Chapter 5

Day 4 of the Wyvern Moon, Imperial Year 1180

Claude knew he was boxed in. Lorenz was chasing after him from one direction, while he spotted Seteth coming up the stairs from the other side. Not only was Seteth known as a strict disciplinarian, but his power within the Central Church was second to only Archbishop Rhea herself.

Seeing no escape route, Claude jumped into one of the nearby stables and covered himself under a pile of hay.

It was only a few seconds later when Claude's threats crossed paths just outside the stable.

"Oh! Perfect timing, Seteth. You are just the person I need," Lorenz hailed.

Seteth maintained an even voice despite the attention. "Ah, Lorenz. What is it?"

"As it so happens, I am in pursuit of Claude," Lorenz explained. "He has always been a weak leader for the Golden Deer, but even he has outdone himself this time with a most outrageous scheme. You know of the fishing tournament to be held tomorrow, correct?"

"Of course. I am the one organizing it, after all."

The fishing tournament was scheduled to celebrate the return of Flayn, Seteth's younger sister, who had been kidnapped the previous moon and been saved in a daring rescue in the winding passages below Garreg Mach. What her kidnappers hoped to achieve was a mystery to Claude.

"Yes, indeed. I apologize, that was a foolish question," Lorenz admitted. "Anyways, to the point. As I walking by my classroom earlier, I overheard a conversation between Claude and Hilda. The topic of conversation was of most gross conduct. Claude spoke of a plan to taint the monastery's bait supply using a substance with a scent that will deter the fish. He will do all of this, of course, after setting aside a clean portion of bait for himself. He will do this in hopes of achieving a most decisive victory during the tournament. He even mentioned the possibility of impressing young Flayn so much that she will be persuaded to transfer from her current class to the Golden Deer."

Claude had only said it mostly as a joke, considering he was not sure if such a substance could exist without poisoning the water, though he could be certain that neither Lorenz nor Seteth would interpret it that way. That being said, it would have been interesting for Flayn to join the Golden Deer rather than the Black Eagles. There were so many questions he wished to ask her…

"What?!" Seteth exclaimed, Lorenz's message obviously having the intended affect. "Does Claude not realize that tainting the bait could poison the entire fishing pond? It's as irresponsible as it is certain to fail. And to think that he can sway Flayn with such a cheap trick is…" Seteth released a deep breath rather than finish his sentence.

"Precisely why I am glad to have found you," Lorenz said with great satisfaction. "I entered the classroom to confront Claude, as is typically my responsibility, but he then jumped of a window and fled."

"Very well, I will assist your search. And I will order some of the knights to aid us as well. Come, Lorenz."

After the pair hurried off, Claude wiped off the hay that covered him. If he was going to avoid disaster, he needed to persuade someone that he never intended to follow through on his plan before being found by Lorenz or Seteth. Could Professor Manuela help? Or did he need to go to the archbishop herself?

As Claude considered his options, he put a hand on the horse that he was sharing the stall with. He then noticed another hand petting the horse's neck. After recoiling in shock, Claude looked up into a pair of human eyes under a mess of blue hair.

'Uhh, Marianne… have you been here the entire time?"

The young woman's eyes shut anxiously as her head turned down. "Umm… yes. Is there a problem?"

"No, of course not. It's just that you caught me by surprise, that's all."

"I'm sorry. I do have that effect on people."

"If it's a pattern, you should consider looking for a solution. Perhaps if you introduced your presence rather than lurking in the shadows? That story is going to end the same way every time."

"Maybe. But… I'm not very good at talking to people. And it's best that they all avoid me, anyways."

"Just talk to them like you would to Dorte here. It's good practice," Claude suggested.

"Oh, this horse? This isn't Dorte. He is two stalls over. This horse was sick the other day, and I wanted to see if she was feeling better."

"Well, now it's obvious I don't spend enough time in the stables. But that kind, thoughtful nature of yours… The world deserves to see more of it."

