Crestwood
"Claude - what did you do?"
"Honestly, she was gone when I got here!"
Byleth, Hubert, and Claude stared at Edelgard's empty cell. Her arraignment was supposed to be at 8:00 am the following morning, but her absence would doom her case before Hubert even had a chance to mount a defense. If Arundel found out that she was gone, he would undoubtedly find someone to track her down. Byleth assured Hubert that she would return Edelgard before the arraignment. As she was leaving the station, Claude caught up with her, "Byleth, if Edelgard crosses the town line - "
She cut him off as she got into her car, "I know, Claude. I will find her."
Adrestia, 1165
Mercedes and her little brother, Emile, happily enjoyed their tea and sweets. A kitten played with a ball of yarn at Emile's feet. Their private tea times in Mercedes' room were the only times they could get away from their scornful half-siblings. The peaceful moment ended when Baron Bartels stomped into the room and dragged Emile away for weapons training. He scolded Mercedes for trying to turn his son soft.
Crestwood
Why couldn't Arundel use his seemingly limitless power as Mayor to install streetlights all over his stupid town? Byleth wondered as she carefully navigated the winding dark roads just outside Crestwood, looking for any sign of Edelgard. Suddenly a figure stepped in front of the car, she swerved to avoid them, and they jumped out of the way. Byleth hopped out of the car and ran over to the man lying on the ground.
Byleth apologized to the man profusely and helped him to his feet. She couldn't quite make out his features, but he spoke slowly in a monotone. "Why are you out so late?"
She needed to keep Edelgard's disappearance a secret, so she fibbed, "I lost my dog."
He wished her well and tried to continue on his way. When he started to walk away, he was noticeably limping.
"You are hurt!" Byleth exclaimed.
The man tried to brush it off, "It's just a sprained ankle. I live a mile down the road. I'll be home soon."
Byleth insisted that he ride with her, and he relented. She could barely make out his features. He was skinny with long blond hair. He could have been handsome if he didn't have such a vacant stare.
"I'm Byleth Eisner."
"My name is Jeritza Hyrm," he deadpanned.
Byleth continued down the road until Jeritza indicated for her to turn into his driveway. The road was somehow even darker and windier. Finally, they arrived at a stately but aging manor house. The house had "Bartels" carved in stone above the door. Byleth stepped out of the car and looked at it in awe, "This is all yours? Who are the Bartels?"
"It is just me. The Bartels are all gone," Jeritza replied unemotionally.
They walked in together, and Jeritza directed her to sit down on the sofa in the living room. Jeritza stepped into the kitchen. A sizeable hand-drawn map of Crestwood spread out on the coffee table. The entire forest area around the town was meticulously labeled, and every building was within the town limits. Byleth complimented the detail, and Jeritza replied that he had a lot of free time to study the area. He returned to the living room with tea and sweets. Byleth thanked him, but he did not react.
She sipped her tea as she studied the map, but her vision started to blur. She felt like the room was spinning and dropped her tea. Jeritza hopped up from his seat and helped her lay down on the sofa. As she lay down, Byleth noticed something, "Hey, what happened to your limp?"
"Nothing gets past you, Professor," he said flatly.
"Just who are you?" she fought to keep her eyes open, but everything went black.
Adrestia, 1167
Emile could hear the rustling outside of his room. He tiptoed out just in time to see his mother and Mercedes sneaking down the hallway. His mother looked at him with tears in her eyes but turned away. Mercedes noticed him and stopped, "Mother, what about Emile? We can't leave him here!" Her mother tightened her grip and pulled Mercedes down the hall.
He shut the door to his room and went back to bed.
Crestwood
Byleth woke to the distinct sound of someone sharpening a blade. She looked around. Jeritza had his back to her and appeared to be working with something shiny. Fuck, he's sharpening knives. Very slowly, she sat up and placed one foot on the floor. The old floorboard creaked, and she froze. Jeritza stopped sharpening for a moment and tilted his head, but he soon went back to work. She tiptoed out of the living room and into the hallway. One of the doors was cracked, so she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.
She was shocked to find Edelgard gagged and tied to a chair. Edelgard's eyes widened when she saw Byleth, and she started to struggle. Byleth pulled the gag down and tried to untie her.
"How did you get out? How did you get here?" Byleth whispered.
"Someone put a key under my pillow, so I escaped. I ran to the woods. Then this guy grabbed me from behind, and I ended up here.
They heard a click behind them. Jeritza was there with a shotgun pointed at them. "I see you found your dog," he said.
While Jeritza kept his gun pointed at them, Byleth reluctantly pulled Edelgard's gag back up. She raised her hands and tried to talk to him, "You seem to know me. How?"
He grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room, "I know that I need you for something."
Adrestia, 1176
Emile woke covered in blood, scythe in hand. He wandered through House Bartels, finding his half-siblings, father, and all the servants dead. He felt nothing. After washing himself as best he could, he changed clothes and left the house for good. He brought only his scythe.
