Crimson Flower
The Eyrie
"In a week's time, it'll be four years since this war started." Ferdinand said atop his trusted steed, the white stallion trotted into the stables of Garreg Mach, it's new home.
Dismounting from his steed that he had raised and trained on his own, Ferdinand removed the it's saddle to rest his back which Ferdinand softly patted.
"It feels nostalgic but weird to return here after all these years." Sylvain said as he finished removing his own stallion's tack, setting them aside in his own horse' stall.
Ferdinand removed the brindle of his horse, the last piece of tack on his horse, he then brushed it's well groomed main before exiting it's stall where Sylvain awaited him.
"I agree. When we were last here, we were attacking this place. I can remember that day, it was a difficult event for all of us, to attack a place we regarded as our second home and where we met our friends and the professor…"
Sylvain casually shrugged. "Eh, it's more like the place where I found some nice girls to hang out with-"
"You mean break their hearts." Ferdinand frowned disapprovingly at Sylvain's past transgressions to women.
"Hey, that was in the past. Good old me is spoken for now."
Ferdinand chuckled as he and Sylvain walked together to leave the stables' stench to stroll around Garreg Mach, passing by many other soldiers of the Empire as well as servants and civilians who had been helping in maintaining the now main stronghold of the Empire outside its territory.
"Even after all these years, our dear Emperor hasn't ordered any repairs made here huh?" Sylvain said as both he and Ferdinand eyed the large stones that are scattered around the monastery, all of them were once part of the monastery's walls or towers that were damaged by the siege of years past.
"Edelgard never had the mind to have all of them fixed considering how stretched out the Empire's resources are, she only ordered key parts of the monastery to be repaired that can aid in a defense should this place be attacked." Ferdinand explained as the duo gave the monastery's gates and what used to be a marketplace, one last look before entering the entrance hall, a place being currently swept by soldiers and servants alike.
"I already am guessing she didn't spare any resources in having the cathedral repaired."
"That's correct but she didn't stop any volunteers like worshippers bearing letters of safe conduct to move the rubble from the cathedral itself." Ferdinand said as both of them stopped at the base of the stairs leading up to either the reception hall or dining hall.
Sylvain examined the hall, a look of nostalgia upon his eyes.
Scoffing lightly, Sylvain placed his hands on both sides of his waist.
"I remember our first day here, Seteth was atop those stairs speaking about the rules we must follow while Rhea and her cohorts hung behind. I recall being with Ingrid and Felix during-" Sylvain trailed off, his casual and easygoing expression falling flat for a moment as if he touched upon a subject he was sensitive about.
Ferdinand only looked on the former heir of House Gautier, he perfectly knew what made the redhead pause.
"Sylvain, he may still be alive out there." Ferdinand said in an effort to offer words of consolation.
The redhead looked back at Ferdinand, his easygoing smile returning but instead of being a genuine one, this one was more of a facade to hide what he felt.
"Heh, yeah. That grouchy sharp tongued bastard is too stubborn to just lie down and die somewhere, I shouldn't be worrying about him." Sylvain shook his head before he took his steps towards the stairs.
"I should be going now, got some stuff to do in my room, pretty sure it needs some cleaning and organizing after all these years." He waved goodbye at Ferdinand with his signature wink and smile before leaving the lord of House Aegir alone on the base of the stairs.
"Aww... the plants in the greenhouse looked so neglected!" Bernadetta lamented as she looked on the wilting flowers on the flowerbeds of the greenhouse, some of which are already dead and decaying.
"Cheer up Bernie! We can always replant them!"
The former recluse frowned at Caspar as she bent down her knees to closely inspect the deteriorating plants. Many months of care she and the others had put in the plants had all been wasted after seeing how pests were all infesting some of the plants.
"Easy for you to say when you haven't done a single thing to care for them." Bernadetta sighed in exasperation, annoyed at Caspar's callousness.
Caspar looked surprised at Bernadetta's outburst. "You don't need to be so hostile, you know."
Bernadetta sighed but this time softer as she stood up and faced Caspar.
"It's not that… it's just…" Bernadetta trailed off, her right hand reaching for Caspar's left hand. "It's sad to see something that many worked hard on only for it to just end up like this."
Caspar's upbeat demeanor changed, understanding what Bernadetta meant, they had passed through many sites some bearing historical or sentimental meaning to many people on and during their arrival in Garreg Mach.
Villages razed, towns abandoned and fields of verdant green burned down to a barren waste with ash permeating the air.
Such was the toll of war and for those who experienced it more closer than ever before, they can't help but lament about how easy it was to destroy things that took difficulty to create.
The greenhouse and Garreg Mach in general felt like a far cry compared to it's splendor back in the days, a former shadow of its former self and the members of the Black Eagle Strike Force just can't help but feel some sort of guilt for their contribution to its current state.
"You know, I can help you get this place back to what used to be." Caspar suggested in an attempt to break the ice.
Bernadetta gave him a questioning look before giggling rather cutely enough for even Caspar to blush.
"Y-You? You'll end up smashing everything."
"H-Hey!" Caspar said in protest. "I can handle delicate matters!"
Bernadetta merely giggled, as her hand squeezed Caspar's. The sky blue haired man shook his head with a grin.
"Hey, remember that place I took you to see that pleasant view?"
"You mean the place where you carried me out against my will? You basically kidnapped me that day!" Bernadetta said as she remembered the terror she felt that day, one of her days of being at her worst state.
Caspar scratched the back of his head. "But you ended up liking the view, that's what matters right?"
"No! You were very inconsiderate!" Bernadetta responded back in such a way that her reaction made Caspar remember how bad Bernadetta's paranoia was during their days as students.
Something she had credited him in helping her get over it during the years following the start of the war.
"Come on, I apologized so many times about that!"
"I…" Bernadetta sighed, Caspar was right, he had apologized for that and she shouldn't be pushing it against his face after he made amends.
"You're right. I'm sorry." Bernadetta apologized this time, feeling bad about what she just did.
Good thing Caspar let bygones be bygones, he grinned and embraced her with both arms wrapping around her tightly and pressing her against his body.
"You're so cute sometimes, Bernie!" Caspar chimed in with his usual optimism, being ignorant of the fact that Bernadetta's face was slowly being crushed against the steel of his armor.
"S-Sometimes?! O-Oww! You're hurting me!" Bernadetta didn't know if she should blush or feel pain, either way, it made her uncomfortable in different ways… especially the latter.
"That's everything, Your Majesty."
Edelgard simply nodded, her back facing Hubert as Edelgard watched over from Star Terrace of the third floor of Garreg Mach's main building, overlooking the influx of people from the Imperial Army entering the Empire controlled monastery.
Hubert worriedly looked on the back of the Emperor, the latter wasn't in the best of mood a few days ago considering what she had to deal with:
She had faced the King of Faerghus himself, a reunion for the worst after they haven't seen each other for almost four years since the war began. After a brief clash, they were forced to stop but not without Dimitri vowing he would come for Edelgard's head.