Marianne shook her head violently. "I'm sorry, Claude, but you're wrong! All I would do is bring misfortune. Please, you must leave me alone!"

Claude sighed. He wasn't making any progress. "I will leave you alone for now, then. When we both have time, remind me to tell you the story of a boy from a far kingdom. But for now… I really need to get going."

As Claude stepped over the stall door, Marianne asked, "Claude… you don't really intend to hurt the fish, do you?"

Claude couldn't help but laugh. "Absolutely not. Lorenz just overreacted, as usual."

"Oh! I see. Well… umm… goodbye, Claude."

"Goodbye, Marianne."

The Golden Deer's Gamble – Day 2 of the Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1186

Marianne was a frail girl with a high, timid voice, while Dimitri was a towering man who spoke with a hoarse growl. And yet, for some reason Claude found himself reminded of his former classmate when he glanced at Dimitri slumped against the wall of a cave that they had used for shelter overnight. The former house leader of the Golden Deer stood at the mouth of the cave to watch the evolving hue of the brightening sky.

Like Marianne, Dimitri was so alone. So burdened by the past.

The detail that stuck out the most to Claude was that Dimitri had only recently reunited with his army. That meant he had spent four years on the run alone. Utterly forlorn. Claude frequently felt isolated growing up, especially if Ariella, Nader, or his parents were away, and he knew how hard it could weigh on his mind. But the possibility of truly having no healthy presence in one's life for years straight after suffering such great losses?

It was beginning to make sense why the prince's mind had become so warped. Claude was somewhat confused at first, as the Tragedy of Duscur had occurred before their time at the monastery, but Dimitri seemed well-adjusted then even after that most obvious trigger. Though now that Claude reflected on it, Dimitri had seemed unusually single-minded during the Battle of Garreg Mach. Claude had been too occupied with his own concerns in the weeks between the Flame Emperor's reveal and the battle to check in on the leader of the Blue Lions, but it was possible that Dimitri's mind was already deteriorating. Was it the threat of war? Or did Edelgard's betrayal have such a heavy impact on him? Claude had teased him about a possible infatuation with Edelgard before, but it was mostly just meant to rile him up.

Dimitri may have survived Gronder and followed Claude's guidance so far, but it was clear that he was still on a path that would lead to his destruction. Claude had failed to thwart Marianne's fate, but he still had time to prevent Dimitri from destroying himself.

Though the opportunity was there, Claude was unsure of what he could do. He had spent the last five years successfully navigating the various motivations and prejudices of his nobles to keep the Alliance together. Perhaps he had grown overconfident of his own cleverness. The last two days had left him completely frazzled. He hardly felt like himself after being outplayed by Edelgard. What could he do to help in such a state? Thinking back on what Sylvain had said, part of Claude almost felt guilty for preventing Dimitri from pursuing his goal of killing Edelgard. It was that guilt that drove Claude to not reveal his most crucial role in Dimitri's survival.

Claude had no idea what would be the best path forward for Dimitri's sake, but he could not help but desire to keep Faerghus's heir by his side. Claude would soon return to his homeland as Khalid, Prince of Almyra. He would be doing so as a failure, and he would once again face many that would love to see the future of the mixed-blooded prince permanently extinguished. Having someone of Dimitri's immense strength and political value as a close ally would be one of the few versatile cards left in Khalid's hand.

Still, Dimitri had shown no interest in joining him, and Claude wasn't about to risk getting his head crushed in for trying to convince him. Until he was given any indication that the northern prince might be having a change of heart, Claude had to carry on with the current plan.

Claude hoped down from the cave mouth and strode to Dimitri's side. "Alright, let's get moving. I doubt there's any hostile troops in these parts, with Acheron dead and the Church in control of Myrddin, but we still might want to make it to the mountain passes before sunrise."

Dimitri remained unmoving. Was he still asleep? When Claude bent down to shake him awake, however, he realized his companion's uncovered eye was already open. His gaze was transfixed blankly at the ground before him.

"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" Claude asked.

