Many years after...
Byleth slowly opened his eyes to the cool color palette of Sothis' throne room, faintly lit by light streaming in from the void above. Other than the illuminated throne and its immediate surroundings, the space was pitch black, its inky depths revealing nothing to no one. The stone floor was cool to the touch, while the air matched the lukewarm temperatures of the current spring. Glancing sideways, he noticed Beleth seemed to have joined him tonight in this dream. A haughty voice drew his attention away from his sister.
"You could not live with your own failure," Sothis began in a deep voice, mirth showing through the cracks in her act. "And where did that bring you?" She gave one self-important downward glance at the Eisners.
"Back to me."
She managed to keep her composure for a solid two seconds, before breaking out into a fit of giggles that shook the entirety of her small frame.
Byleth glanced at Beleth, who looked at the floor guiltily.
He knew he should have kept the book of Starloon's one-liners away from the two of them.
He merely sighed, and stepped forward. "Same as ever Sothis," he called out in an exasperated voice.
She winked, body stretched out across her throne, and purred, "You know you love me."
Scratch that, Byleth should keep Sothis away from Beleth in general (And both of them away from Starloon too).
He shot Beleth a glare, determined to get across his disapproval. For now, he settled on a deeper exasperated sigh, but eyed Sothis fondly. "It's good to see you," he admitted.
"See?" Sothis squealed in delight. "Was that so hard to do?"
"I apologize for my brother's impudence." Beleth wore a light smile on her face, clearly enjoying seeing her brother flounder. "But I am afraid that catching up will have to wait." Her expression turned grimmer, and she adopted a classic thinking pose (Dammit Starloon). "We don't have much time before they come."
"True. First impressions are important." Byleth remarked. He remembered the trio well, even after the many decades he lived after their deaths and as a child. "If we don't want to make hard decisions, we'll need need to be very precise with our execution."
"Trust will be the first thing to build then," Sothis yawned.
"Naturally. The lords are wary enough as it is, even with their allies," Beleth responded.
"We'll need to gain their full trust, right off the bat," Byleth summarized. He still had the journal detailing his student's quirks in a chest somewhere. "Claude is a prime example of how hard it is to remain neutral in such a war."
"Mmm," Sothos mewled cutely, back stretched out in a feline manner. She rolled over, legs flung over the stone throne's armrests. "That is all well and good, but it seems you are due to rise. We'll continue this another time." The last few words became drawn out, as Sothos slowly succumbed to fatigue. She gave one last sleepy wink, eyelash fluttering to sleep before the Eisners awoke to the sound of their father's voice.
"Vibe check."
A dull thud followed the male mercenary's deadpan exclamation, adding another body to his kill count. Seemingly unshaken, he merely flicked the blood off his blade and stepped back behind Dimitri.
"Watch yourself," he warned, voice betraying no fatigue or emotion. It was hard to believe those blank eyes were so animated when they first met. "You need to make sure you don't charge too far ahead of the group."
All Dimitri could do was nod numbly, the mercenary already briskly sauntering over to Claude's side, no doubt preparing to reassess the situation.
The twins were an eccentric bunch, if not good people. They seemed to hold an entirely different culture compared to the rest of the mercenaries, or even compared to people in general. The obscure, wacky references completely contrasted to the cold, ruthless killing method they employed.
Dimitri idly twirled his spear, flicking off the blood from the dead bandit. Skilled as the Eisners were, they seemed to let the royals take most of the fighting, merely intervening when things became dangerous. Their indifference to the trio's position was refreshing.
"Your Kingliness!"
Claude's call broke Dimitri out of his musing, as he jogged his way over to the prince. "We're advancing to the next thicket of trees," he motioned, hands pointing towards where Edelgard and the female mercenary were currently situated. "Ah, thank you," he replied in a distracted tone. Setting aside his thoughts for later, he nodded and moved into position.
From across the field, Claude saw the bandit leader leap up and charge.