Any words that Edelgard would say didn't sway the angered king and it was at that moment that Edelgard knew the only option was to fight.
The amount of blames directed at her: The loss of lives either directly or indirectly brought from the war she waged.
An accusation that she has accepted that will always be levied against her. But what got to her? Dimitri's strong accusations against her for causing the Tragedy of Duscur, surprising the Emperor as to how and why the King of Faerghus came to such a conclusion… that she had something to do with a tragedy that happened in the same time frame when the experiments on her and her siblings happened in Enbarr.
She clenched her hands into fists as she came into the only logical conclusion as to how Dimitri formulated such a bizarre accusation towards her.
Cornelia.
She knew how the woman had managed to work her way into the service of the royal family of Faerghus years ago and helped its citizens to rid them of the plague that had gripped them. Based on the information she had received thanks to Hubert's efforts, she was an agent meant to spy and manipulate the affairs of Faerghus under the bidding of the group of people Hubert called as Those Who Slither in the Dark. Like Tomas was to Solon, Monica to Kronya, they highly suspected that the one known as Cornelia was truly consigned to a terrible fate while another simply took her place.
"Much like Lord Arundel." Edelgard murmured, her hands clenched more tightly into fists to the point of feeling pain, remembering what her uncle did.
The retaking of the Brionac Plateau, Edelgard and the Black Eagle Strike Force knew it wouldn't be a cakewalk especially without some of their members back then.
The enemy they were up against are soldiers forged by their many experiences in war and good martial training, disciplined to protect their homeland and their king.
The army of Faerghus eagerly met them in battle on the open fields, ambushing the vanguard of the Imperial Army as they marched.
Uttering their cries for victory and to uphold what they believe is their values of chivalry, the knights of Faerghus charged atop their mounts to assault the Emperor and her army, only to be met head on by spikes made out of dark magic that resulted in their broken momentum.
Their charge disrupted, the mounted knights did not have enough time to react nor navigate their way out of the smoke that the explosion caused thanks to the Dark Spikes. They were met by a fierce counter charge of the Imperial Army's cavalry led by Ferdinand.
The counter charge allowed another charge from the Empire's second cavalry regiment to come through unchallenged to attack the Kingdom's infantry, breaking their formation upon Sylvain's orders.
Sylvain, having had his own reservation in fighting his former homeland in the past, seemed resolved after learning from the Emperor of the malady the system of Fodlan had caused to its people, a system he also abhorred and blamed for the decadence that Faerghus and the other nations suffered.
He admired the Emperor's firm resolve to be the only one who was willing to strike out first against the system the Church of Seiros had put in place for nearly a millennium but that did not fully remove any form of reservation he had in fighting soldiers from the Kingdom.
Nonetheless, there was no turning back for him especially at this battlefield, he must stay focused to gain a victory here.
Having cut a path for the main forces to engage, Edelgard raised the Aymr up in the air before motioning it forward.
"For the fate of Fodlan!" Edelgard uttered out her battle cry, a cry that was echoed and reciprocated by the army at her beck and call.
As she stayed behind while the main infantry line charged, Edelgard was joined by Lysithea and Hubert by her side, the trio overlooking the beginning of a bloody skirmish that they must achieve victory in.
It was the only way Edelgard could retake back the Empire's momentum without needing to refer to methods that would question her humanity.
As for Lysithea, her eyes wide at the sight of such battle on a scale she has never seen before. She had thought that the siege she took part in to take Garreg Mach was the largest she had witnessed and took part in but this one was entirely different for her.
There was something boiling between the two armies of the opposing side and the sheer volume of people fighting in the open, the sounds of battle and death were more clear than ever, the air began to smell with the stench of blood.
"Don't let it overwhelm you." Hubert saw the uneasiness in Lysithea's eyes, the latter turning to her. "This is the reality of the frontlines of war, burn this image in your mind and get used to it."
Lysithea merely looked at the tall black haired man, silently acknowledging his advice. She had constantly asked Edelgard back then if she could help more directly at the war, only for the Emperor to deny her, now that she finally stands in the battlefield, she knew there was no turning back. Lysithea blinked and heaved a deep breath.
In her left hand, the Thyrsus glowed and crackled with dark magic, on her right hand, her Levin Sword began to emit more lightning around its signature shaped blade.
Raising the Levin Sword, she placed the Thyrsus on it's blade, channeling in the dark magic she was forming in the staff before waving it away to shroud the Levin Sword with dark purple energy, changing the color of it's lightning with the same color of the magic enhancing it.
Edelgard merely smirked at Lysithea's display of resolve and responded in kind by manifesting her Crest of Seiros, making the Aymr respond to it to glow bright red orange.
Without a word, Edelgard charged forward to join the fray, followed by Lysithea and Hubert behind her, ready to finally embrace the brutal nature of the battle before them.
As time went by and more blood was shed on the ground of the Brionac Plateau, the battle was increasingly becoming a stalemate with Kingdom and Empire soldiers being killed equally in droves.
Even with the tactics Edelgard has employed such as positioning Bernadetta and her sniper squad to provide missile fire from one of the upland areas of the plateau, it did little with the steady stream of devoted Kingdom soldiers fighting on.
Edelgard cursed under her breath at the grim situation, she had come here with the majority of the Black Eagle Strike Force to make a difference yet she and the others could only achieve such an unsatisfactory stalemate.
Lysithea unleashed multiple spheres of Miasma from the Thyrsus, causing them to explode upon contact by a group of Kingdom spearmen approaching her as the empowered version of her spell caused some of them to be brutally dismembered from the sheer power.
The Ordelia lady's breathing was beginning to get ragged, she had been winded down with the continuous stream of spells she had been casting as well as-
Lysithea managed to narrowly block an axe with her Levin Sword from one of the Kingdom soldiers who avoided her Miasma, his attack took her by surprise, making her struggle into the defensive.
She may have learned how to wield a sword, use Soulblade and fight in close quarters all these years but she was still in Edelgard's words, physically inferior to almost any trained soldier she'll meet in the battlefield.
But this is where everything she learned comes in, using the Soulblade enchantment to her favor in addition to the strong magical properties of her sword, Lysithea's sword began to cut through the axe's blade which alarmed the soldier she was fighting with.
Seizing the opportunity, Lysithea motioned her body forward, pushing the soldier and leaving him open for Lysithea to fire a Miasma sphere point blank onto the soldier's stomach with the Thyrsus: the result was the soldier's body being sent flying to the air by the dark magic sphere before exploding into bloody pieces, raining down blood and gore to any unlucky ones below the magical explosion.
Despite being more and more used to dealing death upon her enemies as soon as the battle began, Lysithea still felt overwhelmed at the lethality of her magic by now, she was aghast at how brutal her spells have become compared to how she managed to defeat her enemies years ago.
The heat of the battle had cooled down a bit for her as she finally realized what was in front of her: a large swathe of corpses littering the bloodied ground in front of her, either felled by her spells or cut down by her sword.
Her eyes widened at the sight of some rather (un)lucky survivors of her deadly magic but they were either crippled from missing limbs or are simply just grasping at the last vestiges of their lives, it was a sight that she took no pleasure in seeing.
