(1180)
Day 28 of the Red Wolf Moon. The wind is biting.
I don't regret my decisions, but maybe I wasn't doing the Kid the favour I thought I was.
Not in keeping her as isolated as I did anyway. It turns out she is a people person.
She smiles just like her Mother.
And despite everything we've learned, she's doing it more often.
I thought my heart was half-dead, but here we are, and it's only gotten bigger.
1183
Verdant Rain Moon
When Leonie awoke on her birthday a new pair of boots were sitting innocently just inside her door, a neatly tied bow in pale pink perched atop them. She'd only just managed to find Byleth to thank her when Hilda turned up to drag them both away; somehow, Claude had let Balthus goad him into a wrestling match. Maybe it was because he'd been challenged in front of this year's Golden Deer, maybe he was trying to subtly promote the Almyran rule set, maybe he was thinking it would be a bonding experience for their travel party on their last day at the Monastery, maybe it was all of those.
Maybe it was just because Balthus had made implications about his mother, Leonie honestly couldn't tell with Claude; what she did know was they were three rounds in and it was pretty good sport. Sanderson and Raoul were shouting bets back and forth at each other, taunting Balthus who couldn't join in even to bet on himself -he was under strict instruction from Byleth that he would not gamble on Coalition ground and under pain of lecture from Seteth that he would not gamble on Monastery ground. He certainly wasn't going to bet in front of Byleth when she was observing from the side-lines.
Hilda cleared her throat on Byleth's other side and leaned back a bit to make eye contact with Leonie. Her pink head tipped to Claude's corner before giving a thumbs-up. Leonie nodded her agreement, but rocked her hand back and forth when Hilda next indicated Byleth. Hilda pouted, shaking her head and made an emphatic gesture back towards the Commander. Leonie frowned and looked again.
Perhaps… Perhaps Byleth wasn't so much watching the match as she was watching Claude. Was that what Hilda had seen?
An appreciative murmur ran through the training grounds at the start of the fourth round as Balthus took his shirt off.
Byleth's eyes barely even flickered in his direction.
Goddess! Byleth was in deeper than even she had suspected!
She moved back again to signal her agreement to Hilda-
-who's eyes were now fixed on Balthus.
Leonie sighed. At least it was good sport.
~o~*~o~
"Half the gold in Leicester" wasn't much of an exaggeration, Byleth thought as she finally counted her troops into the Enbarr harbour. Not by Sanderson's usual standard at any rate. The soldiers; three battalions of this year's Coalition working groups, a delegation from Goneril, the Duke's personal guard and additional troops from the empire lined up neatly as the supply train bringing along their equipment and food supplies -both for themselves and the wyverns Claude had insisted on- began loading onto the ships that were to bear them westward. She couldn't even quibble the numbers; the only person who might be considered "extraneous" was Ignatz Victor, included in the party to attend his older brother, Ignacius, and she wasn't going to turn away a set of eyes as accurate and precise as his. Otherwise Claude's entourage fit well within the guide Edelgard had agreed her fleet would host.
The fortified harbour that shared it's name with Enbarr was somewhat removed from the city, practically it's own town, and they had taken the long road round to the docks. After the Garreg Mach Accords had been signed, and the Coalition formally brought into being, they had agreed that the five leaders, herself, Seteth and the rulers of the three nations, would only meet in pairs outside the great ward of Garreg Mach. Circumventing the city was a pain, but she wasn't going to break that rule for a few hours convenience. Not when the enemy potentially had a weapon that could cause destruction like the Valley of Torment. There were times to make yourself a target, and times not to.
As it was, it gave Hubert the opportunity to find them, along with a couple of extra delegates.
"Byleth!" Dorothea called, dodging swiftly around a wagon and all but smothering her in a hug. "There you are! You look well! Are you excited?"
"Hello, Dorothea," Byleth managed, partially extracting herself "Thank you, I'm well. Are you coming with us?"
"Yes!" She exclaimed, ignoring Hubert's approach and pointed throat-clearing "I'm to be your personal translator! Lucky you, right?"
"Very," Byleth agreed, as the diva disengaged and Hubert stepped forwards, pulling a much more reluctant looking Caspar with him.
"Her Majesty sends her regards." He intoned formally, "and her regret that she could not see you off personally."