His eyes widened a fraction as he saw the target of his assault. Edelgard, having forgone her ax, was wide open.
"Dimitri!" Claude yelled, beckoning the prince to follow him. He broke off into a sprint.
Claude knew that they wouldn't likely be able to cross such a large distance in time. A shame too. He'd much rather deal with someone like Edelgard on the throne instead of some tyrant who would no doubt fill the power vacuum should she die.
Should he go for a Deadeye? He wasn't quite that confident with the bow yet, and there was a high chance that Edelgard could be hit. Then again, she would be dead if he didn't do anything.
Claude skidded to a halt, unslinging his bow. He reached for an arrow-
"Yoink."
With startling swiftness, the male twin darted in front of Edelgard, sword flicking up into an expertly placed parry. The ax and bandit went comically spirling through the air, landing a good distance away from the two.
He reacted to that awfully quick. Almost as if he knew beforehand.
"Hey, over here!" Claude called out.
The mercenary jumped a little bit, sword point flashing out as he moved in front of Edelgard. He relaxed as soon as he caught sight of Claude.
"The Knights of Seiros are here! We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students!"
A little late to the party, Alois.
"I'll be right back," the mercenary said, devoid of any of the emotion he initially showed. "Name's Byleth, by the way." He bowed stiffly, and walked over to join his father.
When he rejoined the group, Edelgard immediately leapt upon Byleth. "I appreciate your help back there. Your skill is beyond question."
Claude kept half an ear out for the praise that Edelgard was delivering, a rarity for her. He already knew where this conversation was going. More interestingly was Byleth's reaction, or rather, lack thereof. His face bore no allusion to his thoughts, carefully crafted to neutrally.
"Hey! You are coming with us to the monastery, right?" Claude interjected. Perhaps he would react to personality instead of praise. "Of course you are. I'd love to bend your ear as we travel"
He continued, adjusting his words to sound like a haughty, irresponsible noble. He morphed his face into one of disappointment. "We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it"
"That would be because you ran off."
Ah, and there is Edelgard's disapproval.
Not quite the person he was fishing a reaction from though. "Too true," Claude began. Perhaps a disregard for comrade lives would get a rise out of Byleth? "I was the first to make a strategic retreat."
"Ah, so that's what you were thinking, Claude. And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all."
Sweet, sweet Dimitri. Claude only kept half an ear out for the verbal lashing that followed from Edelgard, throwing in his own comment to stoke the flames.
Throughout the entire exchange, Byleth didn't show even the slightest bit of discomfort.
"Your skill is precisely why I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire," Edelgard finished.
And there is the recruitment fish.
Not to be outdone, Dimitri cut in, "Halt, Edelgard. Please allow me to finish my own proposition."
Byleth remained unmoved through Dimitri's pitch.
Ah, might as well show some effort."So, capable stranger, let's get right to it. Where does your allegiance lie?" Claude finished.
"I apologize, but that decision must go through my father. However, I do appreciate the offer."
A crowd-pleasing answer that takes no sides.
This man had something to hide, nefarious or otherwise. And Claude wouldn't rest until he found out what it was.
Beleth would not accept that she has gotten this bad.
Sure, she ended up marrying each of them a couple of times in different timelines. However, that shouldn't mean she should consistently smiling in their presence! She internally shook her head; it is almost like she has been reduced to a squealing schoolgirl.
They didn't even know her for Sothis sake!
"You truly are hopeless," Sothis sighed. Oh look, the progenitor goddess is awake.
I'm not that bad!
"Your roaming thoughts tell otherwise," Sothis huffed, gesturing towards Byleth. "And go save your brother before he has a panic attack."
Byleth was indeed floundering. However subtle, the hard blinking and hand twitches indeed pointed to his lack of focus.
"At least we can thank the heavens that you two are naturally inexpressive," Sothis continued. "Otherwise you'd be making complete fools of yourselves."
Slightly offended but okay.
"Are you alright?" Dimitri's voice broke Beleth out of her musings. Against her will, her heart fluttered at the concern in his voice.
