(1155)
Day 15 of the Garland Moon. Cloudy.
The long marches recently are taking a toll.
I'm grateful for the work, but the men need more of a "rest" and less of a "change of scenery."
One is not so good as the other.
Still, we're heading back to Garreg Mach now, perhaps I'll be lucky and Sister Sitri will cook for us again.
If I caught a fish myself she couldn't refuse, right?
1183
Horsebow Moon
They saw Petra before they made it to their anchorage. The princess's skiff sailed out to meet them, heralded by a shout from Ignatz that brought them all up to the deck. Several lengths from them, she dove cleanly into the water, surfacing much closer than Byleth had expected, swimming strongly towards their ship until she could tread water near the side.
"Permission to be boarding, Commodore?" she called.
"Granted!" He called back with a hearty laugh, and a rope was soon splashing down into the water for her to scramble up. Petra had only got one leg over the railing when Dorothea slammed into her, heedless of the water still dripping off her. Petra returned the hug, casually dropping her head against the songstress's shoulder when Dorothea at last pulled back enough to let her settle comfortably.
"General Eisner, thank you for having come." She said, as Byleth approached "And Claude- Duke Riegan, I mean- please take my apology."
"Don't worry about it, Princess," Claude answered, waving her concern off "a little informality isn't going to hurt us. Would be refreshing, actually."
"Then I shall not worry." Petra agreed, grinning. "Welcome to Brigid."
~o~*~o~
The ships were anchored in a natural harbour of deep water while the longboats and several light Brigid skiffs shipped the soldiers and supplies over the shoals to the main settlement. Claude took the opportunity to take to the air, to get a full view of the archipelago. He landed on the sand near them just as Petra and Byleth were jumping from the Princess's boat and hauling it up the shore to tie up.
"Petra, your islands are on fire!" He called, sliding down the flank of his wyvern and running over to help them.
"Yes, they are doing that often." Petra agreed nonchalantly as she and Byleth pulled the craft higher on the beach, more out of the way of those still landing.
"You live on volcanoes! With lava floes!" He exclaimed, "And things are still growing!"
"Is this not a thing of normality?" She asked, but Claude's focus had turned internal.
"Has no-one ever tried?" He mused, before a pointed cough from Hilda summoned him from whatever scheme was brewing in his mind over to help her lifting their supplies off the boat.
"My Grandfather will be wanting to welcome you." Petra continued to Byleth. "And then we can make a beginning on our battle. I will be proving I am prepared to be Chief."
"Forgive my asking, if it's impertinent, but are we allowed to be a part of your trial?"
"It is never impertinent to be asking for knowledge!" Petra answered cheerily "I am already a warrior and a hunter. To be Chief I must be a leader, others must answer my call. You coming is proving that I have readiness- that I am ready for my trial. Otherwise, my Grandfather would be dealing with the pirates. Usually, I think he would not let me take the trial until I had more age, but I am telling him often that we should be friends with the Coalition. That we can be equals in Fódlan." She beamed and guided them over to the beginnings of a path off the beach, waiting for the rest of the party to catch up "This is my wish."
"Well," Byleth answered, feeling her smile growing in the glow of Petra's enthusiasm "point me at the pirates and lets see what I can do for you."
~o~*~o~
The coast at Gwenhwybar was bleak, Ingrid thought, although breathtaking. Across the wide mouth of the river, where it ran to the sea, the mountains that marked the boundary of Duscur tumbled into the water, slipping down in sheets, exposing pale stone between them as though some giant hand had dropped a ream of paper that turned to stone. The water frothed, white caps dancing on the waves as river and tide collided, stark against the grey sky. Across the river the coastline was lined with shale, while on the near side the forest ran right up to the water's edge. From above, on pegasus wings, she had a clear view. Through the treetops she could see the top of the tower, just where Hapi had said it would be. She wheeled around, making for the smoke of their camp, weaving carefully down between branches until she could land cleanly and walk the last. Behind her, in a break of the clouds, the dying light painted the mountains in the soft pallet of sunset.
She didn't need to do more than nod to give Dimitri her report. His answering look was not as relieved as she might have hoped and she glanced beyond him to see Hapi visibly upset, her composure not holding as they drew closer to the tower.
It felt to Ingrid as though a lifetime of cleaning up after Sylvain (and to a lesser extent Felix and Dimitri) should have prepared her to settle any argument, soothe any nerves. Hapi's trauma, usually well hidden and contained, was not so easily placated. The best they had discovered that helped in any fashion was to distract her with stories. Between them, she and Ashe must have recounted at least six novels over the course of the last few days, and they were now in the middle of the saga of the Luna Knight.