Yet in that moment, she had forgotten one of the main lessons Byleth had taught her and her friends back in Garreg Mach.
Never let your guard down in the middle of the battlefield.
An arrow struck Lysithea on her left arm, the arrow lodged into her arm's flesh and penetrated through her bone which gave a sharp feeling of pain as she was forced to let go of the Thyrsus. Falling on her backside, Lysithea let go of her Levin Sword to hold her left arm with the only functional one she had.
Wincing in pain, Lysithea looked towards the direction from where the arrow came from only for her eyes to widen in horror as another one was shot and on it's way to her to shoot through her head.
Lysithea closed her eyes as she feared the thought of death, not wanting to look at it straight in the eye until Hubert stepped in. The raven haired adviser to the Emperor offset the arrow with his own Miasma spell, destroying it in midair before he turned his cold gaze to the archer who was responsible.
Hubert threw his right arm up and motioned it down to the direction of the archer who tried to kill Lysithea.
The archer looked up above her to see blobs of purple colored dark magic falling down on her and 'soaking' her.
The effect was immediate as soon as the archer was hit for she screamed with a terrible anguished cry as her flesh and bone began to fall down as she screamed from the excruciating pain of having her body dissolved by the Mire spell Hubert had casted to her.
The screams lasted until nothing was left but a fuming pile of dissolved flesh and bone in place of the archer.
Unbothered by what he saw and heard, Hubert swiftly turned his attention towards the fallen Lysithea who had the opposite expression Hubert had as she witnessed the horrifying death of her attacker.
"Bite down hard, this is going to hurt." Hubert said as his left hand firmly held Lysithea's arm in place.
"What are you-" Lysithea didn't have the chance to finish as she screamed in pain when Hubert, without warning, pulled the arrow out from Lysithea's arm with his right hand.
Hubert then stood up and assumed his usual stance. "Heal yourself, you know how don't you?"
"What the fuck, Hubert?!" Lysithea screeched out from pain and anger at the sudden deed Hubert had done, she could feel tears pricking the corner of her eyes from the pain. Hell, she was also surprised by herself for cursing, something she never does despite her tongue's terrible reputation of being harshly sharp.
"If you have the strength to scream curses at me then spare it by using a vulnerary to wash that wound." Hubert coldly advised her.
"I-" Lysithea stopped herself from lashing out at him after realizing what Hubert had done for her. She may not like the guy but she does owe her life to him for earlier.
Swiftly taking out a bottle of vulnerary from the leather strap around her left thigh, Lysithea uncorked the vial of medicinal concoction and poured it over the wound on her left arm. She bit down to prevent herself from screaming at the searing pain the medicine had over her wound. S could feel her flesh and bone slowly mend from the concoction's effect.
The other alternative was to drink it but it will take much slower for the wound to heal instead of painfully pouring the liquid to her wound, the healing properties concentrating on the affected area.
Breathing raggedly from screaming within the confines of her mouth, Lysithea threw the empty vial away as she felt her wounded arm significantly healed but still bearing certain amounts of pain from the wounded muscle.
Standing up to her own feet, she watched Hubert defend himself and her by keeping any enemies trying to lay the coup de grace on her, she picked up her Thyrsus and Levin Sword again to join the raven haired mage in battle, both wordlessly acknowledging each other as the battle raged on and on without a definite end in sight.
Lysithea opened the door to what used to be her room almost four years ago. Upon stepping in, Lysithea was met with the musty smell of a room long sealed from the outside. She had noticed that her bed was mostly the same as she left it, only covered in dust, she looked around the dark musty room to see cobwebs formed on the corners of her room.
Walking to the table she frequently used to make her notes and study, she traced her fingers on it's dusty surface as feelings of nostalgia began to take her senses.
She picked up the oil lamp that she often lit in the wee hours of the night, it was dusty but the oil within was still preserved, she made a mental note to clean it later.
Hell, she would need to do a lot of cleaning in her entire room now that she thought about it, this isn't a place she can find herself sleeping every night she's stationed in Garreg Mach. Her quarters in Enbarr were far more luxurious and spacious, yes but she didn't care for that as long as she's got enough space for her essentials which are mainly books and…
Ordelian...
Lysithea sighed as she stared at the foot of the dust covered bed, an image of her beloved deceased cat slept on it like Ordelian used to during her days in the academy.
The feline companion of hers has been her stalwart friend hanging around her ever since she was released by those who experimented on her. Ordelian was her only friend and playmate in the grim aftermath of such a tragedy, and now that she remembered him, she sadly realized that not much remained of her old life…
Only her parents remained as an anchor to better days that she may never experience again as she counted the years she had left.
She sat down at the side of her bed, her left hand on her chest as she felt her heart wrenched from the flood of memories and grim realizations.
Then, she suddenly noticed how she was in the same position on the side of the bed at the last time the professor visited her in this room.
It was her birthday… the day she also started packing her belongings to return to Ordelia lands once again to be with her parents.
A bitter day with no sweetness that reminded her that she moves closer to her fated time of departure from the world and as well as a reminder that she will be separated from her friends, classmates… Edelgard… and Professor Byleth…
Somberly looking at her side, Lysithea patted the spot where Byleth sat when they had another one of their personal talks alone and the one they held here was one of their last.
She remembered expressing her concern over his changed appearance, especially his lighter shade of hair color, she feared he exchanged his life for more power only for Byleth to assure her he was feeling better than ever.
Then, she received what is perhaps the most precious gift she received from the professor. Lysithea looked at the tactics books he gave to her years ago, she smiled bitterly when she recalled how she told him she would soil the book with her own notes to correct his own notes.
She had since, been true to her word as she used his tactics book to employ her strategies in helping out the Empire's armies, writing her own notes as she went through with it.
"Would you have agreed to come with me if I asked you to continue being my teacher in Ordelia territory?"
She suddenly remembered the question she asked from Byleth in this very room on that very day though, she would receive her answer after two days.
"I would have come with you."
The snow haired woman bitterly chuckled at those memories. She had run through that memory many times and everytime she did, she told herself to stop thinking of what-ifs.
What if this… what if that… it was something she kept forbidding herself to do but kept on doing from time to time. There is nothing but pain and suffering in thinking of what could have happened if certain events didn't happen, wishing… thinking wouldn't change it.
Standing up from her old bed, Lysithea was on her way out of her room to get the tools and supplies needed to clean her room until she noticed something at the far corner of her room.
Kneeling down on both knees at the dirty floor, not caring if she got her white stockings sullied, Lysithea picked up the object that caught her curiosity.
In her hands was the Armored Bear Stuffy that she received from Byleth during her years in the academy. It was all dirty and covered in dust as Lysithea pat some of it away, some of the dust even made her sneeze before she could get a good look at the toy she fondly received from Byleth.
For the first time in the day, Lysithea smiled as she fondly remembered that day that she worked for the professor as his assistant, a punishment given to her for destroying the kitchen with Annette, the latter being relegated to duties in the greenhouse. It was only a trip to the market to help the professor yet it became a memorable day for her.
