Crestwood
Byleth and Claude stared at what remained of the castle playground. The storm had smashed most of it. Claude suggested hiring Gilbert to fix it. The two of them continued to pick through the wreckage to find still useable parts until Arundel stomped over to them. "Claude! I don't care who your grandfather is - you can't just skip out of the office whenever you feel like it. And Miss Eisner - is picking through trash like a raccoon the best use of your skills? This place has always been an eyesore. The storm just finished the job."
Byleth rose to face him, "The storm hit the playground hard, but I think we can fix it," she replied.
He snorted, "Well, can you fix a cracked skull? Because that's what you'll have on your hands if one of these boards collapses under a child's weight, "he huffed dismissively. You're not thinking about the children, just ways to disagree with me. Miss Eisner, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment; people can get hurt. You're the Sheriff, and it's time to act like a responsible adult."
Later, Byleth met Dimitri and Edelgard at Ashe's to vent. "Be responsible, don't be so emotional. As if everything he does to me isn't based on emotion," she said while making several crude hand gestures.
Edelgard sipped her tea and listened quietly. Dimitri rubbed her knee with his hand under the table. At least things were going somewhere with him now.
"For what it's worth," Edelgard said. "We can see the effect he has on everyone."
"Yeah, I wish everyone else did," she sighed.
Edelgard and Dimitri rose to leave for work. She put her hand on Byleth's shoulder and slipped out. Dimitri squeezed her hand and said goodbye. Once they were gone, Ferdinand plopped down across from her.
"I can grant your wish. Help everyone see the mayor for who he really is," he offered.
Byleth laughed, "That's going to be hard from inside his pocket."
He laughed and handed her his card, "Call me. Crestwood deserves to know the truth about him."
Enbarr, 1174
Ferdinand spent the day reading and training as always, and as usual, his father completely shut him out of his affairs. Today his father was entertaining Lord Arundel, who had recently returned from Faerghus. The man arrived with a basket of Zanado for the family, and he offered one to Ferdinand.
"Prime Minister, your son is growing up into such a noble young man. Keep training, and I'm sure your father will allow you into his meetings," Arundel's wide smile did not reach his eyes.
His father glared at Ferdinand and slammed the office door behind Arundel.
Ferdinand felt uneasy as he looked at the Zanado, but he vowed to keep up his training so he could be like his father and Lord Arundel. They would do what is best for Adrestia, and so would he.
Crestwood
Byleth parked her squad car under a bridge and waited. After a few minutes, Ferdinand arrived on foot and hopped into the passenger seat. He breathlessly explained that $50,000 was missing from the city budget and that Arundel was the one that took it. Byleth waited for more, "That's it?"
"For now, yes," he moved his hands with flourish. "But it's just the beginning. Once we figure out where the money went, the other pieces will fall into place. Now you can do your bail bondswoman thing and tap his phone, GPS his car, hack into his email - "
"- Whoa, whoa! Most of my bounty hunter skills involved Google maps. We don't do all that NSA stuff."
Ferdinand deflated a little, "Oh, I thought it would be more high-tech."
"And anyway," she continued. "I'm Sheriff now, and I have to act responsibly. We don't want to find evidence that a judge would consider Fruit of the Poisonous Tree."
Ferdinand nodded but slumped his shoulders. Byleth patted him on the shoulder, "You know, you seem like an okay guy. How did you ever end up being Arundel's errand boy?"
Ferdinand looked out the car window and sighed, "I thought he was a different person."
Enbarr, 1176
Prime Minister Aegir spent the day with his son discussing their territories. Ferdinand listened with rapt attention as his father explained tax structure, laws, and local customs. He couldn't wait for the day that his father would step down and let him take over his responsibilities. "What about Hyrm, Father? You never discuss it."
His father's expression darkened, and he slammed his ledger shut. "Someday, we will discuss Hyrm, but that is a lesson for another time," he said coldly.
Ferdinand once again felt uneasy but trusted in his father's wisdom.
Crestwood
Byleth and Ferdinand sat on Edelgard's couch, looking through files on Ferdinand's laptop. He gasped in excitement and exclaimed, "It looks like the transfer went through three weeks ago. All the information from that time is missing from this spreadsheet. Byleth - this is it! Let's get a warrant!"