"Of course," Byleth agreed and they stepped aside as Dorothea dragged Caspar up the gangway to settle themselves on the flagship "do return my own. And try not to startle Bernadetta so much when you visit Garreg Mach."
"As if I'd do anything of the sort." Hubert replied, with an imperious air, and Byleth smiled. "Where is -Oh, nevermind." He cut himself off as Claude approached. With some sleight of hand Byleth wasn't able to catch he produced a letter and held it out "This preceded your arrival, Duke Riegan."
"Really, Hubert? You couldn't even manage a "hi" first?" Claude took the letter with an exaggerated sigh, which turned into a real frown as he examined the seal and stepped further away from them to break it. Hubert politely half-turned away, and directed an arch look at Byleth as they waited.
"What?" she queried at length
"Are you not going to ask?"
"I'm about to leave the country for the foreseeable. There'd be little point to asking "now?" if it would have to await my return anyway."
"I suppose that much is true," Hubert agreed, with that same secret amusement that usually accompanied this exchange "in that case you'll have to see to it that you return in good enough condition to see things through should I decided that is the time."
"I suppose I shall." Byleth agreed, shaking her head in her own amusement.
Claude rejoined them a moment later, tucking the letter into his coat. "Kindly let our correspondent know to continue as agreed and I'll see to it as soon as I can." He told Hubert, who nodded and bowed, backing away.
"Consider it done. I wish you both safe travels."
Claude's expression remained uncharacteristically down-turned as Hubert left and the next few wagons trundled past them to be loaded onto the ships. "Bad news?" Byleth prompted.
"No," Claude sighed "just another pebble on the mountain of what I owe Lady Daphnel." He ran a hand back through his hair and let out another sigh, before collecting himself and dropping that hand to instead offer her his arm. "Well, My Friend, shall we go introduce ourselves to the Commodore?"
~o~*~o~
Horsebow Moon
Edelgard's own travel plans had long been well in hand. Not a day after Byleth's ships cleared the horizon she was exchanging her Imperial (custom, and highly identifiable) Reds for the rougher garb of a warrior and folding enough coin and rations into a pack to comfortably reach Lake Teutates, where she would rendezvous with Dimitri. A steady horse to skirt around Fódlan's mouth to the low pass through the lesser edge of the Oghma mountains to the remains of Remire, and then east onto Magdred Way before turning north. On her own it was five days of hard travel, perhaps more if she could not change horses in Varley before the mountain pass, but manageable regardless.
"I know what you're thinking" she told her companion, as she slung her pack across her shoulders in the early morning mist.
"I've hardly made my opinion a secret, your Majesty." Hubert answered, arms folded in the closest he ever came to outright disapproval towards her.
"And yet, I shall go without apology and brave your resentment."
"Your Majesty need have no fear of that."
"My Majesty may not, but perhaps Edelgard does."
Hubert closed his eyes and let loose a long exhale from his nose before allowing his arms to drop at last. "Many things you knew to be true have changed dramatically. This is your opportunity to perhaps reclaim something that was taken from you. I assure you I understand the compulsion."
"If you were anyone else I would be vexed by you so easily putting voice to my feelings better than I could, but yes, you are quite right." She answered with a small smile. It's counter twitched briefly in the corner of Hubert's lips but did not live long enough for her liking and so she reached one hand up to cup his face "I shall take great care, of course."
"If I may make the suggestion, Majesty, you will be paranoid." That pulled a fuller smile from Edelgard, and Hubert's at last rose to meet it. Edelgard stepped forwards and he fell in beside her as she advanced towards one of the servant's gates to slip out into the city.
"Any news from Lady Varley?" She asked as they walked.
"As long as Bernadetta remains with the Coalition at Garreg Mach, the Countess is disinclined to press the issue. I admit, Count Varley is proving… difficult to remove."
Edelgard sighed "Should you find a means of doing so while I am gone, I ask you take it. The Minister of Religion's comments are beginning to border on incitement."
"Of course, Lady Edelgard." Hubert agreed, and gave a signal to the guard minding the gate they were fast approaching. The guard quickly unbolted the heavy door and stood aside, keen to be distinctly out of whatever business the Minister of the Imperial Household was personally escorting from the palace. The pair paused on the threshold and Edelgard turned to him once more.