Although, admittedly, it may have been more their shared love of the old stories that had initially prompted the re-tellings. They were still very willing to continue them to keep Hapi's mind occupied.
She passed Dimitri and made her way to the fire to warm her hands for a moment before accepting a bowl of the night's offering from Dedue. All the while she could feel the mage's eyes on her.
"We'll get there tomorrow." Hapi asserted, when Ingrid had settled and happened to meet her gaze.
"Yes." She admitted, watching closely for a sigh as Hapi accepted that news and apologised to Ashe for her interruption. The young knight waved it off and resumed the story without pause, without hesitation. Without watching for a sigh.
His chivalry put Ingrid to shame. She glanced ruefully at Hapi and beyond to where Dedue had taken up a spot with Dimitri and Edelgard. Had she thanked Dedue when he had brought her meal to her? She couldn't remember.
Ingrid shook her head and wondered how she'd ever thought, even in jest, that knowing Sylvain was her biggest flaw.
~o~*~o~
The tower didn't seem particularly foreboding when they arrived at the base of it in the late morning. Built from the same white stone that was abundant in the area, it barely cleared the tree-tops around it- not much use as a watchtower, and far too small a footprint to be considered a fortification. One window on the second storey had been demolished, the stonework crumbling around it and partially exposing the supports of that floor and the ceiling of the room beneath. Otherwise it seemed to have weathered well.
The Blue Lion Corps moved ahead to clear the area and get the door open. Dimitri strode forwards after them, ducking his head a little to pass under the door frame and pausing for a moment for the rest to catch up.
"I don't expect we'd find anything down here," Hapi stated, stepping around him "there's a hidden staircase above that leads to the upper floors, I… I guess I'll go open it up." She concluded, and made her way over to the stairs before anyone could stop her, determined to get it over with.
"El," Dimitri warned, as Edelgard edged past him.
"Yes, I see it." Edelgard agreed, looking round the tower. There was no dust. No leaves, no mould, no rats, no insects, no bird nests. The window above them was all but completely destroyed, light filtering through the gap even as far as where they stood at the entrance. The structure was free to the elements, but except some minor warping of the wood under that aperture, nature had laid no claim to it. It was sterile.
Magical.
Dedue stepped in behind Dimitri, keeping a close watch, and the King tipped his head to Ingrid, indicating that she should do the same for the Emperor as they ascended after Hapi.
When they caught up to the mage, she was reaching up into an alcove to trigger some hidden switch. The entire recess swung back as she found it, revealing another staircase behind it which she darted up. A quick glance suggested that this stairway wrapped counter to the naturally visible one, giving the tower two sides; one the hidden mirror of the other.
Hapi awaited them at the first door.
"This was Anselma's room. She had the only key. Cornelia said it was so she would have a place that was hers, a place she could be alone and safe." Hapi's tone was so dry that Edelgard felt her own eyes rolling at the notion anyone could feel safe in this tower. Even so, she recognised the tactic of a manipulator; provide the mark a feeling of security.
"Ashe." Dimitri commanded, and the young knight knelt to examine the lock.
"This may take a moment." Ashe told them around a thoughtful hum as he set his picks against the first of the tumblers. Dimitri nodded and motioned for Hapi to lead them on for the time being. The second room they passed was a bedroom of no particular note, the third door Hapi stopped outside, but shook her head, refusing to enter or look through. Edelgard understood. There were was a place in Enbarr she would not willingly step into ever again. Dimitri entered the room, Dedue behind him, returning momentarily with a grim face, his frame barring their view into the space until Dedue shut the door firmly behind them.
Hapi led them onward once more, to the room at the top of the tower, right under the eaves. Windows on three sides allowed light to filter through, and several large bookcases flanked a bureau of some significance, letters and journals still strewn about it's surface. The most recent date she could make out on them was four years ago, so Edelgard had no particular fear that they would be interrupted.
"The other side of the tower was mostly sitting rooms and the kitchen." Hapi told them "For show, really."
"Thank you, Hapi. I know how difficult this is for you." Dimitri answered her with all the considerable warm earnestness he possessed.
"Well, I don't want to be cursed forever. May as well do something about it." She replied and began browsing one of the bookcases in the corner of the room. Dimitri made his way to another and Edelgard continued perusing the bureau as Dedue stood guard and Ingrid dealt with a messenger reporting from the Blue Lions Corps.
Shortly, a call went out as Ashe got the first door open, and Dimitri strode from the room, Dedue on his heels and Hapi trailing after them. Ingrid made to follow, but halted as she realised her charge had not moved.