The redhead was definitely enthusiastic. His big brown eyes shown with every grand statement. But Byleth had to bring him back to reality. "What judge is going to issue a warrant for that? And is there a judge in this town that he doesn't own?"
Ferdinand slumped in defeat, and Byleth felt sad for him. She placed her hand on his, "Let's talk to him. See if we can get him to slip up and admit something." Once again, Ferdinand's eyes lit up.
Arundel sat at his mahogany desk, utterly unimpressed with Byleth and Ferdinand. He leaned back into his chair and laced his fingers across his chest as Byleth asked him about the $50,000 transfer. When she explained that the records were missing, he simply laughed.
"Oh, if they're from three weeks ago - they probably burned. In an explosion. You remember - the explosion that got you elected Sheriff?"
Byleth placed both of her hands on Arundel's desk and leaned forward. She stared into Arundel's eyes for a moment while Arundel looked at her in amusement. "Fine then. Ferdinand, there's nothing here. Let's go." She grabbed him by the arm and left Arundel's office.
They walked out of City Hall together, and Ferdinand looked dejected again. Byleth put her arm around him and told him not to worry. "I just planted a bug on his desk, "she whispered in his ear. Ferdinand grinned magnificently.
Back at the station, they listened to Arundel's smooth voice on their radio as he explained to someone named Odesse that he didn't manage workplace disputes. "You and Pittacus need to set the thermostat at 72 degrees, so you're both happy," he sighed and slammed the phone down. Byleth snickered and hoped that most of Arundel's day was spent arguing with whack jobs. A few minutes later, Arundel received another call. His tone was much more severe as he said, "I'll meet you tonight at Access Road 23 with the rest of your payment. Yes, it will all be in cash. No, I don't need a reminder that no one can know about this. Yes, I know it has to be tonight."
Ferdinand practically squealed with delight, "We've got him, Byleth! This is it!"
Byleth still wasn't convinced, "We don't know who's on the other end. But a nighttime payoff in the woods does sound promising. It looks like we're going to do a stakeout." This made Ferdinand giddy.
Byleth carefully turned onto Access Rd 23 later that evening. The road was narrow and had no streetlights. She found a covert spot to observe the handoff. When she tried to park, the car continued to move. She slammed on the brakes, but the car didn't slow. Ferdinand began to panic. Eventually, the vehicle hit a road sign and came to a stop.
Byleth stomped out of her squad car and slammed the door. Ferdinand followed closely behind her, saying, "I think it's safe to say that Arundel knows about the bug. He must have cut your brakes."
They walked through the woods together but found nothing. Byleth hurried her pace, and Ferdinand rushed to catch up. Byleth was determined, "Asshole tried to have me killed! I'm going to find him and find out what he's doing here!"
"Meeting me," a voice said quietly.
Hubert emerged from the darkness carrying a small briefcase. He calmly explained that Arundel had met him in this very spot because he was purchasing this very spot from Hubert. He didn't know what Arundel was planning to use the land for, and he didn't care. Byleth was suspicious, and Ferdinand proudly declared that he wouldn't stand idly by while Arundel was misusing town funds. Hubert simply laughed at Ferdinand as he walked away, "But of course you can, Ferdinand. You should be careful. Emotional entanglements can lead us down dangerous paths."
Garreg Mach, 1185
Ferdinand pontificated on the variety of teas still available at the monastery despite the ongoing civil war. He was excited that all of his classmates were once again together at the Garreg Mach. Lysithea was, as usual, unimpressed and muttered something about tea being useless without sweets. She then loaded up her Sweet Apple Blend with an unholy amount of sugar, and now her tea could barely still qualify as a liquid. Undeterred, Ferdinand reminded her about the importance of thriftiness during wartime. Lysithea rolled her eyes and dumped another spoonful of sugar in her tea while Ferdinand silently wished that Lorenz were around.
A messenger interrupted the silence. Someone had finally spotted his father.