"How could I? The dead will not allow it."

"I didn't get much myself." Claude slumped down beside him. Waiting a few minutes would not introduce too much risk. "I keep playing through that day in my head… how I might have done things differently. It all went wrong from the start. As soon as I saw you out there, I should have withdrawn my forces from the field until we had a chance to parley. I'm sorry I let things spiral out of control like that."

"She wouldn't have allowed that. And even if she did… I doubt I would have drawn back. I was ready for it to be over with. There's nothing you could have done to help my army. As for your own… I cannot help you with your sense of guilt."

"There's no need for you to worry yourself over my problems. I'll get past it."

Dimitri's mouth opened slightly, aghast with what he had heard. "Past it? Do you wish to forget?"

"No, 'forget' is far too strong of a word. Not only will I need to remember, but I'll need to learn in order to prevent it from happening again. But otherwise, lingering on it will accomplish nothing other than bringing pain. Is that what you are looking for?"

"No… but if that pain reminds me of my duty, then so be it."

"Your duty? What do you think you owe them? Several of my friends died protecting me. Hilda. Raphael. Lysithea. None of them asked for anything in return. I already miss them, but they did it because they believed in me, not so I'd owe them anything."

"You don't know their last thoughts. I heard the cries at Duscur. I know what theirs were."

Considering these assertions came from someone who seemed to believe he was haunted by literal ghosts, Claude was not sure exactly how much to believe. "If they did say something, it would have been said as an emotional impulse that they never had the chance to retract. Don't base their memory on that. Base it on how they lived. I know your friends swore their lives to your protection, no recompense needed."

"Even so," Dimitri muttered.

After waiting to see if Dimitri had more to say, Claude stood back up. "Come on."

Once again, Claude reached out a hand. This time, Dimitri slowly took it.

The nearest ridge providing access to the upper Oghma mountains was only a short hike away. By the time the sun blanketed their path in its light, Claude and Dimitri were high enough up to be unrecognizable from the plains below.

Dimitri was not in a disposition to talk, and Claude was content to trade conversation for a faster pace. The less chance of running into unexpected guests, hostile or not, the better. Thankfully, their only interruption for the first few hours was a brief rain shower that blew over the mountains.

If there was a goddess, though, she loved to exasperate the Alliance's former leader. Claude certainly understood the enjoyment that riling someone up could provide, but he was not in the mood to be on the receiving end at that particular moment.

Just as he began to relax and enjoy the hike, he and Dimitri were nearly trampled by a hoard of goats at a juncture with another path. After backing away and allowing the goats to continue, they were finally greeted by the goatherder at the back.

His skin was wrinkled from a hard life exposed to the elements, which made it difficult to ascertain his age. His clothes were cheap and well-used, and given his thin frame, it was surprising he was even in condition to traverse the Oghma Mountains, let alone do so with a bright smile.

"Ah, good day to the two of you," the man said. "Are you continuing up this pass here? I do not frequently have company in these parts."

"Yes, we have to go that way," Claude said a little bitterly. "And whose presence are we greeted with today?" His primary reason for wanting to know the goatherder's name was so he could later mentally gripe about the man who interrupted the secrecy of his journey.

"My name is Bergen. I grew up in a village near here. Now that the weather is warming, I'm taking my herd over to the northern side of the mountains for fresh grazing. And what are your names?"

"My name is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd," Dimitri said with monotone honesty.

Claude's body stiffened. He had not explicitly informed Dimitri of his desire to remain completely anonymous, even to noncombatants, but it seemed like it should have been obvious.

Thankfully, the goatherder belly laughed at the answer. After regaining his composure, he replied, "Yeah, and I'm Claude von Riegan. Do you use that joke often with strangers?"

Dimitri ignored the question. "You cannot be Claude von Riegan, for the man beside me is Cla-."

"- Claude Kirsten. Named after a previous Claude von Riegan. It seems pretty unlikely that you and I would both be named Claude, right?"