"Fine, thank you," Beleth nodded slowly, breaking away her gaze. She hoped she didn't stare too long or too short. She refocused her gaze on the monastery at the distance. "I assume that is our destination?" she asked.
His eyes lit up. "Yes! This will be your first time at the monastery, is it not? I would be happy to show you around."
Ah heck, that was cute.
Claude flicked his head backward, the movement of his bangs drawing Beleth to his eyes (She remembered how those green orbs would stare at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world). His laid back smile was simply another arrow through Beleth's heart. "Garreg Mach Monastery," he began, "It really is Fodland in a nutshell. The good and the bad."
And she was planning to go for Ashe this run too...
"Like it or not, we'll be there soon," Edelgard said.
Byleth's head jerked upwards, seemingly startled. He turned ahead to the monastery, framed by the midday sun.
"You two are hopeless," Sothis lamented.
"Cheerio there."
The female twin (Beleth, was it?) came barreling into view, footsteps pounding loudly against the tile and cape flapping behind him. She came to an abrupt halt in front of Edelgard, face blank.
Running everywhere they go, it seems, was just another oddity of the mercenary duo.
"So you've accepted a teaching position," Edelgard nodded. "Pity. I was hoping you would lend your strength to the Empire."
Well, perhaps she could still win the professor over to her own house. And then…
"I wonder if you'll be tasked with leading the Black Eagles," she offhandedly commented, finishing her introduction.
"Actually, that's why I'm here," Beleth blinked. "Get a good idea of each house and all." She shrugged lightly. "My brother may follow up later if he has additional questions, but he's tied up with professor debriefing. Care to go through each of your classmates? Starting with you of course."
Edelgard blinked, caught slightly off guard. "Me?" She began, "Well..."
She tried to present her classmates in a way that showed their potential. Throughout all of the professor's questions, she made sure to plant the idea in the new professor's mind that perhaps the current society was not the way it should be...
She had a goal to reach, and an asset to acquire.
You ready?
"Hanneman, was it?" Byleth inquired rhetorically.
"Ah, yes," he replied, voice wispy. "How may I help you?"
Byleth fingered an old letter inside his coat, the parchment soft from time. "I was wondering if you recognized this." He pulled the letter out, folded immaculately in half. "It's from an old friend of mine, Starloon"
"I hope you would still consider me your friend," a joking voice rang out, unheard to everyone but Byleth.
Hanneman regarded the yellowed letter with interest. "Yes, I do," He laughed. "Quite hard to forget such a young prodigy in crest research."
"You better believe it," the voice huffed proudly.
"He would have been glad to hear you say that," Byleth nodded. "Do you remember the research he wanted to talk with you about?"
Hanneman's eyes skimmed over the paper briefly. "Ah, that subject," he began. "Even now, it is legally ambiguous, much like my own research. But yes, the concept was intriguing, and even lead to contributions in my own field." He turned his eyes to Byleth. "How is the boy doing? I imagine he must be about your age now."
"We lost him on a job," Byleth said stiffly. "It had to been about a year or two after he left to meet you."
"My condolences," Hanneman became somber. "To die at such a young age…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Well, as I said, I hope it is some solace to both of you that his work, in a way, is being carried on."
"And yet, it is never enough…" the voice spat bitterly. Byleth knew it was more so towards himself than towards Hanneman.
"Thank you," Byleth murmured. "Is there any way I could help your research?"
"There is," Hanneman confirmed, eyes lighting up slightly. "I apologize to ask about this after such a topic, but while you're here… I'd like to use this device I designed to determine whether the power of a Crest resides within you. Won't hurt a bit. Promise."
Byleth nodded, his thoughts void of his usual internal quips. "For the cause, I suppose," he sighed.
Author's Notes:
Chapter 6 is already up on my Blogger! I've been posting there since it is easier to update and format. Please check it out, it would greatly help accelerate the revisal process so I can get it posted here!