Crestwood
Having previously failed to engage the Stranger, Claude decided to try again, this time armed with both his natural charm and cake. Her scooter was outside of Room 2, so she had to be there. He knocked and heard what sounded like someone frantically moving around. The same high-pitched voice said, "No one's here! You can leave now!"
"There's cake out here if you open the door," Claude replied. He heard more rustling. The door slowly creaked, and he could see purple hair and a pair of gray eyes staring widely at him. He opened the box and held out the cake. She peered out further from behind the door, so he said, "Well, hello there, I'm Claude."
The Stranger's eyes flitted between Claude and the cake. He noticed that there was a laptop with what appeared to be stacks of manuscripts in her room. "Are you a writer?" he asked. She nodded a little.
He continued, "What are you doing in Crestwood?"
She whispered, "Writer stuff. Have a wonderful day!" Then she took the entire cake box and slammed the door shut on him.
Hyrm, 1185
Byleth helped Ferdinand track down his father outside Hyrm territory. Ferdinand could not believe the conditions of the people in what had been his father's territory. High taxes, forced labor, and conscriptions into the military had made life impossible for the villagers. They were rioting in the streets and killing anyone that got in their way. Ferdinand and his friends had managed to quell the rioters and save any trapped villagers. However, they were too late to save his father.
Ferdinand wept for the dead man, but he was also outraged. How could he let his people suffer? Lysithea put a comforting hand on his shoulder and explained that his father was a vindictive leader but that Arundel had been even worse to the people of Hyrm. Ferdinand vowed to hold Arundel accountable and spend the rest of his life atoning for his father's cruelty.
Crestwood
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree be damned - Arundel had tried to kill her, and Byleth was going to humiliate him. He would never terrorize anyone in Crestwood again once she finished with him. She and Ferdinand sat together at the Town Council Meeting, eager for it to start.
Arundel banged his gavel and called the meeting to order. Seteth began to read the minutes from the previous session, but Ferdinand interrupted and asked to speak. Arundel immediately shut him down, but Byleth stood up to say, "What? Don't want to hear how Ferdinand knows you stole $50,000 from the town to buy land for yourself?"
The crowd gasped, and Arundel slammed his gavel down repeatedly for order, but Byleth refused to back down, "Yes, everyone. He spent $50,000 to buy land and then destroyed all the records. I witnessed the deal myself. You claim that you act in the best interest of all of us, but that isn't the truth, is it? The truth is, you are a bully that doesn't care about anyone or anything but yourself. That is who you really are. And it is time for the people of Crestwood to know that."
The crowd continued to murmur as Arundel slowly stood. He grinned at Byleth, and she felt much less confident. "You're right, Miss Eisner. I am buying land - for a playground. The accusations are true. I did take city funds. I wanted to build a playground so all the children of Crestwood could have a special place to play safely. So, thank you, Miss Eisner, you've exposed me for who I really am."
To further his point, Arundel lowered the lights and turned on the projector. He then proceeded to show the audience a slideshow of blueprints for a playground that would eventually be building on Access Rd 23. Ferdinand and Byleth slowly sat back down, feeling the glares of the townspeople on them. Across the aisle, Claude gave a low whistle. Dimitri looked at her with pity while Edelgard buried her face in the palm of her hand.
After the meeting, Byleth and Ferdinand attempted to slink out while Arundel triumphantly spoke to a group of people nearby. Hubert, grinning widely, blocked their escape. He pointed to Arundel, "Just look at him. Lord of the Manor. You know, what you did in there was commendable, Ms. Eisner. But if you're serious about bringing him down, you're going to need a stronger ally."
Byleth was not in the mood for Hubert's antics, "What, like you? Thanks, but I don't need someone to set him on fire. I can take him down myself, thanks."
Hubert's smirk didn't fade as he walked away from them. Next, Arundel strutted up to Byleth and Ferdinand. Byleth felt like she was going to throw up. "I don't know what you hoped to accomplish in there, but I hope your future endeavors involve dropping this failure of a reporter and doing your actual job," he snapped.
Byleth crossed her arms, "Don't pretend to be innocent, Arundel. I know you messed with my brakes."
The accusation made Arundel burst out laughing, "You're delusional! Why would I kill you if I had something to hide? Congratulations, you've lost the high ground, Miss Eisner. Now sit back and enjoy the taste of defeat." He was still cackling as he walked away.