"There was another Riegan named Claude?" The man directed his question at Dimitri, apparently too suspicious of Claude.

Claude glared at Dimitri tellingly. The blonde prince's lips quivered, as if still struggling to commit to the lie despite realizing Claude's intentions. There actually had been a Claude or two among the Riegan family, but they were very minor figures that Dimitri likely did not know of.

"… Yes. There have been several of that name," Dimitri finally expelled.

"Well, you two are certainly knowledgeable on Leicester's history. Is there a new school of history for commoners like us that I didn't know about?" Bergen said with a loud laugh, even though he was the only one amused. At this point, Bergen began to amble up the hill again to keep up with his herd, with Dimitri and Claude following closely behind. "But enough joking. What is your real name, young man?"

Dimitri looked over at Claude, still hesitant to give a fake name. Fortunately, he relented. "… Ashe. I'm a mercenary from northern Faerghus." It would have made more sense for his alias to also hail from the Alliance, but that would have been problematic with Dimitri's cloak bearing the emblem of the King of Lions. It was a strange sight indeed to see Dimitri in heavy armor while Claude was only in a loose shirt and pants.

"And why would two mercenaries be travelling alone way out here? And of such different background!"

Claude stepped in before Dimitri could give a terrible answer. "We are hired in the service of the Knights of Seiros, assigned to reconnaissance missions. We have to keep a low profile, hence the lack of identification." Actual scouts would not give their identity away so easily, but Claude suspected that the goatherder would not consider that fact. If he did, Claude would just play it off that they were not particularly competent at their job.

"Ah, the Knights of Seiros!" Bergen exclaimed. "You won't believe how glad I've been since you've returned. Bandits had left these passes unsafe to travel the past few years. One of your knights… Alois was his name, I think… actually spoke with me some for advice on where to find the most dangerous crossings."

"And the Empire and their allies did nothing about the thieves?" Dimitri asked.

"No, there was a complete lack of order in these parts until the knights returned. The monastery and the surrounding mountains were crawling with thieves before that."

"Do you want revenge against the Empire for that?"

"Revenge?" Bergen's mouth fell agape. "I never really thought about it. I just wanted things to be normal again. Now they are. That's all there is to it."

"… I see," Dimitri muttered after a pause.

"Well, I hope things continue to improve for you," Claude said. "If you ever need more assistance, Alois will surely answer the call if he can. But please try to not mention us. We're supposed to keep a low profile, remember?"

"Of course, of course! Anything to help the knights."

As they continued their hike, Bergen continued to ramble about life on the mountains. Apparently, he was preparing to make a stop at his favorite watering hole a couple of miles ahead. Dimitri seemed genuinely interested in hearing his life story, while Claude was mostly glad that the goatherder was too busy talking about himself to interrogate his fellow travelers.

Their time together finally came to end after they reached the top of one of the mountains.

"Ah! This is the place I was talking about," Bergen cheered as they summited the peak. A pool of clear water was positioned below a gentle slope on the opposite side of the apex.

Once they arrived, Bergen looked to Claude and Dimitri enthusiastically. "This is the best spot to rest within two hours of here. Are you sure you won't stay?"

"I appreciate the offer, but we really are in a hurry," Claude answered on their behalf. He did, however, pull out two empty wineskins from his sack and fill them with fresh water after weaving between the goats encircling the pool.

"Thank you for your company, as well as your insight," Dimitri said without prompt as he bowed ever so slightly.

Dimitri's politeness caught Claude by surprise. "Yeah, I agree," he added uncertainly.

"Any time, sir knights. May the goddess protect you both."

Claude maintained a healthy silence for some distance, hoping to put as much space as possible between him and Bergen just in case the goatherder changed his mind and decided to follow them. Once he finally felt safely far away, Claude noted, "I wasn't exactly hoping for company on this trip, but you seemed to enjoy that little excursion."