Crestwood
Jeritza shoved Byleth into another room with a table and a telescope. She stumbled but rounded on him, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you hurt Edelgard, I swear I'll make you regret it."
He tilted his head, "Hurt her? I saved her life. You know what happens to us if we try to leave Crestwood."
Byleth stared at him, and he continued, "The Curse? The one that keeps us all trapped here?"
She rolled her eyes, "You mean the one in the book? Oh God, you sound like Claude."
He spoke, still with no emotion, "Yes, Duke Riegan of the Alliance."
She started towards him, but she froze when he placed the gun at her temple, "You don't know how long I have been stuck in this house, day after day, always the same. Until one night, you, in your little car, roll into town, and the clock ticks, and things start to change. You see - I know what you refuse to acknowledge, Byleth. You're special – you're The Enlightened One. You brought something precious to Crestwood — magic."
Byleth was starting to panic. He still had a shotgun pointed at her head, so she had to choose her words carefully. "Well, I don't understand magic. So why don't you put the gun down and tell me more about it?"
Jeritza lowered the gun a little and leaned into her face, "You see, but you don't believe. Open your eyes! Wake Up! Isn't it about time?
Byleth started to tremble, "Please just tell me what you want me to do."
He grabbed her arm again and slammed her down in a chair. There was a table with some sort of long blade. Jeritza pointed to it with his gun, "Sylvain knew he needed the Lance of Ruin to go home. You helped him get back to Garreg Mach. I need you to make the Scythe of Sariel and use it to send me back!"
Adrestia, 1177
Emile was becoming used to the blackouts. He saw someone hurting an innocent, and then nothing. He would wake back up, and his scythe would be covered in blood. Problem solved. He could recall images of himself in black with a skull helmet, but he couldn't remember much. He didn't dwell on it.
He encountered mages in black doing some sort of spellcasting on a woman in the woods. She screamed for help, and they mocked her. He squeezed his scythe, and everything went dark.
When he woke, the mages were slaughtered. The woman was long gone. Instead, there was a white-haired young woman and an imposing-looking man in black observing him. He was about to walk away when the woman stopped him.
"You killed these mages without hesitation. How would you like to hunt more of them?"
Crestwood
Byleth looked at the weapon before her. It looked like something from a Grim Reaper Halloween costume, except the blade had been sharpened to a deadly level. She knew nothing about point weapons, let alone how to assemble one. "I can't do this! What you're asking is impossible!" she exclaimed.
"If you don't, then I'll be cursed to stay here forever!" he cried.
Jeritza dragged Byleth over to the telescope. She looked through it and could see Dedue and Mercedes enjoying a meal at Ashe's. "Don't you see?" he cried. "That's my sister - she's the only family that I have left. Do you know how hard it is to see her day in and day out, knowing that she doesn't have a clue who I am? Do you know how hard it is - being different people? After I was no longer Emile, I learned how to be Jeritza and also the Death Knight. I knew my purpose in Fodlan. But here I'm trapped in my bastard father's house all alone, cursed to remember how I slaughtered him and everyone in this house so he wouldn't touch Mercedes!"
Oh fuuuuuuuuck, we are going to die if we don't get out of here soon. His steady voice was now agitated, and Byleth knew she needed to choose her next move carefully. She stayed near the telescope and gently said, "You know - if what you're saying is true, then maybe my parents are out there somewhere too. And I want to believe that more than anything in the world. So maybe you're right. Maybe I need to open myself up more. Maybe if I want magic, I have to start believing."
Jeritza looked relieved, "So you'll help me?"
She smiled, "I can certainly try."
He turned around to get the scythe, and Byleth hit him over the head with the telescope. He fell to the ground, unconscious. She picked up the shotgun and gave him one last look to make sure he was out, "Crazy son of a bitch," she muttered. She hurried back to Edelgard's room and again removed the gag just in time for Edelgard to scream, "Byleth, look out!"
Jeritza kicked Byleth in the back, and she landed on Edelgard. The two of them crashed on the floor as the shotgun slid away from Byleth. She tried to reach for it, but Jeritza grabbed her by the hair and jerked her back. Still stuck in the chair, Edelgard wriggled frantically to get free.
Jeritza put one knee in Byleth's back and reached over her for the shotgun. He kept her pinned on the floor and cocked the gun beside her ear. He sounded gleeful, at least for him, as he said, "To kill, to die - to know one without the other would be maddening - "
Byleth closed her eyes and wondered what death was going to feel like. Instead, she heard Jeritza cry out. She opened her eyes to watch as Edelgard, now free, high kicked Jeritza in the gut. The gun fell from his hands, so he lunged at her, but she punched him in the nose. Byleth swore she thought there was a flash of gold over Edelgard's head. He bent over to grab his face, and Edelgard shoved him. She gave him another kick, sending him through the window.