By now, Lysithea had noticed a single tear dropped from her right eye as she reminisced about such memories of days that may never happen again.
Wiping her tears away, Lysithea took the Armored Bear Stuffy with her, to clean it with hopes she can still preserve one of the last physical reminders of Byleth left in this world.
As she walked through the battlefield, slaying any soldier from the Kingdom army, Edelgard watched the carnage all around her, her grip on her axe tightened in anger not at the stalemate but at someone.
Her uncle, Volkhard von Arundel had promised before her and the other lords and generals in the council that he would join them in the battle yet time had passed and they were nowhere to be seen. To be honest, she preferred her uncle did not join them but the possibility of the Knights of Seiros joining the fray was one of her principal concerns in reclaiming the Brionac Plateau, she cannot hope to defeat the combined forces of the Kingdom and the Church with just her army alone.
Edelgard raised her peculiar looking axe high above her head, the axe and it's Crest Stone glowed with power before she slammed the Aymr on the ground in front of her. The result was a shockwave caused by the energy she expelled from her Aymr as the ground around her trembled like a quake hitting the plateau, the shockwave sent the Kingdom soldiers in front of her flying in the air before plummeting to the ground either injured or dead.
Smoke and dust surrounded her, shrouding her vision but not her hearing. The Emperor remained vigil, solemnly standing in the middle of the smokescreen she made until the clanking of armor and the sound of hooves caught her attention.
As if anticipating the incoming attackers, Edelgard effortlessly moved her to avoid a lance from a mounted knight that aimed to pierce her throat. In one swift display of unnatural speed, Edelgard turned around and lodged her axe on the back of the knight as he passed by her, the Aymr's unworldly sharpness cutting through the steel plate and chainmail armor like it was nothing as the Emperor's axe lodged itself deep within the soldier's body, his spine completely broken.
"DIE MURDERER OF THOUSANDS!" An approaching spearman of the Kingdom cried at her as he emerged from the smoke only for Edelgard to throw the near dead knight she forcefully dismounted to the charging soldier, knocking the soldier down on the ground, laying atop him was the now dead knight as blood pooled beneath them.
Many more soldiers brandishing their own weapons came for her from behind the smoke only for them to be swiftly dispatched by the Adrestian Emperor, their lives literally cut short as she made short work of them.
Her latest victim, having the Aymr's jagged blade lodged deep within the middle of the soldier's head, splattering blood on the Emperor's face and clothes as Edelgard looked on solemnly at her kill.
Kicking away the dead soldier to the ground, Edelgard noticed a lone figure standing from outside the smoke as if awaiting her to reveal yourself and as if, silently beckoning her.
With a strong swing of the Aymr, Edelgard caused a gust of wind to disperse the smoke she created. She waited as the smoke and dust cleared, despite her solemn pose, she was ready to anticipate any form of attack until her eyes widened in surprise.
"Edelgard." The man before her growled with nothing but contempt upon her name.
The ashen haired woman took a moment to process who was in front of her before she managed to compose herself and glare at the blonde man before her.
"Dimitri."
Everyone who saw the King and Emperor having a face-off, stopped fighting and watched as the tension rose higher than ever. As the King of Faerghus and the Emperor of Adrestia walked in circles around each other, their soldiers cheered their respective rulers as others beat on their shields with their weapons in anticipation of the incoming duel.
Lysithea and Hubert arrived in the midst of the commotion, to witness the prologue of a duel long awaited for by the two rulers of the battlefield.
Knowing full well at what was about to happen, Lysithea wanted to rush in and aid Edelgard but was stopped short by Hubert grabbing her by the arm.
"As much as I want to also aid her, Her Majesty strictly ordered us to hold back."
"Since when did Edelgard care about the notions of honor the Kingdom has?!"
"This is not about honor." Hubert corrected her, his eyes fixated towards his liege.
"Then what is it?!"
"She will try to reach him, to convince him of the folly of supporting the Church."
Lysithea's eyes widened and her eyes darted back to Edelgard. "She will? Even if King Dimitri is bent on destroying her?"
"Her Majesty wants to take the chance rather than never." Hubert responded, unbeknownst to the Ordelia heiress, he was clenching his left hand tightly into a fist, he too was conflicted on such an order from the Emperor but he had no choice but to allow Edelgard to reach through Dimitri.
There was a tense silence between the two rulers, ignoring the cries and cheers of their respective subjects around them, the two were fixated upon each other as if nothing else mattered between them.
"You finally showed yourself in battle." Dimitri said with a voice devoid of any emotion but barely concealed resentment towards the red-clad Emperor.
"I have." Edelgard merely replied.
Dimitri snorted. "Finally having the guts to see the war and carnage you, yourself have caused?"
Edelgard was silent at Dimitri's pointy words and his implication that she merely hid herself in the throne on Enbarr when she had been actively working to secure her Empire together in this fragile stalemate.
But there was no need for Edelgard to respond directly to Dimitri's taunts, she had both hoped and dreaded to encounter the King at last in the battlefield. She knew Dimitri had some stubborness in him but she had hoped he would listen to reason, he had to listen to what she had to say otherwise the days of a past far far away may never come again. A day where they both will stand side by side-
"Dimitri, this confrontation can possibly end with none of us being harmed if you listen to me." Edelgard requested but this only made Dimitri narrow his eyes towards her.
"Is this another one of your schemes, Edelgard? Must I guess what you are deviously planning? You aim to have my guard down with your honeyed words-"
"It's not like that." Edelgard firmly told him. "This concerns the future of Fodlan and it's people-"
"It's people that your war has caused countless suffering to all corners of Fodlan!" Dimitri pointed out, raising his lance: The Areadbhar towards her.
Edelgard growled in frustration as she also raised the Aymr, poised to defend herself as she could feel Dimitri's intent to attack her without mercy.
"This war ends today if I cut you down from where you stand." Dimitri growled, his grip on the pole of the ancestral Hero's Relic of his House, tightening. "I will deliver justice to the many lives you condemned to a short one!"
And with those words, Dimitri lunged forward towards Edelgard, thrusting his lance towards Edelgard. The Emperor managed to block it with the blade of the Aymr
The soldiers from both sides cheered as relic upon relic clashed against each other, their clash emitting shockwaves that threatened to sweep them off their feet. From an outside perspective, Dimitri was faster and his inhuman stamina to launch successive strikes proved to pressure the Adrestian Emperor more into the defensive.
As for Edelgard, she was used to this fighting style of the former prince since their days sparring in the Academy but unlike those days, the Dimitri she is fighting now isn't holding anything back and was fighting her with unrestrained might. She knew Dimitri only held back in their many spars in the Academy as a courtesy, spars that abruptly ended due to being called to their duties as house leaders or Dimitri accidentally breaking another training weapon.
But she was far used to sparring against a faster and seemingly stronger partner, that was Byleth himself and as such, Edelgard could keep up and stand her ground against the King of Faerghus.