"If maintaining the charade becomes too much, say that I am gone to the villa to meditate on some correspondence from Brigid, that should seem likely enough. And do not worry; as you say, I shall be paranoid."
"You ask the impossible, my Lady. However, I shall endeavour to accomplish it regardless. You may judge my efforts on your safe return."
~o~*~o~
A village of sorts had sprung up along the southern edge of Lake Teutates. Formed by the devout who had followed The Immac- Rhea, Edelgard caught herself; she was a person, she had a name and it was Rhea- those who had followed Rhea into her spiritual retreat once the Archbishop had settled there after her pilgrimage to the eastern reaches, the mighty desert on the border of Sreng.
But for all that the village bustled with people, for as clear as the path to the temple on the lake was kept, there was no traffic upon it. Stepping onto the stone causeway of the temple grounds, Edelgard understood why. Beneath the surface of the water a massive form followed her, too deep to see but close enough to feel. It was her every fear of the ocean made manifest and she felt no small measure of relief when she reached a wider way and fell instead under the sentinel stare of Thunder Catherine.
The knight tipped her head for Edelgard to follow, and she fell in behind as they moved deeper into the complex. As she understood it, much of this had been underwater before Rhea took up residence, and Lindhart had spent fully half a year exploring, theorising and questioning before he was satisfied (or bored) and returned to the other projects the Mage's Enclave were working on. His report had stated that the whole temple was water-tight, but that was of little comfort to Edelgard, in the darkness lit only occasionally by a brazier and the low, inactive, glow of Thunderbrand. She was considerably happier when they emerged some short, eternal, indeterminable time later, on a small island where the structures were mercifully above-ground, though shrouded in fog.
A large figure rose out of the mist towards them and Edelgard must have made some noise of surprise on realising it was Dimitri, as Catherine snorted; "I know. Hard to believe the skinny kid with the princess hair grew into that giant, right? Wait until you see Dedue."
"He can not have gotten any taller!" Edelgard exclaimed whirling on the Knight. Catherine laughed.
"Got you, your Majesty. You looked a little tense." She winked and sauntered off into the mist as Dimitri arrived.
"El," he greeted her "well met. I'm glad you've arrived safely."
"Dimitri, I can see you're well. Kingship suits you."
Dimitri huffed a self-deprecating laugh, a bashful grin lightening his features "It has not been easy, as I'm sure you can sympathise, but I have been well supported. Come, let us join the others. I'd offer you a tour, but perhaps that can wait for a clearer moment."
"Indeed." She agreed, in no rush to be presented to the Archbishop, and followed on his heels. The building he led her to was packed with two complete regiments of the King's elite Blue Lion Corps, storing their supplies away under the eye of a very unimpressed Cyril. They moved through the bustle to a calmer room, where Ingrid was weighing down the corners of a map of the region while Hapi placed markers upon it based on the positions Ashe was reading out to her. Dedue was resting against the opposite wall, out of the way as they set up, mercifully having grown no taller than his already significant height from their Academy days.
"Have there been any new sightings?" She asked, opting to get straight to it.
"Not since our last communication." Dimitri admitted, folding his arms across his chest as Ashe and Hapi filled the map out with marks clustering in the region of Mateus and spreading north to the Rhodos Coast and Sacred Gwenhwybar -the name for the mountain range that divided the Kingdom from Duscur, or the Kleiman region as it stood at present.
"This is where the tower was," Hapi said, tapping the map where the mountains met the western sea between Rhodos and Duscur "where I met Anselma. I don't know how much, if anything, the Knights of Seiros left behind after they "rescued" me, but with all these sightings Cornelia must have a base in the area. It seems a good enough place to start, to me at least."
"At this time of year it's going to be cold, even during the day. Quite a change from Enbarr. Do you have everything you need, your Majesty?" Ashe asked, solicitously.
"Thank you, I am well prepared." She answered shortly, but not unkindly.
"I do not expect this fog will last." Dedue added from his place at the wall. "We should be able to move out tomorrow."
Dimitri protested moving off so soon after Edelgard's arrival without allowing her a chance to rest, but she quelled that argument. Silently she was grateful to move on; the less time she spent near The Imm- the Archbishop- and the living legend that prowled the lake, (and the lake itself) the better she would feel.
"Tomorrow, then." Dimitri allowed, met with a round of resolute nods.
Tomorrow.