(1180)
Day 27 of the Great Tree Moon. Clear skies.
Garreg Mach Monastery. Somehow, it feels inevitable that I keep ending up here.
The place has barely changed. A couple of new buildings here and there.
No sign of the fire.
What would it take to really change a place like this? With a custodian like Rhea?
Then again, I'm hardly one to talk.
1183
Verdant Rain Moon
Byleth was very familiar with guerrilla tactics on a battlefield. Her early reputation had been built on slipping in and out of the smoke and ash; the Ashen Demon had not been named only for her stoicism -but the war of spies that happened off the battlefield was another matter entirely. She understood the basics, was no stranger to interrogation, intelligence and counter-intelligence however? She left those in the capable hands of the experts; Shamir, Hubert, Claude and their operatives.
Edelgard had predicted, correctly it seemed, that without the Empire's support the people of Agartha would withdraw into the shadows to build their own forces. Without a location to march on, they were left chasing frustrating leads into unfruitful skirmishes and watching their backs. The Agarthans had proven very adapt at infiltration.
That was not Byleth's business; hers was to build and command an army to fight them. An army that none of its contributors wanted to actually host.
She thought her solution was rather elegant.
The Church, or rather Seteth, had been generous; as well as the original building that still served as her lodging and office on the main thoroughfare to the Monastery keep, they had also donated the grounds of the old chapel to the Coalition. In a strange mirror to the Officers Academy on the other side of the monastery, this had become the dormitory, classroom and training grounds for nine battalions per annum. The three nations may not wish to support a standing army for the Coalition, but they could not object to hosting their own troops that had been trained to work together against what the Accords called "any outside threat to Fódlan". Therefore, in line with the schedule of the Officer's Academy, as the students were arriving each nation would also send three battalions to train under the tender mercies of Byleth and her chosen instructors. The idea being that they would learn to work together and then return to their usual duties, ready to lead the charge and set the example for everyone else.
Their first test, her first test, had come too soon, at the Rhodos Coast.
Everyone had come back alive, but Seteth hadn't spoken to her outside what was strictly necessary for two moons following the destruction and desecration of the memorials along the shoreline.
Since that catastrophe, the first thing they did was break the battalions into new working groups, containing equal numbers of all nations, and make clear their objective was cooperation, not competition. Willard, long used to integrating new mercenaries to a company, and Alois, who had similar duties with the Knights of Seiros were her greatest aides.
Her staff largely consisted of Jeralt's mercenaries; trusted, loyal and adaptable. Bernadetta von Varley had taken up a role as Byleth's (much needed) assistant, and Balthus, taking full advantage of the Coalition's "neutral" territory to escape his creditors was making a decent go of earning an honest living by brawling those few solders who struggled with the "cooperation" aspect of their training into submission.
Speaking of the denizens of Abyss, she watched carefully as Yuri poured another measure into her glass, signalling him when there was enough and turning back to Constance's lecture.
"-and therefore if we are to solve the circle Solon left behind, or the charming little project Hubert dropped on us, effective communication between myself and the rest of Mage's Enclave is essential!"
Byleth took a generous mouthful and swallowed appreciatively, before setting the glass aside for the moment "At your behest I spoke with Duke Riegan on this matter, extensively, last moon, and again at the start of the year, and the end of last year… To my eyes there is nothing more that could be reasonably done to secure the route between here and southern Ordelia."
"It matters not if the route has every pebble removed from the path if the messenger is unreliable!"
Byleth had been reaching for her glass again, but paused at Constance's retort, considering.
"Recently, the route to the Enclave has been Sanderson's."
"Precisely! He cannot simply hand over the message and be done with it! He must linger and wax lyrical about the journey, the weather, an anecdote that once happened along the way some time ago, the same anecdote again but with vastly different conclusions! I begin to fear I know more about your early life as a mercenary than I do about my own! And I doubt if any of it is factual!"
Byleth sighed, on anyone else it would perhaps be merely an exhale, but Yuri recognised it for what it was and also caught the aggrieved glance that was flicked his way for a second before the General put her neutral façade back into place.
"I'll put someone else on the route, Constance. In future please send requests like this through Bernadetta, I'll get to them much faster. Is there anything else while I'm here?"
Yuri winced and poured himself another measure as Constance started in on her need for an assistant with some greater understanding of Reason magic than was common. A moment later, Byleth's glass was next to his for a further refill.
~o~*~o~
Claude may have outpaced his entourage on the way to Garreg Mach. Just a little.
Or maybe half a day.
He and the ever-dutiful Leonie had clattered into the town around sundown; just as the rest of the train would be breaking camp several leagues back. They couldn't possibly have been expected so early, yet he still felt a stab of disappointment when they entered the General's office only to find Sanderson behind the desk, legs propped up on the table as he reclined with a ledger open in his lap. On realising who had entered he closed the book and jumped to his feet to give a courtly bow, somehow managing to give off the impression he had flourished a cape despite not wearing one.
"Your Grace, a pleasure to see you again. Leonie, you've made excellent time."
"None of my doing," Leonie groused under her breath, before continuing in a clearer tone "Do we have a room ready? The rest should arrive around lunch tomorrow."
"Of course, unless you'd prefer to stay up at the Monastery, your Grace?" Sanderson asked, but Claude waved him down.
"No, thank you, I daresay the rooms here are more than fine." He paused "But, I should make my greetings to the General."
"Oh, don't trouble yourself. The Boss isn't present just at the moment and we don't stand on formalities around here."
"Not here?" Leonie asked before Claude could "She should have arrived back before me. Did something happen?"