Employing a parry move she learned from Byleth, a move she honed all these years, she anticipated the interval when Dimitri raises his lance to strike down on her axe, before he could bring it down again.
She swung her axe upwards, meeting against the Areadbhar at the moment she had awaited for, deflecting the strike before it could gain enough power.
This staggered Dimitri back, catching him by surprise but nonetheless managed to retain his focus as he kept his ground, he channeled the power of his Crest, manifesting first through his will and made the Areadbhar glow bright red orange.
Edelgard responded with her Crest of Seiros manifesting once again to make the Aymr glow bright red orange.
Without a word, Edelgard and Dimitri charged against each other, both of them uttering a loud cry. Edelgard spun around and grinded the Aymr to the ground, scarring it while Dimitri spun his body around to gain momentum.
The Aymr and Areadbhar, both clad with great power, clashed in an attack so powerful than their previous clash that the shockwaves reverberating from the collision of two relics swept everyone around them off their feet, the closer ones had the unfortunate privilege of being sent flying.
When the dust and smoke cleared, Lysithea and Hubert worriedly watched what became of Edelgard from the massive clash only for them and the other soldiers to look on in shock. Edelgard and Dimitri were both still standing, both of them and their respective weapons in a blade lock, sparks and bright red orange light generating as one or the other tried to dominate the other.
By now, Dimitri's expression had removed any mask of restraint, his resentment towards Edelgard laid bare at her continued persistence to live and continue her selfish ambition.
"Why won't you die?" Dimitri questioned as Edelgard simply gritted her teeth together, their arms trembling as they tried to force their weapons against each other.
"You who have killed so many people, made them suffer! Left people to starve and wail for their loved ones all these years!"
Edelgard was beginning to get incensed by Dimitri's pointed accusation towards her, it made her frustrated that Dimitri can only look at the war at such a surface level, not the reason behind it.
"And I have told you many times, this war is for the future of Fodlan!"
"A future built upon the foundation of the blood and corpses of others!"
"And the one we lived in now isn't?" Edelgard rebutted, catching Dimitri off-guard.
"Remind me again, Dimitri. How did your Kingdom gain its sovereignty? How did the Church of Seiros establish its roots?" Edelgard questioned further. "No nation in this world was built with clean hands, all fought for what they believed was just yet you do not condemn them the way you condemn me!"
Dimitri was unmoved. "Do not speak of being justified in this war you started when you have plotted to destroy everything my father and those before him had built!"
Edelgard raised her eyebrows in question at what Dimitri meant by his words.
"You were responsible for the lives that were lost in the Tragedy of Duscur!" Dimitri sharply accused her with every venom he can muster, his eyes changing to that of a crazed bloodlust as if the event was a trigger word for him to give in to his baser instincts.
But, Dimitri wasn't the only one enraged at the mention of that dark part of Fodlan's history. All of a sudden, Edelgard felt her blood boil at the unfounded accusation being hurled at her. An accusation over an event that she had no hand in, that she herself wanted to make the true culprits pay for what they have done later on.
Edelgard did not know why Dimitri came to such an absurd conclusion but it did not matter for now, all what mattered to her is to appease this raging flame burning within her.
In an uncharacteristic manner that took even Hubert and Lysithea in surprise, Edelgard's anger ignited when she screamed in vehement rage over Dimitri's accusation, the fire within her manifesting the Crest of Flames, a power she wanted to conceal for many purposes, shrouding the Aymr with whitish gold flame.
Dimitri was caught off-guard from seeing the Crest of Flames once again all these years, his mind unable to comprehend why Edelgard possessed such power when the one he knew possessed it, had died when Garreg Mach fell.
Using her ignited power, Edelgard swung the Aymr with such strength that Dimitri found himself on the ground, deprived of the Areadbhar which planted itself on the ground a few distance from its owner.
Everyone around them was silent as they bore witness that the Emperor of Adrestia had effectively defeated the King of Faerghus. The soldiers of the Kingdom looked demoralized at what they had seen while the Imperial soldiers roared in cheers at their Emperor's victory.
Breathing heavily at her sudden outburst of both power and emotion, Edelgard couldn't believe what she had just achieved. She looked at the Aymr, the brilliant gold flame had dissipated at this point yet she could somewhat feel traces of it.
Dimitri glared at her defiantly, not looking to yield at Edelgard despite being disarmed.
Unplanned as that was, Edelgard decided to capitalize on it, being in the position of strength to make Dimitri listen to her reason.
Pointing the Aymr towards Dimitri, Edelgard was ready to speak to Dimitri once again only for magical explosions around them and the Imperial soldiers to cease such attempts, a ball of scorching fire was even aimed directly towards the Emperor, prompting Hubert and Lysithea to cast their respective dark magic spells to anticipate it in the air.
The fiery magical explosion made Edelgard guard herself from any embers of flame as a loud horn blared over the Brionac Plateau, the sound of which confirmed Edelgard's concern over this battle.
"That horn…!" Hubert muttered in frustration.
"The Knights of Seiros has arrived and have flanked our army!" One of the Imperial soldiers cried before an arrow pierced one of his eyes from the back of his head, killing him instantly.
Taking the distraction as his cue, Dimitri quickly stood up, slammed his shoulder to the distracted Edelgard and ran to retrieve the Areadbhar.
Further magical explosions deterred him from attacking Edelgard as the soldiers of the Kingdom escorted their recently defeated king away from the battlefield, Edelgard was immediately surrounded by her own soldiers with Hubert and Lysithea helping her up.
Edelgard had no time to thank them as the Knights of Seiros descended upon them from different directions.
"Is there any word from Arundel?!" Edelgard asked Hubert as their soldiers fought in the combined army of the Kingdom and Knights of Seiros, though they were gradually being overwhelmed.
"None, Your Majesty. They should have been here a while ago."
'Curse that bastard!' Edelgard angrily thought.
Soon, they were closing in on them as even some of the members of the Black Eagle Strike Force found themselves reunited in the middle of the battlefield due to Edelgard's orders to retreat and regroup to maintain a less scattered defense.
Lysithea didn't utter a word, fear was beginning to grip her heart as the grim reality of war was beginning to overwhelm her as well as this growing sense of hopelessness at the situation. For a fleeting moment, she felt relieved when Edelgard came out on top of her duel with Dimitri but such celebration was short-lived upon the arrival of the Knights of Seiros charging in to fight the battered Imperial Army.
She was also exhausted from both her injuries and from her performance in the battle, she could say the same for Edelgard who was still breathing raggedly from her intense duel to the point that she was using the Aymr as a crutch to keep herself standing.
'She didn't have any injuries… could it be that using the Crest of Flames takes that much of a toll in her?'
Lysithea thought as she theorized the exhausted state of the Emperor before going back to focus in defending herself and Edelgard.
"This isn't looking good." One of the Imperial soldiers said as panic began to set in among them at their dire situation, thinking they would die without hope at this state.
"Stand… your… ground." Edelgard said raspily, overhearing the panicked concerns of her troops. "We fight… until we find… a way."
