turn up something. I will need to…hmm."
The old woman turned a corner and opened a door. Fresh air poured through, and Edelgard stepped out into the light. The gallows stood tall in front of her. One man was being fitted for a noose. "Arundel doubts me. He's trying to manipulate us."
Hubert gave a formal bow. "Then we will find ways of forcing him to dance to our tune." His eyes narrowed and a smirk played across his lips. "But no matter what you choose, Lady Edelgard, I will follow you to the end."
"Thank you, Hubert." Edelgard gave a small smile of her own. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the old woman run back into the castle. Edelgard found it a bit odd. The secretary had been quite controlled up until now. Edelgard turned back towards her class, and found an answer. Perhaps working in Arundel's employ didn't desensitize you to everything.
On the scaffold, a stiff figure danced on the breeze.
Dimitri stared blankly ahead as storm clouds began to gather above. It would rain soon, but the Blue Lions would reach the fortress Miklan was hiding away in before long, perhaps before nightfall. Gustave, or Gilbert as he called himself, was marching forward, pointedly not looking back. Dimitri could see Anette hesitating out of the corner of his eye. Alois was smiling broadly, talking loudly and with great cheer. Between Dimitri and their professor, Dedue and Mercedes quietly marched along, talking about this and that. Dimitri allowed himself to listen in as his own thoughts closed in much too loudly.
"Why do your gods not have names?" Mercedes asked. "It seems so strange to me. How do you know who you're talking about?"
"The gods are the gods. They do not need names. Their titles carry more weight than any name could." Dedue paused, making a thoughtful sound. "It is not unlike your goddess, is it not? You are not allowed to speak her name in vain, correct?"
"Oh, I see. I suppose we are a bit similar." Mercedes said. "But the goddess still has a name. It's just a bit strange, I suppose. Especially if you have to keep track of so many…"
"Each god has their own domain, their own myths, their own hymns. None who know of the gods of Duscur would confuse any of them." Dedue paused. Dimitri could sense his friend looking at him.
"I think I understand." Mercedes nodded. "It's like how we know that when we talk about the academy, we are only talking about Garreg Mach, even if we never say the school's name?"
Dedue gave a small hum. "Something like that, yes." Dimitri felt Dedue's gaze slip away towards Mercedes, and their conversation shifted towards baking.
"Do you always allow your subjects to gossip about heresy?"
Dimitri rubbed his eyes. The last few days had left him nearly unable to sleep. The ghosts waned in and out of focus, growing more unpredictable. In the beginning, he had thought to seek Byleth's advice. He would approach, and then turn away, the words that caused his restlessness ringing even louder in his ears.
"You are not their father boy. A worthless son is unfit to produce heirs." His mother hissed. "It's just another trick the witch is using to bring you to her heel."
She didn't see him; she couldn't have known-
"You think you could ever be loved? And by a peasant? Do you pine for a future with the girl, where your children die young and she cannot stand to remember all the lost faces you give her?" His father sneered. "Now that I say it, that sounds exactly like what you deserve."
No. He was not pining after Byleth. She offered him a hand in friendship, that was all-
"The looks the wench gives you are the same you give a dog starved of attention. Are you truly this easy to lead, Dimitri?" Glenn all but screamed. "No wonder you can't force answers out of her. You're too weak to avenge us!"
He would clear them of their burden, they just had to wait a little bit longer, if they would just stalk talking and listen for once-
"Boar! Stop!" Dimitri blinked, Felix ran up from behind him, scowl etched on his face. "Are you this pathetic?"
"What?"
Felix scoffed. "I wonder if I should rename you. A wild animal at least knows better than to walk off a cliff."
Dimitri looked down. Before him was a small hill, which quickly turned into a small ridge as high as a loadbearing wall. "Oh." He turned to Felix, who glowered. "Thank-" And with that Felix nearly shoved past Dimitri. Dedue trotted towards the ledge, looking after Felix.
"My deepest apologies, your highness. I should not have allowed myself to be distract-"
"No. No, it's fine Dedue. You don't need to hover over me all the time. The mistake is mine." Dimitri shook his head. "Just a passing spell. Nothing to worry about."
Dedue's frown deepened. "Those have been growing more frequent."
Dimitri forced a smile. "They have come and gone before. I can handle it."
Dedue pursed his lips and fell behind Dimitri. Mercedes trotted over to them, a worried look on her face. Annette, Sylvain, and Ashe had paused in their march, looking to Dimitri. He swallowed, and continued on the trek. He heard Dedue and Mercedes quietly restart their conversation, now focused on spices used in desserts. Ahead of them, Alois was still loudly telling Gilbert about how there were no fish to be found in Garreg Mach's pond, neither having noticed Dimitri's half a minute long pause.
Dedue coughed. Dimitri looked back to his worried face. "Your highness. Something needs to be done. If you do not speak to someone, I must."
Dimitri sighed. "Yes. I understand."
"Hey Dimitri, what's wrong?" Sylvain asked. "You've been really withdrawn lately. You've been going up and down this year, but in the past week it's like you're lost in a haze."
"Is the idea of becoming king getting to you?" Anette asked in a hushed tone.
"No, that's not it…" Dimitri pursed his lips. "It's just…everything in the past few years has been so chaotic. I worry for…everything, and hope for a more peaceful time to come. Like what we knew in our childhood."
Sylvain almost frowned before smiling. "Yeah, I get that. It'd be nice not to have worry about so much."
"You fantasize about running away from your duty." His father snorted. "Typical."
Dimitri rubbed his eyes. "Perhaps I just miss having adults I can…" His tongue went dry for a moment. "…Talk to not as a prince, but as…"
"Someone who will allow you to chase after skirts? Waste away unable to take an opportunity for revenge?" His mother's voice chided. "Truly, an ungrateful, ill-bred boy. What would your birth-mother think- "
"…a parent." Dimitri finished.
Ashe looked westward. Annette stared off towards Gilbert. "I know the feeling."
Sylvain gave Dimitri a sad half smile. Dedue pursed his lips. Mercedes tugged at her hair. The group marched on, only occasionally commenting on a passing landmark. Ingrid joined them, but could only watch as the mood settled over the class. Every so often, Dimitri would try to strain to hear the ghosts, but they too had fallen silent. Alois would occasionally turn back to check up on them, cheerful as ever. Gilbert would stop to enquire on their well-being, ignoring Annette, who frowned a bit more. Felix kept ahead of them all.
Their dour march was interrupted by a clatter of hooves on the dirt road behind them. Dimitri looked back to see a lone rider covered in a dark cloak, rapidly approaching the Blue Lions. The rider caught sight of them from beneath her cloak and slowed the brown horse down to a trot, moving just across the road from the group.
Alois smiled and placed himself between the class and the rider. "Ahoy, traveler! I hope you don't mind, but It be-hooves me to ask who you are!"
The rider stopped for a moment, staring at Alois. Then in a swift motion, long red hair spilled out as she removed her hood.
"Prince Dimitri." Cornelia cooed. "I hope I'm not too late to join you."
As always, thanks to Dox for beta reading!
Well, it's been a while. Gotta get back into the swing of things.