"Oh, she's here, right enough. Just not -here."
"So where is she?" Leonie demanded.
"On a date." Sanderson answered with a grin and Claude felt something in his gut turn to ice, fighting to keep his face impassive as Leonie shot him an obvious look "Even the Ashen Demon doesn't lightly spurn a rendezvous with the Savage Mockingbird. Bad for business all round if we start treading on each other's toes."
"The way you say it, it sounds less like a date and more like an intrigue." Claude said carefully.
Sanderson shrugged that off "Oh, let me have my fun. I can feel retirement creeping up on me and I'm determined to see the Boss all flustered at least once before I let it catch me. Teasing her about dates is all I have at the moment."
"Right…" Claude sighed, pressing a hand against his forehead.
~o~*~o~
"You made your point, Mockingbird." Byleth began as they meandered their way back towards her usual entryway to Abyss.
"Did I, Demon? What point was that?" Yuri asked casually
"If Coalition business is to happen in Abyss I cannot simply leave it to you to oversee."
"Well, if I had to hear about it then so did you." Yuri drawled "In the interest of fairness, you understand."
Byleth shook her head, measuring her steps very carefully, in the overly-compensatory way that only someone who knows they've had a drink too many can. Four more and they had entered a section of the passageways where no-one ever lingered.
"Anything new?"
"My birds in the north are singing the same song you've all heard already. Cornelia, Cornelia, Cornelia. It's the south that bothers me."
"The south?"
"Doesn't it strike you as odd? The longest stretch of peace we've seen is seven moons before something stirs the people of Hrym up to rebellion, and whatever Aegir or the lovely Emperor are working on has to be set aside again. If we want to be able to focus on the north then perhaps we would be better off making a clean sweep of the south first. Root out whatever agitating agents have been placed there."
Byleth's head tipped as she considered that for a few more paces, continuing to measure the distance they had left to converse in unheeded by anyone else.
"I agree, however-"
"Yes, the timing." He cut in "I hear you're going a-voyaging. I do hope you're not the kind to get seasick."
"I suppose I'll find out" Byleth answered, as they crossed the unspoken threshold.
"Do give that charmer of yours my sincerest apologies for not preventing his downfall from the good Lady Constance's graces. I could have told you not to set him on that route. She is very particular about distractions from her working time."
Byleth waved him off "Apologise yourself. And do try to keep out of trouble while I'm gone."
"Now where would the fun in that be?"
~o~*~o~
There were no clouds, and the night air was bracing as Byleth climbed out of Abyss and back to the Monastery grounds, the season was ready to turn now that the rains had all but passed. Despite the chill she made her way slowly along the thoroughfare towards the place she'd come to consider her home over the last year or so. Confining as she may find the lack of travel at times, having a steady place to return to was comforting.
Her Father had given up that comfort in order to protect her, long ago.
Now that was a melancholy thought. She blamed Yuri's stash; it may not have come from the Wilted Rose, but it wasn't what she'd consider decent quality either.
There were more lights flickering in the building than she was accustomed to seeing at such an hour as she approached, but she wrote it off as a late messenger having arrived and slipped quietly inside, leaning one shoulder against the doorway to her office, just as Sanderson was signing off the last of the ledgers with a flourish.
"Yuri sends his love."
"Aye, and if I were thirty years younger I'd be foolish enough to accept it." Sanderson answered, not at all startled by her sudden intrusion "Alas for the cruel life that taught me sense. Leonie and His Grace, the Duke of Leicester arrived while you were out, by the way."
"Did they?" Byleth answered, subconsciously straightening before she frowned. The pulse of time beating through her head informed her that it was late; too late to be disturbing anyone.
Sanderson made an affirmative noise as he joined her in the doorway "The Duke wanted a word, he took a tea-tray not a quarter hour ago, so he may still be up. Rest of the entourage arrives tomorrow as we expected; I hope you're prepared." he finished with raised eyebrows.
"Prepared?"
"It seems Lady Goneril is joining you. And representation from the Victor trading company. With the Duke as well, half the gold in Leicester may as well be going on this mission."
Byleth sighed "I'll check in with Claude."
Sanderson nodded and moved off to his own rest with a fond pat to her shoulder. Byleth made her way upstairs, a light was flickering under the door of the best guest room they had in the Coalition base. She paused in front of it. It was late.
It was late, but Claude was waiting.
She knocked.
There was a shuffling sound and movement behind the door for a moment before it cracked open a touch. Seeing it was her, Claude swung the door wide, his eyes crinkling at the edges with his smile.
"What's this? Couldn't wait until the morning to see me, My Friend? Well I'm flattered."
Byleth raised an eyebrow, but refrained from turning those words back on him. "I'm glad you came," she said instead, opting for sincerity "I was concerned I may have to manage without you."
Perhaps it was the hour, the drink, the light, but Claude seemed to hesitate and flush a little pink before his reply "Far be it from me to deny you, Friend. Will you come in?" he asked, stepping back.
Byleth shook her head, as bracing as the air had been, Claude was not a person she wanted to try to keep pace with when she'd been indulging and he hadn't "Thank you, no. Unless there's anything I need to know before morning?"
"Nothing that pressing," Claude admitted, moving back in "I'd appreciate the opportunity to go over some details with you before everyone arrives though, after breakfast?"
"Alright." Byleth agreed. "Goodnight then, Claude."
"Sweet dreams, Byleth." He answered, beginning to pull the door close as she moved away.
It was strange, though, she could have sworn she only heard it click shut once she'd reached her own door.