Ferdinand plopped down on a nearby bench and put his head on his hands. "How did we not see this coming, Byleth?"
She sat down next to him and patted his shoulder, "We did. We saw it all right from the start. Just didn't want to look. Blinded by our anger."
Ferdinand sat back up, "You're right. I can't fight dirty. I'll take him down the right way: no more bugs, no more spying. There are many more skeletons in Arundel's closet, and I will find them all, honestly. Can we still be allies, though?"
Byleth smiled warmly and put out her hand, "Of course. You're not so bad. And next time, we won't be fooled."
He returned the smile as he shook her hand.
Ferdinand returned to the paper the following day to start anew. He worked quietly at his desk. Arundel entered and sat down across from him, smirking. "You know, Ferdinand, all could be forgiven. I know Miss Eisner can be very persuasive. I could just blame your sudden rebellious streak on her. All you would have to do is stay close to her and report back to me. Surely this little incident has been a helpful demonstration of what I do to people that oppose me."
Ferdinand looked at him in horror, "You dangled the land deal information because you knew I would take it to Byleth? Then you messed with our brakes? You did all of that just to prove a point?"
Arundel laughed, "Who do you think your 'anonymous source' was for the $50,000? You were getting too sympathetic to Miss Eisner, Claude, and the other weak-willed people in town. I had to do something to bring you back to me. I knew with your bravado and her anger that you would do something stupid with the information. Now, no one in the town trusts either of you. So, little Aegir - you will track Miss Eisner's activities and report back to me. Then I'll help restore your reputation."
But Ferdinand was unmoved, "I don't need your help. I will restore my reputation myself. Now that Byleth is here, your power means less and less. My duty is and always has been to the people of Crestwood, not you. I only followed you because I thought you cared about them too. Now I see that I was wrong. So, good day, Mr. Mayor."
Ferdinand beamed and sipped his southern blend tea while he watched Arundel storm out of his office.
Notes:
Happy Halloween! Thanks for reading! Writing this story has been a lot of fun during what has been a stressful time.
In Once Upon a Time, Sidney (Ferdinand) is a mole for Regina (Arundel). He is devoted to Regina and will do anything for her. In this version, Ferdinand decides to stick with Byleth and friends instead of being an antagonist.
Next week - the town celebrates Garland Moon while Byleth has to find a thief before Hubert does. In Fodlan, Byleth and Ignatz help Marianne defend herself against a crest scholar's accusations.
Notes:
Thanks for reading! I'm going to try to update once a week. This is only my second fanfiction, so I'm still learning.
Thank you for reading! I really appreciate the kudos. You can follow me on Twitter for catsandoboes
I'm keeping track of FE3H and their Once Upon a Time counterparts. Leonie is pregnant, which will make sense in later chapters. I realize now that this show premiered a really long time ago, although it doesn't feel like it to me. So far, I'm sticking to Season 1 but I may incorporate some others. Some episodes work better than others.
Byleth - Emma/a little Snow White & Mary Margaret
Lords
Claude - Henry
Edelgard - Henry/Snow White & Mary Margaret
Dimitri - Prince Charming & David
TWSITD
Arundel - Evil Queen & Regina
Monica - Kathryn
Cornelia - Henry Sr.
Odesse - Ms. Ginger/Blind Witch
Blue Lions
Ingrid - Huntsman
Sylvain - Huntsman
Ashe - Peter
Golden Deer
Leonie - Cinderella
Lorenz - Prince Thomas
Lorenz's father king
Lysithea - Gretal
Raphael - Granny
Marianne - Beast
Black Eagles
Hubert - Rumpelstilskin & Gold
Ferdinand - Sidney/Magic Mirror
Linhardt - Hansel
Bernadetta - August/Pinocchio
Ashen Wolves
Hapi - Ruby/Little Red Riding Hood
Church of Seiros
Manuela: Dr. Whale
Seteth: Jiminy Cricket
Flayn: Henry
Seiros: Blue Fairy
Alois: Mr. Clark/Sneezy
Gilbert: Marco/Gepetto