The soldiers' fears were soothed not by her words but at the sound of a familiar war horn blaring, a war horn that was far different than before but bore great familiarity to the Imperial army.
It was the sound most of them had hoped to hear.
"Lord Arundel has arrived!" The soldiers cheered as the soldiers of the Kingdom and Knights of Seiros looked at the direction from where the increasing sounds of marching were heard only to be drowned out by what seemed to be… heavy stomps.
Without warning, large hordes of gigantic beasts of macabre appearance leaped towards the battlefield, crashing down on the surprised soldiers and Knights of Seiros.
"D-Demonic B-Beasts!" It was unknown who uttered such a terrified scream from the Imperial army's point of view as the voice was followed by a scream of agony alongside many others.
The masked monsters sent out terrifying roars that demoralized every soldier fighting them, using their savage sharp claws, they shredded waves of soldiers in their wake. Some of the monstrosities even stomped their way through the enemies of the Empire, leaving crushed corpses in a trail of blood and destruction.
Seeing the increasingly one-sided carnage from a distance, Dimitri had no choice but to order a retreat. Soon, another sound of a horn was heard over the battlefield which prompted the soldiers of Faerghus and the Knights of Seiros to retreat as more Demonic Beasts poured in while being accompanied by fearless cavalry from the Empire.
The bulk of the reinforcements soon arrived where the vanguard led by Edelgard was, or what remained of it. Led by Lord Arundel, the Emperor's uncle dismounted his horse and approached Edelgard with a smile.
"We have arrived in the nick of time, Your Majesty." Arundel bowed but Edelgard and the rest of the Black Eagle Strike Force could detect the hint of mocking in his tone.
"You were set to arrive earlier than this, Lord Arundel." Hubert questioned him with his cold voice, despite being saved by his reinforcements, Hubert wasn't thankful for his delay nor would he ever be thankful for anything from him.
Arundel scoffed at the perceived insolence he found from Hubert but nonetheless maintained his confident smile.
"A delay in mobilizing the Demonic Beasts… nothing more-"
"And who ordered you to bring those monsters in?" Edelgard asked, interrupting her uncle as her face contorted to that of rage.
Even Lysithea wanted to question Arundel as she too was outraged at the appearance of these monstrosities despite Edelgard's orders not to deploy them.
Lord Arundel shook his head. "Is this the thanks I get for saving you, my dear niece?"
"Don't you dare." Edelgard warned him, she could feel the seething rage emanating from both Lysithea and Hubert but neither of them could match the anger she feels right now. The fact that she had to work with this man who masquerades as her uncle was grating enough, to seemingly delaying his arrival on purpose was another but to brazenly defy her mandate not to deploy the monstrous beasts was the biggest offense.
She had enough reason to execute the man before her for defying her, her hands holding the Aymr trembled with anger but she used every bit of restraint she had to prevent herself from separating Arundel's head from his body.
She can't do it, not right now and not in front of her army… she would be perceived as mad, impulsive and untrustworthy if she would kill the army's 'savior' right now. They did not know the truth and the massive gratitude they now feel towards her uncle is undeniably present in the relieved faces of her army, the way they sang praises to Arundel's timely arrival made her pause.
"I merely did what I think is right for you and the Empire, Your Majesty… even if I must defy your orders to do so." Lord Arundel responded with a faked show of extreme devotion in safeguarding the Emperor even if he must defy her orders, risking punishment.
It was at this point that Edelgard knew… this bastard before her had outsmarted her by taking advantage of the despair her army felt while being overwhelmed, Arundel calculated his move well and to further justify and exalt himself in the eyes of many in using Demonic Beasts.
Edelgard knew this, Hubert knew this and Lysithea knew this… they cannot help but just be silent as the Imperial army celebrated their close victory.
The Black Eagles Strike Force on the other hand? It felt more like a pyrrhic victory if anything as the Demonic Beasts ceased their rampaging under the spells and orders of the mages in black.
It frustrated them how close they were to losing this battle as well as their lives. Are they so ineffective without Byleth's guidance even after he taught them much of what he knows?
'Are we so dependent on you?'
Edelgard took a sip of her tea as she sat alone beside the table in the gazebo where she used to drink tea with the professor, Lysithea or her other guests back in her Academy years.
She wanted some time alone right now, thinking that the bergamot blend of tea that Hubert had prepared for her would help relieve some of the stress that had been weighing down heavily upon her.
Not wanting to think much of what transpired, having more than enough time to think about it after her private tea session, Edelgard instead looked around the courtyard surrounding her.
She had noticed how the finely trimmed grass of the courtyard had been sickly green in color, contrasting the verdant green shade they once possessed back then. Edelgard also took notice of the damaged pavement, cracks were now apparent, their pristine condition were now a thing of the past, small blades of grass had begun to grow out of the rocks of the stone pavement.
Edelgard knew she was responsible for the downtrodden state of her surroundings, she had passed through many stone rubble that were broken off from the walls or towers of the monastery due to a siege that she led years ago. As many pilgrims had petitioned for her to repair Garreg Mach to its former glory, she denied such petitions due to strained resources her Empire was facing during this war.
That and because she refused to also have the cathedral repaired, not wishing to actively promote religion at the moment most especially that which teaches the tenets that Rhea had perpetuated all these years. Most of such tenets, she abhorred as outdated… decadent even.
It would be counterproductive of her mission to rid Fodlan of it's religious dogma that had poisoned it and it's people through the centuries if she would commence with the restoration of the Church of Seiros' former seat of power as a place of worship.
It stays as a military stronghold for her now, at least until she finally finishes walking her path of unifying Fodlan under a new system.
"Hubert told me you would be here."
Edelgard's solo musing paused, she tilted her head slightly to see Lysithea walking up to the gazebo she was in, her eyes bearing a look of concern over her.
"Did he tell you to come talk to me?" Edelgard asked with a sigh from assuming how her loyal adviser would ask Lysithea to bring comfort to her.
Lysithea shook her head. "No, I was the one who asked where you are."
"For what reason?"
"What you are doing now."
Edelgard blinked for a moment before realizing what Lysithea meant. Snorting in amusement, temporarily forgetting what is causing her stress, she gave Lysithea a nod of invitation.
"Want to come join me then?"
"Only when there's cakes from Enbarr."
Edelgard moved her body slightly to reveal the hidden contents of the table concealed by her body. Seeing the required item for her to join Edelgard in her private teatime, Lysithea sat on the chair opposite of Edelgard.
Good thing the Emperor was served with another cup after the servant that served her earlier mistakenly assumed she would be with someone.
"I don't want to hear any complaints, I didn't have sugar cubes served." Edelgard said in a preemptive attempt to stave off any word from Lysithea regarding sugar.
While Edelgard shares the same affinity for sweets like Lysithea, she has her own limits in sweets such as never unnecessarily adding sugar on to her tea. After all, a bergamot blend is good as it is… at least for her.
Lysithea slightly furrowed at the lack of sugar but nonetheless didn't say a word about its absence as per Edelgard's words. Serving herself with tea and taking a slice of the cake from Enbarr, Lysithea wasted no time to take a sip before eating a small piece of the cake.