Dimitri continued to walk as he spoke. "The Kingdom, Alliance, Empire. Nobles and generals. And not least, the emperor. They all think they have the authority to order what the people should want, what the people need, what the people should believe. This is a cause worth fighting. This is not." He gritted his teeth. "It's pure arrogance for one person to think they know the answers to all of the world's problems. Only the goddess knows all. Never does anyone in power ask for the people's own opinions about their lives."

"I agree that no one can have all the answers. But knowledge usually comes from experience, and a commoner's experience of the world at large will be minimal. That knowledge has to be fostered first."

"Perhaps. But there are some experiences that the privileged will never understand. Not unless they throw it all away to live in the streets."

Some of those words might have been directed at Claude, but there was a glimmer of a reasonable man behind them. Certainly a man who spoke from experience.

The subject interested Claude, but Dimitri moved on before more could be said. He demanded, "Now explain what happened back there. If I'm going to join the Resistance Army, my identity will be public knowledge soon regardless."

"Maybe, but my road will look much different. Once I drop you off at the monastery, I'm leaving Fódlan. The transition of power in the Alliance will be easier if everyone assumes I'm dead."

"Leaving Fódlan? You said earlier that you are returning home."

"I did." Claude took a deep breath before saying more. Once he uttered the words, there was no taking them back. There was no living person native to Fódlan other than his mother who knew Claude's secret. To give it away to someone so unreliable was a significant liability. But it was his only hope at convincing Dimitri to follow him, and after all of the losses Claude had already accrued, what was one more?

"I'm not exactly from Fódlan. My parents actually live in Almyra. Trying to navigate that situation alone could be dicey."

Dimitri's reaction was far more subtle than most of Claude's old classmates would have been, but his eyebrows did rise some. "Your origins were always murky, but looking into it wasn't a priority. I'm not sure Almyra would have been my first guess. How did you even get here?"

"Heh! I'll hold onto that secret for now," Claude deterred with a quick smile.

There was silence for minute or two, and Claude assumed the conversation was over. However, Dimitri then quietly observed, "What you said about your apparent death making the transition of power easier… that would apply to me as well."

Claude had to gather all of his strength to hold back a triumphant grin. "True. If Byleth is able to defeat the Empire, Fódlan might look very different after the war ends. The Hresvelg dynasty will be extinct, and the heirs to many of the Empire's noble families are already Byleth's closest lieutenants. In the Kingdom and Alliance, she'll be hailed as a liberator. With all of the current ruling families out of the picture, unification under her banner seems more likely than ever. There are already quite a few who are wishing for this. But with either of us still around, those hoping to maintain the prewar order will have more leverage."

Of course, Byleth had not been Claude's first choice, but she was the only legitimate counter to Edelgard left. Dimitri did not need to know of his reservations, however.

Dimitri frowned. "I am not qualified to lead. What happened at Gronder should be enough evidence of that. After everything I've done, I could never accept the crown."

"Even so, there will be many of your citizens who won't feel the same way. As soon as they see the hope of a king in Fhirdiad, they'll be ready to cut ties with the Resistance Army. I plan to be gone either way, but at least my title is not entirely hereditary, and my popularity was fickle, anyways. I won't be as missed as you."

Dimitri fell silent. His entire body drooped as if laden with heavy doubts.

"If you weren't going to take the crown, what was your plan had you won?" Claude inquired.

"Edelgard had to die. But I didn't expect to outlive her by much." Dimitri stopped in his tracks as his face took on a pained expression. "It was my fate to die on those fields, Claude. You should have left me there."

Claude frowned. "And what would that have accomplished? To be blunt, you almost died an absolute failure. Now you have the opportunity to do some good before the end."

"I've only done one good thing in my life, and now that he's dead again, not even that means anything now. It's far too late for me to find a new path."

"Not a word of that is true," Claude sighed. He dropped his belongings on the ground from exhaustion. "I'll make it quick, but I need some quick rest and nutrition. Care for some food?"

He reached into his sack and drew out several slices of dried meat. Dimitri took a piece and then turned his back. "Enjoy your meal," he said before stuffing the food in his mouth and walking away.