"Will you not go, Lady Edelgard?"
"It is not Anselma, apologies, Lady Patricia, that I'm interested in." The Emperor answered, digging further through the letters and journals.
"You don't want to know what happened to your mother?" Ingrid asked, surprised.
"Insofar as it pertains to me I already know; she was exiled the Empire when I was perhaps one or two years old." Edelgard glanced up and seeing Ingrid's expression elaborated "It was the best for her, as I understand it. She did not cope well in the Imperial Household, even before the insurrection."
"But she was your mother." Ingrid prompted. "You didn't want to know her?"
"I had four others." Edelgard answered casually, her focus back on the desk. "Three of them yet live. Between my siblings and I, a mother was… a strange concept. Regardless of which consort birthed us we were attended, raised, taught, disciplined, loved by all of them. What I had, what I lost, what was solely mine, was my Uncle. I…" she trailed off, hands falling still inside the bureau "I forget, sometimes, that in actuality I lost him when I was much younger. It feels a great deal more recent."
Ingrid, was silent, trying to wrap her mind around the notion that Ionius's consorts had co-parented amicably, without jealousy or infighting, vying for power one over the other to gain their children better favour. Considering the politics involved she could about grasp the idea that a girl could find better permanence, stability, with an Uncle than a Father who was occupied with attempting to hold on to power in the Empire, but it did not reflect anywhere in her own experience. Slowly a theory worked its way through her thoughts to the forefront of her mind.
"Lord Arundel was the one who brought you to the Kingdom, so you wouldn't be present when Emperor Ionius had his power stripped during the insurrection."
"Yes." Edelgard agreed "No doubt if I'd been present, the Prime Minister and his cronies would have stripped my claim to the throne into the bargain. I wouldn't have been able to take the rule, not legally. As it was, my Uncle delivered me to the Kingdom… and himself to Cornelia and Thales."
"And then he was replaced, like Tomas."
"At some point during our sojourn here. If I can find out when, or why, then perhaps I'll have a better insight into how deep the corruption in Adrestia goes. The Prime Minister was merely a puppet, and there was no guarantee that I would survive when we returned from Fhirdiad to their experiments. There must have been some other plan that required someone as well known and highly placed as my Uncle be taken, by Thales no less." She sighed and stepped back from the bureau, deeming it a bust "Or he was just positioning himself to take power should none of us have survived. As my "relative" he would have had a better chance than most. In that case there may be nothing for me to find."
Edelgard crossed over to the nearest bookshelf, scanning the titles. After a moment, Ingrid joined her, lending her support to sort through the the tomes and ledgers, to find any journals or letters that covered the relevant dates.
~o~*~o~
The rendezvous this time was an alley outside a pub of some repute, or disrepute. Kronya moved around often, on a whim as far as Metody had been able to fathom, and their meeting places and lodgings were very rarely Agarthan infrastructure- almost as if she didn't trust him, he supposed, with a wry grin. That was fair, "defectors" weren't often trusted, even the useful ones.
Kronya sat perched on a stack of unsecured crates above him, somehow maintaining perfect balance as she fidgeted through his report.
"…The General is not in Fódlan, you say." She mused when he'd finished, flipping a small throwing knife over and over in her hand. "Garreg Mach is undefended then."
"I would hardly call the combined forces of the Coalition, the Seiros Knights, and the Officers Academy 'undefended'." Metody returned, with a sardonic lilt.
Kronya's head tipped back with her laughter. "Even I know better than to invade the place." She giggled, and beckoned him closer. She stashed the knife away in a bandoleer about her waist and placing her hands on his shoulders she used her arm strength alone to lift herself off her perch, slowly dragging her body down along his with the brush of skin and creak of leather, until her feet touched the ground again. She tapped his nose and draped her arms across his shoulders "But it has been such a long time since I've seen dear Professor Seteth," she pouted, "I really should drop by."
Metody chuckled and dipped her back, placing a series of nipping kisses along her neck. "And?" he asked, pulling her back up, pressing her against him with a hand toying over her back and the other on her hip. "Are you expecting an invitation to tea?"
"Well, no." She admitted, smiling "But I do have some friends who have business in the area, we could make a party of it." She kissed him briefly before slipping from his grasp and backing away, beckoning him to follow "Did you ever meet the Scorpions?"
"I haven't, as it happens." He answered, sauntering after her "-You do realise Myson is going to be terribly disappointed if we skip out without informing him?"
Kronya's answering grin was sharp "In Myson's case, I always find it far better to seek forgiveness than to ask permission."