Her reaction was as Edelgard expected, squealing at the sweetness of the cakes she loved so much from Enbarr.
At least the sight of someone close to her made her feel some sort of relief. She took a sip of her tea once again, her eyes darting to the half-finished cake she had. Edelgard liked eating the renowned cake from Enbarr but not in many quantities, she quickly loses her appetite at prolonged consumption of the sweet cake.
The reason why she had some brought to Garreg Mach was because of Lysithea's rather childish fondness of it which she bears witness now.
Though of course… she wouldn't dare say that in front of Lysithea lest she suffers a tongue lashing from her.
"Are you alright?"
Edelgard turned to Lysithea after hearing her inquiry regarding her wellbeing, the latter had set down her fork at the place where the big slice of cake she had been eating used to be.
"To be honest? Not really." Edelgard admitted, finding no use to lie about her condition especially to Lysithea.
Lysithea looked worried at the Emperor, it has been days since the battle in the Brionac Plateau and its aftermath. She too, hated what happened after the battle, how they won it despite their losing odds. It felt hollow for her… dirty even.
"I did what I believed was right yet in the end, my uncle outsmarted me, played us like a fiddle." Edelgard said with loathing on both her and Arundel.
"What Lord Arundel did wasn't your fault, Edelgard. I know what you tried to do and I can vouch for your honor-"
"I care little about my honor, it's already muddied as it is." Edelgard interrupted Lysithea. "It's the very future of our army and the Empire that I am worried about if Arundel was left to do as he pleased."
Lysithea was silent, unable to formulate a response to comfort Edelgard.
What Edelgard meant was the overwhelming praise and support Lord Arundel received upon the nobles learning of his heroic victory and rescue of the Emperor and the Imperial army from the brink of annihilation by their enemies. Even the nobles and generals who were dead set against the deployment of the Demonic Beasts quickly turned to support Arundel, only a handful remained loyal to Edelgard's objection to it such as Linhardt's father and Ferdinand.
"The influence he got from that battle made it even harder for me to undermine the great political influence he has in the Empire." Edelgard admitted with seething anger she could barely restrain.
"And acting against him now would only bring instability to the Empire and it's armies, possibly risking civil war…"
"And he knows that very well." Edelgard gritted her teeth. "He knows there's nothing I can do much at this moment while he continues using those monsters to fight his battles. I felt like I condone such beasts in the eyes of many who aren't aware."
Then, there was only a pensive look upon Edelgard's eyes, she absentmindedly placed her teacup on the table, not even on the saucer, as many thoughts ran across Edelgard's mind. Her failures and her frustrations dancing around in her head, she wanted to forget about them momentarily yet her mind kept on insisting to think about them.
And this was making Lysithea worry about her, she had seen Edelgard like this previously and it was almost four years ago, it was during the aftermath of Byleth and Garreg Mach's fall. Edelgard carried on as usual but she could barely mask the pain and guilt she felt that lasted for days until she was forced to move on from it before she was ready.
Something Lysithea could very much sympathize with and now, it hurts her to be unable to stymie what her friend feels as she mostly is forced to suck it all up and appear strong for her people. It is moments like this that remind Lysithea that Edelgard is still just a human being, not an infallible and invincible leader the Imperial Army looks up on.
The ashen haired Emperor needed a distraction and Lysithea thought of an idea until someone beat her to it.
Edelgard noticed another set of eyes looking at her besides Lysithea, she looked to her left to see a young girl with brown hair wearing a set of clothes that easily identified her station as a servant's child, looking curiously at Edelgard.
Lysithea also noticed the child's presence and noted she looked about the age of five to six years but nonetheless, can't identify who the child is.
"Yes?" Edelgard asked the young girl, masking any sort of intense contemplative expression she once had in order not to intimidate the young one as she had previously scared any other children who she approached during her tour in various places in the Empire.
The young girl stared at Edelgard, her stare seems to be focused on a specific part of Edelgard's head which the Emperor took note of, tracing where the girl was staring at until-
"Horns." The young girl absentmindedly said, pointing at the horn ornament that kept Edelgard's hair rolled on the sides of her hair, a crown specifically crafted for her.
This made Edelgard touch the horn on her left side as Lysithea watched on, the two girls of white hair waited as the girl blinked while staring at Edelgard's left horn.
"Were you born with horns?" The child asked after a lengthy pause between her and the Emperor.
Edelgard blinked at the random question thrown at her while Lysithea nearly felt the urge to snicker, barely keeping it at bay as she silently watched.
"Born with horns?" Edelgard asked with a stupefied look.
The young girl nodded. "Yes, some people outside of the war call you a monster… I wondered if maybe it's because of the horns."
It was there that Lysithea forgot any notion of teasing Edelgard about her horns for a later time as she was reminded of how Edelgard has been viewed outside of the Empire, how the people vilify her as a heartless war mongering monster… the deployment of the Demonic Beasts by Arundel would only intensify such a view of her. Lysithea was worried that such reasons would make the masses outside of the Empire would even give Edelgard a chance.
The ultimate blasphemer against the Church, the one who caused the war and the monster of Adrestia… Such titles give such vilification to Edelgard and her cause.
Edelgard merely chuckled, waving off what the child told her about being a monster.
"Of course not." Edelgard said, finding the young girl's obliviousness to be a reason for her to smile.
The girl remained skeptical and to prove her point, Edelgard removed the horns that kept her rolled hair together as well as the crown on her to let loose her smooth and silky ashen hair which the young girl marveled at.
"See? Do you see now?" Edelgard asked with mirth as the young girl now focused on Edelgard's silky flowing hair.
"Your hair is pretty." The girl absentmindedly commented as her eyes sparkled. "I want to have hair like that!"
"You can do it, just brush it-"
"I want white hair like you and the other miss has!" The young girl pointed at Lysithea with a hopeful look.
Both Edelgard and Lysithea were taken aback by the girl's comment and wish. Their expressions sank because they knew how it was possible to acquire such white hair and the reason why they fight this war is to prevent anyone else from experiencing such a grisly fate.
Before either of them can find their will back to reply, the girl's mother who resembled her daughter arrived, looking for her.
"Latasha!" The mother exclaimed with a horrified look when she saw her daughter bothering the Adrestian Emperor in her time of relaxation, she feared the worst that Edelgard might have been offended by her daughter's 'insolence'.
Quickly hugging her daughter from behind while on her knees, the mother looked at Edelgard with an apologetic and fearful look.
"I-I'm sorry for my d-daughter's i-insolence, Y-Your Majesty!"
Edelgard was taken aback by the mother's fear of her, though she cannot blame her for acting in such a way… considering her reputation outside of Enbarr…
Standing up, Edelgard knelt on one knee to place a comforting hand on the mother's shoulder with a gentle smile.
"Do not be afraid, your daughter didn't do anything wrong."
"B-But-"
"In fact, she gave me a much needed moment of joy for the day. I thank her for that." Edelgard said as she stood up.