They staggered out of the house, shaking and out of breath. Jeritza was nowhere to be found. "By the way," Byleth said, "did you start taking kickboxing and not tell me?"
Edelgard smiled and looked at her hand, "Honestly, Byleth - I have no idea where all that came from."
They continued down the driveway. Byleth was limping slightly, and Edelgard helped her along. Fortunately, they stumbled upon Byleth's car with the keys conveniently left in the driver's seat. "What a considerate psychopath!" Byleth exclaimed.
She hesitated a moment and tossed the keys to Edelgard. She caught them in the air and stared at Byleth in disbelief. "I don't understand - do you want me to run?"
Byleth shook her head, "No. But I'm giving you a choice. Just remember - once you decide to run, you'll never get a chance to stop."
Edelgard squeezed the keys, "Everyone thinks I killed Monica, Byleth. What else am I supposed to do?"
"Trust me - Edelgard. I promise that I will get you out of this. You don't have to face this all by yourself."
"Why do you care what happens to me, Byleth?"
"Because when Arundel had me arrested, you bailed me out, and you trusted me. And then you even let me move in with you. And I realized, all my life, I have been alone. Walls up. Nobody's ever been there for me, except for you. And I can't lose that. You're - um, you feel like family," she practically whispered the last part. Byleth felt tears in her eyes. She balled her fist and looked away from Edelgard.
Edelgard put her arm around Byleth, "Family?" she asked with a smile.
Byleth wiped a tear from her eye, "Friends. Whatever. I like you. Don't push it. Wouldn't you rather face this together than alone?"
Edelgard put the keys back into Byleth's hands.
Garreg Mach, 1185
A three-way peace meant nothing to Jeritza. His life as Emile was long gone. All he was going to do was keep killing until Byleth killed him. He knew it was time to go, and all that was left was to tell Mercedes goodbye. He owed her that much, at least. As expected, she begged him to stay at the monastery with her. He refused, and she surprised him by asking what happened to the rest of the Bartels. This was not a story that he wanted to tell, but he could never tell Mercedes no. He spoke slowly, "On the day I took his life, Father had just discovered that you and Mother were hiding at a church in the Kingdom. He was considering bringing both of you back home, but by then, Mother was past the age to bear children. And so, he proclaimed that he would take the only other female of the Lamine bloodline: that he would take you as his wife. What happened after that - I remember nothing of it. How I killed him or what his final words were."
He expected disgust, but Mercedes shocked him by taking his hand. She still begged him to stay through the end of the war. The Professor would need his help defeating the Agarthans, and she wanted to be with her little brother. "Don't you see, I love you, Emile? That will never change."
He could not resist her declaration of love, "Until we see this war through, I will remain at your side, sister." She kissed him on the cheek.
Crestwood
The time was almost 8:00, and Arundel pulled up to the station, his heart swelling with victory. By this time, something awful had most certainly befallen Edelgard as she tried to leave town. Dimitri was making a complete ass of himself. It was only a matter of time before the Fell Star got frustrated enough to leave town. Then he could focus once again on getting himself home and leaving the rest of the insects stranded. This was going so much better than the last time Kronya's heart had been torn out. He smiled as he got out of the car and noticed that the Sheriff's parking space was empty.
His joyful mood was crushed as he walked into the station. Claude was sitting with his feet propped up on a desk. He waved at Arundel cheerfully. Dimitri was gently cleaning a scrape on Byleth's face while she fussed at him. Worst of all, Edelgard was there in her cell. She flipped her hair back when she saw him. Hubert stood next to the cell with his arms crossed, grinning wickedly.
"At this time," Hubert smirked, "my client isn't accepting visitors. We have an arraignment to attend."
Arundel turned and left, slamming the door on the way out.
Edelgard was released on her own recognizance at the arraignment. Hubert actually seemed to know what he was doing. She and Claude took Edelgard out for coffee and cake at Ashe's. Although Edelgard still had a murder charge hanging over her head, she at least seemed in better spirits. As Byleth was ordering for everyone, Mercedes entered the store. She kissed Dedue on the cheek and sat down on the stool next to Byleth. "You know," she said cheerily. "You and Claude are so cute. It's like he's your little brother."
She laughed, "He's certainly as annoying as one."
Mercedes suddenly looked sad. "I had a little brother. Well, half-brother, I guess. When my mom left his dad, I never saw him again. I've never been able to find him."
She pulled out a family photo. There was a harsh-looking man and a woman with a kind expression that had to be Mercedes' mom. Mercedes looked much the same, except her hair was longer. But next to Mercedes was a very familiar face – a skinny little boy with long blonde hair. "What was your brother's name?" she asked hesitantly.
"Emile. But I can't find an Emile Bartels anywhere - here or on the internet. I worry about him being in that house with his father all those years. His father was a horrible man, and he was such a sensitive boy. I wonder if he remembers me."
Byleth felt her chest tighten up, so she excused herself back to Edelgard's table.