The mother took this as a cue for her to stand up alongside her daughter but maintained her respectful bow to the highest authority of the Empire.
"Raise your head up and be at ease." Edelgard ordered her gently as to not further intimidate the woman while her daughter only looked up at the Emperor.
"Your daughter is a curious child." Edelgard noted while looking at Latasha.
"S-She is." The mother admitted before bowing to Edelgard once more. "We must go, Your Majesty… we still need to help in cleaning… unless there is something I can be of service?"
Edelgard shook her head but inwardly sighed, the woman was still intimidated by her not that Edelgard can blame her.
"As you were." The Emperor gave the mother and daughter a small smile before returning to her seat as she watched the pair leave.
With a sigh, Edelgard took her teacup to take a sip once again, she noticed Lysithea staring intently at the young girl as she and her daughter became more and more distant from their view as if the girl had piqued her interest.
Unknown to Edelgard, there was something about the girl and the view of her back that made Lysithea remember something… something that she had long thought had been buried.
Dreams she once frequented having that have stopped ever since Garreg Mach fell. Dreams of various kinds…
Dreams of battles with a symphony of horrifying screams, choking and blinding smoke as well as the stench of blood.
Dreams of a briny breeze from the sea, the waves crashing against the rock, the sound of seagulls and finally…
A young girl standing alone on a cliff, looking at the sea. Sometimes, there wasn't a girl but three moss ridden graves instead.
It had been long since such dreams visited her nor has she ever thought of them ever since the war began and covered all of Fodlan.
But for some reason, watching the young girl interact with Edelgard and now her back made her think about the cryptic if not nonsensical dreams.
"Lysithea? Are you alright?"
The snow haired woman turned her gaze back at Edelgard, puzzled on why she would ask such a question considering nothing happened to be worried about.
"Yes? Why would I be otherwise?"
"That's because you have been staring at the young girl with her mother for a while now, I was discussing something with you." Edelgard replied with a worried gaze.
Lysithea looked like she was hit by realization and what she has been absentmindedly doing, earning a sigh from Edelgard.
Then, a question emerged in Edelgard's mind… a question that masks a speculation for why Lysithea would stare at the mother and daughter for quite some time, ignoring her. And ignoring her, she's doing once more as Lysithea's eyes went back to the young girl.
Observing Lysithea's eyes going back to the girl while sipping some tea, Edelgard let loose the question.
"Do you perhaps want to have a child?"
Just as Lysithea took a sip of her tea, she immediately spat it out, showering the Emperor with the hot liquid, staining her ashen hair, face and her outfit.
Lysithea started coughing as some of the tea remained in her throat, the annoying scratching feeling in her throat persisting as she ignored her unwitting victim in front of her.
"W-What made you think t-t-that?!"
Any semblance of annoyance Lysithea had was replaced with surprise and fear when she saw Edelgard staring daggers at her, Lysithea realizing that she had stained the Emperor with her tea that she spat out earlier.
Edelgard only sighed, taking the dry white napkin on her side of the table and wiped her face with it.
"You could first tell me why you seemed bothered or at the very least, curious of the girl. Were you perhaps worried about what she told me?" Edelgard questioned, thinking Lysithea might have been worried if the young girl's words about the perception of other people viewing her as a monster bothered her.
"N-No… well, I was but that's not why I was…" Lysithea trailed off, she remembered how she never truly told Edelgard or anyone else about those strange dreams she had.
And why is it bothering her now? After all these years? Does it have something to do with her return to Garreg Mach? Did returning to this place trigger something in her subconscious?
"Oh there you are- Oh my Edie! What happened to you? You looked like you took a shower of tea!"
Just before Edelgard could receive a concrete answer, Dorothea arrived looking as fine as she always been though looking surprised at how much of a mess Edelgard looked like.
"Lysithea…" Edelgard tried to come up with something. "Choke on her tea and-"
"You were the unfortunate recipient?" Dorothea asked with raised eyebrows, her expression finding mirth at how she imagined such a scenario.
Edelgard's silence was all the answer the former opera singer needed for confirmation.
"Enough of that, do you need something?" Edelgard asked, dismissing any further inquiries, ignoring Lysithea's absentminded stare at the table.
Dorothea giggled at Edelgard's attempt to brush off what happened to her, making a mental note to ask the Emperor about it later but first… she had to relay this news to her.
"Petra has returned with Ingrid and the scouting party. You might want to hear about their report regarding the problem pestering the garrison here-"
"The noble houses of the Leicester Alliance have been informed of the treachery within their mists."
"I never expected such a bright young girl to be swept away to that Emperor's side…"
"We all thought she had been only assisting the Empire under duress but to think that she had been willingly assisting them while her family fooled the entirety of the Alliance of such a ruse."
Within the room inside Fhirdiad's castle, Catherine turned to the tall woman standing near the window of the large room they were in.
Her green eyes staring at the various people of the Kingdom going about their daily lives within the capital, from the eyes of the other inhabitants within the room, she seemed calm and collected but for the eyes of another person who bore nearly the same shade of green in his eyes… he could tell something was brewing within her.
Seteth worriedly looked at Rhea's back, catching a short glimpse of one of Rhea's hands tightly balled into a fist at the frustration of the news she had received in the past few days.
"More and more are being turned to heretics due to that sinner's poisoned honeyed words." Rhea finally spoke, her voice devoid of any of the gentle and soothing tone it possessed.
"More turn away from the Goddess as more days pass by with Wilhelm's descendant still drawing her breath." Rhea grumbled, her back still turned to her trusted lieutenants and advisors, all of them displaced from Garreg Mach and had taken residence within Fhirdiad's walls at the offer of King Dimitri.
"The battle in the Brionac Plateau was meant to exterminate her, if it weren't for those monsters coming to their aid… we would have won." Catherine lamented as she too felt frustrated at the strategy the Church and Kingdom have employed in a bid to finally kill Edelgard and dismantle the Empire only for such plans to be foiled.
"All this… began because HE refused to listen to me. Instead, that child decided to question me. All he needed to do was obey, to slay the sinner he once called his student yet why…?"
"Lady Rhea?" Cyril called out in worry as he and the others glanced at each other, concern on their faces as Rhea rambled to herself once again, a frequent event ever since Garreg Mach fell and they were forced to retreat from the place they once called home.
"Even I am not a fool. I know you are still out there, child. You still bear my mother's heart and her body. Once I am done with the girl you sought to protect from divine judgement, I will await your return and reclaim her back."
Rhea looked up at the morning sky with bitter hatred at the enemies she kept on thinking about.
"I will get her back and someday, she will return to us in all her radiance. That I can promise."
Apologies for the long update on this one, feel like I didn't do the long wait much justice due to this chapter's length. Real life matters had been busy and it hasn't been easy on my side. Work and stress from the situation took it's toll in me for a while and I had little motivation to write in the past few months because of it. It is only recently that I retained my will to write and hopefully it stays for good or for a long time to make up for the lost time.
Next chapter will mark the end of this 'interlude' before the actual start of the events of Crimson Flower begins!
As usual, reviews are very much appreciated! Thank you!